Bandit's Gem
By Jillypuff
Fandom: Greek mythology (Odyssey, to be specific)
Rating: PG
Notes: Just a project I did for school. Sort of interesting.
One clear morn, fifteen years after the departure of Odysseus from Ithaca, his son Telemakhos and wife Penelope were walking the rocky coast. The fifteen-year-old sighed as he viewed the devastation the suitors had wrought upon the crops and livestock.
"They are eating us out of house and home," he murmured. Penelope nodded silently, her face turned towards the sea.
Telemakhos sighed. "Mother, why is it that you do not simply pick a new husband and get it done with?" he asked exasperatedly. "Why do you insist on waiting for my father five years after all the other soldiers of Troy have returned to their homes?"
Penelope turned to her son, her eyes flashing. "Name me one of these men that is the equal of your father and I shall take him as my husband this very night, Telemakhos! Well?" She stared at him, watching him falter under her gaze, and then turned away. "I thought not."
"Forgive me, mother," Telemakhos said quietly. He watched her curiously. "How is it that you met my father anyway?" he inquired, curiosity evident in his voice. "You have never told me."
The queen of Ithaca smiled wistfully. "It was a long time ago, almost seventeen years hence." She looked at her son. "Do you truly wish to hear it?"
Telemakhos nodded eagerly. "If you would, mother."
Penelope nodded, and gestured for the lad to sit upon a nearby rock. After seating herself, he opened her mouth and began her tale.
* * *
"I was sixteen, only a year older then you are now, the year I met your father. My home city of Megara was plagued by bandits, and I was ripped from my family during one of their raids. Khios, the leader of that band of thieves noted my beauty, and determined to take me as his wife. He determined he would wed me when they reached his home in Dodona, and the band set out accordingly.
"One misty day, just three weeks after my capture, the raiders stopped at a tiny coastal town near the land of Ithaca. Along with wealth and food, the raiders came back with a handsome young man that had apparently injured three of their own before being subdued. I was made aware of this fact when they tossed the injured young man into my tent.
" 'Woman!' one of the thieves shouted as he stuck his head in after the youth. 'Wrap up this man's injuries. Our leader plans to make a slave of him when we reach home to teach him a lesson, and that won't work very well if he's dead!' He walked away chortling, as if he had made a great witticism. I stared after him for a moment, and then turned to the young man on the ground.
"He was a handsome youth, obviously of noble blood. He was well muscled, and had the look of a warrior about him. Suddenly, his eyes shot open, setting me aback with his piercing gaze. One look at him told that this was not a man to make an enemy out of.
" 'Milady, would you be so kind as to tell me where I am?' he asked as he attempted to sit. He winced in pain and I quickly pushed him back down.
" 'Lay down, you are still injured!' I scolded him, then set about wrapping his wounds. 'To answer your question, you are in the grasp of the thieves you fought against. The leader, Khios, has plans to make a slave of you in return for injuring his men.' I looked around to make sure that there were no listening ears, and leaned in close. 'You must make your break of it tonight. The men will be drunk celebrating their latest success, and you will have an easy go of escaping.'
"He frowned. 'But what of you, fair maid? What kind of man do you think I am, to leave a young girl in the hands of such brutes?'
"I waved off his concerns. 'These pigs will not take the time to search for you. But Khios has determined that I shall be his bride. He will not let me escape unanswered.'
" 'All the more reason for me to stay then,' he answered. 'I shall not leave until I can liberate you, as well as wreak my revenge upon these cowardly fiends.'
"I sighed. 'Do as you wish, foolish man.' I finished wrapping his wounds, then stood. 'I am going to get food for our suppers. Lay here and don't get up.'
"I hurried out of the tent, marveling at the pride of the young man. To think he could handle an entire band of thieves! I fetched our meal from the kitchen tent and headed back towards my own, pausing when I heard voices.
" '…And so that is what you must do in order to win free of here,' I heard a authorative female voice say to the youth. I peered in the tent and almost fainted, as I witnessed Athena herself sitting in my tent, conversing with the mysterious man. 'Do you understand, Odysseus?'
" 'Of course,' Odysseus replied to the gray-eyed goddess. 'I thank you for your aid.' He paused. 'But what of the girl?'
" 'The one that is listening outside the tent?' the goddess asked with amusement in her voice. I blushed and entered. Of course I could not hide myself from one of the immortals!
"Athena looked me over, then nodded. 'Take her with you, Odysseus,' she declared and stood. 'Now do as I said, young hero, and you shall have no trouble with these swine that walk on two feet and call themselves men.' In the blink of an eye, she was gone, leaving me alone with Odysseus.
"He found his voice first. 'Stay in the tent, milady, and wait for me to fetch you,' he commanded. 'Now must I deal with these fiends.' With that, he snuck from the tent.
"I was not content with this, of course, and peeked out from the tent flap to keep an eye on things. All seemed normal, as the bandits made merry with their wine.
"Suddenly, a rock came flying out of nowhere and hit one of the men on the head. He squawked and turned to his neighbor. 'What was that for?'
" "What was what for?' the confused villain asked. At these words, another rock hit him in the back of the head, and he glared at the first man. 'How dare you?'
"This pattern continued, as more and more men were hit by these flying stones and turned on each other. Soon, all the men were laid out unconscious or worse on the ground.
"At this point, Khios stepped out from his tent to observe the proceedings. He turned pale as he saw the state of his men. 'What vile monster is responsible?' he bellowed.
" 'I am,' cried out Odysseus as he stepped forth from the shadows. 'I am Odysseus, prince of Ithaka, and you shall pay for your crimes with my sword in your belly.'
" 'We shall see,' replied Khios, as he drew his sword. Odysseus picked one of the swords from the ground and ran forward to engage in battle with the villain. The two seemed evenly matched.
"Out of the corner of my eye, I spied one of the fiends getting up from the ground with a dagger in his hand. He was sneaking up upon Odysseus, attempting to bury it in his back. Desperate for a way to stop him, I grabbed one of the stones from the ground and smashed it down on his head, knocking him back out.
'This scene distracted Khios, and Odysseus took the opportunity to run him through with his sword. The bandit fell to the ground, and the triumphant prince turned to me. He raised an eyebrow at the scene. 'As brave as you are beautiful, I see.'
" 'Thank you,' I murmured, blushing at his words.
"Odysseus took my hands, causing my heart to flutter. 'What is your name, milady?' he inquired.
" 'I am Penelope of Megara,' I replied.
" 'Then I ask you, Penelope of Megara, will you return to Ithaka with me and become my wife?' he asked softly. Barely believing his words, I nodded as my heart swelled with joy."
* * *
"And so I returned to Ithaka with your father," Penelope concluded. "He built me our palace around the olive tree, and we were wed as soon as he was finished. You were born not one year after, Telemakhos." She sighed. "And that is when he was taken from me."
Telemakhos squeezed his mother's hand. "Be strong, fair mother. If my father is as you say he is, surely he will find his way home to us."
The queen nodded. For a few long minutes, the pair said nothing. They simply stared off towards the ocean, hoping for the ship that would end their misfortune and restore their family once more.