Lioness
Kneinke
Word count; 2571
Chapter four:
Past
While training was the high of Leandra's day, it left her completely exhausted when that high ended. Not that that stopped her from spending time with her brother.
Leandra always had a hard time refusing Achilles anything, he was her big brother, her hero. And so, when Achilles noticed that she was worn out every time they met up after her training and had asked to accompany her to her lessons, she could not say no.
Not that she wanted too, anyways. Her big brother joining her with training! Nothing could get her mood down. Except her for own brother.
"Use your feet, Leandra." It had started out as simple tips but soon changed to full blown lessons. "Do not loosen your grip, sister." By the gods, Leandra truly could not stand it when her brother taught her. And he had only come because he was concerned for her health! Now she was even more tired and missed quite some meals as she often fell asleep right after her training.
Leandra loved her brother, more than anything else, but Achilles as tutor was the worst possible thing that could have happened to her. Her – former – tutor had given up on training her when almost every lesson was interrupted by the prince.
This had infuriated her to no end. Many could not understand why, for while Achilles was young, he was one of the best fighters in Phthia, if not whole Greece. Their parents had been confused as well, why would the little girl, that clearly adored her brother, get so angry any time he tried to teach her anything.
Everyone was expecting to see the eight summer old child blow up on her brother with all that apparent anger, especially Achilles himself, and where surprised that it had lasted months before it finally happened.
After what seemed to be the hundreds tip, Leandra threw her wooden sword to the ground, an angry squeal almost passing her lips. "Stop!" Her hands flew in her hair and it was clear that she didn't know how to express her rage. Achilles calmly placed is own sword on the ground by his feet and walked to his sister.
He crouched in front of Leandra and carefully untangled her hands from the blonde locks. Rubbing gentle circles on the back of her hands with his thumbs, he ducked his head to catch her gaze. "Why are you so angry, little lioness?"
Leandra ignored him and tried to pull away from Achilles, her eyes clenched shut as to not look into his piercing gaze. One of his hands grabbed hers tighter while the other let go. His free hand went to the back of his sisters neck and pulled her to his chest.
The blonde girl struggled but Achilles only held her tighter until she had exhausted herself. He pulled back enough to look into her teary eyes, his hand on her neck rubbing loving circles on her tense muscles.
"Are you going to tell me why your angry now?" Leandra averted her blue eyes and half-heartedly tried to pull away from his grip. Achilles let out a sigh and pulled her back against his chest.
"When I first started training with Father it was infuriating for me as well." Leandra looked up in mild curiosity as her brother began talking. "At first I could not understand why, but as I grew better and Father gave tips less and less, I got it."
Curiosity filled his sister and little arms slid around his waist. "I got angry because I thought I was not good enough, that if Father had to give me pointers at almost everything I did, he would never be proud of me."
The hand on her neck slid to her cheek, gazing down in her eyes. "Not only have you just started to learn how to fight, I could never not be proud of you. Neither could Mother and Father."
Again Leandra teared up, this time out of happiness. Now it made sense why she had been so angry with her brother, angrier then she thought she could ever get at him. But if Achilles had figured it out on his own, she could get over her fear on her own.
She lunged forward, rather expressing herself in actions than with words. She clung to him while he chuckled and stroked her hair.
Detaching himself from his sister, he stepped back and picked up his and Leandra's sword. Achilles held the hilt out to her and she gripped it with determent hands.
"Let us start again. Left foot first, then right hand up…"
Present
Leandra stood at the beach, the salt water lapping at her feet. She knew her brother had talked to their Mother when she and Patroclus watched Odysseus leave. She would follow her brother if he choose to go to Troy, but she prayed again and again to the gods that their trip there would not be a fatal one.
Achilles stood watching his sister from the dry sand. He watched her turn and smile at him. And when he did not immediately smile back, he watched her walk up to him.
His sister noticed that he was thinking and sat down in the sand, facing the calm sea. Slowly, he took a seat next to Leandra but did not look at her. They sat in silence for a while before Achilles spoke.
"I talked to Mother." Leandra nodded, looking at her brother. "She told me what will happen if we sail for Troy." His sister continue to look at him, not speaking a word, which Achilles took as an invitation to go on. "My name will be remembered for thousands of years, but I will never return home."
It was quick, like pulling off an old, bloody bandage and Leandra let out a gasp. He could not be thinking about going now, could he? "Achilles…" He held up a hand, much like their Father used to do, to his sister.
"I know what you are thinking, little lioness, but I have to go." Leandra teared up as it seemed her brother had made up his mind. Suddenly, he looked straight into her eyes. "Will you follow me?" It was selfish of him to ask that of her, but he could not imagine going to war without her by his side.
"Always, Achilles." She nodded but her eyes still held tears. "But there will always be wars, maybe your name will be remembered for thousands of years, but it is not worth your life." Leandra placed a gentle hand on his cheek, a tear slipped down her own.
Achilles nodded and clasped his hand over hers. He was understanding but would not let her change his mind. His sister let out a sad chuckle, he could be so stubborn when he wanted to be.
"Maybe Mother did not see right, you know how those prophets can get." The jest at their Mother got the two to laugh and the air got lighter around them, although the sadness still clung in the back of their minds.
The Queen had never been wrong before, her prophecies were always right, and neither sibling would bet against it. Achilles decided to change the subject.
"Patroclus wishes to go." It was a statement and Leandra nodded with a slight grin. "Yes and although I fear for him, I think it would be wise to let him come." Achilles lips twitched at the corners. "I agree, I will tell him the good news tomorrow."
Leandra leaned into her brothers side, her head on his shoulder. "I will miss the peace and quiet of home." Achilles kissed the top of her head before placing his own head on hers. "Yet, you would never give up the fight." Leandra shook her head, "I think, when there comes a opportunity to leave it all behind and love someone for the rest of my life, I would take it."
Achilles hummed in amusement. With playful anger she jerked her head of his shoulder and threw some sand at him. He received it with a curse directed at her. She scrambled up to run away, only to fall flat on her face in the sand as a hand grabbed her ankle.
Before she could even think of crawling away, she was picked up and thrown over Achilles shoulder. Leandra bounced uncomfortable on his shoulder as she laughed loudly. Her laugh was cut short when she took a mouth full of salt sea water.
Sputtering she broke the surface of the sea. Her brother was laughing at the edge of the water. Glaring at her brother, she slowly stood up. "Oh, Achilles…" She called out sweetly, an innocent expression on her face.
He tried to shoo her away as Leandra walked up to him with open arms. When it became clear that she would not stop, he turned around with a laugh and ran.
The laughs of the royal siblings carried across Phthia and brought warmth to everyone that heard.
Leandra stood at the dock, her cousin beside her. They watched as the Myrmidons prepared the ship, black flags flapping in the air. Patroclus was excited to finally go to war, Leandra was not.
The Trojans had never crossed her or her brother. Of course while this was the case with most wars they fought in, it felt wrong to fight against Troy. Leandra had always admired Troy, the city's high walls, the army and the royal family. She had imagined visiting there at least once in her life, but never did she think that she would go there on a battle ship.
She would follow her family and protect them, but she would not allow any innocent life to perish if she had a change to stop it.
Achilles squeezed her shoulder as he passed by and shouted order to board the ship. Turning to look back, he watch his sister and Mother say goodbye to each other while Patroclus walked by him and onto the ship.
He had already said his goodbyes and was ready to leave. Ready for his name to live on for thousands of years. Ready to die.
Leandra slid past him as well, taking a stand at the helm of the ship. With one last look at his home, he took his place next to his sister. As both watched the sea in front of them, Leandra turned to get one last glance at Phthia.
Achilles placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Do not worry, little sister, you will return here." Leandra stiffened slightly at his words, he had said 'you' and not 'we'. Again she shot a silent prayer to the gods that her brother would return home with her.
Despite her thoughts, Leandra lifted her own hand and placed it on his. Smiling up at him for a second, she quickly looked back at the sea, aware of her tearing eyes.
She would do anything if it meant saving him, even if the price to pay would be her own life.
Three days later, Achilles, Leandra, Patroclus and the Myrmidons had met up with the rest of the fleet. And while Patroclus was amazed at the many ships he could see with his eyes, Leandra was disgusted.
It disgusted her to think that hundreds of thousands of men would fall in a war for a woman. Obviously, most knew that Agamemnon could care less for his brother's wife, but Leandra could not imagine how Helen and that prince Paris could condemn so many life, and for their own love!
The lioness had heard of the youngest prince of Troy, Paris. From what all the stories had told her, the prince was a lady's man and wondered if the love they held for each other was not just lust.
Leandra could also not wrap her head around the fact that the rest of the royal family had accepted her with open arms. While she had heard of the Kings kindness, but surely he must have known what she would bring. If her brother had brought home some wench, Leandra would have killed her the moment she realised the wench would bring war with her.
And if the stories were correct, prince Hector had been with Paris when he stole the whore. Maybe, Leandra thought, he had not known that she was aboard their ship, but if he had…
Did he not love his city and the people that lived in it? Not his Father, cousin, son? She knew that he must have been saddened after the death of his wife, Andromache, but would that cause such rash actions?
Not that it mattered now anyway, Agamemnon would not return to Greece even if Helen was given back. Had Helen not left his brother, the King of Kings would have found another reason to attack Troy. It may have taken months, years or maybe a decade, but eventually it would have happened.
Her thoughts were broken as her brother and cousin took a place on either side her. She glanced at both of them before returning her gaze back to the sea.
"You are overthinking this, sister, everything will turn out fine." Achilles said, giving her a nudge. Her lips twitched and she slowly shook her head.
"There is no such thing as overthinking, brother, had Odysseus not made that clear when you said that to him once?" Leandra swallowed her words on the topic of 'fine' and instead brought up old times.
Achilles noticed and was about to comment on it, but his cousin spoke first. "What had happened?" Their cousins childlike curiosity seemed to never quell. Leandra let out a laugh and waved in her brothers direction in amusement.
"Our dear Achilles here, thought that he could outwit the King of wit. When it was clear he was losing, he had said something similar of what he said to me to Odysseus. Odysseus challenged him to a few mind games and, well, we quickly found out that Achilles' was not as smart as he liked to make everyone belief." Her sort story was followed by an offended Achilles shoving his sister.
Laughing, she blocked the fists coming at her. Throwing some punches back, the siblings started a playful sparring. Patroclus watched in amazement from the side lines and he was joined by the Myrmidons that were not rowing.
All cheered when Eudorus threw them two wooden swords. As their sparring turned into a full blown sword fight, the armies of the ships sailing close to them started to notice and, too, started cheering.
For now they could have their fun, but in only a few days the war would truly begin.
Reviews:
Emeliadream: Thank you, but Briseis will not be a warrior woman of some sorts, nor will she be kidnapped. Leandra and her are going to be good friends and Achilles' and Briseis' meeting is going to be pretty much the same as in the movie.
Arianna Le Fay: Thank you again! I'm sorry to say you're going to have to wait for a while longer, ;).
Rajasvi: Well I hope this chapter answered a bit of your question of Andromache and Hector, and thank you!
Bretagne: And I will give you more! Thank you for liking this story.
