"HECTOR!!!" Achilles screamed repeatedly.
Hector had killed his young cousin. Achilles burned for vengeance. "HECTOR!!!!"
Hector and the rest of the royal family, including Paris and his new lover, Charis, watched from atop the city wall as Achilles stormed around below. Hector was resolving himself to his fate and his wife was trying to talk him out of it.
"Hector, if you do this, I will never forgive you," Andromache said coldly.
Hector took his son out of her arms and hugged him to his cheek. "I love you both."
"I hate you, Hector," Andromache hissed. She took back her son and fled off down the hall, crying.
Hector began to descend the stairs when he heard the giant wooden doors open. As he reached the bottom, a small, armor-clad figure walked out of the gate. The guards pulled it closed behind them. Hector rushed to the heavy wooden doors just as they slammed shut.
"Who went through the gate?" he demanded, grabbing the nearest guard.
The man stammered. "I'm not sure, Prince Hector."
"It was a woman," another guard piped up. "A beautiful blonde woman. I saw her putting the armor on."
Hector's eyes widened and he flew up the steps to the top of the wall. "NO!!!" he screamed over the wall.
Achilles studied the figure that approached him. "You're not Hector. Who are you?"
Liberty pulled off her helmet and tossed it on the ground. "Someone that it will kill him if I die as much as it killed you that your cousin died." She pulled her pocketknife out of her armor and flipped it open. "Fight me to continue this stupid war, or go home and live. If you stay, you will die. Both your mother and I know this."
Achilles slowly approached Liberty. She stood her ground defiantly. The famed warrior looked up to the top of the wall where Hector watched in helpless horror. "You aren't his wife. Why does he seem to love you so much?"
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "But I love him, and thus the effect is the same."
Achilles reached out and grabbed her face roughly. "I should kill you just to spare you the heartbreak."
Liberty spit in his face and Achilles wrenched her around, one arm pinning her by the shoulders, both of them facing the wall. "How much does he love you?" the warrior growled. He looked up into Hector's horrified face and smiled. "Let us kill him slowly from the inside out." He stuck his sword into the ground and wrapped his free arm around the young woman's trembling body. With a sadistic smile, he turned and licked the side of her face. "Mm, you taste like strawberries, beautiful girl. I wonder, has the Prince of Troy claimed you as his prize yet?" He slid his free arm down and under her skirt.
Liberty let out an anguished howl that would break any man's heart. Unfortunately, it seemed Achilles was without one, so he provoked the Trojans further, inciting every ounce of wrath in Hector's body.
"Oh, so the beautiful girl has not yet known a man. I wouldn't want to send you to Hades so unfulfilled." Achilles strengthened his grasp as Liberty fought to get free.
A sudden, searing pain in his leg forced him to release the girl. Achilles looked down to see a silver pocketknife protruding from his thigh. "Clever whore," he hissed, approaching the terrified woman. "I'll take you right now and show both you and your precious prince the meaning of pain." He ripped the knife from his leg and threw it to the ground, glancing toward the top of the wall, but Hector was no longer there.
Liberty ran for her life as the gates of Troy slowly opened. Hector appeared, all of the fury of the gods apparent on his handsome face. Liberty reached for his hand, but was struck down before she could reach him. She fell to the sand, a spear protruding from the middle of her lower back.
Hector had no time to react. Achilles was only a couple feet from the helpless girl, attempting to drive the spear home and end her life. He roared in agony and clashed swords with the enemy warrior. "I will kill you for this," he hissed through the locked weapons.
"Oh, Hector. Don't be so jealous. Just because I was the first man ever to intimately know that girl," Achilles taunted playfully. "I will tell you now, I know your cousin, Briseis, even better, and quite often."
"You bastard," Hector growled through gritted teeth. "I will personally see to it that your bones are ground to dust." Achilles simply smiled and dodged the swing of Hector's shield, jumping back and running for his own.
Paris rushed out and scooped up Liberty's rumpled body. He was relieved to find her conscious and breathing. "Thank the gods, you're alive," he said softly, hurrying back inside the closing gate with the wounded woman.
"No, no," Liberty moaned, reaching for the giant doors. "I need to see. Hector... he's... he's..."
"He's fine," Paris whispered, gently wiping the hair out of the girl's whitening face.
Charis appeared next to him and they carried Liberty into the nearest room. Charis got to work, pulling the spear out of her back while Paris paced back and forth in the room, nervously.
"Will she live?" he asked nervously, watching the color drain from Liberty's face. He grabbed her hand and rubbed it lightly. "Please stay with us, Liberty. We need you. Hector needs you. His wife left. His son is without a mother and will be if you die."
Liberty's eyes fluttered closed, then opened again. "Paris..."
Paris leaned closer. "What is it, my lady?"
"Give Hector your bow," she said softly, sweat pouring down her forehead as Charis worked hard to repair her back.
Paris bolted out of the small room and rushed out to the gate, shouldering his bow. "Let me out," he ordered the guard, who immediately obeyed.
Paris rushed out to see Hector and Achilles still locked in the heat of battle. Hector was looking worn, and had more wounds than Achilles.
"Hector!" Paris yelled, throwing his bow and quiver to the ground by his brother.
Hector shoved Achilles back and rolled, grasping the bow and launching an arrow in one fluid motion. He caught Achilles in the back of his foot, dropping him from mid-air. Hector quickly grabbed another arrow and let it fly into Achilles' chest. He then dropped the bow and picked up his sword, glaring at the wounded warrior. "See you in Hades," he ground out, cleanly decapitating the Greek with one heavy blow.
He threw his sword to the ground and screamed his frustration to the gods. The Greeks down on the beach heard it and knew their beloved idol was dead.
Hector stumbled back inside the gates, ignoring the cheers of the Trojans on the wall. "Where is she?" he growled at Paris. "Where is she?"
Paris pointed to the nearby room. "She's in there. The spear went to her spine." He looked scared. "She said you would die. I was afraid-"
Hector cut him off. "I am alive. I'm changing her future for her. Can I see her?" His face was almost as pale as Liberty.
Paris nodded and Hector threw himself through the door.
Charis looked miserable as she wiped Liberty's forehead. She looked up sadly as Hector came into view. The warrior's heart plummeted to the bottom of his chest.
"Gods no. Please don't make me lose two women I love in one day." He fell to his knees by the table.
"It takes more than that to stop me," Liberty said weakly from the table.
Hector felt like he would burst with happiness. She was alive! Paris smiled, relieved, and kissed Charis on the side of the head. She smiled too and stitched the wound closed.
"Is this the end of the war?" Paris asked nervously.
"I don't know," Hector said. "I think we've changed this history Liberty spoke of too much for even her to tell."
"The Trojan Horse," Liberty wheezed. "They may yet build the horse. If they do..." she dropped off into unconsciousness before she could finish.
Hector had killed his young cousin. Achilles burned for vengeance. "HECTOR!!!!"
Hector and the rest of the royal family, including Paris and his new lover, Charis, watched from atop the city wall as Achilles stormed around below. Hector was resolving himself to his fate and his wife was trying to talk him out of it.
"Hector, if you do this, I will never forgive you," Andromache said coldly.
Hector took his son out of her arms and hugged him to his cheek. "I love you both."
"I hate you, Hector," Andromache hissed. She took back her son and fled off down the hall, crying.
Hector began to descend the stairs when he heard the giant wooden doors open. As he reached the bottom, a small, armor-clad figure walked out of the gate. The guards pulled it closed behind them. Hector rushed to the heavy wooden doors just as they slammed shut.
"Who went through the gate?" he demanded, grabbing the nearest guard.
The man stammered. "I'm not sure, Prince Hector."
"It was a woman," another guard piped up. "A beautiful blonde woman. I saw her putting the armor on."
Hector's eyes widened and he flew up the steps to the top of the wall. "NO!!!" he screamed over the wall.
Achilles studied the figure that approached him. "You're not Hector. Who are you?"
Liberty pulled off her helmet and tossed it on the ground. "Someone that it will kill him if I die as much as it killed you that your cousin died." She pulled her pocketknife out of her armor and flipped it open. "Fight me to continue this stupid war, or go home and live. If you stay, you will die. Both your mother and I know this."
Achilles slowly approached Liberty. She stood her ground defiantly. The famed warrior looked up to the top of the wall where Hector watched in helpless horror. "You aren't his wife. Why does he seem to love you so much?"
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "But I love him, and thus the effect is the same."
Achilles reached out and grabbed her face roughly. "I should kill you just to spare you the heartbreak."
Liberty spit in his face and Achilles wrenched her around, one arm pinning her by the shoulders, both of them facing the wall. "How much does he love you?" the warrior growled. He looked up into Hector's horrified face and smiled. "Let us kill him slowly from the inside out." He stuck his sword into the ground and wrapped his free arm around the young woman's trembling body. With a sadistic smile, he turned and licked the side of her face. "Mm, you taste like strawberries, beautiful girl. I wonder, has the Prince of Troy claimed you as his prize yet?" He slid his free arm down and under her skirt.
Liberty let out an anguished howl that would break any man's heart. Unfortunately, it seemed Achilles was without one, so he provoked the Trojans further, inciting every ounce of wrath in Hector's body.
"Oh, so the beautiful girl has not yet known a man. I wouldn't want to send you to Hades so unfulfilled." Achilles strengthened his grasp as Liberty fought to get free.
A sudden, searing pain in his leg forced him to release the girl. Achilles looked down to see a silver pocketknife protruding from his thigh. "Clever whore," he hissed, approaching the terrified woman. "I'll take you right now and show both you and your precious prince the meaning of pain." He ripped the knife from his leg and threw it to the ground, glancing toward the top of the wall, but Hector was no longer there.
Liberty ran for her life as the gates of Troy slowly opened. Hector appeared, all of the fury of the gods apparent on his handsome face. Liberty reached for his hand, but was struck down before she could reach him. She fell to the sand, a spear protruding from the middle of her lower back.
Hector had no time to react. Achilles was only a couple feet from the helpless girl, attempting to drive the spear home and end her life. He roared in agony and clashed swords with the enemy warrior. "I will kill you for this," he hissed through the locked weapons.
"Oh, Hector. Don't be so jealous. Just because I was the first man ever to intimately know that girl," Achilles taunted playfully. "I will tell you now, I know your cousin, Briseis, even better, and quite often."
"You bastard," Hector growled through gritted teeth. "I will personally see to it that your bones are ground to dust." Achilles simply smiled and dodged the swing of Hector's shield, jumping back and running for his own.
Paris rushed out and scooped up Liberty's rumpled body. He was relieved to find her conscious and breathing. "Thank the gods, you're alive," he said softly, hurrying back inside the closing gate with the wounded woman.
"No, no," Liberty moaned, reaching for the giant doors. "I need to see. Hector... he's... he's..."
"He's fine," Paris whispered, gently wiping the hair out of the girl's whitening face.
Charis appeared next to him and they carried Liberty into the nearest room. Charis got to work, pulling the spear out of her back while Paris paced back and forth in the room, nervously.
"Will she live?" he asked nervously, watching the color drain from Liberty's face. He grabbed her hand and rubbed it lightly. "Please stay with us, Liberty. We need you. Hector needs you. His wife left. His son is without a mother and will be if you die."
Liberty's eyes fluttered closed, then opened again. "Paris..."
Paris leaned closer. "What is it, my lady?"
"Give Hector your bow," she said softly, sweat pouring down her forehead as Charis worked hard to repair her back.
Paris bolted out of the small room and rushed out to the gate, shouldering his bow. "Let me out," he ordered the guard, who immediately obeyed.
Paris rushed out to see Hector and Achilles still locked in the heat of battle. Hector was looking worn, and had more wounds than Achilles.
"Hector!" Paris yelled, throwing his bow and quiver to the ground by his brother.
Hector shoved Achilles back and rolled, grasping the bow and launching an arrow in one fluid motion. He caught Achilles in the back of his foot, dropping him from mid-air. Hector quickly grabbed another arrow and let it fly into Achilles' chest. He then dropped the bow and picked up his sword, glaring at the wounded warrior. "See you in Hades," he ground out, cleanly decapitating the Greek with one heavy blow.
He threw his sword to the ground and screamed his frustration to the gods. The Greeks down on the beach heard it and knew their beloved idol was dead.
Hector stumbled back inside the gates, ignoring the cheers of the Trojans on the wall. "Where is she?" he growled at Paris. "Where is she?"
Paris pointed to the nearby room. "She's in there. The spear went to her spine." He looked scared. "She said you would die. I was afraid-"
Hector cut him off. "I am alive. I'm changing her future for her. Can I see her?" His face was almost as pale as Liberty.
Paris nodded and Hector threw himself through the door.
Charis looked miserable as she wiped Liberty's forehead. She looked up sadly as Hector came into view. The warrior's heart plummeted to the bottom of his chest.
"Gods no. Please don't make me lose two women I love in one day." He fell to his knees by the table.
"It takes more than that to stop me," Liberty said weakly from the table.
Hector felt like he would burst with happiness. She was alive! Paris smiled, relieved, and kissed Charis on the side of the head. She smiled too and stitched the wound closed.
"Is this the end of the war?" Paris asked nervously.
"I don't know," Hector said. "I think we've changed this history Liberty spoke of too much for even her to tell."
"The Trojan Horse," Liberty wheezed. "They may yet build the horse. If they do..." she dropped off into unconsciousness before she could finish.