Disclaimer: The characters are taken from Homer's Iliad, and also from the awesome movie Troy! Warner Brothers did an excellent job with all of the characters. I have added my own creation, Daphnea, for this story. Paris/OC, Achilles/Briseis
Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, you all really make my day!! Congrats to everyone who understood that Priestess Of Apollo has the same acronym as Prisoner Of Azkaban. But that was too easy.
Author's note: This chapter has lots of descriptions, which mostly come from the inspirations of the Versailles Castle gardens. I tried to recreate what I saw, heard and felt. Visiting there was probably my highlight of the trip to France. I could totally imagine Paris walking out from behind one of the hedges. Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Gardens of Troy
Daphnea took almost no notice of Troy's current war with the Greeks. Paris had invited her to live in the palace with the Trojan Royal family; Daphnea felt quite safe within the impregnable citadel. Although Paris' older brother Hector was often absent from the morning and midday meals, she had no other indication that the war even existed. During the past few weeks, Paris had given her a tour of his grandiose home and she was beginning to adjust to palace life. Besides eating meals with him, Daphnea had gone swimming, riding horses, and even watched as Paris perfected his amazing archery skills. They were rekindling their old friendship and it seemed to be having positive effects on both of their moods.
Warmth flooded Daphnea's senses as she awoke, snuggly cocooned in the blue and gold blankets upon her massive feather bed. Sighing with contentment, she recalled that Paris promised to show her the gardens today. Grinning, she shook off the covers and pulled on a borrowed robe of rich Trojan blue. As the silky garment caressed her soft skin, the Apollonian priestess felt blessed to enjoy the luxuries that the Royal family had generously bestowed upon her. Daphnea brushed her long hair until it shone and left it down; Paris did say he liked it better that way. After freshening up in the adjoining bathroom, she headed down several corridors and spiral staircases towards the dining hall. On her way, Daphnea overheard two of the female servants gossiping.
"You have to admit, Athene, he sure has seemed much happier since he brought that priestess here."
"You're right. I'll bet she's making Paris very happy, if you know what I mean." Athene elbowed her friend in the ribs, and they both giggled.
Daphnea watched, amusedly as the servants scampered away as she approached. I seriously doubt I have anything to do with Paris' newfound happiness, she thought. Even if I did, it certainly isn't due to the reason the servants think!
Entering the dining hall, she spied Paris already sitting at the lengthy table. The prince immediately stood up when he noticed her, and enveloped Daphnea in a friendly hug when she came to sit down beside him.
"'Morning, Nea!" Paris beamed at her, and continued to stare at her as the royal family ate their breakfast. Daphnea was confused by his odd behavior.
"Paris, why do you keep looking at me?" she asked, bluntly.
"Because, I can't wait to show you the gardens," he replied, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "There is something that I know you will really appreciate. It wasn't there when you were younger, my father has since expanded the gardens with surplus money from the treasury."
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Daphnea said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"I must speak with Hector about something, but you can go ahead. I'll meet you at the entrance to the gardens." Paris quickly left the room. Daphnea hurriedly finished her meal and went outside to the gardens to wait for her friend. She sat on a wooden bench that featured intricate carvings of horses, and was soon lost in thought, under the cloudy skies.
"Enjoying the outdoors?" Daphnea looked up in surprise and rested her eyes on a portly, older man, wearing full Trojan armor. She remembered being introduced to him at dinner on her first night in the palace. Was he a high-ranking officer? Ah, yes I remember, his name was General Glaucus.
"Yes." She looked down at the ground, and willed him to leave her alone. For some reason, Daphnea didn't trust the man at all; he alarmed her with his forwardness.
"Daphnea is it?" He asked, with an undertone of lust. "Weren't you residing in the temple of Apollo before it was sacked?" She looked up at him to answer, and he stepped even closer.
"I was." She kept her voice neutral, as not to give him any indication how much his presence was disturbing her. Glaucus' eyes raked over her, and Daphnea felt that he was mentally undressing her.
"Nea, are you ready to see the most beautiful garden ever?" Paris suddenly walked up beside the bench, and she quickly rose.
"Yes, I am. Let's go," she answered, still looking down.
"General," Paris acknowledged the older man and nodded at him. As soon as they'd entered the garden's edge through an arch of climbing ivy, Nea told Paris how Glaucus had come on to her.
"I wouldn't be too concerned. He won't got near you, since I, umm, told him you were sleeping with me," Paris trailed off.
"What?!" she yelped. "Paris!!"
"It was for your own protection!" Paris protested.
"That 'fact' isn't going to stop him when you aren't around," Daphnea pointed out.
"I think it will. You see, Glacus tried the same thing on Princess Andromache. Only after she told Hector, my brother was so furious that he gave the General a scar near his left eye. I doubt that old bag will ever come near any girl who is with one of the Trojan princes." Paris made light of the situation, so Daphnea put the repulsive man out of her mind.
Any unpleasant thoughts disappeared from her mind as Paris led them deeper into the garden, through the dense foliage along a dirt path. They came to a clearing where an impressive fountain splashed and spluttered its secrets to all who came near. Daphnea sat down on the grass and murmured, "It's so peaceful," as the mist floated by her face. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"
"No," said Paris. "It's on the way to where we're going, but I did want you to see this particular fountain."
"Hmm, I think I remember seeing this one before," recalled the Apollonian priestess.
"Yes, it has been here practically since the founding of Troy," explained Paris. "You see the three water spouts?" She nodded. "The hidden meaning behind the three streams of water flowing into the main pool has been speculated for centuries. Would you like to take a guess?" Daphnea furrowed her brow.
"Perhaps the fountain symbolizes the Gods of the three realms – there's Zeus of Mount Olympus, Poseidon of the Seas, and Hades of the Underworld."
"Always thinking of the immortal ones, are we, priestess?" teased Paris. She grinned at him.
"Alright then, what do you think, oh mighty prince?"
"I've always believed that it denotes the balance between the mind, body, and spirit. One can only reach their equilibrium if all three separate facets are equally nurtured," Paris answered easily.
"Wow," Daphnea spoke softly. "That was quite profound, coming from you."
He shrugged, "My mother used to say that the fountain represented then men in her life; my father, Hector, and I. She died, not too long ago." Daphnea could vaguely remember Queen Hecuba, who, when she was young, had been kind to her.
"I'm sorry," she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "How did she die?" Paris explained as they turned left and continued along a trail shaded by overhanging flowering branches. Off in the distance, soothing flute music could be heard. Daphnea looked at Paris questioningly. "Some of the court musicians will come out here to practice. Here we are." They rounded a corner and Daphnea's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
Marble-carved statues of horses and divine beings stood proudly amid a massive sparkling lake. In the very center of the water was the Sun God, looking very menacing driving his chariot. The crashing of the waterfall upon the rocks mixed with wild birdcalls produced an exquisite cacophony of sound. Terraced green hedges and golden vases surrounded a small temple adjacent to the lake. Fragrant flowers of every color bloomed under the willow tree, which swayed in time with the light breeze.
"Welcome to the 'Baths of Apollo', Nea," whispered Paris, hugging her from behind.
"I love it!" she cried ecstatically. "Can we go swimming?"
He winced, "it's a bit early for that. Besides, it's cloudy. However," his eyes flickered toward the temple, "with your influence..."
"You want me to pray for sunlight?" He nodded enthusiastically.
"Hey, it couldn't hurt right?"
"Fine," she sighed. Daphnea walked over to the temple and knelt before the minute figure of Apollo.
"Oh mighty Sun Lord," she prayed, "Let your light be shone upon this garden. Your presence is requested here; all my life have I honored you... In everlasting glory, I magnify your sacred name. Amen." Slowly, she rose to her feet.
"It's still cloudy," pointed out the Prince. She looked at him expectantly.
"I'm not finished; there is another thing that I could try." Slowly, she began to move in time to the ancient flute melody. With a flurry of jumps, kicks, and leaps, the young priestess danced ever faster; her graceful arms seemed to beckon Paris to join her, and her raven hair fanned freely as she spun. After the dance was complete, she bowed at the Apollo figurine and collapsed on the ground, breathing hard.
"Whew! That was a part of our (pant) sun dance. Sorry, I've been (pant) out of practice. Paris shook his head.
"No, don't apologize. You were fantastic," he told her, meaningfully. "And look!" He pointed to the sky, where the sun was beginning to peek from behind its place behind the clouds. She chuckled, "It must be a coincidence."
"You know, I always thought that the Gods left mortals alone and didn't intervene with our personal business," he confided.
"Don't worry, I still believe that – and I'm a priestess!" Apparently, Paris thought that the newfound sun was enough to go swimming, because without warning, he peeled off his tunic and stripped down to his undergarments. Focus Nea, focus, she thought sternly. Do not stare directly at his chest! We were talking about the Gods, right...
They waded out into the lake, discussing their religion and certain beliefs that they held. After awhile, Paris initiated a splashing match that led to Daphnea being completely submerged under the waterfall. She came up for air, coughing and flailing her arms. Thankfully the Prince pulled her out of the waterfall's unforgiving grasp and carried her to the safety of the lake's edge. She stayed nestled in his arms much longer than necessary, for he seemed content to hold her.
I love being this close to Paris, she thought dreamily. Wait, aren't you just friends with him, spoke up her inner voice of reason. Absolutely, she answered herself. Completely just friends. But you know you still want him, piped up her subconscious. I do not! She angrily argued back. And I'll prove it. She wriggled away from her friend.
"Paris, I'm getting sleepy –maybe we could rest for a bit?"
"A nap sounds good," he agreed, and immediately settled sown in the long grass near the temple. She nestled down in the cushiony flowerbed, under the watchfulness of the giant willow.
The next thing she knew, Paris was shaking her awake. "Nea, you've got to see this!" She yawned, and then noticed the beautiful array of reds, oranges, and pinks scattered across the heavens. "Apollo has blessed us with the most vibrant sunset I've seen in years – it could be a sign." Paris was looking at her, only half joking.
She asked curiously, "A sign meaning what?" He smirked at her.
"You're the priestess, that's for you to discern." She quickly changed the subject.
"Shouldn't we be heading back by now? We don't want to miss the evening meal." Paris started, "We could go back, unless you want to stay here and eat with me." He held out a bulging bag. "The servants packed us something. If you want, I can show you another of my favorite secret spots." Daphnea peered into the bag; inside was plenty of freshly baked bread, a wheel of cheese, tiny tomatoes, and plump red grapes. She pretended to consider leaving.
"Hmm, I think I might want to eat with your family." Paris looked slightly hurt and his brown eyes became wide and pleading. "Well, if that's what you want..."
"I'm totally kidding, silly!" She started laughing and although Paris shot a look of annoyance her way, Nea saw him visibly relax. "Did you really think I'd rather go back?" she asked as they began walking. Paris considered this for a moment.
"Well, not many girls would actually choose to shorten their time alone with me in the secluded garden. She shook her head. "Such arrogance, Prince."
"You know you like it." Daphnea groaned.
"Are we there yet?" She mock-whined.
"Almost." Eventually, the pair reached their destination.
"I can't decide which fountain I like best." She and Paris had entered through one of the ten marble arches that encircled a life-size representation of the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite. Water trickled from the fair Lady's vase into the waiting pond.
"Well, while you're deciding," Paris handed her the bag and they sat next to each other on one of the benches. They began to eat their meal, enjoying each other's company and their tranquil surroundings. As the priestess and the Prince finished, crickets had begun their nightly serenade, the sun was saying its daily farewell, and the air turned cooler. The stars and their entire twinkling splendor made themselves known to the pair. Daphnea shivered, and Paris carefully covered her in his warm cape.
"Thank you for spending the day with me," she said. Paris smiled and hugged her.
"Anytime, Nea." The prince then turned to her and fingered the dangling amethyst seashell around her neck. "Thank you for our continued friendship," he whispered, and kissed her softly on the cheek. She dared not move or breathe, for she might break the spell that hung over them. "I must retire." He left a very confused priestess sitting in the garden, alone with her conflicting feelings.
End Ch. 6
My computer is an idiot, it keeps trying to change Daphnea to Daphnia, which are microscopic insects. Something tells me that our Prince Paris wouldn't be romantically interested in tiny bugs. This chappie is completely littered with symbolism, personification, etc. I hope I didn't go overboard with that stuff! Feel free and tell me which metaphors, similes, etc that you picked up on or liked/disliked. I just realized that Harry Potter's Whomping Willow is the ultimate embodiment of personification. How random! I blame my craziness on the 1st/2nd grade little kids at camp, who I was with practically 24/7! But it was really fun – sorry I couldn't post last week! I seriously had no time to write. I wish I could write faster, but the ideas take awhile to develop properly. I'm going for quality, not quantity.
New Challenge: Potassium Hydroxide stands for the acronym of what upcoming Orlando movie? (If you get this you are my hero.)
On an extremely happy note, Orlando Bloom is in my city! Right now!!! Haha, take that everyone who has made fun of Kentucky in the past! Go Louisville! (He's filming a movie, Elizabethtown, with Kirsten Dunst).