Semele's frantic musings were interrupted by the knock at her door. It was familiar, a series of raps which conveyed so much more than a request for entry. How often, Semele reflected had it been so in the past? Over the years she had lost count of the times she would hear that quiet gentle tap at her door, followed by the hushed request for
admittance.
She did not need to ask who wanted her at this hour, for the knock had identified the speaker as her sister Ino.
The ritual had begun in childhood, borne of a desire to escape the watchful eyes of their nurse and father, and the need for a secret, something which they alone could share. Each rap was unique in its strength, sequence of taps and variations of length, conveying a message only the two sisters could decipher. One message had become two, then four, until between them Semele and Ino had devised a language all their own.
And now on the eve of her wedding, Semele knew that Ino had chosen their old tradition to assure her of her continuing support and affection.
"Semele? Are you awake?"
"Come in Ino, I've been awake for hours." The words were terse, and if a
stranger had heard them he might have assumed the princess did not desire
her sisters company this night. But beneath the harsh tone, Ino could hear
anxiety held in check by an iron will, mingled with frustration and a
desperation to escape the morrow's festivities.
Princess Ino was dark haired like her elder sibling, but unlike Semele her face reflected a gentle and thoughtful character, combined with a quiet dignity and strength.
Semele, headstrong, impulsive and confident, possessed a keen mind and a will as strong as iron. Yet for all their differences, the sisters shared a close friendship. Both
were descendants of ancient kings, and it was said the immortal gods of their
people. Semele brought to the house of Cadmus, a passion and strength of will seldom seen in those of royal blood. Ino, proud and gracious, displayed moments of wisdom and insight far beyond her years. Semele often thought that the closeness she shared with her sister was like that of twins.
If only it were Ino, instead of her about to be given in marriage. How different it would have been then. She would have been able to assist in preparing
her younger sister for the rites and ceremonies the gods required, give Ino her opinion of the prince or nobleman her father had selected. Instead, it was she who was about to be given in marriage, to a man who would bring her neither joy nor love. She was also certain that he would only accord her the respect due her as his wife and queen. He would never appreciate her thirst for knowledge, or match her in a battle of wits. All this and more she had quickly discerned during her first meeting with the prince her father had chosen.
"He is wealthy," Ino commented as though she had read her sisters' thoughts. "And his alliance with our father's kingdom will strengthen our relations with Beotia."
You sound like a royal councilor." The eldest daughter of Cadmus regarded
her sister with amusement. "And since when do you care for what father
wants?"
"It's hard to care for a father who blames you for the death of his wife." Ino's tone was bitter, a striking contrast to her gentle voice and attitude of quiet dignity.
For an instant Semele's dark eyes were ablaze with fury as she recalled the scathing comments and cold looks Ino had received from their father over the years.
"I know," Slender fingers grasped her sister's shoulder, seeking to convey comfort and affection through this simple gesture.
"He dishonors her memory by refusing to speak of her, especially to you. He never used to be this way Ino, before our mother's death he was so different, more affectionate. Mother always knew how to calm him whenever he flew into a rage. But now--"Her voice trailed away into silence.
"Sometimes I think he wishes I'd never been born. You're the daughter he is so anxious to see married well." There was no resentment or censure in the
words, merely a quiet acceptance of the truths just spoken.
Semele gazed fondly at her sister, recalling the many occasions she had come to her defense. Often she had fought for her sister when Ino would rather avoid confrontation, calling her king and father cruel and unforgiving before the lords and nobles of his court without the least remorse. And yet she understood why he acted thus, whenever Ino failed to live up to his high expectations. Cadmus, grieving over the death of his queen, had been all too ready to blame his youngest daughter for her death. Semele also thought his harsh treatment of Ino could be explained by the strong resemblance she bore to their mother. To her, as well as Cadmus, Ino's gentle nature, serenity and striking looks were a constant reminder of Thebes' queen.
Semele had deeply mourned the loss of her mother, but unlike her father she had learned to treasure the few memories she possessed, and later shared them with Ino, in the hope that their mother would be remembered and honored
"You look so much like her," Semele's voice was distant as she recalled early memories of her childhood. "And I know you might not believe me, gods know he's never spoken of it, but he did love our mother deeply. But that's no reason for our father to ignore your
existence."
Seeing the pain these memories evoked, Ino tried to distract Semele through talk of the approaching nuptials
"Is everything ready for tomorrow? You haven't forgotten anything?" Ino couldn't help thinking that Semele had enough trouble reconciling herself to this marriage; she couldn't risk offending any of the gods.
"Don't worry. I've sacrificed to all the gods, and made all of the appropriate requests." Although, Semele thought, they must know that I'm only performing all the expected rituals because I don't want to offend them. Perhaps a miracle will occur and our marriage will be blessed.
Reluctantly her thoughts returned to Athamas, and the duty she was expected to perform on the morrow. Fresh resentment and hopelessness welled up within her. Desperately she tried to compose her features, concealing the turmoil of her thoughts beneath a mask of calm indifference. Unfortunately, Ino was not fooled.
"You do not love him."
"Ino, he's the type of ruler who will never break tradition. He'll rule his kingdom as his ancestors have before him; never consider the possibility that there are other ways to govern."
"What's wrong with that?"
Semele sighed in exasperation. "He is one of the most boring and unimaginative people I've had the misfortune to meet. If you ask me, he'd be more comfortable ruling a smaller kingdom, maybe an island nation. Then he could govern easily. But his father's kingdom is large, and when he becomes king, I'll have to follow his example when ruling. I doubt he even knows much about his people either."
And you "do?" There was laughter in Ino's voice.
"Have you forgotten our escapades outside the palace?"
"How could I, you may Remember that incident in the market? Where you got into an argument with that merchant."
"Yes, and I enjoyed it immensely."
"Semele, telling him that you wouldn't give his apples to a horse, let alone a princess wasn't the best retort."
"I was only 10, what did you expect?"
The sister's laughter trailed off into silence as they recalled similar childhood memories. Unspoken between them, lay the knowledge that each reckless venture had been conceived out of a desire to gain their fathers attention. Each effort had been met with stern lectures on the conduct of royalty before their people, and reprimands concerning any future repetitions of such behavior.
As she grew older, Semele's feelings of resentment at the treatment she and her sister received had turned to a slowly burning anger. No longer was she content with simply shielding Ino from the worst of her father's insults, or calmly ignoring the constant pressure he placed upon her to sacrifice all for the sake of duty.
Fury had cooled into a calculating ruthlessness, a desire to prove her worth and knowledge to a father who tried to forget her existence.
She was well aware of the low regard in which women no matter their birth were held, and so she sought to use this to her advantage. She had watched and listened to the talk of servants and courtiers, and through them learned much about the politics and governing of a kingdom. She had seen how the desire for power had bred corruption within the court, sometimes leading to the taking of a life. And when she had learned all she could about her kingdom, its strengths, faults and weaknesses, Semele took her first ambitious steps, knowing that many would underestimate her due to her sex. It was exactly what she wanted.
And so she had carefully chosen men close to her father in counsel. Her quest for knowledge was made all the easier, by the fact that they never suspected her purpose. To them, she was their princess, a beautiful and innocent young woman. One of them had become her lover, and a valuable source of information in her quest for knowledge. He could not know that the seemingly innocent questions asked after the love games were over were Semele's way of learning as much as possible about the inner workings of a kingdom, things she could never learn through court gossip.
She had resorted to these methods, in the hope that Cadmus would realize that she would no longer endure his treatment, that she was as ambitious and passionate as he.
And in a sense she had succeeded. Some called her ungovernable, others eccentric, helping Semele to earn a reputation that kept many suitors from coming to the court of Thebes.
All had gone as she hoped, until the arrival of Athamas, with his empty words of praise, offers of wealth and an alliance with his kingdom in exchange for the hand of Cadmus's eldest daughter.
Semele understood why her father had so eagerly accepted this prince's offer on her behalf, but that didn't mean she had to calmly accept her fate.
And so she had performed each duty admirably, knowing that her attitude of cool indifference would infuriate her father, and if she was lucky discourage the attentions of Beotia's prince.
All of her attempts had failed, and Cadmus had summoned her before him to ask that she show gratitude and enthusiasm for her approaching wedding. Semele had left the throne room triumphant and victorious, knowing that for the moment she had won. Yet she still respected and feared her father, for like it or not he was still the king, a ruler who governed with an iron control that was frankly terrifying. And although she had deliberately tested the limits of his patience almost beyond endurance in the past, Semele knew that whenever she challenged him on the morrow she must tread carefully.
Ino's voice brought her back to the present with a start.
"Perhaps, you're destined for something else." The comment was so unexpected, even welcome that Semele turned to look at her sister sharply.
"Have you seen something, something concerning my marriage?" The inquiry
was sharp, almost desperate.
Ino shook her head. "No, it's more a feeling," she paused searching for the
correct words. "A deep sense of conviction, that something is going to happen, that you are destined for something greater."
Semele leant forward, eager and curious for any further details.
"Anything else?"
Her sister nodded reluctantly. "I wish I could explain it clearly, but I can't
shake this feeling that something terrible will befall you soon. But with it comes the knowledge of great joy and fulfillment, that you are somehow fated to be a part of something beyond mortal understanding."
Some would have ridiculed Ino's vague prophecies of tragedy and joy.
Semele did not. She knew that her sister was sometimes
granted these visions of things to come, vague impressions of the
possibilities the fates wove into a mortal's destiny. Her explanation and relation of such knowledge were too sincere and genuine for Semele to suppose them the workings of a fertile imagination.
Many in Thebes would have automatically dismissed the prophecies of their youngest princess, stating that visions were matters for the priests or oracles alone. But Semele had always privately thought that unlike mortals, the gods did not consider only those who were given oracular training worthy of receiving gifts of prophecy. Surely, it would make their endless existence more intriguing, if they did not conform to the expectations of their mortal worshipers.
Stillness surrounded the sisters as they pondered the meaning of this vision. It was the quiet of two people who needed no meaningless chatter to fill it, but were content to sit in companionable silence.
"I should go, you'll need all the rest you can get for tomorrow."
Semele nodded distractedly, inclining her head slightly towards the door in a silent request for her sister to depart.
Sensing that Semele wanted to be alone, Ino offered her sister an encouraging smile as she took her leave.
Closing the door softly, Semele reflected bitterly that there was nothing
she could do to prevent the wedding. Yet her sister's prophetic words kept running through her mind.
What did Ino's vision mean?
Did it offer the enticing possibility of freedom?
No, she was fated to marry the prince of Beotia.
Unless.
The eldest princess of Thebes sat still, frozen with the sheer daring of the idea
that had just occurred to her. Half remembered fragments of tales, phrases she had memorized in preparation for the morrows ceremony rushed through her
thoughts.
Was it even possible?
Could she even gather the courage to take such a bold step in the hopes of delaying the wedding?
What of the consequences for Ino, her father, her people?
Long after Ino's departure, Semele lay awake, rehearsing again and again the plan she had formulated. Carefully she once again went over her part in the wedding ceremonies, wondering when the right time would be for her plan to be enacted. It would have to be before her vows to Athamas, when the priests were requesting favorable omens from the gods. It would not be easy to keep her intentions hidden from everyone in attendance.
Perhaps the answer to her dilemma lay in subtle deception, in playing for a few hours the role of an anxious bride. She could not feign affection for Athamas, and her attitude of cool indifference was too well known throughout the court of Cadmus for her to attempt a convincing pretence.
She must think of a plausible excuse, perhaps if she fretted over the rituals she had performed, delayed the priests with questions concerning her place in the wedding procession. It wouldn't be unusual for the bride to worry over such details, and would definitely be an explanation her father and Athamas would accept for the delay In the proceedings.
It would take much thought and preparation, but the princess was confident that at least part of her scheme would work. As for the remainder, that would depend on the fates.
It was a desperate plan, but at this point she was willing to risk everything in this final attempt to escape a marriage not of her own choosing.
Tomorrow she would proceed to Juno's temple, stand before the sacred image, and hope that the consequences for her rash plan would be on her head alone.
Note from the authoress: Thanks to the people who have reviewed so far, I appreciate your encouraging comments.
I hope this chapter wasn't too long, detailed or boring, right now I'm taking a lot of artistic license, trying to develop some of the main characters and their relationships, according to the little Handel has provided through his music and libretti, Ovid through his poetry, and my knowledge of classical mythology concerning Semele and Ino's history. According to Handel's music and the libretti, the sisters shared a close relationship, so I thought I'd develop that idea, as it's essential to the plot of the opera, and my own plans for this story.
Semele's character, as portrayed by Kathleen Battle in the recording I own, comes across as headstrong, devious, and sensual, an ambitious and determined character. So I'm using Battle's interpretation as the basis for my version of Semele, I hope it's believable and realistic.
If you're wondering why Athamas is such a dull character so far, I'm basing him on Handel's portrayal once again. This prince spends most of the first act moping around, wondering why Semele doesn't even acknowledge his existence, although to be fair, it must be frustrating when you end up with a bride who is doing everything possible to put off the wedding.
Also my apologies to anyone who is well versed in classical history and mythology, if my characterizations or observations on Greek culture are inaccurate. My research comes from the sources already mentioned, as well as a few university courses on Greek and Roman history.
Next chapter I start incorporating the plot of Act 1 from Handel's opera Semele.
If anyone would like to comment on dialogue I'd love feedback, as that's the most difficult thing for me to write.
Also apologies for the delay on this chapter. Things have been busy this summer, and as this story is more complex than other things I've posted, I'm taking my time in getting each chapter written.
I'm picky when it comes to writing and research for a story that is drawn from a number of sources, but I will finish this tale eventually, though updates may be slow in coming do to university and life in general being busy.
So for everyone wondering what Semele's plan is, sorry, but I'll have to keep you in suspense a while longer.
Thanks for reading.
