by Simon Hawke
"Something like that, I suppose."
Steiger snorted. "I can't wait to see the Old Man's face when we plop some rotten old rag down on his desk and tell him it's the golden fleece. There you are, sir, hang it right up there in your den with your collection, next to El Cid's jewel-encrusted sword and Patton's pearl-handled. 45."
"I'll just settle for getting back and being able to tell him anything," Delaney said.
By the time they reached the city of Aea, they had picked up a sizable escort. Crowds followed on both sides of the road as the Argonauts marched into the city with Jason strutting proudly in the lead. Wide-eyed children ran beside them, staring at the bearded warriors with the sun-bronzed skin, and after seeing that the Argonauts seemed friendly, some of the bolder ones ventured to touch their metal shields. A few of the children picked up sticks to carry as mock spears and fell in behind the procession, comically imitating Jason's bantam rooster bearing, their heads held high, their shoulders thrown back, their free arms swinging in exaggerated motions. Hercules, Andre and Hylas attracted the most attention; Andre because she was the only woman among such an imposing looking crew, Hercules because of his physique and Hylas because he seemed the same age as the children, though he was older than most of them.
A large crowd had gathered at the palace steps to see the strangers. King Aides' soldiers waited there as well, in a show of force. It did not escape the notice of the Argonauts that the soldiers outnumbered them considerably. The soldiers of King Aietes blocked the palace steps. They stood in ranks three deep, looking very disciplined in their feather-crested helmets with bronze cheek and nose pieces, metal-studded leather breastplates and short white chlamys fastened at their throats by metal clasps. They carried short iron swords and long javelins and each of them held a small, round iron shield with the likeness of a ram's head on it. Their commanding officer stepped forward and pointed with his sword at Jason.
"Are you the leader of these men?" he asked.
"I am," said Jason, stepping forward until the soldier's sword point touched his chest so as to show no fear. "I am King Jason of Iolchos and we have come in peace, though if we are not received in peace, we are prepared to fight, as well."
"How's that for diplomacy?" Delaney said to Andre.
She merely shook her head.
The officer lowered his sword. "You are either very brave or very foolish, Jason, King of Iolchos. Or perhaps you are only very young. Those are bold words for a stranger who arrives uninvited with armed men. I am Kovalos, captain of the palace guard. Look about you first and then choose your next words carefully. We are five times your number and those are only the soldiers that you see. What is your purpose here?"
"That I will reveal only to King Aietes," Jason said. "It is unseemly for a king to be questioned by a captain of the palace guard. Inform your ruler that a king has come from Thessaly and that he requests an audience."
Kovalos stared at Jason for a long moment, then turned to his soldiers. He beckoned to an officer. "You heard?" he asked. "I heard."
"Repeat our visitor's words to King Aietes exactly as you heard them and then hasten back with his reply." He turned back to Jason as the officer ran into the palace. "We will soon know how you shall be received," he said, curtly. "I am not accustomed to be kept waiting," Jason said. Kovalos pursed his lips. "Nor am I. Nevertheless, it seems that we shall both be obliged to suffer some slight demands upon our patience. I will try to bear up under the strain."
"If I were Jason," Argus said, "I would not speak to such a man in such a manner. He is not yet crowned king and we are too few to make an army."
"This was badly done," said Orpheus, looking around. "Have you observed the archers on the rooftops? We should have sought out the Sacred Grove of Ares and made off with the golden fleece so that no one was the wiser. Our position here is most disadvantageous."
"Perhaps if you sang one of your songs, you could lull them all to sleep as you did the hound of Hades," Theseus said. "Then we could take the golden fleece and be back aboard the ship before they woke up from their peaceful slumber."
"Or perhaps you could tell them the tale of how you slew the Minotaur," Orpheus countered. "Then if any of them survived the telling of the tale, we could do battle with them on more even terms."
"Be silent, both of you!" said Argus. "We have enough troubles on our hands without arguing amongst ourselves."
"I think we are about to find out exactly what our position is," said Idmon, as the officer Kovalos had sent in to the king had returned.
"King Aietes will see you," said Kovalos. Jason started forward and the others followed, but Kovalos stopped him with a hand upon his chest. "A moment," he said. He shouted an order and the soldiers broke formation, then reformed flanking the Argonauts, with a squad of men in front and behind as well. They moved in close, hemming the Argonauts in tightly so as to restrict their ability to move quickly. "Now," said Kovalos.
They were marched into the palace, into the large, marble-columned main hall where Aietes sat upon his throne, surrounded by his courtiers and protected by a line of armed men stationed at the foot of the steps leading to the throne. He leaned forward in his chair as the Argonauts approached and stared at them intently, stroking his long black beard. His appearance was a marked contrast to that of the Dalion king, Cyzicus. Where the Dalions were a small, impoverished people, Aietes ruled over a large and wealthy kingdom and his palace and his dress reflected this.
Dressed in a long, gold and silver embroidered gown and wearing a high crown of hammered gold set with rubies, Aietes had a ring on every finger and bracelets studded with jewels on both wrists. He looked like a debauched Talmudic scholar with long, jet black hair that fell in heavy ringlets to his shoulders and a coarse, black beard that obscured the entire lower half of his face. His eyes were dark and deeply set and his face was gaunt and striking. He was sharp featured, with a large hooked nose and a high forehead, all of which combined to give him a brooding, menacing air. Kovalos halted them halfway across the room. "Which of you is Jason?" Aietes said. "Come forward." Jason pushed his way past the soldiers standing in front of him and approached the steps to the throne. There was an interested murmuring among the courtiers at the sight of so young a king. "I am Jason of Iolchos."
"You have traveled far," Aietes said. "What is your purpose here?"
"I have come for the golden fleece," said Jason. There was a stunned silence. "The boy gets right to the point," said Steiger, softly. Aietes stared hard at Jason for a long time. Jason stood his ground, meeting his steady gaze unflinchingly. Finally, Aietes broke the silence.
"The golden fleece is the most sacred relic of my kingdom," Aietes said. "By what right do you come seeking it?"
"By divine right," Jason said. "My father, Aeson, was cousin to that very Phrixus who was brought here by the ram whose fleece now hangs in the Sacred Grove of Ares. It is the will of the gods that the golden fleece be brought back to Iolchos, so that the spirit of my relative may at last find peace."
"If this is the will of the gods," said Aietes, "why have they not revealed it to me?"
"They have revealed it to me," said Jason, "in a prophecy spoken by the Oracle of Delphi. It was the gods, speaking through the Oracle, who led me here. The golden fleece rightfully belongs in Iolchos and I have come to ask you to surrender it."
"And you come asking with armed warriors at your side," Aietes said.
"I have done the bidding of the gods," said Jason. "The journey was a long and arduous one and we have encountered many dangers on the way. Yet if it had been the will of the gods that I should come alone, that too would I have done. We did not come here as raiders or as thieves, else we would not have marched here openly in the full light of day, nor would we have allowed ourselves to be placed at such a disadvantage by your soldiers."
"Yet even as we speak, your other men could be plotting to conduct the very raid which you deny."
"I have no other men," said Jason. "Yo
u see before you all who have journeyed here with me."
"Good move, kid," Steiger mumbled. "Give our strength away, why don't you?"
"Our strength?" Delaney whispered. "Let me get this straight. Are we going to try to help him or were we thinking we might have to kill him?"
Steiger glanced at him with surprise. "Hell of a thing, isn't it?" he whispered back. "I'm starting to get caught up in this."
"Well, make up your mind, Colonel." Steiger grinned in spite of himself. "Have you made up yours?"
Delaney grimaced. "I'm working at it real hard." Aietes smiled as he stroked his beard. "You claim the golden fleece rightfully belongs in your kingdom," he said to Jason, "yet it was Phrixus who brought it here, your own kinsman on whom you base your claim. With his own hands, he gave me the golden fleece to commemorate his marriage to my daughter, Chalciope, who stands there with her sister, Medea." He swept his arm out in an exaggerated gesture, indictating two women standing together among the courtiers on his right. "Will you tell the widow of your kinsman that you would take away a sacred relic with which the gods had blessed their union? Would you take from her this one remaining token of her departed husband?"
They all looked at the two women who stood close together, the eldest clutching her younger sister's arm. Chalciope had brown hair streaked with gray and a full, soft, pretty face that she must have inherited from her mother, for it had none of the harsh angles and sharp planes of her father's features. Yet Medea had her father's coloring, hair that was raven black and fell in long, curly tresses down her back. The darkness of her hair made her face look paler than her sister's, but it was not the pallor of ill health. Her lips were red and full and her features sharp, like her father's, but on her the effect was one of striking beauty. She had not inherited her father's beaklike nose, but she had his black eyes and penetrating gaze, which she now directed pointedly at Jason, staring at him with curious intensity.
Jason swallowed hard and floundered for a moment, whether from the question Aietes asked or from Medea's gaze it was impossible to tell, but he finally found words for a suitable reply and, for once, his tone of voice lacked its usual arrogance.
"I would tell my kinsman's widow that I come not to cause her any sorrow, but to bring her husband's spirit rest, for it has been told how the shade of Phrixus appeared in dreams to many of my people, pleading with them to bring the golden fleece back to his native land. Though he married here and lived well for the remainder of his days, Colchis was not the country of his birth. In life, he was denied his birthright and in death, he was denied rest in his native soil. The spirit of Phrixus is bound up in the golden fleece. If we bring it back to Iolchos with us, he may at last find peace."
"A very pretty speech," Aietes said, "yet what proof do you offer us that it is true? We have but your word and you are unknown to us. You are not the first to come seeking the golden fleece. Its fame has spread throughout the world and the fortune of our kingdom is bound up in it. It is our most holy treasure and it makes our country fruitful. Since the time I placed it in the Sacred Grove of Ares, our harvests have become more bountiful and the earth had yielded up its wealth to us. It is well known that there is much gold to be found in Colchis and many have come before you, seeking both that gold and the sacred relic whose power draws it forth out of the earth for us to find. The golden fleece is the greatest treasure of our kingdom, yet you expect me to give it to you for the asking? It is clear to me what you have planned. You hope to play upon our sympathies and upon my daughter's grief so that you may trick us into giving up the fleece. Failing this, you have brought warriors with you so that you could seize the golden fleece by force."
Aietes rose from his throne and pointed a finger at Jason, moving and speaking like an orator whose every nuance and gesture was calculated to achieve maximum effect.
"Yet you have miscalculated, Jason of Iolchos. We are not fools to be taken in by tales such as yours! If the gods wish for the golden fleece to be removed from Colchis, why have they not revealed their designs to us? If the spirit of my eldest daughter's husband is tormented, why has it not appeared to us in dreams? If the gods meant for strangers to arrive upon our shores and bear the fleece back with them, why have they not warned us of your coming, so that we would not treat you as invaders, but welcome you and do their bidding?
"No!" Aietes shouted. "We are not fools in Colchis! Nor are we a passive, docile people to be ill-used by pirates coming to our shores! The golden fleece has brought us prosperity and we maintain a mighty army to defend it and a fleet of swift ships to pursue all those who would come to plunder us! We have dealt severely with such men before and we shall do so again with any who attempt to steal from us! It is clear to me that you have not reckoned with our strength, else you never would have dared to march here in force so brazenly. As you can see, Jason of Iolchos, we are not easily frightened."
Aietes lowered his voice to a more conversational tone and made a gesture to encompass everyone around him. "Yet we are not a barbarous people. Though you may have come here bearing arms and making arrogant demands upon us, you have not committed any hostile acts. You say your voyage has been long and arduous. We are prepared to extend our hospitality to you so that you may rest briefly before starting on your journey home. Quarters shall be set aside for your men in our soldiers' barracks. As a foreign king, you shall be made welcome in the palace and you may select a number of your people to attend you, not to exceed five. When you return, you may tell others that we make strangers welcome here and treat them with the courtesy to which their rank entitles them, but if they come to us bearing the sword, then they shall die by the sword. This audience is ended. You may go."
While Aietes spoke, Jason had turned several different shades of purple and when the king summarily dismissed him, he would surely have exploded but for the presence of mind displayed by Idmon, who came running up to Jason's side and took his arm in a firm grasp.
"We are most grateful for your hospitality, King Aietes," Idmon said quickly and loudly, so that Jason could not interrupt. "With your leave, we will go now and rest from our long journey."
He practically dragged Jason away, a feat which would have been more difficult if Jason weren't so furious that he could do no more than sputter with inarticulate outrage. The moment they had rejoined the main body of the Argonauts, the soldiers turned about smartly and almost frog-marched the Argonauts out of the palace. They crossed the city square and stopped at the soldiers' barracks, a long, fortresslike stone building with a low wall surrounding it. Not looking to provoke a confrontation, Kovalos told Idmon, rather than Jason, that he would return "with a proper escort for the king" when rooms had been made ready for him in the palace. In the meantime, he showed them the area designated for their temporary use-stressing the word temporary-and promised that slaves would shortly bring food and fresh water to them.
"Never has my patience been so sorely tried," said Jason, as soon as they were left alone. "I thank you, Idmon, for your timely intervention. If not for you, I would surely have lost my temper with Aietes. I came to him honorably and spoke plainly of my intent, yet was forced to stand there in mute rage while he accused me of the basest motives!"
"We did come to take the golden fleece," said Theseus, "so for myself, I am little surprised at his response. Yet I am not displeased at this turn of events. It would have posed no challenge if Aietes had given up the golden fleece without a fight."
"Without a fight?" said Argus. "Has it escaped your notice that Aietes has at least five men for every one of us?"
"If the odds intimidate you, Argus," Theseus said nonchalantly, "I would be pleased to take on your five as well as mine."
"It would be difficult for us to take on anyone at this point," Idmon said, stepping between them. "These quarters are built like a prison and you may be sure that we are watched. We would not take two steps beyond these walls before their archers dropped us in our tracks. Unless the situation changes, there is not much we
can do at present except to plan a way out of this predicament. It was not for the sake of being gracious that Aietes 'invited' Jason to stay at the palace. He means to have him as a hostage for our good behavior until we can be safely sent back on our way. You may be sure that he will have soldiers searching for the Argo in the meantime. It was fortunate indeed that we concealed the ship and that no one saw us land."
"So what would you have us do, soothsayer?" Theseus asked. "What portents do you see to guide us in our actions?"
"I have seen no portents," Idmon said, "but I have a feeling that we shall receive help from an unexpected quarter, perhaps from within the palace itself. While we were there, I had the strongest intuition that an event of great significance would soon occur within those walls."
"Then I would be best served to take you with me to stay within the palace tonight," said Jason. "Theseus, you shall come as well and Fabius, Creon and Atalanta, since you were the first to join me. That makes up the five Aietes has so graciously allowed me. Hercules, I leave you in charge in my absence. Should anything befall us, I will leave it to you to decide what's to be done, but if I am killed, then it shall mean that I have lost the favor of the gods and there will be little to gain in pursuing that which they have chosen to deny me. In that event, I charge you to bring the Argonauts back home in safety. In the meantime, I will take council with these five and plan a way for us to get the golden fleece. When we have decided what to do, I shall contrive to send a message to you. The soldiers may try to antagonize you. Do not allow yourselves to be provoked. And beware the food and drink Aietes sends. Best to eat from the supplies we brought with us."
"The escort has arrived to take you to the palace, Jason," Hylas said from the window.
Jason picked up his weapons and his leather sack. "Be patient," he told the others, "and wait to hear from me. The golden fleece is not yet lost to us. Trust to the gods to see us through."
10
