Chapter 2
"Hit and Run"

Lila awoke nearly twenty times while sleeping and had been lying awake for possibly an hour now, staring blankly at the ceiling. She heard the door open and sat up immediately, drawing the sheets around her naked form. The young girl from last night crept inside quietly before she realized Lila was awake. She bowed and quickly backed away toward the door. "I am sorry. I did not mean to wake you."

"I was already awake," Lila answered. "You don't need to apologize or bow or anything. It's a little weird." The girl seemed confused and straightened up but kept her gaze to the floor. "So you're Althea?"

"Yes. Prince Hector has sent me."

"Great. Well, Althea, I really don't like all this servant behavior. Do you think you could try to maybe not act like one?"

"It is my duty to serve."

"Right," Lila sighed. "We'll work on it. Now Althea where can a girl take a bath?"

Althea led Lila into an adjoining room with a tub the size of a meteor crater (mild exaggeration). Althea left only to return moments later with several other women, all carrying huge pails of water. One by one, they filled with tub with hot water while one woman added various oils. When it was finished, the room was filled with the scent of sweet florals and musky woods. The other women bowed and left, but Althea stayed behind. Lila stood, waiting to see if something else needed to be done, but Althea didn't move.

"Do you need something?" Lila finally asked.

"I will help you bathe," Althea answered. Apparently that should have been obvious.

"I prefer to bathe alone, so… Could you wait for me in the other room? I'm definitely going to need some help getting dressed. I still have no idea how you wound me into that dress last night." Lila smiled kindly, but Althea still wouldn't make eye contact. The girl left quietly.

Once fully alone, Lila dropped the sheet from around her and stepped into the hot bath. It felt like a blissful eternity as she relaxed in the water. It was an opportunity for her to forget about her predicament, and she took full advantage of it. Once she finally stepped out of the bath, her fingers and toes had turned to prunes. She used a linen cloth to dry off and squeezed as much of the water out of her hair as she could. Then she returned to her room where Althea had laid out several pieces of cobalt blue cloth. Once more she expertly wound the pieces around Lila into a robe with gold accents. She offered Lila a platter of fruit for her to munch on while Althea gently combed out her hair and began arranging it into a simple style with the sides pinned up and the length running down her back. Unlike the others who all seemed to have the gene for perfectly curled hair, Lila's hair was naturally straight with the slightest bit of a wave to it. It was also a medium auburn color with tones of copper. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and had a brief moment of vanity where she wondered if she was considered beautiful in this culture.

Once finished, Althea stood near by, awaiting further instruction, but Lila was more interested in conversation. "How old are you, Althea?"

"Sixteen."

"How long have you been a servant here?"

"For many years."

"Where are you parents?"

"My father serves the king. My mother died during child birth."

"I'm sorry. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"My brother passed with my mother."

Lila frowned and told Althea to come sit beside her. Hesitantly, the girl obeyed. "I realize this is difficult for you to understand, but you don't need to be so cordial with me. Where I'm from everyone is equal, and I don't need anyone to bow to me or serve me. I'm not used to all these different customs, and I hope you'll help me not as a servant but as a friend." Althea didn't say anything. Years of being subservient were clearly hard to break, but Lila decided to make it her side mission to get this girl to relax. It would be nice to have someone to actually talk with rather than command. "I'm going to take a look around the palace."

"Would you like me to accompany you?"

"No, you go do something fun. You're young. Enjoy it." Althea didn't know how to take such a command and simply watched as Lila exited the room.

Lila of course had no idea where she was going. She glanced down the hallway leading to Hector's room and paused to listen. No sound. She then proceeded out to the garden from the night before and wandered around the perimeter of the palace. Every servant she passed, bowed to her, and Lila tried to ignore it. It felt too bizarre to acknowledge, and she was sure she couldn't stop all of them and tell them to stop bowing to her. She simply continued wandering until she happened upon a young man practicing archery. He expertly drew the bow, took less than a second to aim, and shot the arrow perfectly into the middle of the target. Then he turned to look at her, and she realized it was Paris.

The young prince smiled and waved her over. "Lila?" He asked, and she nodded. After all, what kind of ladies' man would he be if he was certain of her name? "Did you and my brother have an entertaining evening?" He asked with a wolfish grin. He was clearly ecstatic that his perfect brother had indulged in the forbidden fruit.

"Why don't you ask him?" Lila countered, a little defensively. Paris chuckled good naturedly as he shot another arrow into the center of the target. "You're good," Lila admitted while Paris strung another arrow. "I've always wanted to learn archery."

Paris glanced at her and offered her the bow and arrow. "I'll teach you."

Lila waved him off and shook her head. "I'll probably shoot you or someone else. I'm really not coordinated."

"You won't. Take it." Paris coaxed the bow into her hands and stood behind her guiding her movements with the occasional correction. Lila practiced drawing and releasing the bow a few times under Paris' watchful eye.

"Do you love Helen?" She asked as she released the sinew for a third time.

"Like I've never loved another," Paris answered without hesitation. He then surprised her by asking, "Do you love my brother?"

Lila was still getting used to how forward Paris was. "I only just met him."

"I knew the moment I saw Helen." He was completely confident of this fact, and Lila found herself feeling a hint of jealously. She had never experienced that feeling or had anyone feel that way about her –at least not that she knew of. Paris interrupted her thoughts and handed her an arrow to use. "Keep your arm steady." Lila in turn made the necessary adjustments to her arms and aimed carefully for the target. "Take your time," Paris advised. She felt the strength in her body as she gazed down the arrow toward the target. She released the arrow and watched it shoot straight into the target. Granted it was very off center and at the bottom edge of the target, but Lila was ecstatic.

"I did it!" She held the bow up and danced around victoriously.

Paris laughed and asked, "What do you think, brother?" Lila stopped her celebrating immediately and looked over to see Hector leaning against a pillar watching them with a smile on his face.

"She can do better," he said encouragingly. "Try again, Lila."

She felt as if she were blushing from head to toe. How long had he been there? Certainly long enough to enjoy her victory dance. 'I am a such a twat,' she thought to herself. She couldn't think of any witty remark to perhaps lessen the embarrassment of the situation, so she simply took the arrow from Paris and drew the bow again.

"Drop your elbow a little," Hector directed from his spot against the pillar. Lila did as she was told and released the arrow once more. This time it was still not centered, but it was certainly closer.

She handed the bow back to Paris and explained, "I think that's enough for me today."

"We'll practice again," Paris promised with another of his charming smiles which Lila couldn't help returning. Something about his boyish ways reminded her of her brother. Lila approached Hector then, and they began strolling around the palace together.

"My brother plans to challenge Menelaus to a fight for Helen tomorrow," Hector said once they were out of earshot. He turned to Lila and leaned in close as he whispered urgently, "Does he die?"

She shook her head, and Hector visibly relaxed. "I think Menelaus beats him up pretty badly, but Paris gets away somehow." She hesitated, unsure of how much to divulge. "Paris kills Achilles," she finally admitted. Hector couldn't stop the doubt from creeping across his face. Lila smiled. "Yea, believe me. No one sees it coming."

They continued walking, and Hector asked, "Yesterday you told me not to fight Achilles. Why?"

Lila bit her lip as she struggled to remember the details. "Achilles has a young cousin who looks just like him, and Achilles has trained him to fight, so they even move alike. Agamemnon and Achilles don't get along, and Achilles won't fight for a while to piss Agamemnon off. His cousin, however, takes his armor and leads his men into battle. You kill his cousin by mistake, and Achilles is so enraged that he challenges you to a fight and kills you."

Hector processed the information for a moment before asking, "How am I to know it's his cousin and not Achilles himself?"

Lila shrugged. "I don't know. You've seen Achilles, haven't you?"

"Yes, I'll never forget his face."

"If you face him, make him remove his helmet." Hector nodded, and they paused by an opening where Lila could see the sea in the distance. "Is Andromache still mad at you?"

Hector sighed and rested his hands on the ledge. "I've never seen her so angry."

"You can't blame her," Lila said. "I mean your love for one another is the stuff of legends."

Hector glanced over at her with a cynical smirk. "Is that so?" He looked back across the expanse and said, "Andromache and I had an arranged marriage. She was in love with another man at the time of our marriage. I wasn't prepared to marry a stranger either, but I knew it was my duty as the eldest son. Our union would provide a fruitful alliance for my father. She was beautiful and intelligent, but she hated me for taking her from her love. Then one day I was injured in battle, and she cared for me. I respected her, and I swore that day to be a faithful husband until my death."

Lila wasn't sure what to say. It certainly wasn't the romanticized tale she had heard. It sounded more like a modern romance. "Does she love you?" She asked cautiously.

"She's a good woman and a good wife." He paused before admitting, "I think she left her one love when she married me."

"Sometimes respect grows to love," Lila offered. "I've never been married, so I don't exactly speak from experience, but I don't think there's such a thing as the perfect marriage. It's how you work through the problems that matters." Hector didn't respond. "Then again I'm not even sure I believe in happily ever after. I watched my parent's marriage crumble right before my eyes. All that pain and fighting..." She met Hector's gaze to see he had softened since the previous topic.

"I'm sorry," he responded kindly.

Lila shrugged off the feelings that accompanied that dark period of her life. "I'm fine. I left that behind me a long time ago, and I've realized it's better they're apart. They weren't right for one another. My mother could wage this silent war for days while my dad would just try to get by. They were miserable together." She glanced down and fidgeted with the edge of her dress. Here she was in ancient Troy spilling her soul to a prince whose legendary marriage she might have just destroyed single-handedly. What was it her students said? 'Oh right,' she thought dryly, 'FML.'

"Some days I envy my younger brother," Hector admitted after a brief silence.

"Why?" Lila asked. Everyone remembered Paris as a pretty boy who couldn't keep his hands to himself while Hector was seen as the genuine, noble hero.

"Life is so simple for him."

She touched Hector's arm. "He doesn't have the responsibilities you have."

Hector shook his head and clarified, "He has his own duties, but for him Helen is everything. I've never seen him so infatuated with someone before. He would give up all he has for her without hesitation. At first, I thought it was childish, but now I'm not certain."

Lila laughed and teased, "I'm sure there are many men who would give up everything for her. I've only seen her once, and I'd probably consider it."

Hector smiled and joined in her laughter. Their eyes met for a moment, and he absentmindedly pushed a stray hair from her face. It was an unexpected gesture but certainly not unwelcome. Then he looked at the sun which had already started its descent back across the sky and realized how late in the day it was. "I need to speak with my father and commanders about tomorrow. I think I have a plan." He looked to Lila and asked, "You'll be at dinner tonight?" She nodded which seemed to please him, and he turned and walked into the palace. She watched him go with a slight smile on her face.

Lila lingered a little longer around the perimeter of the palace, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Eventually, she wandered back to her quarters where she had a very unexpected visitor. Althea was standing in the corner, eyes fixed on the floor as usual, but something about her statuesque stance made Lila wary. Then she noticed a figure on the other side of the room.

"Andromache," Lila said in surprise.

Hector's wife was beautiful with coils of chocolate brown hair and matching eyes. Her bronzed skin was flawless, and she was graced with a tall, slender frame and stood with an air of royalty about her. The tension between the two of them, however, practically crackled. Andromache approached Lila slowly, the way a predator approaches its prey, and Lila stood her ground defiantly though on the inside her stomach was in knots.

"You're not quite as tall as I remember," the princess murmured. 'You're taller than I remember,' Lila mentally responded. "You may have fooled my husband into trusting you, but I know better. Women like you come and go with the waves. I'm the constant." Lila didn't answer. "He'll tire of you soon. Do you understand?" Silence. "Answer me!" Andromache's anger flashed like a lightening bolt through the room, causing Althea to jump slightly in the corner.

Lila remained still and curled her hands into fists as the tension mounted between them. She held her head high and responded, "I don't answer to you."

Andromache moved toward Lila, and Lila waited for the inevitable attack. The princess, however, stood inches from Lila, looking down at her with a mixture of disgust and fury. "You have no power. You are nothing but a common whore. If you try to destroy my family, I will kill you myself."

Without hesitation, Lila retaliated, "I'll be sure to think of that next time I'm with your husband." In a flash, Andromache slapped Lila across the face. 'I deserved that,' Lila thought immediately after it happened. She took the blow and looked at Andromache with pity. The princess seemed to realize the gravity of what she had just done, and she fled the room without another word.

As soon as the door closed, Althea rushed over to Lila. "Are you hurt?"

Lila waved her off. "I'm fine. I deserved that. I shouldn't have said anything." She had a bad habit of not backing down from a fight, and it often got her into trouble. She walked over to the mirror and examined the damage. A red handprint was clearly visible on her right cheek. It burned, but it would fade soon enough. "Trust me," Lila continued, "she doesn't hit that hard."

Althea offered her a cold, damp cloth –which Lila placed against her cheek. "Don't tell anyone about this, Althea," she added. The last thing she needed was for Hector to catch wind of this. Andromache was entitled to at least one outburst.

Besides, it wasn't anything Lila couldn't handle for herself.