Chapter Eleven: The Princess of Sparta Returns
Nothing could have prepared Dyna for the events that unfolded that very day. Although she had fully shed her persona as Aricia, the Crown Princess of Arcadia, she did not realize the extent of her ancestry. She was completely focused on helping her father, King Leonidas, succeed in his suicide mission, and to ensure that her lover returned to her safely.
The massive rock structures of Sparta loomed in the distance, and she clicked her boots gently against the sides of her horse to urge him forward. As she galloped past the houses, she saw that the people were all looking worried or apprehensive. The palace doors were wide open, and she guided her horse past the armed guards, who recognized her and lowered their spears.
"Aricia!"
Dyna looked up and saw her mother, Gorgo, standing near an altar to Ares. Beside her was Pleistarchus, who looked surprised but pleased.
"Gorgo," Dyna said breathlessly, jumping from her horse in one fluid motion. She was wearing her Arcadian battle gear: a white leather bra, matching leather shorts, and a white cape that swirled past her ankles. On her feet were flat leather boots, and she had her sword sheathed to her side. On her ankle was a deadly throwing dagger.
As her mother approached, Dyna tilted her head to the side and looked at her mother meaningfully. The queen seemed to realize that she knew the truth, for her eyes widened.
Before any of them could say anything, they heard several sets of footsteps.
"Well well well, what do we have here?"
Theron.
Dyna narrowed her eyes and glared at the adviser, who didn't falter. Instead, he looked at the queen, who stared at him defiantly.
"I know Arcadia is a close ally of Sparta, but why do you insist on meddling with the affairs of the Spartans, Princess?" Theron asked bitingly. He smirked, as if daring Dyna to defend herself.
Dyna felt her mother's hand clamp around her wrist, but she shook it off gently.
"The reason, Theron, is because I am a Spartan," Dyna replied. "I am Dyna, the daughter of King Leonidas and Queen Gorgo."
This was not the reply Theron was expecting. He took a few steps back, while the Elders, who had crowded around him, surged forward.
"You lied!" one of them accused the queen, whose expression never faltered.
"You told us she died in the desert! Why keep this secret from us?"
The Elders' voices rose in a steady cacophony, but the queen remained unfazed. Suddenly the queen tensed, and Dyna followed her gaze.
"The Ephors," Dyna said, her eyes widening. Dyna truly felt no fear, only disgust and loathing. They were the reason why she was taken away from her real parents, why she was denied the chance to grow up in a true Spartan fashion, and why she was unable to be with her brother and Dilios.
If they didn't exist, my life would have been perfect, Dyna thought angrily.
"So she is a Spartan," the lead Ephor hissed, and Theron and the Elders backed away slowly. Whether it was due to respect or mutual disgust, Dyna didn't know. All she knew was that she had revealed herself to her kin, and that she would probably be damned as the next Oracle.
"Lovely, lovely," another crooned, reaching a wrinkled hand from the many folds of its golden robes.
"She is our Oracle," the first Ephor commanded, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Our Oracle."
"Ours, ours," the Ephors chanted, lust covering their eyes.
"You can't have her," the queen said, placing a protective arm in front of Dyna.
"They won't, Mother," Dyna assured her. To the Ephors, Dyna said: "You cannot touch me. I am no longer a vestal virgin!"
The Ephors shook their heads, the front of their robes bulging with their erections. It was clear what they would do to Dyna once they had dragged her back to the temple, and this time, there was no one to defend her. The other Elders were cowed by the Ephors, while the Spartan soldiers were in the training arena.
Dyna refused to give up. "I have been claimed by another!"
"We care not," one Ephor said sleekly, running a rough hand down Dyna's arm. She quickly snatched it from his grasp, and the Ephor's eyes bulged with anticipation.
"The Oracle," they chorused.
Dyna's eyes widened in horror as the Ephors closed in around her. Vaguely she heard her mother being restrained by a couple of Ephors, while Pleistarchus... where was he?... was
caught in the firm grip of Theron.
No, not like this, Dyna thought desperately.
The first Ephor who had spoken licked his lips. "Ours. Our Oracle. Forever."
Just as her hand wrapped around the handle of her blade, a flash of light erupted in the air in front of her, blinding everyone in the vicinity.
He was angry.
Nay, furious.
For centuries he had tolerated the sexual advances of his cousin's priests, mostly because it amused him to see lovely and nubile maidens ravaged by such monsters. But now they had gone too far; why hadn't they heeded his warning as he flashed his symbol within their temple?
His daughter was beautiful, that was true, but she was under his protection. No man, Spartan or otherwise, could touch her without his approval. She also belonged to another; the Spartan warrior who, at this very moment, was a day away from Sparta.
And now the priests sought to claim her body for their own purposes. This was not to his liking.
Not at all.
Dyna waited for the feel of slimy flesh against her skin, to feel a rough hand clamp over her wrists and pull her towards the grotesque band of priests who stood but a few feet away from her, their tongues lolling in their mouths and drool lining their lips.
But it did not come.
Dyna slowly opened her eyes and saw a huge black dog standing in front of her. To her surprise, the Ephors were huddled together, their eyes wide and frightened. Whatever lust and intense sexual longing they had earlier was gone; their attention had now shifted to the black dog.
"The dog! A symbol of the god Ares! Forgiveness, forgiveness!" they chanted, raising their wrinkled and deformed arms to the sky, as if in penance. "We did not know she was yours, oh great and mighty God of War! Forgive us! This shall not happen again!"
The dog snarled and bared its fangs, causing the Ephors to back away in fright. From the corner of her eye Dyna saw Theron and the Elders hurry away; only a few remained to watch the spectacle. Her mother and brother remained a few feet behind her, although every so often Pleistarchus inched closer to her until he could press his fingers on her palm.
The Ephors froze, and the black dog raised its head and howled, finally leaping at the frightened priests. Their shrieks filled the area as they fled, two of them tripping over their robes as it flapped about their ankles.
When the Ephors were gone, the black dog turned towards Dyna, bowed its head, and gave a soft bark. Dyna smiled.
"Thank you, my lord," she said, and the dog blinked. After staring at her - fondly? - for a few minutes, it turned on its heel and bounded out of the palace.
