Author's Notes: Written for Inkfire's "Rewriting" challenge on xoxLewrahxox's Bellatrix Lestrange forum.
"Girls, let me tell you a story about a queen of the Amazons," said my mother.
"Please tell us!" Narcissa replied with enthusiasm.
"The Amazons were a warlike race of women who lived near the Black Sea. They never allowed any man to dwell in their country, and they even sent their own sons away, and only brought up their daughters. They were strong and hardy in body, and brave and daring in soul, and they delighted in hunting and fighting."
"They were just like me!" I said proudly.
"Bellatrix, stop interrupting," my mother scolded.
"Please continue the story! We want to hear more," Andromeda added.
"When the war of Troy broke out, Penthesilea, the queen of the Amazons, gathered an army and marched to help the Trojans.
Achilles, who was then the bravest man in the world, was fighting for the Greeks.
"This is so sad! Poor Penthesilea…" said Narcissa.
I was very intrigued by this myth. Penthesilea made me a bit sad and I pitied her. I am named after the Amazon Star, so I view myself as a powerful warrior. I never wanted to be just a trophy wife: I wanted to have success in a man's world.
Because of Achilles I had a bad opinion about men, and I swore to myself I would never fall in love. Many men tried to win my heart, but only the Dark Lord managed to tame it. When I first saw him, I fell in love with him because he was better than any man. The fact that he will never return my feelings makes him even more attractive. Like Penthesilea, I died in battle, but I knew that I wasn't dying in vain: I died fighting for my master.