* * *
Impressed by his resolve, others agreed. A horse was sacrificed and men swore their allegiance with bloody hands. "We swear this vow by the gods of Olympus!" Slaves hastened to serve each one a kylix filled with the very best of their wine to celebrate.
Tyndareus waited until the wine had created a jovial mood. "Come stand with me, Menelaus." He waited for the young man to reach him. "I want you by my side when I proclaim you the victor." He raised his voice, "Helen will be Lord Menelaus's bride."
Agamemnon gave his brother a loud cheer, and while some men were deeply disappointed to learn they'd lost, more were generous of spirit and joined in the cheers. Menelaus took care to acknowledge his friends' good wishes without boasting of his good fortune, and as they'd all promised, no one raised a hand against him.
* * *
Helen's suitors departed en masse taking with them their guest gifts, boisterous noise and dust-swirling confusion. She remained in the palace rather than appear in the courtyard to wave good-bye, but her father bid each man a gracious farewell. None was astonished by Menelaus's win, but many were deeply saddened not to have been the one chosen.
Now the matter of her husband was settled, Helen searched her chamber for something to sacrifice to Artemis, goddess of children. There was the frayed wool warrior she'd brought home from Theseus's fortress, but nothing more. The queen doll Omalu had made for her had disintegrated long ago.
"I need something suitable to burn at the temple," she called to her maid. "I should have made dolls and put them away to be ready, but as a child, the thought of marriage held no meaning."
"We could make little stick horses. You're very good at that."
Helen wished she could think of something more, but reluctantly agreed. "Yes, they'll have to do. Come let's gather sticks in the almond grove. Is everyone gone so we won't be bothered?"
"Once your father announced Menelaus's name, your other suitors had no reason to tarry. They're all gone."
"Good, I shan't miss them." She grabbed her maid's hand and hurried from the palace.
When Leda found them later playing with sticks, as they had once loved to do, she tarried at Helen's door. "I'd hoped you'd left your childhood pastimes behind."
Helen finished tying a thread before looking up. "Artemis expects a sacrifice from a maiden before her wedding. I've no cherished toys to give her, so we're making some."
Leda entered the chamber and sat on the end of the bed. "I'll miss you terribly."
Helen shrugged unhappily. "You've been so eager for me to wed, why are you suddenly filled with regret?"
"It isn't regret. Daughters naturally grow up and leave their parents; it's the natural course of life. I'll still be sad to see you go. I love your brothers, but daughters always remain closer to their mother's hearts."
"Menelaus comes here so often, his palace must be close. I'll ask him to ride here with me to visit you."
"Please do, but first you must become settled in your new home. Have you decided whom you wish to take with you? Omalu, of course, but are there others? What about the boy and girl you brought back from Theseus's fortress?"
Helen reached for another stick from the pile resting in the middle of her bed. "I'll think on it. I suppose I should ask Menelaus how many there can be."
Leda rose and kissed her daughter's cheek. "You're already thinking like a wife, and I didn't believe it was even possible. You do like him, don't you?"
"Yes, I do." She'd hidden the bow and quiver he'd given her under her bed. She'd not owned them as a child and wouldn't even consider sacrificing them to Artemis. "Better yet, I believe he really likes me."
"He's the most fortunate man in the world, and he adores you."
* * *
Menelaus returned the next morning with the dapple-gray mare. Flowers had been woven into the proud mount's mane and as before, Helen thought the animal a beauty. "Didn't we decide this once?" she asked.
The young man turned the beautiful mare to show her off from every angle. "Yes, we did, but I wanted to give her to you just to ride, you needn't race her. I promise you'll have no reason to run from me."
He had a wicked smile, and she understood his meaning. "Promise?"
"I swear it. May Zeus strike me dead with a lightning bolt if I don't." He laced his fingers together to provide her with a step. "Come, try her."
She looked for a chaperon and found Castor leaning against the stable watching them. "Will you come with us?" She had no virtue to protect she supposed, but she wouldn't shout it outdoors.
Castor disappeared only long enough to fetch his favorite mount. "I'll do my best to see Menelaus does not take advantage, dear sister."