Author's Note
In Greek Mythology (and Virgil's Aeneid), Helenus was one of Priam and Hecuba's son and a warrior during the Trojan war and later married Andromache. My version of Helenus is not canon compliant.
In this fanfic, Helenus has mental health issues. He engages in self-harm and has suicidal thoughts: I am not very descriptive about them but they are mentioned several times. The story is set at a time when such conditions weren't recognized and there was no available treatment.
His struggle against his condition is characterized by moments of success and serenity but also by episodes of failure and relapse, until he will come to a turning point.
This fanfic is the third part of my Trojan series and the last part I originally imagined and wrote about ten years ago. Like the other two parts of the series, this fiction is a rewriting.
When I came up with my fanfic about Aesacus, almost ten years ago, I wrote a draft where Helenus was portrayed as a very negative character - it was sort of inspired by the scene from Harry Potter where Dumbledore meets Tom Riddle for the first time. I wasn't happy with the draft and I thought that both Aesacus and Helenus deserved some more effort on my side. So I deleted that draft and I decided to give Helenus a different storyline.
O-O-O
The large megaron was cold and the man who was sitting there moved closer to the fireplace.
He was a lanky man in his late forties, whose wavy, dark hair was starting to gray.
With his fingers interlocked on his lap, he seemed to be waiting for something.
"Did you summon me, Father?" a voice boomed in the megaron.
A young and sturdy man in his late teens stood in the doorway.
"Yes, Molossus." the older man replied without turning "Sit".
Molossus complied, a little uneasily. His stepfather wasn't much of a talker: if he had been summoned, there was likely trouble ahead.
"You have been nagging me for years to make me tell you about my past life. So there we go" his stepfather began.
Molossus gaped at him. "Are you serious? Every time I ask you, you tell me to give it a rest!"
"Still, you keep asking, so apparently you don't quite understand what 'give it a rest' means" the older man huffed "So I might as well tell you"
"Thank you. I've known you for years and sometimes I think I know nothing about you" replied Molossus.
"Please, you know plenty of things about me"
"Right, let me list them: your name is Helenus, you are Trojan, my mother's first husband was your brother. And that's all I know"
Helenus shot him a stern look: "Hmph, you always make such a big deal. And you are supposed to ascend the throne tomorrow" he shook his head.
"Will you start telling me about yourself or will you just keep scolding me for the whole evening?" Molossus asked impatiently.
He knew that it was reckless: it was never a good idea to sting his stepfather.
But Helenus stayed surprisingly calm.
"I would start talking if you managed to stay silent for a moment"