What done is done, but you can change it
by whenineternal
Disclaimer: I don`t own Patroclus, Hector, Achilles etc. Nor the actors who portray them in the magnificent movie Troy. They belong to history and themselves.
Warning: This is slash folks, if it will be any terribly graphic or hints at any I don`t yet know..
Hector saw an opening and struck, his sword hitting flash as it sliced a deep wound on his opponent stomach. Both armies was silent as they watched the great Achilles fall in a graceful arch to the ground, blood already pouring out of his wound. As the man hit the ground with a thomp, Hector couldnt help but think that it had been far to easy. He had seen, but only from afar, what this man could do and frankly, he had expected more. Hector knelt down at Achilles side and took of the mans helmet. What he saw sent great dread, grief and self-hatred trough him, all at once.
It wasn`t Achilles staring up at him, but a mere young boy, not older than seventeen at the most. The boy was looking up at him with large, pleading blue eyes that clearly said `I don`t want to die´. Hector didn`t want him to die either, he didn`t want a young boy to die so soon before his time, and certainly not by his hand. "It was his cousin" a man Hector recognized as Odysseus, King of Ithaca said and the prince felt both anger and dread at his words. Anger because the older man could so easily think the boy was already out of rech for help, and dread because he knew instinctively who`s cousin the boy was."He still is, you do not seriously think I will let a young boy like him die, not at my hand" Hector said as he stood and ordered two soldiers over to him.
"Get him on a horse and to the palace, I want him with a pychician before I come back" he ordered and the two quickly went to work, gently lifting the boy up and on a horse that another soldier rode over, setting him before the rider who gripped him tigthly across the chest as he rode as quickly as he dared, with the wounded boy in front of him, back to the city. "Enough for today" Hector said once the soldier with the boy was out of sight, turning to Odysseus again. "Yes" the man answered "back to the ships!" he yelled to the greeks who sent the message to others and made their way back to camp. "He will not be happy, if Patroclus isn`t kept in good hands you will feel his wrath on yourself Prince Hector" Odysseus said in a quieter voice to Hector who looked up at him with determined eyes set in a hard face. "And I will gladly take whatever he will inflict upon me should anything happen to the boy, he is under my protection" Hector swore and Odysseus could see the truth in his statement in not only his eyes but every movement the prince made as he walked to his horse.
Hector raced his horse at it`s top speed back to Troy. He had a fluttering feeling in his stomach that he couldnt quite identify. It could be the self-hatred, the dread of what might happen, depending on the next days and the boys recovery, Patroclus he reminded himself the boys name was. Patroclus, another wave of fluttering upset his stomach and he slumped a little on the horses back, making it stear a little to the side in an attempt to keep it`s rider atop it`s back. Hector quickly caught himself and straightened, almost smiling as his steed tossed his head and grunted, spitting foam over the sand in his relief. They raced through the opened gates and trough the streets where people was standing outside doors to see what was going on and what had happened. The few out in the street quickly ran out of the way of Hector and his galloping steed, looking after him with slight confusion written on their faces.
When he reached the palace stairs and jumped of his horses back, Hector still hadn`t figured out what the fluttering was and pushed it to the back of his mind for the moment and called a guard over to him. "Can you take my horse down to the stables?" he asked the guard who immediatly nodded his head not questioning the prince`s strange behaviour. Normally Hector would take care of his horse himself. When his horse was lead away, Hector raced up the steps to find a servant girl waiting for him. She silently led him to one of the unoccupied guest rooms near the royal family`s own, where he found Patroclus lying on a bed, uncouncious with several pychicians around him, tending to him. Servant girls was situated around the room in case something were needed and Hecuba, Hector`s mother as well as his wife Andromache was in there as well, Hecuba gently dabbing at Patroclus face with a cold washcloth.
When they heard the door open the two women looked up and Andromache immediatly ran to him. He kissed her cheek as she flung her arms around him. After only a moment he pulled away a little but kept an arm around her waist as he walked over to stand at the head of the bed with his mother. "How is he?" he asked and one of the phycicians stopped and straightened to talk to him. "He is under the influence of a sleeping draught, we are working on fixing his wound and it only needs stitching, but he has lost much blood. When we are done the only thing to do is wait," he said and Hector nodded his head not looking away from the pale face of the beautiful boy, contrasting richly against the dark brown covers under him. He untangled Andromache`s hands from around his waist and reached out his hand to his mother, silently asking for the washcloth. She gave it to him without question and stood up from the bed so he could take her place.
The two women watched Hector for a time as he stroked Patroclus face with a gentleness not expected in such a roughened warrior. Hector also stroked Patroclus hair away from the boys face and dragged the washcloth down his neck and to his bare shoulders. Andromache had tears in her eyes as she saw the guilt in her husbands eyes. Hecuba took her hand and gently guided her out of the room with tears of her own, clouding her eyes.
Hector ignored the exhaustion creeping up on him and the failing strenght of his limbs as he started to calm down, the adrenaline leaving his body. It wasnt until the phycicians finished sticthing up Patroclus wound and had it cleaned and bandaged, leaving the room with the promise to check up on him later in the day that he left the bedside for a chair on the other side of the room. Bringing it with him despite the size, Hector sat it down close to the bed and sat in it, propping his legs up on the bed and watched Patroclus face. After a minute he started feeling a little uncomfortable and when he moved in his seat the fact that he still wore his armour came to mind.
Standing, Hector removed his breastplate and vambraces, placing them carefully on the floor and sitting down again, leaning over to take off his greaves and his sandals. When they were off he sat back in the chair after placing them along with the rest of his armour as well as his helmet and sword, now wearing only the woolenprotector and underskirt. As he looked up at Patroclus face again, the fluttering sensation came back full force and he chocked on the air he breathed in. He knew now at least that it had something to do with this boy, but why he still couldn`t for the life of him, figure out.
After a while he gradually fell asleep, his head still facing in the direction of Patroclus' and his hand had uncounciously laid itself over the boys still one, grabbing the slim fingers in his grasp.
Later that day Hector was woken by the sound of gentle knocking and the door opening. Still not quite awake and rested, Hector kept his eyes closed and didn`t move as the person now inside came over to the chair and knelt in front of his feet. A large hand stroked his cheek for a fleeting second before it was gone and the person stood again but didnt move away. "You didn`t know brother" the man whispered and kissed the top of Hector`s head and the prince recognised the voice of Paris. When the younger prince was almost at the door, Hector opened his eyes and called after him in a soft tired voice.
"Paris, come here". Paris turned and hurried over to his brother on silent feet and knelt by his chair again, taking the hand Hector held up for him, between his own. "Look at him Paris" Hector began, his eyes once again resting on Patroclus face, "I did that to him". Paris gripped Hectors hand tighter and first then noticed his brothers other hand was gripping the greeks fingers tightly.
A sad smile came to Paris lips and he brought his brothers hand up to his mouth, placing a soft kiss on the knuckles. "You didn`t know it was him, you tought it was Achilles, you are not to be blamed for this" he said in a firm voice, trying to convince his brother of that. "It doesn`t matter whether I knew or not, he can die and I wouldnt be able to bear the guilt of killing a young boy like him in a one on one duel. I wouldn`t have to either, if Patroclus doesn`t recover, Achilles will surely have me at swordpoint before the sun hangs high on the sky" he finished with bitterness coloring his voice.
"Don`t say that" Paris pleaded in a pained tone of voice, the same pain reflected in his eyes. Hector looked back down at his little brother and released Patroclus hand to grip Paris shoulders and lift him up, placing him in his lap as he used to do when they were younger and Paris was upset. The young prince immediatly curled himself together in his brother`s lap, gripping the woolen shirt in his hands as he buried his face in his brothers chest as Hector held him close and put his head on top of Paris`. They sat like that for a time, Paris slowly calming down until he fell asleep and Hector went back to watching the still very pale boy.
When the sun went down there was a knock on the door again but Paris didnt wake. Hector called out a soft `come in´ and the door opened, Hecuba slipping in along with Andromache and a phycician. When she saw Paris, Hecuba smiled and walked up to them, running her hand trough Paris curls. The younger prince moaned softly in his sleep and snuggled closer to Hectors chest and the warmth he eminated. Andromache as well smiled at the sight of the two brothers, but it changed to a sad one when her eyes fell on the still uncounciouss boy on the bed. "I haven`t seen you two like this since Paris was fourteen" Hecuba whispered, still smiling. Hector too smiled a little as he kissed the top of Paris head and shook him gently by the shoulder. Paris eyes fluttered open before closing again with a soft groan from the mans troat. Chuckling a little, Hector shifted slightly so Paris` feet fell of the armrest of the chair, waking him more toroughly. Paris let out a short cry of surprise as he almost fell from the chair and cluthed at his brother who tightened his arms around the younger prince waist.
Hector smiled and helped Paris to his feet before standing himself and watched the physician check the young greek`s wound and his forehead, looking for any feverish symptoms. After a while he straightened and adressed the crown prince with a bow "there is no sign of an infection, but he is a little hot. The color has come back a little but he is still to pale for my liking. All we can do is try to keep him warm and as comfortable as possible and wait until he wakes up, if he wakes up" the last part was mumbled almost to low for anyone else to hear but Hector did.
"He will wake" he said in a firm voice, anger again blazing in his eyes. The physician didn`t say anything, just nodded his head and put the covers up over Patroclus body again. Andromache walked over to her husband and put her hand on his arm, "Hector, come you must rest and get some food. The boy will be alright but you need to see to your own needs" she said in a soft, slightly uncertain voice. She wasn`t sure what to make of Hector`s actions and the way he treated the young greek with such gentleness and the fact that he had stayed in the room with him since the moment he came back, and almost pushing her away when she had been so worried. She understood that he felt guilt, but that was not reason enough for him to do all that he had.
And she had been there earlier when Hector was asleep and had seen the way he cluthed the boys hand in his own. Hector looked at her and nodded his head but didn`t make any move to leave the room as the physician packed up his things and left the room with Hecuba and Paris following. Andromache pulled at Hectors arm a little to get his attention and he slowly took his eyes away from Patroclus and followed her out of the room.
Pain, his whole body was in pain, at least it felt like it in his half concious state. Patroclus
groaned as he tried to lift his hand and felt a burning pain in his abdomen. Almost immediatly after, something cold was laid on his forehead, dragging a little down his neck before laying still. He tried to open his eyes but felt them almost glued shut. The cloth stroked down his face, over his eyelids and his cheeks and disappearing followed by the sound of softly splashing water. Now able to move his eyelids, Patroclus slowly opened his eyes only to shut them again with a pained moan. There was some rustling of cloth and Patroclus saw the light disappeare trough halflidded eyes when they fluttered open again. Someone, obviously a man from the large build was walking by the end of the bed and Patroclus felt the bed dip as another sat beside him, placing the cold washcloth to his forehead again.
He sighed contentedly at the feel of it but gasped as pain flared trough his stomach again. Looking down Patroclus saw in the torchlight a man bent over, loosening the bandage around his lower abdomen. The man stopped and looked up at Patroclus when the boy gasped and smiled slightly, "this will hurt, however on and off until it is fully healed. But hopefully it looks better now than it did three days ago" the man, who Patroclus guessed was a physician said.
He could only nod his head as he bit hard into his lower lip. A girl came over with a goblet filled with water and helped support his head as he drank his fill of it, stopping a few times beacuse he kept getting coughing fits.
The physician checked the wound and bound it with new linen bandages after putting a salve on it. The man called a servant girl over to him and said in a low voice that still floated to Patroclus ears. "Tell Prince Hector he is awake, he wanted to know immediatly". The girl bowed her head and exited the room, closing the door gently behind her.
Prince Hector, why would he want to know of my condition? Patroclus thought, confused. That led to several other questions racing trough his mind. If Hector, the crown prince of Troy is here, then that must mean I am in Troy, but why? I am greek, why would he care what happened to me, why would he get me help? The questions continued, but without an answer to any of them they just made him feel dizzy and lightheaded. He groaned and lifted his right hand, which didn`t hurt as much, to his head. The physician was at his side instantly, checking his temperature and his eyes to see if his pupils were dilated. Seeing no sign of him being feverish the man sighed in relief. "Give him more water, and somebody get some food for the boy" he ordered the remaining servant girls who hurried to do as he said. The same girl as before lifted his head again and held the refilled goblet to his mouth.
Hector sighed as he looked out over the city from the balcony of his rooms. In the background he heard Andromache cooing to little Astyanax and smiled a little as he turned his head to look at them. It had been three days since that morning on the beach when he made the swing that might have killed a young boy not even fully grown. He stepped inside and walked to his wife sitting on the bed holding their son in her arms. She looked up when she felt the bed dip and smiled as she handed the little boy to Hector. Andromache leaned against her husband and sighed contentedly at the feel of his stronge body.
Achilles had been at the gates earlier that day, demanding to be let in to Patroclus. He had been denied entrance and had left with the promise to be back and his wrath set upon them if anything happened to his cousin.
A knock at the door made the family look up as it was pushed open slightly by a small girl. She bowed and kept her head down as she spoke. "My prince, I was sent to inform you that Patroclus is awake" she said in a timid voice. Hector thanked her and sent her away. He handed Astyanax to Andromache after kissing his cheek and left the room with the promise to be back by darkness.
He walked quickly trough the halls to Patroclus room only acknowledging his brother Deiphobus with a short nod of the head as he passed him.
He stopped once he reached the door to the greeks quarters and took a deep breath before slowly opening the door. What he saw sent joy trough him that he wasn`t completley sure was appropriate. Patroclus had been helped up into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard of the bed with several pillows behind his back. The boy was favouring his right side, leaning a little more on it and eating bread and cheese of a tray set beside him on the bed. He looked up when he heard the door open and choked on the piece of bread he had in his mouth at the moment, making him cough. Hector hurried over and picked up the goblet of water resting on the chest beside the bed and held it up for him. Patroclus took it gratefully, swallowing half of it before sighing and settling back in the pillows. The greek regarded him curiously as Hector sat in the chair by the bed, steepling his fingers and neither said anything for a while.
"Why did you help me?" Patroclus finally broke the silence with the question that had been nagging him the most. Hector hesitated before answering. "I couldn`t let you die" he said, but at the questioning look he got from Patroclus elaborated.
"I couldn`t let a boy like you die, especially not by my hand". Patroclus nodded slightly altough he didn`t quite understand why the prince would help him and then, if he were to believe the physician and the servant girls, not leave his bedside for a whole day and visiting regurarly when he was unconcious. The silence was more uncomfortable now and Patroclus played with the bedsheats and felt a little exposed at the fact that he wasn`t wearing a shirt. But looking at Hector he realised he wasnt the only one. Patroclus blushed and quickly looked away when he realised he had been staring at the same time as Hector droped his gaze to the floor as he realised he had done the same thing.
"How are you feeling?" Hector asked, the tension to great for him to bear anymore. Patroclus shifted a little and hissed as a shot of pain swept trough his wound. Hector instantly worried, again without really knowing why, leant forward in his chair, placing a hand on Patroclus forearm. "I feel fine" Patroclus lied trough gritted teeth and Hector let out a snort of laughter in disbelief. "You feel fine, want to tell me the truth now?" he asked and sat back in his chair again when he couldn`t see any sign that Patroclus was in more pain. "As long as I keep still I feel fine" Patroclus tried again. Hector still didn`t believe him but decided to leave it at that not wanting to push the boy. "What happened?" Patroclus asked another question, again feeling uncomfortable under the stare of the trojan prince.
"What do you mean?" Hector asked, not understanding completley what the boy was referring to. "After the battle, what happened?" Patroclus clarified.
Hector lowered his head and closed his eyes tight before answering, without lifting his head. "There was an opening in your defence, it was small and would have gone unnoticed by one not as trained as I am, that is how I got you. The king of Ithaca sent the greeks back to the ships and one of my soldiers brought you back here. You have been unconcious since then, which is now three days ago" he said and finally lifted his head to look at Patroclus who was again playing with the bedsheat. "And what about Achilles?" he asked in a small voice, and Hector saw the frightened boy in Patroclus as the greek lifted his eyes to Hectors.
"He was here, outside the gates this morning. We wont let him in until you are well enough to handle him yourself," the prince said but Patroclus got the real meaning behind the words. They wouldnt let him in until Patroclus was healed so the golden warrior wouldn`t draw sword on them.
Patroclus turned his head away from the prince and looked out the window. He was happy to be alive, but the only place he wanted to be right now was in his cousin`s arms, having Achilles look after him like he had done before when he was sick.
The thought of him made tears start to well in the boy`s eyes and he really just wanted to be alone in his own misery.
Hector luckily, seemed to catch up on it and stood from the chair.
"I will leave you to your thoughts, it must be hard for you. I hope you will allow me to check up on you from time to time" Hector said in a very quiet voice and waited with bated breath for a reaction from Patroclus.
It took a minute, but Patroclus finally nodded his head sharply once and Hector left. He stopped at the door and took one last look at the boy and saw the lone tear slip past his defences and down his cheek.
TBC.
A/N I have found one fanfic with Hector/Patroclus in it and I`ve looked hard... so I thought I should just write my own..... so I did:p
I really hope you like it and rewievs is love people!!
And I might put some Achilles/Patroclus in here to in later chapters, that all depends on which ending I decide on.