Agamemnon's expression was uncertain. When he reached the steps, he saw dark clouds rising and the rain falling. The sky was shrouded in gloom, but there was no wind at all!
Without wind, how could the ship sail?
Could it be that he had to row to Troy by hand?
After an unknown amount of time, Agamemnon took a deep breath and stared at the sky. Finally, without saying a word, he seemed to have made up his mind and turned to leave.
It was a garden surrounded by a few small buildings. It was the residence of Queen Clytemnestra and her children. Agamemnon walked to the garden, identified the room of his daughter Iphigenia, and quickly went over.
When he opened the door, he was surprised to see that Queen Clytemnestra was also there, glaring at him angrily. Agamemnon was a little surprised, but he did not have time to think. He said to the queen, "Call your children out."
"Hmph!" After being reminded by her close servant, Queen Clytemnestra, who already knew the secret, was full of resentment. Her eyes flashed with undisguised hatred. She did not speak, but only said to her children in the room, "Come out, daughter, and bring your brother Orestes out with you."
Iphigenia came out of the inner room holding her brother Orestes' hand. The young girl was slim and graceful, but she lowered her head uneasily.
"Look, Iphigenia is standing here, ready to obey your orders."
"Now, I only want you to answer me. Tell me frankly and honestly, do you really want to kill our daughter?" Queen Clytemnestra said coldly.
These words immediately stunned Agamemnon.
How was he supposed to answer this?
Originally, Agamemnon had planned to take his daughter Iphigenia out alone, but he did not know where the queen got the news, which put him in a passive position.
Did he have to admit to killing her in front of his daughter and son?
Agamemnon stood there and was silent for a long time. Finally, he cried out in despair, his voice miserable and desperate, "Ah, Goddess of Fortune! You have revealed my secret, and everything is over. "
"Agamemnon, listen to me now. Our marriage began with sin." Seeing that he did not deny it, Queen Clytemnestra's heart sank, and a trace of despair emerged. Her voice became sharp.
"You used violence to kidnap me, and killed my ex-husband. I was married to Tantalus, son of Thyestes. "
"At that time, not only did you kill my husband, you even snatched my child from my arms and cruelly killed him in front of me."
"I cried, and my brothers Castor and Polydeuces pursued you, and in desperation you appealed to my aged father, Tyndareus, for protection. He took pity on you, and saved you, and made you my husband."
"Even though you treated me so cruelly and killed my ex-husband and my children, my father asked me to marry you. I still kept my vows and became a faithful wife, making you happy at home and proud outside. I gave birth to three daughters and a son for you."
"We've been married for more than ten years. Have I ever wronged you?" At this point, Queen Clytemnestra's face was full of tears, and she screamed: "Now what do you give me in return?"
"You would take my daughter, Iphigenia, would you not? Why? For your position of power? For your brother Menelaus to reclaim his faithless wife? You would kill your own daughter? "
"You're fighting for Menelaus, but do you want me to sacrifice my own daughter so that he can protect her?"
"Have you already entered the realm of Hades? How could you be so cruel? "Queen Clytemnestra said, choking with sobs.
When Iphigenia heard her mother bid her to hide herself, she did not understand; but when she heard Clytemnestra, her mother, she understood that her father, Agamemnon, wished to kill her, and she could hardly believe her ears.
Her father had loved her so much since she was a child. How could he do such a cruel thing?
She fell to her knees before her father, tears streaming down her cheeks, and her voice was hoarse and helpless.
"Father, if only I had the wonderful harp of Orpheus, if only I had the voice that moves the stones, then I could move your heart with music, and speak eloquently to arouse your sympathy!"
"But I have no such power. Only my tears are my only weapon."
"Those who ask for pity hold an olive branch in their hands, and I have no choice but to use my own hands as an olive branch. Father, don't let me die so young! Do you really want to kill me? "
"Oh, please don't."
"I beg you in the presence of my mother, spare your poor daughter, Iphigenia. My mother was pregnant for ten months before she gave birth to me, and now the thought of my death makes her feel even more pain. "
"What does the matter of Helen and Paris have to do with me? Paris came to Greece and committed a crime. You should look for him. Why should I die? "
"Ah, father, look into my eyes, and have pity on me!"
Iphigenia faced death, faced her father with courage she had never shown before.
Agamemnon stood quietly. If it was said that he felt guilty just now, after listening to Queen Clytemnestra's scolding and his daughter Iphigenia's pleading, his heart suddenly became as cold as a stone.
"As long as the law allows me to pity my daughter Iphigenia, I will, for I love my child, or I will be worse than a beast."
"But now I do terrible things with a heavy heart, and the reason is that I have to do so."
"As you can see, this is a huge fleet under my command. So many princes and kings are standing around me in their armor."
"My child, if I do not sacrifice you according to the prophecy, then Troy will not fall."
"The heroes hope that the women of Greece will never be abducted by the Trojans again, and they have all made up their minds."
"If I do not follow the prophecy, they will kill you, and they will kill me. My power ends here, and I am powerless."
"I am not sacrificing you because I am compromising with my brother Menelaus, but because I am obeying the request of all Greeks. I hope you will remember this."
After saying this, King Agamemnon left the garden, his footsteps decisive.
At this time, there was no Achilles, and no one could save poor Iphigenia. In the blink of an eye, two guards dragged Iphigenia away.
The queen fell to the ground in grief. She screamed and screamed, but no one came to help them.
The queen could not follow her daughter. She could not watch her daughter die, as it would break her heart. She raised her hands and swore, "Agamemnon, you cannot lie to me. I am the princess of Sparta, the queen of Mykenia."
"If the war has already been carried out, and the princes and kings have paid a heavy price, then your words are still true. But now, the heroes, princes, and kings have only just gathered, without paying the price of blood."
"And you are the king of Mykenia, the most powerful kingdom in Greece. If you are really unwilling and willing to pay the price, who would dare to kill you? Who could kill you?
"Which hero would be willing to pay such a price?
"You sacrificed our daughter for your ambition. I swear, you will pay the price!"
Mount Olympus
The shrill and heartbreaking voice rushed up to the clouds. The gods watched the scene calmly. They had witnessed too many tragedies of loved ones killing each other, so their hearts did not waver at all.
Except for one god, Artemis.
Apollo said to Artemis, "Look, after this incident, Queen Clytemnestra's love for Agamemnon has disappeared. She has despaired."
"On the contrary, there is only hatred left in her heart. Even the hatred for killing her husband and children has been awakened."
"I can see that Agamemnon is entangled by the fate of death."
"But I am not interested in Agamemnon's fate. I only pity the princess who will be sacrificed to me," Artemis said.
In the clouds, the image of Oris continued to be shown.
The gods saw the assembled princes and kings gathered in the sacred forest of the goddess Artemis. The temple of Artemis and the sacred forest were located outside the city of Oris.
The altar had been set up, and the priest and prophet Calchas stood in front of the altar.
Iphigenia was tied up and escorted by the guards. The priest pushed her onto the altar.
The priest took out water from a jar and sprinkled it on the altar and Iphigenia. He chanted a prayer. Calchas took his sword, chanted a prayer, and chopped down.
At the moment the sword was swung, a miracle happened. Iphigenia disappeared in front of everyone.
It turned out that Artemis took pity on her and took her away. In her place, a beautiful sika deer took the blow from Calchas' sword and lay on the ground, struggling in a pool of blood on the altar.
"Princes, look, look at the sacrifice here. This is sent by the goddess Artemis. She would rather sacrifice this sika deer than the girl. How merciful she is."
"The altar does not need the girl's blood as a sacrifice. The goddess Artemis has forgiven us. She will make our ship sail smoothly and ensure that we conquer Troy."
"Show courage, we will leave the port of Oris today!" Calchas shouted, his voice joyful and loud.
Everyone cheered loudly. The goddess Artemis' forgiveness was good news for them. It meant that the warships could set sail.
Everyone left the Holy Wood and went back to prepare for the upcoming battle of Troy.
"This is good. Iphigenia will be fine, and Clytemnestra will be relieved!" Agamemnon breathed a sigh of relief and said to the coachman, "Quick, let's go back and tell Clytemnestra the good news so that she can rest assured."
The carriage quickly returned. Agamemnon looked around but did not see his wife Clytemnestra or his children. He asked, "Where are they?"
"Great king, when you went to the Holy Wood, Queen Clytemnestra ordered us to return to Mykenia. She is already on her way."
Agamemnon suddenly felt an emptiness in his heart, and a trace of fear crept into his heart.
"Clytemnestra, do you hate me?"
"No, I will make it up to you. As long as we can destroy Troy and win the war, I will be the king of all Greece. You and your children will obtain more. By then, you will understand everything I have done."
"I have done it for you and your children."
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