Hey you guys!! SO MANY REVIEWERS!!! I must make this chapter EXTRA EXTRA LONG!!! Oh, by the way, that review from FieldGuideToBirdsNerd was a joke by my friend ...she has some obsession with this Bird Symbology thing...lol you crack me up, Rae!

Okay...here we go now!


Chapter 8

Briseis lay on the bed, frightened. Achilles was standing over her, and on his face, he wore a look of ...was it anger or disappointment? Soon, however, Briseis' feeling of fear turned slowly into resentment. What right did Achilles have to command her like such? Why couldn't she go out dancing? Had she hurt anybody? No. Had she hurt Achilles? Most likely not! She felt wronged. How could he be angry with her? There was no danger on board this ship! "He doesn't want me to be happy." She thought bitterly. "He doesn't know that I've never been happy my entire life."

Achilles breathed in and out like a wounded up ox. His nostrils flared every time he exhaled, and he muscles were tense. The girl that sat in front of him didn't seem to be scared of him anymore; on the contrary, she seemed to be getting angrier by the minute.

"I thought I told you to stay in the cabin." He repeated, drawing closer to her.

Briseis stared straight back into his azure eyes, her gaze nearly as piercing as his.

"Was I wrong to go dancing? Was I wrong to want a little freedom?" she spat, still holding the gaze.

Achilles was taken aback. For the past few weeks, this slave girl had meekly done everything he'd asked, and had submitted to his every whim. She was now arguing with him? "How interesting," he mused, smiling a little.

"You are my slave." He uttered these words firmly.

"Yes, I am." She replied, still not backing down. "I did nothing wrong. I only went dancing. You should know...people don't like being locked up away like that."

Achilles grabbed a chair and sat down in front of her on the bed. "Do you know who that man you were dancing with was?" he asked.

Briseis shook her head, surprised at this random line of questioning.

Achilles smirked and continued. "His name is Arcos, and he is the brother of the drunken man who kidnapped you back in Troy, whose name was Shlepe."

Briseis gaped at him; this new shocking information stunned her.

"I'm sure he purposefully asked you for a dance." Achilles went on smartly. "No doubt Shlepe told him about you, and he wanted to take you back. I might add that he is as bad as his brother, if not even worse."

Briseis could feel tears starting to well up inside her again. She'd almost gone with the enemy! She danced with a man who she barely knew, who was dangerous! "Have you no common sense, Briseis?" she scolded herself.

"I didn't know." She choked out, trying to restrain herself.

Achilles was silent for a moment, and then spoke, his voice softer now.

"Do you really feel that way?" he asked, his eyes turning from icy to quizzical. "Do you really despise your life with me?"

Briseis nodded her head. "I loathe every moment I spend here!" she cried, surprising even herself. "You are hardly here, and I am left alone...I do not know what to do! Tell me, what am I to do when you are gone? I don't know if you want me to tidy up your cabin; you said you like it untouched! I am your slave girl, yes, but I am also a human being!"

Briseis shut her mouth quickly, regretting her outburst. If she were back at the slave camp, she would most likely be one whipping away from death.

Achilles stood up from his chair. "You are a human being, you say?" he asked, his voice hardening again. "Well, tell me, do you have a name? I have had you for three weeks, but you have refused to tell me your name. Or are you such a human that does not have a name?"

Briseis stood up as well, but her face did not show retreat. She looked like she was fighting within herself, as if a battle was going on inside her head.

Achilles came closer to her, his body splaying shadows all over her face.

"What is your name?" he asked, as if challenging her.

Briseis stared back at him, her eyes refusing to give away any emotion.

"What is your name?!" he asked again, and she could tell that he was about to reach his peak.

Briseis remained silent. "I will not give in to him." She thought to herself, stubbornly.

Achilles turned away from her, his mind working furiously. "No female has ever dared to ignore me." He thought savagely, running a hand through his Godly hair. "This one is just particularly difficult." He reasoned, trying to calm down. "I'll find a way to break her!"

He turned back to Briseis, and this time, he took her hand in his and looked into her eyes.

"I'll make you a proposition." He murmured, squeezing her hand. Briseis tried to wrench them away, but he was too strong; she finally gave up and left them there. "In return for your name, I will give you a week of freedom. You won't be my slave...you will be my guest."

Briseis tried to resist those deep blue oceans of light that were piercing into her soul, but she couldn't fight off the growing feeling of defeat. Once again, she tried to wrench her hands from his, and this time, she succeeded. This did not help; Achilles instead grabbed her arms, which were harder to shake off.

"I only want to know you name." He whispered into her ear. It tickled, and she let out a small giggle. It was awfully hard to resist his sweet demeanor. She'd never seen a man, much less, a great warrior such as Achilles, beg and plead like this before. It made her giddy, and she wanted to laugh in his face.

"What is your name?" he asked again, and she could tell that he was starting to grow impatient.

Briseis could not hold in her laughter anymore. She opened her mouth; Achilles thought she'd finally given up and was about to tell him, but he was wronged: A gale of laughter exploded from her mouth, surprising him. She clutched her stomach as the fits of giggles consumed her, and she turned away from him, eyes starting to water from the hysteria of it all.

However, the feeling was not mutual.

"Enough." Achilles said, sounding angry once again. Briseis immediately stopped laughing.

"I suggest you get ready for bed, slave." He glared at her. "I have business to attend to."

Achilles turned away from Briseis and made for the door, his stride angry and steamed. As he opened the door, he heard a small voice behind him murmur:

"Briseis."

Eh? Eh? Trying to incorporate sexual tension...dunno if I succeeded! Tell me!! Review please???? Thanks guys to the loverly reviewers:

Trojans: oh pfft I'm sure you are a great writer! I mean...from your reviews I can see a promising story from ya! the force is with you....

FieldGuideToBirdsNerd: oops rae, sorry about the pigeon. I always knew Achilles was a rabid pigeon thing!

Natalie Hudson

Child of Morning

jaylis

anonymous

baphomet

orliNkeira: aw you're too nice! I like your name too!

MidNiGht ANgel10

Purplemoofu

polydora

Donna Lynn

no-girl

Thanks people! Oh, by the by, for people who have been wondering:

I am a girl....lol...I dunno...my penname enjorli is like unisexual...but you see, there is some brilliance behind this name thing: the enj part is from enjolras from les miserables [w00000t] and the orli part is from orlando...orli...dur...hence, ENJORLI!! w00tness.

Lurve Lurve!

-enjorli