Disclaimer: I do not own Greek Mythology. I wrote this story to take to an audition for a summer writing program.
Before the Thousand*
Dedicated to Joey and Kyrie Morales, my "little sisters", in my heart even if not by blood.
She was the most beautiful girl in the world, Queen Helen of Sparta, with her flowing waves of golden hair and sapphire blue eyes. Later, she would be known as Helen of Troy, the infamous cause of the Trojan War, some say of her own free will, some say by her kidnapping. But at the moment our story starts, Helen had no idea of what was in her future. She was sixteen and she had just given birth to her first daughter.
Helen leaned back against her pillows, exhausted as she gazed down at the tiny face of her infant daughter.
"Hello, Hermione" she whispered.
The baby had her father's fiery red hair, but her mother's eyes. Helen smiled as her husband, King Menelaus, entered the room and knelt beside her bed.
She had married him three years ago; she had been thirteen and he had been thirty. At first she had been afraid of her much older husband, but he was always gentle and kind to her.
Menelaus smiled at her and took her hand,
"How are you, Helen? Are you alright?" his eyes were gentle and concerned.
She smiled,
"Yes, I'm fine, exhausted but fine, I am not the first woman in the world to give birth, you know" He squeezed her hand lightly,
"I know, I know" he looked down at little Hermione,
"May I hold her?" She handed the baby to him and he took her tenderly in his arms.
"Hermione" he cooed, "my pretty little girl, you are going to be so beautiful, just like your mother"
Hermione chirped happily, looking up at him with big blue eyes. He gently stroked her face with one finger, an adoring smile on his face. Helen sighed in relief.
"I was so afraid that you would not love her because she was a girl, or even that you would want to get rid of her" Menelaus frowned,
"You think I would murder my own sweet daughter?" he looked at her, shocked and hurt. The very thought of harming the tiny, precious baby in his arms made him sick.
"I have heard stories of men that have done so and others who have put aside their wives for bearing only girls" she held out a hand in his direction, "do not be angry with me"
"I am not angry" his voice was quiet. He handed Hermione back to her and then took her hand again,
"Helen, I could never harm either you or our children. I swear this to you, by all the gods" He kissed her tenderly,
"I love you so much, do you not know this, silly girl?" Helen smiled,
"I know, I love you too. You are so different" she said wonderingly,
"All the other men I have met, all those other suitors, they desired my beauty and my wealth, they wanted me because I am Zeus' daughter, they would have thought of me as nothing more than an object to bring them pleasure in their beds and a means to get a crown, but you, you treat me like I am something precious, even my father, who gave me everything I wanted, treated me like a precious jewel in his treasury and not as his child "
His eyes were filled with love,
"You are precious to me" he cupped her cheek in his palm,
"You are beautiful, yes, but you are so much more than that. You are kind and sweet and brave and intelligent; you are unlike anyone I have ever met and I thank the gods everyday that somehow you are mine. Those others must be blind or mad to not see how wonderful you are." He looked down at the baby again,
"And I will never treat our daughter as just another item I own and can trade as I will, I promise, I will always love and cherish her"
Helen smiled, contented,
"I know you will" Then she yawned. The wet nurse came forward to take the baby. Menelaus rose to his feet,
"I should leave, you need to rest" he gave her one last lingering, tender kiss.
"sleep well, my sweet Helen"
When he reached the doorway, Menelaus looked back to see that Helen was already asleep, a soft smile still on her lovely face.
An answering smile spread across his own face, "good night, my love" he whispered as he left the room.
*The title of this story is a reference to the line "The face that launched a thousand ships"