"My King! My King!" came the worried voice of Captain Brittas as he rushed out to the palace courtyard where Therakales was entertaining princess Gianna regaling her with tales of his various war exploits as the two rested on a soft thick blanket strewn with silken cushions, enjoying a light lunch under the shade of the ancient olive trees the green leaves providing a welcome refuge from the harsh sun.
"Calm yourself Captain." King Therakles answered not appreciating the sudden interruption "What on Earth is the matter? Is the city on fire? Are we at war?" he said in a joking manner not wanting to upset or worry his guest, nor make her uncomfortable.
"My Lord!" the old warrior panted "There has been a tragic accident!" he paused, face red, trying to catch his breath.
"My sister!? The Queen?" he gasped, eyes wide, panic rising in his voice.
"No! No! Our Queen is safe, unharmed." here Therakles breathed a sigh of relief "However..," Brittas paused gazing solemnly over at the young Roman Princess.
"Is it my father?" her voice arose in a panic fearing the worst.
"No! Your father, the Emperor is well." he bowed his head and said in a soft voice "It is your Uncle, General Cothos.., he has sustained fatal injuries while out horseback riding with Queen Sparta."
This shocking news was met with wide-eyed silence then King Therakles stood to his feet saying "What has happened to our most honored guest?"
"Queen Sparta invited General Cothos to go out riding early this morning. He was attempting to ride Saxet, on his own, for some unknown reason. Somehow.., he was thrown out of the saddle, whereupon he fell, face first, on the sharp rocks of the mountain stream. Alas, he could not survive the grievous wounds to his body; which now lies in the crypt beneath the Temple of Hades."
"Where is my sister? Pray tell me how fares our Queen after this tragedy?" Therakles demanded to know, his stomach churning, thoughts racing as Princess Gianna leapt up to her feet not believing the news she was receiving.
"Queen Sparta is inconsolable with grief, her lamentations coming in torrents of tears. For, even though this was a most unfortunate accident, she bears a tremendous amount of guilt and this tragedy has utterly devastated our great lady. So overwhelming is her grief.., she will not leave his side."
"Will not leave" Therakles asked confused.
"The crypt, my Lord. She is now, as we speak, on her knees beside the body of Cothos, she refuses to allow the priests to perform their sacred duties to offer the rites of passage to the dead."
"We must go to her at once!" Princess Gianna shouted she, herself, overjoyed by the news of her Uncles death, something she had been praying daily for ever since the night he tried to rape her.
"Yes at once!" here King Therakles, Princess Gianna and Captain Brittas raced off in the Royal Chariot down to the vast temple complex where they hurried over to the long narrow staircase that led down into the house of the dead. King Therakles paused at the entryway turning to Princess Gianna saying "I do not feel a noble woman, such as yourself, ought not go down to this place where we prepare the dead for the afterlife."
Princess Gianna gave an impudent look up at him sating "You, King Therakles, are not yet my husband. I serve only my father, the Emperor. I, am now, the highest ranking member of the Roman elite, here in Greece, and so I shall do as I please. Now your dearest sister and most beloved Queen is desolated, and I, myself, am sorely grieved by this sudden loss of life.., however, it is Sparta who has fallen in love with Cothos and now her heart is broken. As we can all clearly hear." her words were interrupted by the echos of Sparta's crying and lamentations which issued up from the dimly lit subterranean chamber. So loud and sad were her cries it sounded like a sort of somber music to their ears.
So it was, together they went descending down the stone steps as the flicker of oil lamps filled the cold space with shadows of light and flames which cast an eerie glow against their faces. There the trio beheld the broken and bloodied lifeless body of Cothos laid out on a marble slab, as the priest and priestess stood at the back of the chamber where Queen Sparta sat up on her knees her head resting on the chest of Cothos, whose face was bashed in, he being virtually unrecognizable. "Summon the Physicians, incant the spell which can call up the dead!" she shouted in a rage of fury.
"Sparta." came the calm still voice of her brother as she slowly raised her head "My dearest darling.., come. There are no potions, nor medicines we can give to revive him now. There is no magical spell which will resurrect the dead." here he came closer seeing his sisters face, her eyes blood red, cheeks stained with hot, bitter tears, her face as white as the sail of a ship, her lips quivering as she tried to speak. But her speech was wholly shattered by the disastrous turn of events, she, herself, unable to speak coherently. "Ssh, ssh, there, there, my sweetheart." King Therakles said kneeling beside her wrapping his strong arms around her pleading with her to leave the dead in peace. Whereupon Sparta pushed him off of her as she prostrated herself at the feet of Princess Giaana begging for her forgiveness, vowing to have her horse Saxet slaughtered and served up for dinner to appease the wrath of the Roman delegation and the family of the Emperor.
Here Princess Gianna was so touched and absolutely thrilled to see her most hated uncle had suddenly been killed. "No, my dearest Sparta." she tried to console her, kneeling down with her, taking her hands in hers saying "This was a fateful accident. I, nor my father, will be wroth with you. I am only thankful you, yourself, were not injured." Gianna embraced the devastated Queen to her bosom tightly as she stared over at the body of her despised uncle as a thrilling joy filled her heart with a lightness of being she had not known in ages.
"Oh, surely, the Emperor will have my head and nullify our treaty for a unified peace between our two nations!" Sparta bellowed.
"It was an unfortunate accident Sparta!" King Therakles reminded her.
"Cothos! My Love!" she shouted throwing herself back upon his corpse his wet blood staining her hands and lips as she wrapped her arms around his torso as she kissed his chest, his bloodstained flesh turning her lips crimson red.
"Come away Sparta!" King Therakles ordered her as a deepening worry filled his mind. "We must allow the priests to perform the holy rites to prepare Cothos for the grave. Let not Cothos hesitate to cross the river Styx, let him find rest with the dead in the Palace of Hades.
When Sparta heard the name Hades she became even more agitated in her distress as she grabbed her brother by the shoulders, and with a serious dreadful look she cried out "I should go with him, for I no longer wish to live, I do not belong here in the land of the living." her lies kept coming and her performance was a masterpiece of showmanship, for she was so believable in her distress that she had even started to convince herself that she was truly devastated. Here her plaintiff wails left her to collapse in the arms of her brother for her breaths came quick and fast as she fainted. King Therakles felt a pain deep in his heart as he could not bare to witness his sister suffer for this was now a torment to all his senses and Gianna began to shed real tears of sympathy for the Grecian Queen.
So it was, gently with great care and tenderness, King Therakles lifted up his sister up into his arms cradling her next to him as she rested her head upon his shoulder, then he nodded to the priests to begin the last rites in service to the dead man. Here, in silence, save for the weeping of Gianna the group made their way back up the narrow stairway and just as they were about to depart Princess Gianna hesitated turning back to gaze upon the horrific, glorious sight of the broken body of General Cothos, and for the first time, in a long time, she felt a great warmth of elation rise up in her heart as if she had dwelt in darkness for years and now had finally come out into the light to feel the sun upon her skin. "Goodbye Cothos, may your soul rest in peace." she said softly then slowly she turned following behind her future husband, whose mind raced with grave thoughts of concern for the sanity of his sister. Whom he feared could quite possibly lose her mind through this tragedy and he suddenly wished Major Synos was here so he could assist in the consolation and care of Queen Sparta, who was now in a dire mental state of sadness, swallowed up by depression and guilt.
"Do you think Queen Sparta can ever overcome this event" Captain Brittas asked as they put her aboard the chariot to get her back to Palace as soon as possible.
"Only the Fates can know." he sighed trying to understand the situation more clearly in his mind wondering why she had allowed Cothos to mount her steed in the first place.
"Calm yourself Captain." King Therakles answered not appreciating the sudden interruption "What on Earth is the matter? Is the city on fire? Are we at war?" he said in a joking manner not wanting to upset or worry his guest, nor make her uncomfortable.
"My Lord!" the old warrior panted "There has been a tragic accident!" he paused, face red, trying to catch his breath.
"My sister!? The Queen?" he gasped, eyes wide, panic rising in his voice.
"No! No! Our Queen is safe, unharmed." here Therakles breathed a sigh of relief "However..," Brittas paused gazing solemnly over at the young Roman Princess.
"Is it my father?" her voice arose in a panic fearing the worst.
"No! Your father, the Emperor is well." he bowed his head and said in a soft voice "It is your Uncle, General Cothos.., he has sustained fatal injuries while out horseback riding with Queen Sparta."
This shocking news was met with wide-eyed silence then King Therakles stood to his feet saying "What has happened to our most honored guest?"
"Queen Sparta invited General Cothos to go out riding early this morning. He was attempting to ride Saxet, on his own, for some unknown reason. Somehow.., he was thrown out of the saddle, whereupon he fell, face first, on the sharp rocks of the mountain stream. Alas, he could not survive the grievous wounds to his body; which now lies in the crypt beneath the Temple of Hades."
"Where is my sister? Pray tell me how fares our Queen after this tragedy?" Therakles demanded to know, his stomach churning, thoughts racing as Princess Gianna leapt up to her feet not believing the news she was receiving.
"Queen Sparta is inconsolable with grief, her lamentations coming in torrents of tears. For, even though this was a most unfortunate accident, she bears a tremendous amount of guilt and this tragedy has utterly devastated our great lady. So overwhelming is her grief.., she will not leave his side."
"Will not leave" Therakles asked confused.
"The crypt, my Lord. She is now, as we speak, on her knees beside the body of Cothos, she refuses to allow the priests to perform their sacred duties to offer the rites of passage to the dead."
"We must go to her at once!" Princess Gianna shouted she, herself, overjoyed by the news of her Uncles death, something she had been praying daily for ever since the night he tried to rape her.
"Yes at once!" here King Therakles, Princess Gianna and Captain Brittas raced off in the Royal Chariot down to the vast temple complex where they hurried over to the long narrow staircase that led down into the house of the dead. King Therakles paused at the entryway turning to Princess Gianna saying "I do not feel a noble woman, such as yourself, ought not go down to this place where we prepare the dead for the afterlife."
Princess Gianna gave an impudent look up at him sating "You, King Therakles, are not yet my husband. I serve only my father, the Emperor. I, am now, the highest ranking member of the Roman elite, here in Greece, and so I shall do as I please. Now your dearest sister and most beloved Queen is desolated, and I, myself, am sorely grieved by this sudden loss of life.., however, it is Sparta who has fallen in love with Cothos and now her heart is broken. As we can all clearly hear." her words were interrupted by the echos of Sparta's crying and lamentations which issued up from the dimly lit subterranean chamber. So loud and sad were her cries it sounded like a sort of somber music to their ears.
So it was, together they went descending down the stone steps as the flicker of oil lamps filled the cold space with shadows of light and flames which cast an eerie glow against their faces. There the trio beheld the broken and bloodied lifeless body of Cothos laid out on a marble slab, as the priest and priestess stood at the back of the chamber where Queen Sparta sat up on her knees her head resting on the chest of Cothos, whose face was bashed in, he being virtually unrecognizable. "Summon the Physicians, incant the spell which can call up the dead!" she shouted in a rage of fury.
"Sparta." came the calm still voice of her brother as she slowly raised her head "My dearest darling.., come. There are no potions, nor medicines we can give to revive him now. There is no magical spell which will resurrect the dead." here he came closer seeing his sisters face, her eyes blood red, cheeks stained with hot, bitter tears, her face as white as the sail of a ship, her lips quivering as she tried to speak. But her speech was wholly shattered by the disastrous turn of events, she, herself, unable to speak coherently. "Ssh, ssh, there, there, my sweetheart." King Therakles said kneeling beside her wrapping his strong arms around her pleading with her to leave the dead in peace. Whereupon Sparta pushed him off of her as she prostrated herself at the feet of Princess Giaana begging for her forgiveness, vowing to have her horse Saxet slaughtered and served up for dinner to appease the wrath of the Roman delegation and the family of the Emperor.
Here Princess Gianna was so touched and absolutely thrilled to see her most hated uncle had suddenly been killed. "No, my dearest Sparta." she tried to console her, kneeling down with her, taking her hands in hers saying "This was a fateful accident. I, nor my father, will be wroth with you. I am only thankful you, yourself, were not injured." Gianna embraced the devastated Queen to her bosom tightly as she stared over at the body of her despised uncle as a thrilling joy filled her heart with a lightness of being she had not known in ages.
"Oh, surely, the Emperor will have my head and nullify our treaty for a unified peace between our two nations!" Sparta bellowed.
"It was an unfortunate accident Sparta!" King Therakles reminded her.
"Cothos! My Love!" she shouted throwing herself back upon his corpse his wet blood staining her hands and lips as she wrapped her arms around his torso as she kissed his chest, his bloodstained flesh turning her lips crimson red.
"Come away Sparta!" King Therakles ordered her as a deepening worry filled his mind. "We must allow the priests to perform the holy rites to prepare Cothos for the grave. Let not Cothos hesitate to cross the river Styx, let him find rest with the dead in the Palace of Hades.
When Sparta heard the name Hades she became even more agitated in her distress as she grabbed her brother by the shoulders, and with a serious dreadful look she cried out "I should go with him, for I no longer wish to live, I do not belong here in the land of the living." her lies kept coming and her performance was a masterpiece of showmanship, for she was so believable in her distress that she had even started to convince herself that she was truly devastated. Here her plaintiff wails left her to collapse in the arms of her brother for her breaths came quick and fast as she fainted. King Therakles felt a pain deep in his heart as he could not bare to witness his sister suffer for this was now a torment to all his senses and Gianna began to shed real tears of sympathy for the Grecian Queen.
So it was, gently with great care and tenderness, King Therakles lifted up his sister up into his arms cradling her next to him as she rested her head upon his shoulder, then he nodded to the priests to begin the last rites in service to the dead man. Here, in silence, save for the weeping of Gianna the group made their way back up the narrow stairway and just as they were about to depart Princess Gianna hesitated turning back to gaze upon the horrific, glorious sight of the broken body of General Cothos, and for the first time, in a long time, she felt a great warmth of elation rise up in her heart as if she had dwelt in darkness for years and now had finally come out into the light to feel the sun upon her skin. "Goodbye Cothos, may your soul rest in peace." she said softly then slowly she turned following behind her future husband, whose mind raced with grave thoughts of concern for the sanity of his sister. Whom he feared could quite possibly lose her mind through this tragedy and he suddenly wished Major Synos was here so he could assist in the consolation and care of Queen Sparta, who was now in a dire mental state of sadness, swallowed up by depression and guilt.
"Do you think Queen Sparta can ever overcome this event" Captain Brittas asked as they put her aboard the chariot to get her back to Palace as soon as possible.
"Only the Fates can know." he sighed trying to understand the situation more clearly in his mind wondering why she had allowed Cothos to mount her steed in the first place.
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