Achilles&Briseis: A Novel

Chapter 2

Briseis, Kegarta, and a handful of other servants woke with the dawn. The Hittites were finally gone having gotten all they asked for with the exception of the engagement. The two weeks they'd taken up the guest quarters had been a blessing in disguise. It allowed Briseis to put almost everything she needed in place. All that remained was to blindside her father and the council by filling the meeting chambers with her models, and not taking no for an answer when they told her it was unacceptable.

She watched as the confused lords took their seats. As was custom her father was the last to arrive and the chamber was sealed. The council was comprised of several men who held important positions within the kingdom. Lord Nyox was the person she absolutely had to have on her side during this meeting in order not only to convince her father, but the rest of the council as well. Briseis had briefly considered letting him in on her plan but in the end, she feared it would seem rehearsed if he spoke up for her as Nyox was a terrible actor.

"Princess what is this?" Nyox the Chief Architect of the Builders' Guild opened up the meeting.

"Where are the cup bearers?" Panagiotis, Commander of the Army and Navy groaned.

"I have instructed them to wait outside until my proposal is heard," Briseis said. "If you absolutely must have something to drink there is weak ale in the pitchers." She gestured to the side of the room where a table that usually held strong wine and a bountiful feast on council days was nearly bare. Two pitchers of ale and a small platter of fruit were all the council would be getting until she gave the order. They only met three times a week and more often than not lately these meetings descended into revelry where little of important was discussed or decided on.

"Ridiculous." Panagiotis muttered as he stood up and took a few steps toward the door.

"Have a seat Lord Panagiotis. The chamber is sealed on my orders," Briseis told him but he ignored her. Panagiotis was her least favorite person on the council.

"Women." The man muttered without acknowledging her as he banged on the door. "Get the wine and food in here!" Silence met his entreaty from the other side of the door.

"A member of the royal family has given you an order Lord Panagiotis," King Briseus said sternly. "The Princess must have a matter of import to discuss given this display."

The center table was taken up by a scale model of the city. Not every building was represented just landmarks such as the temple of Apollo, the business district, market and palace to give everyone a sense of direction. The buildings weren't the main focus of this presentation, it was the walls which surrounded the city she spent nearly two years studying to create this model.

Grudgingly Panagiotis returned to his seat. Lord Leander the man in charge of overseeing trade from the Merchant Guild, poured himself some ale and quietly returned to his seat with a nod to Briseis. Though he was just seven years older than Briseis, he had been on the council five years longer than she. He'd taken over after his father was killed in a hunting accident.

"My King and Lords," Briseis began her speech, "it is no secret that our kingdom has allowed many things to slip into disarray since the Trojan War. My great-grandfather opened the gates and armory of Pedasus to King Laomedon as was our duty during the siege of Heracles. Unfortunately my great–grandfather lacked the prudence once the war was over to stop spending the treasury on fits of fancy. A habit my grandfather also had which left us on the brink of ruin."

"Why are you burdening us with these unhappy tidings we all know well?" Lord Melissa Head of the Treasury asked. "Your father and I have taken great pains to make the treasury vaults full again."