Disclaimer first : I don´t own any of the characters of Troy and I don´t publish this to get money out of it in any way – it´s just for fun and for all who´d like to read a different end of story.
As the story was written originally in German, it got really into trouble to translate it in an adequate way and to match all the expressions right – sorry if I didn´t succeed anyway!
Reviews are very welcome – translation was first for getting more of them! It´s not the first fanfiction I´ve ever written but the first I´ve ever published, so be nice ! :-)
Thanks to In Extremo and Blind Guardian who delivered the right music to write about heroic epics – lion-hearted stories require lion-hearted music!
Thanks also to my friends who read it first – for correcting proofs and giving me further suggestions – you survived :-)
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Achilles stretched out on the bed. It had lasted until the early hours of morning til the last guests had left or at last found to their beds. He had been drinking too much and it had been a long day, but right at the moment, he felt surprisingly comfortable.
His eyes followed Briseis who was opening the golden broochs that had held her hair together. She had sent her maid to bed. He watched her for a while until she felt his look on her and turned around. He let the last days pass on again in his mind. And wasn´t able to suppress a smile. "Do you like to tell me something ?" he asked. She turned around again, looking at him in surprise this time. "My lord ?" His smile widened. That was exactly what made her behaviour so suspicious.
"I´m wondering if there´s something you´d like to tell me." He tried to find a more comfortable position on the bed and folded his arms behind his head. Briseis closed the small jewel case in front of her carefully. "I don´t know what you mean, my lord." His smile changed into an amused grin. Needless to say that she didn´t! Her innocence was as charming as traitorous. He settled back a little more and comtemplated the ceiling above him. "Last week you attented the banquet at Ajax´s – voluntarily." He laughed gently. "Though you think of him as a kind of an ignorant barbarian. Five days ago, you went to the festivities at Elodis´ - though you don´t like him and it had almost bored you to death." His gaze returned to his young wife. "And today you accompanied me to the tournaments – though I know how much you detest that kind of things." "I don´t see why right-minded men are looking forward to such occasions, trying to bash each others head in in times of peace, indeed", she stated.
He ignored her snappy comment. "What do you want ?" he asked. Briseis brushed a strand of hair, lost in thought. Was it that obvious ? She had tried to keep him in good humour. Was that something a woman had to excuse for ? She sighed quietly. He looked through it, so. Alright then – then she had to try and bring the best out of it now. She approached the bed and sat down next to him. "Have I displeased you, my lord ?" He shook his head slowly. "No." He reached out for her and his fingers caressed her face softly. Then he chuckled. "And that´s exactly what makes you so suspicious." Her eyes widened a little and for a second, he could see clearly that he was displeasing her at the moment. But she decided that her disapproval had to wait. She worked up all her courage inwardly before she went on.
"Will we visit Troy for the festivities, my lord ?" He observed her face for a moment. Then he laid his head down on the pillows behind him and closed his eyes. So that was what the whole thing was about. Things became clearer now. The festivities at Troy. A great effort was neccessary for him to restrain laughter. That was what had made her suppress this typical cynicism of hers, always encased in kind words. That was what had made her retain his good mood with by all means. He liked to laugh at her. Here and now. Resounding. She didn´t use conventional weapons, alright. But she pulled no punches, that was for sure. He would have missed her next words completely, if there hadn´t been something remarkable in her tone.
"You´re laughing at me." It sounded hurt. "No, love. I don´t." She stroke a weak blow at him. "That´s a lie!" Her reaction approved his thinking. He had looked through it – and that made her angry. "Do you call me a liar ?" he asked provokingly. The expression on her face told him clearly that she ´d have liked to ask him if there was a problem with this hearing. She just couldn´t decide if to be polite and reach her aim – or if to slap him otherwise. But she would forget her anger – if he agreed to travel to Troy. It was a likable thought – knowing that she would be polite, sparing him with her bittersweet disguised scoff and her small but pointed remarks til the day they would leave for Troy. She would be nice. Maybe too nice, in a way.
With an easeful move, he brought her closer to his body. Her attempts to interpret the expression down in the light blue eyes were in vain. "That´s a long journey." He could almost see how her courage sank with each moment that passed. She was going to answer him but he kept her from this by laying a single finger down across her lips. "On the other hand...the change of scene could be good for Patroclus." He paused a moment before he went on. "He could probably teach your cousin how to hold a sword in the right way." His poignant sarcasm missed its aim. "You wouldn´t come with us ?"
The forthcoming disappointment manifested slowly on her face. On one hand, there was nothing she was more looking forward to than seeing her family again. On the other hand – what kind of reunion would it be, if he as the man who made the peace agreement between Troy and Greece possible, wouldn´t be a part of it ? She´d love to see her home again – but not for the prize of abandoning him. Achilles sighed inwardly. He couldn´t refuse her a request. Not this one, nor anyone at all. Especially not this one. A kind of well-known anger arose somewhere inside of him. Was she really believing that he would let her go on this voyage alone, only protected by his young, hot-headed cousin ? He avoided a pointed remark on that in the nick of time. "I´ll accompany you", he answered instead.
Troy. She loved the sight of this city. It was a rich capital, and if she could trust the notes of the messengers and the letters sent by her family, the traces the war had left there had been almost completely eliminated. She kept watching the city as the ship moved closer to the Trojan beach. Their arrival had surely already been noticed there.
Briseis saw the special meaning this voayge had to the people of Troy and Greece. But for her, there were some additional aspects to it. Achilles visiting Troy – that was a great political action, especially as Odysseus, king of the Greek alliance, had announced his presence there likewise.Two of the greatest man in the battle of Troy would come to meet there again. But for her, there was also the unpolitical part – meeting her family. It was an honour and a grace. She had left her home for Achilles and she´d done it from free will. But still...
Lost in thoughts, she turned to watch him. Despite of the unexpected turnaround the war had taken because of him, despite of the strong alliance between Greek and Troy – he would always stay the same man he´d been before. Moody, unpredictable and bored by official occasions like the meeting of kings. Mutinous, concerning things like tradition and etiquette. He realized that she was observing him and threw her an enquiring look. She couldn´t help but smile. He hadn´t accepted Odysseus´ invitation to travel with him on the royal ship. He considered that as beneath him. Alright. She would let him break in on her.
Hector waited calmly on the upper end of the huge staircaise that lead to the palace of Troy. He had mandated his brother to welcome their guests at the port and to accompany them to the city. He smiled thinking about Paris´ leaving about an hour ago. It was a kind of challenge for him. His gaze slid from Andromache to Helen. As Andromache radiated calm dignity and Trojan pride, she radiated contendedness and anticipation. She was looking forward to seeing her husband ride trough the ostentious main road of Troy. Hector´s gaze returned to the procession that meandered slowly in their direction. Helen had never regretted not being queen of Sparta anymore. As well as Paris had never regretted his choice. That was all that mattered.
As the procession came closer to the palace, Hector watched the scene in front of him, not trusting his eyes for a short moment. His wife smiled besides him.
Paris knew that it would have been against all traditions to greet a souvereign´s wife before greeting the souvereign himself. But he´d really have preferred to embrace his cousin first instead of coping with welcoming a man like Achilles in an adequate way. As he stood there waiting for their guests to leave their ship, his gaze never left the actions aboard. One of the Myrmidons, standing a little apart from the others, held the reins of his leader´s horse. As Briseis accompanied her husband, there had been a chariot prepared to bring them to the city... His muscles tightened as Achilles left the ship finally, followed by his wife and cousin He´d do anything to be a worthy representative of Troy´s king.
The blond warrior stopped in an appropriate distance from him. Paris gulped to prepair his words when Achilles adressed him. "All hail, prince of Troy." Paris went pale within seconds. Briseis looked obviously shocked. The right of first speech entitled to the host. Troy´s prince composed himself. "Be welcome, Achilles, son of Peleus." Briseis was pride of her cousin´s quick-wittedness. "The Appolonian Guard will escort you to the palace", he continued. Achilles nodded. "We thank you." Paris´ gaze slid to the chariot waiting. Achilles turned to his cousin. "Patroclus!" The younger man stepped forward. "Accompany my wife to Troy." Patroclus realized as well as all the others that this was again against all rules of etiquette and tradition. But he had the advantage of being used to his cousins unforseeable behaviour and just nodded. "As you wish." He helped her climb on the chariot while Achilles ordered the waiting man to bring his horse. Having a dim feeling down inside, Paris get back on its own one, leading it towards the city. He didn´t envy Patroclus for his cousin. This man made it just impossible to do anything in the right way.
Odysseus, standing only some footsteps away from Hector, was smiling as well. It didn´t insult him that the finest warrior of the Greek alliance hadn´t bothered to arrive at the same time with the Greek king. He knew him to well and liked him to much to insist on such things. If he wished to be welcomed separately, so should it be. But the scene in front of them topped Odysseus´ expectations effortlessly. Achilles had married a princess of Troy. Instead of entering this city by her side, he had chosen to ride in besides the prince of Troy, his armour gleaming in sunlight, entering a city that had been burned and destroyed due to his commands. There was no way to assess Achilles´ arrogance and one could only admire the calmness Briseis took things with. Well, there were still some conventions left in Trojan etiquette that could be disregarded. Odysseus was looking forward to seeing what would happen next.
Paris faced his brother side to side with Achilles, Briseis and Patroclus following them up the stairs. Achilles had held King Priamos in great respect. Hector was generally seen as a more than worthy successor of his father. But things like general acknowledgement didn´t count much to a man like Achilles. Hector knew that. He awaited their encounter confidently. "Achilles. Be welcome." Odysseus smiled. No tedious salutation. No hint to a title. "I thank you, Hector." A silent moment followed until the warrior went on. "King of Troy." A title, but no further mark of respect. The Greek king´s smile widened and he sighed in relief. The two men had equalised – and seemed to be satisfied with that.
Then Achilles moved aside and Briseis stepped forward, a little faster than she´d planned to. "Briseis", said Hector calmly. She didn´t answer him. As he moved forward to kiss her, she only stood there, waiting, the dark brown eyes shining with delight. She didn´t look like a woman who had to bear much distress. He breathed a sigh of relief seeing her content and happy. He greeted also Patroclus, but Briseis had no eyes for that.
Yet when they had arrived at the port, Achilles had not given her a chance to really greet her cousin Paris, and her impatience grew. But as a king, Odysseus was the next to be greeted by the the arriving. Hector recognized that his cousin greeted him in a quite familiar way – it seemed that Odysseus rise in the Greek monarchy had not effected the relationship between him and Achilles.
...at the end." Odysseus raised an eyebrow doubtfully while looking at the blond Greek besides him. "Are you listening ?" Achilles frowned as he returned to reality. "No", he replied honestly. "Sorry, old friend." Odysseus laughed. "You are easy to look through", he told him. "Is that so ?" Achilles´ gaze went to Briseis. The ladies of Troy´s royal family – and the young son of Troy´s King – had been drawing all her attention since they had arrived. "What did you say ?" Yet as he spoke the words his mind went on working on other things. Odysseus eyed him suspiciously for a moment. Then he laughed again. "Have you ever heard about men who fell so deeply in love whith a woman that they completely lost their minds ?" Achilles took lazily a sip of wine. "Pitiable creatures", he answered, keeping a straight face at all. "Was that the same what you were mentioning before ?"
Briseis looked up in amazement as in a quiet moment, someone laid a rangy chain around her neck. "Paris!" She watched the piece of jewellry in admiration. "By the gods, it is gorgeous!" He smiled at her. "It would adorn nobody else this way – just you." She hugged him sponateously. "I´m so glad to see you here again, my cousin", she wispered. "So do I", he answered. She loosened her embrace and watched him for a moment. There were things about him she had never noticed before all that. For example how his body felt under her hands when he embraced her. She blushed a little.
"Did I..." "No !" she interrupted him hastily. "No", she then repeated smiling. "I´m just so excited, that is all." "Are you contended ?" asked he quietly. She sighed. No one but him would have asked her that so straightly and honestly. "Do I look like that ?" He catched him out letting his gaze wander through the hall, searching for a certain face. "Paris ?" "Hm ?" She still had his attention, but his gaze didn´t apply to her. She touched his chin resolutely and made him look at her again. "Stop looking at him, look at me. Look at me, cousin, and tell me if I seem contended to you." He frowned. "You do", he said. "You do indeed." He leaned forward, threwing her a conspiratorial look. "You´d be very talented as a commander, cousin." A littly embarassed, she looked down on her hands. "It is definitely not like..." "I think it is", he finished her sentence.
He took her hands and closed his around them. "I´m glad to see you so happy, Briseis. I´d hate the thought you could be not." He touched her cheek with his one hand, not sure how to go on. "But...It is..." He stumbled. Not being able to express his feelings to a woman was something that happened not too often to him. "He...just doesn´t seem to be exactly the right man for you."
It took her some moments to completely understand the meaning of his words. "You would never have agreed to this bond, wouldn´t you ?" she asked in shock. Her eyes, normally bright, seemed at once darker than they used to. "No", he answered. "Never." Sie gripped his hand a little bit tighter. "You know how much I love him, do you, Paris ?" He nodded slowly. "Yes. I do." "And still you would have refused that to me ?" Again he nodded. "Nobody can assess that man. Anybody can."