Quoted By:
With the feast beginning, platters of roasted beef, goat, pork and grains being passed along the table by servants and slaves, you begin to tell Teukros about the events of the day. Castor turns his attentions to the other discussions, leaving you and Teukros to converse amongst yourselves.
Teukros, to his credit, listens patiently, as you explain how you were made to slaughter the gate guards – of course, the murder of these men does not concern him. But he shows interest when you explain that they fought you with the support of a deity – he reacts in surprise when you explain how you were able to see the threads of power leaving their corpses.
“Nikandros, is this the power of all men with gold-flecked eyes – to see the workings of the gods?” Teukros is fascinated, but of course you realize that he and Ajax do not have very recent divine ancestry themselves, although you find it surprising that he is unaware of this – after all, his grandfather Aeacus was said to be a son of Zeus, and thus his uncle Peleus and his father Telamon almost certainly have the same ability that you do. It betrays the fact that he does not have a close relationship with his father, Telamon.
You continue with your tale, as you recount how you lured the twin sisters out of the markets of Mytilene, and the subsequent union between yourself and Eucaste; the awful state of Orythione when you returned, and of the roiling storm of emotion within you. You find yourself a bit fearful in sharing this aspect of the tale- despite your friendship with him, never before have you shared such private thoughts with him. The rape of Orythione does not seem to register, but when you speak of your emotional state, Teukros leans back as he contemplates – but to your relief, he wears a thoughtful expression.
"I do not understand your concern with Orythione, Nikandros - she is of no blood to you. But then, nor did I understand why you risked yourself to save those slaves upon the pirate's vessel before Delos. But sometimes the hearts of men cause them to behave in strange ways." He continues:
“I was…unsettled… myself, when I first found myself in the arms of a woman. But she and I…” Teukros’ eyes shine here – wistful, sorrowful. “But what I could give her, Nikandros – what marriage could there be for a half-breed like myself and a slave?” He laughs bitterly. “I am a man who fits nowhere – not in my father’s court, not in Ilion, either, fathered from a man who had helped Heracles sack the city and who kidnapped one of its princesses. I will only ever be seen as the product of Telamon’s indiscretions. But even so – a union to a slave would be unthinkable.” Teukros loses composure – just a moment – his eyebrows fracturing into an expression of pain, before he centers himself. “I sent her away, Nikandros, before our tryst could be discovered - before she would have been put to death for her seduction of me.”
>cont
