For Achilles
Omniscient Narration
Her name was Eione, Ajax's first capture off of the Carian coast. She had been a princess of Caria, blonde and bright.
Achilles watched as she entered his tent, struggling with the water jugs. Her dress had been stained by the mud of the Scamander. She did not speak to him, her eyes moving over him with pure disdain and contempt. Achilles did not even bat an eye towards her. She saw the bundle of dresses in the corner and requested a change from her current garb. Achilles looked towards the array of dresses, thinking about its previous owner. Eione took his turn for acquiescence and promptly chose the dress of lavender. She looked at him, years of haughtiness dictating her wish for privacy. He stood, a mirror of her own contempt. He did not leave for her sake, but for that of a different woman.
Ismene sat, tended by Eudorus and a group of Achilles' men. Her small hands rose hopelessly to her lips as she shook with laughter. He had spoken with Eudorus, apart from her knowledge. Eudorus was his informant, briefing him on her journeys to the Scamander, her talks with the men, even her moods. She believed that she had escaped him, he thought lightheartedly. She could never, not anymore.
He detested the fact that this Eione would lie where she was once did. A pitiful replacement. The smile of Ismene would not greet him when he returned from the battlefield. Instead, he would be greeted by hate and conceit. The one unexpected pleasure in his life was so removed from him, and it was completely of his own doing.
The night that he had kissed her was one of the most vulnerable moments of his life. The warmth he felt when he held her was unlike any other pleasure. He had been wary. Wary that she would pull away. Wary that she would shut herself from him.
As he lay there, his mind had pondered ways to extract himself from her. He had been preparing to bid farewell to the Ismene that he had come to…
When she returned, he had been expecting the worst, and it had come. He saw that there was more to her reason, but the fighter inside of him would not let his susceptibility show. He did not wish to face the complications of unchartered territory.
But as he watched her, he knew that he would have her back. Her beauty had enflamed him, but her spirit would swallow him whole.
Had to throw this in here, guys! I've posted two chapters this week. This one and The Sea of Propontis.