After the meeting with Pharoah Psamtik at the Promontory, King Gyges retired to his private chambers in the stately villa rented to him by the Ruler of Egypt. The villa was quite opulent, a two-story building containing dozens of room and conveniently located a mere kilometer from the ocean. A gentle breeze wafted through the doors and windows, feeling like a caress against King Gyges skin. Egypt's ever-warm climate suited King Gyges just fine. In the many realms of Anatolia and nearby Greece, it was warm year-round, just the way King Gyges liked it.
The Lord of Lydia was in a fine mood as he relaxed on a couch with a glass of blood-red Theban wine, one of Egypt's very best. King Gyges was pleased with himself. The deal with the Pharaoh had gone better than expected. The Lydian Ruler intended to keep his end of the bargain for now. King Gyges wasn't willing to go to war with the Neo Assyrian Empire over either Egypt or Nubia, but he could keep his coffers full by supplying the Egyptians with weapons and ships...for exorbitant fees. War and commerce are inextricably linked, King Gyges thought.
Pharaoh Psamtik was naΓ―ve enough to pay whatever King Gyges and his military suppliers required because everyone knows that the Greco-Anatolian realms have superior weapons. With technologies acquired from war-like states like Sparta and Mycenae, and fast ships built in shipyards along the coast of Miletus and Ankara, the Anatolian Kingdom of Lydia was a rising military power. The catapults, Iron-tipped arrows, Iberian-style poisoned spears, crossbows, bronze shields and war horses that the Lydians would provide to the Pharoah should make his army the envy of the region.
"Does my dancing please you?" asked the comely young woman undulating two meters from where King Gyges sat. the lady's melodious voice snatched King Gyges out of his thoughts. Frowning, King Gyges looked at the dancer. Tall and curvy, with golden brown skin and long dark hair, she was quite lovely. Those large breasts and that thick derriere were something else. The young woman's features were a lovely blend of Nubian and Egyptian. King Gyges found that utterly fascinating. As much as the Egyptians claimed to dislike the Nubians, the two frequently went to bed together, the result being lovely mixed-race gals like this one.
"What is your name, my lovely dancer?" King Gyges asked as he sipped the Theban wine. After meeting with Zena the warrior woman and Markos, his favorite soldier, King Gyges retired for the night. The villa was patrolled regularly by Lydian soldiers, and a contingent of Egyptian soldiers patrolled the outer perimeter on orders from Pharaoh Psamtik. The extra security detail was the Pharoah's idea, as was the dancing woman. King Gyges was a simple man, politics aside, but he didn't want to displease his Egyptian hosts...
"I am Nykhor," said the dancing woman. She stood there, hands on her hips, decked out in see-through robe which revealed everything it was meant to conceal. King Gyges considered the Afro-Egyptian woman. This one was truly beautiful, and carried herself with a sensuality that Anatolian ladies and Grecian ladies could not match. There was a wildness to those of Nubian blood which King Gyges found both irresistible and disturbing. Cool and calculating by nature, King Gyges proceeded with caution in all things, including matters of the flesh...
"I am King Gyges of Lydia, ally of your Pharoah Psamtik I," said the Ruler of Anatolia's greatest kingdom. Nykhor smiled and nodded, though she did not seem impressed. King Gyges found that quite amusing. In royal palaces the world over, there were always beautiful women seeking to rise by affiliating with powerful men. While many men in King Gyges position would be impressed by Nykhor and her charms, he remained coy and almost distant in his dealings with her. King Gyges happens to believe that women are far more dangerous than men...
"My King, I hope to bring you pleasure and entertainment," said Nykhor as she approached him. King Gyges raised his hand, putting a halt to Nykhor's advance. In the Anatolian Kingdom of Lydia, King Gyges had a wife, the beautiful Queen Nyssa. Once upon a time, Gyges was the bodyguard of King Candaules, former Ruler of Lydia, and it was Nyssia, the King's lover, who helped Gyges seize power. After getting rid of King Candaules, King Gyges ruled Lydia with Nyssa as his Queen. A man who comes to power through such means does not underestimate the female of the human species...
"Nykhor, you are quite beautiful, but I love one woman, my Queen Nyssa, who is back home in Lydia, and when I am not with her, I prefer the company of men, something you cannot understand," King Gyges said firmly. Nykhor looked at King Gyges and considered his words. Like many female 'companions' of wealthy and powerful men, Nykhor encountered men who prefer the company of other men, sexually and romantically, from time to time. If King Gyges thought he was shocking Nykhor, then the Lydian Ruler was definitely underestimating her...