The Body is Round

Everyone was already present when Aeneas entered the great hall and quietly took his usual seat.

Right beside Queen Dido.

Breakfast was far more modest than the grand evening banquets, served at several small tables with simple chairs.

There was flatbread with oil, grilled fish, barley porridge with fruit, almonds and other nuts, goat cheese, sour milk, and small honeyed cakes.

Aeneas stared down and took a deep breath.

Okay. Let’s just pretend that whole thing earlier never happened.

Carefully, he turned his head toward Dido, who blinked at him with wide eyes, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Her thoughts weren’t all that different from his.

I just can’t get that image from earlier out of my head! I should say something. But what?!

She had just opened her mouth to speak when...

“…Indeed, like a little elephant’s trunk!”

Aeneas immediately spat the milk he had just sipped back into his cup as both he and Dido whipped their heads toward the source of the voice.

At another table, a woman was holding a fried spiral pastry that slowly uncoiled between her fingers.

“You don’t have spirata in Troy?” her Carthaginian neighbor asked curiously.

The Trojan noblewoman, one of the exiles who had arrived only a few days earlier with the rest of the fleet, shook her head.

“No, not like this…” she said, before they calmly continued their conversation.

Dido and Aeneas blinked in stunned silence before awkwardly returning to their breakfast.

Eshmunet, who had not missed the uncomfortable moment, quickly turned to Aeneas.

“Were you finally able to write down your harbor concept, my lord? You intended to present it today, didn't you?”

He almost choked again.

Oh crap, that was today?! I completely forgot! No rest for the wicked, I guess. Should I come up with an excuse? No… I’ve already been putting them off for days. I actually have to deliver something now…

“It’s... almost finished!” he blurted out. “I just… ran out of... of scrolls! For the final touches, you know?”

Dido tilted her head.

He used up all the scrolls already? Incredible. He is really working hard, isn’t he?

“Would you take care of that, Esh?”, she asked her handmaiden gently.

Eshmunet nodded.

“Of course, my lady. I'll see to it.”

Aeneas swallowed.

“Uh… thanks.”

 🏛️🏛️🏛️

Some time after breakfast, Aeneas sat at his desk in his chamber, tearing at his hair in frustration.

Several papyrus scrolls lay spread out in front of him, covered in strange shapes and barely decipherable notes.

With a sigh, he rolled them up.

“Where is that guy? There’s no way I can show Queen Dido my own chicken scratches.”

As if on cue, there was suddenly a knock at the door.

“My Lord Aeneas? May I come in? Are you... dressed?”

AS IF I SPEND ALL DAY WALKING AROUND NAKED!

“Yes, Korydros, come in already…”

Once the door closed, Aeneas lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Well? Did you come up with something?”

Korydros nodded, pulled out a scroll, and handed it to him.

“I'm honored that you trust my abilities enough to even consider consulting my humble ideas, but... are you truly certain? I doubt I can match your genius in this matter…”

“Oh, stop selling yourself short, good Korydros,” Aeneas replied while unrolling the scroll. “I’m sure it’s...”

He stopped when he saw the blueprint.

Clean, precise lines marked the coastline and harbor, labeled with exact measurements. Towers, roads, and even the water depth were carefully noted.

This… this is absolutely perfect!

Korydros scratched his head awkwardly.

“I know it’s nothing special. I simply established the coastline as a baseline from which the moles extend at right angles, their axes framing the harbor entrance. Within that frame I divided the basin with concentric arcs and orthogonal grid lines, aligned the quay walls along parallel axes, and marked the berths at fixed surveying intervals. The bearing lines, depth profiles, and proportional ratios are merely for the sake of order. As I said, nothing special...”

What the hell is this guy even talking about, again?! I don’t understand a single word.

“Mhm, mhm, yes, the bearing lines… very good…”

Aeneas hurriedly rolled the scroll back up and pushed his general toward the door.

“So… is it any use?”, he asked uncertainly.

“I’ll consider it. Thank you, good Korydros.”

“Oh, one more thing, about repairing the ships. The men are worried that...”

“We’ll discuss that another time.”

The door slammed shut, and with a satisfied grin Aeneas spread the plan across the table.

Perfect. That should do the trick.

A moment later, there was another knock at the door.

“What is it now, Korydros? I already told you we’ll talk later about...”

But the voice behind the door was not his general’s.

“It's me. I brought the scrolls you asked for. May I come in…?”

“Q-Queen Dido?! Uh, yes, of course!”

As he nervously turned around, his hand accidentally knocked over the ink jar, spilling half its contents across Korydros’ plan.

AHHH DAMN IT!

But there was no time to deal with it.

Dido had already stepped into the room, carrying an armful of blank scrolls.

“Esh was busy, s-so I decided to bring you the scrolls myself…”

She looked down shyly.

I hope he doesn’t see through that lie…

But Aeneas, who was desperately trying to contain the spreading ink, was only half listening as he attempted to salvage what he could.

“Uh, yes, thanks… just put them over there.”

After doing as he had asked, she stepped closer to the table, curiously peeking over his shoulder.

“What are you doing there? Is that a Trojan drawing technique?”

“Well, actually, um…”

She picked up one of the other scrolls and opened it.

Aeneas turned pale.

AHHH! STOP! STOOOOP!

“Wait!!! That... that’s just a very early draft! It’s not representative of...”

Dido’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she studied the drawing.

“What… is this?”

Aeneas sighed and let his shoulders drop.

“That? Oh… that was just some silly idea I had for the harbor.” He nervously ran a hand through his hair before quickly grabbing Korydros’ barely legible blueprint, holding it out to her. “Don’t worry, this plan here is much better! It’s just a little… smudged.”

But she ignored it, instead pointing to a spot on his sketch.

“What's this? Some kind of… amphitheater in the water?”

“Oh, uhm, no... that… that’s actually part of the harbor…”

Dido raised an eyebrow.

“A round harbor?”

Aeneas scratched his head awkwardly, looking at the ceiling.

“Well… uh…”

That’s it. Any second now she’s going to start laughing. I might as well start packing my bags…

“Such a good idea!”

Aeneas blinked.

“Uh… what?”

When he looked back at Dido, he saw her gazing at his sketch with shining, excited eyes.

She likes it?!

“Explain it to me,” she asked gently.

For a moment Aeneas was speechless.

Is she serious?

But when she looked at him smiling, heat rushed through his body, his heart beating faster, and he drew new courage.

Clearing his throat, he stepped beside her and pointed at the drawing.

“Well… that round section is meant for your war fleet. The other day I noticed it wasn’t easy to fit all our galleys into your harbor, so I thought this might be a way to keep many ships ready in one place… could also come in handy for defense.”

The queen nodded and followed his explanation with interest, unconsciously drifting closer and closer to him.

“And this part?”

All of Aeneas’ uncertainty suddenly vanished as he enthusiastically explained his plan.

“Oh, that’s the rectangular merchant harbor! It lies between the round harbor and the harbor entrance. Behind it are the shipyards and warehouses, all connected by a direct thoroughfare. I thought it would fit that philosophy of yours… what was it called again?”

Dido was no longer looking at the drawing.

She was looking only at him.

“The Phoenician Order…” she whispered softly.

“Oh right, that’s it. And then I also thought, um, I thought that… well…”

He began to stammer and finally fell silent when he noticed how close she had come and how she was looking at him.

Aeneas swallowed as their eyes met.

“You… you smell really nice,” he said quietly.

“Y-you too…” Dido replied shyly, as the tips of their noses slowly moved closer.

They closed their eyes, already feeling the other’s breath on their skin.

Dido’s heart was racing.

Is this… is this about to be my first ki...

Thunderous knocking shattered the moment.

Both of them jumped apart.

“YOUR MAJESTY, ARE YOU IN THERE?!”

Dido quickly stood and smoothed her dress.

“What is it? I am currently in an important… discussion… with Prince Aeneas!”

The door opened.

But instead of Reganobal, a heavily armored captain of the Carthaginian royal guard stood there.

His expression was grave as he kneeled before her.

“My Lady, an enemy army has crossed the border of our kingdom. What are your orders?”

Aeneas swallowed.

An enemy army?!

For a brief moment silence filled the room as Dido looked down thoughtfully, almost melancholically.

Then she lifted her head sharply, her eyes burning.

“Mobilize the army. I will ride out to meet them.”

The captain struck his fist against his chest in salute before hurrying down the corridor.

And suddenly, Aeneas felt the air in his chamber grow several degrees colder.