Arden

Arden by: dnrock(dnrock@rock.com)

83: On The Land In England

Oxford and Cambridge are old institutions compared to the King Iason 7th. They are made up of groups of scholars called collages, each with its own property, funding, housing and so on. They are both much larger than ours as well. Collages were often founded so that their students would pray for the souls of the founders. That and to serve as self contained scholarly communities or communities such as religious orders, Scots and so on. They are then federations chartered by the Western Church and the King. The primary purpose of these schools was to generate priests and church servants. That is changing as I have been told.

We were made quite welcome at both universities. Our scholars were delighted, being invited to give several lectures each. We also learned a bit about this Stonehedge place. Only the historians seemed interested. They had little good information that we did not already know. Much of the pre Roman history is shrouded in myth and speculation. Much of the post Roman history is filled with it as well; however, documentation, all be it scattered, is available for much. No mention of this or any other pre-christan religious places was made by scholars. We think much must have existed but it has been lost or destroyed.

We were told the people who built it had no written language and apparently predated the Britons who lived here in pre-Roman times. By then the place was all but abandoned and probably had been so for a very long time. They confirmed the place was part of the Amesbury Abbey's lands.

The students we met were most hospitable to us. I learned much about them and their lives, mostly while sharing a bed. I am sure we will have a number of new students seeking advanced degrees in the coming years and many new pen friends. These English are mostly blond and blue eyed. Many are tall like myself although not as tall as me. In their all male collages they are much relaxed as we are in our apartment. The young bodies, slim and muscular just drive me to want sex with them all. Not every one was interested in sex with us but many were.

We camped close to the Stonehedge place. Today it is a gently rolling plane used by shepherds. It is clear that at one time the place was forested or the forests closer at hand. We could clearly see the stones standing against the sky. They looked like less than graceful columns of our temples. Most of the columns are connected by sills. It is quite large, forming a great circle with a couple of openings. In the center are what we assumed were alters and other large upright stones.

I puzzled at the lack of dressing these stones had received. On careful examination they are significantly harder and more difficult to work then the rocks of Parga.

Our boys were all drawing, sketching and map making. I must say Helladios' map and drawings are accurate and clear. Umar's drawings are highly accurate, they show great detail, even the texture of the rough cut stones. The stones form a circle of 1/2 stadia. Outside that are several rings of earthworks which can be clearly seen in the late afternoon or early mroning light. A few of the large pillars are leaning and a couple of Sills have fallen. Over all the place is in fine condition considering its great age and lack of use.

Using our surveying instruments we made detailed maps noting the orientation and position of everything. On careful examination of our map it was clear that this place had been erected, in part, as a calendar. I say in part, as it is far to complex for a simple calendar. Only about 1/10 of it would be needed for that purpose. I am not sure what other purposes it may have had but some kind of worship would make sense. I see no relationship to any of the Greek/Roman or Egyptian gods. Why the Roman writers thought it had a connection to Greece I am not sure.

Legend has it that the place has or was thought to have, healing properties. That may be why the suggestion of a connection with Apollo. The Abbot told us they have paid no attention to it, being a pagan shrine. He did tell us the legend is that the place was one of healing. No other facilities are visible or known about. Healing places in Greece always had hospitals, baths, hostiles or inns, often theaters. Other healing places have caves, pools, waters or something like Apollo's Temple. This appears to have none. I assume villages must have existed in the area but no trace of them is evident. It would take people to operate any kind of shrine or place of healing.

The English are most fond of using wood and thatch to make homes and shelters. What ever was here has long rotted and vanished. We also assumed some kind of wooden fence or stoa must have been part of the earthworks. This to is vanished.

The place is large enough for some kind of religious ceremonies to have been held here. It makes some sense to think that it must have been used more than four times a year. (TN: at the equinoxes and solstices. Please check this web page, for this has been known and measured be men since before recorded time. http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080922.html) Who ever built it spent much time and energy in the doing. The stones came from some distance away since none like it occur locally. No one could tell us where they came from for sure. The places suggested were all several days or more away. Knowing how long it takes to construct such things with modern tools, I assume construction lasted many years and was probably done in several stages.

We used geometry to measure the height of the large uprights and top of the Sills. The Sills are 10 feet long 3 and 1/3 feet wide and 2 1/2 feet thick they are 16 feet above the ground. The main columns are about 3 1/2 feet thick. The column bases are below the sod and we did not dig to find the base, they are more than 16 feet high. (TN: These are Arden's Greek feet not modern feet, although not much different. He goes on with a very detailed description, listing all kinds of measurements, figuring and equations. I have edited that out.)

No one knows how the place was built. It is obvious it must have been as great an effort as the pyramids and other ancient works. Some have suggested supernatural powers, the gods, God, Allah, fairies, devils and so on. I think that is nonsense. Like the great pyramids of Egypt, and some of the ancient places in Greece, it was the hard work and ingenuity of people that did the deed. The only mystery here is why.

For my part I think it is what ever the user or viewer wants it to be. It is a monument to the human spirit, first and foremost. I believe all the monuments of all the cultures past and present are that above all else. They may be dedicated to some god or king but they are above all else an expression of man's spirit, will and ingenuity. We need only appreciate that and in doing so pay homage and honor to those forgotten builders. What they believed in is of no consequence to us. The Ganymede statue is dedicated to the memory of all boys, all who see Stonehedge remember those who built it, they are immortal as they will always be thought of and their achievement recognized.

When we visit great public buildings and fortresses we see the same thing. We see honor to the builders and the human spirit. The reason for building is less important than appreciation of what was built. The Parathion is that. It was built to honor Zeus and is now a Christian church. It well could be something else in the future but it is a monument to the builders, their skills and spirit, above all.

The Abbot was incredulous that we would travel all this way to see a pagan monument. We explained it to him. He was even more confused wondering why the bishop let us come on such a mission. He did need admit my thesis about the human spirit and agreed the purpose aside, the builders deserved honor for their achievement.

Kastor was polite and diplomatic in his explanation. I told him that from our mapping and calculations one function was astronomical observations. Calendars were as important to the ancients as they are for us. It is the time of planting and harvesting that are most critical, all else, specifically religious holidays, are secondary. He did not want to believe this but came to admit that people dead from starvation are of no value to any god. While to him and his believers these religious festivals are of great importance the most critical thing is when to plant and when to harvest. All else is nothing more than a construct of men.

Since we have moved on from the great city I am able to run again. Each day I run with my boys and brothers. This practice has provided more than a little interest from the abby's residence and our guides. Our practice of military skills drew little attention until we produced our long bows. At this we engaged many in friendly competitions. I also learned where to purchase the bows I desired.

The men Sussex sent with us were skilled and honorable knights. I was most impressed. I think they too were impressed by us. These knights were skilled but not archers. They were most impressed that each of us tended our own mounts, even our boys. They quickly joined us in our daily practice and sparing. We in turn gave them archery lessons although none could pull long bow to full draw. That is something only years of practice can produce.

Riders were carrying messages between ourselves and the fleet. Our progress was much slower than we had estimated. We seemed to spend much longer at each stopping place then planed. The fleet was sent to Wales and was now returned to Southampton. We were to proceed there. Just as we were preparing to leave Stonehedge for Southampton a strange little incident occurred. Iason has reported everything very factually. I wish to remember the emotional and personal side of this.

It was late in the afternoon and we were preparing for our evening meal. The plan was to brake camp in the morning and proceed. Umar came racing up to me saying between breaths, "daddy come quick, Helladios needs you," while he pulled on my hand. I had not seen his direction which was around all the tents to the area where the animals were tethered.

He was running as quickly as his short legs would permit. I loped along just behind him. What I did not notice was my brothers and several others were right behind us. I am sure curious to see what Umar thought so urgent. I arrived just in time to grab the arm of an escort Knight, preventing him from striking a young groom, who was in Hectors arms. Umar tackled Helladios who was in the process of attacking this same Knight.

Hold Sir Simon, let us see what this is all about, I insisted. Everyone began talking, each in a different language, or so it seemed at the time. While all of this was happening Hector was standing there with the boy in his arms. The boy was crying in pain. Helladios got up and began comforting him. Umar was jabbering in Greek, Sir. Simon in French, the boy in English, Hector just stood silently as all this whorled around him.

I was furious that a knight would strike a boy, no matter what his station, who was being held in the arms of a guardian. I could see the look on Hectors face and it told me he was most distressed, as he was holding the lad and unable to do his duty of defense. I raised my arms and shouted hold. Even the non Greek speakers knew what I intended and silence prevailed.

I pointed at Hector, why do you hold his boy in your arms?

"His leg is broken Prince Arden and I was taking him to Helladios' tent for treatment."

I looked at Hello.

"I must set his leg and quickly, he is in much pain."

And you are competent to do this because? Odo was translating in French for the others.

"Because I learned how to do this from the palace physician and from Alexandros and Uncles..."

I cut him off and waved them to the tent.

Now, Sir Simon why were you about to strike a boy with a broken leg?

"I have told him time and time again not to stand near the right rear end of my stallion, who has a penchant for kicking anyone who does."

I looked at him for more.

"I did not know his leg was broken. I saw it happen from over there and by the time I reached his place he was in Hectors arms and Prince Helladios was kissing him."

That is Helladios' way, he fancies himself as a physician and healer. I am sure some day he will make a fine physician too. I could see Umar wanted to speak. I pointed to him.

"Daddy, I saw it happen. Paul and Helladios were grooming the pony Hello has been riding. One on each side and Paul just got a little to close to that stallion. He cried out in pain and we ran to him. The stallion moved. Hector agreed the leg was broken and picked him up. That is when I ran to get you. Will Helladios be angry with me for knocking him down?"

No, little one, he won't be angry with you. I am proud of both you and him for having the presence of mind to do what you thought was the right thing. Helladios is perhaps a little to compassionate for his own good, something he will learn as he grows older. I looked at Sir. Simon.

"Thank you Prince for stopping me from doing that which I would regret. I should have ascertained the facts before drawing false conclusions."

You care for the boy don't you?

"Yes Sir, he is the bastard son of my older brother. That pony and boy are as close as lovers. When the pony bit my stallion, in defense of his little human friend, I lost my temper; something a Knight is not supposed to do."

I turned to see almost everyone looking on. Have you nothing better to do?

"No brother, we have nothing better to do than watch you show us how to be a Prince of Parga," Iason announced.

This brought a puzzled expression to Simon's face. I turned bright red.

"That is how we keep Arden humble enough to live with," Polydeukus said.

Let us go and examine your stallion for damage, Simon.

The stallion was bruised but not seriously. The pony was in his glory with all the young boys crowded around petting and grooming him.

"That pony and Paul lost their mothers about same time, three years ago. They have been almost inseparable since. Paul sleeps in his stall at least 4 nights a week. That is not the first time the pony has bitten one of the other horses. The stable master has decreed the next time it were to happen the pony would be sold. I think that would brake Paul's heart."

I did not see Lysandros, Akakios and Umar standing just behind us.

"I think it is time for some Arden magic," Lysandros sang out in French.

"Arden magic?"

They believe I have some kind of skill at turning what would seem to be a problem into a solution.

"Daddy only finds good solutions, not just solutions."

Now I am not sure if teaching them French was all that good an idea.

Edward met us by the tent.

"Commander Corrado has sent two of his marines here to set the bone and devise a splint."

Nikias came next. "I do not know how you and the others manage to put up with us Arden. Now Helladios wants Paul and the pony to go with us to Parga. He has placed Paul and the pony under his protection. Can he do that?"

Simon's face broke out into a wide grin. No he does not have that power or authority yet.

"Justus, Joulous and I think you should give it to him."

Me, why me, why not Iason or Kastor?

"I did not mean you, Prince Arden, but you the senior princes, the ones with the power."

Which one sent you here?

"Well, um, all four."

They sent you because?

"You are my mentor and it is most difficult for you to say no to me."

All the while Odo was translating this for Simon.

You see Simon, I am magic, I do not need to find solutions they find me. The two marines appeared and reported the brake was not complete. They believe it will heal well and in three to four weeks.

What do you think of this Parga idea?

"I think it is masterful to say the least. My brother has never paid much attention to the lad and I have young children of my own. Paul has talent for animals and a true lover of them. He is not appreciated by the manor lord or any of the others. I will miss him greatly but it is best. If what you have told me is true and I do not doubt it; he will have opportunity to prosper in Parga. Here he has little. That is his uncle Simon speaking. The manor lord will want some compensation, I am sure of it. What of the pony?"

Knowing my brothers they have promised Paul the pony can come to Parga, we have room on our ships. Let us have a little fun with them. What is fair compensation for Paul's freedom?

"I believe five gold coins should be sufficient."

And the pony?

"Having bitten several other animals 10 gold coins would be a fair price."

Odo, please write up a contract that awards 15 gold coins for the boy and his pony and in a separate agreement 5 gold coins to Sir Simon for his nephew's service to Price Helladios of Parga; state he will be fed, clothed, housed, educated and paid as any other ward of the King. He will be assigned to Sir Kleitos, master of animal training at the Royal Stables at age 14; I looked in the tent to see Helladios kissing him and holding his hands. Until that time he will be the companion of Prince Helladios.

This contract states the minimum. How far Paul progresses and what his ultimate station in life is, will depend on him and his talents. I know my brothers and they will see that he strives to reach the highest of goals. Paul is not the first of our retainers and I am sure not the last. All so far have prospered beyond anyone's expectations.

What of his religious education?

Paul will be sent to the bishop's Saturday morning religion classes. All other education in Parga is provided by the state and is secular in nature. I did not tell him that the religious education I offered was voluntary. You can expect to receive letters from Paul written in the best Latin. Please make sure Odo has all the information needed for this purpose.

Come Simon it is that time. We entered the tent and Simon went to Paul's side. They talked a while and Paul kissed his uncle, which told me he was pleased with what had been said. Iason took his stage and began asking Helladios how he was to pay the fees Arden had arranged. Helladios ran to his purse but he had only seven gold coins. Eight more were needed. I knew he had much more than that on the ship, so did he. Iason chided him a bit. Justus and Joulous came to his rescue producing four coins each. Nikias and I were quite prepared to do the same but we held back until asked. Iason asked him how the pony was to be fed on the long voyage.

Helladios thought for a moment. "You can buy the pony's food just as you buy food for us, Iason."

"And what if the Admiral will not allow the pony on his ships?"

"Then I will climb the rigging and stay in it until he agrees."

"No, Helladios if my pony will not go then I will not go," Paul said.

Lysandros was obviously getting worried by this and he ran over to Helladios whispering something. Hello shook his head, I guess he did not like the suggestion.

"Admiral Hermogenes has transported horses on his ships in the past I am sure he will do this for me. My brothers are just having fun at our expense Paul. They play this game as a way of welcoming you to our family."

I saw Umar run over to Odo. He showed him the contract he was writing.

"Uncle Iason, the contract states that Paul is now a ward of the King Iason and that the pony and the boy will travel to Parga on the ships of our fleet. Why do you embarrass Helladios that way? What will grandfather Iason say when he learns you were less than kind to his other children."

Iason looked at me and I nodded. He smiled.

"The joke is on me. I think we have done to good a job teaching our brothers Arden, as they are proving to be more cleaver than I thought."

Lysandros took Iason's hand, "come big brother," leading him over to Hello and Paul.

Iason laughed, "I am sorry if my little joke was not funny."

It was obvious to me that Paul had become Hello's first love. I asked Hector what he thought about the situation.

He smiled saying, "If it makes him happy then it makes me happy too." He turned to Simon, "Paul will receive the same protection and service from me that I give to Helladios. This I swear to you as one Knight to another. Paul will be loved and neutered by all of us, it is our way. It is the Greek Way to teach our youth to be men. It is the Way of Parga to recognize when you have been bettered or are in error, setting station aside, admit it, correct it and get on with it."

That is hard to do, I told him, unless you have been trained. It seems that men have a difficult time admitting when they have made an error. A prince needs to accept responsibility for his actions and the actions of his associates, just as he takes credit and honors from successes. As you can see we are all taught to take responsibility for what we do. Many times Iason, Kastor, Polydeukus and I did things our fathers were not pleased with. We were never punished for it, we did on several occasions need to accept the criticism of them and the council. On the other side of the ledger we were also praised and honored for having done well, fortunately much more often.

We found, with limits of course, our authority expanded as our responsibility. Our fathers never handed authority but allowed us to seek it by ceasing the opportunity. To their credit they were always and still are standing behind us, should their help be required. The one thing they never did and we must remember to never do, is assign responsibility without first having assigned or given the authority.

Helladios has taken upon himself the authority to bring Paul and his pony to Parga. We four have done just the same thing several times over. He has accepted responsibility for him. I doubt that he realizes what that entailed, we did not at his age. We will not let him fail or bring any harm to Paul, just as our fathers did not allow us to fail.

Prince Polydeukus will restore his coins after we reach France, since he will have no need of them until then. In Parga, Sir Kleitos will be his mentor, supervise his education and be his advisor. He will live with our extended family as does Kleitos. If Kleitos thinks it wise and if Paul agrees, he will likely become his squire at 15 or 16. If Helladios has his way Paul will become skilled in animal medicine. Knights in Parga are much more than military people. We are that and just about everything else from prince to smith. Level one knights are the same as squires. Level two is like a journeyman and level three is professional soldier. You noticed all of our guardians are professional solders, knights and all officers.

Odo came and engaged Sir Simon in more conversation, freeing me. On reentering the tent I was greeted to the wondrous sight of boys having an orgy. The little soldier between my legs came to immediate and firm attention. Paul and Helladios were in the middle of it.

Nikias called to me, "join us Arden, the best way to keep the pain of a broken bone at bay is the pleasure of sex."

I can see the logic of that. I think it is more Helladios' wishful thinking than reality. That thought did not prevent me from doing as invited.

Everyone wants to test this new anus, on the assumption, being new it was somehow different. That was not possible, we are far to many. It did offer some interesting positions as care was needed not to cause pain and the splints made movement of his leg difficult. Fortunately the brake is in the lower part, well below the knee. What I was invited into was Hello fucking Paul, while Nikias fucked Hello and I fucked him, all the while we four gave oral service to the others. No sooner had we ejaculated than Iason, Kastor and Poly replaced us with Hello and Akakios taking up oral ministrations. My penis sliding into Nikias' body or a penis parting my lips and being played with by my tongue are always welcome. Now that I am older I better understand the attraction of boys to us men. They are weaker than us and usually physically smaller. Just about everyone is physically smaller than me. When we hold them close to us they feel secure and wanted. When we hold them close to us we feel protective.

Our social structure often gets in the way of men and I suppose women. It is permissible for us to be affectionate and gentle with boys and females as it is for small children and pets. When it comes to other men it is less so. What we do in privet is very often quite different. These customs allow the business of life to proceed. We need to always consider just how strictly they are applied.

When called for our evening meal everyone in the tent was sound asleep, including Paul. I was surprised that I had drifted off. My arms were wrapped around Iason and Umar when I awoke. Neither one of them is shy about pressing his body against mine and I am not shy to have it so.

Hector made a pair of crutches for Paul while we slept and he was able to move about and do things with Helo's and Akakios' help. I later learned Paul had been engaged in male sex for some time with Simon's squire. Apparently his Uncle was fond of having the squire in his bed, to receive his passion, but accepted the squires' not at all or very infrequently.

Paul is a very handsome lad who has matured early, being only 12. He seems to relish the touch of others. All people need to feel the touch of others. Every parent knows how important touch is to the baby. As we grow and mature we seem to forget just how important it is to us. I suspect because most of us do not lack for it. If someone receives very little or is cut off from its source, the desire will grow.

I find that touch is a most important thing for members of our large family. We all touch ourselves and each other, most often without even thinking about it. If given a choice of sitting alone or next to someone else, we most often choose the second. If any number of us are engaged in conversation, even standing, we will, with thought touch each other. That seems true for animals and between animals and people. I see that with our dogs, cats, horses and other pets or beasts of burden. They wish to touch each other and their humans. This is most often seen in sexual and bonding activities of humans and many animals. It is often seen in non sexual activities of humans as well. Some of us like this more than others, all participate. I would think all of us need touch just as we need sex, friendship, social intercourse. Like everything else having to do with people, some have greater requirements than others. We may only need, air, food and water to sustain life; is a life made up of only that worth living? I say no. This line of thinking will lead my philosopher self to a long and complex treaties, perhaps several of them. I can in sum state that perhaps we can have to much sex, love, touch, social intercourse, comradeship and so on. For each of us the relative proportions are probably different as are the limits. I will record in this journal when and if I ever discover what mine are.