(a/n: There is some language used in here, just to warn you.)
Chapter Three
Bria awoke, groggy. She tried to bring her hands around to rub her eyes; however, she discovered that they were tied behind her back. She jerked on her bonds to no avail, succeeding only in banging her arms painfully on the post she was bound to. "Of all the bloody fucking things to happen, this has got to be the worst," she muttered. She glanced around, taking in her current surroundings. She was in a tent, luxuriously furnished. Must be a warlord's, or a prince's or some such, she thought with disgust. Perhaps she was expected to be some sort of 'lady of the chamber.' Hah! We'll see how this arrogant son of a bitch likes a wolf in his bed, she thought savagely. Leaning her head back against the post, she thought back to the events preceding her capture. Those monsters had invaded the temple, and she had killed three before one got a noose around her neck and brought her down. She'd given him some bruises before she'd lost consciousness, though, she thought with satisfaction. To be sure, those men would not forget her. Hearing voices, Bria tried to crane her neck around to see the tent's entrance. Listening, she recognized to voice of that bastard who had pulled her down. "There's something you should see, my lord." The voice was getting closer. Suddenly, the tent flaps were brushed aside, and a man entered. Bria's eyes widened. This man was gorgeous. He was beyond beautiful, with his tall, bronzed, muscled body. He was also staring at her, and she quickly blanked her face. She would warm no warrior's bed, no matter how attractive he might be. He turned to the wash basin. "What is your name?" he asked, stripping off his armor and tunic. Bria gaped. For a moment, she was speechless. She had felt physical desire before, but never like this. For a moment she was glad her arms were tied behind her, for if they were free she would have jumped upon this man, despite his being covered in blood and gore. "You were found in the temple. Are you a priestess?" he asked, shaking Bria from her haze of desire. She blanked her face again and looked away. This man was her enemy. What am I thinking? "Even priestesses have names," he said. He picked up a lock of her hair, and Bria shivered as his fingers brushed her cheek. He sniffed at her dark curls, and smirked. "Jasmine. You must be royalty." She jerked her head away. The man stood, slipping on a tunic. "Do you know who I am, girl?" Bria had a vague idea, but she wasn't going to say it. "Achilles. I am Achilles," he said without pride, as if he were commenting on the weather. "Do you expect me to bow to you?" she asked sarcastically, immediately regretting her words. He smirked. "So she has a voice after all." He looked at her and she met his eyes for the first time. They were bright blue like the sea, and she could feel herself drowning. "You must be royalty," he said smugly. "You've probably spent your whole life talking down to men." If you only knew, Bria thought sadly. He crouched down next to her, slitting her ropes. She rubbed her wrists, trying to increase the blood flow in them. "Are you afraid of me, girl?" he asked softly. "Should I be?" she asked in kind. "No. I won't hurt you." He got up. "You're the only Trojan I can say that to." He stepped to a platter of food and offered it to her. She shook her head, but her stomach growled loudly. He smiled, gesturing that she could eat when she wished. She turned away, looking at the tent wall. After a moment of silence, she sighed and faced him again. "Briseis." Achilles looked up at her voice. "What?" "My name is Briseis," she said again. She met his eyes squarely, defiantly, and he stared back, lost in her silver gaze. Perhaps they would have remained there for hours, but they were interrupted by the soldier who had taken Bria captive earlier. "Eudorus," Achilles said by way of greeting. The soldier glanced at Bria, who narrowed her eyes at him. He quickly brought his gaze back to Achilles. "My lord, Agamemnon requests all the kings to come to his tent," he said quickly. Achilles nodded and sighed. "I will be there," he said. Eudorus nodded and ducked back out of the tent. Achilles rose and glanced at Briseis. "Stay here. You are under my protection, and you will be safe." She nodded in reply. As he was about to leave the tent, he turned and looked back at her. "Would you happen to know how Eudorus hurt his face?" he queried. Briseis smirked, not replying. Achilles chuckled. "I thought as much." He left, and Bria was left to wonder what the hell had just happened to her. Her wondering was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of two large, armored soldiers.
Several minutes later, Bria was dragged into Agamemnon's tent. It took three large guards to restrain the girl, but she stopped struggling when they shoved her forward to stand before Achilles and the king.
Achilles nearly lost his mind in anger. "You sack of wine! Let her go!" he snapped. Furiously he drew his blade. The guards surrounded him, and he said levelly, "I have no quarrel with you, brothers, but let her go, or you shall never see home again."
The soldiers moved in and Bria shouted, "Stop!"
Achilles froze, gazing at her in disbelief.
She glared at him. "Too many men have died today. I f killing is your only talent, that's your curse, but I won't have anyone dying for me." As Achilles stood staring at her, Agamemnon chuckled. "Mighty Achilles, silenced by a slave girl." He ran a hand through Bria's long dark curls while she stood there as stiff as a board, utterly repulsed. "Perhaps I'll have her give me a bath tonight." He gave Bria an oily smile. "And after that...who knows?" Achilles pointed his blade at the king. "Before my days are done, I will look down on your corpse and smile," he snarled with barely restrained anger. With a last look at Briseis, he stormed out of the tent. Agamemnon ran a finger down Bria's cheek. "You and I will get to know each other better, then," he said softly. He put his lips by her ear. "Have you ever shared the bed of a king?" "No," Bria replied. She noticed two other men enter the tent out of the corner of her eye. She spat in Agamemnon's face. "And I don't want to." The king glared at her, then grabbed her hair hand pulled her head back viciously. "Odysseus, Nestor. I would like you to meet," he let go of Bria's hair and slapped her hard enough to bring tears to her eyes, "my new slave, newly given to me by Achilles." Bria had had enough. She dropped to her knees and kicked the back of the king's shin, causing him to fall in pain. She scrambled to her feet and nearly made it to the door before the guards grabbed her. Dimly, as she drifted into unconsciousness, she heard Agamemnon telling them to take her away, and then the world went black.
Chapter Three
Bria awoke, groggy. She tried to bring her hands around to rub her eyes; however, she discovered that they were tied behind her back. She jerked on her bonds to no avail, succeeding only in banging her arms painfully on the post she was bound to. "Of all the bloody fucking things to happen, this has got to be the worst," she muttered. She glanced around, taking in her current surroundings. She was in a tent, luxuriously furnished. Must be a warlord's, or a prince's or some such, she thought with disgust. Perhaps she was expected to be some sort of 'lady of the chamber.' Hah! We'll see how this arrogant son of a bitch likes a wolf in his bed, she thought savagely. Leaning her head back against the post, she thought back to the events preceding her capture. Those monsters had invaded the temple, and she had killed three before one got a noose around her neck and brought her down. She'd given him some bruises before she'd lost consciousness, though, she thought with satisfaction. To be sure, those men would not forget her. Hearing voices, Bria tried to crane her neck around to see the tent's entrance. Listening, she recognized to voice of that bastard who had pulled her down. "There's something you should see, my lord." The voice was getting closer. Suddenly, the tent flaps were brushed aside, and a man entered. Bria's eyes widened. This man was gorgeous. He was beyond beautiful, with his tall, bronzed, muscled body. He was also staring at her, and she quickly blanked her face. She would warm no warrior's bed, no matter how attractive he might be. He turned to the wash basin. "What is your name?" he asked, stripping off his armor and tunic. Bria gaped. For a moment, she was speechless. She had felt physical desire before, but never like this. For a moment she was glad her arms were tied behind her, for if they were free she would have jumped upon this man, despite his being covered in blood and gore. "You were found in the temple. Are you a priestess?" he asked, shaking Bria from her haze of desire. She blanked her face again and looked away. This man was her enemy. What am I thinking? "Even priestesses have names," he said. He picked up a lock of her hair, and Bria shivered as his fingers brushed her cheek. He sniffed at her dark curls, and smirked. "Jasmine. You must be royalty." She jerked her head away. The man stood, slipping on a tunic. "Do you know who I am, girl?" Bria had a vague idea, but she wasn't going to say it. "Achilles. I am Achilles," he said without pride, as if he were commenting on the weather. "Do you expect me to bow to you?" she asked sarcastically, immediately regretting her words. He smirked. "So she has a voice after all." He looked at her and she met his eyes for the first time. They were bright blue like the sea, and she could feel herself drowning. "You must be royalty," he said smugly. "You've probably spent your whole life talking down to men." If you only knew, Bria thought sadly. He crouched down next to her, slitting her ropes. She rubbed her wrists, trying to increase the blood flow in them. "Are you afraid of me, girl?" he asked softly. "Should I be?" she asked in kind. "No. I won't hurt you." He got up. "You're the only Trojan I can say that to." He stepped to a platter of food and offered it to her. She shook her head, but her stomach growled loudly. He smiled, gesturing that she could eat when she wished. She turned away, looking at the tent wall. After a moment of silence, she sighed and faced him again. "Briseis." Achilles looked up at her voice. "What?" "My name is Briseis," she said again. She met his eyes squarely, defiantly, and he stared back, lost in her silver gaze. Perhaps they would have remained there for hours, but they were interrupted by the soldier who had taken Bria captive earlier. "Eudorus," Achilles said by way of greeting. The soldier glanced at Bria, who narrowed her eyes at him. He quickly brought his gaze back to Achilles. "My lord, Agamemnon requests all the kings to come to his tent," he said quickly. Achilles nodded and sighed. "I will be there," he said. Eudorus nodded and ducked back out of the tent. Achilles rose and glanced at Briseis. "Stay here. You are under my protection, and you will be safe." She nodded in reply. As he was about to leave the tent, he turned and looked back at her. "Would you happen to know how Eudorus hurt his face?" he queried. Briseis smirked, not replying. Achilles chuckled. "I thought as much." He left, and Bria was left to wonder what the hell had just happened to her. Her wondering was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of two large, armored soldiers.
Several minutes later, Bria was dragged into Agamemnon's tent. It took three large guards to restrain the girl, but she stopped struggling when they shoved her forward to stand before Achilles and the king.
Achilles nearly lost his mind in anger. "You sack of wine! Let her go!" he snapped. Furiously he drew his blade. The guards surrounded him, and he said levelly, "I have no quarrel with you, brothers, but let her go, or you shall never see home again."
The soldiers moved in and Bria shouted, "Stop!"
Achilles froze, gazing at her in disbelief.
She glared at him. "Too many men have died today. I f killing is your only talent, that's your curse, but I won't have anyone dying for me." As Achilles stood staring at her, Agamemnon chuckled. "Mighty Achilles, silenced by a slave girl." He ran a hand through Bria's long dark curls while she stood there as stiff as a board, utterly repulsed. "Perhaps I'll have her give me a bath tonight." He gave Bria an oily smile. "And after that...who knows?" Achilles pointed his blade at the king. "Before my days are done, I will look down on your corpse and smile," he snarled with barely restrained anger. With a last look at Briseis, he stormed out of the tent. Agamemnon ran a finger down Bria's cheek. "You and I will get to know each other better, then," he said softly. He put his lips by her ear. "Have you ever shared the bed of a king?" "No," Bria replied. She noticed two other men enter the tent out of the corner of her eye. She spat in Agamemnon's face. "And I don't want to." The king glared at her, then grabbed her hair hand pulled her head back viciously. "Odysseus, Nestor. I would like you to meet," he let go of Bria's hair and slapped her hard enough to bring tears to her eyes, "my new slave, newly given to me by Achilles." Bria had had enough. She dropped to her knees and kicked the back of the king's shin, causing him to fall in pain. She scrambled to her feet and nearly made it to the door before the guards grabbed her. Dimly, as she drifted into unconsciousness, she heard Agamemnon telling them to take her away, and then the world went black.