Queen of Euritic (BWWM) (BWBM)

71

For yesterday's night was bright with laughter and insane with the drunk of men, the day's light had been kidnapped by the inevitable darkness of the celebration at last dusk.

King Alexander assembled on his wooden carved chair, decorated with heavy woven dark fabrics and colorful jewels of Persian culture. His hand cuffed under his chin and legs spread out onto the steps below his chair as he stared aimlessly into his walls. His bright red robe, embedded with gold trimmings at the hems was open at the chest; allowing his skin to breathe after suffocating from the heat exerting from his body.

The unordinary warmth stemmed from the chalice wine he sipped from the celebration of his victory. Though, it was not the abundance of fermented grapes which triggered his stomach to respond restlessly. The goblet was meddled with a hemlock given at the hands of traitors. Before he brought his lips to the wine, a guilty servant cried and removed the chalice out of his hands. The servant pleaded for forgiveness on her knees, while the rest of his men and company were slothful in the bliss of drunk activity. The woman was led by soldiers and placed inside his tent for a confession.

Absent of violent persuasion, the Macedonian girl confessed to the crime of poisoning the king. She was given a water hemlock to taint his wine when King Alexander was at his highest of inebriation. It was only the seed of the flower she inserted, but the smallest amount of hemlock was deadly.

In exchanged for mercy, the woman confessed to others' involvement. He would be a fool to act surprise, but he would be a fool to act inconsolable.

Philatos, his smartest, youngest, and most rebellious general, was named the culprit of his assassination attempt. Without question, Alexander had the boy dragged from his tent when he was entertaining one of the whores he was gifted with. He was taken to a private location where Alexander gave free reigns for his soldiers to collect answers by any means. He was questioned throughout the night and part of the day while King Alexander suffered from less serious effects of the tiny bit of hemlock consumed; the sweats, the shivers and the constant vomiting he induced on his own to get the substance out of his system. His physicians treated, rested, and stayed with Alexander as he fought against the effects and the reasonable sense of his impending death.

Then, as he laid in his bed after the morning passed, he was informed Cyrus was murdered in his cage. His investigators found a bulk of hemlock within the leftovers of his captive's food and the manifestations of the poison that showed on his face.

Alexander immediately ordered every single one of his servants to line up in front of him, though sick and forced answers of them. Even the ones who had no answers spoke of the whispers around the camp.

His men did not obey his orders to stay sober through the night, so they couldn't identify who was the one who served Cyrus his food. After, a few hours of torture and threats, he deduced the madness to five servants who were ordered to feed Cyrus and the personal guards around him.

They were standing before him today.

King Alexander summoned his council and his best soldiers to sit in as the judgements were made. In the middle of the room was Philatos, his brother and cousins and the suspected servants who committed Cyrus' execution.

He sent a request for Queen of Euritic to join, because Philatos named her as a suspect in his case while he was interrogated.

The room was still with anguish and anticipation.

Many awoke believing they will be free of war and battle for the next few weeks. In its place, their eyes sored from the reveal of their generals and friends who stood in the middle of the room with barely an inch of unbruised skin.