Chapter 18.
A thick pink smog covered the Hellenic skies, enshrouding the ancient planes of Greece. Anna watched the static clouds from amidst the safety of Athenia’s towering blockades. The air had become icy over the course of a single day, the sheer dip in temperature was almost paralyzing. Those who stood in the streets were covered in linen and furs in efforts to avoid freezing.
Thousands of citizens corralled around the inner walls of their king’s fort. Anna huddled the children and their mothers together, encouraging all that wished to join her to do so without hesitance. She had organised word to be sent immediately all across Athenian territory, to towns, villages and smallholdings, for them to gather at Athenia for the safety of their people’s generations to come. It was pleasing to see such numbers within the confiding walls.
The first lady kept Arbephest’s parents close by at all times, not out of guilt, she felt little sadness inside for the loss of her husband, but for feeling of an honouree binding to the words she had uttered to the man long ago. His family was still her own, though her bloodline lived in the hills below Panthea, the destination she wished to take her people’s evacuees.
Beyond the audible crowd hundreds of Athenian heads turned to look at a guard who stood outside Peremes’ fort. “Your king comes forth!” Those that stood fell quiet, it was a rare, pleasurable sight, for the majority, to look upon their ruler. Few had quarrel with him nor felt disdain. The Athenian people were self sufficient and abundant, their nation had been free to live without fear for hundreds of harvests.
“Athenians!” The small unimposing man began. Anna watched him scan the crowd, upon meeting her gaze he stared. “Today I learned that a son of Greece has fallen, a great leader, a mighty warrior.” What’s he up to? “Though they say he was slain effortlessly whilst trying to defend our home against these invaders from the ocean.” The crowd began to mumble amongst themselves.
“My husband was murdered!” Anna yelled out, furious at her king’s lies.
“Indeed! As were all the heroic warriors that marched with him to the Northern Pinnacle. We want the same thing, first lady of Rhoma, the safety of our people.”
“What will we do, my king?” A male called out of the mumbling crowd. Peremes raised his small hand in efforts to calm them though his lack of presence failed to attain their attention.
“Quiet!” His guard yelled out across the ocean of people, succeeding in regaining their focus.
“We will march across the land bridge and set up an impenetrable blockade whilst our kinsmen from the north, south, east and west flock to their king’s call. The armies of Rhoma and Cele have each been informed of my plan, we will await them and the rest of the Hellenic armies before, as one united force, we return to take back our homes. We will liberate all of Europa, Libya and Asia, no usurpers from beyond our land will be free to tyrannise everything we Athenians stand for.”
“Land bridge?” Nobody cheered at Peremes’ words, Anna could hear the confusion amidst excitement and fear.
“Who will lead us south?” At those words his guard stood to attention, Anna had no idea who he was.
“In the death of the warlord of Rhoma, and an immediate need for a leader in this moment of trouble, I name a man who I know personally, a warrior equalled by none in both combat knowledge or ability. Warlord Heleon, step forward.” With those words Peremes turned about, disappearing back into his fort. His own guard? She had no true interest in the affairs of war, yet knew that to simply pick a man was not the way a warlord was chosen. Traditionally he was required to have an overwhelming amount of support before a queen or king was to utter his name, he was required to stand already a military captain, not a guard who had likely never seen combat in his life.
“To any who don’t know,” the new warlord yelled out to the confused crowd, “the south of Greece is now only a part of our nation via a small land bridge, we begin our march the moment your king returns. Those who wish to join us in liberating our kinsmen may do so, those who seek safety should join the first lady of Rhoma. Would she step forward for a brief audience with her ruler?” Anna made her way through the flock of townsfolk, curious over the purpose of her summoning.
Within the throne room her king rested, his chin slumped upon a clenched fist. She stood in the doorway without bowing, she had heard much about the man from her husband, though had never engaged in any worthwhile conversation upon the few occasions they had met.
“Peremes.” She halted, waiting for some sort of speech or question involving her intended destination.
“Are you sorry for your loss, Anna?” She could not have predicted that, with an uninterested face she shook her head.
“No.”
“Your husband is dead and you don’t care?” She blinked, unmoved.
“If the march of our people is waiting upon this audience to end then it’s finished, I have nothing to discuss about my husband, he’s dead. My country needs me.” She turned to leave, provoking the small man to speak up quickly.
“Do you know why your husband is dead, Anna?” She did not look back.
“Because of me, because of his country.”
“Because he was too stupid to listen to his own king! I commanded him to take the Athenian army to the Northern Pinnacle, but in his arrogance he took just a few men, and paid for it with his life.” She knew he was lying, but what did it matter, she stepped forward and he called out once more, his light voice screeching with frustration. “You’re lucky I didn’t have both of you stripped of your titles for his disobedience! Exiled and cast out to the savages! I hope these invaders burn Rhoma to the ground and have that disloyal peer of your husband’s head on a pole.” He really is as pathetic as Arbephest said.
“Let’s hope Arbicos arrives at this land bridge before they have a chance, my king.” She spoke with sarcasm, uninterested in anything more the man had to say until he began to laugh lightly.
“That man marches to his death as we speak, there will be no word to the sons of Hephaestus.” She was stunned, though still did not turn to look at him.
“Why would you leave your people to die?”
“Arbicos’ men aren’t my people, nor are your dead, loyal to the Athenians husband’s, I want him dead. Your animal of a husband near strangled me to death, and Arbicos watched, he did nothing to stop it. When the sons of Hephaestus are gone I will establish my own ruling over my own country, the ways of old will be no more.”
“You’re a coward.”
“I am the king of Greece! Utter a word and you’ll be branded a conspirer, I’ll have you shamed in front of all your loyal followers. Try as you might to save your people, Anna, Athenians will die because of your husband. Now get out my sight!” His pitiful nature infuriated her. She stormed out of the throne room seething. From the hallway a most peculiar sight struck her. It seemed masses of tiny white petals were fluttering slowly down from the sky. Upon reaching the structure’s entry a bitter breeze struck her, it was snow, it fell far beyond the horizon. For some moments she looked about at the beauty of the thick pink clouds and icy white droplets engulfing her home. Past Peremes’ fort thousands of Athenian citizens huddled together, they each looked disgruntled and tired, lost.
Anna rushed through them, rubbing at her slender arms in efforts to warm herself. She quickly found Talia and Phesten and took them aside. “I’m going to Panthea, Peremes has no intention to gather the Athenian army at the land bridge, he’s sick, he has a grudge against Arbicos’ and Arbephest’s men. He plans to leave the Athenian army alone to die at the hands of the invaders.”
“We must tell the people, Anna.” Talia looked wild, her stout frame became stiff at her words. Anna shook her head.
“Peremes will turn my people against me if I try, I’ll have a message sent from Panthea, to Egypt, when their king knows we are truly under siege he’ll send reinforcements,” she sighed. “I hope.”
“What of Arbicos and his men? Shouldn’t they be warned?”
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�Arbicos wouldn’t retreat, even if he knew his king was abandoning him, the man has nothing to live for. Knowing that no reinforcements comes will only trouble him. I hope the Egyptians can aid us in time.”
“How will you get there, Anna? Will you be safe?” This time Phesten spoke up.
“I’ll ride, I’ll be safe riding. People must know the truth.”
“Can you?” She nodded.
“I rode with Arbephest when we were young, he named his horse after me.”
“We know,” Talia smiled, “he was most fond of you.” Anna glanced briefly between Phesten and Talia.
“Take the children and the elderly, they’ll be safe in the hills below Panthea, I’ll come once message has been sent to Egypt.”
“You’re a brave woman, Anna, Arbephest was lucky to have you.” Talia put a hand on Anna’s shoulder, she smiled before turning away from them. To hear words like that wracked her with guilt. He must never have told them how cold she was, she wondered if her husband ever thought about how she treated him. They never argued about it, he never so much as spoke a word concerning her actions. She just wanted to hurt him, if she had or not was unknown to her.
Just steps away from Arbephest’s parents the crowd erupted into fearful whimpers, beneath their feet Anna felt the lightest tremors shaking the earth. Athena, what is becoming of us? With an ever growing fear she made haste to Athenia’s stables. She knew not what she could achieve by sending message to Egypt, but she had to do something, anything. Her king was abandoning what was left of the Athenian army to stand alone against this invading nation, and she felt helpless to prevent it.
The Echoes of Solon Page 30