A/N: i'm losing reviewers. sigh but thank you, nut-case. and yes, i'm
already beginning to dread my 2.5 weeks away. i'm missing out on a lot
of the climax of an rpg i'm in. and you guys are missing out on the
climax of tmmdts! it's written, but i won't have time to type it and
upload it before we leave. oh well. you'll just have to wait.
::disclaimer:: if i owned this, i would take all the money i was making from it and build a time machine so i could live in ancient greece and see whether achilles and hector were as hot as they were in the movie.
Chapter IV
dream
I am running. I can see Troilus in the distance. I am running to him, my arms outstretched. I come to him and embrace him. "My love," I say. We kiss and then Achilles comes. He sees us, and I scream as he attacks Troilus. Troilus falls. Achilles stands over him, smiling.
"Before this war ends, I will stand over your dead body and smile." He turns to me. "You whore. I loved you, and this is how you repay me?"
I do not speak, only shake my head. Achilles is angry. He begins to ravage me. I see a flicker of movement behind him. It is Diomedes. Suddenly, I am able to speak again. "Diomedes, save me!" I shout. He hears and comes. They fight. Achilles falls, pierced by an arrow in his ankle. But Diomedes does not have a bow. Hector is in front of Diomedes, aiming at his heart. "Hector, no!" I say. He draws the bowstring anyway, ready to strike. As the arrow flies, I run in front of Diomedes. Just before it pierces me, I cry out.
end
I woke with a start. Diomedes was beside me, holding my hand. "Are you alright?" he asked. "I heard you scream for help in your sleep."
I nodded. "It was just a dream. Just a dream." Tears of relief ran down my face as I repeated that phrase like a mantra. "Just a dream." Diomedes pulled me closer to him, holding me to his chest. He rocked me back and forth until I at last drifted off to sleep again.
I did not wake again until morning. Sun streamed across my face, greeting me with a new day. The arms wrapped around my stomach instinctively drew tighter as I snuggled closer into the warm chest at my back. I smiled, my eyes still shut against the bright sun. Achilles would not fight today. He was safe for the time being.
My eyes flew open. Achilles was dead. He had been dead for many days. We had burned his body. Today was the last day of the funeral rites. Slowly, I turned my head and gasped. It was Diomedes in the bed beside me. It was Diomedes who held me against his bare chest.
"Diomedes," I whispered, "what am I to do?"
"Hmm?" A throaty, groggy reply came from behind me. "Did you say something, Briseis?"
I rolled over to face him. "Why are you here?" I asked, trying not to stare at his chiseled stomach.
He yawned. "You were having a nightmare. You shouted for me in your sleep. I was afraid something had happened to you."
"Yes, I remember that, but why are you here now?" I looked into his eyes, afraid of where my own might wander if I broke my gaze.
"I wanted to wait until you were asleep before I left. I must have drifted off myself without realizing it. I am sorry if I disturbed you." He began to rise.
I put my hand on his arm. "No, it's all right. I--thank you for staying with me."
Someone knocked at the tent flap. "Lady Briseis," said Odysseus, sticking his head in the door. Diomedes and I both sat up. "Oh, excuse me, I'll come back in a bit. Or better yet, come to my tent when you have dressed and refreshed yourself." He gave us a curt nod and left.
Ten minutes later I was standing in Odysseus's tent. "You wanted to speak with me?"
"Yes." He leaned back in his chair. "The fleets shall be departing soon. I have already told you of most of your choices, but another came to me during the funeral rites for Achilles. As you know, Achilles lived in Pthia. The land there belongs to his family. However, he has no heirs. His mother, Thetis, lives in Pthia." I nodded; Achilles had told me some of his family history. I knew his mother was a nymph. "If you wish, I or one of the other sea captains can take you there. Thetis would almost certainly take you into her home."
"I thank you for the offer, Lord Odysseus. I shall have to think on it a little more." I bowed my head and exited. Not surprisingly, Diomedes waited for me outside.
"Will you go to Pthia, then?" he asked, walking alongside me.
"I do not know," I replied honestly.
"If you do, I will take you. It is on the way to my own home in Argos."
We had come to the entrance of his tent. I smiled. "Is it really on the way?"
"No. But I would sail to the edge of the world and back for you, Briseis." I must say that my heart stopped at his admission. My mind quickly went back to that morning when I awoke nestled in his embrace. And then I remembered the dream. It was him I had sacrificed myself for, not Achilles. It had been Achilles who had hurt me. My face must have shown my conflicting emotions, because soon Diomedes's arms were around me. "I am sorry, Briseis, I should not have said anything."
"No," I whispered. "It's not you. I would love to go to Argos."
He smiled, and it was as if Apollo had suddenly inhabited his body. "We will go then. Together." And then he kissed me. I melted into his embrace. In that kiss, I felt a longing that I thought had died with my first love. Diomedes must have felt it, too, because he slowly backed me into his tent, and taking hold of my waist, pushed me gently onto the bed.
A/N: how's that for a cliffie? please review! you have no idea how much i'll love you!
::disclaimer:: if i owned this, i would take all the money i was making from it and build a time machine so i could live in ancient greece and see whether achilles and hector were as hot as they were in the movie.
Chapter IV
dream
I am running. I can see Troilus in the distance. I am running to him, my arms outstretched. I come to him and embrace him. "My love," I say. We kiss and then Achilles comes. He sees us, and I scream as he attacks Troilus. Troilus falls. Achilles stands over him, smiling.
"Before this war ends, I will stand over your dead body and smile." He turns to me. "You whore. I loved you, and this is how you repay me?"
I do not speak, only shake my head. Achilles is angry. He begins to ravage me. I see a flicker of movement behind him. It is Diomedes. Suddenly, I am able to speak again. "Diomedes, save me!" I shout. He hears and comes. They fight. Achilles falls, pierced by an arrow in his ankle. But Diomedes does not have a bow. Hector is in front of Diomedes, aiming at his heart. "Hector, no!" I say. He draws the bowstring anyway, ready to strike. As the arrow flies, I run in front of Diomedes. Just before it pierces me, I cry out.
end
I woke with a start. Diomedes was beside me, holding my hand. "Are you alright?" he asked. "I heard you scream for help in your sleep."
I nodded. "It was just a dream. Just a dream." Tears of relief ran down my face as I repeated that phrase like a mantra. "Just a dream." Diomedes pulled me closer to him, holding me to his chest. He rocked me back and forth until I at last drifted off to sleep again.
I did not wake again until morning. Sun streamed across my face, greeting me with a new day. The arms wrapped around my stomach instinctively drew tighter as I snuggled closer into the warm chest at my back. I smiled, my eyes still shut against the bright sun. Achilles would not fight today. He was safe for the time being.
My eyes flew open. Achilles was dead. He had been dead for many days. We had burned his body. Today was the last day of the funeral rites. Slowly, I turned my head and gasped. It was Diomedes in the bed beside me. It was Diomedes who held me against his bare chest.
"Diomedes," I whispered, "what am I to do?"
"Hmm?" A throaty, groggy reply came from behind me. "Did you say something, Briseis?"
I rolled over to face him. "Why are you here?" I asked, trying not to stare at his chiseled stomach.
He yawned. "You were having a nightmare. You shouted for me in your sleep. I was afraid something had happened to you."
"Yes, I remember that, but why are you here now?" I looked into his eyes, afraid of where my own might wander if I broke my gaze.
"I wanted to wait until you were asleep before I left. I must have drifted off myself without realizing it. I am sorry if I disturbed you." He began to rise.
I put my hand on his arm. "No, it's all right. I--thank you for staying with me."
Someone knocked at the tent flap. "Lady Briseis," said Odysseus, sticking his head in the door. Diomedes and I both sat up. "Oh, excuse me, I'll come back in a bit. Or better yet, come to my tent when you have dressed and refreshed yourself." He gave us a curt nod and left.
Ten minutes later I was standing in Odysseus's tent. "You wanted to speak with me?"
"Yes." He leaned back in his chair. "The fleets shall be departing soon. I have already told you of most of your choices, but another came to me during the funeral rites for Achilles. As you know, Achilles lived in Pthia. The land there belongs to his family. However, he has no heirs. His mother, Thetis, lives in Pthia." I nodded; Achilles had told me some of his family history. I knew his mother was a nymph. "If you wish, I or one of the other sea captains can take you there. Thetis would almost certainly take you into her home."
"I thank you for the offer, Lord Odysseus. I shall have to think on it a little more." I bowed my head and exited. Not surprisingly, Diomedes waited for me outside.
"Will you go to Pthia, then?" he asked, walking alongside me.
"I do not know," I replied honestly.
"If you do, I will take you. It is on the way to my own home in Argos."
We had come to the entrance of his tent. I smiled. "Is it really on the way?"
"No. But I would sail to the edge of the world and back for you, Briseis." I must say that my heart stopped at his admission. My mind quickly went back to that morning when I awoke nestled in his embrace. And then I remembered the dream. It was him I had sacrificed myself for, not Achilles. It had been Achilles who had hurt me. My face must have shown my conflicting emotions, because soon Diomedes's arms were around me. "I am sorry, Briseis, I should not have said anything."
"No," I whispered. "It's not you. I would love to go to Argos."
He smiled, and it was as if Apollo had suddenly inhabited his body. "We will go then. Together." And then he kissed me. I melted into his embrace. In that kiss, I felt a longing that I thought had died with my first love. Diomedes must have felt it, too, because he slowly backed me into his tent, and taking hold of my waist, pushed me gently onto the bed.
A/N: how's that for a cliffie? please review! you have no idea how much i'll love you!