said. “I first would like to thank you for making such a long journey to be with us tonight. While you, my friends, are always welcome in my home, I know it’s not me you’ve come to see. I would like you to meet my daughter, and now Aphrodite’s daughter,” (that got a round of knowing chuckles) “Psyche. She’ll come around to meet each of you in person and I’m sure you will find her as engaging as she is beautiful. In the meantime, enjoy your wine and the food will be ready shortly.”
Only because I’d spent months bowing to crowds was I able to function. The unfamiliar eyes on me, so close, so prodding, left me stripped and raw. The feeling of wanting to puke was becoming way too familiar.
But as the music started up again, I plastered a permanent smile on my face and met each of the suitors one by one. As I made my rounds, I tried to add to whatever discussion I happened to join. If the men were talking politics, I added in the latest news from our own Senate. If they were talking war, I analogized their battles to ones I’d read about in my scrolls.
There was a balance between acting like a know-it-all and letting them know I could discuss any subject that interested them. Actually, I enjoyed the challenge of finding something insightful or humorous to say about so many different topics. Despite the obvious implications of the evening, it turned out to be a better distraction from my worries than I’d hoped.
After I’d chatted with everyone, I knew only one of the men had really caught my attention: a young king, Krios of Tegea. He struck me as good-natured and more interested in me than himself. I lingered when we first met, and after my rounds were done, I returned to him so I could sit beside his couch during dinner.
The banquet may have been in my honor, but women didn’t dine on couches in my home.
Pulling up a soft, leather tripod, I sat as close as I dared, hoping the other suitors would take the hint that I’d made my pick. Of course, the choice wasn’t exactly mine to make.
As we ate, he told me about his city; the lush green mountains, the endless rows of olive trees, the twin rivers that always carried fresh, cool water, and the bountiful harvests that the hard-working farmers produced. The way he described it, I could already imagine myself at home there. I’d never needed a large city to keep me happy. In fact, separation from crowds would probably be a welcome delight. I wasn’t sure his little City was exactly the “alliance” my parents were hoping for, but I was already dreaming of fading back into anonymity.
“It sounds perfect,” I told him.
“Ah, Psyche. Perfect is sitting here beside me. But Tegea is a close second.”
I looked down as a warm blush crept up into my cheeks.
“Tell me I haven’t made you blush, Psyche,” Krios teased, leaning closer. “Certainly you’ve received greater compliments than that before.”
“Not from someone whose opinion actually matters.”
Now it was Krios’s turn to blush.
The banquet room was full of deafening chatter and the sounds of eating, but all I heard was the silence that hung between us. After a few moments, Krios finally said, “You might as well know this.” I felt my cheeks fall slack as I braced for his attempt at a gentle let down. Seriously, why was every man I was remotely interested in turning me away?
Krios’s eyes panned the crowd. “All of us rode out to meet you and your sister. I had hoped maybe I’d have a chance with Chara, but I never dreamed of marrying the great Psyche.”
“I’m not the great Psyche,” I cut in, grabbing Krios’s hand.
“No, Psyche, listen. This is important. You deserve to know this. None of these men, including myself, came here to marry you.” Krios paused to correct himself, his mouth twitching in a slight grimace. “Well, maybe at first we did, but something changed along the
Only because I’d spent months bowing to crowds was I able to function. The unfamiliar eyes on me, so close, so prodding, left me stripped and raw. The feeling of wanting to puke was becoming way too familiar.
But as the music started up again, I plastered a permanent smile on my face and met each of the suitors one by one. As I made my rounds, I tried to add to whatever discussion I happened to join. If the men were talking politics, I added in the latest news from our own Senate. If they were talking war, I analogized their battles to ones I’d read about in my scrolls.
There was a balance between acting like a know-it-all and letting them know I could discuss any subject that interested them. Actually, I enjoyed the challenge of finding something insightful or humorous to say about so many different topics. Despite the obvious implications of the evening, it turned out to be a better distraction from my worries than I’d hoped.
After I’d chatted with everyone, I knew only one of the men had really caught my attention: a young king, Krios of Tegea. He struck me as good-natured and more interested in me than himself. I lingered when we first met, and after my rounds were done, I returned to him so I could sit beside his couch during dinner.
The banquet may have been in my honor, but women didn’t dine on couches in my home.
Pulling up a soft, leather tripod, I sat as close as I dared, hoping the other suitors would take the hint that I’d made my pick. Of course, the choice wasn’t exactly mine to make.
As we ate, he told me about his city; the lush green mountains, the endless rows of olive trees, the twin rivers that always carried fresh, cool water, and the bountiful harvests that the hard-working farmers produced. The way he described it, I could already imagine myself at home there. I’d never needed a large city to keep me happy. In fact, separation from crowds would probably be a welcome delight. I wasn’t sure his little City was exactly the “alliance” my parents were hoping for, but I was already dreaming of fading back into anonymity.
“It sounds perfect,” I told him.
“Ah, Psyche. Perfect is sitting here beside me. But Tegea is a close second.”
I looked down as a warm blush crept up into my cheeks.
“Tell me I haven’t made you blush, Psyche,” Krios teased, leaning closer. “Certainly you’ve received greater compliments than that before.”
“Not from someone whose opinion actually matters.”
Now it was Krios’s turn to blush.
The banquet room was full of deafening chatter and the sounds of eating, but all I heard was the silence that hung between us. After a few moments, Krios finally said, “You might as well know this.” I felt my cheeks fall slack as I braced for his attempt at a gentle let down. Seriously, why was every man I was remotely interested in turning me away?
Krios’s eyes panned the crowd. “All of us rode out to meet you and your sister. I had hoped maybe I’d have a chance with Chara, but I never dreamed of marrying the great Psyche.”
“I’m not the great Psyche,” I cut in, grabbing Krios’s hand.
“No, Psyche, listen. This is important. You deserve to know this. None of these men, including myself, came here to marry you.” Krios paused to correct himself, his mouth twitching in a slight grimace. “Well, maybe at first we did, but something changed along the
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