It was a cold night in Mycenae,it was full moon, alongside the multiple stars that filled the sky and array of colors from the Northern lights. Three men and two women were in a room , one of the men was sitted on the window , while the other was looking through the window drinking from a cup of tea and enjoying the view of both the sky and the Citadel, the last man was sitted restlessly on a wooden chair, close to a wooden table, where one of the girls was sitting and the other girl walking towards the door to open, then a man and a woman came in.
"Hope you guys enjoyed the view of the city " Nyxara, the woman who opened the door asked
" It is indeed as good as the tales described, never seen anything like it" Liubastra replied
"It is a shame for what's to come " Deros mentioned, with a not very happy look unlike Liubastra
"Are you unsatisfied ?" Nyxara asked
"No, it truly is beautiful, so beautiful that it's future seems unfair " Deros implied.
Orustus scoffed and said
" Now is not the time for that , Deros "
"I don't need you to remind me of my duty and by the way, it's Lord Deros " Deros responded
"Ok, enough of that now. Orustus ,fill us in " Liubastra intercepted
"Yes my Lord, so this is Nyxara and her crew , she is Greek but has been Rome's inside man for years, working with Lord Philemon....."
Deros and Liubastra looked at each other surprised.
"That's not the first time I'm hearing that" Liubastra interrupted
"Right...." deros said
"They are surprisingly, a lot of Greeks with us" Liubastra added
"I'm also Greek" Tullia ,the girl on the table confessed
"Well, you don't say " Deros replied.
Orustus was already getting agitated for getting interrupted but he held himself together and continued
" These are the others, they are more of them but these are the ones available now"
"So is there anymore Greeks here, just so we...."
"Nahh"
"Nope"
"That's all"
they all replied Liubastra
"Good, so what's the plan here, Nyxara ?" Liubastra asked
" Ok..so, this is Philemon's plan..."
"That's Lord Philemon to you Nyxara "
Tullia interrupted Nyxara.
Nyxara ignored her and continued
".....And here is how he wants us to go about it...." Tullia got enraged and was about to speak when Liubastra signaled her to calm down
"Right now he's in the council the King called for earlier today ,so he couldn't make it here ,which means, I'm covering up for him. He's got guys that are somehow close to the prince , and one of them already invited the prince to a bar outside the Citadel, the bar is owned by Philemon, and it's completely empty right now. Before he gets to the bar, we have be there like some random friends having a drink ,make him join us and then,drug his drinks..."
"Drug?" Deros asked
"Yes, Doctor meohis gave us a drug, it'll destort his memory of the bar, then...we can paint it however we want " Nyxara said
"So basically we're all going for a drink" Deros asked
"It seems so" Flavian , one the men replied
"This plan takes a lot of time and commitment, any little mistake might cost our life " Nyxara warned
"Woww, thank you for saying something we already obviously know " Deros responded sarcastically
"So how do we know if he's taken the bait" Liubastra probed
"We don't, we just have to trust Philemon's judgement on this, since he claims he knows everyone too well. We sit in the bar, wait and see" Nyxara said
"Well that's really convincing. but, a little drinking wouldn't hurt " Deros posted
"Ok, time to go get some drinks" liubastra said
"Man , I'm starting to love this job already " Seve , the other man jolted
"Alright boys, let's pack it up " Orustus added
Hours later, Eraga entered a bar , looking lost, like he's looking for someone, the bartender behind the bar bench asked
" Looking for something young man?"
"Uhh,yeahh, I was invited here but i... can't find who invited me" Eraga replied
"Ohh, so you're the guy-"
"Orustus!, more drinks please " Deros yelled, interrupting the bartender , he was a little drunk but still had control of himself. He was sitted with the others, Liubastra held her head, disappointed because he wasn't supposed to call names, the bartender, Orustus wasn't happy either. Eraga just stood there confused
"Heyy, are you the boy Livi invited ?" Deros asked
"Uhhhh.....yeah but I can't find him, you know what? , I'll just be on my way out " Eraga responded
"Ohh come on, don't be shy, we don't bite" Deros implied
"No I think I'll think just...."
"Hey!....." Deros started ,stood up , staggered a little and walked up to him , everybody was shocked, then he continued "Come on,have some fun, Livi is our friend, he actually invited us too, he just isn't here yet. i suggest you have some drinks with us, a couple shots won't hurt, right guys ?"
"yeahh" they all answered
Eraga always wanted to have some fun because of how disciplined the Citadel is, he has never done something like this before ,he wanted to do something new, something different, so he budged and said
"Okay...., suree" and everybody cheered him on
"Orustus!, pour this guy some shots"
Deros said, holding Eraga on his shoulder, walked him to their seat. Orustus poured him his first shot, they cheered him up to drink, banging the table and clapping thier hands. Deros and everybody took a shot round the table and they all cheered whoever was drinking . It was fun for Eraga, so they gave him another shot, and he took it, they cheered and he just kept going , till everywhere got blurry for him and he couldn't walk straight. He was screaming and they all were genuinely drunk and having fun ,except Nyxara and Orustus who was keeping an eye out and besides that he doesn't play with his work. At this point, Eraga was seeing colors, seeing everybody dancing ,singing, drinking in slow motion, he was in slow motion himself, he never had an experience like this, it felt so good , Nyxara held his hand walking him to another seat in the bar, he was looking at her in blurry colored vision, then she sat him down and started talking and laughing, making him get used to her face, and then she started saying a lot of things she wanted him to remember because that is how the drug works , Eraga started smiling hard and some time later they all eventually fell asleep.
Not long after, a blonde armored youth furiously walked in , grabbed a bucket of water and splashed Eraga while they were all asleep, woke him up and they both argued back and forth before the blonde youth walked to Orostus, the bartender and said
"I'll give you a hundred, don't talk about this to anyone, ever!!, you understand ?"
"Sure, whatever happens here doesn't get out, thanks for the tip " Orustus responded
"Ok ..." Aeres turns back to leave but quickly added
" If anyone and I mean anyone ,hears about this, it's gonna be a problem for all of you " he declared, looking Orustus straight to the eye
"Aye aye , captain " Orustus touted ,then Aeres took Eraga and they walked out.
Few hours later , Deros woke up tired and yawning , blurry vision that started getting clearer and it continued to look like something strange was standing in front of him, then he cleaned his eyes and saw Orustus standing right above him ,he jolted awake and yelled
"What the hell man", it was loud that it eventually woke Liubastra up , Deros was still a little tipsy so he just only pushed Orustus backwards, Orustus was about to react when Liubastra held him and said
"What do you think you're doing ?, have you forgotten, he is your superior" , at this point everybody woke up
"He is not!!" Orustus argued, struggling with Liubastra
"Stand down!!" Liubastra commanded.
Deros sighed , because he raised his cup to drink from it but only a drop fell off to his mouth, he then said
"Just get me more drinks man "
this moved Orustus, he tried to move but Liubastra was still holding him and she yelled
"That's an order !"
Then Orustus calmed himself and walked away , Liubastra then dismissed everybody, then she sat with Deros and said
"What is wrong with you? "
"What is wrong with me?, you have to put your soldiers on a leash ,because I won't be so friendly next time " Deros replied , stood up walked away, Liubastra sighed
They all left the bar an hour later and were on their way home, they all looked tired and stressed , then Flavian asked
" By the way , where is Nyxara?"
"Are you just noticing she's not with us" Seve said
"Seriously man, is your brain even working?" Liubastra asked
"She hasn't been with us since we woke up" Liubastra added
"Took you seven business days to process" Seve added to the joke and they were all laughing, except Orustus of course, he isn't the laughing type.
"Come on guys, it just escaped me, it happens to everyone right?..right?" Flavian claimed,trying to defend himself
" Nooo man, sorry, you're alone on this one " Seve countered
"Don't add us to your insanity " Tullia added , they all couldn't stop laughing on thier way home, except Orustus of course
Hours later ,when Nyxara got home, they were all asleep, except Deros, Liubastra and of course Orustus . Nyxara looked extremely tired ,so she just grabbed a chair and sat , Deros came closer to her , offered her bread and scrambled eggs
"Ohh ,thanks , really needed this " Nyxara expressed
"Yeah, you did, great job by the way, you didn't even sleep enough before going after him again " Deros indicated
"Thanks, I gotta do the job " Nyxara responded , Deros nodded his head in agreement and said
"And wearing that blonde wig , must be hard "
"I do what I have to do.....what are you getting at ?" Nyxara noticed
"Nothing , i'm just saying, you seem a little too devoted for me " Deros flagged , she got a bit offended,dropped her food and said
"What are you trying to say ?"
"She's just doing her job ,leave her alone already " Liubastra supported
"It's not that serious, my point is, it's seem a little personal. Think about it, she's not even from Rome and have never been there but wants to conspire with them to take down her own home " Deros denoted
"I do not answer to you, you're not my boss" Nyxara uttered
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, you'll still do what I tell you to" Deros replied.
At this point Liubastra already understood that Deros was up to something then she leaned on the door and folded her hands.
Nyxara pissed tried to walk out but Deros held her hand and said
"I'm not done, where'd you think you're going ?"
"What are you trying to say" Nyxara asked
"Your name sound very familiar, what was your surname again?" Deros countered with a question
"Why do you care?" she hit back
"Listen, if I ask you a question, you answer, ok?" Deros pressed
"Look , I don't know who you think you are but I'm not scared of you" Nyxara said as she removed his hand and tried to walk out but Liubastra was at the door and kept an eye contact with her , so she stood back and asked
"Why are you guys doing this?"
"Just say your surname " Liubastra replied
"Ok fine , it's Eryx " Nyxara spilled
"AHA!, I knew it " Deros exclaimed
"What, do you know her ?" Liubastra asked
"Yes, I mean.....no, not directly, she is the sister to mr lover boy " Deros responded
"Ohhhh " Liubastra grasped
"That's not funny , you know " Nyxara pressed
"I know, I know, sorry, he's really been through some shit " Deros said while trying to hold his laugh back , Liubastra was too.
Nyxara got mad and said
"You guys are pathetic, laughing at someone's trauma. You wouldn't even be able to stand before him, yet alone laugh to his face" , they bursted out the laughter, because they couldn't hold it anymore after what she said, it was the cherry on the top
they both tried apologizing while trying to subdue the laugh but she got mad and walked away
"You both can be nicer to her, you know" Orustus stated
"Do my ears deceive me?" Deros replied
"Did you just care for somebody ?" Liubastra added, they both laughed.
Orustus got mad but just shook his head and went after Nyxara
"What the fuck just happened " Deros expressed and they were both surprised, then Flavian, still very sleepy and yawning here and there asked
"Can I get some food?"
they both looked at him with disgust, Deros sucked his teeth and just walked away, then Liubastra said
"You know your breath stinks right ?"
"What?, really ?" , he said as he tries to smell it , and it was indeed...
Liubastra just walked away , and he was just standing , scratching his head. Seve walked in, Flavian tried saying something then Seve immediately grabbed Flavian's lips, sealing it and quickly walked past him
"Wow, really ?, that's how it is?" Flavian asked
Seve kept walking, ignoring him
"there's no way, it's that bad " he added.
The next day , they all sat ready for the next part of the plan in the living room all awaiting Tullia to speak
"So if Nyxara did her job perfectly yesterday and everything is going as my Father planned-"
"Wait, your Father?, who is your Father ?"
"Lord Philemon " Tullia responded
"ohhhh, right" Deros grasped
"So, as I was saying, if everything went the way my Father, I mean, Lord Philemon planned it , and Nyxara played her role perfectly when she met the prince in his room, due to the drug, the foggy new memories and the baits, he should be looking around for her about now, ....and the only way he has to reach her if he's keeping away from the Citadel officials is through Livi. so we sent someone to reach out to Livi and tell him that Nyxara goes to the market every weekends and he can meet her there. We choose the market that's close to a bar , but that bar isn't my Father's, it's Lord Theron's, so we have to rent it " she concluded
"We don't have to rent it, we just have to put a new face as the bartender to keep an eye " Deros countered
"Why?" Tullia asked
"Because he's a prince, and he'll rent the bar himself, because he'll need some alone time with her, even if he doesn't, once he steps inside, everybody gets dismissed immediately " Deros indicated
"But we didn't get dismissed the other night " Seve said
"Dumbass, that's because we own the bar " Flavian countered
"Exactly " Deros said
"Who's got a slow brain now?" Flavian pressed, highfiving Tullia.
Seve wasn't sure why Flavian was taking it too serious
"So...what's next?" Orustus asked
"So...Nyxara goes and do her job" Deros replied
"I already know what I have to do, I'll be on my way now " Nyxara said then stood up to walk out
"Ain't you forgetting something ?" Liubastra asked
"Your wig?" Deros added
she turned her back ,picked it up and immediately headed for the door, she was still mad at them for the previous day
"By the way , which name are you using for your prince charming ?" Tullia questioned
"It's none of your business " Nyxara responded and she walked out
"That was rude" Liubastra probed
"It's Helene " Orustus said
"Pfft, out of all names" Deros stated
"It's not that bad, could be better" Seve said
"Feels like she didn't even try, I mean.... " Liubastra mentioned
"Exactly, someone gets it" Deros said
"It was like the first name that crossed her mind" Seve said
they all started laughing hard, except orustus of course
"I'm going on an undercover mission, let me use the most basic name possible " Seve added to the joke, making the laugh harder
"And...and the wig is not.. even like..you know, not very good looking " Flavian said in attempt to add to the joke but they didn't find it funny and an awkward silence broke out , he ruined the moment. Everybody starred at him disappointed, Deros patted him on his shoulder looked at him and shook his head , Liubastra bent he head in the embarrassment , exhaled. Seve genuinely got mad, Tullia found the awkward silence funnier than the joke and she couldn't stop laughing.
Liubastra felt warm, really warm, this was actually the closest to a family life she has had, she was always alone but now it feels like she feels like she finally had people, she was having fun and loving it.
"I feel like she's the only one doing the job" Orustus specified
"Okay?, it's her job, don't make it seem like we're not doing ours " Tullia responded
"She volunteered for this man, nobody Is forcing her " Deros added
"She's trying her best, but you guys are always against her" Orustus pressed
"No, we're not " Liubastra countered
"What about yesterday ?" Orustus pressured
"What about it " Deros returned
"Look man, my mouth stinked, so what?" Flavian cluelessly joined
everyone exhaled
"Oh great" Seve expressed
"Look man, nobody was talking about you " Liubastra clarified
"Oh, oh, I uhmm...my bad"
Flavian apologized
Deros scoffed , Liubastra sighed and said
"Orustus, what we did yesterday was necessary. You don't expect to just shut down all suspicions, we are putting our energy.....Goddamnit, we are putting our life into this, and it's only right we are sure of what's going on around us"
"You don't want us slacking now, do you ?" Deros asked
"Fine , I was just saying " Orustus replied
"Is it just me....or sir Orustus has been a little chatty recently " Flavian denoted
"Yeahh"
"Righttt?"
"Truee" , they all replied
"I don't know what you guys are talking about " Orustus defended
"Yeahhhh, sure you don't " Seve said sarcastically with a funny gesture
Orustus snapped and said
"Don't you ever, in your life, fuckin look at me like that !"
"Woahh, wooahhh" Deros expressed ,
"Relax man " Flavian said , meanwhile they were all shocked trying to hold their laugh, anticipating Orustus response, knowing hewould be pissed at Flavian telling him to relax
"Don't....." Orustus reserved his comment, calmed himself and walked out, and they immediately started laughing
"You almost got Smacked " Seve said laughing at Flavian
"You should've seen your face " Tullia added
" i -,I -,I wasn't scared " Flavian defended
"Sureeeee" Tullia said , while they all were still continued laughing.
Around midnight, a few days later, deros could barely sleep because he couldn't stop thinking about mycenae'sfuture, and reflecting on everything he has done in his life , if he's been wrong all his life or right, just like he always told himself. He felt he's finally seeing the reason Cerise retired and dedicated his life to helping orphans, but shook himself said
"I'm not Cerise, I have a bigger purpose, and I'm not gonna stop now , Cerise gave up and that's something I'm never gonna do"
While saying these to himself, he heard a creek ,he tried to pay no mind, but the creek continued, so he got up ,grabbed his sword beside his bed, opened his door to see what was happening, couldn't see anything, so he walked quietly into the living room and saw Nyxara sneaking out. He was confused, because if she wants to go out at midnight, she can, she doesn't have to sneak out except she's doing something she's not supposed to, so he quickly grabbed a wool vest and followed her. She was walking in the Citadel's direction , Deros always suspected she was betraying them and this was a testament to his suspicion, so he prepared his sword to cut her off, he was walking behind her ,about to draw his sword when he saw a man walked out of the dark to meet her , he quickly ducked and ran to a corner , the man was Eraga, who had snuck out of the Citadel to see her.
Deros was peeping, and saw them hug, they held thier hands and waited. Not long after , a chariot rode out of nowhere, and picked them both, the rider of the chariot was a maid. Deros was surprised, he then followed the chariot with his foot , he ran, walked and hid till the chariot eventually stopped, in front of a big house that was having a party , they both came down the chariot and walked inside , then the chariot reversed and rode off , Deros decided to follow them inside the the house.
It was a party for the lesser people in the kingdom, in terms of finance , connection and name, it was rowdy , but wasn't too rough, even though they weren't nobles, they were still disciplined and somewhat composed. Deros walked in to blend in, they were playing music, laughing, dancing, truly having fun , he then sat down to watch Eraga and Nyxara, they were drinking ,talking and smiling on the bar bench. Eraga was having fun but he still looked lost, he still isn't used to this lifestyle but he loved it , all the people in the party had a particular dance move they danced everytime they partied, Nyxara knew the steps and stood up to join, it was Eraga and some few new comers who didn't know the steps that was cheering. Deros then walked towards Eraga and sat with him, ordered a drink , then Eraga said
"Wait ....I know you right?"
"I don't know, do you?" Deros replied
"Yeah...I mean, the bar, that other night, that was you, no?, with Helene" Eraga asked
"You got it " Deros agreed
"Wow, nice seeing you again man, what are you doing here ?" Eraga asked
"I should be asking you that" Deros countered
"Ohh, yeahh, right, since I'm royalty " Eraga attained
"Exactly "
"You come here a lot? " Eraga probed
"Not really " Deros replied
"You okay man?, you don't really seem too lively today, unlike the last time " Eraga indicated
"Well...everyday is not the same and I'm not drunk yet" Deros responded
"True, but , you know, I'm just a little surprised, and your eyes too man, doesn't look like you getting enough sleep " Eraga noticed
"Oh really ?"
"Yeahh"
"Didn't even know, thanks for noticing " Deros appreciated
"Sure man, you know, I had a lot of fun the other night "
"Yeah?"
"Hell yeah, that's kinda why I'm doing this you know, sneaking out of the Citadel to have fun. it's because of you guys " Eraga highlighted
Deros scoffed and said
"See, I don't know if that's a good thing "
"Right, I don't too but it's fun, I'm having the time of my life man " Eraga said, tapped Deros , pointed to Nyxara and continued
"Look at her, see how beautiful she is, she's so happy, it warms my heart "
she looked at his direction, they made eye contact, she smiled and waved, he waved back. She didn't see Deros, she only noticed Eraga was sat with a man, Deros sat straight,facing the bartender, Eraga was sitting sideways
"Ohh , yeah, she is, you know, you're a really good guy, you don't deserve this " Deros implied
Eraga scoffed awkwardly and said
"What, what are you talking about man"
"Yeah never mind, I'm just trying to say you deserve to be happy " Deros said
"I am happy, that's the point man, I've never been this happy before " Eraga emphasized
"Good for you man " Deros said as he held his shoulder
"Thanks man, can I tell you something?" Eraga offered
"Sure, what's going on "
" I shouldn't be saying this, but I trust you and I hope I'm not wrong " Eraga mentioned
"You're good , I got you " Deros assured
"You know, I'm not just royalty like you all think...."
"Hmmm"
"....I'm a prince and the heir to Greece " Eraga confessed
"Ohhhh , yeah I did not know that " Deros implied
Eraga was expecting him to be more surprised, he was waiting for his reaction
"That's it ?" he said
"Yeah, i definitely didn't know you were a prince, but I don't know, I'm just not surprised " Deros returned
"You see, that's why I love you guys man, just don't care if I'm a prince or a normal guy , even Helene didn't care, that's what I love about you guys " Eraga expressed
"Yeahh"
"Anyways, back to what I was saying, being an heir isn't easy at all, it's actually hard -"
"Yeah, I should know, been there before "
Deros said, interrupting Eraga.
Eraga surprised, replied
"What?" he scoffed and continued
"You were...uhhh ,you've been an heir before ?"
"Noo, not really, just something similar " Deros quickly specified
"Ohh, you're so funny you know "
" I guess "
"Anyways, I hate being an heir, I don't get to live a normal life like everybody else. I'm measured, highly expected , it's just...it's too much, i just want to be able to have fun like this, you know. I love being wealthy, don't get me wrong, I just , I just wish I could , you know, do whatever I want. I have always had these thoughts, but being with Helene just makes me wanna change ,for her , for us, wanna have fun with her " Eraga expressed
"Look I'll be honest with you, nobody lives a normal life, these people you see here, they're just like you, they're not happy. They go home complaining and wishing their lives were different, just like you. Reality is weird, people end up being what they always judged and resented, it's doing what you never wanted to do, doing what you absolutely hate, not able to do what you actually want to do , it's reality.
It happens to everyone, these people here all wished they were royalty, at home thinking how their lives would be better or easier if they were you , and here you are thinking how easy your life would have been if you were them. It doesn't end , you just have to face it. Look I'll tell you what, both sucks but yours is better , I'm not saying I'm a prince, but I've been rich and poor before and trust me, I'll pick being rich all the fucking time, It's a different life from being poor , take it from me. Who says you can't have fun as a prince or an heir , you don't have fun in the Citadel but here you are now, having that fun, you're a prince, very soon you'll be king, you can utter your reality any way you want, you can be a king who have lots of fun , you want Helene , even better if you become king, you can do whatever you want , whatever. so man up, face your reality, become the heir you are, embrace it. you're a good man, you don't have to be scared of becoming king, the kingdom might even be better in your reign ,you care for everyone, regardless of their backgrounds or status , I would want you to become my king if it comes to it " Deros adviced
"Woww, man, all these time, I've been looking at it all wrong , thank you so much man, really " Eraga appreciated
"Look ,I'm here for you man, you got this " Deros said , meanwhile he was rather sad saying all of that , he was hating himself inside
Eraga exhaled and said
"This is good, you know the army march is coming up ,and I have to be in my best behavior and have to talk like a prince apparently, I really don't know what to say "
"No pressure kid, you want me to help?"
Deros offered
"You will? "
"Sure why not " Deros said
"That'd be life saving"
Deros borrowed a book and a pen from the bartender and started writing down a speech for Eraga
"Silver of Greece ?" Eraga asked while reading it
"yeah, you like it?" Deros replied while taking a sip
"touché"
"Don't just recite it, you have to mean it, say it from your heart not your head , got that?" Deros mentioned
"Yeah , yeah, thanks a lot man" Eraga replied.
The dance ended a few minutes later and Nyxara started walking towards them, Deros noticed and immediately stood up , signaled Eraga not to tell her about him as he was walking out , Eraga understood and said
"well, thanks a lot man "
Deros only waved back at him
"who was that " Nyxara asked
"ohh that, just a guy sulking about his wife" Eraga replied
Nyxara laughed
"Hope you enjoyed the dance?" Eraga asked
"Yes I did, are you enjoying the night " Nyxara checked
"Yeah, I sure am " he replied with a smile
"Ok you know what?, we should get going before they realize you're not home, Calista must be on her way already " Nyxara suggested
"Relax, they can wait, let's have some more fun " Eraga replied
"Really?"
"yeah really " he grabbed her hand ,drew her closer to himself, held her waist , they locked eyes, all of a sudden the crowd started looking at them, they all started cheering them, chanting
"kiss"
Nyxara was shy and kept her down, then Eraga immediately held her face and kissed her, they were all clapping, Deros watching from afar , smiled but the smile turned to pity, and he turned and walked away , meanwhile in the bar they continued dancing , putting Eraga and Nyxara in the center of the dance. On Deros'way out he crossed part with Calista who came back to pick them up .