She frowned and looked at Paris as he got up from the somewhat dusty ground
and stretched his hand for her to grab onto. Helen hesitated and ended up
shaking her head and getting up by herself.
"How did you find me here?" she asked quietly, avoiding eye contact with his glistening azure ones as the walk continued slowly back towards the palace.
"Oh, me? I stumbled across a servant. I think I might have startled her a bit" Paris smiled, his eyes resting only on Helen.
He reached for her hand gently and interlaced her fingers with his own. The sun was slowly descending out of the sky, leaving it a haunting crimson and pink colour, which only reminded Helen of bloodshed. The harsh cries of war were over, but the peace would only last throughout the night until the next day, when outside in the plains soldiers would again fight in front of the Skaian gate, grand entrance to troy, the war would start again.
"How was... the battle?" Helen mumbled quietly.
She didn't ask out of curiosity or for the sake of talk, she asked because she had to.
"How many people have died yet again? How many women have lost their husbands, how many mothers have lost their sons, sisters who have lost brothers and children who will now have no father?" Rage seemed to build up inside of her. No one liked war, no one wanted war, but she couldn't help feeling dread in her heart.
"I...I don't know how many to tell you the truth, Helen. A lot of men were killed in battle, some had not seen many years during their life, they were young"
Paris looked at Helen who now had stopped walking completely. She stood there trembling slightly.
"Do you ever think this war is...my fault?"
The dreaded words finally had come out of her mouth after so many years during the war. The words Paris hoped he would never hear, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she would ask. They both knew in their hearts that it was not just hers, but his fault as well.
"Well...you ..." He was at a loss of words. How would he say the truth without tearing and ripping her heart into a thousand pieces of grief?
The years of war have not been kind to Helen. She was often sick with depression, whether she let anyone see it or not it was obvious to the servants and residence of Paris' palace that she cried when alone and smiled scarcely unless she was with Lord Paris himself.
"I don't think it's your fault entirely, It's because of Agamemnon's greed and hunger for power that the war is dragging on, he wants Troy for himself, not to help his brother get you back. And I blame myself as well."
Helen looked up at Paris, "You? Why? You aren't at any blame!"
"I am, my brother blames me for the war too, I was the one who brought you to Troy, was I not?" He was being serious. It seemed that he too was putting all the blame on himself. Hector had yelled at him for bringing Helen to Troy, he knew it would start a war and upset Menelaus, but Paris persisted he loved her.
"But why? You love me still, don't you? Isn't that why you brought me here in the first place? So that you could be with me always?" Helen blinked away some unwanted tears. They ran down her cheeks, not even staining her face as they trickled down.
"I do. I love you with all my heart and I want to be with you always, but I can't help but think that if I didn't bring you to Troy, this war wouldn't exist..." Paris put his arm around Helen and walked her inside.
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"I don't approve of her at all. She's bringing war, death and famine to Troy! Make Paris send her home Priam!" She hissed between clenched teeth.
She was Hecuba, mother of Paris and Hector, Queen of Troy. She didn't like Helen.
"Now Hecuba, you know we can't just send her back, Paris loves her. I've welcomed her as a daughter of Troy. I think that if Paris is happy, it should be enough. Let him fight his own battles. Let him fight in the name of love"
Priam was a wise king. He understood that if Paris really wanted to stay with Helen, he would have to fight for it, and not give up when things looked bleak. He thought that if Paris and Helen's relationship withstood the harsh years of war, they would marry, if their relationship withstood war, it could go through anything.
"Must you always be so sure of these things? Why did you welcome her as a daughter of Troy? You knew it would only cause disaster. After all, Paris has sabotaged all your hard work to keep peace between Troy and Greece"
"You must understand that he meant no harm. Why do you always think so negatively of your son Paris, but then so good of Hector? You shouldn't play favourites; it would be terribly unfair to Paris."
It was true. Neither Priam nor Hecuba would admit it, but they loved Hector more than their other children. After all, he was a promising young man, skilled in battle, and the heir to the thrown. Paris was not like that, he didn't care much for war, and he wasn't a warrior. He only had the interests of heart at mind. He was the second prince of Troy, but also second favourite to his parents. It would always be that way.
"Tomorrow Menelaus is going to come and ask for Helen back as an ambassador of Greece. I've decided we won't giver her back... for Paris' sake" Priam had his mind set on it.
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The candles began to flicker as darkness set in, making the shadows dance delightedly on the walls in amusement. Helen and Paris both lay on the beautiful red couch. He had his head against her shoulder out of weariness, but managed to keep himself from drifting into dreams.
"Come now, you shouldn't feel so bad!" Paris wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm not trying to, honestly...I just..." she trailed off not knowing what to say.
"Try and get these upsetting thoughts out of your mind" Paris whispered quietly to Helen, looking in her direction, "I know you've been upset since the war started but think of it this way: you don't regret coming to Greece and marrying me, do you?"
Marriage. Soon after they arrived in Troy, she had hastily gotten married to Paris blinded by love's arrow. She was now staring to think that she was perhaps a little impulsive.
The wedding had been beautiful; the bliss of newfound love seemed to refresh the people of Troy. Many people gathered in front of the Skaian gate to witness the joining of a Greek and a Trojan. They had thought that this would finally indicate that there was peace between Greece and Troy...until they found out the bride was Helen.
The only thing Helen could remember was Paris' smile; his happiness on that day. She didn't remember the ceremony, the celebration or the people there. Only him. Why was it only him?
Helen took a long moment and paused. Her eyes searched the room, wandering, in hope of the chance that an answer would fall from the sky, and it did. In the form of Aphrodite.
"Look into your heart child. What does it tell you? I won't hit you with a spell. Tell him you love him, or leave, but if you decide to leave, you will have caused a war for nothing" Her words echoed, but only in Helen's head and no one else's.
"You're bringing guilt to me, I have no choice but to say yes, you enchantress, it's unfair!!!"
Paris looked at her in confusion. "What? Who are you talking to? What do you mean I'm giving you no choice in this matter? You love me don't you? Why do you question something so good, but tell me that you do if you might not?"
She covered her mouth quickly with her hands, got up and ran out of the room as quickly as she could to get away from him. Why had she even listened to Aphrodite? All she does is play tricks with people's hearts when she gets tired of being on mount Olympus. Was it possible that she was falling out of love with him?
What had Aphrodite done to her? Struck her with a spell and then left her to her own devices once it wore off? She would soon find out, because Paris ran after her. Following her in search for answers, but it would only lead to pain and argument. On the moonlit balcony would this problem only get worse.
She stood there waiting for him to catch up. Her skin glowed eerily in the moonlight; here she was in all her splendor.
"Aphrodite, you tricking enchantress, mend what you've created chaos from"
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"I see bad things in the future" Helenus looked at his twin sister Cassandra.
"Indeed. Our brother's relationship with Helen is falling apart already" She looked at him and pointed to the lights flickering in Paris' palace. There were the shadows of two arguing people against the wall.
"I foresaw this. You can't say I didn't warn Paris against it as soon as I heard. To get involved and strike a deal with the gods can bring bad luck on all of us. It won't be long until Troy falls to its knees" Helenus kept a straight face; he knew it was coming. He and his sister saw everything. They were prophets, gifted with rare sight into the future. It was a curse.
"You have to let these things run the course they were intended to. Don't try to help them with issues of love, that's Aphrodite's job" Cassandra walked into the shadows of the empty halls into the night, the candle light fading along with her in the distance.
Author's Note: I want to thank lateBloomer04 for her lovely review! It's always nice to get a positive first review (. Anyways, back to the story!
"How did you find me here?" she asked quietly, avoiding eye contact with his glistening azure ones as the walk continued slowly back towards the palace.
"Oh, me? I stumbled across a servant. I think I might have startled her a bit" Paris smiled, his eyes resting only on Helen.
He reached for her hand gently and interlaced her fingers with his own. The sun was slowly descending out of the sky, leaving it a haunting crimson and pink colour, which only reminded Helen of bloodshed. The harsh cries of war were over, but the peace would only last throughout the night until the next day, when outside in the plains soldiers would again fight in front of the Skaian gate, grand entrance to troy, the war would start again.
"How was... the battle?" Helen mumbled quietly.
She didn't ask out of curiosity or for the sake of talk, she asked because she had to.
"How many people have died yet again? How many women have lost their husbands, how many mothers have lost their sons, sisters who have lost brothers and children who will now have no father?" Rage seemed to build up inside of her. No one liked war, no one wanted war, but she couldn't help feeling dread in her heart.
"I...I don't know how many to tell you the truth, Helen. A lot of men were killed in battle, some had not seen many years during their life, they were young"
Paris looked at Helen who now had stopped walking completely. She stood there trembling slightly.
"Do you ever think this war is...my fault?"
The dreaded words finally had come out of her mouth after so many years during the war. The words Paris hoped he would never hear, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she would ask. They both knew in their hearts that it was not just hers, but his fault as well.
"Well...you ..." He was at a loss of words. How would he say the truth without tearing and ripping her heart into a thousand pieces of grief?
The years of war have not been kind to Helen. She was often sick with depression, whether she let anyone see it or not it was obvious to the servants and residence of Paris' palace that she cried when alone and smiled scarcely unless she was with Lord Paris himself.
"I don't think it's your fault entirely, It's because of Agamemnon's greed and hunger for power that the war is dragging on, he wants Troy for himself, not to help his brother get you back. And I blame myself as well."
Helen looked up at Paris, "You? Why? You aren't at any blame!"
"I am, my brother blames me for the war too, I was the one who brought you to Troy, was I not?" He was being serious. It seemed that he too was putting all the blame on himself. Hector had yelled at him for bringing Helen to Troy, he knew it would start a war and upset Menelaus, but Paris persisted he loved her.
"But why? You love me still, don't you? Isn't that why you brought me here in the first place? So that you could be with me always?" Helen blinked away some unwanted tears. They ran down her cheeks, not even staining her face as they trickled down.
"I do. I love you with all my heart and I want to be with you always, but I can't help but think that if I didn't bring you to Troy, this war wouldn't exist..." Paris put his arm around Helen and walked her inside.
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"I don't approve of her at all. She's bringing war, death and famine to Troy! Make Paris send her home Priam!" She hissed between clenched teeth.
She was Hecuba, mother of Paris and Hector, Queen of Troy. She didn't like Helen.
"Now Hecuba, you know we can't just send her back, Paris loves her. I've welcomed her as a daughter of Troy. I think that if Paris is happy, it should be enough. Let him fight his own battles. Let him fight in the name of love"
Priam was a wise king. He understood that if Paris really wanted to stay with Helen, he would have to fight for it, and not give up when things looked bleak. He thought that if Paris and Helen's relationship withstood the harsh years of war, they would marry, if their relationship withstood war, it could go through anything.
"Must you always be so sure of these things? Why did you welcome her as a daughter of Troy? You knew it would only cause disaster. After all, Paris has sabotaged all your hard work to keep peace between Troy and Greece"
"You must understand that he meant no harm. Why do you always think so negatively of your son Paris, but then so good of Hector? You shouldn't play favourites; it would be terribly unfair to Paris."
It was true. Neither Priam nor Hecuba would admit it, but they loved Hector more than their other children. After all, he was a promising young man, skilled in battle, and the heir to the thrown. Paris was not like that, he didn't care much for war, and he wasn't a warrior. He only had the interests of heart at mind. He was the second prince of Troy, but also second favourite to his parents. It would always be that way.
"Tomorrow Menelaus is going to come and ask for Helen back as an ambassador of Greece. I've decided we won't giver her back... for Paris' sake" Priam had his mind set on it.
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The candles began to flicker as darkness set in, making the shadows dance delightedly on the walls in amusement. Helen and Paris both lay on the beautiful red couch. He had his head against her shoulder out of weariness, but managed to keep himself from drifting into dreams.
"Come now, you shouldn't feel so bad!" Paris wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm not trying to, honestly...I just..." she trailed off not knowing what to say.
"Try and get these upsetting thoughts out of your mind" Paris whispered quietly to Helen, looking in her direction, "I know you've been upset since the war started but think of it this way: you don't regret coming to Greece and marrying me, do you?"
Marriage. Soon after they arrived in Troy, she had hastily gotten married to Paris blinded by love's arrow. She was now staring to think that she was perhaps a little impulsive.
The wedding had been beautiful; the bliss of newfound love seemed to refresh the people of Troy. Many people gathered in front of the Skaian gate to witness the joining of a Greek and a Trojan. They had thought that this would finally indicate that there was peace between Greece and Troy...until they found out the bride was Helen.
The only thing Helen could remember was Paris' smile; his happiness on that day. She didn't remember the ceremony, the celebration or the people there. Only him. Why was it only him?
Helen took a long moment and paused. Her eyes searched the room, wandering, in hope of the chance that an answer would fall from the sky, and it did. In the form of Aphrodite.
"Look into your heart child. What does it tell you? I won't hit you with a spell. Tell him you love him, or leave, but if you decide to leave, you will have caused a war for nothing" Her words echoed, but only in Helen's head and no one else's.
"You're bringing guilt to me, I have no choice but to say yes, you enchantress, it's unfair!!!"
Paris looked at her in confusion. "What? Who are you talking to? What do you mean I'm giving you no choice in this matter? You love me don't you? Why do you question something so good, but tell me that you do if you might not?"
She covered her mouth quickly with her hands, got up and ran out of the room as quickly as she could to get away from him. Why had she even listened to Aphrodite? All she does is play tricks with people's hearts when she gets tired of being on mount Olympus. Was it possible that she was falling out of love with him?
What had Aphrodite done to her? Struck her with a spell and then left her to her own devices once it wore off? She would soon find out, because Paris ran after her. Following her in search for answers, but it would only lead to pain and argument. On the moonlit balcony would this problem only get worse.
She stood there waiting for him to catch up. Her skin glowed eerily in the moonlight; here she was in all her splendor.
"Aphrodite, you tricking enchantress, mend what you've created chaos from"
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"I see bad things in the future" Helenus looked at his twin sister Cassandra.
"Indeed. Our brother's relationship with Helen is falling apart already" She looked at him and pointed to the lights flickering in Paris' palace. There were the shadows of two arguing people against the wall.
"I foresaw this. You can't say I didn't warn Paris against it as soon as I heard. To get involved and strike a deal with the gods can bring bad luck on all of us. It won't be long until Troy falls to its knees" Helenus kept a straight face; he knew it was coming. He and his sister saw everything. They were prophets, gifted with rare sight into the future. It was a curse.
"You have to let these things run the course they were intended to. Don't try to help them with issues of love, that's Aphrodite's job" Cassandra walked into the shadows of the empty halls into the night, the candle light fading along with her in the distance.
Author's Note: I want to thank lateBloomer04 for her lovely review! It's always nice to get a positive first review (. Anyways, back to the story!