Once again, your reviews have been great. Hope you enjoyed those Paris scenes, I put them in just because of all the requests I got. And thanks to all of you who said that making them fall in love gradually makes it seem more realistic, that's exactly what my goal was when I first started writing. So at least I can do one thing right. That's mainly the reason I love the H/A parts in Troy, more so than the Achilles and Briseis, just because of their relationship. Number one, it's rich with possibilities. And two, The A/B relationship was very much a Hollywood relationship, fall in love in a few days and you're changed forever. But in the movie it seemed as if H/A had a real bond going for them, one that had been forged through experiences together. Anyways, enjoy this next chapter! And yes, the time period (meaning how long they've been married) is correct, I did the math. So if it takes you by surprise, just go back through the chapters and add up the time, it'll end up somewhere around here, though I go forward in time a bit.
…
The sixth month of their marriage was almost over before Andromache realized they'd been married for nearly a half a year.
Has it really been that long? Andromache thought, surprised. Time had gone so quickly. Hector came into the room and she turned to him.
"We've been married for over half a year," she informed him.
He stopped and stared at her. "No…" he said, his eyes darting as he did the math.
"Yes…" she replied, smiling.
He looked startled. "Already?"
"That was my reaction."
"That's amazing, it's gone by so fast."
"Time flies when one enjoys oneself," she replied dryly. "And I'm a very enjoyable person."
Hector laughed, coming over to kiss her. "Yes, you are," he agreed. "And I?"
"You're not so bad yourself," she replied generously.
"You're wonderful, love. I just came in to tell you that we're riding out to inspect some of the outposts; I won't be back until late tonight." He added an afterthought, "And no midnight swims this time."
She laughed, shaking her head ruefully. "I was ready to die with embarrassment when you caught me."
"I noticed," he said wryly, grinning at the memory. "You looked adorable, sopping wet."
She handed him some fruit to pack and his heavy cloak. "It's chilly out at night, make sure you wear it."
"I will. Don't wait up for me."
"I won't, but wake me up when you return?"
"Alright," he agreed, kissing her one last time. With a few instructions to the servants he was gone, and Andromache settled down to her weaving. When she finally finished to partake of some refreshment, the sun was setting and the sky was aglow with colors.
After her meal she set out to the women's quarters, finding Briseis who was pacing around the social room.
"Cassandra's in her room," she said softly, not wishing the servants to hear. "Priam has started speaking of her marriage again."
"Poor Cassandra," Andromache murmured. "Shall we go to her?"
Briseis shook her head. "I tried already, she wishes to be left alone. I believe she's praying, but I'm not sure. There's nothing we can do for her."
Andromache smiled sadly. "Who are the suitors?"
"Oh, there are none officially. But Priam brought up the subject, almost giving her a warning ahead of time. Thoughtful of him, but still…" she trailed off. "Anyways, I've been bored all day. Will you go out for a ride with me?"
Andromache shook her head. "I promised Hector I'd stay out of trouble, he doesn't want me leaving the city."
"Oh, we'd stay inside the city. I wouldn't feel comfortable going out without Cassandra."
"How about a stroll?" suggested Andromache. "It's too tempting to be on a horse yet trapped behind walls."
"Alright," Briseis agreed. "Meet me at the gate of the citadel, I'm going to get my cloak."
Andromache hurried to her own room to retrieve her cloak, a dark blue woolen one that would keep her warm against the night's chill. She quickly reached the gate and soon Briseis arrived.
"Where shall we go?" she asked.
"Let's just walk for awhile, see where we end up."
The two girls set off, chattering happily. They were exploring streets they'd never been on, aimlessly wandering while they talked of everything under the sun.
"You know Hector and I have been married for half a year already," Andromache informed her friend.
Briseis's eyes widened. "Have you really? It seems like just yesterday!"
Andromache laughed. "That was our reaction as well."
"You know Cassandra and I were nervous when you first got married," Briseis said shyly.
"Why?"
"We didn't know if it would change you," she replied honestly. "And forgive my blunt speaking, but you were no longer a maiden so we didn't know if you'd act differently. Besides that, we worried that your duties as a wife would make you too busy for us."
"Did it change me?"
Briseis was paused thoughtfully. "In a way, it did. You're more open. And you smile more."
"Do I?" Andromache asked, surprised.
Briseis nodded. "Of course, that could be because when we met you, you'd just left your family and were full of fear about your marriage. So perhaps this is how you normally are, when fear has not taken hold of you. But no matter the reason, you do smile more."
"Well I'm glad it hasn't changed me," Andromache replied. Suddenly she stopped. "Briseis, do you know where we are?"
Briseis glanced around and her eyes got wide. "I forgot to pay attention!" she exclaimed, dismayed.
"Don't panic," Andromache replied, panicking. "We'll just retrace our steps."
An hour later both girls were in full panic. They'd "retraced" their steps and instead of recognizing their surroundings, were even more lost. The street they were on was dark and dirty and the two girls huddled against a wall.
"Briseis, this doesn't look like a very respectable area," Andromache whispered, fear in her voice.
"Andromache, I'm so sorry!" she cried. Andromache quickly shushed her and she lowered her voice. "I should've been paying attention!"
"It's no matter now," Andromache said, sighing. "But we can't stay here."
"If we can spot the citadel then I can get us out of here," Briseis suggested. They decided this was the best course of action and promptly set out to look for an open area. Half an hour later, they were forced to admit defeat.
"Well, we're hopelessly lost," Andromache said softly. Loud shouts could be heard from taverns around the area and neither wished to attract any attention. "This isn't at all a respectable hour for us to be out. I suggest we wander around, hoping to recognize something familiar."
"We could just lose our way even more," Briseis warned.
"We've already lost our way as much as we can," Andromache replied, dry humor in her voice though the fear could still be heard. "We might as well."
"Pray to the gods we don't meet any drunk men," Briseis muttered. She grabbed Andromache's hand in a tight grip and the two set off. She was silently praying to the gods and she glanced over at Andromache, noticing that she was praying as well. It seemed the gods finally favored them, roughly a half hour Briseis caught a glimpse of the citadel.
"Andromache, look!" she hissed, pointing to the outline contrasting against the sky. "I know where we are! We're on the east side of the citadel, this is the poor section…" Her voice trailed off as she heard approaching voices.
Two men suddenly turned the corner and both girls froze.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?" one of the men leered. They were twenty feet away yet both girls could smell the alcohol on their breaths.
"Hello there," the second said, approaching them. In one accord, Briseis and Andromache spun around and sprinted down the street, silently cursing as they heard the men following.
Briseis was a fast runner so she was slightly ahead, leading the way as best she could. With a rough idea of where she was going, she sprinted down alleyways and dodged barrels, Andromache no more than two steps behind. A glance over her shoulder told her the men were still following, their long strides quickly gaining ground.
Suddenly, her long dress tripped her and she went sprawling. Briseis hesitated, knowing that she'd be caught herself if she stopped but not being able to leave her friend.
"Go get a guard!" Andromache yelled. That decided it and Briseis took off running, faster than she'd ever run in her life. Her lungs burned and she gasped, trying to get the air she needed but she didn't slow down. She heard two familiar voices and was inwardly weeping for joy. She sprinted in that direction, thanking the gods for their favors. Sure enough, she found Hector and Paris. Hector was sitting on a horse, in the process of scolding Paris for the woman on his arms and nearly fell off his horse from shock when Briseis burst out of an alleyway, her dress torn and her hair a mess.
"Andromache!" she gasped out.
"What about her," Hector asked quickly, all quarrels with Paris forgotten.
Briseis couldn't speak, she just pointed and Hector charged down the alleyway, Artrides right behind him. Paris instantly abandoned the girl on his arm and ran over to Briseis, who was almost collapsing. He put an arm around her waist and led her back to the citadel, knowing Hector had everything in control.
Briseis burst into tears and he stopped, pulling her against him in a hug. They'd always been close. The were exact opposites- she honored the gods with her high standards while he shamed his family with his low ones- but they'd always been close and he vowed to inflict damage if anyone had hurt her.
"Shhh," he soothed, rubbing her hair. "Andromache will be alright, Hector's with her."
She nodded, choking back a sob and smiling bravely at him. "I'm sorry," she hiccupped.
"Did they hurt you?" he asked, a frown in his eyes. She shook her head.
"No, I was just scared. No one touched me."
…
Andromache's heart leapt into her throat at the sight of Briseis fleeing. Relieved that Briseis would be safe and yet inwardly crying at the thought of being alone, she stumbled to her feet quickly. Andromache once again resumed her flight, but the two men had gained much ground during their fall and one quickly grabbed her wrist, crushing it in his strong grip. She cried out and he yanked her close.
"Stupid girl," he muttered, his face close to hers. The stench of his breath was unbearable and Andromache closed her eyes, positive she was going to be sick. "Alone without an escort at this time of night, you must be a whore."
"Don't you dare," she said coldly. "I am a princess of Troy, not a prostitute that you can use for your pleasure and I warn you, if you touch me you will pay with your life."
A second voice from behind her made her jump. The second man had slipped around her, unnoticed and he pressed up against her, effectively pinning her between the two of them. "A lying whore as well. Lying dishonors the gods, you know." The two men laughed drunkenly and yanked her to the side of the street.
Andromache was praying with all her might that a person living nearby would come out to investigate the noise, but no one did. She was shoved up against the wall and the two men stood there leering at her for a moment. There was a pause and Andromache felt herself become strangely relaxed. This isn't happening to me, she thought calmly, her eyes still closed. Her eyes opened and she saw the two men, still staring at her. It was as if time had stopped and the moment seemed to last a lifetime. In reality, it was only a second, the moment of peace before a hurricane hits. Their eyes locked onto hers and they struck her, flinging her to the ground.
That was when she panicked.
She screamed as one of them pinned her and the other tore at her dress. She kicked him, the hard sole of her sandal connecting solidly with his face and he swore at her. The one threw his weight on her, effectively pinning her, while the other yanked off her sandals. She was kicking, clawing, and biting but with two of them she was having little effect. She felt her dress tear and closed her eyes, praying to Artemis to strike her down.
A noise of pounding hooves slammed into her senses and she opened her eyes, not believing what she saw.
…
When Briseis had cried out "Andromache," Hector had felt his heart stop. He tore through the streets at a gallop, thankful no one was there to get in his way. He stopped, listening, praying for some indication of where she was. A scream reverberated through the streets and his throat constricted. He sprinted off towards the sound, Artrides right behind him. What he came upon tore at him as though he'd been slammed by a shield.
Two men were clawing drunkenly at his wife, using her for their pleasure. His eyes hardened and he yanked out his sword. The men never knew what hit them. In a flash Hector was on them, two swift strokes and it was done. His anger screamed at him to mutilate their bodies – it was no less than they deserved – but his wife needed to be taken care of. He ran over to her and quickly picked her up in his arms. She fell into his arms in a dead faint and he hoisted them up onto his horse. Quickly making way through the streets he didn't even pause as he dismounted and carried his wife to their chambers. Thankfully, the halls were deserted so there was no one around to see them. He knew that Andromache would feel shame and he wished to spare her. Artrides took care of the horses and issued orders for the men's bodies to be taken care of, as Hector knew he would.
Storming into his quarters he snapped at a servant to bring a bucket of warm water and a rag. His servants were discreet and they obeyed him without a word; no hint of this would ever leave their mouths.
He gently set her down on the bed, inwardly seething when he saw the damage they'd inflicted upon her. He dress was torn and her skin bruised and red. On the exposed part of her flesh he counted at least a dozen bruises and her lip was beginning to swell. She stirred and he took her hand in his.
"Andromache," he said gently, careful not to scare her.
Her eyes opened and when they saw him they filled with tears. "Hector," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I'm so sorry, I-"
"Shhh," he whispered, putting a finger to her lips. "It's alright." He gently helped her sit up and he wrapped his arms around her. She gratefully leaned against him, feeling secure and protected.
The servant brought the water in and quietly left, not saying a word. Hector gently bathed her cuts while still cradling her in his arms. After he'd finished she was content to stay where she was so he held her, his body acting as her fortress. He held her, long after she'd fallen asleep, remembering the way his heart had felt when he'd heard her scream. He realized – he needed to hold her as much as she needed to be held. The realization of what could've happened hit him hard and he just rocked her, gently stroking her hair. The memory of her scream sounded in his mind, again and again. He sat there, all through the night, holding her and rocking her as she slept peacefully. She didn't stir, not once, and Hector was content to simply stay there, not moving. When he finally drifted to sleep, dawn was beginning to peak out from behind the clouds. He closed his eyes, mentally exhausted from the fear he'd felt. As he drifted off to sleep, he heard her gently sigh in her sleep and he smiled. I cannot lose her.