Thread: Oedipus Rex

Isis had spent most of the morning in a dimly lit room with hundreds of candles alight. Her knees were red from continuous pressure. Praying and praying in silence. Demanding no disturbance until she was done with her benediction. Otho had come back from the arena. His hearty deep voice sounding from beyond the doors behind her. Silently, she was at wits end. Every day, every night the hole remained buried deep within her heart. Buried within the deep recesses of her soul. The gods had taken the one thing she ached for and now deprived her of every chance she had to conceive another heir. A candle in the center of the alter was blown out before the the empowered female opened her eyes and stood upon her bare feet. A circlet of elaborate gold and coins commingled with her auburn locks. Seven gold bangles adorned one arm as a coiled cuff adorned the top of the other. With a soft sigh she turned on her toes and slipped her slippers back upon her feet before passing the threshold and back into the chambers of her home. In all silence, she was thankful to have avoided her husband's wandering eye. Otho had tried so hard to plant his seed and procure an heir. The fates did not have such plans for their Isis. Otho was her second love. Second husband. A lively olive skinned, brawny male with eyes as blue as the clear sky. A charming man with words that could melt her heart... or put her to the utmost shame at times. Nothing that was ever expressed in the public. At times like this, even your home was deemed public. In silence she sauntered down the column lined hall and into a another chamber with a large round circle in the center, surrounded by men dawning lorica segmentata. Some were leather and some wore metal armor with leather beneath. A papyrus laid before them on the table top with an image of the troops and a list of names. All eyes instantly falling on the woman framed in the doorway. Where are they? Her voice chimed through the sea of male chatter. She spoke of her new foreign allies. They were to be presumed allies by the end of the meetings. Negotiations were to be struck and barters would be made. People beyond the walls of her kingdom to the power of her militia's support was offered on the table, along with a few merchant routes to spread the prosperous times. A goblet of wine was offered to one of her opened hands. A calm and pretty face with a lax smile that grew when the arrival of her first guest was announced. A dark skinned man with a bright colored robe. A gaudy gold head piece and an intricately carved staff topped with a tree of life. The man was well aged with black tribal markings on the side of his face, openly symbolizing the deity that represented all earthly bound beings. The first of a select few to arrive. Behind a semi forced smile and the sweet hand gestures that welcomed her clientele to the her humble and lavished abode, was a well attuned female, reading the people who passed the threshold. Welcomed to occupying her mind on something other than her failure to procure an heir. Each guest brought along their own company. Guards, a wife... or two, a handful of soldiers, a scantly clad slave or servant or two. Otho would inevitably arrive, but in the end it was she who would speak and make the finally decisions. The power of a woman such as she was a one that few could understand. A tall and brawny male of a husband held very little power over the kingdom at her side. Welcome... and please make yourselves at home. Any desires you seek within my power shall be granted. Drink and eat as we are not yet ready. Auburn soft ringlets cascaded past her shoulders. The sides of her attire left little to the imagination when it came to the smooth subtle and exposed curves of her body. In her mind, everyone was but a thread in the tapestry woven that was life. Everything had its place and purpose.