Finally, the whispered discussion between the three kings ended and Agamemnon turned to Ajax and Odysseus. Sliding his left ankle up on to his right knee, he leaned back and placed a thoughtful finger to his lips.
‘Of all the men in this army,’ he began, ‘there are few I rely on for counsel and strength in battle as much as you two. But only one of you can win this debate and claim the armour of Achilles; the loser, I fear, will regard the other with jealousy and even animosity. For it is a glorious prize, the likes of which no man has been tempted with for many generations. So, for the sake of our greater goal – the defeat and sack of Troy – I ask you to relinquish your claims and forsake this divisive contest before it begins.’
‘I will not surrender my right to the armour,’ Ajax announced, glaring at the King of Men. ‘Achilles was my cousin. I was as close a kinsman to him as any here, and that alone would raise my claim above all others.’ He glanced sidelong at Odysseus, then, unclasping his hands from behind his back, stepped forward and punched a finger towards Agamemnon. ‘But I make no blood claim on his armour. I don’t need to. Thetis said it should be awarded to the most courageous of the Greeks who fought before the Scaean Gate, and that man is me!’
There was a rumble of approval from the seated ranks of the army, but Odysseus showed no sign of doubt or fear. Agamemnon sighed and leaned back in his gold-plated throne.
‘And what evidence do you have to back your statement?’ he asked in a calm voice.
‘What evidence?’ Ajax exclaimed. He turned and looked at the faces of the seated kings and leaders. ‘What evidence, he asks. Well, perhaps, my lord, you were too far back in the ranks to notice that I have been in the front line of every battle we have fought since arriving in this accursed land. I can’t even begin to count the Trojans I’ve killed, and if I listed the names of the noblemen who’ve fallen to my spear then we would be here until long after the moon has risen.
‘But I know you were there, my lord Agamemnon, when I fought Hector to a standstill on the slopes above the Scamander. As was Odysseus, who said nothing when Hector challenged us to offer up a champion. No, it was left to me on that occasion. And where were you when the Trojans breached the walls and attacked the ships, Odysseus? I didn’t see you when I was fighting them off from the prows of the galleys, because you were skulking in Agamemnon’s tent with a mere flesh wound! Am I wrong?’
Odysseus looked briefly down at his feet as he composed himself, then placed his hands carefully on his hips and shook his head.
‘You know you’re wrong, Ajax. We all do. I was neither skulking, nor was it just a flesh wound that kept me from the struggle. While you were fighting a losing battle, hoping that brawn alone could hold back the victorious Trojans, I was convincing Patroclus to put on Achilles’s armour and lead the Myrmidons into the attack. While your muscles were saving a single galley, my brains were saving the whole army.’
He spoke calmly, without anger or mockery, and in a tone that convinced every listener of the truth of what he was saying. There were nods and murmurs among the crowd of onlookers as men accepted his argument, only surprised they had not realized it before.
‘I’ve done my fair share of fighting, too,’ Odysseus continued. ‘I’ve been in as many battles as you have, Ajax, and more. Where were you when Achilles and I captured Lyrnessus, Adramyttium and Thebe, for instance?’ Ajax opened his mouth to protest, but Odysseus held up a finger to silence him. ‘Save your objections; I don’t deny you’ve killed more Trojans than I have and could probably recount each of their names one after another until the cock crows. But there’s much more to war than blind savagery, and not least for those of us who have the privilege of command. We must be in the forefront of every battle or risk losing the respect of our men, but we must also have an eye on the greater goals. And in that I surpass you, Ajax. What were you doing when the army was close to mutiny during the winter months? Well, while you practised your discus throwing with Achilles, I was suggesting the attacks on Lyrnessus, Adramyttium and Thebe to keep the army busy and to bring in some much-needed loot, not to mention cutting Troy’s supplies from the south. And I was the one who thought up a way to defeat the Amazons. Without me, Ajax, the best men in Greece – yourself included – would have been dead on the plains with poisoned arrows peppering their rotting corpses, while the rest of the army sailed back home in defeat.’
Ajax spat on the sand.
‘Words and tricks – is that all you have to boast of, Odysseus? When all’s said and done, a man’s courage and honour is determined by his performance in battle; courage is the measure by which Achilles’s armour will be awarded, and in that I surpass you! Was it intelligence and cunning that carried the body of Achilles out of the clutches of the Trojans and all the way back here, in spite of their countless spears and arrows? Of course not – it was the strength and bravery of Ajax, son of Telamon!’
His words were greeted by a rumble of approval from the army crowded about the circle of benches.
‘And was it my intelligence and cunning that covered your back as you carried Achilles?’ Odysseus replied, turning to look his opponent in the eye. ‘No, it was my courage and skill that saved you, Ajax. Without me you wouldn’t even have reached the fords of the Scamander. My bravery is a match for yours and you know it!’
‘By Ares’s sword!’ Ajax snapped. ‘If you hadn’t have been there, Odysseus, I would have fought the Trojans with one hand and dragged Achilles’s body back to the ships with the other.’
‘The armour should be given to Ajax!’ Little Ajax shouted, raising his arms in the air. ‘Odysseus is nothing but a clever fraud. Award the armour to Ajax!’
Suddenly knots of men stood and began to cheer and shout Ajax’s name. Odysseus recognized them as a mixture of Locrians and Ajax’s own men, who had been deliberately spread out among the army. But they were quickly joined by others and soon almost every man was on his feet and roaring approval for Ajax. At last the chanting died away as the heralds persuaded and cajoled the dense ranks to sit back down in the sand.
‘You’ve heard what Odysseus and I have to say, my lord,’ Ajax said, turning to Agamemnon with a triumphant smile. ‘And you’ve heard what the army thinks. Now it’s time to make your decision—’
‘Not quite,’ Odysseus interrupted. ‘There’s one other opinion that should be heard, an opinion more important than either mine, Ajax’s, or even that of the whole army.’
Agamemnon narrowed his eyes at Odysseus, then slowly scanned the circle of benches. Complete silence had fallen as the vast audience waited in expectation.
‘Whose?’ Agamemnon asked after no one else had stepped forward.
‘The opinion of Achilles himself.’
‘Achilles?’ exclaimed Ajax. ‘What nonsense is this? Can you conjure up the dead now, Odysseus?’
Odysseus took a step closer to Agamemnon.