Cordelian swept into the Logon audience chamber gracefully, with Euphastolon sauntering after him in his usual insouciant style. Tokropos had returned to the capital after almost a month, returning with what she described as the perfect girl for him. Cordelian had arranged to meet her in the Logon chamber as it was one of the most magnificent in the whole of the Trigon palace, yet also located some distance away from the Doukar's personal chambers and thus affording them some measure of privacy. Mekos herself had constructed the original chamber, and although there wasn’t anything left of her structure at this point, it still carried the weight of history along with stupendous wealth. There were gold inlays in the floors and walls, porphyry bordering the frescos depicting Mekos, and luxurious couches and chairs to sit and do business on. Just the place to dazzle a young provincial girl.
After seating himself on a formal throne and waiting for Euphastolon to noisily drag over a more comfortable throne to sit on next to him, he gestured to some of the slaves to go and bid Tokropos enter. Time to see what she had brought him after an impatient month of waiting and the current Empress getting progressively more irritating. The messages she'd sent him from her journey, made on crude clay tablets rather than scrolls, had made many boasts about the young girl she was bringing back. He was going to be disappointed if this girl wasn’t perfect.
Tokropos entered followed by the anticipated young girl and the usual coterie of attendants. As they went through the greeting ceremonies, Cordelian studied the girl. At first glance he was pleased. She was young and beautiful, and voluptuous compared to Vicca's more petite build. She was different in looks from Vicca overall: large framed and with strong features which stood in contrast to Vicca's small frame and delicate dark looks. Novelty would appeal to Fornulus. He also liked the greed in her eyes as they darted around the room and took in his and Euphastolon's clothing and jewelry. She was trembling slightly, he noticed, as she looked at him and his brother. She must be nervous from meeting greatness for the first time in her life. All of this was conducive to his ends and pleased him.
Towards the end of the ceremonies Tokropos introduced the girl. Her name was Munas, the daughter of Xenosa, who was descended from the ancient stock of Xecrates, a storied Milem of the third century. She came from a coastal region in the east, a trade hub for Monarian goods. The name had sounded familiar when Tokropos had first told him, and after a touch of research in the archives Agathio had placed it for him. Her father Xenosa had fallen on hard times due to the family of the current empress managing to squeeze the family out of several business ventures.
What a masterstroke that was! The girl already came complete with a grudge towards the Empress. Tokropos had outdone herself.
The girl in front of him was wearing a fine dress, but one a few seasons out of date here in the capital, and on close inspection, he could see signs that it had been repaired at least once. The girl's jewelry was also small, and he suspected mostly gilt, instead of solid gold, and some of the gems looked suspicious to him too. No doubt Theodorian would have seen through them in a moment. He wondered why Tokropos had not provided the girl with a more fitting raiment. Perhaps she didn't want to adulterate the initial impression the girl made.
He was just about to speak to the young girl when Euphastolon decided to add his own inimitable contribution directly into Cordelian's ear.
"Oh yeah, massive, much larger than Vicca's."
He ignored his lecherous brother. The man was an embarrassment. He couldn’t imagine what role there would be for him in Doukar Cordelian's empire.
He picked up his previous train of thought. "You are truly welcome in our presence, young Lady. May I call you by your name?"
"O-of course, Your Highness."
"Well then young Munas, no doubt it has been a tiring journey, but welcome to the capital and the Trigon Palace. This is the Logon chamber, the ideal spot for welcoming honored guests such as yourself."
The girl looked around wide-eyed, taking it all in.
"Mekos the Magnificent had this chamber constructed, and it was here that she ordered the execution of Doular the Pretender. If you examine the fresco to your right, you will see that it commemorates her victory over Lyssia. No doubt you recall the poetry of Plotinar which commemorated the event." He had no doubt this girl did not recall her Plotinar.
"It's beautiful, Prince Cordelian."
His brow twitched downward ever so slightly. He had not given her permission to use his name, and considered reprimanding her...no. He wanted this girl to get overly familiar with Fornulus, after all, so her clumsy lack of manners would work well. He could bear the affront. It also helped to think about the reaction of Vicca to this girl.
"It's not the only beautiful thing I see in this chamber." Euphastolon leered. The girl blushed, before mumbling an expression of gratitude. Cordelian detected a slight smugness in her expression, and her shoulders relaxed. Cordelian knew the type: the prettiest girl in her pissant little town, she was used to being complimented for her looks. It made her feel in control to know that even royalty found her attractive.
Cordelian wasn't worried about his brother's comments. Euphastolon knew this girl wasn't for him, and he wasn't even especially interested in sex. He had other, darker urges.
"I believe your family was involved in the battle of Karnan, fighting against the Lyssians, was it not? Your ancestor Xecrates was a general there, before being promoted to Milem."
"I've heard that, Your Highness."
"A noble bloodline. It was out of respect for your bloodline that, when I heard about the hardships that your family has suffered in recent times, I asked Lady Tokropos to bring you here to Dardano. It is my desire to help your family, and I hope you will help me to do that."
There was some anger in her expression at the reminder of their poverty. It must be a sore point for such a beautiful, noble-born girl, to live little better than the noumens she supposedly governed. He imagined there had been many moments in her life where she had been shown up by other patros girls – perhaps even a rich noumens or two. Probably her family harbored a great deal of hidden resentment towards Tokropos, an upstart noumens who had outdone them. Agathio's research showed Tokropos had placed the family firmly in her pocket with various predatory loans and unfair business dealings.
"My father was very excited and honored that you wished to...meet me, Prince Cordelian." She flushed again. Her eyes darted between him and Euphastolon as she attempted and failed to keep them humbly downcast.
A strange hesitation – but, ah, he understood at once. Her father, this Xenosa, had misunderstood the purpose of Cordelian summoning his daughter. He thought Cordelian was considering taking her as a wife, or even just as a mistress. Now the girl, upon seeing Euphastolon here as well, was wondering if she was intended for him. It made sense. Cordelian was unmarried, this provincial family would not be aware he preferred men, and he went out of his way to make allies with Patros who needed something or other. A useful misunderstanding. The girl was already primed to present herself as a lover to royalty, and when she realized she was here for the Doukar, she would be ecstatic.
He glanced over her with an openly critical eye, before gesturing to Agathio behind him. "My attendant will help you get dressed and provide other such accoutrements as are more suitable for your upcoming audience."
Agathio stepped forward and bowed his head slightly to her. She seemed taken aback. It wasn't unusual for a youth like him to dress a lady of the court, although a rural rube like her may not have been aware of this. The girl was also trying not to show indignation at his veiled insults of her clothes, although her greedy could see the difference between their clothing and her own.
Her greed and curiosity won out over the other emotions. "Audience, Prince Cordelian?"
"Yes, with His Exaltedness, the Doukar." He said, as if it were obvious.
The girl's eyes grew as wide as Euphastolon's grin. "The D-Doukar?!"
Cordelian smiled at her shock.
Tokropos chimed in. "I didn't want to make you nervous on the way here by telling you that you'd be meeting His Exaltedness."
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Cordelian elaborated. "The Doukar, having only recently ascended to his position, desires to converse with Patros from all over his realm in order to get a better sense of the challenges facing his subjects."
"He's a dedicated ruler," Euphastolon said, nodding. "Selfless and hard-working."
Cordelian continued. "Indeed. That's why I asked Lady Tokropos to bring a representative of your noble family to the capital."
He could almost see the wheels spinning in her little head.
"I would be so, so honored to meet the Doukar!" She said.
Euphastolon leaned forward in his chair. "The Doukar is so, so tired of talking to all these dusty old men and women about wool and grain and all that other boring rot. Talking to a pretty and so, so honored girl like you is just the thing he needs to lift his spirits."
She was clearly excited. Tokropos assisted him by asking him when Munas could expect to return home.
"Well I imagine that will depend on how charming and enlightening His Exaltedness finds her conversation."
"I'm sure the Doukar will really like talking to me." Her face was so hopeful.
"In that case, let us not hinder your preparations any further. Agathio, if you please." Agathio led the girl out of the chamber.
Cordelian expressed his pleasure to Tokropos for her excellent choice and hinted at favors to come at a later date.
It wouldn't be a challenge to get this little dolt to do and think what he wanted. This girl was perfect for reminding the Empress of some hard truths about how fragile her place in this world was.
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Nik was very pleased to see Ophelion at the church service again today. She seemed to be gaining interest in the faith. He had been trying to convince her for a while to attend more regularly. After the service ended he went over to the women's seating area where she sat in front to talk to her. Some of the patros women were lurking nearby, eager to catch the eye of royalty. Nik also recognized some of them as part of her regular circle of friends.
"Well, it's something to do." Ophelion shrugged, after Nik praised her for coming. "Gets me out of Trigon for a while."
Not the best attitude, but it was a start. He started to explain the content of the sermon to her, which was a condemnation of the poor treatment of slaves in the capital, hoping to interest her. She listened attentively, and even asked a couple of questions.
After their conversation died out, she suggested they go to the open walkway on the interior of the grand dome to examine the progress being made on building the church. Nik accepted, delighted for any opportunity to spend time with her. Not only did it provide excellent views, being the height of several men above the main floor, it was a private location where they could talk more freely. They even left their guards at the foot of the stairs, ascending alone, just the two of them. The walkway was too narrow for a whole crowd of people anyway. Nik's heart beat faster as he wondered if he might finally be able to steal a kiss from her.
Once there Ophelion leant over the gilt balustrade, peering around the church and waved to her friends who were chatting amongst themselves as they waited for her to return. Nik noticed some of the priests watching them, which made him resist moving in for that kiss. The royal family were nearly always been watched by somebody. You learnt to ignore your peripheral vision. He took a hold of the railing and leant back to look up at the grand dome and smaller, sky dome which was still being built at its peak.
Nik listened to the quiet echoing made by the voices below reflecting off the inner surface of the dome.
"You know, Ophie, I've been thinking. About us, I mean."
He waited to see if she would pick on his hint, but instead she turned and broached a different topic with him.
"Meronion's unhappy with Cordelian," she said.
His ears perked up. "Oh, and why’s that?" Not what he wanted to talk about, but still of great interest to him.
She made a funny little wave with her gloved hand, bracelets jingling. "She says he spends too much time with the patros. She wants there to be a distance between royalty and them."
"Meronion is old fashioned. She thinks you solve problems with spears. I want to move us past that kind of thinking." Inwardly, though, Nik was mulling this over. He had many disagreements with his older sister, but as Tarcassian said, there were no enemies in a shipwreck.
"True. She is more of a "stab first, smile later" kind of person." Ophelion made a stabbing motion with her hand. "I wonder how Pel will find working with Cordelian and her on the Kolonai."
"I'm surprised she approved Pel's promotion."
"Why? They get along pretty well."
"Pel seems to get along with everybody," Nik said.
"Hoh." Ophelion grinned, giving him an arch look. "He's ever so handsome you see. Everybody likes pretty boys." She pointed down towards her friends. "Meklarium is quite smitten with him, she's always asking me about him, asking me to mention her to him, asking if he’s got a girl. She's not the only one either."
Nik laughed. "Must be nice, I'm jealous." He didn't know which of her friends Meklarium was, but most of them were pretty. He was jealous, if he was honest, but he knew he was first in Ophelion's heart, and that was all he cared about.
He knew that, although not ugly, nobody would describe him as truly handsome. He'd overheard some of the patros women talking about the princes once, discussing which of them was the most desirable match. He couldn't imagine how Meronion would have reacted to such an inappropriate conversation. They ranked him beneath Cordelian and Pelagius, but above Euphastolon, so that was something.
Ophelion nodded. "I know how you feel. Little Helastus is prettier than me. The cheek when she's younger, I’m so jealous." She gave a carefree laugh, belying her words.
Ophelion was beautiful to him, although he knew that to most people Helastus or Theodorian were more beautiful. Most people were wrong. The fact that Ophelion couldn't care less was one of the most beautiful things about her.
"To me, you are the loveliest one of them all." He put his hand on her shoulder.
Ophelion's face turned more serious, and she cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'm sure Pel will help you now that he's on the Kolonai. He told me he would. He can make lots of allies there."
Nik nodded. "He's a loyal brother. It's strange that he's reached such a high rank while never trying to do much of anything with his life. One of Oma's little ironies I suppose."
Ophelion turned back to look out into the church again, moving her shoulder away from his hand. "He's not lazy."
"I’m not saying he is. I think the reason Pel gets along with everybody is that he doesn't have any ambition, so he doesn't clash with anybody."
Ophelion grew more serious. "No ambition? Do you think so?"
"I've never heard him talk about any ambitions."
Ophelion thought about it for a moment. "He's the second youngest. Nobody ever thought he had any chance of becoming Doukar, so they don't expect much from him. Now father's dead, and nobody pays attention to him, he can do whatever he wants."
"It wouldn't hurt for him to think more about the good he could do."
Ophelion was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure what goes on in his head, really. Or Helastus. Only what they tell me."
Her admission surprised him, and he didn't know what to say to it. The youngest pair of siblings were the closest to Ophelion out of all of them. Nik was close with them too, but he'd always been more of a mentor or leader to them, whereas Ophelion, with her more childish air, was an equal, and taken more into their confidences. Or so he had thought.
After a moment’s silence he changed the subject to something more important. "Have you spoken to Euphastolon lately?"
While Ophelion didn't talk to Cordelian, her full brother might have let something slip in front of her. Euphastolon was not a discrete person.
"Sure. Nothing important, just the usual dirty jokes and him moaning about losing at dice. Let's see." She thought for a moment. "He met some patros woman he thinks is good-looking who Cordelian brought in from the provinces. Mainly he complains about Meronion complaining at him about how he doesn't have a job, which I also hear from Meronion too. I don't know who I get to complain to." She grumbled.
"Cordelian brought a woman to the capital?" That was interesting.
Ophelion shrugged. "Apparently."
"Did he say anything more about her?"
"Plenty." She gave him a sidelong look. "But not the kind of thing you'd find interesting, or appropriate for a church."
Nik made a face. He could imagine. Still, it was curious: why would Cordelian, of all people, bother bringing a woman to the capital?
"If possible, could you try to find out who this woman is and why Cordelian called for her?"
"I suppose." She turned around to leant with her back against the balustrade, uncaring about the drop behind her or the thinness of the metal. She smirked. "You know, I've had my eye on this lovely broach down in the city..."
He laughed again, as he always did around her. "Fine, fine, I get the picture. It will be my honor, my lady." He grew more serious. "Let me know in general if Euphastolon does anything odd, alright?"
He had to step carefully. He'd never had the nerve to come straight out and ask Ophelion if she knew her brother was a murderer and brigand.
"He's always pretty odd if you ask me, but yes, I'll tell you. Why?"
"He and Cordelian are like two sailors in a storm together, so if I want to keep an eye on Cordelian, Euphastolon is a way to do that."
Ophelion made a displeased grunt. "You should leave Cordelian alone, if you ask me. Why involve yourself in whatever he's scheming?"
Nik glanced around to make sure nobody below was close enough to hear. "Cordelian wants power for himself. He wants to undermine Fornulus and kill him."
Ophelion waved dismissively. "So what? If Fornulus can't hold on to power himself, that's his problem. It's not our duty to prop him up."
Nik was taken aback by such callous words. But of course, she was Meronion's full-blooded sister, he should have expected some of her attitudes would rub off onto Ophelion. Her mother Rigiaron was the same way too, brutal and cold.
"I don't like Cordelian's vision for the empire," he said at last.
"So you have a vision for the empire - so you want power too! Maybe Fornulus should be worried about you." She smirked.
"I would never hurt anyone. I just want to help people," he said.
"Yeah, that's what they all say. I bet old Doukar the Great said the same as he slaughtered and conquered all those people, "I'm here to civilize you all, so be grateful", and then he stabbed them in the eyes with spears." She poked her index fingers out towards his eyes.
Her cynicism surprised him, but she wasn't wrong. It was good to be reminded of the danger in proudly assuming that your way was the right way. Ophelion was a special person. He needed her by his side.
He put his arm around her shoulders and puller her towards him affectionately.
"Thanks for the reminder."
"Of course. Just don't put a wrinkle in my robe." She pushed him playfully away from her.