On Troy:
The true story that Paris tells Ara is THE actual story of Troy that the movie missed out on. Of course, I've added a few things to the true story. I will explain what is true and what is not true at the epilogue. But just to let you know, this is what the movie made A LOT of mistakes on.
That morning, I went to the sea. After last night's talk I wanted to speak to Aphrodite. I didn't need some temple to pray along with the lovesick maidens of my town.
I offered the best apple from our orchard to her and I burnt a stick of incense. Then, I knelt down and prayed.
"Dear Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty,"
I began.
"Yes, I do not believe in love and it was the first time last night that I had uttered it within a room of a mortal soul."
I closed my eyes and listened to the waves for some time.
"But my life has clearly shown no use for love; in fact, it has shown me to avoid it at all cost. My father and Cyril need me. I do not know if you have watching, but I was once to be married, remember?"
I sighed to take in a few breaths. It almost sounded as if I was talking to an aunt who was visiting.
"Marriage does not really call for love. But my father and I wanted the man to not be in love with another woman. Well, my fiancée was struck by your spell, and to this day he and a married woman have been in love. We knew this but we also needed another man to work in the house. And this man also needed a family and a woman to take care of him so we took him in.
"A few villagers still think we are engaged, making rumors and such. A certain few know that we never got married. But a majority simply thinks that he is a cousin, come to work and live with us. Oh, Aphrodite, after seeing Cyril become miserable because of love, yet become so strong and stay sane about his actions towards it, I'm afraid I cannot be that strong. I couldn't possibly face the troubles love brings."
My eyes were still closed and I could almost hear something laughing and mocking me.
"So I pray dear Aphrodite, that you grant me the gift to never fall in love."
There, I had said it. Maybe she'll grant it, maybe she won't. I hope she will. Even if it was for her own amusement to grant it. I could imagine her saying right now, "Go back and take your offerings, girl. You are not some character in a legend as for me to grant such a wish only meant for the stories. Besides, no man has ever looked at you."
I didn't imagine that. Or did I? Was that my own voice in my head making up the goddess' words? Because those words in my head were different from the usual words in my head.
Was that how gods usually talk to mortals? In their head like a lost soul. In their heads like a silent soft teasing wind. A wind so strong and commanding.
Then I heard that voice again.
"I'll tell you what, mortal. I won't grant your wish but I will grant you something else. Yes, you won't fall in love for sure considering the elements of this spell. But I will not tell you bout your. . .gift or curse? Whatever you want to call it. But I can assure you that form what I've seen so far, you will not fall in love."
Then the voice waited for my reply.
I shook. She would give me something else but it guaranteed that I wouldn't fall in love. I stood up and opened my eyes. I asked her, "Aphrodite, why must I not know what you are granting me, here?"
Her voice came back, "Ara, that will only make it more complicated. I'll give you a clue because I pity you. You won't fall in love because no man has looked upon you for love."
I blinked at her clue. It didn't really take a god's powers for that. I mean, of course I won't fall in love because nobody is in love with me, that's always been me. Disappointed, I thanked her. And left the offerings that would later offer at the temple.
I went back inside the house. Most of the time father and Cyril were out of the house. Once again, I had to deal with the stranger. I knew father couldn't keep his promise.
I went into my bedroom to find him at my window.
It was silent for a moment. I decided that he didn't sense my presence but he did, and he told me to come look out the window with him. For some reason, I obeyed him again.
We looked outside for some time until he broke the silence.
"Ara?"
"Yes, Alexander?"
"You called me a great hero last night."
"Well, I have always been fascinated by the accomplishments of my people from the stories I've heard. I guess I was quite shocked to meet one of these characters so the word, 'hero' slipped. But I do have a right, after all, you killed Achilles."
He flinched.
"I killed Achilles. Yes, that part of the story was true but don't you wonder how I knew where to shoot my arrow at him?"
"No."
"Through one of my sisters."
"You had sisters?"
"Yes, and lots of brothers. One of my sisters was the one who despised me most, Cassandra. Yes, a lot of people despised me for bringing the war upon them so it is quite queer for you to call me a hero."
"Why did Cassandra hate you most of all?"
"Cassandra was the odd one in my family. She claims to have visions of the future such as her twin, Helenus. Only her visions were always grim and nobody would believe her when she predicted it. Often we were embarrassed when a fisherman never came home from sea to his family due to her warnings."
I put on a strange look. I have never heard of his other siblings. Cassandra? She seemed scary to me. A girl who could predict the horrible outcomes of the future. I shot him a question.
"If you saw how her former predictions came true, why didn't you believe the next of her warnings?"
"She was cursed. Some say that the god, Apollo was in love with her when she turned his courtships down so he cursed her. Now nobody will believe her."
I stayed silent. Cassandra didn't seem to be an actual main part of the story but she interested me.
"Did she hate you because you started the war?"
"Yes, perhaps she did. But I am sure that she hated me even before that. In fact, it is also because of me she suffered a cruel fate and death."
I sat down on my bed.
I closed my eyes. "Tell me the true story, Paris." I said. It was the first time I called him that.
He sat down next to me. He sighed, and then finally said, "You will hate me for this."
"Perhaps." I replied, "But wouldn't it do justice to those others? Like Cassandra, whose death you are responsible for?"
He sighed again, he does that a lot. It was as if I was a pesky little child
He looked away from me for a while and then looked out the window from my bed.
"Ara, the real story is full of depressing events and should not be told on a beautiful day such as this. But I am afraid you are right. It would do justice to those who have lost so much due to my mistakes." He said.
The true story that Paris tells Ara is THE actual story of Troy that the movie missed out on. Of course, I've added a few things to the true story. I will explain what is true and what is not true at the epilogue. But just to let you know, this is what the movie made A LOT of mistakes on.
That morning, I went to the sea. After last night's talk I wanted to speak to Aphrodite. I didn't need some temple to pray along with the lovesick maidens of my town.
I offered the best apple from our orchard to her and I burnt a stick of incense. Then, I knelt down and prayed.
"Dear Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty,"
I began.
"Yes, I do not believe in love and it was the first time last night that I had uttered it within a room of a mortal soul."
I closed my eyes and listened to the waves for some time.
"But my life has clearly shown no use for love; in fact, it has shown me to avoid it at all cost. My father and Cyril need me. I do not know if you have watching, but I was once to be married, remember?"
I sighed to take in a few breaths. It almost sounded as if I was talking to an aunt who was visiting.
"Marriage does not really call for love. But my father and I wanted the man to not be in love with another woman. Well, my fiancée was struck by your spell, and to this day he and a married woman have been in love. We knew this but we also needed another man to work in the house. And this man also needed a family and a woman to take care of him so we took him in.
"A few villagers still think we are engaged, making rumors and such. A certain few know that we never got married. But a majority simply thinks that he is a cousin, come to work and live with us. Oh, Aphrodite, after seeing Cyril become miserable because of love, yet become so strong and stay sane about his actions towards it, I'm afraid I cannot be that strong. I couldn't possibly face the troubles love brings."
My eyes were still closed and I could almost hear something laughing and mocking me.
"So I pray dear Aphrodite, that you grant me the gift to never fall in love."
There, I had said it. Maybe she'll grant it, maybe she won't. I hope she will. Even if it was for her own amusement to grant it. I could imagine her saying right now, "Go back and take your offerings, girl. You are not some character in a legend as for me to grant such a wish only meant for the stories. Besides, no man has ever looked at you."
I didn't imagine that. Or did I? Was that my own voice in my head making up the goddess' words? Because those words in my head were different from the usual words in my head.
Was that how gods usually talk to mortals? In their head like a lost soul. In their heads like a silent soft teasing wind. A wind so strong and commanding.
Then I heard that voice again.
"I'll tell you what, mortal. I won't grant your wish but I will grant you something else. Yes, you won't fall in love for sure considering the elements of this spell. But I will not tell you bout your. . .gift or curse? Whatever you want to call it. But I can assure you that form what I've seen so far, you will not fall in love."
Then the voice waited for my reply.
I shook. She would give me something else but it guaranteed that I wouldn't fall in love. I stood up and opened my eyes. I asked her, "Aphrodite, why must I not know what you are granting me, here?"
Her voice came back, "Ara, that will only make it more complicated. I'll give you a clue because I pity you. You won't fall in love because no man has looked upon you for love."
I blinked at her clue. It didn't really take a god's powers for that. I mean, of course I won't fall in love because nobody is in love with me, that's always been me. Disappointed, I thanked her. And left the offerings that would later offer at the temple.
I went back inside the house. Most of the time father and Cyril were out of the house. Once again, I had to deal with the stranger. I knew father couldn't keep his promise.
I went into my bedroom to find him at my window.
It was silent for a moment. I decided that he didn't sense my presence but he did, and he told me to come look out the window with him. For some reason, I obeyed him again.
We looked outside for some time until he broke the silence.
"Ara?"
"Yes, Alexander?"
"You called me a great hero last night."
"Well, I have always been fascinated by the accomplishments of my people from the stories I've heard. I guess I was quite shocked to meet one of these characters so the word, 'hero' slipped. But I do have a right, after all, you killed Achilles."
He flinched.
"I killed Achilles. Yes, that part of the story was true but don't you wonder how I knew where to shoot my arrow at him?"
"No."
"Through one of my sisters."
"You had sisters?"
"Yes, and lots of brothers. One of my sisters was the one who despised me most, Cassandra. Yes, a lot of people despised me for bringing the war upon them so it is quite queer for you to call me a hero."
"Why did Cassandra hate you most of all?"
"Cassandra was the odd one in my family. She claims to have visions of the future such as her twin, Helenus. Only her visions were always grim and nobody would believe her when she predicted it. Often we were embarrassed when a fisherman never came home from sea to his family due to her warnings."
I put on a strange look. I have never heard of his other siblings. Cassandra? She seemed scary to me. A girl who could predict the horrible outcomes of the future. I shot him a question.
"If you saw how her former predictions came true, why didn't you believe the next of her warnings?"
"She was cursed. Some say that the god, Apollo was in love with her when she turned his courtships down so he cursed her. Now nobody will believe her."
I stayed silent. Cassandra didn't seem to be an actual main part of the story but she interested me.
"Did she hate you because you started the war?"
"Yes, perhaps she did. But I am sure that she hated me even before that. In fact, it is also because of me she suffered a cruel fate and death."
I sat down on my bed.
I closed my eyes. "Tell me the true story, Paris." I said. It was the first time I called him that.
He sat down next to me. He sighed, and then finally said, "You will hate me for this."
"Perhaps." I replied, "But wouldn't it do justice to those others? Like Cassandra, whose death you are responsible for?"
He sighed again, he does that a lot. It was as if I was a pesky little child
He looked away from me for a while and then looked out the window from my bed.
"Ara, the real story is full of depressing events and should not be told on a beautiful day such as this. But I am afraid you are right. It would do justice to those who have lost so much due to my mistakes." He said.