Troy: Our City of Tears

by WhimsicottMoon

The Trojan War was a clash of men and gods, of lovers and fighters, of Trojans and Greeks. But the Illiad, unfortunately, overlooks the role that the women of both sides played; so here is the story of the Trojan War, retold by the women and warriors who defined their respective countries.

1. I: Cassandra of Troy

I. Cassandra of Troy

I stare out of my bedroom window, overlooking the sprawling city of Troy and the blue skies above it, but the sun does not shine. Not the way it used to. Not since that final day in Apollo's temple.

I was once both beautiful and clever. They used to say that I was the most beautiful Trojan princess, but they only say I'm crazy now. The whispers trail me through the streets, and yet they don't dare say anything to my face, because I am a daughter of King Priam.

"It is her punishment," they all say. "Punishment for refusing the god Apollo."

The only solace I have now is that I know they will all end up dead. I see the past, the present, and the future; the visions come and go without being invited or wanted. I see one -and only one- future ahead: the ships will come, and Troy will be bathed in the blood of Trojans. The Greeks will come, and they will put my people to the sword, send my family to the slaughter. The wooden horse they pull through our gates will be as tall as a tower, and the fires that lick at our city will be as red as my hair.

I see these visions every day, in the scarlet threads of time that twist their way through my eyes. My eyes are still green, cloudy and green, and I wonder when they will turn as red as those threads, those twisting threads of time dyed with fire and dipped in blood.

I am Oedipus. I am Perseus. I am as doomed as those fools who seek the Oracle of Delphi. I am the human cursed to know her own fate. This was my punishment for refusing Apollo, for attempting to choose my own path. But tell me truly, can anyone deserve this punishment?

I want the power to protect the few I still care about, but that is beyond my abilities. I've learned that I cannot refuse the gods. We'll all burn, and we'll all bleed. We'll all fall into the depths of the Underworld, and our beautiful city, Troy, will fade into a legend.

Soon, the ships will come.

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Author's note: While some details may not be completely faithful to the Illiad/Oresteia, the overall grand scheme is more or less the same. Please, read on and review!