Today, a fellow messenger from Corinth visited the palace with an urgent message for the king. I don't know him very well, but I do remember seeing him coming and going throughout the city since I was a child. He seems to have aged well, but is long past the point of his prime.
Anyway, I was actually there for the message, only this time I wasn't eavesdropping. The queen, her attendants, a performer, and myself were in the sitting room, relaxing. I had been trying my best not to think of the conversation I had heard yesterday when I looked at the queen, and I was totally failing.
The messenger came in and greeted the queen respectfully, with many well-wishes and praises. He asked for the king specifically, and when he found out he wasn't there, delivered the news that Polybus, King Oedipus's father, had died of natural causes.
The attendants all looked slightly confused at the relieved expression on the queen's face, but I understood, and I was feeling the same relief. When I thought about it last night, I realized that I am way too emotionally invested in this unfolding mystery to even jokingly consider not finding out more, so I felt that I had a right to be relieved at the news. I thought that if Polybus died of natural causes, then the oracles were wrong, and King Oedipus was innocent.
Then the king entered the room. The queen delivered the news, and King Oedipus seemed sorrowful at the news of his father's death, but relieved at the realization that he was not his father's murderer. He still seemed slightly worried though, and the queen noticed and asked him what was wrong. The king replied that he was still worried because his mother is still alive, which mean that part of the prophecy may somehow be realized.
The messenger inquired as to what they were talking about, and the king told him of the prophecy that he received, stating that it was no secret (I felt less guilty about eavesdropping then, since the king felt that he had nothing to hide).
The messenger seemed slightly disturbed, but then said that if that was the reason he wouldn't return home to Corinth, he had nothing to worry about because Polybus was not his real father. The king was shocked, as were the rest of us in the room who were entranced with the unfolding drama.
King Oedipus, of course, asked him for the specifics. I couldn't help but feel pity for the king in that moment. He kept finding out life-changing things one after another, and none of them were good.
Anyway, the messenger then shocked us all by saying that he had been the one who gave him to Polybus to raise since Merope and Polybus could not have children biologically. The Corinthian messenger said that he found the king in the woods of Cithaeron while going out to tend to the mountain flocks. The king seemed incredulous, and asked the old why he was tending flocks if he was a messenger. The messenger evaded the question with a very vague excuse, and then told Oedipus that he was the king's savior because he loosened the pins that bound his ankles together. He even reminded him that that was where the king's name, Oedipus, came from.
The king asked if he knew who was responsible for his state as a baby, and the messenger replied that he had no idea, but knew of someone who did. He said that the shepherd who handed the baby over to him worked in Laius's house as a herdsman.
Once he found out that the herdsman was alive, King Oedipus asked the messenger if he knew where he was. The messenger said that didn't know where the herdsman was, but the queen might, as she was around when the man worked for the royal family.
When asked, Queen Jocasta seemed very distressed. I'm still not entirely sure what was wrong, and at the time I was made even more confused by the way she was reluctant to give the whereabouts of the herdsman. She kept warning the king that it was a bad idea to seek out the herdsman, and that it didn't matter what he had to say. King Oedipus seemed to think that she was reluctant to know because he might have been the child of a commoner or a slave, and was very angry when he dismissed her to go find the herdsman.
What gave me a bad feeling were the queen's parting words: "O woe is thee, poor wretch! With that last word I leave thee, henceforth silent evermore."
What is that supposed to mean?
At the time I was preoccupied with leaving in a group with the other attendants, who were giggling about the new piece of gossip that was just awarded to them, but now, thinking on it, I realize that those were very ominous words. I'm worried about the queen, because her face had a very devastated look to it when she left. Maybe I will find a reason to look for her later, just to see if she's alright? Yes, I will do that.
And in regards to the news of the king's lineage, I feel very relieved. This clears it, that the prophecy was wrong. Also, this means that the king can go home to visit and console his mother about his
Anyway, after the multiple revelations today, I am exhausted. I will retire under this shady olive tree, and try to get some rest.
Sincerely,
The Royal Messenger, ---------- (name has been scratched out)
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