And thrice about her neck my arms I flung,
And, thrice deceiv'd, on vain embraces hung.
-Virgil. The Aeneid. Book II
I pushed open the door to my father's chambers, slipping through the slight crack. The soft sounds of snoring coming from my father's bed brought a slight smile to my face as I walked silently across the marble floors towards Anchises' cot.
"Father" I whispered.
The snoring abruptly stopped and my father awoke, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Aeneas? What's wrong? Is everything ok?"
"Yes, father. Everything is alright. I just wanted to see you"
"At this absurd hour? Aeneas its been hours since sunset..."
"I know, but it cannot wait any longer"
My father sat up upon his bed using me for support. In the flickering light of his luxurious chambers, I could see the traces of what had once been Aphrodite's lover. I also saw a glimmer of myself in my father's slender form. The powerful jaw line and what had once been raven hair were very reminiscent of myself. From the wide balcony, the drapes were billowing as the fresh ocean breeze swept through the room, covering it in a restful cool.
"Ok, Aeneas. What is it?" he sounded comfortable. I had expected my father to be slightly irritated but the old man was far from it. The tone of his voice seemed genuinely interested.
I took a deep breath. For hours I had been practising, restless in bed, not knowing exactly how to win my father's approval. Sleepless for the past few nights, I had lain in bed, excited and dreading what was to come next. It had been four years since the skirmish near Thebe and a lot had changed. Most of it for the worse. My father's health had been failing and mother had not visited since that night at the temple. But most heartbreaking of all, Priam had decided to marry Creusa off to a suitor named Diomedes in Calydon.
Creusa was furious and had turned her wrath on me. Dutiful to her father, my love had accepted Priam's wish and spurned me for months. She was angry at my inability to confront her father and ask for her hand in marriage. Now, at nineteen, she was finer than she had ever been and my heart broke every time my eyes gazed upon her loveliness. She too was heartbroken over her engagement and refused to even see me.
I could not bear my heartache anymore, so I had come to my father at last, seeking his help.
"Aeneas?" My father called softly for I had been lost in my thoughts. Turning to the old man, I lay my head upon his shoulder and shed a tear.
"My son, why are you crying? What happened?"
"Father...I love Creusa"
For one sudden moment, everything went deadly silent. I could feel my father comprehend the weight of my words and I felt him stiffen. His wrinkled hands, calloused by many years as a warrior, trembled as they ran through my hair.
"Aeneas. Do you even know what you're-"
I pulled away from my father and looked intently into his eyes. I, too was trembling and the tears had refused to stop flowing.
"Father, I cannot bear to see her married to someone else. We've loved each other for years and suddenly it seems we'll be torn apart. Please father, I need Creusa. You've got to help me!"
"Why did you not tell me before, Aeneas? We could have done something..."
"I...I did not know what to do. I feared Priam rejecting my proposal and you father, I worried that you would say no..."
My father did not reply. He simply rubbed his temples, thinking. Head bowed, he shook his head a few times, not believing my words. There was a long silence before either of us spoke up. In this silence we both understood the significance of my love and its impact upon the future of Troy.
"Aeneas, I love you more than life itself, yet I cannot ask Priam for Creusa's hand in marriage on your behalf. There is nothing I can do. This marriage is not simply a union of two people, it is Priam's chance to settle relations with the Hellenes. You know how important it is for the king to make alliances, Aeneas. I cannot interfere"
I looked at my father, broken. Something deep inside me had died. Hope, a wish for love had been denied and I cursed myself for being the Aphrodite's son. My love had spurned me for her father's wish and now, my father refused to help me. Everything had suddenly lost meaning and I felt terribly alone. I slipped off my father's bed and headed towards the door, Anchises silently watching me depart. He did not say anything, for there wasn't anything to say.
"I'm sorry I disappointed you father. I did not choose to love her, it just happened. I was a coward and now I must pay the price for my cowardice"
With that said, I strode outside my father's chambers and headed for the sanctuary of my own room. My mind had accepted defeat, yet my heart still beat with Creusa's love.
It was a bitter irony I faced. Love's child denied the greatest love of all. It was something stories were made of, this mockery of my parentage. As I entered my desolate room, I found little comfort in flickering torches of my humid room. Heading for the balcony, from the where the sweet scent of the sea brought calm breezes, I stood silently, looking out over the crystal Aegean.
I sniffed noisily and wiped my nose, the tears dripping from eyes. My jaw felt slack and there was a weakness in my knees. I was on the edge of heartache and the terror of reality had just hit. Creusa was lost to me and all I could do was watch, broken and defeated. I buried my head into my hands and wept in bitter pain.
I did not understand it at first, but it was then I had realised why they called it heartache. My chest felt heavy and breathing was difficult. Like a lead weight, my core felt dead and cold. It did not burn with love as it once did, but suffered the grief of being torn. My lips, trembling with the urge to cry out, longed for the sweet caress of Creusa.
I stood upon my balcony for hours, looking out over the Aegean, shedding tears. It wasn't until the sun broke the eastern horizon that I realised how much time had passed me by. Retreating into my chambers, I Fell upon my bed, exhausted. I soon fell into a troubled sleep, tossing upon my cot as the nightmares woke me periodically.
"What's troubling you, Aeneas?"
The stones skimmed the river's placid surface, jetting from one bank to the other. The two of us, Hector and I, stood upon the river's side, tossing smooth-sided stones across the water. The day was a peaceful one, bright and sunny. The leaves were rustling in the trees and birds were chirping happily in the trees. It would have been the perfect day, one I would have relished, had my heart not been shrouded in gloom.
"Nothing's wrong, Hector"
Hector paused to look at me.
"I know you far too well to believe in that lie you just told. Just tell me, what's wrong?"
I sighed and sat down upon a rock. Letting my feet waddle in the running stream, I looked into the distance towards Troy. Hector came and sat down next to me. His eyes seemed genuinely concerned. For days he had worriedly noted my slow decline. I had stopped eating and looked dishevelled, my strength waning. He noted how I did not take interest in our escapades and how I could not swordplay without soon losing interest or conceding to weariness .
"Hector, I...I cannot tell you. You'll think lowly of me"
The heir to Troy's throne let out a slight chuckle.
"I don't think I ever can look upon you lowly, brother. Now stop the suspense and tell me"
I looked up at him.
"It's Creusa. We love each other"
As with my father, there was a long pause as Hector understood the weight of my words. Flicking a few more stones across the water, it took a while before he responded.
"It doesn't come as much of a surprise, Aeneas. I think most, if not everyone, understood what was going on between the two of you. Most thought it was mere childhood infatuation. But it really wasn't, was it?"
"No. I love her with every breath I take"
"And I think you understand the implications of what might happen if Diomedes were to be rejected now"
"I do"
The proud Grecian warrior had exclusively travelled to Troy months before, requesting Creusa's hand in marriage. He had fallen for her beauty at first sight during Priam's visit to Greece over a year ago and wanted her as a wife ever since. Upon his arrival, he had showered the aging king with gifts in abundance and had promised a solid alliance with Ilium.
"So have you given up, Aeneas?"
Hector's question rung like a bell in the moment of silence that followed.
"What else can I do? I cannot possibly ask Priam now. He'll throw me out of the city and my father's name will forever be tarnished. Yet I also love Creusa and cannot envision a life without her. I cannot risk Troy's fate and do not wish two cities to quarrel over a petty love affair. I do not know what to do, Hector. It's all just tearing me apart"
Hector sighed and looked contemplative.
"Listen, Aeneas. I cannot see you killing yourself like this. Either you talk to father or forever hold your peace. If, as you say, Creusa loves you, then she is probably hurting as bad as you are. You two need to do something. And you, Aphrodite's son! How can you give up on love, of all people!?"
I slipped off the smooth rock and wadded into the river, my eyes beginning to water.
"I need your help, Hector. I need you to tell me what to do..."
Hector followed me and came to stand on my side, the river flowing around us. The sun had been covered by a dark cloud and suddenly everything on the bright river became dull and cool.
"I'll talk to father"
"But that could jeopardise your relationship with this king"
"Aeneas, if you're going to nit pick, then this whole situation is unworthy of communication. Either we talk to father together, or you and Creusa suffer..."
I looked up at Hector and realised in that moment what a friend I had been blessed with. With him at my side, I felt empowered enough to take on the world. It gladdened me to know he was there to cover me in my moment of need. I secretly vowed to help him whenever he needed it, even if it meant sacrificing life itself.
The King of Troy was seated regally upon a sofa, taking his afternoon meal upon the mosaic terraces of the Palace. Attended by scores of his servants, some fanning him, some awaiting his orders, he smiled as the two of us approached.
"Ah, Hector. My heart grows delighted every time you are near"
Hector and I both kneeled before the king, or heads bowed.
"Tell me, child. What do you dire of me today?"
Priam gazed fondly upon his son, only noting my presence momentarily. Hector, who rose to his feet, grabbed me by the shoulders and thrust me before the king.
"Father, it is Aeneas who wishes to see you today"
Priam's eyes turned to me, his face suddenly bored.
"Oh...well, what is it, Aeneas?"
"My king...I...I've come to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage"
The old king's eyebrows shot into his receding hairline. Clearly he wasn't expecting my words. His bored expression changed into one of surprise as he leaned forward, a smug smile playing upon his lips.
"Well, well, Aeneas. We'll see about that. Which one is it, then?"
"Creusa, my king"
There was a deafening silence before the thundering voice of Priam rang over the hush silence.
"WHAT!? Is this some sort of prank, Aeneas? Are you testing whatever patience I have with you?" "No my king. We love each other"
"WE!? Are you implying Creusa feels the same way?"
Priam had risen from his sofa in a terrible wrath. Standing over me as I knelt before him, the enraged king towered over my trembling form as I nodded my reply. His knuckles, white with fury, were quivering with the desire to be rammed into my skull.
"CREUSA! Creusa! I demand your presence before me!"
From the many pillared hallways of the palace, the slapping of sandals resounded, as the eldest daughter of Priam emerged from the shadows. Spotting me kneeling before the angered king, she covered her mouth in terror. Cautiously stepping forward, Creusa neared the two of us, her luminous eyes wide with fright.
"Ye...yes father?"
Priam jabbed a thick finger into my head. Grabbing my hair between his fingers, the king shook it in his daughter's direction.
"Creusa. Aeneas here tells me that the two of you are in love and desire to be married. Is this true, or is this runt lying?"
Creusa looked at me helplessly, her light eyes watering. I did not protest as my hair was pulled. It hurt, yet the pain was nothing compared to what I felt for Creusa. I almost wished I did not approach Priam, simply because I could not bare the sight of her tears. I felt terrible. From her mouth, slightly agape, Creusa's soft voice whispered, ashamed.
"He does not lie, father. Yes, I love him"
Priam shoved my head away, his eyes clouding over with disbelief.
"Then why was I not informed of this 'union' before? Do you not know Diomedes will be here to finalise the agreements tomorrow? Why did you agree to his proposal anyway? What madness had possessed you then?"
"It was no madness, father. You had sealed the agreement and all I could do was agree. I would not disobey you"
Priam's face softened slightly at his daughter's vow of loyalty.
"Then if I tell you to marry Diomedes...?"
"I will marry him"
"And Aeneas...?"
"He will be a forgotten memory"
I felt myself sink to the ground, my limbs giving way. Creusa's words tore into my heart and left me far worse than before. I could not stop staring at her. Was I so forgettable? What of love? Did it not matter at all? I steadied myself with a shaky hand a sniffed away the forming tears.
I looked up at Priam and he, in turn, looked down upon me.
"I have promised her hand to Tydeus and Diomedes. With this sacred bond I have also tied the future of our two cities. Troy does not have allies on the mainland and I have been working hard for years to establish such an alliance. Aeneas, what you have told me does not sit with me well. I'm afraid I must reject-"
"Father"
It was the voice of Hector, finally speaking up. Priam turned to look upon his son.
"Yes Hector?"
"Father, Aeneas is our relative, and within him flows the sweet blood of the immortals themselves. Do you think it wise to incur the wrath of Aphrodite?"
Priam paused.
"I have given my word, and the word of kings is meant to be honoured above all else. Creusa will be married to Diomedes"
Priam pulled up his robe and made to move past me but I, in my pain, grasped the old king's leg. Pathetic and insulted, I wept as I clung to the robes.
"Please, your highness, I love her"
My pitiable imploring did nothing to sway the king's favour. Pushing me away with his a whack of his hand, Priam moved past a silent Creusa. My love, head bowed, had clasped her hands before her as the salty tears meandered down her lovely face.
Hector knelt next to me and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Aeneas. I'm sorry..."
A/N: Yes, i've taken some liberties with the story but some drama couldn't hurt....could it? I'll admit here that there is no record of Diomedes seeking Creusa's hand, but I added it anyways. It could have happened, right?
As always, some constructive criticism is nice grins