I am Cyrus by Alexander Jovy

Author:Alexander Jovy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Garnet Publishing (UK) Ltd
Published: 2014-07-30T00:00:00+00:00

28. The Lake of Blood

‘Cyrus, what did you expect?’ said Asha.

The king was visiting late. He had arrived after Farna-dukta and their little son Ariya were asleep. There, in the small dining-room of Asha’s house, the great leader of the ever-growing Persian Empire quietly related to his friend, comrade, and leader of the Immortals what had happened when Roshan visited.

Cyrus nodded slowly after Asha had asked his question. ‘Yes, you speak wisely, Asha. I have been foolish.’

Asha smiled gently. ‘I think our great king can see everything in the world except what stares him in the face.’

‘You may be right,’ Cyrus said, taking a sip of the wine Asha had offered him.

‘There is one thing, though, that I believe gives you reason for optimism.’

‘What could that possibly be?’

‘This. Lady Roshan kept the bracelet, did she not?’

Cyrus shrugged. ‘Yes, she did.’

‘Well, that’s a good sign. After all, if she was truly furious with you she would had left the bracelet on the table, or… more likely, have thrown it at you.’

‘I suppose she knows how valuable the bracelet is.’

‘Cyrus, that remark is not worthy of you. You know Lady Roshan does not care for trinkets.’

‘Then why did she keep it?’

‘Truly, you know the answer to that, too. I am sure she kept the bracelet because, even as angry as she was, she knew it was a part of you no-one could ever take from her, and she did not want to lose it. She loves you, Cyrus.’

Silence fell again.

‘What am I to do?’ Cyrus asked.

Asha shrugged. ‘I cannot tell you; that is for you to decide. All I can say is you are a lucky man. Many men love Lady Roshan - including my brother…’

‘Yes, I know. She told me of his proposal.’

‘He has proposed to her several times.’ said Asha. ‘But you know what Lady Roshan is like: she only wants what she wants, and if she can not have it she would rather have nothing.’

Cyrus made no reply for a while, but sat quietly sipping his wine.

‘I must go to see her,’ he said, finally.

Asha looked doubtful. ‘Best to sleep on it. Best to wait. Women do not always like impulsive actions from men as much as we men sometimes hope they might.’

‘That may be so,’ said Cyrus. ‘But I am going nonetheless.’

Roshan still lived in the suite of rooms in the outlying wing of the palace where she had been living ever since she arrived at Anshan with Cyrus and the others. She received a generous salary for overseeing the gardens of the royal palace and those in the public parks. Cyrus knew Roshan could by now have afforded to buy a house of her own, but she stayed where she was, dwelling in the same palace as he did, though in a outlying part some distance from the main building where Cyrus himself lived.

He had always imagined that Roshan’s unwillingness to move away from the palace grounds reflected her devotion to, and love of, the palace gardens.

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