Paris sighed, gazing outside the window. The autumn breeze blew in. Time had passed so quickly. He wished to see Helen again, to tell her that he loved her. He wanted to tell her the truth, why he was sending her back to Sparta, but he couldn't. As soon as he had chosen to stop loving her, he believed that she would stop trusting him as well. Their love had vanished with the dead leaves.
Paris forced himself to smile. Hector would be proud of him for once. He would say that Paris had finally matured, finally learned a bit of morality. He was doing the right thing, he knew that. Why did it hurt? His heart felt as if it wouldn't stop bleeding. It had only been beating for Helen, ever since that beautiful spring day when they had met overseas. When Cupid had shot an arrow through his heart, he first laid his eyes on Helen. He remembered the feeling of absolute bliss, what it was like to fall in love. It felt like a sting, and then an awkward heat spread through his body. When she smiled at him politely to welcome him into her home, an icy coolness calmed him. A feeling of nausea had taken over. All he saw was Helen, for a full moon.
It was all a dream, he thought.
Yet, Paris couldn't help himself. He thought of Helen's feelings as she left his side. A lump formed in his throat.
"Paris?" A voice came from the doorway.
It was Aeneas. "Helen arrived at Sparta safely. I thought you would want to know that, even though you tell me you don't love her anymore. If there's one thing that takes a long time to change, it's a feeling. Don't try too hard to forget her."
Paris covered his face. "Thank you, Aeneas." His voice came out roughly.
Aeneas left. Paris wanted to be alone, if he could, for just a moment. Just then, he heard heavy footsteps. It was Hector.
"Paris, my brother, lift your head. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
Paris refused. He pretended he had not heard, and continued to face the floor.
"I did the right thing," Paris managed to say. The lump kept getting larger.
"Of course you did, my brother. I know how you must feel. It's alright. I know she understood." Hector placed his hand on Paris' shoulder. The lump finally exploded. He cried, but no sound came out. He wept. He grieved, for he felt as if a part of his heart had been chiseled away along with Helen. He wondered how he would be able to survive without her.
"Paris, Troy is saved for what you've done. The Greeks will leave our shores tomorrow at dawn. You'll always have Helen in your memory, Paris. Don't erase it. It will only hurt you more. Someday, maybe you'll be looking back at the past, and it won't hurt anymore. Just remember that you still love her, Paris. Nothing is wrong with that."