The Gates Of Troy

by Iliffe, Glyn

‘But . . . But nobody told . . .’

  ‘Oh stop stammering and get back to your seat,’ Laertes snapped, walking around the hearth and snatching the staff from Eupeithes’s hand. ‘Now, this is the question I want to ask: what about the Trojans? We know the Greeks should be able to provide a large army – if the oath is honoured and each king brings his fair share of soldiers – and that a good core should be well trained, properly equipped and experienced, but what do we know about the enemy? Well, when I was the king of Ithaca I wasn’t as idle or ignorant as some of my subjects thought,’ Laertes glared at Eupeithes, ‘so I’ll tell you what I know. Priam, they say, is a womanizer with more brains in his penis than his head, but he has – or at least he had – a particular son who effectively rules in his stead. His name is Hector, a violent brute of a man with a sharp mind when it comes to fighting. He rules over an empire of vassal states and allied cities, which he keeps on a tight rein through the ruthless application of violence and fear. The Trojan army is considerable in size and battle-hardened through its unending border wars, and they can call on large numbers of warriors from the rest of the empire. These foreigners breed like dogs, so even with the whole of Greece against them they’ll easily be able to match us man for man. I can’t speak for their quality, but when a man is defending his home and knows the only thing between a vicious enemy and his wife and children is his spear, he will fight twice as hard as any invader.

  ‘What’s more,’ Laertes continued, turning his calm, knowing eyes on Odysseus, ‘the Trojans boast that the walls of their city were built by Apollo and Poseidon. They’re impenetrable. Even if you defeat their walls of flesh and blood, my son, you won’t pass their walls of stone. As I see it, if you go on this mission to Troy then it’ll be many years before you see the halls of your own palace again – if at all.’

  At this point, Halitherses stood and moved towards Laertes, who gave him the speaker’s staff and returned to his seat.

  ‘Odysseus,’ Halitherses began, ‘your father speaks with the wisdom of a god. As soon as I heard of this proposed mission to rescue Helen – the moment I learned she was being held in Troy – my heart sank. Did you think I’d forgotten Mount Parnassus and the oracle the Pythoness gave you? Indeed, could any man forget the sight of that poor girl, transformed as she was with the face and tongue of a serpent, speaking those fateful words? It’s always been kept a secret between those of us who were there – you, Eperitus, Antiphus and I – but now the time has come to share it with the Kerosia. Give me leave to reveal what she said, so that the council will know the doom that awaits you.’

  Odysseus looked pensively at the old soldier, then gave a quiet nod of his head. Halitherses turned to the others and, in a slow voice, began to repeat the words of the priestess.

  ‘“Find a daughter of Lacedaemon and she will keep the thieves from your house. As father of your people you will count the harvests on your fingers. But if ever you seek Priam’s city, the wide waters will swallow you. For the time it takes a baby to become a man, you will know no home. Then, when friends and fortune have departed from you, you will rise again from the dead.”’

  As he spoke the flames in the hearth sputtered and threatened to fail altogether, while the shadows about the hall multiplied and grew darker. A silence fell and it was only after the last words had died away that the fire began to spit and crackle again, and the fidgeting of the slaves could be heard once more in the background.

  ‘It doesn’t seem like any choice at all to me,’ said Mentor. ‘Stay at home and be cursed by the gods for breaking an oath, or go to Troy and be doomed not to return home for two decades.’

  ‘Which is why I say Odysseus should abandon this expedition and risk the fury of the Olympians,’ Halitherses replied. ‘The alternative is unthinkable.’

  ‘Don’t be foolish, Halitherses,’ Odysseus admonished him. ‘If anything in this life is certain, it’s the vengefulness of the gods. We live by their blessing and provision, and suffer through their anger or fickle moods. No, I wouldn’t willingly incur their wrath for anything – even when the alternative is being sentenced to twenty years at the other end of the world, away from my home and family. But there is still hope! The force Agamemnon is gathering is powerful indeed: Diomedes will be there; both the Ajaxes; Idomeneus of Crete; Menestheus of Athens; Nestor the famous charioteer. Even Achilles is to be asked.’

  ‘Hope!’ Phronius exclaimed, his voice cracking with disbelief. ‘Hope? An oracle is the will of the gods, Odysseus – there can be no hope.’

  ‘Then let me reveal another secret,’ the king retorted. ‘Ten years ago the Kerosia – yourself included, Phronius – sent me on a mission to compete with the best men in Greece for the hand of Helen. The odds were against me, but that has never stopped me from taking up a challenge. Then, before I had even reached Sparta, Athena herself told me that Helen was to be given to Menelaus. I believed her, of course, because the will of the gods cannot be changed by mortal action. Or that was what I had always believed. But then Helen offered herself to me, and her father was prepared to honour her wish.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Laertes said, sitting up. ‘If Helen offered herself to you, why didn’t you take the chance and be sure of saving Ithaca?’

  ‘If I had, then perhaps this expedition to Troy would have been for my sake instead of Menelaus’s! As it is, I fell in love with Penelope instead and after that there was no question of marrying Helen. But my point is this: a goddess had told me that Helen was to be given to Menelaus, and yet it was within my power to make her mine. Do you understand? For a moment my destiny was in my own hands – not the hands of the gods or of anyone else, just mine. And if it was the case then, it can be the same now. I intend to fight this war as if that oracle had never been uttered. I’m going to use every bit of my cunning to finish it quickly, and if I have to I’ll scrap like a cur until Troy lies in ruins and our black-hulled ships are speeding back home to Ithaca.’

  At that moment, the guards stood aside and a soldier entered the great hall, his footsteps echoing from the walls as he marched up to the king.

  ‘What is it?’ Odysseus asked.

  ‘Agamemnon, Menelaus and Palamedes have arrived, my lord. Their ship was moving into the harbour as I left to report.’

  The king stood as the soldier left and, belatedly, received the staff from Halitherses’s hand.

  ‘This has been a difficult meeting and some things have been revealed that I would rather have remained secret. But there is hope, whatever Phronius says – maybe not of a swift victory, but we shouldn’t dismiss the power of a united Greece to win this war in good time. It only remains for me to propose that Mentor takes charge of Ithaca until my return, deferring only to my father’s experience and Penelope’s wisdom. I have also asked Eperitus to be my second-in-command, a role that befits his position as captain of the guard and my friend. Are you in agreement?’

  The members of the Kerosia – with the exception of Eurylochus – nodded, and the slaves began clearing away the tables and their untouched food. Odysseus signalled for Eperitus to join him, but before he could say a word to the captain of his guard Halitherses approached with a concerned look on his old face.

  ‘Odysseus,’ he said, ‘Eperitus told me he offered to lead the army in your place, but that you insisted on going.’

  The king nodded.

  ‘Well, I’m your friend and you trust me,’ Halitherses continued. ‘Although your optimism in the face of the gods is admirable, don’t forget Helen did marry Menelaus, whatever opportunities came your way. And my instincts are against you going to this war. Why don’t you accept Eperitus’s offer?’

  Odysseus placed a hand on the old warrior’s shoulder and looked him in the eye.

  ‘Because I don’t really have that choice, Halitherses. I was the one who took the oath, not Eperitus. Besides, I may not be as accomplished a fighter as Achilles, Diomedes or the greater Ajax, but I have more brains than the rest of them rolled up together. I�
�ll think of a way to shorten this war when all their brawn and fighting skill fails, and when I come back home to my family in a couple of years the honour for the victory will be mine. I’ll prove the oracle wrong yet, old friend.’

  Halitherses embraced Odysseus and Eperitus briefly, the tears flowing openly down his cheeks as he bade them farewell. Phronius followed, silently taking the hands of both men before shuffling away, stooped over his stick. Eupeithes, in his usual aloof manner, shook the king’s hand and wished him well.

  ‘The last time you led an armed mission overseas,’ he added in a quiet voice, ‘a certain rich fool used the opportunity to seize the throne. Well, you’ve proved yourself a just and merciful king and I want you to know that rich fool has learned from his errors – he won’t be making the same mistake again. That’s all I wanted to say, Odysseus. Goodbye.’

  He bowed low, then with a brief nod to Eperitus was gone.

  ‘What was that all about?’ asked Laertes after his nemesis had left.

  ‘I believe that was the first heart-felt apology Eupeithes has ever offered me,’ Odysseus answered. ‘Will you and mother be coming to watch the fleet disembark?’

  ‘Fleet?’ Laertes scoffed. ‘That’s a very grand expression for a dozen ancient galleys pulled together at the last moment. If your Taphian friend Mentes hadn’t offered to sell us six of his ships, half of the army would have been sailing in merchant vessels. Even now I doubt you’ll make it to Aulis, let alone Troy.’

  ‘Well, that would be one way to avoid my doom,’ Odysseus replied, sardonically. ‘But on the assumption the fleet makes it out of the harbour, will you and mother be there to see us off?’

  ‘She said her goodbyes to you last night, Odysseus, and won’t say them again. She already believes she’s seen you for the last time, so I don’t know how she’ll take this oracle you’ve been keeping secret all these years.’

  ‘She’ll see me again, I know it,’ Odysseus said firmly. ‘And what about you father? Will you come to the harbour?’

  Laertes took his son’s hand. ‘I don’t like crowds, so I’ll say farewell here. Look after yourself and come back as quickly as you can. Mentor and I will take good care of Penelope and Telemachus for you.’

  With that, he turned his pale, watery eyes away and departed, leaving only Eperitus, Eurylochus and Mentor with the king. Odysseus took a last look around the hall he had known so well for all of his life, then turned and left.

  The changeable weather had brought a sky full of grey cloud to cover the departure of the Ithacan fleet. Odysseus marched out of the palace gates with his three companions to a loud cheer from the waiting army and the crowds of Ithacans who had come to see them off to war. He waved his hand in acknowledgement and looked at the hundreds of faces. The soldiers stared back with something close to adoration, all of them eager to risk their lives for a war not of their making, in a foreign land none of them had ever seen. Each man wore a chelonion flower tucked into his belt or in a joint of his armour, to act as a reminder of their homeland. Odysseus knew almost all of them by sight and many by name, even amongst those who had come from the furthest corners of his small kingdom. As he stood before them, a wave of nervous energy burst through his stomach and filled him with a feeling of nausea. Every moment of the past two weeks had been consumed by preparation for the great expedition, but now he was finally able to understand that he was leaving his beloved homeland for a faraway country, unable to say when – or if-he or any of his men would return.

  At that moment, a bark erupted from the crowd and Argus came bounding towards him.

  ‘Hello, boy,’ he said, bending down and patting the puppy vigorously as it licked his beard. ‘I was wondering where you’d got to. Thought perhaps you didn’t want to see me off.

  Argus barked and wagged his tail.

  ‘I’m sure you’d love to come along for the voyage, youngster,’ Odysseus said, holding the dog’s face in his hands and looking into his eyes. ‘And you’d be better company than most. But a ship’s no place for a dog, and neither is a battlefield. Mentor’s going to look after you until I come back.’

  ‘That’s right, boy,’ said Mentor, bending down to pat Argus’s head. ‘We’re being left at home while Odysseus and Eperitus go to reap all the glory. But at least we can hunt a few boar while they’re away, eh?’

  Odysseus grinned at his old friend, then turned to Eperitus.

  ‘Time to divide the men into their units,’ he said.

  Eperitus nodded and stepped forward. ‘Form up by your commanders,’ he shouted, his voice rebounding off the walls and houses.

  Suddenly the hum of conversation grew louder and more urgent as the men hurriedly kissed their loved ones goodbye and gathered their arms and belongings about them. This was followed by a disorderly stampede of warriors searching to find their nominated commanders, who in their turn were calling out their own names so that their men would be able to find them in the chaos.

  ‘You’ll have your work cut out getting this lot into shape,’ Odysseus said in a low voice that only Eperitus could hear.

  ‘We’ll manage it,’ Eperitus replied.

  As he was the commander of Odysseus’s ship, large numbers of men were now emerging from the mayhem and making their way towards Eperitus. They included the hand-picked warriors of Odysseus’s personal bodyguard, Antiphus, Eurybates and the titanic figure of Polites among them. Arceisius was also with them, grinning in anticipation of his first great adventure.

  ‘This is quite a rabble you’ve got here, Eperitus,’ Antiphus sighed, looking about at the chaotic assembly.

  ‘Anything we can do to help?’ asked Eurybates.

  ‘Yes. Organize our lot into ten rows of twelve, get rid of the women and make sure we haven’t gained any stragglers,’ Eperitus ordered firmly.

  An instant later the old soldiers of the guard were barking commands and using the shafts of their spears to chase people into, or out of, the orderly ranks their captain had requested.

  ‘Having trouble with your army, Odysseus?’

  Odysseus turned to see Agamemnon standing behind him. Menelaus and Palamedes stood on either side of the Mycenaean king and an escort of a dozen well-armed men stood watchfully at their shoulders.

  ‘If you’re in a hurry, gentlemen,’ Odysseus said, shaking the hands of the two brothers, though pointedly avoiding the hand offered by Palamedes, ‘I can send them back to their homes and just take the one ship.’

  He pointed to Eperitus’s unit who, though still lacking a few men, were standing in orderly rows.

  ‘We can wait,’ Agamemnon replied, clearly enjoying the sight of hundreds of armed men running around with little semblance of order. ‘I’m sure that once your men separate themselves from their families they’ll make a fine body of men. Unless, that is, the women and children are coming too.’

  Odysseus gave a tired smile and shook his head. ‘Not yet. Now, if you’ll forgive me, I have to say goodbye to my own family. Eperitus, get the men down to their ships a unit at a time, with ours last.’

  Eperitus watched the king stride back through the palace gates with Argus barking at his ankles. Odysseus was about to face one of the hardest challenges of his life, but this time there was nothing Eperitus could do to help him.

  Actoris gave Telemachus to his father and stepped back.

  ‘Such a shame,’ she tutted as Odysseus bent to kiss the child on his warm, red cheek. ‘Such a shame. I hope this war doesn’t last long, my lord, or you won’t hear his first words or see him learn to crawl.’

  ‘Don’t make matters worse, Actoris,’ said Penelope, her voice strained. ‘Leave us now, and take Telemachus with you.’

  Odysseus pressed a final kiss on the baby’s forehead before passing him into the old nursemaid’s waiting arms.

  ‘Go with Telemachus, boy,’ Odysseus ordered, looking down at Argus. ‘Guard him until I return.’

  He barked once and promptly followed Actoris out of the room, trotting alon
g beside her with his head craned up at the white bundle in her arms. Odysseus watched them go, then shut the double doors behind them and walked over to the bed in the middle of the room. Each post had a thick girth and was inlaid with patterns of gold, silver and ivory that twisted and turned all the way up to the ceiling.

  ‘Do you remember when I made this bed?’ he said, sliding his palm like a plane over the smooth surface of one of the posts.

  Penelope smiled and sat on the pile of furs that covered the thick straw mattress. ‘Of course I do. You refused to sleep with me for two weeks until you’d finished it.’

  ‘Ah, but it was worth the wait.’

  Penelope lay back on the bed, her long, dark hair spreading over the light-coloured fleece like a fan. ‘Yes, I couldn’t forget that either.’

  ‘I made this post from the bole of a living olive tree,’ Odysseus continued. ‘The others I just cut to size and fitted, but this one was from the tree that used to stand here before I built this part of the palace. Its roots still run beneath the bed we’ve shared for ten years – the best ten years of my life, Penelope.’

  ‘Will you be away long, Odysseus? The talk among the slaves is that the expedition will take over a year – it’s an awfully long time to be apart from you.’

  ‘Who can say for certain?’ Odysseus mused, sitting beside his wife and placing his hand on her warm stomach. ‘The Trojans might give Helen back the moment they see our fleet anchored off their shores, or they might decide to fight it out. But I promise you I’ll do everything I can to bring this quarrel to a quick end, even if I have to give up eternal glory and all the plunder in Priam’s treasury to achieve it. There’s nowhere I want to be more than back here with you and our son.’

  ‘I know,’ Penelope said, reaching up and touching his face. ‘But I’m going to miss you however long you’re gone. It’ll be lonely without you.’

  ‘Don’t say that. There are many people here who love you dearly, and you’ll have Telemachus to look after. Besides, the war may not happen at all, and if it does victory should be swift.’