A/N: Thanks for your encouraging reviews. I hope you enjoy reading the rest of the story.

Chapter 5

Moments before…

A Greek sentry was standing on a bluff facing the walls of Troy. It was a quiet night – there was nothing unusual going on as he warmed himself by the fire. "What song are you playing?" he asked the sentry next to him who was plucking his lute. The soft strains of music echoed through the isolated place.

"It's a folk tune from my village in Ithaca," he replied as he began to sing –

"Take me home to the meadow that cradles my heart;

where the waves reaches far as you can see

Take me home to the meadow we've been too long apart;

I can still hear you calling for me…"

The two men sat in silence, each lost in his thoughts until one of them said, "You should teach me that song someday."

Then, he looked out toward the sand dunes and spotted a swirling dust cloud which seemed to be heading toward the camp. He turned to his friend and asked, "What is that?"

His friend merely shrugged his shoulders. "I'm going to take a closer look."

He grabbed his spear and ran down the bluff while the other stood watch. He stopped when he heard the thundering sound of galloping horses. There were about twenty of them. Someone must have accidentally let out the horses, he thought. But where did they come from? The gods must have sent them.

He smiled at their good fortune and was about to call his friend. Suddenly, a spear flew through the air and punctured his throat, killing him instantly. The soldier who was standing on the bluff saw the unexpected attack and quickly fumbled for his horn but the enemy had already reached their camp.

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Hector had ordered the horses to be set free through the secret passageway. His plan was to steer the horses toward the Greek camp while his men rode among them. They kept their heads low and their bodies close to the horses' backs. Using the dust and wind as cover, he managed to get close to the unsuspecting Greek sentry and hurl his spear. The spear had hit its target, felling the sentry as the horses trampled over him.

At his signal, the Apollonian Guards rose from their saddles and drew their swords. Hector and his men had breached the Greek barricades and slaughtered the dazed and sleepy Greeks. The sound of horns had warned the Greeks of their presence and he knew they didn't have much time.

"Find them!" he ordered his men.

Hector looked hard for Lucanus and he saw Achilles had come out of his tent. Their eyes met across the chaos but Achilles didn't move. My battle with you is not tonight, he seemed to say.

Suddenly, a disheveled looking girl came out and stood beside Achilles. Hector did a double take when he realized it was Briseis, his cousin whom he thought was dead. Briseis recognized him too as she tried to run to him but Achilles held her back. Instinctively, he wanted to charge at Achilles but he saw that his cousin was calm and unafraid of the Greek warrior as she turned to him and said, "Go! Achilles will not stop you."

Without wasting any more time, Hector guided his horse toward Agamemnon's tent. His men were locked in fierce battle with the Greek soldiers bent on protecting their leader. If they were to find Lysander and his men, they had to do it quick before the rest of the Greeks armed themselves. Time was slipping away like the grains of sand when he noticed some movement at the back of the tent – there were two men fighting. Hector recognized one of them instantly.

Lucanus!

But his happiness was short lived when he saw an arrow zip through the air and hit his friend. Hector saw him fall and his heart nearly stopped beating. No!

He urged his horse forward, caught hold of Lucanus and swung him behind his saddle before the Greek soldiers got to him. He turned his mount toward the city in full gallop as the enemy came at them with weapons. He met Captain Tyr and asked, "Have you found the others?"

"They are all dead, my prince," he replied.

"Pull back!" Hector shouted and the Apollonian Guards abandoned their siege on the Greeks. They formed a tight formation around the prince, protecting him from the arrows that rained on them.

Behind the safety of the city walls, Hector brought the now limp Lucanus down from his horse and carried him to a healer's tent. Putting him down on the makeshift bed, Hector wiped his brow, leaning in very close to feel his pulse and whether his mouth exhaled breath. "You're alive."

Lucanus tried to clutch his wound, but he stopped him. "Don't touch it. You'll be all right."

Turning to the healer, he said, "He's hurt! Attend to him immediately."

While he stood a few feet away, the healer peeled back the blood soaked tunic, exposing the wound above a pale breast.

"Your Highness!" he exclaimed, staring at his patient.

Hector hurried over to the healer's side. A cold, sick feeling settled in his stomach as he realized Lucanus was not a man but a woman! He became conscious that he was staring and quickly averted his gaze. How could this be?

She should not be here, he decided and wrapping her frail body in his cloak, he lifted her off the bed and turned to the healer. "Tell no one about this."

The healer bowed. "Yes, Your Highness."

Once outside, he bumped into Tyr.

"Where are you taking him?" Tyr asked worriedly.

"I need a place where I can have privacy," he replied.

"Then come to my place," Tyr offered.

In a small upper room of Tyr's house, Hector put her down gently on the bed. The cloak was soaked through with her blood as he un-wrapped her frail body.

"By the gods!" Tyr exclaimed in astonishment when he saw that Lucanus was a woman.

"Get the palace healer here now," Hector said in a low voice.

Tyr was speechless but he nodded and quickly disappeared. Suddenly, a bloodied hand reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"I have to go back to the battlefield…" she mumbled, unaware of her surroundings.

"No, you are hurt…"

"But the others… "

"The others are dead," Hector said solemnly.

She started to cry. "…and Prince Hector?"

"He is safe."

Hector sighed wearily. Even in this critical moment, she still thought of her prince. He did not deserve such dedication and devotion, especially from a girl. Tearing a piece of cloth from his tunic, Hector applied pressure on her wound to stop the bleeding. "You're going to be fine. Listen to me. You must stay awake for a little while longer," he said in a soothing voice.

"I…I'm trying," she said. Her face became deathly pale and her body was starting to spasm. "I…I'm c…c…cold."

"Don't worry. I'm here," Hector told her as he covered her with more blankets.

The palace healer came a few minutes later and Hector quickly moved aside to allow him to treat her. The good captain offered him some wine while they waited anxiously by the fireplace. "It's taking too long," Hector said, looking desolately at the closed door.

"Fear not, my prince. She's a tough one…she'll make it," Tyr said, his words offering little comfort to the storm that was raging in his heart – the secret mission and her true identity made him doubt what was real anymore.

Finally, the healer came out and Hector jumped off his seat. "How is she?" he asked.

"She has lost a lot of blood but I've given her some medication…she will be unconscious for the next few days."

Hector sighed with great relief as he sprinted up the stairs to her room. He sat by her side, gently brushing away the stray hairs from her face -- she looked like a child sleeping peacefully.

Why do you hide who you are? he mused, staring at her.

As the sun began setting in the horizon, Hector stayed by her bedside while contemplating what had to be done…The soldiers must never find out that Lucanus was a woman – according to the ancient laws, a woman found serving in the army would be severely punished. Hector didn't want that to happen to her.

Standing up, he was determined that 'Lucanus' must never serve in the army again. After leaving her room, he met Tyr and gave him specific instructions – he was to find out her real name and if she had any living family members in Troy. Everything she needed was to be met, such as food, clothing and a roof over her head.

"Lastly, I don't want her on the battlefield again," he added to which Tyr nodded. "I will come by again to see her progress."

As if he understood Hector's silent request, Tyr said, "It's my fault that she was injured. I will take care of her."

"I trust you will keep her identity a secret – I don't want to see her hurt again," he said as he prepared to leave.

"I will," Tyr replied.

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At the steps of the palace, Hector saw a young girl waiting for him – it was Calista, his wife's handmaid. She looked agitated and restless.

"My prince," she bowed hastily. "Have you any news of Lucanus? I heard he was out there among the enemy."

Hector looked at her and he could tell that she was in love with the 'boy'. Alas, Lucanus could never reciprocate her feelings. What he had to do was cruel but to allow her hope was even crueler.

Taking a deep breath, he told her a lie. "Yes, he was. He died fighting for his country."

Calista gasped as tears started to fall. "I…I was hoping he would come with me to Aphrodite's festival next week. He shouldn't have gone…he was so young."

"The gods have decided his fate. May he find peace in death. But you, Calista, you still have a future ahead of you. In time you will forget this pain as there will be many eligible young men out there waiting for you," Hector said.

She didn't look convinced but she said nothing. With a bowed head, she went away.

Andromache had stayed awake, waiting for him in his chambers when he returned. Hector saw her but didn't utter a word as he removed his armor and washed himself.

"Your father said you and your men had attacked the Greek camp," she began.

"…to save our men," he added, rubbing his face with a clean towel.

She got up from the bed and stood in front of him. "But the men were already dead – General Glaucus told me so."

"Glaucus is an old fool…" he replied bitterly.

"When I heard you were out there, I was afraid. Hector, you've never acted in such a rash manner before. It's like you went insane and tried to get yourself killed," she said as her dark eyes bore into his.

Hector stiffened and turned away. "You've never questioned my judgment on war matters. Why now?"

"…because I don't want to lose you. All I have in my life now is Astyanax and you," she answered, stifling a sob.

Sighing, he turned around and held his wife's shoulders. "You're not going to lose me," he said firmly.

Andromache mumbled, "I'm sorry… I shouldn't allow my fears to overcome me."

Hector drew her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Hush now. We don't need to argue over this. There was one thing that came out of this -- I saw Briseis."

She pulled away in surprise. "Briseis?"

"She's alive but she is being held prisoner."

"Poor Briseis…it would be better if she had been dead."

Hector did not comment as he looked out the window toward the horizon.

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The next day, the Trojan council had received a nasty message from King Agamemnon – it was to be expected since the mission was a failure. Now the Greek king was even more determined to destroy their city. Hector looked at the towering walls of Troy and wondered how long these walls could withstand the wrath of the Greeks.

"You have many things on your mind, love."

Hector turned to his wife and smiled ruefully. "There are factors in this war that we are not in control of. My father keeps saying the gods are on our side – we've nothing to fear. The truth is I'm afraid for you, for our son, for our family…"

For Lucia…

That was Lucanus' real name – Lucia. He had met Lucia's mother, Philippa on one of his visits to Tyr's place. She was a woman of sixty who had lost her husband and only son in wars against Troy's enemies. She had almost lost her daughter that night. Tyr had sent for her and brought her to see her daughter. He also gave her a place to stay so that she could be by Lucia's side.

"Please do not blame my daughter, Your Highness," she said, falling on her knees.

Hector rushed to her and held her up. "I don't blame her… I just want to know why she did it."

Philippa looked at him and said, "She had to watch her father and her brother come home in a box. She had to bury those she loved. There's much pain in her heart than she cared to show. And that pain is what drives her to what she is today."

Back to the present, he looked at his son, Astyanax playing with the wooden lion he had whittled while he was in Sparta and sighed. Life was much simpler then…

While he was cradling his son in his arms, a young slave boy came into his chambers and said, "I have a message from Captain Tyr for His Highness, Prince Hector."

Hector placed Astyanax with his mother and opened the note. The message simply read "Lucia woke up this morning."

Crushing the note in his hand, Hector took his sword and prepared to leave.

Andromache rose from her seat to follow her husband. "Is it from the army?"

"Yes," he answered, avoiding her curious stare.

TBC