Handpicked Bride (Historical)

[SEVERUSMAX]

326 BC.......Susa, Persia.

Sarpedon wasn't too thrilled with Alexander's new edict that he take a Persian bride, but at least he was able to continue his life of helping garrison and administer the former Persian capital. Granted, he hadn't seen his Macedonian wives, Callisto and Phoebe, in more than a decade, and he couldn't be sure that they weren't sleeping around on him. Then again, what did he care? He was unlikely to see them again anytime and he hadn't liked them for more than their supple bodies and good birthing hips, both of which had ostensibly made fine daughters (where were his sons?) for him. Sarpedon had plenty of whores and catamites to please him, so he wasn't against bedding Persians.....far from it.

But to marry one? Wasn't that beneath him? And Macedonian kings, while powerful and autocratic, in the company of their soldiers tended to treat them more as equals, not require them to take brides. Worse still, in Susa, the new Macedonian satrap, advised by Persians, had taken to handpicking the brides for the men to prevent delays and help impoverished widows of Persian noblemen find husbands instead of turning them into whores. Sarpedon wasn't sure that he approved. In his book, the widows should be made to whore for their new masters, shouldn't they? They were lucky not to be enslaved, as was the old way.

No, fundamentally, it was the lack of choice that infuriated Sarpedon, and he was not going to forget it. Still, now that the decision was made, there was no stopping it while Alexander lived and his chosen satrap ruled. And he was now set to meet the woman chosen for him......

Nervously, rather grumpily, with soldiers standing by him supposedly to guard him as with other bridegrooms, probably to kill him if he refused to marry his betrothed, Sarpedon awaited outside the house of the widow's father, steeling himself to do the deed at least until he could safely divorce the bitch. He didn't count on any affection whatsoever......lust, sure, but this was a Persian noblewoman, a mortal enemy of Macedon and Greece, and Sarpedon wasn't about to forget that.

 

[haremfaery]

Paniz stood before her father for his inspection before going out to meet her new husband. Her new Macedonian husband. Or was he Greek? No matter, he was a conquerer and she hated him in particular and all of them in general. They had killed her husband, left her sons fatherless, destroyed her country.

"You are dressed like a Persian."

"I _am_ a Persian, father. If my new _husband,"_ she spat the word, "does not like it, he can buy me new clothes."

"Your new husband is keeping you from becoming a whore to feed your children."

"Is being a whore for one so much better than being a whore for many? Were it not for my sons, I would throw myself from the upper window and let him take a corpse to wife." She paced back and forth in her agitation. Even in her anger, she was a beautiful woman. Smooth skin, wide eyes, dark brows, and a womanly shape made for bearing children.

"Remember the teachings. Respect your husband and be at peace with this." Her father chided her. "You cannot refuse. You _will_ not refuse. Think of your sons, Paniz."

"Always, father."

Her father led her out the door. She looked at the men and wondered who was her intended. The most sullen one, no doubt. So, the feeling was mutual. She stood as regal as a queen. Her dark hair gleamed in the sunlight. Her dark eyes took in everything.

"I present my daughter, Paniz. Her name means sugar. May your marriage be as sweet. I give you my blessing."

Paniz wanted to scream her defiance. Instead, she took a breath and said a prayer to herself. Her father nudged her forward. "Smile." He said in an undertone.

She smiled with her mouth only.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Sarpedon

Sarpedon did his best not to gawk at the ostentatious house that belied the apparent hard times of this family. They couldn't be this destitute, not with a place like this? And then Sarpedon kicked himself, thinking, sure they once had money, but our army took that off them and the other Persians of high rank and station. Now, of course, we have the power.....and the plunder. The sandal was firmly on the other foot these days, wasn't it? Their one god, Ahura-Mazda, didn't save them from conquest as Zeus, Ares, and Athena did Greece and Macedon, did they?

In any case, Sarpedon made sure to wear his armor, mostly to remind anyone who forgot it that he was a professional soldier of the sort that had conquered Persia. He wanted to discourage any relatives of this young bride of his, this widow, from getting any crazy ideas, and besides, one could never predict their intentions. So, better to be feared than loved, as they said, and far safer in fact.....he would wear light cavalry armor, including a leather cuirass, complete with a cavalry saber, and carry his helmet in one hand. No shield, of course, as no Greek or Macedonian horseman bothered with those. His companions were armed and armored the same as he, probably in case he didn't go through with it and had to be killed for defying King Alexander.

This was the initial meeting, so he didn't know what to expect, but there was the father, all somber and very restrained, clearly not eager to do this, but just as resolved to see it done to protect his daughter and grandchildren from harm. What better way to save his family than to see them married off to a soldier of Macedonia, one of Alexander's warriors that helped him win at Issus, Gaugamela, and Arbela?

He was also not prepared for how stunningly beautiful she very much was....Paniz.....sweetness.....sugar, and yet hostile in her expressions, no attempt to feign even civility.....even so, she took his breath away in a way that neither of his Macedonian wives, nor his catamites, nor his whores ever did.....nor his slaves, for that matter.

"I am.....called Sarpedon. And.....I must confess that I did not expect you to be so ravishingly beautiful. Your name suits you, Paniz. I am an officer, an exarch, in the Macedonian cavalry. In any case, the King's laws command that Macedonian soldiers must....marry Persian women, especially widows to save them from destitution. I have two wives already, but both of them are back home in Macedonia, so you would be the lady of the house for sure here in Susa. I also have slaves who can assist you, as you no doubt have slaves as well.

"Your children.....will be nourished and clothed, I swear by.....Zeus, the All-Wise, and by Hera, patron goddess of wives. I know that you don't believe in them, but in swearing to them, I show my sincerity. You, my lord, need not fear for your daughter and grandchildren. I will be a fair and decent husband to her and stepfather for the children. All that I ask is the reverence due me as lord and husband, as oikos, or guardian, if you will. Thank you for giving your blessing, and I urge you to recall that I was commanded to do this by my...our King," Sarpedon reminded them both.

"I am a soldier and as such, it is my duty to follow all commands of my King and his officers," he added.

"I swear to you now that if anyone so much as touches a lock of your hair or your children's hair with intent to harm them, they will suffer my vengeance. I am protector and provider to them now. I will do my duty to each of you."

With that, he coughed and waited for a response.

 

[haremfaery]

Paniz could see her father was pleased by this ... Sarpedon's words. He used just the right ones: guardian, protector, provider. Good words to be sure. But it would be his deeds that mattered.

"The exarch flatters me." Paniz said with her eyes downcast. It would take much reflection and prayer to be a good wife to this man. For now, holding her tongue was the prudent thing.

Her father nodded. "Under the circumstances, I could not wish for more for my daughter. Will you be taking residence here, or have you a dwelling of your own?"

Paniz remained silent. She was not sure which she would prefer if given a choice. To have this man in her family's home, or to move with her sons into his home.

Her thoughts continued as she ignored what her father had to say. More obsequeousness. More appeasing the conqueror. Sarpedon had two other wives, but said she would "lady of the house" in Susa. Would that make her a Privileged wife? Or was she considered a subordinate? Did they have other designations? Should Sarpedon die, what would she inherit? Would sons inherit anything at all? If he died soon would she be forced to marry another soldier? Now was not the time for these questions, but she would have to ask them soon.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Sarpedon

"I have a place. It has slaves and was given to me on condition that I wed. That was part of the command and the bargain that I was told," Sarpedon explained to Paniz and the father.

To him, while Paniz was less than friendly, he knew that this was less directed at him, since he didn't know her prior to this meeting, than at his fellow Macedonians and Hellenes. Fo Sarpedon, it was simple: this was necessity and the two of them were stuck together, so might as well attempt to make it last until a solution presented itself to them.

"I will look after the needs of Paniz, as husband to her. Same with the lads. Let's be honest with each other. I am not the husband that a Persian father would choose to give his daughter. But I will do the best that I can. I am a soldier, a captain of men, a trained killer, but I can provide and protect nonetheless. I have wives and daughters, but women nevertheless confuse and confound all men. I have no sons as of now. I will be good to Paniz. I was taught that Persians burned Athens and did wicked things, but I don't see a demon before me now, just a young widow with sons. I can attempt to let go of the hate if she can," the captain explained.

"Now, if no one minds, I will lead Paniz to this new home with me," he added with a nervous smile.

 

[haremfaery]

Her father took her hands and kissed her forehead. "Go now. I will keep the boys here until you are settled with your new husband."

With tears in her eyes, Paniz nodded. "Tell my sons I will send for them soon." She walked to Sarpedon, "I appreciate your candor. I will do the best that I can as well, to be a good wife to you. I will give you children if that is your wish. I have two strong sons. The One God willing, I will give you more."

The soldiers standing in a semicircle around Sarpedon seemed to breath easier. She held her hand out to him, "Husband, I am ready to see our home."

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Sarpedon

Sarpedon smiled and took Paniz by the hand, nodding gratefully at his new father-in-law, who was being very helpful to their cause right then. It was high time to introduce this, his latest bride, this lovely Persian widow, to his own notion of marital bliss.

While some part of him felt resentment still of the Persians, it had faded with the discovery of just what a vulnerable, yet brave young woman he had before him. He was impressed that she had held up under such pressure, but then she had little choice as a mother of two young boys. He was now determined to be a better sort of husband than he might have been, for however long the marriage lasted. Perhaps, he thought, it would not be so terrible to keep her, would it? Perhaps not. It wasn't as if he had seen his Macedonian wives in years. Gods alone knew what they were up to in his absence and he shuddered to think of that.

Casual mention of the Persian god, Ahura-Mazda, gave Sarpedon the knee-jerk response to bristle for a moment, and then he realized that it smacked of more sincerity than for her to invoke his gods instead. Like it or not, his Persian bride was a Zoroastrian and that wasn't going to change. He would just have to accept that fact. It came with mother's milk, after all, didn't it? Part of her upbringing by her parents.

"Yes, come, wife. Hand in hand, to our new home, as you say. Candor, respect, and cooperation are great places to start. Ananke, necessity, as our philosophers like to say. Maybe more will come after that, maybe not. I must confess that, while it's not the only factor, your known fertility is a great bonus to me. I think that we can learn something from each other and each other's ways. We Macedonians have been hesitant to follow the example of our king in that way, but it seems that we could stand to do so. I don't know. I am but a soldier and I know that I can be wrong at times, too," Sarpedon smiled cautiously, not sure how much to dare to hope from this lovely Persian widow who had every reason to hate him as the enemy and conqueror of her land......and somehow, he wanted her to at least hate him less.

Was that so much to ask.....Sarpedon made a note to offer some doves to Aphrodite as a sacrifice to grant the boon of his new bride's affections. What else to do but wait and pray.......and do his best to be a good husband and father?

 

[haremfaery]

It was not difficult for Paniz's father to be accommodating to their conquerors. After all, he had little to lose and much to gain. It was Paniz who had sleep with the Macedonian, be a wife to him, bear his children.

She took Sarpedon's hand and walked beside him. "Ananke, yes. For both of us." They walked in silence for some time.

Paniz had been a mischievous child, lighthearted and playful. She carried some of that into adulthood. The absurdity of the day broke through her composure. If she didn't laugh, she would cry. Given the choice, she chose to laugh. It bubbled lightly from her lips. "I never thought I would have such attendants for my wedding. Did you know, it is our tradition for the bride to be reluctant? I do not have to act that part." She smiled at Sarpedon. "The attendants are supposed to entice the bride with gifts of silver coins and pomegranates to draw her forward to her groom and her new home. Instead, there are silver swords and red cloaks."

She glanced around at the soldiers still surrounding them them. "Will they follow us into our marriage bed as well?" She said dryly then gave a hint of a smile as she saw the discomfiture on the soldier closest to her.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Sarpedon

Such a custom was truly bizarre, of course, to Sarpedon, but he just smiled and laughed, "So, it's the right color, but the wrong objects. Steel instead of silver. As to the marriage bed, no, let me assure you that I have you all to myself."

It was unusually risque comment from the seemingly demure widow, but it was all the more amusing for that. Even so, no.....Sarpedon didn't have his other wives with him, so there was no one else who might share their marital bed. The catamites that he sometimes enjoyed were not the sort of fellows who had a taste for women more often than not, and quite frankly, the prostitutes would have charged him extra coin to watch them pleasure any of his wives. Sarpedon wasn't that wealthy yet. It was too rich for his blood.

Besides, for the interim, he wanted to focus on impregnating sweet Paniz. He wanted to put his seed inside her and make her visibly his, bearer, hopefully, of his yet to arrived son. She seemed to have a knack for making boys, or was that her late husband's doing? At least she proved that she could do it, right, and knew how to nurture them to boot.

Sarpedon also wanted to bring Paniz pleasure, though he knew that some other Macedonians would likely not behave that with their Persian brides. To them, because the Persian was the enemy, that included any brides that they might have taken from their ranks. That, though, any of such an attitude with Paniz was already softening with Sarpedon. He wanted to satisfy both of them, not just himself.

Leading her into the bedchambers of this captured Persian house, which must have been more familiar to her than to him, Sarpedon started with a chaste kiss, to test the waters and start small. They could progress from there.