Jana, Episode 4

[Episodes 1, 2, 3]

Heliopolis
It was dark when they arrived, but Her Majesty Queen Ione was awake, and waiting for her son at the steps of the palace. Word had come earlier with the news that her son was safe, and an estimate of their expected time of arrival, which had turned out to be exactly as predicted. Jana looked about curiously at the home city of prince Stefan, but all that could be seen in the darkness was hundreds of lamp flames in hundreds of windows. Up on the palace steps, in the dim light of a lamp, the Queen greeted her son. Jana strained for a clear sight of the lady, but it was too dark to see. She could hear her voice, musical like the boy’s.
“Come with us, trooper Jana,” the Captain said gently, “let’s go find a place to stay for tonight!”

The royal family of Heliopolis, in fact, consisted of only three: Queen Ione, Prince Stefan, and Stefan’s younger sister, Princess Ianthe. The Queen was in tears, while Ianthe was all smiles to see her beloved brother back safe.
While the Queen had imagined all kinds of terrible things happening to her son, Ianthe had felt, as do the very young, that everything would be all right with him, and so it had proved to be.
“By the gods, mother, how tall he is!”
“You certainly have grown, son! Let’s go inside; I want to look at you in the light!”
“Oh mother, I’ve had such adventures! But wait, I must take care of my horse! He is a gift from the King of the Horse-People!”
Stefan turned, and found that all his travel-companions had gone, disappeared into the gloom. Even his horse had been conducted away, probably by the palace stable hands. With an impatient cry, Stefan made to go after his horse, but his sister hung on to his arm and held him back.
Reluctantly, Stefan went inside. It was a shock to see that only a minimal number of lamps were lit. The great hall was dark. “There is a shortage of oil,” his mother said, anticipating his question. “Since your father died, it has been one problem after another. This attack on Nikos is only the latest. But enough; what happened to you?”
The Royal Suite consisted of some seven rooms currently open. The private dining room of the Queen was well-lit, and the three of them looked at each other.
“How handsome you’ve grown, all tall and brown!”
“And your arms are so big! What happened?”
“Oh mother, sister, such things have happened to me! It was Jana who made me realize what a baby I was. But let me start at the beginning! We, Pericles, the three guards and I...”
“Who’s Jana?” demanded his sister.
“Eat first,” insisted his mother.
“Oh, I can’t eat! I shot a man today!” said he.
“What?” exclaimed the Queen.
With many confusing twists, Stefan related his story. Though he was careful to censor some of the more private facts about his relationship to Jana, he made no attempt to hide that the lady warrior Jana was the joy of his heart. She had taught him all the battle arts: sword, staff, bow, and horse, and changed him utterly.

He was appalled at the silence with which his tale was received.
“Why are you both upset?”
“Do they allow girls of the Royalty to serve among the regulars? It is a new thing!” said the Queen, carefully. Ianthe’s eyes brightened with hope. It distressed her that this girl, for whom Stefan evidently cared so much, should be a commoner.
“No, she’s only a warrior, mother. But a wonderful, wonderful girl! Ianthe, you would love her! She was born to the amazons of the East, and rescued by the horse-people when she was little.”
“Oh no, you’ve fallen in love with an Amazon! How dreadful!”
Stefan was so distressed that the women desisted from their attack.
“If only you could meet her! She’s no common girl, sister! Look at me! This is all her work! You should see how proudly she carries herself!”
“But she’s miles and miles away, son,” the Queen said wearily. “Come, eat.”
“Miles away!” he laughed. “No, I brought her along! She’s here!” The Queen was speechless for a while.
Despite Stefan’s eagerness, the Queen insisted that the poor warrior girl should be left in peace for the night. “I’m sure you were a handful for the girl long enough. You are impossible when you get a bee in your bonnet, my son.”
“That is a fact,” said the irrepressible Ianthe, prepared for an outburst in response, but Stefan only laughed. “You really have changed!” she exclaimed.
While he had been gone, his little sister, too, had grown. Almost as tall as her mother, Ianthe had rather plain features --her soft, wavy brown hair and her big, merry blue eyes were her loveliest features. But her too-wide mouth was sensuous, her forehead indicated intelligence, her chin showed determination. He supposed that her ears indicated extraordinarily good hearing, for they were a little too large for her head, and her nose indicated a keen sense of smell, being equally large. But, all in all, he thought her beautiful.
Knowing that the siblings would stay awake all night talking, the Queen retired.
“Tell me “All about Jana,” said Ianthe.
“Come with me, I’m going to check on my horse,” said Stefan, heading out.
Ianthe sprang to her feet. She was lightly dressed in a sleeveless ankle-length chiton caught at the waist; it was too warm for anything more elaborate. As they walked she braided her thick hair, as she had always done since she was little. She always wore a ribbon wound round her wrist, and now she tied off her braid with it. Her tiny feet twinkled in the dark as she hurried to keep abreast of him. She held onto his arm to slow him down.
Stefan, once he had fallen in love --as he thought -- with Jana, had worried that his close friendship with his sister might be hurt. But here they were, as if the intervening eight months had never been! Ianthe could speak to him with a look and a touch. He put his arm around her and gently squeezed. He heard a soft chuckle in response. He loved his sister fiercely; he would gladly have died for her.
The stables were dark, but hearing his knocks, the servants came out.
“Please may I have a light, Chiron?”
“The horse has been settled in, my lord!”
“I just want to see him, Chiron, that’s all. Thank you! He was rubbed down?”
“Yes. A fine fellow, my lord. He must be gelded, or he’ll be useless in a fight, my lord!”
“Ahh, there you are!”
“Oh, he’s so handsome! What’s his name?”
“Fleet foot! Yes, you know your name, don’t you?” Stefan held out an apple, and the horse picked it out of his hand. They fussed over the animal a little while longer, and then left the stables.
“Now where are you going?”
“To find Jana.”
“Slow down!” cried Ianthe, alarmed at the length of his strides. “Stefan, she may be asleep!”
“Not so soon!” smiled her brother.
A few inquiries at the guard post told them that the visiting horse-people were camped on the exercise field, but had promised to be gone by morning.
“Why so soon?”
“Why, exercises begin at nine, your highness! We offered them the barracks, but they declined!”
“Where are they now?”
“In the dining room, your highness. We gave them supper.”
“Good,” said Ianthe.
Sure enough, the horse-people were sitting in the dining-room, and the Captain was telling a fantastic story. But as soon as he saw Stefan step through the doorway, he interrupted the story.
“Ah! Here’s the biggest storyteller of all!” he cried.
“No, no, please continue!” said Stefan, smiling. He scanned the faces, looking for one in particular, but not seeing her.
Jana had been relieved to find that she was not the only female warrior there. A girl who introduced herself as Andromache had greeted her warmly, and kept her company through the dinner. Though nearly 20, the city girl was easy to get to know. They were seated together in the shadows at the back, commenting on the story, when Stefan had appeared.
“It’s the prince,” Andromache murmured. “So late, what does he want?”
Oh no, thought Jana. She had begun to hope that on the morrow, she might slip away with the horse-people. She was so flustered, she hardly followed the brief exchange between the prince and the Captain.
“He’s looking for me,” whispered Jana, and with a sigh, slipped out the back.
The prince had just given up trying to spot her, and stepped away from the door, when Jana came around the building, in the dark. Standing a little away from the door, she called softly.
“My lord? Are you looking for me?”
Not having heard Jana walk up, Ianthe was caught by surprise. “Oh goodness,” gasped Ianthe.
“Jana, where are you?” asked the prince quietly. Inside, the Captain’s story continued, covering up this conversation.
Ianthe heard the soft, husky voice, and the vague outline of a figure dressed in a brief, mid-thigh-length chiton. The sandals were heavy, military issue, the big, muscular legs bare, except for soft blonde down, nearly invisible.
“Jana, this is my sister Ianthe, whom I brought for you to meet! Ianthe, this is Jana, whom I told you about!”
Coming closer, Jana knelt on one knee, and as Ianthe offered her hand, took it in her own ever so gently, and touched her lips to it. As she knelt, her face came into the light, and Ianthe saw a large oval face, with streaky blonde hair pulled back, light grey eyes, and a crease of worry on her forehead. Then the girl rose, and her face was again in shadow.
“I was hoping you would remain with us,” Stefan said, after a pause.
Ianthe held her breath. How could Stefan be so taken with such an ox of a girl?
“If you insist, my lord,” she murmured.
“Won’t you come to the palace?” he asked gently.
Ianthe wondered at how he had matured. At times Stefan sounded just like their father.
“Allow me to be with the others just for tonight, my lord!”
“Certainly, Jana; we... we will wait for you.”
The girl let out a long, heavy breath, and Ianthe could almost see her sag. She was appalled; it was almost as if Stefan didn’t trust her.
“Oh, let her be, Stefan,” she cried. “Trooper Jana, you will be welcome at the palace for breakfast! Please go and join your friends!”
“Thank you, your highness,” said Jana, sounding grateful. “With your leave, my lord!” She backed away, and disappeared into the darkness.
“Stefan! Come here, I want to talk to you!” hissed Ianthe, hauling him away. It was only when they were inside the Palace gates that she turned to him. “Why were you so mean to the girl?”
“I was so sure that she wanted to go off with them! I lost my head,” said Stefan looking miserable.
“But you can’t keep her by force! Imagine how she would feel!”
“Yes, yes; you did the right thing.”
“But think; I was just as forceful as you, only more tactful. Oh Stefan, I’m going to ask their commander to keep them until Jana’s sure she doesn't want to stay!”
Feeling miserable, Stefan agreed. Oh Jana; if only she wouldn’t feel so unhappy about the whole thing! But Ianthe had saved the situation. Ianthe was indeed turning into a woman, with all the sweet magic of women.
Ianthe, annoyed with her brother, went straight to bed, and after a minute or so of turning matters over in her mind, fell fast asleep. Sleep came quickly, at thirteen. But it was a sleepless night for her brother, as well as for the warrior girl whom he had come to desire.

[Next installment: Episode 5]


K