I've published two chapters in a few days - make sure that you've read chapter 23 too.
Historical notes at the bottom
-O-O-O-
He and Aesacus exchanged a surprised look.
"No bronze in Crete? How is it possible?" asked Aesacus, perplexed.
"They said they didn't receive the usual amount of tin from Tyre and the other eastern cities. It looks like there is some turmoil over there"
"There is often turmoil over there" said Aesacus "but, in my eighty springs, I've never heard the news that there was no bronze in Crete"
"Me neither. Anyway, we need to find the bronze elsewhere, or at least the tin we need to make it. We have the copper and we have a good blacksmith. We could use something else instead of tin but we don't want to, bronze made without tin is a bad one. But where can we find the tin?"
Aesacus thought briefly.
"The lands of the Iberians, in the west, have lots of tin. They trade with Sardinia, so you could try there. Or maybe the Phoenician cities in the west - but, if they had the tin, they would trade it in Crete as usual"
"So... the only people who have tin in their own lands are the Iberians?" asked Eudorus, doubtful.
"No. You can find it on some mountains in the far north, but it is far away and I don't know the road. And then, west to the land of the Iberians there is another sea, much larger than our one. And far north there is a barely inhabited island where they have lots of tin. But the travel is long and dangerous - and I don't know the road either" explained Aesacus.
"An island... please! I don't have time for your tales now!" shouted Eudorus.
Helenus jumped up and confronted him, furious.
"Watch your mouth! You don't get to speak to Aesacus like that!"
"It's alright, Helenus" Aesacus said calmly, taking his arm. "Eudorus is simply under pressure. And I assure you, Eudorus, that it is not a tale: that island exists, even if I've never been there. But if I were you, I would try with Sardinia first: if you cannot find the tin there, you can travel to the Iberians"
"And have you ever been to those places? I don't know how to get there" asked Eudorus.
"I have been to Sardinia twice, many years ago. If you give me a tablet, I could try to draw a map"
Aesacus started drawing, but after some time he handed the stylus to Helenus.
"You'll have to help me. My hand is shaking a little"
Helenus took the stylus and started drawing under Aesacus' guide, while Eudorus watched in awe.
He hadn't touched a stylus in years but he was still good at this, thought Helenus with some smugness.
"There, put it to dry" said Aesacus after some time, handing the tablet back to Eudorus. "It should be as far from here as Cyprus, in the opposite direction".
"It's a long travel for us" said Eudorus, biting his lip. "But there is no alternative"
"I have heard... that some peoples of the east use iron instead of bronze for their daggers" Helenus said cautiously.
Eudorus grimaced: "our blacksmith had tried once, but the iron was too soft. I don't know how those people in the east can turn iron into weapons: we certainly cannot"
A ship set sail on that very day.
More than a month later, Eudorus came looking for them.
"Our ship has just come back from Sardinia and they found the tin, although not much. Our blacksmith is already working on it" he said with a sigh of relief. "The problem is not solved, we will need bronze again in the future, but for the moment it's alright. You were helpful, thank you".
-O-O-O-
It was the beginning of the spring when Neoptolemus came back from war. His enemies of Ithome had been once again pushed back.
A few days after his return, Andromache gave birth to a boy. She looked happy like she had never been since Hector's death, but with a hint of sadness that never abandoned her.
"My greatest fear" she said, rocking the baby "is that Neoptolemus will die at war someday, leaving me and my son unprotected - once again"
Helenus knew that he was supposed to reassure her, to say something like "why should he die?" or "don't worry about this now".
But, if Neoptolemus kept going to war at this pace, he was more than likely to be killed at some point.
"You are the queen, now. If Neoptolemus dies, you are free to take another husband of your choice" he said instead.
Andromache looked at him, almost condescendingly.
"Oh, Helenus. It is so clear that you have been away from worldly things" she whispered, shaking her head.
He felt mocked and asked "what do you mean?" quite harshly.
"If I take another husband, he will want a heir of his own. And what about my baby, then? I hope Neoptolemus will live long enough for Molossus to become a man. But since the Achaeans are always at war..." she added helplessly.
The baby moved in her arms and she started cradling it again.
"Promise me something, Helenus" she said resolutely after a while.
He looked at her questioningly.
"Promise that, if my husband dies, you will marry me".
Helenus stared at her. Was she trying to make a joke? Had he heard the wrong thing?
But Andromache looked serious and worried.
You aren't making any sense" he replied bluntly. "First of all, I swore chastity to the Huntress, and she is not lenient with those who break their vows. And besides, the Achaeans are never going to accept me, a stranger, as their king. Nobody says that your husband is going to die, and if it happens you should find a decent Achaean husband and..."
"...and if I will give him a son, then Molossus will be doomed! Men want to see their son on the throne, not someone else's child!" she said, desperate. "What happened in Troy... I cannot bear it a second time! You don't have to really marry me and break your vow... a queen just needs a husband!"
He wanted to keep telling her that her idea didn't make any sense, but he couldn't.
"Not every man is going to be like that" he said softly.
"Helenus, you are so unambitious... you cannot imagine what other people might do for power, what horrible things their mind can conceive" she whispered, shaking her head.
If she only knew the horrible things his own mind had once conceived...
"And who told you that I'm unambitious? For all you know, I might be one of those people as well!" he replied with some annoyance.
She huffed. "You are not ambitious, you are not violent, you are not cruel and you are not stupid. But you always want to look worse than you really are, I just don't understand why you do that. Hector said that all the time"
"Hector said what?" he asked nervously. Why did she have to mention Hector now?
"Hector said that you were trustworthy, and that you were better than you looked" she stated.
"Like he would know... you are making it up right now!". He stood up, enraged, and turned his back to her.
"I am not making it up. That's what he said. I trust you, and I am asking for your help"
Her voice broke.
Of course, she had a point. If she married again, her newborn son would probably be in danger. The new king would prefer his own children and send the boy away, or even murder him. Things like this happened all the time.
"I understand why you are worried and I understand... that you would prefer me to a stranger" he said without turning. "But it cannot be. The Achaeans would not allow that"
But that wasn't all, was it?
A king was supposed to inspire respect and obedience. And he was scared of everybody! Back in Troy, he had barely managed to talk to his own people.
"I know that it would be difficult. But please, promise me that you will at least try. If I am dear to you, if my husband was dear to you..."
"Don't bring up Hector! Just - don't!" he hissed, turning around. She just looked at him with teary eyes, holding her child as if she wanted to protect him. Her lips were trembling.
"Helenus, I am begging you. I am terrified"
This was a stupid idea. The most ridiculous, reckless, ill-advised...
"Fine. I will try"
-O-O-O-
He often dwelled on that conversation during the following months, especially when the new spring arrived and the king left for war again.
What if Neoptolemus died? He might be already dead by now. What would he do?
"You have something on your mind" said Aesacus while bouncing Molossus on his knees. The child was about one year old now, and he had inherited his father's flaming red hair.
Helenus considered denying, but he knew that he would be fighting a losing battle. He glanced around to make sure that nobody else was listening and opened up to Hermes' priest.
"Well, well. You didn't exactly decide with a cool head" said Aesacus at the end.
"So you think it's a stupid idea" mumbled Helenus.
"I'm not saying that. This boy, for example, would definitely be safer with you than with somebody else. Oh, please let go!" he added with a laugh.
Molossus was now tugging at his hair.
"I know that I have many hairs but I need all of them. Besides, they're all white. Your ones are as red as fire, they look much better!"
"Maybe the king won't die at all. He has defeated his enemies several times" said Helenus hopefully.
"Yes, they might stop trying" conceded Aesacus.
"But if he dies... then I will do what I've promised" Helenus said faintly. He didn't need to add that he dreaded the very idea of it: Aesacus certainly knew it.
"Of course you will. I know that you wouldn't break your word. And you will do it well. Watch out, our little one wants to come to you!"
Molossus was reaching out to him, apparently fascinated by his ring. Aesacus lifted him carefully, ready to put him on Helenus' lap.
"Please don't" said Helenus, less friendly than he intended to. The child looked disgruntled and retreated into Aesacus' arms.
Hermes' priest shook his head with a smile. Then he shifted to look at Molossus in the eye.
"You must excuse him" he told the child "He doesn't really mean it, you know".
-O-O-O-
Historical notes
- As far as I know, there is no evidence of a shortage of bronze in the late bronze age, so the bronze crisis presented in this chapter is purely fictional.
- The sources of tin in the near east and Mediterranean region are limited, so tin had to be imported from other regions like modern day Afghanistan, Czech Republic, Great Britain and Spain.
- The land of the Iberians is today's Spain. The "mountains in the north" are the Ore Mountains, between Germany and Czech Republic. The "barely inhabited island where they have lots of tin" is Great Britain. I don't know how Sardinia would be called back then, so I called it Sardinia.
- Helenus states that some people of the east made weapons with iron instead of bronze. This is correct, but bronze was still prevalent in the 12th century B.C. where our story would take place. The widespread replacement of bronze with iron will mark the beginning of the iron age.