Book IV: High Prince of Attica: Opening review
Cephalos’ resignation of consortship to the Princess of Magnesia has to be regarded as a cold exercise of abandonment. Grant only at offsetting that their wedlock continued beyond the normal ending of such traditional brief wedlock as their was intended to be. Owing to his further formal diplomacy to serve her, his active presence amidst the Midlands was deemed essential, as well, to her uncle Erginos, King of Orchomenos, and her liege supreme sovereign Aiakos, Great King of Aeoleis & Minya, and Lord Protector of the Low Midlands. He was still the only lover who had cherished her for her generosity of soul to himself. He’d exceeded all her expectations, and he’d prepared her for all her royal rights and considerations brought almost to ascension over the regent custodianship oh her majesty as Queen. Her high place within Aiakos’ new imperial hierarchy was assured as all the concordant allies in confiliation, each as established and secure as far north as the North Plain hinterlands. To have done anymore for her, Cephalos would have had to contend with outstanding rival royal personages who could be easily attracted to court her life marriage and commitment to Magnesia. That Cephalos could not do because his absence from Attica was no longer a discrete exile, or sabbatical perforce. Rather, it had become an assertion of his won rewards from a colossal maritime acomplishment, the annual grain convoys and attendant transports regularities to the export of highest bred horses by Minya. Not yet fully appreciated for the related implications, of highest naval standing amidst all established peerages under both Aeolian navarchy or under management by merchant magnates or resident Zebuls off the fortress harbor cities of the Levant. Suffice for now, therefore, that he had rendered the Strait of Abantis’ many landfalls and all necessary coastal amenities. As strong spine of long bends both Prince Commodore Phereklos and Merchant Magnate Cephalos held forth brightest prospects for deep caravan access westward by the reach of the Sperchios River and the Peneios’ many tributaries.
The way I think of his reputation and majesty back then holds high regard for his diplomatic and newest naval capacities. He would have forever “a home and popularity in the North,” as within so many petty kingdoms whom he’d conjoined together by their minimal seaports and then readied for new commerce high potential to searches and developments the many inroads of caravan treks from the Strait.
Nonetheless, he was glad to be going home to the small principality of his mother’s Eleusis. He looked forward to becoming hands on and active again within the East Bay Attica, and with his cousin Lykos the Vice-Regent who commanded its sacral commmonwealth high sisterhoods by Brauron Basin & new surrounds. He used a chill back end of the 1370 winter to search for the most lovely person whom he’d last chanced to connect with most spiritually while upon his voyage up to Magnesia in the late summertime of 1373. The portrait that I’ve plagiarized from the modern oeuvres of Maxwell Parrish captures how that maiden postulant priestess had appeared, while utterly unconscious that an advanced war galley of very light configuration was sneeking up on her to capture her in disheveled appearance of loosest work garments and mood by the young beyond the sunrise. She’d been vigorously sensate of some kind of agony of pestering frustration, also of some great challenge to her patience, and she was musing almost in prayer for a better revelation of some certain promise that had been made to her.
An Ecstasy of Dream Remembrance
She had awakened from a long Living Dream which “her goddess” had enabled her to experience fully and thoroughly. Composed for perfect remembrance and recall, what the dream had enunciated was her due rewards forthcoming her brilliance at implementation. Most worthy of a divine promise made to her of a nighttime of practical observations. Great Boons enacted bore many caveats that were very discomforting, for the greatness endendered created appetites of yet greater complexities. Her abidance at foregoing rewards, an indefinite time already disstressing her stalwart patience, all her core strength of youth and lean health of being must bear burdens of an abstinent chaste youth of unrequited maidenhood. And yet the Titaness promised Skia due requittal, admitting her own abstinence both selfish and pitiless. Cumulative days upon days of constant exercise and activity ahead for her could hardly afford a person well-justified at her selflessness, howsoever the wondrously stated awards to be long withheld from her for her lover Cephalos’ sake. He, too, had infinite undertakings before he lavish a love immeasurably her due.
For that promise of him per se, her Living Dream at full prospectus, withheld too obstinately Cephalos himself. At only seventeen years of age of first clear imagined, The Titaness was affording him a fine view of Skia’s profile at stance upon a precipice of a bluff. Even as the moments ticked by of her trance ecstasy at imagining him, his ship was outflanking her, eluding her, he wonderous of her writhing form as though still a restless night bed to denied to herself at craving hiom. He had been afforded his her firm, spread stance upon a high poop deck, but only as the whole length of his ship of bow at best aim strait through her a splendid skyscape behind her.
What he would remember with some agony that matched closely her own at that time of midmorning was how oblivious she’d remained as a focus of 100-degrees of turning arc by the evasive outflanking. Only at the end of that large radius did he come under plain sight below her, he staring up with intention to sieze her attention. Or as he did over those many extended moments of turning his face up towards hers, she finally capturing his gaze so greatly coveted. They had enthralled each other. The vector of sighting to her eyes, and her gaze straight back down and upon him were dual fixations. So long lingering that they must of course remember each other vividly, so too the deep intake of each other souls at their fullest aspiration to be possessed. For just so, too, that happened as well.
He was full of thought for her upon his homeward curse bearing of travel. Taking him on pass by Brauron Cove of East Bay Attica, he was able to discern easily the low rocky parapet upon which she’d been standing in turmoil of ecstasy. The time of midday was different, of course, but sunny bright of warm comfort and well-worthy of calm water transit and almost soundless progression of his ship’s hull under a Boreades breeze. He’d wanted to show it off to her Its launching began a maiden voyage to fetch him back home. His boon friend Prince Phaiax had brought the elegant Triakonter up to the entry of Pagasai where Cephalos stood waiting with baggage and eagerness to board and embark the long passage of the Strait southward.
What he did not remember, though. was the pain he was compelled to forget for never having seen her again. He’d had no goddess his own to pray to that she might somehow render the standing priestess to stand again in hopes her own of seeing him again. Also forgotten was afterwards, after he’d finally reached the shore of Eleusis Sound and reunion with Herse his mother. He wanted any excuse to travel past Mount Hymettos on direction to Rhapthe Lagoon near which she’d stood pert and unalert to his first gazes upon her. He had barely a fortnight to accomplish a brief quest. By the time he was on the Sacred Way at beginning his search he was already hopeless of attaining anything by trek, or by sea to capture a maiden lovely postulant at her toils and skills at planatation. For he’d been also told by his mother, and had affirmed anew, that Skia and he were hard fated apart to be virtually blind of each life’s progress they were expiring. He would not know her again until 1365 BC, a year about which Book Five is especially indulgent to treat of their respective captures of each other with fresh wantings. By then he’d been married again and become High Prince Consort within the extended royal family of the Erecththeids as his own branch royal dynasty of the Kekropids.
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