Chapter Four: The Trap Swung:
A single soldier rode across the countryside f Troy. He was nearing some cliffs that overlooked one of their many shores. He turned in the direction of it to check on it. He reached the edge and found himself looking down on a shoreline cluttered with hundreds ships. Greek ships. He turned his horse to go back to Troy, but he did not see the attack coming. He did not see the arrow before it struck him dead. He fell off his steed, which ran off, without him.
"I don't like it." Andromache said, looking down at the Trojan Horse from their room, "Why did you bring it here, Hector?" She looked at him very frightfully.
"I had to." Hector said, reassuringly, "It's the only way to end this tonight."
She clutched her child even closer. She didn't feel safe. Not with that 'thing' in the courtyard. She felt his hands wrap around her waist. He hogged her from behind. "I will never allow anything to happen to him." Hector said, looking down at their son, "I kill them all myself before I allow that."
"I know." She said, "I never doubted you would protect our son. Not once."
"Good." Hector said, letting his grip weaken, until he let go, "I must get going." With that, he turned Andromache's head to face his as he kissed his wife goodbye. He bent down and kissed his son of the forehead. "You be good." He said, allowing the infant to grip his finger. "You're going to grow up to be a good man." Hector said to him, and turned to leave their room.
"Do be careful." Andromache called after him.
Hector stopped and turned to her. "I will." He said.
It was the dead quite of night before they dared to open the horse's sides. They tossed out the ropes and slid down them. They were the Greeks, led by Odysseus. They ran to the main entrance.
"This way." Odysseus hissed, "You, take this torch, go to the top of the tower and prepare the signal." He told another soldiers.
The Greeks rounded the corner to see find the front gate. The Trojan soldiers lay sleeping drunkenly from the festivities.
Odysseus gestured that his men take their positions over the sleeping soldiers and then, on his signal, stab them to death.
They crept along, being careful not to wake the sleeping men. Once two were over each guard, Odysseus gestured for them to get ready.
"I wouldn't do that if I were one in your position." A voice said aloud from the darkness.
The Greek spun around and saw, to their utter surprise, an entire brigade of Trojan soldiers emerging from the darkness. Their armor, clothes, and skin were covered in black soot.
"I suppose that you were not expecting sober men." Said the one walking ahead of the others.
"Hector." Odysseus exclaimed, finding no other words.
"Yes." The man said, "I am he."
Odysseus' men readied their weapons. The only response to that that Hector gave was pointing upwards. Odysseus and his men beheld a gross of black figures standing on the rooftops above them.
"Archers?" Odysseus said, questioningly. Hector nodded.
"Throw down your weapons, men." Odysseus commanded. They complied.
"Take them prisoner." Hector ordered, "But make sure they are well-treated, especially Odysseus."
Odysseus looked at Hector in surprise at this comment, but said nothing as they led them away.
After they were out of sight, Hector turned to and soldier, grinning, and said: "Like Odysseus said, light the signal."
"I do hope we are not wasting our time here." Agamemnon said as the Greeks waited outside the city for Odysseus' signal to attack.
"Look, there it is!" One of the men shouted as a small torch waved back and forth.
"That's it!" Agamemnon breathed, "Forward, men!"
They charged forward and closed in on the city. As they drew nearer, they came to notice that something was wrong. The gate was not opening.
"What's taking them to so lo..." Agamemnon started, but was interrupted by a whooshing sound, then a sharp pain in his shoulder that had enough force to knock him off his chariot. He landed hard and strained his ankle. He came to his senses and looked at his shoulder. There was a black arrow in it. He heard cries in pain. He looked around to see perishing men as they fell left and right, clutching arrow wounds. Several were felled in the first hail of arrows, and more died in the second.
Agamemnon began to crawl away from the city. He heard a sound and turned to se what it was. The gates were opening up.
Gasping in fear, Agamemnon got up and began limping away. "Fall back!" he shouted, but it was too late.
The sounds of hooves and blades cutting flesh at high speed ripped through the air, announcing the presence of horses bearing armored men.
Some Greeks stayed and fought. Other ran for the hills to never return. Agamemnon could do neither.
"Wait!" He begged his men as they ran in fear, but none stopped to help him. He began to panic. A man on a horse rode up to him.
"Hector." Agamemnon rasped.
"Agamemnon." The man nodded.
The following day, both Agamemnon and Odysseus were brought before King Priam.
"Agamemnon. You are changed for war crimes against the city and people of Troy." Priam said, "Odysseus. You stand trial for war crimes against the city of Troy and its people. What have each of you to say?"
"Nothing on my part, my lord." Odysseus said.
"Speak anyway." King Priam said, "Why did you come with Agamemnon to make war with us."
"Agamemnon is a powerful foe, and my country cannot afford to have him be our enemy." Odysseus answered simply, for once, he had no clever comments.
"I see. So you would make Troy your enemy, instead, to protect your people, Odysseus?" Priam asked.
"Yes." Odysseus answered.
"Hmm." Priam said, "And as for Agamemnon. I do not need to ask why you came here. Your thirst for power is known the civilized world over."
"Oh, please, spare us this mockery of justice!" Agamemnon yelled, "I know all too well what you intend to do to us!"
"Oh, really?" Priam said. "Enlighten us with your great wisdom just what I plan to do, then." He added, firmly.
"You would execute us after you have allowed your men to have their way with us!" Agamemnon said, "After much torturing and other such unjust punishments."
"No punishment any man on this earth can measure up to be 'just' when dealing with the likes of you." Priam said, "I am not a vengeful man by nature, which is why I will give you the mercy of a simply execution."
Agamemnon's features hardened with fury.
"Oh, and Agamemnon." Priam said, "Do not ever say that I would do such things as you said, I am not one to tolerate hypocrites."
"I'll show you hypocrites!" Agamemnon bellowed, "We will meet again in the afterlife, Priam! I'll be waiting!"
"And someday, I will be there, too." Hector said, "Remember that."
Agamemnon said no more, just snarled.
"And as for you, Odysseus." Priam said, turning to the other man, "I will set you free on one condition."
"You name your price, my lord." Odysseus said.
"You must never again raise a sword to threaten Troy, and you must never again set foot on our soil." Priam declared, "You must swear this right now."
"Odysseus! If you dare...!" Agamemnon threatened.
Odysseus looked from Agamemnon to Priam, "I swear it." He said to Priam, "I swear that I will leave, never come here again, and that I will never again oppose as a threat to Troy."
Priam smiled. "You, Odysseus, are among the greater kings of Greece. May the gods bless you on you journey home."
"You'll never get past my men without me there, Odysseus." Agamemnon threatened.
"And who's to question me? I'm a king." Odysseus asked as he was unshackled.
Agamemnon, on the other hand, was dragged away kicking and yelling threats and obscenities.
The following afternoon, Odysseus and his men were released. They were then, escorted by the Trojan army back to the Greek campsite.
There, Odysseus ordered the men to set sail and return home.
The ships set sail. As they sailed away from the shoreline, Odysseus looked back at the beach and saw Hector on his horse. He nodded at the Prince, who acknowledged with his own nod.
"To think." Said Paris, "All this just because Menelaus wanted to get under Helen's skirt again."
Priam didn't say anything, he just looked at Paris with an eyebrow cocked, and then looked away, back at the ships that were shrinking into the horizon.
"Come on. Let us go home." Hector said, riding up to meet his father and brother.
"Yes." Priam said, "We have some small matters to deal with yet. We will go."
"Well, short matters, anyway." Paris cracked, thinking of what Agamemnon lacked in height.
Agamemnon was beheaded and his body burned that very evening. All that was left were ashes that blew away in the wind.
"I hope you will forgive me, Hector." Paris said, as they watched from a palace balcony as the last of the flames of the pyre died out. The evening wind blew in their faces.
"I already have." Hector said.
Paris looked at his brother. "I don't understand how. After all, it was I who caused all this death and anguish."
"You are, by far, not the sole reason this all happened." Hector said, "Agamemnon would have come after this land, eventually, it was just a matter of time. You and Helen were just what he needed to finally do it."
"So, it is my fault still." Paris said.
"Yes, you are a part of the fault, but that's not my point." Hector said.
"What is your point?" Paris asked.
My point is," Hector replied, "YOU are at fault for committing adultery with another man's woman, but this time, you really loved her. Helen was neglected and was basically a nothing in Menelaus' household until we arrived in her life. She is at no fault, other than the need to be loved. Menelaus was at fault for taking her, his wife, for granted. Then he lost her to you. Agamemnon is the most at fault for his thirst for power and it didn't help that he was Menelaus' brother. It was all just the nasty turn of events that added up to this inevitable war. And he still would have brought Menelaus, Odysseus, Ajax, AND Achilles with him."
"Just as he did." Paris murmured.
'Yes." Hector replied, "Just as he did."
"What now, thought?" Paris asked.
"You live on and learn from your mistakes." Hector said, "You look back and remember this."
"'Look to your actions in the present and what you will do in the future.'" Paris said, quoting Hector from his earlier comments in the stable.
"Exactly." Hector said, smiling. "Do not fear and dwell on the past, but do not forget it. That's a problem some people have. They decide to move on, but go about it the wrong way and forget about their past. Then, years, or possibly even, generations later, the same thing will be repeated, because a handful of people decided to forget the past."
"Do you think people in future generations learn from this?" Paris asked.
"One can only hope." Hector said, thoughtfully, "One can only hope."
The End
Author's note: I didn't write in those last comments to be preachy. I just wanted a Paris/Hector moment.
