Prologue...
Her locks were of a muddied ebony shade, rich as cinnamon and enlivened by ruddy streaks of gold. Her cynical smirk, filled with approbation, lanced out of clear eyes of a scorched brown, as dark and solemn as the ruddy dirt of Troy's fields. She was at once winsome and wholesome, with a sprightly darkness and innocent charm that was captivating. Though hidden in the virgin robes, she entranced others. Her slow smile, quick and energetic, only flitted into view when she was especially pleased. Scores of men had worked lifetimes to earn such trust from her beautiful mouth.
He was of a godly blondness, honeyed and thick, haughty and impermeable, as he stood in the sun's rays and was bathed by the sun's light. Even in the jaundiced gloom of an overcast morning, he managed to shine. His eyes were of the midday sky, powerfully azure, commandingly azure,with an intensity that left a viewer seeking water to slack his thirst.With hair of a burnished ocher, he was of the earth and of the stars. He was of the golden morning and of the first touch of orange in a robust sunset. He was the beginning, and he was the end. She was his middle, and she was his life. Achilles and Briseis. Timeless and eternal. Complete.
They met as an accident. She was the wronged slave, clawing for freedom. He was the dissatisfied overlord, desperate for understanding. They should not have made sense. But they did. Come with me, my friend, to hear the story of Achilles and Briseis. To hear the hymn of the beauty and the intrigue, and to be regailed with the power of a love so strong as to leave you breathless in its aftermath. Come with me, my friend, and listen.
