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THE war conference over, King Khshayarsha of the Persians signed the last of the documents and Harbona left to see them translated and issued. He turned to another matter.
'Am I doing the right thing, Haman?' 'In arranging war with the Greeks? The gods have decreed it, so it must be right.' 'It will seem like petty revenge to the Ionians. They will think we are simply attacking to avenge the defeat of my father's forces at Marathon.' 'Mardonius has written from Thrace to say that a good push southward now will drive the Macedonians into the sea forever. We may never get another opportunity like this.' 'But what a waste if we lose.' 'We cannot lose, my Lord King. The Greeks are a pathetic lot, divided into a multitude of individual city states and they cannot even agree on boundaries between each other. Athens is at loggerheads with Macedonia, Sparta with Ionia. Strike now and you will conquer them all.' 'I fear you are right, my good friend.' The King stood up and walked to the window. 'You seem distracted, my Lord King.' 'I am still thinking of the complications surrounding the banishment of Queen Amestris.' 'Have the Babylonians declared war?' The King nodded. 'The news arrived yesterday. Perhaps I should give Shamash-Eriba one last chance to surrender.' 'I say strike now, My Lord King. The princes have agreed to support you with both arms and men.' 'Very well,' he sighed. 'When you leave, send in Megabyzus to me.' 'Before I go, sire, there is one other matter requiring your decision.' 'Yes?' 'The matter of your replacement queen.' The King sighed. 'I told the other princes how I feel. There can be no other queen until I have found the girl from the river.' 'The men have searched thoroughly for almost three years now and have totally scoured the city, my Lord King. Reluctant though I am to say so, I fear that she has been disposed of by your enemies. If not, she would surely have been found by now.' 'You think the girl is dead?' The wise man looked down and smiled to himself. 'I fear so, your Majesty.' 'Who would do such a thing?' 'The men who killed her parents, perhaps. If they knew she had lived, they would want to eliminate her lest she identify them. You, yourself, decreed their execution. They will have made very sure they tied up all the loose ends.' 'In some ways, I feel you may be right. On the other hand, I see her in my dreams every night. Somehow, I cannot let go of her memory. While Queen Amestris was in my Court, I forced myself to forget her. Now...I cannot. Somehow, I know she is alive.' 'If she is, then she has not been found because she does not want to be found.' The King sighed. 'What other alternatives do I have?' 'You could marry one of the many Princesses in the empire. I hear that Princess Juliana of Thrace is very beautiful and such a union would ensure a strong ally on our western front.' The King stood up and faced the window. 'I will not have another political marriage alliance. Look what has happened because I married the daughter of the High Priest of Marduk. As long as Amestris had her own way, which she always had at home with her father, she was happy. No, enough of political marriages. I want someone whom I can love and trust, someone who will obey me instantly and without question.' The shrewd Magi then put his plan into operation. 'Then the answer is to select a wife from your concubines. While you are away in Greece, have your harem extended a little to include all the best virgins in the realm and then closely evaluate them upon your return. It will serve two purposes. Firstly, you will have a fine selection from which to choose and, secondly, you will have a vastly improved harem.' The King smiled. 'You are always so very wise and practical, Haman.' The Magi smiled at the possibility of his own daughter being chosen as Queen. 'It is how your father would have done it, my Lord King.' Khshayarsha drew himself erect. 'Then it is how I shall do it. Will you supervise the harem selection?' The Magi shook his head. No, that would be far too obvious. He smiled. 'I am too old to recognise beauty, My Lord King. I would suggest you leave the whole matter to Hegai. He has your best interests at heart and will not fail you. Have him personally select the maidens for the Harem. You can then spend a little time with each concubine, as is your right as King, and then choose the best one from among them. There is no rush and even the choosing could be a source of great pleasure in itself.' 'Haman, while you live there will be no-one superior in my kingdom. I speak as King and so let it be written.' The wise man bowed low as he mentally calculated the value of the bribes which would be necessary. 'It is a great honour, your Majesty.' 'Then serve me just one more time as Chief Advisor before taking up the robes of Prime Minister. Instruct Hegai as you have spoken. Let him evaluate the maidens of the kingdom and select the best. When I return from subduing the Greeks, then I will decide whom from among them is to become Queen of the Persians.'
THE small group of men sat in the semi-darkness plotting a deed which could change the entire make-up of the Persian Empire.
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 CHAPTER
SEVEN
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