hes of silver set upon them; along
the walls were vases of lovely shapes and colors, and everywhere there
were baskets heaped with roses white and red.

The king's guests were already in the hall, young men and elders, and
maidens went amongst them carrying roses which they strung into wreaths
for the guests to put upon their heads. A soft-handed maiden gave Jason
a wreath of roses and he put it on his head as he sat down at the
king's table. When he looked at all the rich and lovely things in that
hall, and when he saw the guests looking at him with friendly eyes,
Jason felt that he was indeed far away from the dim spaces of the
mountain forest and from the darkness of the centaur's cave.

Rich food and wine such as he had never dreamt of tasting were brought
to the tables. He ate and drank, and his eyes followed the fair maidens
who went through the hall. He thought how glorious it was to be a king.
He heard Pelias speak to AEson, his father, telling him that he was old
and that he was weary of ruling; that he longed to make friends, and
that he would let no enmity now be between him and his brother. And he
heard the king say that he, Jason, was young and courageous, and that
he would call upon him to help to rule the land, and that, in a while,
Jason would bear full sway over the kingdom that Cretheus had founded.

So Pelias spoke to AEson as they both sat together at the king's high
table. But Jason, looking on them both, saw that the eyes that his
father turned on him were full of warnings and mistrust.

After they had eaten King Pelias made a sign, and a cupbearer bringing
a richly wrought cup came and stood before the king. The king stood up,
holding the cup in his hands, and all in the hall waited silently. Then
Pelias put the cup into Jason's hands and he cried out in a voice that
was heard all through the hall, "Drink from this cup, O nephew Jason!
Drink from this cup, O man who will soon come to rule over the kingdom
that Cretheus founded!"

All in the hall stood up and shouted with delight at that speech. But
the king was not delighted with their delight, Jason saw. He took the
cup and he drank the rich wine; pride grew in him; he looked down the
hall and he saw faces all friendly to him; he felt as a king might
feel, secure and triumphant. And then he heard King Pelias speaking
once more.

"This is my nephew Jason, reared and fostered in the centaur's cave. He
will tell you of his life in the forest a