Chapter 10
"Resistance"
Is our secret safe tonight
And are we out of sight
Or will our world come tumbling down
Will they find our hiding place
Is this our last embrace
Or will the walls start caving in
Ash blackened the starlit night sky, and the air reeked of the violent fires engulfing the city. Lila held a crying Astyanax to her chest as she looked down at the madness ensuing within the Trojan walls. Greek soldiers came flooding through the giant gates, and they killed unarmed civilians where they fled in the streets. The sight stressed the fact that all hope was lost. She had failed.
Hector was at her side and telling her, "They came through the wall. There's no escape." His voice was numb, and tears fell from her hazel eyes as she peered up at his face. It was the first time she'd ever seen him afraid and so full of despair. Then Lila saw a screaming Althea being dragged out of the palace by an old Greek soldier. "They will throw the babies from the walls and take you as a slave."
White lightening flashed across the sky, and someone was beating at their door. Hector began pacing. "I can't –I can't," he said shakily. He was covered in blood.
"You don't have a choice," Lila replied gently as she pulled Astyanax over the middle of her chest. The baby's screams were deafening.
Hector was shaking his head, but his eyes were dead when he finally met her gaze. He drew his sword and promised, "I'll be with you soon."
The door caved under the force of the next blow, and Lila began crying harder while she whispered, "I love you." Hector let out a horrible howl of pain and drove the blade straight through both of them.
"Lila! Wake up!" He was shaking her, and she fought against him until she realized she was dreaming. Still, she was weeping and out of breath. She felt the fear, the despair, and the pain as his blade pierced her chest. "It was only a dream," he said soothingly as he pushed her hair from her tear stained face.
"No," she sobbed, "it was a warning."
"What are you saying?"
"I saw what is going to happen. You kill Astyanax and me."
"I would never hurt-"
She put her fingers over his mouth to silence him as she searched his dark eyes in despair. "You did it to save us. You tried to protect us, but there were too many. They took the city."
He sobered up immediately and was speechless at the idea that he would kill his child and love to save them. It was the most horrible fate a man could possibly endure. "What does this mean?"
Lila wiped the tears from her eyes. "It means it's not over." She put her hand to her head and frowned. "You said something… You told me, 'There's no escape.'" She struggled to grasp his words from the brink of her memory, and Hector watched her anxiously. "Oh my God," she whispered as is hit her like a ton of bricks. "With the pregnancy- and you- and- I forgot. I can't believe I forgot."
"What? What is it?"
"The wall!" She grabbed Hector and told him frantically, "The Greek soldier took me through the passage in the wall. The Greeks know about it! That's how they're going to get in!" In an instant, they both were out of bed, and Lila continued, "We have to go now. They're coming tonight. I don't know how I know, but I know." She pulled on her dress while Hector quickly slipped into his armor, and then she retrieved Astyanax from his crib and held him protectively against her chest.
"We have to wake my father and gather as many soldiers as we can," Hector said.
"I'll wake Helen and Paris. You go to your father." With that, Lila hurried out of the room without even bothering to slip on her sandals.
She wound her way through the corridors and stopped in front of the couple's room. She rapped her knuckles hard against the door, but there was no answer. She knocked louder, and a sleepy and probably still drunk Paris called out, "What? It's the middle of the night!"
"Wake up!" She yelled back.
"Lila?" The prince asked with a yawn as he opened the door and tied a piece of material lazily around his waist.
"Quickly, you need to get up and dress. Both of you need to come with me."
"Has something happened?"
"There's no time! Hurry! The Greeks will be in the city soon."
Without another word, Paris and Helen dressed and followed Lila to Priam's quarters where they found Hector talking with his father. Apparently several of the king's servants had woken Glaucus and the other generals or at least as many as they could find. After the night's celebrations, many of the townspeople were not where they should be and certainly not in a condition to fight the Greeks now poised to take their city.
"We need to gather as many men as possible," Hector warned. At that moment, there was a scream from the square, and the group immediately fell silent to listen.
"We're too late," Lila said as dread filled her, and she held Astyanax tightly to her. The men ran to the steps where they could see several of the awnings in the marketplace already lit with flames. Hector sprinted for the gates, and his men followed. "Paris, wait!" Lila called to the younger prince. "Give me your quiver and bow." The prince was in too much of a hurry to ask any questions or voice any objections, so he handed them over quickly before chasing after his brother. Lila then passed Astyanax to Helen and followed after the men.
Lila could see the flames licking the Trojan buildings, and the similarity between the current reality and her dream stunned her in momentary fear. The sound of a fight gave her a sense of urgency, and she took a position overlooking the square and quickly drew an arrow. The fires had lit up the space, and she squinted as she assessed the situation. Hector, Paris, and the generals were already engaged in combat with the Greek soldiers who had stolen their way into the city. Several of the Greeks were trying to hold the Trojans off as best they could while two men attempted to open the gates. Lila quickly released an arrow and shot one of the men in the back. He fell to his knees, unable to complete his task, and Lila drew another arrow and aimed at the other soldier. She released the sinew, but the arrow grazed his arm. Apparently Lila hadn't learned enough from Paris in the few lessons she had taken during her months at the palace. Still, she drew another arrow and took aim with more patience this time. When she released it, the arrow flew into the soldier's upper back, and he too fell. Unfortunately, she had been too slow, and the gates were cracked open. Greek soldiers began slipping in through the slender gap, and the few Trojan men gathered at the gates couldn't hold them off. They fell back, and Hector grabbed Lila's arm and pulled her up the stairs into the palace. "Scatter!" Hector yelled to his generals. "Gather as many men as you can, and someone find a way to close the gates!"
Astyanax was crying when Lila retrieved him from Helen, and she rocked him gently though her gaze was on Hector, waiting for his command. He turned to her after he had dismissed his generals, and she saw the anxiety on his face. "You and Helen, go to the statue of Apollo and wait for me there."
Lila's mind, however, was not registering his words. The weight of the situation caused her to simply gaze at him in his soldier's uniform with loving yet sorrowful eyes and comment, "This is how you looked when we first met." For some reason now that she was faced with the end, Lila began thinking about the beginning. It was an acknowledgment of their doom. It was the start of a farewell.
The prince pulled her firmly to him and kissed the crown of her head. "I'll die protecting you but not before," he promised against her hair and left her to fight the Greeks.
Helen took Lila's elbow then and coaxed her away. Lila was lost looking after her love, but at length, she surrendered and allowed the princess to guide her through the palace and out to the statue of Apollo. It was situated in a garden on the palace grounds, but it was on the opposite side from the gates. Hector must have assumed it would be one of the last places the Greeks would reach. Once there, Helen fell to her knees before the statue and began praying. Lila rocked Astyanax and looked around for any sign of Greeks or Trojans. They could hear the screams in the distance, and the smell of fire was lifted on the night breeze. 'It's only a matter of time,' Lila thought. She suddenly understood how the passengers on the Titanic must have felt. It was a terrible, gut wrenching feeling waiting for your inevitable death.
In the shadows of the night moved a figure, and Lila strained to tell whether it was friend or foe. She realized as the figure approached closer, however, that it was a woman, and she called out, "You'll be safe here for awhile." Helen stood as well to see who approached, and they held their breath as the figure stepped out into the moonlight.
"Althea," Lila breathed in relief as the young girl came rushing toward her.
"What's happening? I can't find my father." She was near tears, and Lila put a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"Stay here with us. I'm sure your father is safe."
"No!" Althea wrenched herself free from Lila's grip. "I have to find my father."
Lila looked at Althea earnestly and said, "Your father would want you to be safe. Hector is going to come here soon with soldiers, and I promise once he does, we'll all look for your father, ok?" Fat tears rolled down the young girl's face, and she nodded her head though she was clearly too upset to speak. Her normally olive complexion was white as a ghost in her fear, and Lila rubbed a comforting hand on her arm. "Why don't you sit down for a moment?" Helen took Althea's forearm and guided her over to the steps of Apollo where Althea obediently sat down and continued crying quietly. Lila felt like doing the same, but she knew she had to be strong even though she was terrified down to her core.
She handed Astyanax to Helen and commanded, "No matter what happens, don't give him to anyone."
Helen quickly asked, "Where are you going? Hector told us to wait here. It's not safe to leave."
Lila nodded fearfully. "I know." She glanced at Althea who was still crying, and she dropped her voice to a whisper as she explained, "I need to see how bad it is. If there's no chance of the city surviving, we can't wait for the Greeks to find us. Do you understand?" Her hazel eyes bore into Helen, and the princess realized slowly that Lila was referring to suicide over capture. Helen took a shaky breath, and Lila continued, "I'll return soon."
"Why are you leaving us?" Althea called out when the girl noticed Lila walking away.
"She's checking if it's safe for us to look for you father," Lila heard Helen respond to the girl. It was a good lie, and Lila quietly crept through the hallways of the palace. It was eerily dead inside without a person in sight, and the sounds of battle echoed through the empty corridors. Her heart was pounding like a hammer in her chest, and as she approached Hector's quarters, there was a shadow cast from a torch down the hallway. Lila swallowed her fear down at the sight, and she slowly began stepping backward down the long corridor. It could be a greedy servant rummaging for expensive items in their room, or it could be a Greek soldier searching for Hector.
At that moment, the person stepped around the corner but did not notice Lila who froze like a deer in headlights. Then the person turned around, and Lila's heart skipped a beat.
"I was looking for you," the exiled princess commented lightly. Lila's eyes were on the knife in her hands. "Where's my son?"
Lila took an arrow from her quiver, but Andromache rushed her and tackled her roughly to the ground. The fall knocked the wind out of Lila, but it also knocked the knife from Andromache's hand. The blade clattered across the stone, and Lila crawled for it as quickly as she could. Andromache, however, had already scrambled to her feet and stomped her heel down on Lila's outstretched hand. The latter yelled and withdrew her hand immediately. By this time the princess had retrieved her knife, and Lila grabbed one of the arrows scattered on the ground. Her bow had been cracked in the fall, but she could still use the arrow as a weapon.
"Are you prepared to meet the boatman?" Andromache taunted with a sneer.
Lila steeled herself and held up the arrow. "After you, bitch."
Suddenly, Andromache swung at her, and Lila stepped back out of her reach. Neither woman was trained in combat, but both were fueled by a fierce desire. Andromache obviously wanted her son back, and Lila would die protecting Astyanax. In the narrow corridor, their movements were constricted, but Andromache kept stabbing wildly at Lila. The latter had watched Hector fight many times, and she had always noticed how he evaded his opponent until the opportunity of attack presented itself. It was the only plan Lila had, and she watched Andromache's every move carefully. The princess was growing agitated each time she missed while Lila was finding her confidence in her footing. Andromache lunged forward unexpectedly, and Lila sidestepped around her, swung back, and punched her as hard as she could across the face. It was a decent blow and caused Andromache to stumble back several paces while Lila tried to ignore the pain coursing through her hand. No one had ever told her how much punching someone in the face not only hurts the opponent but also the deliverer.
Lila shrugged it off as Andromache's cold eyes fell on her once more. The princess screamed and charged Lila in a blind rage with her blade in front of her. This time, however, Andromache was quick and managed to cut Lila's forearm before they both fell to the ground. Andromache landed on top of Lila and lost her grip on the blade once more. She was exhausted from her numerous offensive attacks, and her breathing was labored. To her pleasure, however, Lila had hit her head when she fell onto the hard stone of the palace floors, and she was stunned for a moment as she struggled to pull herself together. Andromache relished in the moment when she wrapped her long fingers around Lila's throat and slowly applied pressure. Lila clawed at Andromache's slender arms and gasped at the now elusive air. Andromache's dark eyes glowed, and her sneer was evil in the dim torchlight. Unfortunately, Lila did not have long enough arms to reach to the princess' face, but she saw something glittering down by her hips. Unable to fully tell what it was, Lila reached out her hand and felt the blade of the knife. Her fingertips reached for the hilt, and she grabbed it before she drove into Andromache's side. The princess screamed in pain and rolled off a Lila. She pulled herself up on her knees and bled out from the deep wound in her side. When she straightened up, however, Lila was already standing in front of her with the bloody knife in her uninjured hand.
Andromache laughed and said, "Do it. The city's already falling. I'll see you all in Hades."
Before she could say another word, Lila kneed her in the face, and Andromache fell onto her back and choked on the blood spewing from her now broken nose. "No one threatens my family," she warned and let out a yell as she buried the knife in Andromache's chest. She watched as the last flickers of life left Andromache's eyes and sat back on her heels. No matter how much the princess deserved it, Lila was not a killer, and she found herself shaking as she looked at the body in front of her.
A numbness fell over Lila while her mind tried to cope with the severity of what she had just done, and eventually she remembered her injured forearm. The wound wasn't deep, but she needed to stop the bleeding. She tore a piece of material from her dress and tied it tightly around the cut. Then she stood up and retrieved her blade from Andromache's corpse. The sound it made when she removed it was sickening, and she leaned against the wall as a sudden wave of nausea rolled over her. "You have to be strong," she whispered to herself and wiped her bloody hands on her dress. Then she retreated back to the courtyard without fulfilling her original purpose.
Helen and Althea both were stunned when they saw Lila step out of the palace. The dead look on her face along with the blood on her dress and arms left them speechless as she approached. Without thinking, Lila handed Althea the knife and took her crying son from Helen. Lila tried to soothe the babe, but she knew there was no comfort to be found in Troy tonight.
"What happened?" Helen finally asked.
"She was going to take him," Lila answered softly as she looked down at Astyanax.
"I don't understand," the princess said.
Lila gently tucked the blanket around her son and explained with a shaky voice, "It's not important… I wasn't able to reach the square. I don't know what's happening."
Silence fell between them as they realized they were alone and without proper protection. 'Please, Hector, come back to me,' she silently prayed, wishing more than anything that he could receive her message. Of course the only answer were the sounds of war slowly approaching closer and closer. For all she knew, he was already dead.
Lila glanced at Helen to see the princess was crying, and she took her hand. "They don't kill you," she said gently. "You have nothing to worry about."
"What?" The princess asked with a frown of confusion.
Lila squeezed her hand and promised, "I'll explain if we see morning."
At that moment, another figure came rushing out of the darkness, and the three women held their breath tensely. It was a Greek soldier, but he looked more fearful than threatening. Still, he approached the women, and Lila held Astyanax protectively to her chest. Then a sword was thrust through the Greek's chest, and Lila had a flash of hope. As the soldier fell to the ground, however, Paris was revealed, and Helen immediately rushed into his arms. Lila's heart felt like it had broken into a million pieces. If Hector had not come for her then…
"Where's Hector?" she asked Paris with tears in her eyes.
The prince looked down at his feet as he admitted, "I don't know. I lost him in the battle. When I could no longer see him, I rushed here thinking I would find him with you."
Without warning, warm tears slid down Lila's cheeks, and all the air was sucked from her lungs. A thousand knives stabbed her chest, and she suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. The unspeakable words formed a hard lump in her throat. Not him. Not without her. He couldn't leave her alone. He couldn't leave her. Her knees found the ground, and Lila folded over Astyanax as she began sobbing so hard it felt as if her bones would shatter at any moment from the force. It was still nowhere comparable to the pain she felt within. It was worse than dying. Althea was stroking her hair and wrapped her slender arms around Lila's shoulders, but Lila was numb to the outside world.
Against the black of her eyelids, she could see his warm dark eyes, his wolfish grin, his handsome face. She heard his laughter, heard him speak her name. It was torturous how vividly she could remember him, but how she knew she would never remember all his complexities or all his perfect imperfections. She could feel his worn hand on her cheeks, wiping away her tears, and she heard him whisper, 'I'm here.'
Lila opened her eyes and saw his face before her as real as day, and she asked, "Am I dreaming?"
"No," he responded and pushed her hair tenderly from her face.
"You came back."
"What have you done?" he asked gently as he took her blood stained hands in his. She ignored the question and examined him cautiously to make sure he wasn't a phantom sent to torture her. He was covered from head to toe in blood, but it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Reluctantly, she reached out to touch his cheek as if he would dissipate into thin air at any moment. The bristle of his beard, however, prickled her fingertips, and her lip quivered uncontrollably while her fingers traced the familiar line of his jaw.
Then, she collapsed against him and sobbed in relief. "I thought you were dead."
"I know," he said as he held her tightly to him. "But it's finally over."
Author's Note: The lyrics that I started out the chapter with are from the song "Resistance" by Muse from their album The Resistance (2009). It's actually the reason I titled the story what I did, and if you've never heard the song or looked at the lyrics, I encourage you to because I think they work so well with the storyline! I would like to thank EmmyMK and WaffleRabbit for the kind reviews! Emmy: After everything the two had been through, I couldn't let Troy fall! And Lila finally did to Andromache what I'm sure we all wanted to haha ;P Waffle: I love your name, and I admit I immediately went to your page to see the bigger picture haha! I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do with these two love birds, but hopefully, you'll continue reading and be pleased with the story :) I might have another rabbit in my hat (really bad joke, right?)