The fire popped and crackled in the stone fireplace. It was completely unnecessary on such a warm spring night, but provided light in the dark room. A man sat slumped on stone bench facing the fire, head braced on his hands, his elbows resting on a rough-hewn wooden table. "Iphicles?" The man at the table raised his head, twisting his neck to look over his right shoulder at the figure in the doorway. "Jason," he acknowledged. "Why are you sitting in here?" Iphicles thought about the question for a moment. "It's quiet." Jason sighed, walked over and sat next to him. He noted the clay cup on the table, half-full, and the pitcher of wine on the table, mostly empty. Iphicles noticed him noticing. "Don't start with me." "I didn't." "Well, don't." "Who did?" Jason paused. "Herc?" Iphicles nodded, his face sour. "He probably had a point." "Yes, he probably did, but he never got to it. Spent too much time telling me how hard work and prune juice would fix everything." Iphicles stopped, thought for a moment. "Actually, Iolaus might have mentioned the prune juice. Jason snorted. "That's his code for 'lay off, big guy'. Never worked yet. They've had that code going so long even I know it." "Hmph. It fits. He was certainly giving me the shits." He reached for the cup and drained it. He shook the empty cup at Jason. "Want some?" "Yeah." "Fine. But no lectures. No strength through suffering, no 'it was just as hard for other people'." He glared at Jason with one bloodshot eye; the other one appeared to be resting. Jason raised his hands, palms and fingers spread. "On my honour as an ex-father-in-law." "Fine. Get more wine then. And a cup. Don't let the servants fob you off with that silver shit, it makes the wine taste like piss." Jason did as he was told.
* * * * * * * * "You know, this tasted awful when I had my first cup. The second cup was worse. " Jason stared into the contents of his clay cup, swirling its contents counter-clockwise. "Now it doesn't taste at all." "It's destroyed your tastebuds," offered Iphicles. "'S a gift from the gods. "What, the wine?" "No, the numbing of your tastebuds. Otherwise only rich people could bear to get drunk." "Iph-" "Yeah?" "You are rich… so why do you drink this shit? I mean Corinth doesn't rake the tax money in like some cities but surely you can buy some decent wine." Iphicles was silent. Jason moved uncomfortably on the bench beside him, wishing he had a cushion to stop the cold from the bench numbing his backside. "If I did that, I'd never stop drinking," he finally admitted. "I'd start when I woke up in the morning, keep sipping during day and fall asleep in my dinner." Jason turned and stared. "Um, did you um, did you… want to talk about it?" "No." "Right." Both men sipped in silence. Outside in the corridor the tread of the guard changing grew louder and then faded away. "It's a year ago tonight." "Rena?" "Yeah." "Do you think she -" "No. No, I don't think. I drink. And you promised, no lectures tonight." He filled his cup from the wine pitcher, slopped more into Jason's cup and gulped half of his own cupful down immediately. "I'm so fucking lonely, Jason. I'm alone in the middle of a room that's full of people. They're all staring at me but nobody sees how scared I am. I miss her; I miss so much it hurts, but I'm so scared of being alone. " He stopped, took a deep breath, let it out as a heavy sigh. "You know, I sit and wonder - would this have happened if I hadn't been chosen as your successor? Would she be alive if we hadn't come here Corinth?" He slammed his now-empty cup down on the table so hard it cracked, and glared at it. "'S another reason to have the clay cups - when you break one, it's nearly time to stop for the night. Fucking hard to break metal." "So you're blaming me?" "No." "What then?" "I'm just wondering. Just talking at random. I don't know." Jason rose, placing his still half-full cup on the table. His joints ached from sitting still too long and if he was any judge, this was going to get real ugly real soon. "Going?" "Yep." Iphicles stared at him. "Don't leave me, Jason. Don't go. It's early." "It's late." "It's still dark." "That's because you don't have a window in here, Iph." "Oh. Did I have one before?" Despite the sadness, Jason smiled. "No, I don't think so." "Do you have one in your room?" "Yes, I'm pretty sure I do." "Can I come and see it?" "You have your own windows." "Can I can see yours instead?" Jason looked at him, wondering what he was getting himself into. "Please, Jason?" "Yeah, sure." Iphicles placed both hands on the table and heaved himself up. He teetered for a moment, caught his balance and swung a leg over the bench. Jason caught him as he fell, and slung an arm under and around Iphicles to support him. Moving slowly, they walked towards the door. "Jason? "Yeah?" "Don't leave." "I won't leave you." "Even if I snore?" "Nope." Jason paused their progress, thought about it. "Might smother you with a pillow." "That's reasonable." Somehow they staggered the rest of the way through corridors that were strangely empty to Jason's guest room. Torches guttered every six lengths of the main corridor, some completely dead, others barely lighting their progress. If anyone did see or hear them coming, they had plenty of time to make a hasty retreat lest they be asked to help carry their rightful sovereign to bed. Jason cursed his lack of foresight in failing to get help. Iph was damn heavy and if he stepped on his toes once, he'd done it half a dozen times. Where was that damn room? He recognized the door at last, and persuaded his un-sober burden to walk through it, after Iph walked into the door on his first try. The knock to the head roused him from his drunken mutterings and he focussed on Jason. "Nice bed." "I thought you were here for the windows." "I have many interests." He fell face first across the bed, diagonally. Jason sighed.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he removed his boots and shoved them under the bed,
then did the same for Iphicles. Blowing out the light burning by the side of the bed, he
climbed onto the bed, pushing Iph's legs over to the other side and lowered his own aching
body to the bed. They'd both feel like shit in the morning. Together.
End |