It had been a month and the Greeks were still camped out on the beach,
attempting futile attacks on the wall every so often, only to be driven
back by the annoyed Trojans. Hector had sent one of the wounded Greeks to
Agamemnon with a treaty. If the proud king would give up and leave the
shores of Troy, no more of his men would need to die. So far there was no
word of Agamemnon's decision.
Paris and Charis had been married less than a week after he had proposed, but he had decided that he wanted to help defend Troy, so he was often busy going into battle with his elder brother.
Liberty had taken an immediate attachment to Hector's son, Astyanax, and would hold him while she watched Hector lead the Trojans into attack after attack of the Greeks. She couldn't help but be afraid that, one time, he might not return, considering their entire history was up in the air. She comforted the child until a nurse came to take him for a feeding.
Hector rode back through the gates, leading his tired, but victorious army. Liberty rushed down the stairs and leapt into his arms as he dismounted his horse.
"Careful, girl!" Hector chided, holding her in his arms. "For one, you are not fully healed. And another, I'm sweaty and covered in blood that is not my own." He smiled and pressed his forehead to hers.
"Hector, you paranoid git," Liberty said with a giggle, "I am just fine. I am healed." A mischievous smile crossed her lips and she leaned into his ear and whispered, "If you are so dirty, perhaps we should go bathe."
Hector shook his head and carried her up to his room. "As you wish, my lady," he said with a wink. "What's a git?"
Liberty just laughed.
She hummed to herself while he carried her, and leapt out of his arms as soon as the door was shut, dancing seductively and singing:
"Baby, can't you see, I'm calling. A guy like you should wear a warning. It's dangerous, I'm fallin'." She stripped off her clothes as she danced toward the bathroom; Hector followed close behind, watching her every move like a hawk.
"With a taste of your lips I'm on a ride. You're toxic, I'm slipping under. With a taste of poison paradise, I'm addicted to you. Don't you know that you're toxic? And I love what you do; don't you know that you're toxic?"
Liberty turned and helped Hector out of his armor, dumping it unceremoniously on the marble floor. "This is one of the few times you will ever hear me singing Britney Spears songs, love, don't get used to it."
Hector shed his underclothes as his young lover stepped nimbly into the tub. "I don't care what you sing, as long as you dance like that some more." He moved toward the tub as Liberty spread bubbles through the water.
"Intoxicate me now... With your lovin' now... I think I'm ready now... I think I'm ready now... Intoxicate me now... With your lovin' now... I think I'm ready now," she sang in a sultry voice.
Hector climbed into the bath and reached for the blonde nymph. "Come to me, lover."
Liberty moved teasingly to the opposite side of the bath. "Why should I?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Hector cornered her in the tub. "Let me make love to you," he said in a voice, husky with desire.
Liberty smiled. "Let me wash you first." She grabbed the top of his head and pushed him down into the soapy water. He came back up, sputtering and wiping the water out of his eyes. She moved behind him on the step and reached for the bottle of shampoo, pouring a generous amount into her hands and rubbing it into the prince's scalp. The soap turned red from the dried blood caked into his dark locks. She wrinkled her nose and grabbed a sponge nearby, lathering it with soap.
Carefully, Liberty massaged the grime off the Trojan prince. He was so relaxed he was almost asleep under her ministrations.
Finally the two of them were clean. Hector reached for her again, but Liberty quickly scrambled out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her torso. Hector looked disappointed, but climbed out and went to her. She hopped out of his grasp.
"Liberty?" Hector was getting frustrated. Why was she running away from him?
"I... I... um," Liberty stammered, backing toward the door. Without another word, she dashed through the doorway and out of his sight.
Hector dressed hurriedly and went after her. "Liberty, child, what is wrong?" He found her sitting on his bed, still clad only in the white towel, her blonde locks covering her face, but not hiding her distraught countenance. He sat next to her and reached out a hand to rub her back. Her body tensed and he drew back.
Liberty finally turned to look at him, he blue eyes cloudy with fear and confusion. "I'm sorry, Hector. I... I just... when you touched me, I thought of Achilles."
Hector's eyes went wide with shock. "Oh, my beautiful girl, I'm so sorry he did that to you." He pulled her to him and she buried her face in his chest.
"I hate him for it," she muttered. "I would have killed him myself if I could. I feel like he's... destroyed my innocence somehow." She looked up at the prince with reddened eyes. "I know it's stupid, but-"
"It's not stupid," Hector interrupted. "Achilles had no heart, and no soul." He paused, afraid to ask the next question. "So you have never... known a man?"
Liberty shook her head. "No. It may sound stupid, since I'm definitely old enough to have had sex, but I just... never found someone I wanted to do it with." She smiled bashfully. "Or I did, but I was never sure if he wanted me." She looked up into Hector's eyes and he was suddenly filled with longing.
He leaned into her and, without touching another part of her body, pressed his lips to hers. Liberty melted into him, and he wrapped his powerful arms around her.
Charis' laughter echoed down the hallway as Paris toted his new wife around on his back. He trotted into the throne room to find Priam sitting at his throne studying some scrolls and a look of distain washing over his aged face seeing his youngest son and servant gallivanting around his palace. Charis was suddenly frightened by this new face on the king; she had never seen him this angry before. She slid off of Paris' back and hid behind him.
"Fa-father..." Paris stammered as Priam waved his hand as his counselors departed from the throne room.
"Mind explaining to me my son what you are doing with this servant girl?" Priam asked in a low voice as he cast a cold glare towards Charis.
Charis shivered. She felt Priam's eyes pierce into her very soul as Paris tightly held her hands that were wrapped around his waist, "I'm enjoying myself...Father. What is wrong with that?"
"But with a common servant? There are other women in the palace for you to amuse yourself with, my son. Now I want you to stop this nonsense at once. You know your place and she should know hers. Royalty and the poor do NOT mix and I will not allow it in my presence."
Paris looked up towards his father, defiance gleaming in his eyes, "But she is no longer poor father. I love Charis and she loves me! She is MY PRINCESS. We wed seven days ago...in secret."
Priam rose to his feet, "I will not allow this marriage to continue!" he shouted, his face growing red with anger.
"I do not care what you think or say, Father! For the first time I know what true love is! No longer am I bedding with other women to find temporary ease and happiness! My heart is content and full of joy with Charis by my side!"
"This is that entire witch's fault! She is poisoning my sons against me!"
Charis stepped out from behind Paris, outraged with the words spilling from the king's mouth, "That is NOT true Lord Priam! Liberty is a kind and gentle woman! She nearly sacrificed her life to save the life of Hector! She's saving your kingdom from destruction by the Greeks! Your pride clouded your judgment so you did not heed her warnings and you almost sent Hector to his grave! IT WAS YOUR FAULT!"
"SILENCE! I will not tolerate such insolence from you! GUARDS!" Priam roared with anger as two armed Trojan guards rushed into the room. "Take this little whelp out of my sight!"
"Father no! You cannot do this she is my wife!!" Paris's protests fall on the deaf ears of the king as Charis is dragged out of the throne room by one of the guards and the other holding him back.
"NO! LET ME GO! PARIS!" Charis' struggle is futile against the strength of the guard as the door slams behind them; her cries are faint as she is dragged to the dungeon.
Paris squeezes his eyes shut as tears well up in his eyes, "Damn you father...she is the one thing that makes me happy and I will have her back even if it means me no longer being a son of Troy!" he then stormed out of the throne room, leaving Priam in a daze.
The aged king slumped into his throne. "I will have that witch's head on a platter before this week is out." He motioned for one of his priests to enter from where he stood silently, just outside the hall. "Find this witch that is polluting the minds of my sons. Have her join the servant wench in the dungeon. Make sure neither of my sons is aware this fire starter has gone missing."
The priest nodded obediently and went to carry out his orders.
Priam dropped his face into his hands. "What has happened to my kingdom? Surely Hector would still be alive, whether or not that strange girl had come." He looked to his High Priest. "Tell me the gods want this plague of the princes gone from Troy."
The Priest looked helpless. "What she proved by facing Achilles has many men on her side. They think she truly had foreseen the fall of Troy and has helped to change it."
"The Greeks will retreat. I know it," Priam said softly.
Paris and Charis had been married less than a week after he had proposed, but he had decided that he wanted to help defend Troy, so he was often busy going into battle with his elder brother.
Liberty had taken an immediate attachment to Hector's son, Astyanax, and would hold him while she watched Hector lead the Trojans into attack after attack of the Greeks. She couldn't help but be afraid that, one time, he might not return, considering their entire history was up in the air. She comforted the child until a nurse came to take him for a feeding.
Hector rode back through the gates, leading his tired, but victorious army. Liberty rushed down the stairs and leapt into his arms as he dismounted his horse.
"Careful, girl!" Hector chided, holding her in his arms. "For one, you are not fully healed. And another, I'm sweaty and covered in blood that is not my own." He smiled and pressed his forehead to hers.
"Hector, you paranoid git," Liberty said with a giggle, "I am just fine. I am healed." A mischievous smile crossed her lips and she leaned into his ear and whispered, "If you are so dirty, perhaps we should go bathe."
Hector shook his head and carried her up to his room. "As you wish, my lady," he said with a wink. "What's a git?"
Liberty just laughed.
She hummed to herself while he carried her, and leapt out of his arms as soon as the door was shut, dancing seductively and singing:
"Baby, can't you see, I'm calling. A guy like you should wear a warning. It's dangerous, I'm fallin'." She stripped off her clothes as she danced toward the bathroom; Hector followed close behind, watching her every move like a hawk.
"With a taste of your lips I'm on a ride. You're toxic, I'm slipping under. With a taste of poison paradise, I'm addicted to you. Don't you know that you're toxic? And I love what you do; don't you know that you're toxic?"
Liberty turned and helped Hector out of his armor, dumping it unceremoniously on the marble floor. "This is one of the few times you will ever hear me singing Britney Spears songs, love, don't get used to it."
Hector shed his underclothes as his young lover stepped nimbly into the tub. "I don't care what you sing, as long as you dance like that some more." He moved toward the tub as Liberty spread bubbles through the water.
"Intoxicate me now... With your lovin' now... I think I'm ready now... I think I'm ready now... Intoxicate me now... With your lovin' now... I think I'm ready now," she sang in a sultry voice.
Hector climbed into the bath and reached for the blonde nymph. "Come to me, lover."
Liberty moved teasingly to the opposite side of the bath. "Why should I?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Hector cornered her in the tub. "Let me make love to you," he said in a voice, husky with desire.
Liberty smiled. "Let me wash you first." She grabbed the top of his head and pushed him down into the soapy water. He came back up, sputtering and wiping the water out of his eyes. She moved behind him on the step and reached for the bottle of shampoo, pouring a generous amount into her hands and rubbing it into the prince's scalp. The soap turned red from the dried blood caked into his dark locks. She wrinkled her nose and grabbed a sponge nearby, lathering it with soap.
Carefully, Liberty massaged the grime off the Trojan prince. He was so relaxed he was almost asleep under her ministrations.
Finally the two of them were clean. Hector reached for her again, but Liberty quickly scrambled out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her torso. Hector looked disappointed, but climbed out and went to her. She hopped out of his grasp.
"Liberty?" Hector was getting frustrated. Why was she running away from him?
"I... I... um," Liberty stammered, backing toward the door. Without another word, she dashed through the doorway and out of his sight.
Hector dressed hurriedly and went after her. "Liberty, child, what is wrong?" He found her sitting on his bed, still clad only in the white towel, her blonde locks covering her face, but not hiding her distraught countenance. He sat next to her and reached out a hand to rub her back. Her body tensed and he drew back.
Liberty finally turned to look at him, he blue eyes cloudy with fear and confusion. "I'm sorry, Hector. I... I just... when you touched me, I thought of Achilles."
Hector's eyes went wide with shock. "Oh, my beautiful girl, I'm so sorry he did that to you." He pulled her to him and she buried her face in his chest.
"I hate him for it," she muttered. "I would have killed him myself if I could. I feel like he's... destroyed my innocence somehow." She looked up at the prince with reddened eyes. "I know it's stupid, but-"
"It's not stupid," Hector interrupted. "Achilles had no heart, and no soul." He paused, afraid to ask the next question. "So you have never... known a man?"
Liberty shook her head. "No. It may sound stupid, since I'm definitely old enough to have had sex, but I just... never found someone I wanted to do it with." She smiled bashfully. "Or I did, but I was never sure if he wanted me." She looked up into Hector's eyes and he was suddenly filled with longing.
He leaned into her and, without touching another part of her body, pressed his lips to hers. Liberty melted into him, and he wrapped his powerful arms around her.
Charis' laughter echoed down the hallway as Paris toted his new wife around on his back. He trotted into the throne room to find Priam sitting at his throne studying some scrolls and a look of distain washing over his aged face seeing his youngest son and servant gallivanting around his palace. Charis was suddenly frightened by this new face on the king; she had never seen him this angry before. She slid off of Paris' back and hid behind him.
"Fa-father..." Paris stammered as Priam waved his hand as his counselors departed from the throne room.
"Mind explaining to me my son what you are doing with this servant girl?" Priam asked in a low voice as he cast a cold glare towards Charis.
Charis shivered. She felt Priam's eyes pierce into her very soul as Paris tightly held her hands that were wrapped around his waist, "I'm enjoying myself...Father. What is wrong with that?"
"But with a common servant? There are other women in the palace for you to amuse yourself with, my son. Now I want you to stop this nonsense at once. You know your place and she should know hers. Royalty and the poor do NOT mix and I will not allow it in my presence."
Paris looked up towards his father, defiance gleaming in his eyes, "But she is no longer poor father. I love Charis and she loves me! She is MY PRINCESS. We wed seven days ago...in secret."
Priam rose to his feet, "I will not allow this marriage to continue!" he shouted, his face growing red with anger.
"I do not care what you think or say, Father! For the first time I know what true love is! No longer am I bedding with other women to find temporary ease and happiness! My heart is content and full of joy with Charis by my side!"
"This is that entire witch's fault! She is poisoning my sons against me!"
Charis stepped out from behind Paris, outraged with the words spilling from the king's mouth, "That is NOT true Lord Priam! Liberty is a kind and gentle woman! She nearly sacrificed her life to save the life of Hector! She's saving your kingdom from destruction by the Greeks! Your pride clouded your judgment so you did not heed her warnings and you almost sent Hector to his grave! IT WAS YOUR FAULT!"
"SILENCE! I will not tolerate such insolence from you! GUARDS!" Priam roared with anger as two armed Trojan guards rushed into the room. "Take this little whelp out of my sight!"
"Father no! You cannot do this she is my wife!!" Paris's protests fall on the deaf ears of the king as Charis is dragged out of the throne room by one of the guards and the other holding him back.
"NO! LET ME GO! PARIS!" Charis' struggle is futile against the strength of the guard as the door slams behind them; her cries are faint as she is dragged to the dungeon.
Paris squeezes his eyes shut as tears well up in his eyes, "Damn you father...she is the one thing that makes me happy and I will have her back even if it means me no longer being a son of Troy!" he then stormed out of the throne room, leaving Priam in a daze.
The aged king slumped into his throne. "I will have that witch's head on a platter before this week is out." He motioned for one of his priests to enter from where he stood silently, just outside the hall. "Find this witch that is polluting the minds of my sons. Have her join the servant wench in the dungeon. Make sure neither of my sons is aware this fire starter has gone missing."
The priest nodded obediently and went to carry out his orders.
Priam dropped his face into his hands. "What has happened to my kingdom? Surely Hector would still be alive, whether or not that strange girl had come." He looked to his High Priest. "Tell me the gods want this plague of the princes gone from Troy."
The Priest looked helpless. "What she proved by facing Achilles has many men on her side. They think she truly had foreseen the fall of Troy and has helped to change it."
"The Greeks will retreat. I know it," Priam said softly.