Hey! I don't understand why you all aren't reviewing the last chapter...
But anyway, I'm to update...
Thank you so much! Trojans and Jack Sparrow savvy!
This chapter is written especially for you....
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Chapter 20
Briseis and Patroclus left the tunnel at last. Briseis was sure that it was a great relief for Patroclus, who was now having lots of bruises on his forehead.
They reached the camp of the Myrmidons at last, and the sun was nearly set. Achilles was nowhere to be seen. After Patroclus left for his own tent to pack his things, Briseis walked alone in the camp, which was once a beautiful beach, to find Achilles.
Briseis removed her sandals. It was the last day she could feel the sand after all, and she was trying memorizing the feeling of her feet stepping on the soft and smooth sand of the beach of Troy. The sand was still warm from the afternoon sun. She sniffed in the air, and found herself thinking of her old days with her cousins again. The slightly salty scent of the sea water, being brought to her nostrils by the gentle sea breeze. The scent might be very different in Phthia. It might be good, but it must be different...
A hand landed on her right shoulder, causing Briseis to jump. The hand was gentle, warm, yet massive. Briseis realized without a doubt, that it was Achilles' hand.
'What takes you so long? You should know that Gods are impatient, so as demigods; they hate to be kept waiting.' Achilles asked, turning Briseis to face him. He lifted Briseis' face up, and kissed her softly.
'The passageway that leads to the palace took us hours to reach our destiny,' Briseis said, a bit breathless after the kiss.
Achilles smiled at his lover. It seemed like Briseis was a bit different. 'Did you bring the girl back?'
Briseis frowned, but smiled at the same time. 'No... I don't think uncle Chryses would be delighted to know that his daughter was gone together with her niece.'
Eudorus approached them. 'It's time to go, my lord.' He looked from the black sail of the Myrmidon's ship over to the horizon. 'The sun was completely set, and the west wind is blowing.' Eudorus added.
Achilles nodded, and took Briseis' hand in his own. Their fingers entwined, and the two embarked the ship.
The ship left silently in the midnight, and no Greeks noticed.
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Meanwhile, Hector was in his bedroom, Andromache sitting on the bed, getting ready to sleep, and Astyanax in his cradle, sleeping soundlessly.
'Hector, what is it? Something is troubling you since Briseis' visit.' Andromache asked, a bit worried by her husband. Hector had been looking out of the window since Briseis had come to bid them farewell. She knew Hector was not pleased with the departure of Briseis; and she knew better than anyone that Hector was quite furious about Briseis giving herself to the Trojan murderer, although he was not showing any opposition towards the matter. After Chryses told them that Briseis was in love, Andromache had tried to explain to Hector a few times that one could never control love. But Hector had been too stubborn to listen.
Andromache had thought Hector would realize it soon, and forgot about it, but Hector was still a bit mad. It was not like Andromache herself supported Briseis completely, but as she had said, love could not be forced, so as indifference. Briseis was dear to her, and she did not want her lovely cousin-in-law to leave too. Briseis had always helped her and talked to her when she was bored or left alone.
Andromache would have thought for a long time, if Hector had not disturbed her with his reply, 'I don't know. Briseis has so many choices, and I still can't believe that she decided to leave us for that Greek warrior-'
'Achilles,' Andromache corrected the man.
'Yes, I can't believe it.' Hector paused for a moment, letting his wife to know (again) that he was still against the idea of Briseis leaving Troy. 'But just now, when Briseis visited us, I see that she has changed. There was a glint in her eyes that told me she is happy with the man.' Hector frowned again at the thought of his warm, loving, caring, breathtakingly beautiful, gentle, cousin falling in love with a cold-blooded man that killed without a blink. 'Behind that glint of happiness, I realized some other thing. Trust. The warrior let Briseis come to visit us before they leave. He trusted Briseis. He trusted her of not escaping back to us.' Hector said thoughtfully, not knowing that Patroclus had come with Briseis too, only he was with Chryseis.
Hector sighed deeply, 'Maybe he loved our cousin back too. Maybe he wasn't a cruel, pitiless, callous, merciless, unsympathetic, hardhearted man after all.' Andromache frowned a bit. Maybe her husband had said too much to describe Briseis' lover... Briseis would not love someone without a heart, and she knew it. Her husband had been wrong about that Achilles.
Andromache had thought of pointing out to Hector that when he was on the battlefield, he also killed his foes mercilessly, but she pushed that certain thought aside.
Hector said, 'I feel so confused. Should I feel happy for our cousin, finding his man, or frowning over her being in love with an unfeeling man? Or should I mourn for her leaving?'
Andromache shook her head and smiled. Men were so simple-minded, so was her husband. They all became do dumb and useless when it came to things like relationships. They only understood war and battles...
'You don't need to be confused. Just hope for the girl the best.' Andromache said, and blew out the candle. She laid down on the bed to sleep, but Hector did not join her. He was still looking out of the window. 'Hope for her the best...' she heard Hector muttered.
'I've been looking out of the window since Briseis had left the palace.' Hector said, drawing his wife's attention, and Andromache opened her eyes. 'The beach we used to play in is a lot different from the happy old days.'
Andromache closed her eyes. Hector started to think of his old days again, and it made her remember of her own too. She was born in Lyrnessus, a city near to the woods behind Troy. In the palace, she had no companion, her sisters and brothers were older than her, and some were already married. She looked back into her childhood. It would have been a very tedious and uninteresting one, had it not been Oenone to talk to. She had discovered that wood nymph one day when she was adventuring the woods, trying to find some amusement.
Oenone had always been kind to her, although Andromache detected there was something making her friend sad. After she was married to Hector, she found out that Hector and Briseis was also friends of Oenone. Her marriage was very important to her. It was what turned her dull and dreary life into a colorful and interesting one.
Hector was already a sophisticated young man when they first met. A few times he had come to Lyrnessus to discuss matters with her father about allying. She had not seen the young man, but only heard of his arrival. Her father did not allow her to meet his guests, as he was afraid his youngest daughter would ruin his conferences with other kings and princes.
This day, her father did not allow her to go to visit Oenone when Hector came, as it was raining hardly, and it was dangerous to go out. So, displeased as she could be, Andromache roamed around the castle aimlessly, not knowing where to go, and what to do. She was bored without Oenone, and she wanted companion. It was when she was near to the guestrooms one of the doors opened. Out came the mannish and handsome Hector, and Andromache found herself staring at the prince of Troy, not knowing how to react.
Of course, Hector felt someone looking at him. So he looked back, and found an attractive girl, very likely to be one of the king's daughters, staring at him like he was one of those hundred-handed Cyclopes.
By the time he approached the girl, he was sure that the girl was one of the king's daughters, judging by her dress. Suddenly he realized that he had seen her peeping from behind one of the doors in the assembly hall when the king and he were talking.
Andromache was asked her name by the prince gently, as though she would run away like a prey escaping from its hunter if he spoke a bit louder..
'You are not happy, are you?' Andromache remembered the first words from the prince after he asked her name. Andromache was surprised. She did not expect Hector to know her emotions. Yet he knew what she had been thinking, and added, 'You are surprised by my question, are you not?'
Hector had hurried to the assembly hall to find her father after their first encounter. And Andromache just stood there, blushing.
The next time when they met again, it was in the palace's gardens, and Hector had kissed her. Andromache would never forget how she had tossed and turned on her bed that night, thinking of that certain prince, and felt the sweet poison of love spread in her veins, confused, just hoping to hear him call her name again...
'Andromache?' Hector said.
'Hmm?' Andromache asked dreamily, still drowned in her own thoughts.
'They are leaving.' Hector said, and Andromache found out that it was not Hector in the old days talking. He was indeed, talking to her now.
Andromache hurried towards the window, and looked. 'Is it that ship?' She pointed towards the Myrmidon's ship.
'I think so.' Hector said putting an arm around his wife, and kissed her temple softly. 'The black sail before Troy.'
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I think maybe you'll like some Hector/Andromache...
The story will focus back on Briseis and Achilles the next chapter.
Review! Thanks!
