Hey, I'm only going to bore you with one AN for this whole story, but I just wanted to introduce you to it, basically. This is my first Troy fanfic, although I've done three One Tree Hill ones already, so if you don't like it, sorry. It was originally written just for me but I figured, might as well post it. If you like, review, if you don't, you don't have to read it, simple as that.

Basically there are going to be alternate points of view: Briseis, then Achilles, the back to Briseis – so on and so forth. I've used lines from the film - sorry if it's a breach of copyright but it's only because I love it so much. There are also flashbacks galore, not in italics, so sorry if it's a little confusing. Hope you enjoy!

- Team Frank

Chapter One – Before & After

I can separate everything that happened in those few short months into 'before' and 'after'. Before, when I amused myself and Theo during the day, and shared Achilles' bed at night. And after, when I lived in the condemning stares of my people, and had to deal with the consequences of my lover's actions. I was happy before, or content, at least. But then the camp was attacked in the dead of night by my cousin and his troops, and 'before' became 'after'.

I was woken by crying in the corner of the tent, and it took me a moment or two to realise that Achilles was not next to me. He should have been; he had fallen asleep with his arm draped across me. But now he had gone; he wasn't in the tent at all, as far as I could see, so I made my way through the darkness to Theo, whose wailing ceased as soon as I gave him a nipple to suckle on. Over the new silence, I could hear screams, cries, the sounds of battle. But no swords. Odd, I thought, there are always at least a few swords.

At that moment Achilles reappeared at the door, sighing and smiling. "I heard his cries halfway down the beach," he said, coming to stand beside me and stroking our baby's hair.

"What's going on out there?" I asked, turning my head to face him, my eyes flitting over his body. Even after all this time, he still had the power to make my stomach screw up in knots and my fingertips tingle.

"Ah, the Trojans are attacking the troops down the beach. Big flaming balls and tricks like that." He walked away from me, towards the table, where he picked up an apple.

"Are Hector and Paris there?"

"You never give up on your cousins, do you Briseis?" he mocked, taking a bite.

"They're still my family, even if they are your enemies." I retorted, turning and bending down to place Theo back in his makeshift cot.

"Hector is," my lover said behind me, "but I did not see Paris. Probably wanted to stay sleeping, the lazy bastard."

I turned, Theo having settled. "Do you enjoy provoking me?" Achilles rolled his eyes, remembering the time I said the same words over a year ago.

"It's just so easy."

He smiled.

I woke later, much later, when Phoebus Apollo had drawn his chariot right across the sky. The battle had ended, or at least died down now, judging by what I could hear. I didn't want to move – I never felt as safe as when Achilles had his arms around me – so I looked over at Theo, who was still sleeping soundly, took a deep breath in and settled back down.

"Good morning," my companion breathed in my ear, in that voice of his, dusky and irresistible. He kissed me on the neck and rose, smiling at Theo as he passed. Just as he was pulling on his robe, a voice sounded from beyond the door.

"Achilles," it called.

"Ah, Eudorus." My lover sighed and shook his head. "I'll see what he wants and then I'll be back," he stepped out into the sun, his hand running through his hair.

I could hear speaking outside, but the voices were too muffled to make out the words. Pulling on a dress, I opened the partition just in time to Eudorus, in armour, fall to his knees and speak quietly.

"I didn't lead them, my lord. We thought you did." I didn't know what they were talking about, but from the sombre note in Eudorus' voice, I could tell it was not going to be a cause for celebration.

Achilles turned his head, as if looking for someone. "Where's Patroclus?" He called, "Patroclus!", and Eudorus spoke again, even quieter this time.

"We thought he was you, my lord. He wore your armour. Your shield, your greaves, your helmet. He even moved like you."

"Where is he?!" Achilles struck, and Eudorus fell to the ground. I ran forward, unable to say anything or do anything other than stand and watch the scene unfold.

Eudorus turned back to face Achilles, sand covering his face and blood dripping from his mouth. "He's dead, my lord." He paused, hesitating. "Hector cut his throat."

In that second, in that short, short second just like any other, Apollo's sun stopped in the sky and Time no longer moved.

Hector.

I was not naïve, no matter what Agamemnon or his henchmen thought. I knew what this meant. I knew that, within days, Achilles would avenge his cousin's death.

By killing mine. Oh, Gods…

But then Time began again, and Achilles' foot was on Eudorus' neck, and he was choking him, and I ran forward and was grabbing and shouting, unaware of what I was doing. And then he turned on me, and my lover, the father of my child, had his hand round my throat and was choking the life out of me, and then he threw me to the ground, coughing and spluttering.

With no glance back he turned away and headed for the sea, and we were left with nothing. Nothing but the sound of Theo's helpless cries.

That evening, we watched Patroclus burn on the pyre that had been erected on the beach by the Myrmidons. I held Theo close to my chest, wary of leaving him in the tent but worried he'd be scared of the flames. I watched Achilles place two coins on his cousin's eyes, for the boatman, and I watched him take Patroclus' shell necklace and wind it round his hand. He had a hard look on his face, the same look he had when we first met, but I had rarely seen since. Like he was closed off from the world, his anger and sadness forming a protective shield, harder and thicker than any used in battle.

Seeing that look, I knew we'd never go back to the way things were before.