Helen was startled. She sat down on the sofa next to Paris who seemed to be
completely silent after his statement. The couch was so warm and she felt
tempted to lie down on it with him.
"Go home? End the war?" She could just imagine herself leaving. She would leave with Menelaus and beg him for forgiveness for being an unfaithful wife. The war would end and everyone would live happily ever after, except for one thing... a never-ending feeling of regret.
"It's not a matter of going home or ending the war. Helen, I beg of you answer my question" Paris' voice seemed to ring with urgency. He wanted a straight answer.
"Paris...I... " She suddenly found herself crying. The more she thought about leaving the more she thought she would regret it for the rest of her life. Thinking of what could have been, she saw a child in her future and a love with him that was undying, unyielding to threats and bad times. Tears fell down her cheeks and she leaned towards Pairs to bury her face in his chest.
It was only a couple seconds before a woman appeared in front of them unnoticed. She smiled at Helen's bizarre behavior and then blew a kiss to both of them. Aphrodite was bored, she had come down from Olympus to watch the two resolve their problems.
Paris put his arms around Helen quietly; his fever seemed to worsen as the heat from her body transferred to his own. She soon stopped sobbing and got up, fixing the wrinkles in her white dress. She was going to get up and runaway from her problems but Aphrodite put her hand on Helen's shoulder, making her stay where she was.
"Go sit back down beside him child" She whispered in Helen's ear quietly.
Helen obeyed Aphrodite and sat down beside him again. She sat there silently and looked him in the eyes. She soon found herself lost in thought as she began to sink deeper and deeper. She would drown if she didn't look away but she didn't stop. His eyes reminded her of something she had forgotten. It reminded her of why she came to Troy. She came for love.
"Regret is going to eat at you, but you will have ended war. I'm not going to make your decisions for you. What would you chose? A life of regret without war or would you rather love and let be?" Aphrodite was patient. She was awaiting a decision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Hector was at the stables. It was his sanctuary away from home, a place where he could escape his duties, it was here he was known as Hector, not "Hector, prince of Troy". The horses seemed to whinny out of happiness every time he would visit. They enjoyed his company as much as he enjoyed theirs.
He was soon busy tending to the horses, brushing their manes, braiding their tails and feeding them. It reminded him of when he was a child watching the chariot races with his father. He used to love watching the horses run as fast as they could around the dusty tracks in the blazing mid- day sun.
His memories were soon disturbed as footsteps came from the entrance. They grew louder and louder until they suddenly ceased and a boy stood in front of him. He was the same boy Hector had sent to deliver a message to his parents that very morning.
"My lord?" He stood there waiting for a slow response from Hector, who was still lingering in memory.
"Yes? What is it?" Hector was still combing the mane of his favourite white mare in the stable.
"I bring a message from Queen Hecuba" He boy sat down on a bench beside the prince and pulled a piece of hay out of his sandal.
"What message would that be? Nothing urgent I hope " He looked on with interest.
"It's not my place to judge how important the Queen's messages are. She says that Paris is to attend the meeting with Menelaus despite any illness he might have." He looked on, waiting to see a response from Hector.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
It was evening, Priam and Hecuba were waiting patiently for their son to come and bring news of Paris.
"He's attending weather he is sick or not. We can't afford to put this meeting off!" She was unusually calm.
"Are you sure? What if the boy is really sick? After all, we don't know what he has" Priam was sure they could postpone the meeting if they had to, but Hecuba seemed to persist.
"From what I heard he has some fever, he's been through that many times before. He's such a feverish child" She looked on at her husband.
"Hecuba, you didn't take care of him when he was a small child, you had left our son on Mount Ida. Only Paris himself and Oenone knows what illnesses the child has been through" Priam looked irritated with her.
She had left their youngest son on Mount Ida in hopes that the gods would take care of Paris but it was not their will. If it weren't for a nymph by the name of Oenone who had found the child, he would have died. Hecuba insisted that shortly after Paris had been born she had a dream that he burned down the city, so she took it as a bad omen leaving him on the mountain. It was a mistake. He was home now, and that's all that seemed to count.
"We'll see what Hector has to say"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Paris had fallen asleep on the couch; his even breathing seemed to give Helen peace as she sat beside the candlelight and watched from the corner of the room. He was quiet and didn't complain about how he felt; it was almost as though sleep was the way he escaped from illness. Helen knew that as soon as she would wake him up, he would feel sick again
The day had gone by without any improvement on his condition, in fact, it got worse. His fever worsened and he began to complain around lunchtime about splitting headaches and pains in his stomach, Paris had lost his appetite. He was also shivering uncontrollably; Helen had put several blankets on him to keep him warm.
She had made up her mind after much reflection during the course of the day. Helen would tell Paris as soon as he awoke what she had decided on. She hoped the decision was the right one to make.
"Helen" the voice came from the entrance to the room.
"Hector. I see you've come back, you'll have to be quiet, Paris is resting," she whispered.
"So, how is he? Is he well enough to go? I need to know now because I have to leave"
"He's not any better from this morning. He's gotten worse. Let him sleep."
Hector looked at Helen, "Alright. I'll tell mother, but she has sent a message to me that he must attend. It's not in my power to stop her, if I can't reason with her I shall come back to escort Paris to the meeting"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
"Here he comes, night has fallen and now Hector arrives" Priam looked at his son in hopes of hearing that Paris was in good health.
"Mother, father I've come back as I've promised, but I bear bad news I'm afraid. Helen has told me to leave him rest. He's in no condition to go" he glanced up to see his parent's faces.
Hecuba seemed angry and his father seemed disappointed.
"Very well, I shall contact Menelaus to postpone this meeting until he is well again--" Hecuba who stood up out of her thrown interrupted him.
"No. Tell him he is to attend!! My word is final! Go now!"
Author's Note: oh boy, poor Paris has to attend... and Helen still hasn't told him her answer...this was a rather pointless chapter...oh well, enjoy! Oh, I made some fan art out of boredom... it's a cartoon Paris. I posted it on deviant art, the url is http:www.deviantart.com/view/7694533/
"Go home? End the war?" She could just imagine herself leaving. She would leave with Menelaus and beg him for forgiveness for being an unfaithful wife. The war would end and everyone would live happily ever after, except for one thing... a never-ending feeling of regret.
"It's not a matter of going home or ending the war. Helen, I beg of you answer my question" Paris' voice seemed to ring with urgency. He wanted a straight answer.
"Paris...I... " She suddenly found herself crying. The more she thought about leaving the more she thought she would regret it for the rest of her life. Thinking of what could have been, she saw a child in her future and a love with him that was undying, unyielding to threats and bad times. Tears fell down her cheeks and she leaned towards Pairs to bury her face in his chest.
It was only a couple seconds before a woman appeared in front of them unnoticed. She smiled at Helen's bizarre behavior and then blew a kiss to both of them. Aphrodite was bored, she had come down from Olympus to watch the two resolve their problems.
Paris put his arms around Helen quietly; his fever seemed to worsen as the heat from her body transferred to his own. She soon stopped sobbing and got up, fixing the wrinkles in her white dress. She was going to get up and runaway from her problems but Aphrodite put her hand on Helen's shoulder, making her stay where she was.
"Go sit back down beside him child" She whispered in Helen's ear quietly.
Helen obeyed Aphrodite and sat down beside him again. She sat there silently and looked him in the eyes. She soon found herself lost in thought as she began to sink deeper and deeper. She would drown if she didn't look away but she didn't stop. His eyes reminded her of something she had forgotten. It reminded her of why she came to Troy. She came for love.
"Regret is going to eat at you, but you will have ended war. I'm not going to make your decisions for you. What would you chose? A life of regret without war or would you rather love and let be?" Aphrodite was patient. She was awaiting a decision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Hector was at the stables. It was his sanctuary away from home, a place where he could escape his duties, it was here he was known as Hector, not "Hector, prince of Troy". The horses seemed to whinny out of happiness every time he would visit. They enjoyed his company as much as he enjoyed theirs.
He was soon busy tending to the horses, brushing their manes, braiding their tails and feeding them. It reminded him of when he was a child watching the chariot races with his father. He used to love watching the horses run as fast as they could around the dusty tracks in the blazing mid- day sun.
His memories were soon disturbed as footsteps came from the entrance. They grew louder and louder until they suddenly ceased and a boy stood in front of him. He was the same boy Hector had sent to deliver a message to his parents that very morning.
"My lord?" He stood there waiting for a slow response from Hector, who was still lingering in memory.
"Yes? What is it?" Hector was still combing the mane of his favourite white mare in the stable.
"I bring a message from Queen Hecuba" He boy sat down on a bench beside the prince and pulled a piece of hay out of his sandal.
"What message would that be? Nothing urgent I hope " He looked on with interest.
"It's not my place to judge how important the Queen's messages are. She says that Paris is to attend the meeting with Menelaus despite any illness he might have." He looked on, waiting to see a response from Hector.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
It was evening, Priam and Hecuba were waiting patiently for their son to come and bring news of Paris.
"He's attending weather he is sick or not. We can't afford to put this meeting off!" She was unusually calm.
"Are you sure? What if the boy is really sick? After all, we don't know what he has" Priam was sure they could postpone the meeting if they had to, but Hecuba seemed to persist.
"From what I heard he has some fever, he's been through that many times before. He's such a feverish child" She looked on at her husband.
"Hecuba, you didn't take care of him when he was a small child, you had left our son on Mount Ida. Only Paris himself and Oenone knows what illnesses the child has been through" Priam looked irritated with her.
She had left their youngest son on Mount Ida in hopes that the gods would take care of Paris but it was not their will. If it weren't for a nymph by the name of Oenone who had found the child, he would have died. Hecuba insisted that shortly after Paris had been born she had a dream that he burned down the city, so she took it as a bad omen leaving him on the mountain. It was a mistake. He was home now, and that's all that seemed to count.
"We'll see what Hector has to say"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Paris had fallen asleep on the couch; his even breathing seemed to give Helen peace as she sat beside the candlelight and watched from the corner of the room. He was quiet and didn't complain about how he felt; it was almost as though sleep was the way he escaped from illness. Helen knew that as soon as she would wake him up, he would feel sick again
The day had gone by without any improvement on his condition, in fact, it got worse. His fever worsened and he began to complain around lunchtime about splitting headaches and pains in his stomach, Paris had lost his appetite. He was also shivering uncontrollably; Helen had put several blankets on him to keep him warm.
She had made up her mind after much reflection during the course of the day. Helen would tell Paris as soon as he awoke what she had decided on. She hoped the decision was the right one to make.
"Helen" the voice came from the entrance to the room.
"Hector. I see you've come back, you'll have to be quiet, Paris is resting," she whispered.
"So, how is he? Is he well enough to go? I need to know now because I have to leave"
"He's not any better from this morning. He's gotten worse. Let him sleep."
Hector looked at Helen, "Alright. I'll tell mother, but she has sent a message to me that he must attend. It's not in my power to stop her, if I can't reason with her I shall come back to escort Paris to the meeting"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
"Here he comes, night has fallen and now Hector arrives" Priam looked at his son in hopes of hearing that Paris was in good health.
"Mother, father I've come back as I've promised, but I bear bad news I'm afraid. Helen has told me to leave him rest. He's in no condition to go" he glanced up to see his parent's faces.
Hecuba seemed angry and his father seemed disappointed.
"Very well, I shall contact Menelaus to postpone this meeting until he is well again--" Hecuba who stood up out of her thrown interrupted him.
"No. Tell him he is to attend!! My word is final! Go now!"
Author's Note: oh boy, poor Paris has to attend... and Helen still hasn't told him her answer...this was a rather pointless chapter...oh well, enjoy! Oh, I made some fan art out of boredom... it's a cartoon Paris. I posted it on deviant art, the url is http:www.deviantart.com/view/7694533/