Hi guys. Sorry for the late update. The Microsoft word in my computer had gone mad...
Well, now I'm at school, I hope I can manage to fix my computer soon.
Chapter 30
Achilles went back to his room.
He felt puzzled and so troubled. Well, he did felt a bit better after the kiss, but it made him wanted Briseis to remember their past even more. But there was something worse: Briseis knew that he had kissed her.
After he had closed the door, he had stood there for a moment, still savoring the sweetness of the girl's lips. He had started to turn to walk back to his room, when suddenly he heard movements in Briseis' room: she was shifting on her bed. After that, he could swear that he had heard an unmistakable groan. The groan was from Briseis. He could recognize her voice easily. No one could ever pretend her lovely voice. This was the thing troubling him. How were Briseis' feelings about it? Why did she groan? Was she thinking that he was taking advantage of her?
Oh no. Please, don't. Achilles thought pleadingly to himself.
This was the thing that made him felt puzzled: If Briseis had been awaken all the time, why did she not push him away like she had did so just after he had found her? Why must Briseis pretend that she is unconscious?
Achilles sat on his bed slowly, obsessed in his own thoughts. He did not even notice when someone knocked the door. He would be killed easily if the person was his enemy. Fortunately, it was Eudorus. He entered his lord's room without his permission, as he knew that his lord was in there, so obsessed in his thinking. He saw Achilles entered the room, so there would be no mistake.
'My lord,' Eudorus said, and Achilles looked up from his hands. He had been staring at them for some time already. 'Prince Acoetes wants to see you.'
Acoetes. Achilles realized. That insufferable Acoetes.
'Where is he?' Achilles asked edgily.
'In the courtyard.' Eudorus informed. Again. Achilles added.
When Achilles arrived, Acoetes was there, waiting for him impatiently.
'You want to fight again?' Achilles asked.
'I won't fight with you. Briseis won't want me to do it.' Acoetes said.
'Then why do you want to see me?' Achilles inquired.
'I want to talk,' Acoetes said plainly, and Achilles snorted. Acoetes glared at him, but Achilles paid no heed to him. 'Go on, talk then.'
'I want to ask you something.'
'Then ask!' Achilles found himself starting to loose his temper. This man was wasting his time.
'What do you mean by Briseis used to be your property?'
Achilles thought for a moment, and he remembered. He had said that a few weeks before, in the same place. A fight had nearly started between them because of this 'she used to be.'
Should I tell him? Achilles asked himself. Maybe he will give up Briseis if he knows.
'We were lovers.' He told Acoetes, and Acoetes' eyes widened. Achilles ignored the prince's reactions, and continued, 'We met in the Trojan War. She used to be a war-prize given to me by my Myrmidons.'
Acoetes shook his head in disbelieve. 'No. She is the princess of Troy, and the war is not over yet. How could she be captured?'
'She was the priestess of Apollo.'
'What do you mean by "was"?'
'She's my woman.' Achilles said simply.
'No. She would never-'
'She had given it up to me willingly, after I had saved her from the filthy hands of Agamemnon's men.' Achilles cut him off.
'But she did not even recognize you when you were in Chios!'
'It's obvious that she had lost her memories.'
Acoetes exhaled and looked up. It was hard to believe that the girl he had been chasing after for so long belonged to another man.
'Have you ever noticed the necklace she is wearing all the time?' Achilles asked calmly, and Acoetes closed his eyes and nodded.
'It was a gift from me.'
'Should I leave Phthia now?' Acoetes asked quietly.
'Briseis will be unhappy if she find out you have left without saying goodbye.' Achilles said sympathetically, suddenly feeling pitiful towards his rival.
'Why don't you tell me before?'
Achilles shrugged. He did not know how to answer the question. Without a word, he turned to walk away. Maybe it would be good to leave Acoetes alone to think for a moment.
That night was a very difficult night for everyone. Briseis lay very still on the bed, thinking of the vision which Achilles had gave her the necklace, and also troubled by the kiss Achilles had just given her that day; Achilles was puzzled by Briseis' not reacting to his kiss that day, and why was Briseis groaning after he had left her room; Acoetes felt a bit crestfallen. He also felt stupid. He still liked Briseis a lot, although he knew he should forget her, and leave her behind; as for Patroclus, he was thinking of his dearest Chryseis again.
At last, the sun rose and everyone woke up.
Briseis sat on her bed, combing her hair again. Achilles missed her hair combing, as he was busy preparing the departure of Acoetes. He wanted to do his best to compensate Acoetes of being so generous not to compete with him for Briseis.
When everything was ready, they went into Briseis' room. Briseis was sitting near the windowsill, caressing the seashell necklace. Her mind was so full at the moment. Everything around her was so confusing. She did not even know why she was staying in Achilles' place instead of going back to Troy. It was a very mad world.
'Briseis,' Acoetes said, and Briseis put down the seashell necklace that she had been studying. Achilles glanced at the necklace lying on the table, and left the room quietly.
'Acoetes?' Briseis said, Acoetes seldom entered her room.
He smiled at her, 'I'm leaving now.'
Briseis frowned, 'Now?' Acoetes nodded.
'Why didn't you tell me before?'
'I've just decided to leave last night. I'm afraid that you're already asleep.'
'You'll visit me, won't you?' Briseis said with a sniff.
'Of course.' Acoetes smiled bitterly. 'I will always love you as a sister.'
'You are always a brother to me...' Briseis said.
'I've to go.' Acoetes turned to walk away, leaving Briseis in her room.
Out of the room, Acoetes patted Achilles' shoulders, 'Good luck.'
'You also,' came the reply of Achilles.
With their last words, Acoetes sailed away. Briseis was looking out of the window in her bedroom. She could see clearly, towards the horizon, sailed a ship she was familiar with. She suddenly feel so tired, so tired. She was awaked for the whole night when she was in bed last night. She had tried so hard to remember more of her lost memories, trying to search for more memories she had with Achilles together. But she could remember nothing, except for the scene that Achilles had given her the necklace.
Briseis started to be afraid. Was the relationship they had before more than a kiss or a necklace? And how about the kiss he had given her yesterday? Did he still love her like he had before? Was he just playing with her? She had heard of his reputation before... She really wanted to find out how Achilles felt about her, also the relationship between them before. But what if Achilles told her that their relationship was more than kissing? She could not accept it. How could she have broken the vow she made? And she knew she could never bring herself to believe it...
Her eyes followed the ship of Eretria, until it reached the horizon and disappeared. She looked at the seashell necklace, it was gleaming under the sunlight, and just like it had in the moonlight like she had remembered. She reached for it, and held it to her chest. Suddenly, she remembered their conversation just before Achilles had helped her to put the necklace...
'It's beautiful,' Briseis gasped at the necklace in front of her.
'It's for you,' Achilles said with love in his blue eyes, 'I promise you now, to love you forever. This necklace symbolizes my oath.' He was smiling at her sweetly. The smile was so sweet that it made her insides melt. At that exact moment, she felt so lucky. She was so lucky to have a man like him to love her so much, to protect her.
'Here, let me put it on for you.' Achilles said.
Briseis gasped out, and covered her mouth with her hands. They had been lovers...
Briseis looked out of the window, and searched with her eyes desperately. She did not know what she was looking for, she just want to breathe. She had broken her vow to Apollo long before she knew. But why would she have forgotten about the relationship between them? She scanned the view briefly, and she spotted something that made her heart stopped beating.
The cliff!
Suddenly, the view of herself, falling down into the ocean from the cliff appeared in front of her eyes. Briseis screamed piercingly, and sat back on her chair. She suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. She felt like suffocating. Why was she falling down from the cliff? Was someone murdering her? Briseis shut her eyes, and put her hands over her ears, shutting out the world around her. Tears of fear and frustration streamed out of her eyes and fell rapidly onto her white dress, soaking them with tears.
'Briseis! Briseis!' Achilles was knocking the door, but Briseis was crying so hard that she could hear nothing. She felt so cold, just like she had felt when she was in the seawater before she fainted, and saved by Acoetes...
Achilles barged into the room and saw Briseis, curled up in a ball near the window, shaking vigorously, sobbing nonstop. He froze. Why was she crying? Not wanting Acoetes to go? He walked towards her, and wrapped her in his arms. Briseis looked up at him with her innocent brown eyes, which were now red with the crying. Her face was tear strained, and it hurt Achilles to look at his lover this way. He kissed her forehead gently, and encased her in his tight embrace, wanting to comfort the poor girl. To his surprised, Briseis hugged him back.
'Don't cry...' Achilles said, caressing Briseis' silky waves.
I think I should end my story in two chapters...
What's your response about that?
