Disclaimer: I do not own any of this. Drat…

Chapter 2: Pride

Perhaps I should have thrown myself at his mercy, though I doubted he had any such thing running through his Greek veins. Maybe I should have begged him to kill me, or at least make haste not to delay what was bound to be my fate. But no, for I am a woman of pride. Damn my pride! This should be my second sin, for my pride stood in the way of everything. Of course, now I see it was not my pride alone. Achilles has sins to.

Achilles, I knew a name, not a face. Greek champion, I knew a legend, not a man. So when name and legend stepped through the leather straps, my previous assumptions of his appearance were diminished. Though, beast's fangs and scales would have saved me a lot of pain.

"The men found her in the temple," a man with black hair and eyes as blue as the sky said to his warrior leader. "They thought she would, amuse you." With that he left. I know that my face was the portrait of fear but my pride overruled its actions. I quickly returned to my state of being a stone, a very stubborn stone.

I watched him remove his armor out of the corner of my eye, for I dare not look at him directly. My cheeks burned with a blush as I quickly turned my head opposite the now bare warrior. 'Odd, he does not carry the scars of a warrior with such a famed reputation.' I thought absently. Even my cousin Hector, prized warrior of the Trojan army, carried a battle scar along his right cheek. As quickly as these thoughts entered my head, I dismissed them. I could not dwell on things such as these.

"What is your name then?" He asked gruffly to his wash bin. For a moment I forgot of his unclothed state and looked at him with a face that said everything I felt towards him. Hate, anger, despise, pity, more hate, somehow I managed them all in one. I'm sure it would have effected him had he seen it, but his backside did not have eyes. I turned away again, stubborn stone.

He turned to me now. His tanned skin pulled over large muscles that could surely end my inward battle with one blow to the head. He did not though. There are many forms of torture. "Even priestesses of Apollo have names." He offered. Stubborn stone. I cautiously glanced at his face as he stooped level with my bound form. I was thankful to find he had adorned a royal blue wrap around his lower half. "Royalty, aren't you? Used to talking down to men and having them appease your every need." My face distorted in disgust as he picked up a lock of my brunette hair and brought it to his nose. He dropped it without interest. "Definitely royalty."

'Very sure of yourself, aren't you? You know nothing of royalty, you ignorant, gods for saken, pompous bastard.' Fear overtook me once more as the stooping figure pulled a dagger from his side. He moved it to cut the binds that chafed my wrists, not my throat. For a moment I was grateful, but only a moment.

I rubbed my sore hands as I eyed the man that was now my captor. His blonde locks were matted and hung the length of his chin. His face was chiseled, and stone. I was used to the look of a warrior. The crystal blue eyes were a novelty though. They were full of pride, glory, everything I could think a man like him would have in his egotistical mind. But, there was something else. Something I have never been able to place a name to.

"Are you afraid?" His question jolted me out of my reverie. 'What do you think? I'm in the tent of my country's greatest enemy! My life is bound to be a living Hades for what is left of it, and I have lost all hope of returning to my family and high walled haven! Yes! For all the bloody gods in this world and the next sakes, I'm afraid!'

"Should I be?" My pride answered for me.

"You do not have to fear me, priestess. You are the only person in Troy who can say that." He said standing up. 'Wonderful.'

"My lord," The man with the black hair had returned. "The king requests your presence in his tent. The kings are celebrating the victory." Achilles looked at me once more, as if he expected to read me like a book. I would not let him. My pride would not let this man near me. I glared at him from my feeble position. For a moment, I thought I saw his mouth twitch in what would have been a smile, but it could have been the dim lighting in the tent.

"Very well," he said as if it were an obligation that he would much rather ignore than oblige. He stood and once again donned his armor. I did not watch him. When he finally made his way out of the leather straps that covered the door, relief washed over me and I let out the breath I had not noticed I'd been holding. "Stay here." Came his ruff order outside the tent.

'Does he expect me to listen to such an order?' Of course he did. Here, outside of Troy, in the midst of Greek soldiers that held him on a pedestal as if he were a god, his word was law. To them. Not to me. It would never be to me, I would make sure of it.

As I made to crawl to the entrance, the straps of leather parted. I looked to what I thought would be Achilles, come to give me more orders. But I was wrong. For Achilles, dare I say it, would have been a more comforting sight.

A/N: Well, I hope I have lived up to all of your standards! I didn't think I would get so many reviews for this story! Thanks so much for reading, and remember that another review is always appreciated! Speacial Thanks to the following for reviewing and giving me some encouraging feedback... mostly. Lol!

queenieb, vocalise, ellornel, fireflydiamond, baphomet, Loke, Nikki Staggerwall, willspiratelass(love your name by the way!), Pandora 11, Mrs. M, SarahMo, Via, preciousbabyblue, TriGemini, troublegirl, and of course George's-Secret-Lover for your support!

NightbirdSongbird, as one of my other reviewers has pointed out, my story is under Troy, pertaining to the movie that was made, not Homer. I am aware that the script of the movie did not follow Homer's poem to a T but I didn't write the script, I only wrote the fanfic. Thanks for your review though!

Thanks,

LR