"Or murdered," Aethra interjected.
Leda gasped, but Helen quickly grasped the dire nature of the problem. "May I speak with you alone, Father?"
"Of course." Tyndareus took her hand and led her out into the columned balcony. "I will be forever grateful if you'll help me make the choice, Helen, or I fear the man might be in danger from you."
He was teasing, and yet his joke held a kernel of truth. She would be the worst of wives for the wrong man. "Menelaus won the first chariot race by an impressive margin. If you choose him, the men will believe his victory gives a true meaning to the games."
He studied her expression closely. "It would indeed. Is he your choice?"
Resigned rather than elated, she looked down at her toes. She wouldn't mention the gift of a quiver of arrows and a beautiful bow, but it showed how eager Menelaus was to please her rather than only himself. "Yes, I've never tired of his company, and I don't want any of the others."
"He's a fine man, one who could one day rule all of Sparta. You've made a wise choice." Relieved the matter was finally resolved, he kissed her cheek and returned to the megaron with a renewed appetite for the roasted wild boar.
When Helen entered her mother's room, Leda was quick to ask, "Is the matter settled?"
Helen sighed softly, and wished she could be as happy as she should be. "I believe Menelaus will make the best husband, and Father agreed."
"Agamemnon's brother?" Aethra asked.
"Yes," Leda responded. "Menelaus comes from a powerful family, and he'll do well by her. Now we must hurry with the wedding preparations."
Helen swallowed hard. Menelaus was a kind man, one she thought she could grow to love, but for now, she'd rather the games continued forever.
* * *
Tyndareus sent a servant to draw Menelaus away from the evening feast. The young man followed with a sure and steady step into the shadowed alcove. "I'm relieved you haven't taken more than your share of the evening's wine," Tyndareus greeted him.
Menelaus straightened his shoulders proudly. "I came to win Helen's hand, not to risk drowning in your fine wine. How many I serve you, my lord?"
"Come with me." Tyndareus led him to a storeroom where they wouldn't be observed or overheard. Spilled grain crunched beneath their sandals as they stepped through the doorway. "There are men who came here solely because they love the games, but Helen is a gift of the gods, and I won't give her to such a man. You've always struck me as sincere, and now is your chance to speak, my son."
Eager to do so, Menelaus broke into a wide grin. "Thank you for considering me as the serious suitor I am. I know Helen as none of the other men do, and it's not only her beauty that pleases me. I love the way she seizes a challenge, and the fearless way she lives her life. I want to lift away the sadness of her abduction and make her laugh everyday. I have a fine Spartan palace, and own more horses than she could ride in a year. I love her dearly and would never seek to crush her spirit as many men would."
Tyndareus raised his hand before Menelaus could add to what would surely become a lengthy accounting of his assets. "You are her choice as well, but don't let the others know the matter has been decided. I'll speak to everyone in assembly in the morning. Take care not to gloat or you'll surely provoke the worst of consequences."
"They would be worth it," Menelaus exclaimed, then caught himself. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "I understand and won't tell a soul tonight, and tomorrow I'll be proud but not overbearing. Temperance is admired by the gods."
Clearly reluctant, Tyndareus hesitated before speaking. "Helen has been badly mistreated, and you'd be wise to put her pleasure before your own. Always treat her gently, with the tenderness I'm sure you possess. Once she learns to trust you, she'll make an affectionate wife."
Embarrassed Tyndareus would think such a warning necessary; Menelaus was equally slow to respond. "I know how to please a woman, and I won't fail Helen."
Tyndareus gave his soon to be son-in-law an encouraging slap on the shoulder. "Thank you. I know you'll make us all proud, and what a grand
union of our Royal Houses! Return to the feast, and do your best to remain sober so you'll have a clear head for tomorrow morning."
"I will, good king, although I do have a fine reason to celebrate tonight."
"Wait until the wedding," Tyndareus advised. He watched the young man walk away with new pride in his bearing. Menelaus was the man he would have chosen for Helen, and he was elated she had proposed his name before he'd had to. He hoped a happy marriage for them, but in marrying Helen, Menelaus would be taking on what could well prove to be the challenge of his life. Yet to join with the House of Atreus will be the envy of all of Greece.
* * *
Before the contests began anew the following morning, Tyndareus called an assembly in the great palace courtyard and announced he had come to a decision, but prior to giving the winner's name, he expected all the men to swear allegiance to the one who'd been chosen. "It's been a lively competition, and you've all shown your bravery and skill, but I must demand this last thing from you before we proceed."
Caught by surprise, some men scoffed rather than promise their allegiance to an unnamed man. Someone shouted, "What if he's someone we despise?"
"You'll make the pledge anyway," Tyndareus replied. "Helen is a great treasure, and her husband shouldn't be at risk from a vengeful rival. Think of it as a way to protect yourselves. There are men who would kill for her, but I hope there are none among Greece's finest here today."
Odysseus stepped forward. "Lord Tyndareus, let me be the first to swear allegiance to the winner."