Arden by: dnrock(dnrock@rock.com)
50: A Trial and A Plan
1319, 9th month, day 6:
Uncle Iason, Father, Kastor and Polydeukus formed the court. Iason is the inquisitor and I was relegated to witness. I guess that is a good thing. I don't think I could be impartial enough to be and judge or inquisitor. This whole thing would take several days to get completed and that would be after the investigations were finished. I am not being informed of anything. I see the ship is still under arrest so the captain and or officers must be implicated. Phillip III of Valencia will be most interested in the outcome, since this ship is from that port. If the Moors are involved in this business I suspect he will be most cooperative.
All of the royal children had a meeting this afternoon. The topic was our mother's health. Lysandros and Melitta reported that mother had been dizzy and had fainted several times in the past week. Lysandros was most frightened by it. Sophia told us that mother's physicians want her to rest as much as possible. Eudoxia and Alex thought they should stay on at the castle so she and Sophia could share the bulk of mother's duties. Being the oldest brothers Iason and I are the default head of the family. Uncle and Father are in good health, they are the head of the family but sometimes they don't share with us children. I offered to speak to Uncle but Iason insisted it was his responsibility as Crown Prince and I should seek Kastor's help in reorganizing things.
I found it strange that Nikias, Hello, Joulous, and Justice had nothing much to say. It is not from lack of interest I think it is just lack of knowledge. Perhaps they should spend more time visiting mother.
The tempered glass project reported today that the method works, once tempered the glass fractures into many little pieces instead of shards. Experiments to establish exact temperatures needed, time in the kilns and the relationship of thickness to time in the kilns, are being conducted. It also appears that once the blanks are in the general shape needed they can be tempered and final polishing and grinding can be done. Since the lenses are all the same general shape and for a given correction, the same general thickness, molds of polished metal can be used to form the blanks. The blanks can now be made in groups of 10 at a time.
The timing devices are now completed and tested in prototype, production will begin soon. The Helladios Achemedia ingegneres have developed a way to cast small brass gears, so the teeth need not be cut by hand only the dye. This means, except for the very smallest of gears, they can be produced in batches, each one alike. Assembly of the clocks then can be done in different shops, by different clock makers but will all be the same inside and can all be calibrated to the same standard. The cost of production will now be 1/5 of what it would be, if all the gears were cut by hand. Not only will the gear casting work for Timers but for any clock. This will bring the cost of clocks down significantly. Almost anyone will now be able to afford to have a clock in their home.
Iason and Polydeukus believe these much less expensive clocks will become a prime export until others learn how to cast things, like small brass gears.
1319, 9th month, day 8:
It is now just 30 days until Iason and Alex's weddings. Many other weddings will also happen on that day. Odo has been working with the palace musicians and he assures me that the music will be spectacular. Thoren also told me that Lysandros is showing much promise as a musician. He is learning to play the clavichord. I believe, for the processional Odo is planning on having a group of bag pipers playing. I know Dios is often practicing. So much so that he is often absent from the running track. William tells me that the boys Chior is learning several songs written by Karyakos. As for me I will be standing up with Iason. The other princes with Alexandros. Father will conduct the ceremonies, as Uncle is reduced to father of the a bride and one groom. Uncle will then celebrate a large ceremony of 8 other couples, all palace or Argonaut/Eagle boys with boys, girls with girls, boys and girls. I don't know why I used the diminutive terms here as these are men and women. All have grown up with us.
Today the trial of the kidnappers and their accomplices began. Iason was at his finest playing the role of inquisitor. I was the first witness to be called. He asked me to review exactly what had transpired from the time Hadi came to me, announcing the attempted bribe. I explained my response and his instructions. Hadi was next and he repeated what I had said and what he did subsequent. He related what the kidnappers had told him. Iason asked him why he accepted such a dangerous assignment.
"I know what danger is. I faced it many times. This assignment held no more and probably less danger than having your ship blown apart and sunk from beneath your feet. I was not a willing member of that pirate ship crew. This assignment was by choice and I judged no more dangerous then my previous employment."
"Were you not tempted to just accept the money and say nothing to Prince Arden?"
"Yes I was tempted. Prince Arden warned me, should a good offer be made I would be so. He was correct and I was embarrassed to admit it to myself and to him. He assured me that temptation was normal, saying, `it is not the temptation but the response that is important. Unless the alternatives are weighed one never knows for sure. Now you know and I know, your trustworthiness.' Prince Arden was correct. I now know I can trust myself and he knows he can trust me."
"Prince Arden, did you take any measures to protect Hadi while on his mission of deception?"
Yes, of course. At no time was Hadi ever more than a few feet from our highly skilled guardians. I would prefer not to reveal the details of this guardianship but I assure the court Hadi was never alone. He did not know this, nor did the wood be kidnappers. For example we have three witnesses to the payment of the down payment at the tavern. The third man on the left followed Hadi from the tavern to the castle. Hadi did not know this. I know, because two of my men followed him as he followed Hadi.
It went on from that point. The bribe money was produced as evidence. Our bankers have determined that half of those gold coins were counterfeit. Iason added passing counterfeit coin to the list of charges. The female guards were next and they described what happened and how the kidnappers were captured. Volos and I both described what we witnessed of those events as well.
Umar was called next. I did not like the idea of an eight year old child being called to testify in a court and said so. Kastor over ruled my objection but did concede that Umar should be asked if he wish to speak and if he did not wish to he would not be made to. Umar was more than willing to describe what he saw and what he said too. "Uncle Volos and Daddy had their swords out but they didn't need them... No, I was not scared at all."
The ship's captain was implicated in the plot as an accomplice but he too was a victim of the counterfeiters. In all 2531 florins were ceased most on the ship. Just over half were counterfeit. Since the senior officers had not been included they turned on the captain with a vengeance. The captain for his part claimed to be a victim having been paid partly in counterfeit coin. The kidnappers claimed they too were unaware that half the money was counterfeit. When pressed they admitted the money they had was only half the other half to be paid on delivery. The captain claimed not to know who they were working for.
The three kidnappers claimed they surely did not know any of the money was counterfeit. They claimed the captain could not have known, since they did not. When asked who they were working for and what they planned to do had the kidnapping been successful, they answered somewhat reluctantly. Umar was to be taken to Bejaia and they were working for a man who claimed to be representing the sultan's oldest son. "Moors are not welcome in Valencia but it has not been that long since they were in power. It is not hard for this or other sultans to communicate with us. We were told that Umar was being detained here in Parga and desperately wanted to come home to Bejaia."
"Umar," King Iason said, "would you tell these men your views on returning to Bejaia."
"Parga is my home and Prince Arden is my foster father. I have no desire and only trepidation about ever returning to Bejaia. I was taken from my birth mother and placed on a pirate ship as a cabin boy slave. Being the son of that sultan was no protection. That ship was sunk. I was rescued from the sea and immediately taken in by Prince Arden. He never once asked me who my parents had been or how I even came to be on that ship. I was an orphan here and he placed me under his protection. In doing that he took on an obligation to me, one as you are well aware, Prince Arden my daddy, personally discharges."
"It would appear that you three have been lied to and deceived as well as being cheated," Iason said. The prisoners had opportunity to ask questions and challenge evidence. As in all criminal trials they were give several scholars to advise them and explain our laws. Polydeukus ordered the counterfeiting charges be set aside, the counterfeit coins would be destroyed. Kastor ordered the ship to be released into the first officer's care and to sail directly to Valencia, reporting the incident to King Phillip III. King Iason on behalf of the panel found the 4 guilty of attempted kidnapping and bribery. "These are very serious offenses in Parga. They are not crimes that lend themselves to easy atonement. We are not barbarians and will not extract retribution or vengeance. We will hold you in our prison for no less than 10 years. A record of this inquisition and the findings and sentences of this court, will be sent to King Phillip III of Valencia and to the Sultan of Bejaia. We will respectfully request King Phillip to refrain from taking any punitive action against your families. We further encourage you to write letters to your families which the new Captain is expected to personally deliver to them.
Correspondence between yourselves and your families is encouraged and can be made through the new Parga Postal Service. Fifty good florins of the money ceased will be set aside and held in an interest bearing account with our state Postal Service deposit system, for you four. This money can be used for expenses such as sending letters. Prince Kastor will see that these accounts are set up and properly administered. You will be housed here at this Castle until the new prison construction is completed and moved to that location. The remainder of the valid coin will be placed in a special account for the education of women and girls in the arts and science of medicine.
We will demand the Sultan of Bejaia take control of his court and subjects, to insure this kind of action will not be sponsored by Bejaia in the future. It is now the early part of the 9th month. King Iason 7th of Parga expects to receive the Sultan's personal guarantee that Bejaia will henceforth respect Parga's sovereignty in all ways and manors by the end of the 11th month. We insist on his personal guarantee as it is obvious those acting on his behalf are less than trustworthy. The Princes of Parga, will for the second time, give advice to him. Fail to meet this demand at your panel.
After the prisoners and visitors departed we had a mini council meeting. Karyakos thought we should have the proceedings printed and translated for circulation in Bejaia. One of the knights asked the obvious questions: How will we deliver this message to the people and what exactly did "at your parallel" mean? I turned to Hadi, what do you think of sending ten or twelve Argoanuts from the pirate ship boys, to pay a night time visit to Bejaia? He smiled very widely. "I think it is a good plan, many will volunteer to do this. I think you should only ask those of us who were orphans or slaves."
Do you think many of the new recruits would choose to stay if sent back? "Oh no, none would ever want to stay but some with family would wish to visit them and that would compromise the mission, which I take it, is stealth."
And you Hadi, do you volunteer? "Yes, I have no real family and as a slave was not treated very well. Any friends I had are dead or Argoanuts."
Nikias wanted the Prince Nikias to escort the two princess class ships which Tertius agreed too. I suggested the Elite Marines accompany the volunteers. Again, agreed too. The Princess Elpis and Princess Eudoxia were ready to sail as was the Prince Nikias.
That did not answer the question of parallel and it was asked again. "Prince Arden already has a plan. The price of not heading our advice will be one hundred times that of loosing 37 galleys," the king said. He then sent away everyone but us senior princes and the 15 or senior council members. The pages and other boys were not impressed by this but it was necessary.
I outlined my plan, it would use the four Princess Class ships and two Prince Class ships as escort. The Elite Marines and other specially trained Royal Guards. We would use the skimmers and rockets as well as a team of archers to secure the breakwater where we would launch from.
This would be the first time in our history that our military power was used offensively against another state. This would be a dangerous situation for us unless handled with the greatest of care.
"Kastor spoke to this. He reminded everyone we would only sail up to their harbor and destroy everything possible in the limited time of the night and sail immediately away back to Parga. The Sicilians had expressed support before and if given the opportunity would probably follow up by invading and plundering the place, after we had greatly weakened them.
We must make it clear to Sicily that we have absolutely no intention or interest in this venture, other than demonstrating failure to respect Parga's sovereignty will be very costly. I think it also makes the same point to them and others. It will also be important to keep the Sicilians far enough away from us, during this operation, as to not witness our methods. Since our success will depend on stealth and surprise that should not be to great a task.
The successful distribution of the trial document should prove we are capable of doing what we claim and provide us with very valuable intelligence of the local waters. In addition we will have a full moon coinciding with the winter soloists. I also think we should plan on doing everything in multiples of 7. Seven ships, each discharging 7, 14 or 21 rockets at a time, launching the skimmers in groups of 7 and so on. We are seven senior princes. We should be called the "Group of Seven".
I also think the court documents should be signed by all of us even Lysandros. That gives 13 in all and 13 is a number central to certain traditions of secured geometry, because it reflects a pattern which could be seen to exist in men, nature and the heavens. For instance, there are 13 major joints in your body. There are 13 lunar cycles in the solar year and the moon travels 13 degrees across the sky every day. These Moors have great fondness for the moon and make much use of lunar cycles in their mythology and calendar. Let us make equal use of it in our efforts to influence them."
Later in our bath it seemed that all were assembled, even many of the younger boys like Umar and Lysandros. They were gathered around Uncle Iason and Father listening to stories being told by Thoren. The middle princes and pages gathered at one end. We four and our guardians were soon engaged in the most wonderful group sex I had experienced in some weeks.
I do not know why but I was suddenly overcome with desire for Iason. He seemed to sense this and we fell onto a bench in a clutch of passion and began worshiping that great god Phallus. We men are most fortunate as we all come equipped to worship at his temple.
Engulfing each others penises in our mouths, each intent on drinking the essence of the other. His erection is so straight and strong. His smell overwhelms me as I take his full length into my throat. I feel his fingers invading my anus as we deliver to each other the cream of life. I am not satisfied and quickly scramble into a kneeling position presenting my butt to my lover. Iason as always is gentle and exacting as he eases his penis into my anus intent on delivering pleasure to us both. Soon Nikias is worming his head under my body and presenting his erection to my lips as he engulfs mine in his. Other come of share our passion as Joulous begin fucking Nikias and Kastor invades Iason ass. Soon others join and as I look around every man and boy is completely engaged in giving and receiving pleasure and and passion. As our lust and desire are spent I notice Father and Uncle trying to explain why the young boys are not welcomed into our orgy of pleasure. This does not satisfy them and many: Lysandros, Alfred, Umar and others are all attempting to give oral pleasure to each other. I appears that Hello is the leader of this group. I was surprised that Father and Uncle allowed this.
Later as we got ready for our evening meal I noticed all of the young boys had little leather necklaces with a small bronze medallion. Lysandros told me they identified him as a young boy that wanted the attention of older boys to what was under his kilt and tunic. The little medallion had a hand on it. I guess we are starting them early these days. The hand signifies what hands do. He proudly told me when older he could earn a medallion with lips and so on. I am not sure I want Umar to have such knowledge. That is daddy speaking. He can hardly be expected not to know and if his friends and uncles, even ones his own age have them, he to will want.
Judging from the number of weddings and the number of babies being born here I do not think this causes any harm. I do think we need keep close eye on how the older boys and some of our men interact with the younger ones. Some men seem overly fond of sex with boys and girls under our permissible age. This can be an abuse of power. Having power is one thing. Using it wisely and properly quite another.
I find that some children can be quite cruel toward others. Teasing is normal. Teasing to the point of cruelty is not acceptable. We are to densely populated in much to small a place to allow that. It is ideal if all would be friends. That we know is impossible. It is not our differences but our commonality that is most important. It is our intention to celebrate both our differences and our similarities. Our work with the lame and the blind, shows everyone has something to celebrate and contribute. We are all unique individuals. Like building bricks we are all the same and yet all different but together we are magnified.
I do not know if this is the right or best way of doing things. I do know that we must take care so our greatest strength does not become are greatest weakness. It strikes me that the mentor system aims to channel the natural rebelliousness of youth into useful and meaningful civil actions. Our use of male sex to build loyalty between members and within the group has served Parga and its' Princes well, for over a thousand years. It serves us well today.
Having read much philosophy I am struck by the ideas of stability and change. Change for its own sake is distractive. Change necessary to meet new or altered realities is necessary. One should only change what is needed, when it is needed and to the extent needed. The trick is in recognizing the need and the degree.
From Heraclitus I have learned that: Everything flows and nothing abides;. Everything gives way and nothing stays fixed. You cannot step twice into the same river, for other waters and yet others go ever flowing on. Cool things become warm, the warm grows cool; the moist dries, the parched becomes moist. It is in changing that things find repose.
Time is a child moving counters in a game; the royal power is a child's. War is both father and king of all; some he has shown forth as gods and others as men, some he has made slaves and others free. It should be understood that war is the common condition, that strife is justice, and that all things come to pass through the compulsion of strife. In this I do not agree completely. I do not believe war need be the common condition. I know it is in may places. It is not here in Parga and we see it need not be for us to prosper. I think perhaps he means conflict or strife, which he also alludes to. Homer was wrong in saying, "Would that strife might perish from amongst gods and men. For if that were to occur, then all things would cease to exist..." In this Heraclitus seems correct. Strife is critical but strife need not be men killing men or men destroying what others have built. Strife can be as the earthquake or the storm, drought or bounty. Strife can be differences between us in ideas or desires but that need not be war.
Change need not be dramatic, it can be slow and measured as we change from babies to boys and boys to men. Everything has its season. Some are just longer than others.
I fear however that war with Bejaia will not be avoided. That many will die. These people fear change and difference. They like so many others believe they have the truth and need not look further. They are fools. "Much learning does not teach understanding, otherwise it would have taught Hesiod and Pythagoras, Xenophanes and Hecataeus." Faith teaches nothing but blinds the mind. He is correct in saying that bigotry is the sacred disease and that, "although intimately connected with Logos, men keep setting themselves against it." This is most true when dealing with the divine and that which they think is divine. This sultan believes he is god's gift to his people and therefore all people should do as he and only he desires.
I would like to believe I have the same power and authority and that all should do, say and act as I think they should. Because I desire this, that all man should agree to them. Because he loves me and I him, Iason would grant me any wish that was in his power, as I him. Fortunately for us and Parga, that power has some limitations. Some feel that power is everything and that what ever they desire can be achieved by its use. I can only hope this sultan, as our neighbor the despot, will learn that his power has some sever limitations when it comes to Parga and its' Princes. I am saddened by the prospect of Pargaians and Bejaiaians loosing life and property for him to gain this wisdom.
Father summed the situation well. "We can not allow this mad man to go unpunished or we will certainly never see the last of him. He believes we are weak in both resolve and arms. Because we are infidels he believes we lack his brand of morality. In that he is correct. What he does not realize is, our standards are considerably higher. Apparently the cost of attacking us directly was sufficiently high to case him a change in approach. Now this has failed. We will embarrass him at home and abroad. Paying assigns or kidnappers is acceptable in their culture but paying them with counterfeit coins is not. He has been embarrassed abroad before with little effect. He will now be embarrassed at home and abroad. What effect this will have is questionable. It is important that we not only prepare for military action but we start the rumor mill."
1319, 9th month, day 12:
It has been a very busy time for me these last days and I am just now getting a few minutes to record my thoughts. Prince Nikias is most disappointed that he will not be allowed to sail with the Argoanuts on the little mission to Bejaia. None of us are allowed to go. Nikias would only be in the way and could not truly contribute. In a few years that will change but for now he is best to hone his skills with the sword and bow. He is growing fast and his skills are maturing well. He is even performing better than expected on the running track. Pantaleon has put one of his assistant Admirals in command of the little fleet and Corrado will command the marines and Argonaut volunteers. They seem to have a good plan. Hadi and the others know the city and surrounding countryside. They will form six teams of four, two Argoanuts and two Marines leaving one team to guard the row boats.
Each team has set objectives designed to distribute the notices across the city. From the giggles, I take it they plan to leave more than just paper notices but I did not ask. This plan holds great danger for them and for the navy as well. Should they be discovered on the land they will be greatly out numbered, many if not all will die. On the water they will be able to out run or out fight any pirates they encounter but that too may cost lives. If need be they can seek shelter in Malta.
I have no real knowledge but I take it that we have at least one spy in Bejaia.
Preparations for the weddings are moving on. Odo and Thoren have been working on the text and the music along with the other palace staff. We are all sitting for portraits. Darkon and the other stewards are planning for the biggest and best party this place has seen in a long time, if ever. Ikaros and Dysme have been busy with new uniforms for all of us. Silas and Lt. Darkon are working with Eutukos on all the palace security problems such a large event will present. Euthalia tells me she is working on the wedding dresses for Eudoxia and Sophia.
I expect Lugo and Dario to arrive next week. This time with their wives. In two weeks we will all be doubling up to make room for the guests. Edward writes that he will need return to Koalhurst for a couple of weeks following the wedding, to finish his harvest and giving assistance to Abernath.
1319, 9th month, day 14:
Archimedes reports that he has developed a new rocket that has a much longer range but is the same size and carries the same warhead. This is a result of packing the propellent, which is gunpowder and adding some special ingredient to it. The propellent is packed in metal tubes and sealed with wax. The exhaust end is smaller than the remainder of the tube and this concentrates the force and pushes the rocket faster and for a longer time. It is not just the impetus of the fuel but also the length of time it burns that produces the range.
He has found that by elevating the front of the rocket to a greater angle the distance is also increased but some loss of accuracy occurs. Even if some accuracy is lost, if the target is large enough that may not matter.
We suffered another earthquake yesterday but it did no measurable damage. Most felt it but that was all. What we do not know is if it was of low power or centered very far away or perhaps both. I was in the bath when it happened. We were only 5 at the time and all sitting in warm water talking. I noticed that as we felt the swaying of the ground the water in the pool grew large waves as if several boys had jumped in all at one time at one end. The pool is rectangular and the waves went from one end to the other and back again along its length. This suggests to me that the impetus has a direction to it, in this situation east to west, as that is the direction of the rectangles length. Sometimes when the earthquakes impetus is very low one can see the surface of the wine in a mug form small ripples. I would think that happens in the pool as well. This time the impetus was not great but great enough to cause the wave as if pushed by the wind from one directions, like I see on small lakes. The moving air must then have impetus and that impetus must be given to the water. In the pool yesterday no air moved so the impetus must have come from the shaking of the ground. That shaking must then have a direction to it.
That would mean some earthquakes cause the ground to vibrate like the string of an instrument while at other times the impetus must move not unlike the wave on the water. (TN: What Arden is talking about are waves and frequency. What he did not know was motion of the string is a wave form but of a high frequency. Earthquakes also produce two types of waves a ground wave that in fact moves along the ground not unlike the waves of the ocean. They also produce pressure and shear waves that move through the earth outward from the source.) Perhaps it does both. From the damage to the water and sewer lines which was greatest on those laying north to south, during the last large quake, it appeared as though the ground moved up and down but along east to west lines as if a wave or several waves had passed in that direction.
I remember in the ingegneres reports that walls held together by interlocked timbers stood while those not, often fell or were damaged. They recommended those structures not held by interlocked timbers have large pins placed in them to prevent the timbers from moving and even those with interlocks needed smaller pins to prevent the interlock from coming undone.
It would be convent to cause some medium power earthquake to damage Bejaia. Perhaps convent but purely coincidental should that happen.
1319, 9th month, day 16:
The little expedition departed yesterday morning. They will stop in Sicily on the way home. I must say it was with much trepidation that I watched them sail out of the harbor. I should be with them. Should we attack this place I will be with my men and so will my brothers.
Philon reported to me today. He has settled in a small cottage next to the castle by the gardens. His mother has remained here to keep his house. The boys are all doing well and will remain in the palace nursery until weaned. One of the palace midwives has suggested that once the babies are six months in age they be given goats milk in addition to the wet nurses tit. She has devised a special drinking cup for small children. The Palace Potters are making a number of these for experiments. All the midwives feel it best that babies have mother's milk at least for two years. I asked mother about this. She thought it nice if possible and noted that once Lysandros began getting goats milk he grew even faster then before.
He named the boys Iason, Ianos, and Ionas. I thought this was a cleaver rearrangement of the same set of letters. Iason was pleased and so was Uncle. Iason is not a popular name in the castle but it is outside of it.
We all went down to the nursery to see the boys. I think Philon will get along well with Edward once he returns. In the mean time the young widower needs some companionship and sex, which I am sure he will find all required from his new family. The triplets were obviously very popular with the nurses and other women of the castle. I noticed Princess Elpis and Kastor's mothers paid many visits. I think their grandmother will have plenty of help caring for these young ones. Euthalia and several of her coworkers have already embroidered the boys names on most of their clothing. At this tender age they do all look exactly alike and are all almost exactly the same size. Kastor and Poly's mother told us within a month each boy will develop his own distinct persona. The wet nurses told me even now they can tell one from the other by how they take the breast.
I think my Iason and Sophia have already decided these three will make good playmates for their first born. I am not quite sure I understand the relationship of babies and adults. They seem to have a strange effect on us. At first I thought this was simply the fact that I was the parent. That is not quite the situation. As I now interact with other babies not of my issue, they seem to have the same effect. Even the most fearsome fighter and gruffest old man seems to melt in their presence. We expect this reaction from women but do not in ourselves. Why we have these different expectation seems obvious to me, women can bear and suckle children and men cannot. Why we men react to babies and very young children as we do, our issue or not, causes me to think.
All animals I know of strive to produce offspring. It is the way of life. We humans take great measures to do the same and we take great measures to place that action into some kind of rational order. Taking great measures to organize our animalness. For almost all animals they have specific seasons but not men, our season is always. Taking great measures to rational order is only partly successful. This suggests that the gods have made us the way we are and since that is the situation we men will never be truly successful in attempting to control it.
1319, 9th month, day 18:
I rode out yesterday and today with the intention of inspecting the harvest. In the lower land all was normal and the harvest will be normal. The fruit trees are well laden with fruit. The bee keepers tell me their hives are normal for honey. In the high mountain meadows I found the temperatures were cooler than I remembered and the herders were already beginning to bring their flocks to lower elevations. The wool on the sheep and goats is reported to be unusually thick. I suspect this will be another cold and snow filled winter in the mountains.
It was good to be riding again for more than a short distance. Zephyros was happy too as I was able to give him his head several times. He loves to run as much as I do. I am sad for him as I will be giving up a gelding and taking on a stallion. Kleitos is training new mounts for us. I will give Zephyros to Nikias, Kastor and Polydeukus theirs to Justas and Joulous and Iason's to Dios. In turn their ponies will be given to the younger children. Umar is most excited by this prospect but I don't think he realizes how much time he will be spending with the animal's care.
Squire Miltiades and Kleitos are preparing the younger boys for their duties. I see also that Princess Melitta and her cousins have all be given ponies to ride and care for. Lysandros has complained several time his older sister is more boy than he. Iason is gentle and understanding but can do little about it. The truth of the matter, tis true. Lysandros for his size, which is great compared to others his age, is more girl than boy. Melitta is more boy than girl. She is not all that tall or strongly constructed but she has the attitude and will of a boy. She excels at athletics. Helo is a good model for him and I think her as well.
Dysme tells me he often feels he is a girl trapped in a man's body. "The gods have played a cruel trick on me, Arden. I have learned to live with it and with yours and the others help, found a meaningful and rewarding life. When we were younger I was often teased about it. Ikaros showed me how to gain respect from the other boys by making the most of those skills which are common to both genders. Children can be cruel, sometimes they are such but do not realize it. Dysme is not a common Greek name as you know, it is derived from the latin Decimus (TN: ten). Decima is the feminine version of Decima. They would often call me Decima as a play on words. I learned to laugh at this with them and they soon stopped. When older some would call me Iota. I did not mind that and it was my nickname until I came to the King's personal service."
Lysandros need only prove himself competent at something and like Dysme he will gain respect. Something Dysme has in abundance. He like Ikaros are masters at their craft and all who care to look, see and know that. I think like Ikaros he will be a favorite of the ladies and given his size and strength the men as well. If he is fortunate he will not feel he is a girl trapped in a boy's body but a man who loves men and like Ikaros, just has a girl like way of expressing himself.
Justus and Joulous are both interested in academic pursuits. Having them involved with the Achamedia has been good for them. Perhaps they will study ingineering or what is being called physics. I am thinking this should be called physical science and should include alchemy, mathematics, physics and the earth itself. It would be very useful to have two princes that are also scholars.