Chapter 14

Briseis POV

The next five days seemed to pass in a blur. The sun rose and Achilles and I would walk on the beach before he had to attend to training with his men and I would either watch him or sit near the water. I was allowed any freedom my heart desired, but was strongly urged to stay in the bounds of the Myrmidon camp, lest Agamemnon's soldiers tried to take me again. When Selene reined in the sky at night, Achilles and I would retire into his hut where we would make love and talk about our childhoods. I always felt so safe in his arms, and try as I might, couldn't remember why I had devoted myself to a life of chastity. My eyes widened a bit as I saw Eudorus instructing the other men on loading the ship. Achilles had not told me that he was leaving.

"Eudorus!" I called out to the man, who turned and smiled

"Lady Briseis" He greeted me warmly "Was there anything you required?"

"No thank you, Eudorus. I was just wondering, why are you loading the ship?" The older man's face fell slightly as his eyes averted my gaze.

"Lord Achilles told me that we would be leaving here at first light. He bade me to finish loading the ship by this afternoon" I fell silent as his words gutted me worse than any knife or sword could. I thanked him and headed for the safety of Achilles hut and waited for him to return from a meeting with Agamemnon. I shuddered at the thought of his name. King of Kings though he may be, Agamemnon had proved to be ill mannered, conniving and more crude than the lowest ruffian from the street. What would he do to me when Achilles left the beaches? I knew that the only reason he had restrained himself before was because Achilles had been so fierce, but with him gone Agamemnon had more than enough power to force me to his bed. The thought made me want to be sick even though I had nothing to regurgitate. Banishing the thought from my mind, I grabbed an apple from the platter that Achilles always left and bit into it deeply. Just then, Achilles re-entered the tent with two wooden swords in his hands.

"I thought I could teach you some defense. In case you were ever attacked again" He smiled as he held one of the swords out to me. I took it firmly in my hand and followed him to the ruins that used to be Apollo's temple. Hector had taught me some use with a sword but had stopped when I became eligible to marry, as it was unthinkable for a woman to defend herself. I was amazed by the precision and swiftness in Achilles moves, but could no longer fight as my back hit the wall and my sword clattered to the ground. Leaning in close to me, his hot breath caressing my face, Achilles held his sword lightly against my throat.

"Do you surrender?" He asked huskily as his body pressed into mine

"And if I do not?" I asked him boldly

"Then perhaps... you will need some convincing" The sword fell to the ground as Achilles attacked my lips with his own. I melted into the kiss and allowed my arms to go around his neck. His hands did not reach for the hem of my gown, but grabbed my waist to pull me closer. After a few moments, he pulled away and held my body to his.

"We should head back to the camp" My heart fell slightly as he pulled away from me and started to head to the exit. He waited for me to join him before proceeding into the night air. I had not realized we had sparred for so long and walked a little quicker to the hut, images of another night flashing through my mind. As we walked, I felt a fire ignite in my abdomen as I realized how much Achilles meant to me. How much I loved the feel of his hot breath on my flesh as he kissed me, how I loved the way held me close after we became one. But if I was honest with myself, I knew that I loved him. From the way he kissed me to the way he would always wash his face in the mornings. I loved every bit of him, and now he was going to leave me. Maybe not if I gave him a little incentive I thought as we approached the hut. The moment we were both inside I leapt at him, and showed him how much I loved him.