Spartans 11 (Penultimate Chapter)

By Pueros

for Tom

Chapter 11 – Purim

(Susa, Persia, December 478 B.C.)

It was six months after Lysander’s first meeting with Hadassah that the latter’s marriage to Xerxes took place in magnificent splendour in the huge throne hall within the palatial citadel at Susa. After the elaborate ceremonial, the guests split along usual gender lines to enjoy separate lavish banquets, one hosted by the Great King and the other by the new, now 18 years old, Queen. Outside in the city, and throughout the Empire, many other feasts took place to celebrate the wedding on what had been declared, by regal proclamation, a public holiday. Many of these in the Persian heartlands were funded by the some of the gold issued amongst the citizenry from the treasures housed in the palace in Persepolis. However, although vast sums were expended on this commemorative largesse, only a tiny dent was made in overall royal coffers.

Everyone noticed how happy Xerxes had appeared on the day, obviously looking forward to sharing some of his life and bedroom activities with his new beautiful consort. However, Haman and his co-conspirator, Artabanus, knew that they would make such happiness short-lived. Hadassah, with the help of Mordecai, had wed the Great King when she knew that she should not as a Jew, a fact that had still been kept secret from her new husband.

Haman, in particular, looked forward to advising Xerxes of the deceitful treachery and organising the undoubted bloody aftermath. Artabanus looked forward more to his promotion to gatekeeper and share of requisitioned Jewish wealth. However, both still knew that it was important to time their move correctly and decided that it was appropriate to wait a month before instigating the deadly downfall of the new Queen, her cousin and all of her people. They were in no special rush and an earlier attempt might make the Great King suspicious of when they had first learnt about Hadassah’s background, a happening that could backlash fatally on them.

For Lysander and Alexias, and the other boy catamites, life had gone on much as before, albeit most had passed birthdays. The main exceptions to previous routine were that they were now based largely in Susa, a return back to Persepolis by Xerxes not planned until the spring, and had a regular visitor. Hadassah appeared to enjoy the company of the young catamites, an attitude that was reciprocated, and many pleasant hours, over the months leading up to the wedding, had been spent in conversation and innocent play, the future Queen knowing many fun pastimes, both Jewish and Persian.

Hadassah and Lysander seemed to have a special affinity for each other, entirely platonic on the young woman’s part but not on the boy’s for he experienced pains in his groin, resulting from his restrictive genital cover, whenever he was in her presence. However, the young Spartan considered such discomfort a small price to pay for her company, especially as the continued need for the contraption seemed entirely down to her protection.

Lysander was aware that he would not be allowed to see Hadassah regularly without wearing the devise or the motives for such frequent liaison might arouse unwanted suspicions. Anyway, the boy appreciated that the leather casing did indeed prevent embarrassing bulges appearing in his trousers whenever he was with the young woman. However, the now 14 years old also recognised that it was almost certainly the future Queen’s influence, expressed to her husband-to-be via Hegai, the Chief Eunuch, that had allowed the young Spartan and Athenian to keep their genitals intact for so long.

Lysander knew that Xerxes no longer needed the threat of castrating Alexias to gain the young Spartan’s obedience. The incident when he had saved the young Athenian from a whipping had proven that there were other forms of intimidation that could be levied against his friend’s welfare that would make both succumb fully to the Great King’s will. There was therefore really nothing now to prevent their royal master having them gelded like the other catamites, to meet dynastic tradition, except the future Queen’s entreaties. Accordingly, the boys hoped that their female friend’s influence over her husband-to-be would be everlasting.

Lysander had remained Xerxes’ favourite catamite, although the frequency of the boy’s appearances in the Great King’s bed, which the young Spartan still considered deeply degrading, had reduced as the man reintroduced more variety into his sex life, with his women concubines again prominent. The 14 years old also recognised that he could expect to spend even less time being subjected to sodomy and performing fellatio after the wedding.

Lysander was in two minds about this. He welcomed the further respite from the demeaning duties but was also concerned about how he was going to obtain in future the regular sexual relief his body increasingly craved, as well as the thought of lovely Hadassah being despoiled by his royal master. The boy could, of course, do little about either disturbing consideration, the latter compounded by the fact that his female friend had put herself forward for such a destiny and seemed to be completely nonchalant about it.

Lysander and Alexias spent the wedding day, with the usual eunuchs, attending to Xerxes needs at the lengthy male banquet. They were pleased to note that the Great King had kept himself relatively sober, presumably not wanting to befuddle his mind with alcohol before consummating his marriage, and that there was no repeat of the incident that had led to Queen Vashti’s banishment. The boys knew that they would not be required to serve in their royal master’s bedchamber in any capacity that night. The man would instead be disrobed and otherwise attended by female concubines because the new Queen would also be present, ready to lose her virginity.

During the celebration, Lysander had noticed that one of the Greek palace guards often looked at him, something the man, aged in his early thirties, had done frequently since the boy had returned to Susa from Persepolis. However, his regular smile had been always been reciprocated by a disdainful grimace from the 14 years old, who had learnt that the traitor was a fellow Spartan, presumably a rare captive who had defected to the Persian side during the war to save his skin. The lad, who had been blackmailed into his servitude, wanted nothing to do with someone who had volunteered because he was a coward.

Later, Lysander, in particular, was rather sombre when he returned to the quarters he shared with Alexias. This mood was not only caused by realisation of what Xerxes would at that moment be perpetrating on the lovely Hadassah but also recognition that his access to the new Queen would be much restricted in future by court protocol. Tears formed in his sensuous blue eyes as a result of his melancholy, a disposition that took Alexias much patience and time to expel.

(Susa, Persia, January 477 B.C.)

Lysander and Alexias were in the Great King’s resplendent audience chamber, attending with others to their royal master whilst he listened to Haman, who had requested an urgent meeting. Since the wedding, the now intensely sexually frustrated young Spartan and Athenian had spent little time in Xerxes' bed, the main novelty occupant having been the new Queen. As a consequence, the boys' groins often experienced acute discomfort at the sight or thought of anything they found physically attractive, including each other.

“I regret, Great Majesty,” the Amalakite chamberlain advised, “that I have to inform you that I have come across some disturbing information concerning Queen Hadassah!”

Lysander and Alexias had never seen Xerxes so angry before, even with his previous Queen. The red-faced Great King looked as if he was going to burst a neck jugular as he spat out shouted commands for the arrest of Hadassah and Mordecai. However, the resultant tumult in the audience chamber was such that no-one noticed the young Spartan and Athenian disappear. The boys had kept their word to the Jewish gatekeeper about not trying to escape again but now thought that he might release them from their obligation as they would now apply to join him and his cousin in mutual flight.

Lysander told Alexias, as they proceeded along some of the multifarious ornately decorated palace corridors, “I think I know where they'll both now be, so just stay close to me. It should take a while for the guards to locate them there, which should give us all time to flee safely!” The young Athenian wondered at first at the wisdom of helping the Jewish cousins but then thought of his now surely newly re-endangered balls and his doubts were overcome.

“How do you know,” Alexias asked, “that they’ll be where you think they’ll be?” “Because,” answered Lysander, “Hadassah confided to me, making me promise the utmost secrecy, that she did not worship the Persian deities but instead one almighty God. She added that she had had a room overtly converted into somewhere where she could go to pay her respects to her God, and I persuaded her to show me it. Now is the time of week and day when she would go there.”

Alexias, as astounded as anyone at the revelations concerning the new Queen’s true background, then queried “Wasn’t that a very dangerous action to take, in the Great King’s own palace?” Lysander replied “I suggested that to her too but she just said that she could not live without the amenity and that, anyway, it was located in a part of the palace cellars where no-one else ever went. The gatekeeper had apparently forbidden access other than to persons specifically authorised by him, for undisclosed reasons that no-one ever questioned. I told her, though, that someone was bound to find out eventually but she responded that she was sure that, before that happened, she would have told her husband the truth. She was just waiting for the right time to do so but it now looks as if she’s delayed too long. I must admit that, although I now knew that Hadassah had different beliefs from Xerxes, my knowledge of the Jewish faith did not let me recognise the religious artefacts in her little temple. I therefore did not appreciate that she was Jewish and that her beliefs therefore matched those of Mordecai, whom I now realise must worship there as well. I also didn’t know that they were related!”

The boys hurried along the myriad of corridors, eventually emerging into the less opulent servants' quarters before going down several steep flights of steps towards to the gloomy cellar catacombs, illuminated by oil lamps. They proceeded along more, rather creepy and dark, passageways, until Lysander finally came to a door he recognised. The young Spartan did not think twice about bursting into the room where he believed that Hadassah and Mordecai would now be worshipping together. The 14 years old was proved correct.

Hadassah and Mordecai’s fright at being disturbed was nothing to the shock resulting from the news that Lysander imparted to them. The two Jews briefly debated their options. The Queen was at first adamant that she should remain to face and defuse her husband’s anger. However, she was dissuaded by the gatekeeper, who was concerned only for his cousin’s safety and contended that such commendable bravery was far too dangerous for her. He added that there were several escape routes out of the palace complex and that they should take one before it was too late, agreeing to the young Greek’s entreaties to go with them, as their sudden unannounced dereliction of royal duty would endanger them too.

Lysander, Alexias and Hadassah followed Mordecai through the catacombs until a door was finally attained that the gatekeeper knew led to an outside courtyard, beyond which lay the relative safety of the city. There, they could temporarily hide amongst the large number of Jews that helped make up a sizeable minority of the administrative capital’s population. The head of the palace guards therefore opened the door, only to confront on the other side a large contingent of his own men, led by his deputy. “Arrest them,” ordered a smirking Artabanus, led to this place by Haman’s advice, itself acquired by learning of, through palace spies months previously, the Jews’ secret place of worship.

Mordecai tried to close the door but he was thwarted by being overwhelmed by his erstwhile colleagues. “Run!” the gatekeeper shouted to Hadassah and the boys but none moved. The Queen would not leave her guardian and her young Greek friends would not leave her. Anyway, all three recognised that flight back into the palace innards would probably prove fruitless. The threesome therefore quickly followed into the clutches of the palace guards.

“Well, well,” Artabanus observed with a smirk, when he saw Lysander and Alexias in the company of the two Semite fugitives, “it seems that we have two young Greek accomplices helping the Jewish traitors. I expect the Great King’s wrath will be as equally, if not more, unmerciful with your young bodies as he will be with those of his previous gatekeeper and latest former Queen!” The already promoted new gatekeeper then turned to his men and commanded “Take them all to the dungeons!”

(Susa, Persia, early February 477 B.C.)

The four prisoners had been held, limbs chained, in separate dark dank cells but had been allowed to keep themselves relatively clean through daily washing sessions and changes of clothing. No interrogations had yet been carried out as guilt seemed obvious and had indeed already been pronounced, as had sentences.

The Queen and the gatekeeper, because of their former status, were to be hanged privately in a palace courtyard, on a special scaffold that Haman had had built for the purpose. The young Spartan, on the other hand, as a mere slave, was to return to the platform in Susa’s main square, where he had previously been publicly flogged before other adjacent prisoners had been executed by nullification, being encouraged to expire through blood loss.

On this occasion, Lysander was to be accompanied by his friend Alexias. As well as being whipped, the young Spartan and Athenian were to be tortured before losing their noses, a traditional disfiguration for Persian traitors. Finally, the boys would suffer complete emasculation, being then allowed to bleed to death as a result of their awful wounds, which would be kept sanguinely open for as long as the process took.

Meanwhile, Haman had found it easy to persuade the immensely angry Xerxes to agree to the proclamation commanding the destruction of the whole Jewish people as well as the four palace traitors. The day on which the genocide would commence, and the quartet’s execution would take place, was determined, as was customary on such occasions, by casting a ‘pur’, or lot. This indicated the fourteenth day of the twelfth month of the Persian calendar, Adar, about the 1st of March in the modern western calendar.

The proclamation, which was sealed with the royal ring and so could not by tradition be subsequently rescinded, went out to all the Great King's satraps and governors of the various provinces, as well as the nobles of the other subject peoples. The document ordered the annihilation of all the Jews, young and old, men, women and children, and the confiscation of all their possessions, to begin on the assigned day, known to history, after the Persian name for a lot, as ‘Purim’.

(To be concluded in chapter 12 – ‘Adar’)