Trojan horse before the gates of Troy.. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
It
is a wartime night in a city in Ancient Times. No inside-home lights
allowed to shine through windows and doors. No street lights. The
strict curfew on pedestrians has been in effect for an hour-or-so.
Horsin,
clothed heavily to disguise herself as male, walks furtively, slowly,
along a dark street. She sits on a bench at the side of the street;
an ox-and-cart rest stop. She carries a hidden weapon she will not
hesitate to use.
After
a few seconds, Cressida appears, walking furtively, slowly, from the
opposite direction on the same side of the street. She hesitates,
pauses. She sees Horsin. She walks to the bench, and sits, foolishly
assuming the other person already sitting on the bench in the
pitch-dark night, is the person she had been directed in the note to
expect to meet. She carries a hidden weapon she will not hesitate to
use.
Horsin,
half whispering, "The Lady Cressida?"
Cressida,
half whispering, "Yes. You
left the
note?"
Yes.
Prince Troilus asks a meeting.
How
do you know the Prince?
I
work at the Palace. I am one of Queen Hecuba's ladies-in-waiting.
I
am puzzled that the Prince requests to meet with me. I am reluctant
to be here. I am here because I wish to not exacerbate the
unpleasantness that already is between the Prince and me. He has the
power to ruin what little chance I have left for a happy life.
The
Prince says I am to inform you that he knows you and General
Diomedes, intend to marry.
I
am not surprised he knows. I am surprised he chooses to inform me
through a servant such as you.
I
can assure you, Lady Cressida, all servants such as I am in the
Palace knew about you and General Diomedes long before Prince Troilus
found out and requested me to meet with you.
If
everybody knows, then whythis secret meeting? He
and I
expressed undying mutual love. When I suggested marriage, his reply
was we must wait until we win this war.
My
Lady, that was considerate of the Prince. You are not aristocrat.
Your marriage would have had to be in secret. If the Prince died in
battle, you could not inherit anything.
I
wanted marriage because I love him; not for an inheritance.
The
Prince gave you a ring to seal the promise?
Yes.
Had
he been the one to break that promise, you would be under no
obligation to return the ring. However, Lady Cressida--
Here
it is. Take it.
Thank
you. I will give it to Prince Troilus the moment I am back at the
Palace.
If
it is within your Palace privileges, please tell the Prince that I
have meant no disrespect. These are difficult times for women such as
I. General Diomedes is willing to send me far away from this war.
I
will let the Prince know. I, too, am in your situation. If some man
offers to rescue me, I will not hesitate to leave Troy.
What
is your name?
I
dare not tell you, Lady Cressida. I am merely a servant. But I assure
you, as a mere servant among the aristocrats in the Palace I hear and
see things they should not let happen in my presence. It’s as
if we servants are invisible and immaterial. It is quite likely I
can serve you. I am willing, my Lady.
Thank
you. You are kind.
My
Lady, I have overheard many things about General Diomedes. If you
wish, I could tell you.
Good
things?
Good
things to a wife, but not so good to a woman from the enemy camp, who
is yet to become his wife. My Lady, how did you first meet General
Diomedes?
It
turns out he and Prince Troilus were acquaintances. They were chief
officers when there were exchanges of prisoners.
Diomedes
and Troilus, then, had seen each other many times?
Yes.
Did
you meet General Diomedes in those times?
No.
I knew about him from Prince Troilus. Prince Troilus deeply admired
General Diomedes. Then, unexpectedly, a few days after Prince
Hector's death, General Diomedes knocked on my door. It was as if he
knew that with Prince Hector's death, all my hopes of marrying Prince
Troilus, died. From our brief conversation on my doorstep, it
appeared to me that Prince Troilus had spoken glowingly about me to
General Diomedes.
And
how long after that first meeting did a marriage with Diomedes come
up?
Diomedes
proposed that very day, there on my doorstep. I slammed the door on
him, because I thought he was just another Greek deriding Trojans, on
the death of Hector.
So,
you were not aware who he was?
Not
right away. He did not leave after I slammed the door in his face. He
stood there and kept politely knocking and calling my name.
Eventually, I let him in, more from embarrassment at neighbours
coming out to look.
And
once inside?
He
said he loved me from the time Prince Troilus spoke of me. He asked
me if I knew of the Prince's reputation of having had so many, many
failed romances before me. My retort was that everybody in Troy knew.
His father, the king, knew, and did nothing to discourage his son.
Because the king turned a blind eye, all other Trojans accepted the
Prince's dalliances.
Do
you accept there is a chance that General Diomedes is using you?
How
using me?
My
Lady Cressida, our countries are at war.
I
am not different from the many other Trojan women who are marrying
Greek soldiers. Troy is losing. Those who do not marry now, before
the end, will end up sex slaves to Greeks.
Shh.
Someone’s coming. Across the street. See them?
Yes.
If
they cross to this side, we separate, and leave. I will be in touch.
If
they follow me?
I
will follow them, my Lady.
Good.
They are not coming this way How I hate this war!
Me,
too, along with countless others. Lady Cressida, do you have no
concern that your Greek husband will exploit you against Troy?
I'm
not concerned because I don't know any secrets. I'm sure the Greeks
already know more secrets about Troy than I. The men of Troy think
women are best kept in total ignorance. Diomedes has promised that,
when we are married, he will teach me to read and write.
What
if your husband wants you to be a spy?
He'll
have to teach me how. And he will have to be incredibly patient.
Women in Troy are not allowed to go to school. And yes, I'll do it
for my husband. As the poet says, "Omne pulchrum est in amore et
bellum."
I've
heard that saying, my Lady. There is a rumour General Diomedes has a
Trojan woman lover working in the Palace. Have you heard?
No.
But I am not surprised. We Trojan women all are desperate for
husbands. If Troy loses, we'll be taken slaves; if Troy wins it won't
be soon; by then we'll all be too old to be wives or slaves. I am not
worried. General Diomedes has said so many times, he loves me and
will marry me. Does Troilus know the rumour?
I'm
sure he does not know.
How
can you be sure?
Because
I am that woman.
I
know you are. Prince Troilus told me you are. Horsin! You traitor!
Contact
Ezra (Unless
you
type
the
author's name in
the subject
line
of the message we
won't know where to send it.)
