Chapter 8
"Simple Addition"

Months passed by without any improvements on the shores of Troy. As Hector had predicted Agamemnon was stubborn, and no matter how many of his soldiers he lost, the king of kings would not retreat. With every Trojan victory, some of his countrymen grew less concerned about the Greek occupation of their beach, but Hector wouldn't be happy until he watched their ships sail away into the Aegean. Lila had warned him of a Greek strategy to breach their walls which she called the "Trojan horse." This information should have eased the prince's worries, but with each passing week, he saw the concern increasing on his lover's face.

"I don't understand why they're taking so long," she told him from her position on their balcony where she could see the flickering lights from the Greek camps.

Hector placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed the crown of her head. "Agamemnon is stubborn," he assured her.

"Something's wrong," she continued with a distant look in her eyes. "I can feel it."


Odysseus still had been unable to formulate a plan to slip past Troy's walls. They had been built tall and strong, and the king could find no breach in them. Currently, he was considering calling his men together and leaving this doomed beach to return to Ithaca. Without a doubt Agamemnon would attack his country if he ever abandoned this war, but now Odysseus wondered if Agamemnon would even have an army months from now.

"My king," one of his soldiers said as he approached. "One of the men has noticed a fire burning down the beach."

"What?" Odysseus asked as he rose to his feet. Could the Trojans be planning another attack? "Take me to him." The soldier obeyed and led his king to one of the Greek tents where he found a man who was carving a small horse out of wood. "You saw a fire on the beach?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Can you take me to it?"

"It was snuffed out shortly after I caught sight of it, but I think I could find it." Odysseus grabbed his armor and sword, mounted his horse, and headed down the beach with several of his soldiers. The Greek army would soon be leaving to make another attack on the walls of Troy, but the king felt that this matter needed to be handled immediately. If it were the Trojans, he feared he might not have enough manpower, but then again the Trojans would have to be few to slip past the Greek camps. It took them awhile, but they found the remains of a fire which had been crudely covered with sand. It was clumsily done, and Odysseus thought that if it were Trojan soldiers, they had poorly covered their tracks. Something about it seemed off.

"My lord!" One of his men called and pointed in the sand further up the beach. "I've found their trail."

Odysseus dismounted and slowly followed the footprints. It appeared as if the person had tried to cover his tracks, but like with the fire, had done so very poorly. "This is not a Trojan spy," the king observed without a doubt. The tracks led up the beach to a cave near the cliffs overlooking the Aegean. His men drew their swords, and Odysseus motioned for them to be quiet as they approached. Inside the cave was a sleeping man who was completely unaware of the Greek soldiers looming over him. Odysseus kicked the man with his foot and commanded, "Get up."

The man awoke with a start and scrambled to his feet. He looked over past the fire, but one of Odysseus's men had already taken the sword situated there. "You're very stupid to camp out near the Greeks," the king observed. "You're Trojan?" He didn't answer, and Odysseus continued, "You must be Trojan. What are you doing outside the safety of your city's walls?" The king held his sword to the man's throat and commanded, "Speak."


Even with the constant reminder of the doomed city looming about her, Lila felt like a newlywed when it came to Hector. They were practically inseparable and insatiable for one another these past months. Surprisingly, Lila had always been a skeptic when it came to love. Her most serious relationship before Hector was with a graduate student named Sam. Lila had been in college at the time, and the two met when she accidentally grabbed his drink order at the coffee shop. He was charming and handsome and sweet, and Lila thought she loved him. In fact, the pair quickly moved in together, but with time the romance faded. At first, Lila had thought they were being so mature the way they planned out their lives together. Naturally, they were a good match, and once Sam graduated and found a successful job, the two would marry. They would move wherever his job took him, and Lila could teach. They always need teachers, he had assured her, and of course she had agreed. Lila was the type of person who would give everything to the one she loved. The shirt off her back? Take it. Every last cent in her bank account? It's yours. Her heart? Her soul? You don't even have to ask.

When she was young, Lila had dreams of traveling the world and making a difference. In college, she was a smart girl, and she was often offered internships with international organizations. She turned them all down to be with Sam. She gave her life and her future to him with his simple promise of forever. Soon, however, things changed as they often do. All those little quirks that he had loved about her in the beginning grew to annoy him, and he stayed out later and later with his friends. Lila tried to be better for him, tried to please him somehow, but the truth was he had stopped loving her a long time ago. She didn't know why or how, but he had. In fact, he couldn't even tell her to her face. She received a phone call from him one sunny day. Initially, he had feigned a cheerful attitude, but the tone in his voice was a warning. Then, he told her that he had found someone else and would be moving out. The jerk even had the nerve to send her a wedding invitation six months later. It tore Lila to pieces.

Since that day, she had attended and participated in numerous weddings. Every time she found herself asking the bride, "How do you know?" How can you possibly know when you've found your lifelong companion? Why is everyone pretending they're so sure when they're probably terrified inside? And if they're not afraid, then they should be because love can turn sour so easily. It's not the undying, passionate, all-consuming stuff of movies. It is hard work and aloof, and it can tear you down with one word. Every single bride would answer her with a smile, "When you know, you know." Oh right because talking in riddles makes you some kind of genius when comes to love.

With Hector, Lila was eating every single one of her words and enjoying it. From the moment she first saw him in that dark room under the palace floors, it was as if she knew. She could remember the way he had been kind to her and had gently pushed her hair from her face. Those tender gestures made her think that he had felt the same thing. Then again, perhaps the real proof was their current relationship.

At the moment, Lila was sprinting quickly down a hallway. She thew herself around the corner, and there was her prince ascending the palace stairs with his helmet tucked under his arm. Without warning, she leapt, and he caught her with a chuckle. "I'm covered in dirt and blood that is not my own," he warned, but he didn't dare release her.

"Are you injured?" She asked as she held him tightly.

"No," he assured her before he handed her his helmet, swept her up into his arms, and carried her to his quarters. The moment her feet touched the ground of their room her fingers were unlatching his chest plate. "You're impatient," he observed with a wolfish grin.

"Impatient?" She scoffed. "I've been waiting all morning for you." The prince then grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall as he unpinned her dress. It turned out that Hector had guessed right: she was much too impatient. Lila hiked her dress up to her waist and wrapped her legs around him. "Take me," she commanded breathlessly, and he was only too pleased to oblige.


Andromache carefully made her way across the rocks of the cliffs hanging over the Aegean with various bits of wood in her arms. Therius and herself had been living off the lands for months now, and they had fallen into a usual routine. The pair had initially planned on sailing away with Greeks since Therius had a friend who was a Greek solider, and with a rather large bribe, he had agreed to sneak them onto the ship when they departed. Unfortunately, this war was taking much longer than either side had anticipated. Andromache had tried to convince Therius to travel further East, but the soldier insisted that any day the war would be over.

As Andromache neared the cave they were currently camped out in, her heart stopped. Several Greek soldiers were dragging Therius out of the cave, and she hid behind a large rock in the landscape. To her relief, the soldiers did not see her, but now she was faced with a dilemma. She could not possibly live off the land without Therius, and after capturing him, she was certain they would search the lands for her.

Andromache steeled herself as she realized her only option.


"Oh no!" Lila cursed hours later and jumped out of bed. "I promised Helen I would meet her under the statue of Apollo."

She couldn't help giggling, however, when Hector caught her arm and pulled her back to bed. "Let her wait," he murmured against her skin.

"No, no, no," she said as she felt his hands on her again. "We are going to the market today." Her excitement as she said the words made the prince smile, and he reluctantly released her. "Besides," Lila pointed out as she kissed him, "the sooner I leave, the sooner I can come back." She quickly slipped back into her dress and pinned her hair out of her face. "I love you," she said with one final kiss.

"I love you too," he responded and watched her bound out of the room in her hurry.

As promised, Helen was waiting under the statue of Apollo on the palace grounds when Lila came running up. "I'm so sorry I'm late," the latter said as she approached. "I was distracted."

Helen seemed slightly annoyed until she saw Lila's tousled hair. "I see," the princess answered with a smile and adjusted the crooked pin in Lila's hair for her. "From what I gather, you and Hector have been 'distracted' quite a bit lately."

Lila laughed and blushed as she looped her arm in Helen's. She leaned close to the princess and admitted, "I can't help myself."

Helen patted Lila's arm with a sigh of understanding. "I know the feeling." The pair then walked to the market square which reminded Lila of Aladdin of all things. She half expected Abu to jump down from one of the awnings hanging over the various stands. It was simultaneously alluring and repulsive. During the afternoon, the small space was crowded, and Lila had to admit people in the subways of New York didn't even elbow this much. As one grubby old man slid a little too close by her, Lila suddenly wished she hadn't convinced Helen to come without a guard. That being said, the various scents wafting through the air along with the gorgeous materials floating in the breeze and all the foreign foods gave the marketplace a surreal, magical appeal. Lila loved it instantly.

Helen was concerned with finding new material for a dress, but she seemed dissatisfied with the options. "I have one like that in blue," she murmured to the man handling the fabrics, and he struggled to find something that would please the beautiful princess. Lila on the other hand was looking at a booth where a craftsman had various carved objects on display. In particular she fingered a small makeshift rattle.

"You have a child?" The craftsman asked.

Lila smiled and nodded. "It's beautiful," she admitted as she raised the tiny toy to get a closer look. While perhaps some women would prefer the plastic trinkets of modern times, the little rattle had a certain allure. With great detail, the man had carved a scene of the sea with ships sailing across the water.

"For Astyanax?" Helen asked from behind her.

Lila had lost herself in a reverie while staring at the toy, and she hesitated before answering, "Yes, do you think he'll like it?"

"Certainly," the princess conceded. "Now come see this material. I think it would look lovely on you." Lila quickly paid the man for the toy before following the princess through the marketplace. Along the way, Lila stopped Helen in front of a jewelry stand.

"In my culture," Lila said as she picked up a small ring, "a man gives his wife a ring as a sign of their marriage and love."

"Really? How romantic... Perhaps I'll mention it to Paris," Helen quipped and pulled Lila away to show her a beautiful teal material.

It was early in the evening before Helen and Lila returned to the palace with their arms filled to the brink with treasures. "I'm glad to have a friend," Lila admitted to Helen.

"As am I," the princess responded with a smile.

Lila gave her an unexpected hug which Helen hesitantly returned. "I'll see you at dinner," Lila promised before turning to walk to her quarters. "Hector, I have a surprise for you," She called as she opened the door and fumbled for the rattle amidst the garments. When she looked up, however, her smile fell along with the things in her arms.

Andromache was seated on the bed next to Hector holding Astyanax in her arms. Lila suddenly forgot how to breathe.

"Lila, what a pleasant surprise," Andromache said with deceiving kindness.

Lila laughed and responded, "A surprise to see I'm not dead, you mean."

"I might have overreacted earlier-"

"Overreacted? You tried to kill me."

"I am truly sorr-"

"Cut the crap," Lila snapped. Every word out Andromache's mouth was like a venomous sting. The woman shouldn't have even been allowed to speak to Lila after what she had endured. "Your only regret is that you didn't kill me yourself, so don't sit there with the son and husband you abandoned and try to sell me your sob story." Her hazel eyes gazed sharply at Hector who hadn't spoken a word.

"Hasn't it occurred to you that you might have something to do with the fall of my marriage?" Andromache responded coldly. "I was unfaithful, but my husband was as well. Now we can put all that behind us."

Lila's anger flared without warning. "Your husband didn't touch me until you left him!" Andromache was visibly shocked by the statement. Still, the prince did not say a word, and Lila mentally willed him to speak up. She shook her head in disappointment and hurt at his silence and considered Andromache with a fiery glare. "I should kill you for what you did to me, but looking at you now... I feel pity. You will never know love or happiness. You will wander the earth with the guilt of what you've done for the rest of your days." With that, she turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

In an instant Hector was behind her. "Lila, listen to me," he insisted as he grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch me," Lila snapped at him, and he released her in surprise at her temper. She swung around and demanded, "What is she doing here?"

"She returned while you were out," he began.

"How can you let her hold the son she abandoned?" He opened his mouth to respond, but Lila was too angry to let him speak. "She left you and Astyanax, and I open the door to you acting like nothing happened. She tried to kill me-"

"She's my wife and the mother of my son," Hector interrupted suddenly.

His words were like a dagger to Lila's heart, and she cut him off once more as she spat, "Was it all just a dream, or did you ever truly love me?" She began walking away, and Hector moved after her. She looked over her shoulder with cold eyes and warned, "Don't you dare follow me." The pain in her eyes stopped him dead in his tracks, and he watched her walk away.


"She is my wife, and the mother of my child… But I do not love her." Lila hadn't granted him the opportunity to explain, and now he felt that within minutes he had lost her entirely. When he returned to his room, Andromache was waiting and asked innocently, "Should I stay in the room down the hall for now?" She had been overly kind since she arrived, and Hector easily saw through the thin façade.

"I want you to leave," he rejoined without hesitation. "I never want to see your face again. You no longer have a husband or a son. You no longer have a home."

"What am I to do?" Andromache gasped at Hector's new found strength. He had never been so stern with her during the years of their marriage.

"Perhaps you'll find comfort with another man." He took his son from her then, and Andromache left in a fury. Quickly, Hector called for Astyanax's nurse and handed his child to her before he desperately searched the palace for Lila. Soon, he found her outside in one of the gardens with Helen.

"I'm so stupid," he heard her sob to the princess. It felt like his heart had been ripped out as he realized he was responsible for her immense pain. "How could I possibly have thought he could love me? I'm so… inadequate. I don't know anything about war or ruling a country or half the things he deals with on a daily basis." Lila shook her head. "I didn't know it was all pretend."

Helen held the broken girl tightly and stroked her hair. "It wasn't pretend," she assured Lila. "I've never seen Hector so happy. That couldn't have been a lie."

"I saw them," she choked out. "I saw them together, and I realized I don't belong with him."

Hector approached quietly, and Lila looked like she would flee again at the sight of him. "Lila, please, listen to me. I sent her away. I never intended for her to stay." He knelt before her and took her small hands in his own. She was trembling from her sobs. "I love you and you alone."

Her teary eyes considered him doubtfully. "You didn't say anything."

"I was in shock," he breathed. "I had no idea how to handle her return."

Helen slipped away then, and Lila looked after her as if she wanted to follow. Eventually, she returned her gaze to Hector and said, "I don't understand how you could even let her near you after all she's done."

"I was thinking of Asytanax. She is his mother."

A bitter tear rolled down her cheek, and Lila clumsily wiped it away. "If you had asked me, I would have raised him like my own. I would never have abandoned him or you. I would have died before any harm came to either you."

Her words surprised him, and he admitted, "I didn't think I had a right to ask you for that."

"Then how can I believe you want me in your life? Seeing you with Andromache completely blindsided me. It was like I never even existed."

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I want you in my life. I've never been more certain of anything." She didn't respond, though it seemed that the words were on her tongue. At length, he pulled her to him and pleaded, "Please forgive me. I did not mean to hurt you."

Lila relaxed against him with a long sigh. "Ok."


Lila strained to be silent as she sat back on her heels and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and cheeks. Her heart was racing unsteadily in her chest, and she struggled to quiet her haggard breathing. Within moments, the wave of nausea passed completely, and she was able to stand. It was the fifth morning in a row that Lila had woken at the crack of dawn feeling sick. She wasn't quite sure why she always crept away each morning without waking Hector, but something in the back of her mind warned her to be secretive. She obeyed without question.

Eventually, Lila tip toed back to their room and found her Trojan prince soundly asleep. Thankful that he didn't awake, she padded softly out to the balcony and watched the first rays of sunlight peek over the blue horizon. Call it woman's intuition, but Lila knew without a doubt the cause of her latest morning routine. Initially, she had attempted to push the knowledge from her mind, but it had been a vain effort to ignore a very obvious predicament. Simple addition told her the truth, so yesterday when she was at the market, she had picked up the rattle and had planned to surprise Hector with the news. Then Andromache had shown up, and now Lila found herself questioning everything.

"You're up early," he observed with a yawn. She hadn't even heard him approach.

"I had a nightmare," she lied through her teeth.

He tenderly took her arm and pulled her to him. "Come to back bed, my love." Numbly she allowed him to lead her back to their bed where he held her close and fell asleep.

Lila, on the other hand, was wide-awake. No nightmare had the power to scare her this much. Fear flooded her from her toes to the tip of nose, and she bit her lip against tears. 'This isn't good,' her mind stated obviously. 'You can't tell him. It's too much, too soon.' They had been together for mere months, but Lila felt like she had known him her entire life. She was unsure, however, if the feeling was mutual. He promised he loved her, but she felt as if this were the death sentence to their relationship. This would join them together permanently, and he would realize how imperfect she was.

He was brave, loyal, passionate, handsome, and so impossibly amazing that she wondered how he could pick her. She was such an insufficient match. He deserved a woman who could advise him in matters of war, who could love him with as much passion as he had, and who could lead beside him once Priam died. Lila felt as though she possessed none of those qualities. For now, she helped him with this legendary war, but what would happen after? Would he discover how clumsy and uncertain she truly was? That she had no idea how to be a princess, let alone a queen?

Beyond that of course was a deep-seated worry that plagued her with cruel thoughts. Hector was loyal –loyal to a fault. Would she be the next Andromache? Would she even know if he were unhappy? She couldn't bear to be his ball and chain. 'He deserves so much more.'


Meanwhile on the shores of the Troy, Agamemnon received an unexpected visitor in the early morning light. "Who are you?" the king of kings asked as the woman dropped the veil covering her.

"An exiled princess of Troy," the stranger responded with a bow.

A crooked smile lit up Agamemnon's face as he asked, "Why have you come to me, princess?"

When she straightened up, the king could see her dark eyes burned with hatred, and she answered, "I can tell you how to gain entrance into the city."


Author's Note: The plot thickens! Thank you for your review EmmyMK! I hope this chapter answered some of your questions :D