𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐘 𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐅𝐅
୨୧┇i love them sm 😔
The palace of Ithaca was never truly quiet. Even in the early morning, before the suitors filled the halls with their boasting and laughter, there was always movement—servants preparing the day’s meals, guards pacing along the corridors, the distant murmur of Penelope speaking with her handmaidens. And, of course, there were always the sounds of two particular children running through the halls like a pair of restless spirits.
Pandora and Glaphyra were ten, still small enough to slip between the columns and hide behind heavy drapes when they wanted to escape notice, but old enough to know that their brother, Antinous, was not the same as he had been when they were younger.He was twenty now, a man grown. He was no longer simply their brother; he was one of the suitors vying for Queen Penelope’s hand.
That meant he had to act with dignity, with authority. He was expected to stand tall among the others, to demand respect, to show that he was worthy of ruling Ithaca.But that didn’t mean Pandora and Glaphyra made it easy for him.
“Antinous!” Pandora’s voice rang through the hall as she and Glaphyra came barreling toward him, their bare feet slapping against the polished stone floor.
He barely had time to react before Pandora leaped forward, grabbing onto the hem of his fine chiton like a child who had never learned proper manners.Glaphyra, ever the quieter one, trailed just behind, though her dark eyes sparkled with mischief.
Antinous groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“What now?” He was already dressed in the fine clothes of a nobleman, a deep red chiton fastened with a golden pin at his shoulder.
His hair was neatly combed, his posture rigid. He was supposed to be on his way to a gathering with the other suitors, but clearly, his sisters had other plans.
“Come play with us!” Pandora demanded, tugging insistently at his arm.
Antinous sighed. “I don’t have time for this. I have important things to do.”
“You always have ‘important things’ to do,” Glaphyra murmured, crossing her arms. “You never spend time with us anymore.”
Antinous hesitated.
He didn’t have an answer for that, not one that would satisfy them. When he had been younger, he would have spent hours with them—teaching them how to climb the olive trees in the courtyard, sneaking them sweets from the kitchens, telling them stories of great warriors and cunning heroes. But things were different now.
He had to be someone greater than just their brother. And yet… the way Pandora looked up at him, her eyes wide with expectation, the way Glaphyra’s fingers nervously twisted in the fabric of her tunic—it made him feel something he didn’t like.
Guilt.
He sighed, rubbing his temples. “Fine. But only for a little while.”
Pandora cheered, grabbing his hand before he could change his mind, and Glaphyra’s lips curled into a pleased smile.
“Come on!” Pandora tugged him along, leading him away from the grand halls where the suitors gathered and into one of the quieter corridors of the palace.
There, behind one of the pillars, they had set up a small space with a collection of pebbles, some roughly carved sticks, and what appeared to be a very lopsided attempt at a doll made of linen scraps.“We’re playing 'Heroes and Monsters'”
Glaphyra explained. “I’m the wise oracle, and Pandora’s the warrior.”
“And what am I supposed to be?” Antinous asked, raising an eyebrow.
Pandora grinned wickedly. “You’re the monster.”
Antinous scoffed. “Oh, wonderful.”
“Come on! You’re supposed to roar and chase us!” Pandora insisted, her excitement bubbling over.
Antinous rolled his eyes, but as he looked down at his sisters, so eager, so full of the kind of joy he hadn’t felt in a long time… he gave in.
With an exaggerated growl, he hunched his shoulders and reached for them. Pandora shrieked, laughing as she bolted down the hallway, and Glaphyra—who was usually far more reserved—let out a delighted giggle as she dashed in the other direction.
For a moment, just a moment, Antinous forgot about the suitors, about Penelope, about the weight of proving himself.
He was just their brother again.
And maybe that was enough.
୨୧┇@antinousletmehit requested this :3