Perhaps it was better that a child belong only to his mother. Maybe marriage and fatherhood were not good for men; a woman must care about the welfare of the child she had carried in her body, but siring children came too easily to men; they were pawns to be used for their father's advantage. Phyllida had the best bargain after all; a God could have as many wives as he wished and need not cast off the old when he chose the new.
The thought reminded Kassandra that she had. duties in the Temple; and while she had sworn never to serve Aphrodite, she had sworn to serve the Sunlord. She should go down and join the other priestesses and priests for the sunrise greeting.
They were already gathered there, from the venerable elder healer-priests to the youngest novices; she was almost the last to take her place, and Charis gave her a patient, reproving glance. The chief priest regarded them all, and said, "In the name of the Sunlord, I ask you to welcome a newcomer among us; he served the shrine on Delos, the Sunlord's own isle. Give welcome to our brother, who is called Khryse."
He was well-named Khryse, golden. He was unusually tall; almost as tall as Hector, although not so muscular or well-built. His fine features were covered all over with a fine dusting of freckles; his hair shone all the fairer because he was sun-bronzed. His smile was radiant, showing white well-shaped teeth, and his eyes a bright sea-blue.
When he spoke his voice was strong and vibrant, with resonant echoes which strongly reminded Kassandra of the times she had heard the voice of the God. Well has he chosen a God to serve, she thought. The Sunlord might well be jealous of such a mortal…
Charis asked, "Whose duty is it today to receive and tally the offerings?"
Kassandra, recalled to her duty, started and said, "It is mine."
"Then you will take our brother to the court and show him how they are bestowed."
Kassandra lowered her eyes shyly, almost as if she felt Khryse might read her thoughts, which, it seemed to her, were too bold.
Khryse said, "I thank you for this welcome; but if I might first ask a favour of you, Lady—"
"Certainly you may ask," said Kassandra sharply when it became obvious that Charis was not going to answer, "but I can promise nothing till I know what it is you wish."
He raised his eyes so that he spoke to all of them.
"I would ask you to give shelter here to my daughter, who is motherless," he said, and beckoned forth a little girl who was hiding among the shrubbery at the edge of the court.
At first Kassandra thought she was about eleven years old. She wore a ragged and outgrown tunic which came hardly below her knees, and her hair, the same astonishing golden colour as her father's, hung in a tangled matted mass halfway to her waist.
"I have been travelling for a long time, and it is hard for a man alone to care properly for a woman child," Khryse said, following Kassandra's eyes. "May she live here in the Sunlord's house?"
"Certainly," Charis said, "but she is too young to be chosen as one of Apollo's maidens; time enough when she is grown to choose that path for herself if she wishes. But for now - Kassandra, will you take the child away and be certain she is properly cared for?"
"Then I shall be twice grateful to the Lady Kassandra," said
Khryse, bowing and smiling at her. Trying not to look at him again, she stretched her hand to the girl.
"Come with me, dear; are you hungry?"
"Yes; but Father said I was not to ask for anything."
"Well, you shall be fed; no one goes hungry in the God's house," Kassandra said, and leading the girl to her own room, she called a servant and asked her to bring bread and wine and a basket of fruit.
"First you must have a bath and some fresh clothes," she said, for the girl's garment was filthy as well as ragged. With the help of one of the governesses she bathed the girl. As she was soaping the girl's body, she realized the child was not nearly as young as she looked; her breasts were already well-formed, and there was a tangle of golden hair at her crotch. Washed clean of the dirt of the roads, she had her father's beauty, and Kassandra, asking her name, was not surprised to hear the answer: 'My mother named me Helike at birth; but father has always called me Chryseis."
Golden. "The name suits you well," Kassandra said, "especially if your hair were not so tangled."
"I suppose it will have to be cut off," Chryseis said.
"Oh, no, that would be a shame," Kassandra exclaimed. "It is far too lovely for that." She took a comb and carefully teased out the worst of the tangles; two or three of them indeed were beyond unravelling and she had to cut them. Brushed till it was smooth and glowing, the shining hair curled over the girl's shoulders. When the girl was dressed in the white novice's robe, with a woven girdle of silk, one of Kassandra's own, tied about her waist, Chryseis touched it with awed fingers.
"Now you look worthy to be one of the maidens of the Sun-lord," Kassandra said. "Lord Apollo will be pleased with you as he would not be with a dirty child."
The girl still looked half starved; her hands trembled as she attacked the bread and grapes, as if she had eaten nothing for days, though Kassandra could see that she was trying to restrain herself and show good manners. She thanked Kassandra with tears in her eyes.
"While we were travelling, sometimes Father was fed at the shrines," she said, "but he did not want strange men to see me." Then lest she should seem to criticize her father she added, "He saved something for me whenever he could."
Against her will Kassandra was touched.
"If the governesses give leave you may sleep in my room and I will look after you."
Chryseis smiled shyly. "And will I have duties in the Temple too?"
"Of course; no one is idle in the God's house," Kassandra said, "but until we find what you are skilled to do, we will give you such tasks as are suitable for your age." She suggested to the governess, "Take her to Phyllida and let her help to look after the baby."
It was still early in the day when she returned to the court where Charis and Khryse were waiting for her. The old priestess was helping him to tally the offerings left in the Temple court during the night, simple offerings left from simple piety by citizens who had no special petitions to ask. They were making marks on tally-sticks: one mark for a jar of oil or wine, another for a tray of flat cakes, yet another for the pair of pigeons in a woven-reed cage. She told them what arrangements she had made for the child.
"That was sensible," said Charis,"she'll come to no harm rocking the baby, and it will free Phyllida to return to her own duties."
"I cannot tell you my gratitude," Khryse said. "It is all but impossible for a man to care for a girl child; if she had been a boy I might have managed it. When she was very small, it was simpler; now she is all but grown I must watch her night and day. Among the Sunlord's virgins I need not fear for her."
"We will certainly guard her maidenhood for you," said Charis, "but is that so important just now? I thought she was only about ten or eleven years old."
"So did I," Kassandra said, "but when I bathed her I saw she was older than I thought."
Khryse considered.
"Her mother died ten years ago," he said, "and I am sure she was not three years old. Four months ago womanhood came on her, and I did not even know what to say to a girl. It was then I decided I must leave my wandering life and settle somewhere so that she could be properly cared for. On the road I could not even keep her fed, and she was too pretty to let her go out as a beggar."