Achilles&Briseis: A Novel

Chapter 1

    "Apollo, you are master of the sun, archer of the heavens, healer of the sick, lord of music, and our great patron! We give you honor, praise, and these offerings in hopes you will bless us another year." The priest's voice boomed all around the temple. The sun rose higher and the temple grew hotter with each hour. As many people as possible crammed inside after the royal family and nobles, the heat of their bodies grew the temperatures quicker. The feast day of the patron god of the kingdom was the most celebrated event of the year. As Apollo was god of the sun, his feast day fell on the day of the year when the sun shone longest.                          

    Soft whispering of the adults in prayer, and louder voices of children who couldn't have the same respect for the ceremony, filled the temple. The six highest ranking noble families had already presented one of seven ceremonial offerings to the god. The king and his family would be the last to present. As heir and future of the city Briseis would be required to do the honors. Briseis knelt behind her mother and father, wishing one hour was not the standard time between each offering. As midday inched closer, Briseis' mind turned to the models in her room. There remained one area she needed to inspect before she could present her plan to her father.  

    Her eyes flicked to the hourglass sitting upon the altar as the last grains of gold dust filtered down. It almost hurt to look at the small object, the skylight opened right above the altar and the gold that made up most of the ornate relic was polished to perfection.      

    "Princess of the Black Sun, bring forth the final offering!" The priest used a mallet to bang the gong as her signal.

    Briseis removed the covering of the offering. She lifted the stone bowl from the marble floor which was so shiny she could almost see her reflection. Briseis laid the sacrifice of goat meat and honey cakes before the altar and raised her hands to the sunlight before the statue of the god.

    "My god and lord the great Apollo, speaker of prophecy and slayer of the mighty python. Grant to us again a good harvest, prosperity in trade, and a city free of plague." More quietly so only the priest and her family could hear, Briseis added her own personal prayer. "And take away the curse of infertility that has been placed on me."       

    The priest held out a torch and Briseis lit the wad of gold cloth at the end. Taking the burning torch she walked up the short staircase to set the holy oil inside the basin alight. The light of the flames bounced off the glossy statue and reflected the glow of her eyes. Two small but clear circles appeared on the golden image of the god. Chanting from behind her filled the temple as the ceremony concluded. Briseis lifted up a silent prayer to the mother she didn't know.

    Look fairly on me as I plead my case to father, unknown sire goddess.

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    "Kegarta meet me at the stables." Briseis gathered some unmarked wax tablets and wiped sweat from her brow as the light of the new day reached higher in the sky. After the temple ceremony last night, she'd been preparing to attend to her last order of business on the outskirts of the city, however an unexpected development put a sudden stop to her plans. A delegation of Hittites arrived and threw the palace into chaos.          

    "Very well, Princess." Before her handmaiden could get to the door, Briseus burst through it looking very annoyed.

    "Leave us," Briseus demanded of Kegarta. The girl made a hasty bow and exited. "We have a problem. The Hittites are here because their king wishes to enter a business arrangement. Their crops haven't been as plentiful this year and they are prepared to offer us much, if we supply them with a portion of our crops and seed for three years."