Cassandra stood silently on the balcony that branched off of her quarters.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her raging heart as the wind tossed
her hair about. Her eyes were heavy and her body begged for sleep, but her
mind would not allow it. She knew what the day would bring, for it had
been haunting her dreams for months.
Ever since her younger brother Paris had brought Helen back from Sparta, Troy's future had been quite obvious to her. The city, her beloved homeland, would burn to the ground. Tears streamed down her face and silently splattered onto the smooth surface of the balcony.
Cassandra stood outside until the sun rose. When flecks of light blue began to splatter the light morning sky, she turned and went inside.
'It's too pretty a day for so many to die,' she thought sardonically to herself.
Not an hour had passed when her servants came to dress her. She adorned her beautiful blue and white tunic and allowed the girls to sweep her hair up into an elegant cluster of dark curls, all the while dreading what was fated to happen that day. When the servants were done with her makeup, Cassandra slipped on her sandals and walked out of her quarters.
On her way down to the main hall, she met Helen. Helen smiled at her. Her smile quickly turned to a frown when Helen glanced into Cassandra's eyes. Helen had taken an immediate liking to Cassandra, and vice versa. The two had grown close over the months and Helen knew the look in Cassandra's eyes well enough. Something was troubling her.
"Cassandra, what's wrong?"
Cassandra smiled sadly at Helen. "Everything is as it should be. And fate is about to strike."
Helen's eyes widened. "Are the Greeks coming today?"
Cassandra nodded. "I'm going to the temple of Apollo to pray."
"I will join you."
"No, you must stay here. Until the war is over, you cannot leave the walls of Troy. If you do, you will be returned to Menelaus and believe me when I say he will not receive you as openly as we have."
Helen bit her lip. "Are you sure?"
Cassandra sighed and placed a gentle hand on Helen's shoulder. "Trust me Helen, once the war begins, you will not want to leave our walls."
Cassandra walked off, leaving Helen to her own thoughts. Sadness gripped her heart. Every night Helen prayed that the gods would bless Cassandra with someone of her own to love. And though both of Cassandra's suitors, Coroebus and Othronus, loved her, the feeling was not returned. Helen lowered her head.
"Aphrodite, please, send Cassandra someone to love, before it is too late."
Riding swiftly up the small hill, Cassandra felt the rapid beating of her heart slow down as soon as the temple of Apollo came into sight. Once she was on the steps, Cassandra dismounted her horse. She turned to the three guards that accompanied her.
"Wait out here for me."
The three men nodded and Cassandra made her way in. Stopping at the rather large statue of Apollo, Cassandra knelt in prayer.
"Apollo, hear my prayer, give me guidance in this time of war. Bless me, oh god of the sun, light my path and make clear the road I should take."
Cassandra felt a familiar presence behind her and slowly rose. Turning around, she offered her older cousin a smile.
"Cassandra, what brings you to us today?"
"Hello Briseis. How goes all with you?"
Briseis smiled. "Well enough, my dear cousin. Apollo is kind to his servants."
Cassandra placed her hand on Briseis' arm. "Cousin, we need to talk."
"Is something troubling you?"
Knowing it would be pointless to hide the truth from her cousin, Cassandra nodded. "Yes, Apollo visited me last night. The Greeks are coming. They will be here by high noon."
Briseis gasped. "Have you told Hektor?"
"Hektor knew since he found Helen aboard the ship that the Greeks would come. He has been preparing every day for an attack."
"What about your father?"
"Briseis, my father is not the head of our army. Telling him would do nothing but to put him in a state of panic. And besides, I have a feeling Helenus has already told him of his own visions."
Briseis bit her lip. "Is there nothing that can be done?"
"That's why I'm here. Perhaps Apollo will..."
Cassandra stopped abruptly and her hand flew up to her throat. She felt as if all breath had just been taken from her body. Cassandra gasped futilely for air. She saw her cousin screaming, but could hear nothing. The room began to blur and spin around. Slowly, her eyes fluttered shut and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
A few hours later, Cassandra's eyes flew open and she abruptly sat up, covered in a cold sweat. She glanced around her and found that she was lying in Briseis' chambers in the temple. Calming her rapid heartbeat, Cassandra took a deep breath and gently massaged her temple.
As soon as she had collected herself, she gracefully moved off of the lavish bed and made her way to the main hall. When she arrived, she saw Briseis talking to her guards. Briseis spotted her cousin and rushed to meet her.
"Cassandra, what happened? Are you all right? Should I fetch one of your brothers?"
Cassandra held up her hand to silence her cousin. "Briseis, I'm fine, but I must speak to you in private."
"Of course."
The two made their way back to Briseis' chamber. As soon as they were inside, Cassandra shut and locked the door.
"What time is it?"
Briseis gave Cassandra a questioning look. "Nearly high noon, why?"
"The Greeks will arrive soon. You must go and hide inside the walls of Troy."
"What? Cassandra, I won't leave the temple."
"Briseis, Apollo has granted me a vision. We can win this war, but only if Achilles comes to our aid. Without him, we will lose and many will die, Hektor among them."
Briseis shook her head. "Hektor is the greatest warrior, no man could strike him down."
Cassandra grabbed Briseis' shoulders and shook her. "Don't be a fool! Achilles will kill my brother if he does not join our side. The only chance we have of winning this war is if you listen to me. You must go back to Troy."
"But if the Greeks will be here as soon as you say, I don't have time to walk safely to Troy."
"That's why you will pose as me. My guards will accompany you and you can ride swiftly on my horse to safety. I will stay here."
"No Cassandra. I can't let you stay here, they could kill you."
"They won't kill me, Briseis. But you have to trust me, if you don't, then Troy will surely burn to the ground."
Briseis closed her eyes. She knew her cousin was wise beyond her years, but she couldn't knowingly leave her here. If the Greeks attacked the temple of Apollo, she could be killed. Or worse, she could be enslaved. But, then again, if what Cassandra said was true, what choice did she have? Though she loved her cousin dearly, Briseis would not let Troy burn in order to save one woman.
"What must I do?"
"Trade clothing with me. Cover your face with a veil. We look similar enough that, with the veil, the guards will never know the difference."
Briseis nodded and the two women undressed and switched clothes. After she had adorned her cousin's attire, Briseis tied her curly hair up and attached a veil. She turned to look at Cassandra, who was now wearing her red dress.
"Promise me you won't do anything foolish. If your plan looks like it will fail, please, run Cassandra and return to us."
Cassandra nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around her cousin. "I swear by the gods, I will return."
Cassandra released the slightly trembling Briseis. "Now go on. If you don't leave soon, you'll never escape the Greeks."
Briseis nodded. She made her way to the door, but paused. Looking back, she was comforted by the confident look on Cassandra's face.
"Ride swift as the wind."
Briseis smiled softly and walked down to the main hall. As soon as she was out of the room, Cassandra allowed the façade of confidence to drop. Her entire body began to quiver. She knew that if her plan failed, she would either be killed or taken as a slave. Neither of the options appealed to her.
When the sun finally reached its peak in the sky, she rushed to the closest window and gazed out toward the ocean. Her worst fears were realized as she saw the fleet of ships landing on the shores of her home.
As the Greeks poured onto her homeland, she moved away from the window, unable to watch the battle that would ensue within moments. Cassandra removed the golden clips that held her hair up. She brushed out the unnatural curls and took off all of the jewelry that decorated her fair body. She knew the Greeks would only rip them off of her if she kept them on.
Making her way down to the statue of Apollo, Cassandra knelt in prayer before the god of the sun. She tried to keep her tears at bay, but two fell down her face and splattered onto the cold stone floor.
The sun was still high in the sky when the Greeks burst into the temple. All she could do when she heard the sickening sound of the priests being murdered was take a deep breath and brace herself for whatever the future might hold.
A/N: I hope you all liked that chapter. As I said before, my version of the Trojan War will be nothing like Homer's version. So please try not to get too upset when I twist the "facts of history."
Arkee- I'm glad you liked the prologue. As you can see, I didn't continue with the dramatic monologue, but I hope you liked this chapter. This story might not be the best way for you to learn about Cassandra, but if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to send you information on my favorite prophetess.
Rachael- don't worry, the Andromache/Hektor romance will come up soon enough, it just might be in the third or fourth chapter. I hope you like how I portray Cassandra in this story. Please don't hesitate to give me any and all feedback.
Alyx Bredford- I hope the beginning of my story proved not to be a "copy." I believe you will find that, usually, I'm original in my ideas. However, please don't forget that there are 6 billion people in the world. If two of us have similar ideas, that's not all that unusual.
Christine Persephone- I don't believe my story was improperly categorized. I'm going more by the movie verse than The Iliad. Besides, adding a character doesn't make the story out of place (isn't twisting a plot and adding people what makes fanfiction, well, fanfiction?). And, again, this is not a copy of anyone's story. I've never even read "Wild Eyed". Typically, I stick to Harry Potter and X-Men fanfiction, but I've decided to give this a whirl. Please give this story a chance before you jump in, chew it up, and spit it out.
Jenny- I hope you liked this chapter even more.
Gas-light- thanks for your support. And yes, this will be more movie versed than anything, but, as I've said before, it will be a very twisted version. I hope you enjoy the ride!
Rogue 2004- I hope you liked it. (And I love your name!)
Steph4nieff- thanks for reviewing. I hope you loved this too.
C-bear- thanks for telling me about my grammar errors. If you have the time, are you interested in being a beta-reader? And I appreciate your comments on the prologue. I thought they should have put Cassandra in the movie as well. In my opinion, she's critical to the story of the Trojan War.
DreamLord- glad I grabbed your attention. Let's see if I can hold it, shall we?
Anon- yeah, I hate seeing the misspelling of Hektor's name too. And I'm glad you like the story so far. Can't wait to hear more feedback.
DaRkDrEaMzzz- I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the prologue.
Ann- I know they don't really know when Homer lived, but for the sake of this story, I'm going to say that he lived years after. But you're completely right; for all I know, he saw the whole thing! And of course I didn't forget that Cassandra could see the future (she's my favorite character). I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
Huntress of the stars- hope I didn't turn you blue (sorry for the late update but I have exams this week and next week). I hope this one takes your breath away.
Ever since her younger brother Paris had brought Helen back from Sparta, Troy's future had been quite obvious to her. The city, her beloved homeland, would burn to the ground. Tears streamed down her face and silently splattered onto the smooth surface of the balcony.
Cassandra stood outside until the sun rose. When flecks of light blue began to splatter the light morning sky, she turned and went inside.
'It's too pretty a day for so many to die,' she thought sardonically to herself.
Not an hour had passed when her servants came to dress her. She adorned her beautiful blue and white tunic and allowed the girls to sweep her hair up into an elegant cluster of dark curls, all the while dreading what was fated to happen that day. When the servants were done with her makeup, Cassandra slipped on her sandals and walked out of her quarters.
On her way down to the main hall, she met Helen. Helen smiled at her. Her smile quickly turned to a frown when Helen glanced into Cassandra's eyes. Helen had taken an immediate liking to Cassandra, and vice versa. The two had grown close over the months and Helen knew the look in Cassandra's eyes well enough. Something was troubling her.
"Cassandra, what's wrong?"
Cassandra smiled sadly at Helen. "Everything is as it should be. And fate is about to strike."
Helen's eyes widened. "Are the Greeks coming today?"
Cassandra nodded. "I'm going to the temple of Apollo to pray."
"I will join you."
"No, you must stay here. Until the war is over, you cannot leave the walls of Troy. If you do, you will be returned to Menelaus and believe me when I say he will not receive you as openly as we have."
Helen bit her lip. "Are you sure?"
Cassandra sighed and placed a gentle hand on Helen's shoulder. "Trust me Helen, once the war begins, you will not want to leave our walls."
Cassandra walked off, leaving Helen to her own thoughts. Sadness gripped her heart. Every night Helen prayed that the gods would bless Cassandra with someone of her own to love. And though both of Cassandra's suitors, Coroebus and Othronus, loved her, the feeling was not returned. Helen lowered her head.
"Aphrodite, please, send Cassandra someone to love, before it is too late."
Riding swiftly up the small hill, Cassandra felt the rapid beating of her heart slow down as soon as the temple of Apollo came into sight. Once she was on the steps, Cassandra dismounted her horse. She turned to the three guards that accompanied her.
"Wait out here for me."
The three men nodded and Cassandra made her way in. Stopping at the rather large statue of Apollo, Cassandra knelt in prayer.
"Apollo, hear my prayer, give me guidance in this time of war. Bless me, oh god of the sun, light my path and make clear the road I should take."
Cassandra felt a familiar presence behind her and slowly rose. Turning around, she offered her older cousin a smile.
"Cassandra, what brings you to us today?"
"Hello Briseis. How goes all with you?"
Briseis smiled. "Well enough, my dear cousin. Apollo is kind to his servants."
Cassandra placed her hand on Briseis' arm. "Cousin, we need to talk."
"Is something troubling you?"
Knowing it would be pointless to hide the truth from her cousin, Cassandra nodded. "Yes, Apollo visited me last night. The Greeks are coming. They will be here by high noon."
Briseis gasped. "Have you told Hektor?"
"Hektor knew since he found Helen aboard the ship that the Greeks would come. He has been preparing every day for an attack."
"What about your father?"
"Briseis, my father is not the head of our army. Telling him would do nothing but to put him in a state of panic. And besides, I have a feeling Helenus has already told him of his own visions."
Briseis bit her lip. "Is there nothing that can be done?"
"That's why I'm here. Perhaps Apollo will..."
Cassandra stopped abruptly and her hand flew up to her throat. She felt as if all breath had just been taken from her body. Cassandra gasped futilely for air. She saw her cousin screaming, but could hear nothing. The room began to blur and spin around. Slowly, her eyes fluttered shut and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
A few hours later, Cassandra's eyes flew open and she abruptly sat up, covered in a cold sweat. She glanced around her and found that she was lying in Briseis' chambers in the temple. Calming her rapid heartbeat, Cassandra took a deep breath and gently massaged her temple.
As soon as she had collected herself, she gracefully moved off of the lavish bed and made her way to the main hall. When she arrived, she saw Briseis talking to her guards. Briseis spotted her cousin and rushed to meet her.
"Cassandra, what happened? Are you all right? Should I fetch one of your brothers?"
Cassandra held up her hand to silence her cousin. "Briseis, I'm fine, but I must speak to you in private."
"Of course."
The two made their way back to Briseis' chamber. As soon as they were inside, Cassandra shut and locked the door.
"What time is it?"
Briseis gave Cassandra a questioning look. "Nearly high noon, why?"
"The Greeks will arrive soon. You must go and hide inside the walls of Troy."
"What? Cassandra, I won't leave the temple."
"Briseis, Apollo has granted me a vision. We can win this war, but only if Achilles comes to our aid. Without him, we will lose and many will die, Hektor among them."
Briseis shook her head. "Hektor is the greatest warrior, no man could strike him down."
Cassandra grabbed Briseis' shoulders and shook her. "Don't be a fool! Achilles will kill my brother if he does not join our side. The only chance we have of winning this war is if you listen to me. You must go back to Troy."
"But if the Greeks will be here as soon as you say, I don't have time to walk safely to Troy."
"That's why you will pose as me. My guards will accompany you and you can ride swiftly on my horse to safety. I will stay here."
"No Cassandra. I can't let you stay here, they could kill you."
"They won't kill me, Briseis. But you have to trust me, if you don't, then Troy will surely burn to the ground."
Briseis closed her eyes. She knew her cousin was wise beyond her years, but she couldn't knowingly leave her here. If the Greeks attacked the temple of Apollo, she could be killed. Or worse, she could be enslaved. But, then again, if what Cassandra said was true, what choice did she have? Though she loved her cousin dearly, Briseis would not let Troy burn in order to save one woman.
"What must I do?"
"Trade clothing with me. Cover your face with a veil. We look similar enough that, with the veil, the guards will never know the difference."
Briseis nodded and the two women undressed and switched clothes. After she had adorned her cousin's attire, Briseis tied her curly hair up and attached a veil. She turned to look at Cassandra, who was now wearing her red dress.
"Promise me you won't do anything foolish. If your plan looks like it will fail, please, run Cassandra and return to us."
Cassandra nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around her cousin. "I swear by the gods, I will return."
Cassandra released the slightly trembling Briseis. "Now go on. If you don't leave soon, you'll never escape the Greeks."
Briseis nodded. She made her way to the door, but paused. Looking back, she was comforted by the confident look on Cassandra's face.
"Ride swift as the wind."
Briseis smiled softly and walked down to the main hall. As soon as she was out of the room, Cassandra allowed the façade of confidence to drop. Her entire body began to quiver. She knew that if her plan failed, she would either be killed or taken as a slave. Neither of the options appealed to her.
When the sun finally reached its peak in the sky, she rushed to the closest window and gazed out toward the ocean. Her worst fears were realized as she saw the fleet of ships landing on the shores of her home.
As the Greeks poured onto her homeland, she moved away from the window, unable to watch the battle that would ensue within moments. Cassandra removed the golden clips that held her hair up. She brushed out the unnatural curls and took off all of the jewelry that decorated her fair body. She knew the Greeks would only rip them off of her if she kept them on.
Making her way down to the statue of Apollo, Cassandra knelt in prayer before the god of the sun. She tried to keep her tears at bay, but two fell down her face and splattered onto the cold stone floor.
The sun was still high in the sky when the Greeks burst into the temple. All she could do when she heard the sickening sound of the priests being murdered was take a deep breath and brace herself for whatever the future might hold.
A/N: I hope you all liked that chapter. As I said before, my version of the Trojan War will be nothing like Homer's version. So please try not to get too upset when I twist the "facts of history."
Arkee- I'm glad you liked the prologue. As you can see, I didn't continue with the dramatic monologue, but I hope you liked this chapter. This story might not be the best way for you to learn about Cassandra, but if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to send you information on my favorite prophetess.
Rachael- don't worry, the Andromache/Hektor romance will come up soon enough, it just might be in the third or fourth chapter. I hope you like how I portray Cassandra in this story. Please don't hesitate to give me any and all feedback.
Alyx Bredford- I hope the beginning of my story proved not to be a "copy." I believe you will find that, usually, I'm original in my ideas. However, please don't forget that there are 6 billion people in the world. If two of us have similar ideas, that's not all that unusual.
Christine Persephone- I don't believe my story was improperly categorized. I'm going more by the movie verse than The Iliad. Besides, adding a character doesn't make the story out of place (isn't twisting a plot and adding people what makes fanfiction, well, fanfiction?). And, again, this is not a copy of anyone's story. I've never even read "Wild Eyed". Typically, I stick to Harry Potter and X-Men fanfiction, but I've decided to give this a whirl. Please give this story a chance before you jump in, chew it up, and spit it out.
Jenny- I hope you liked this chapter even more.
Gas-light- thanks for your support. And yes, this will be more movie versed than anything, but, as I've said before, it will be a very twisted version. I hope you enjoy the ride!
Rogue 2004- I hope you liked it. (And I love your name!)
Steph4nieff- thanks for reviewing. I hope you loved this too.
C-bear- thanks for telling me about my grammar errors. If you have the time, are you interested in being a beta-reader? And I appreciate your comments on the prologue. I thought they should have put Cassandra in the movie as well. In my opinion, she's critical to the story of the Trojan War.
DreamLord- glad I grabbed your attention. Let's see if I can hold it, shall we?
Anon- yeah, I hate seeing the misspelling of Hektor's name too. And I'm glad you like the story so far. Can't wait to hear more feedback.
DaRkDrEaMzzz- I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the prologue.
Ann- I know they don't really know when Homer lived, but for the sake of this story, I'm going to say that he lived years after. But you're completely right; for all I know, he saw the whole thing! And of course I didn't forget that Cassandra could see the future (she's my favorite character). I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
Huntress of the stars- hope I didn't turn you blue (sorry for the late update but I have exams this week and next week). I hope this one takes your breath away.