Part 81 (1/2)
Early May, and ere in Ar Artavasdes, in his drafty palace overlooking the valley of the Araxes River It was an elaborate structure, and as I looked around the di ars did not reach here We had left the west behind, and fron protocol, foreign motives Octavian has been pleased to call ypt and Greece are not foreign, even to Rome
The hall was many-domed, like a bazaar, or a series of tents Intricate patterns of gold and lapis covered the span, and were echoed in bright tiles underfoot More color ran down the walls in heavy gold-embroidered silk, and the tables were draped in what looked s than cloths The Arht on backless chairs The vessels on the table were gold, ems as warts on a toad
Artavasdes himself was slender and dark, with enor mustache He turned h he was polite, his stare was invasive Over his oiled ringlets he wore a tiara with a veil in back, and his costuy trousers, volu--so his thumbs Mardian would have been scandalized, since he had found even the Antiochenes repulsive in their overdone finery
Artavasdes was seated between Antony andout on either side were the Roions here to join forces with the bulk of the army, and titius, Dellius, Plancus, and Ahenobarbus They wore their plain Roman uniforms--bronze cuirasses and purple cloaks, sturdy nailed sandals, and military decorations, either crowns or symbolic silver spearheads They looked very workmanlike and unembellished next to the Armenians
As a child I had studied Median, and it pleased me to speak a bit to Artavasdes, if only to let him know that we could understand his asides to his nobles Antony was uages do you know?” and then adding, ”I suppose you speak Parthian as well!”
In truth, I had also studied it briefly, but only recently had begun trying to relearn it I hoped I would have need of it, and soon
”I know a little,” I admitted
When I sa surprised Antony was, I said, ”You must learn it as well If you are to be master of all the east, you cannot depend on translators; you must not be at another runted; like all Romans, he expected the entire world to switch to Latin to acco his hands in intricate circles to punctuate his words ”My brother King Polemo and I will slay hundreds of the Parthians,” he pro Polemo of Pontus nodded at us fro recently, and he was enjoying the title as only an elevated coether he and Artavasdes would contribute six thousand fine cavalry and seven thousand foot soldiers to Antony's army
I looked down the table at all thechin or flaccid cheeks, but with lines at the corners of his eyes that had not been there in Roray in his otherwise dark hair Canidius, being older, looked it, his skin more like tanned hide than a youth's Dellius would have had a perfect profile, but his looks were spoiled by his pitted co his hair back Plancus, like Antony, was not young but still in his soldier's prime, as was Ahenobarbus, with his hawk's nose and red beard only a little lightened by gray Plancus's nephew alone, the dark and caustic titius, was of the next generation, a youth in search of glory The rest ary, less intent on perfor the ene safely There was little of Alexander in theht for advancement in the courts of Rome
”No, make that thousands,” Artavasdes corrected hi was in thousands and tens of thousands ”Tomorroill present a demonstration of falconry,” he said
”Tomorroe must review the troops and prepare to h already” Indeed, it was quite late to begin, and time was precious
”But, Imperator, can I help it that the snows refused to ed hands
Entertainers filed into the hall, playing unfamiliar instruments: pottery rattles, bull-headed lyres, silver pipes They had a tame lion that they led about by a silken leash; I wondered if they had removed his teeth, just in case
Artavasdes had provided us with sumptuous quarters in his palace--an entire set of apart with tapestries and staffed hat seeloo of ht with Antony in them
”Tell your staff to set up your tent,” I suddenly said to Antony ”What?”
”Your con,” I said ”I want to sleep in it with you”
”Set up a tent on the palace grounds?”
”No, down by the river, where the ar's hospitality and tell him we prefer to sleep in a tent?”
”Put some other coloration on it Say I wish to experience it, and this is the only opportunity I will ever have That is true”
”He will take it as an insult”
”Tell hi a baby and have odd whiht before e with your men--that the Gods commanded it and you dare not break the custom now, lest it jinx the expedition Or tell him both stories”
”Oh, very well To be honest, I prefer my tent to this” He looked around distastefully at the dank apartments Then he turned back to me, suddenly ”Are you? Is it true?”
”Yes,” I said ”I had ht, at a better time”
”Then you absolutely n But--it seeain I will miss the birth” He ca his chin on the top of my head
It seemed fated that the fathers of ave birth I would always bear them alone, with no one to show them to but Olympos
”It is not your fault,” I assured him Any more than it was Caesar's fault that he had to be at war at the ti soldiers for n short to hurry back to Alexandria by early winter If I did, I would be aiding the Parthians”
He held htly ”Always politics,” he laoverned by politics”
”I was born to it,” I assured him ”I am used to it”
Down by the Araxes, the tent was duly erected a little way froht reeted Antony with heartiness and affection, flattered that he wanted to be with the contrast to Artavasdes' oiled flattery In the falling light, enor out, ”Iion, recruited by Caesar from native Gauls They had served faithfully with hi elephants in the battle of Thapsus; he had rewarded then There was also the faion, the Ironclad, that had served Caesar in the fateful Alexandrian War, and gone on to revenge him at Philippi under Antony They were as hardened as their nickname, leathery and sunburnt
Around the ca us They were ready to fight, eager to set out, straining like racehorses to be let loose They had not fought since Philippi, and were starved for action and battle As the fla them into statues, I felt the excitehts of death Defeat is neverwith one's co the spears
And how they loved Antony! How they teased and toasted him, as if he were one of the after their friends, children, love affairs, injuries Such things cannot be falsified
We retired to the tent--a large goatskin one, stretched over an oak fraround covering, and two lanterns, plus the water pitchers and basins Antony gestured around, saying, ”I hope this is austere enough for you”
”So this is where you will live for ly That he, who so enjoyed luxury, could switch to this
”I will hardly notice it,” he said ”My ether on one of the narrow beds The lanterns gave off only a feeble light around us ”I will bring you victory, lay it at your feet,” he pro feet,” I also promised My task would be easier than his; my body would form the child, day after day, with no effort onhis face in ers spoke for hi than all his usual talk
Together we lay back on the bed, its light fraht of two people Still, neither of us spoke There were so ood cheer, of love, of encouragement Now not one of theh his hair, wondering if I would ever do so again, fearing that in our last embrace I was struck mute But if it was our last embrace, what difference did it make ords I spoke, or failed to speak? It was too momentous; no words would serve
With Caesar I had not known it was our last tinorant daood-byes! With a cry I held hi
I took his head in my hands, and covered his face with kisses, as if I would ue I wanted to remember the imprint of his body on h But I tried, until at last he broke the spell of silence, saying, ”I love you,” under his breath, sliding his arhtly I could hardly breathe
With the a out faint pulses of illus about each other, twisting and turning on the suspended bed, straining to either banish or elevate the moment I entered him as ed through our bodies
It was a short night It seeht But that was because I would have had the night never end, would have prolonged it until noon By the tiht probed its way into our tent, the soldiers outside had already begun their day Antony stuck his head out the tent flap and was greeted with choruses of teasing, and, indeed, it was e for hihtly and saying, ”By ions and present thee machinery before it is loaded”