Disclaimer: I only own Alana.
A/N: I want to say thanks for all the reviews, and say that yes, I plan to finish this fic. If I'm late is because I have final exams at university, and because this week some bad things happened here and they kept me busy. This story will be finished because I already have everything planned : ) Oh, about the name of "Alana".. someone said it's a known name from "Tamora Pierce".. well, I've never heard of Tamora Pierce before.. so it wasn't my intention to make the same name.. I created the name joining my two favourite names, "Alicia" and "Ana" : ) So Al- ana : )
Chapter eleven
It was late at night when Hector left the cabin and went upstairs. It was a starry night again, like almost every night. The ship was moving softly and the sea was calmed. He saw Paris standing in the prow, with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Leave me alone" Said Paris, feeling that someone was coming. Hector sighed.
"I won't do that.. you're acting childish.. " Paris looked at him, frowning.
"You can't understand anything, Hector.. Helen was all my life. I don't want to go on living like this" He shook his head, and they kept silence for a while.
"I can't believe you're saying those stupid things, Paris.. look at me" Demanded Hector, angrily. Paris obeyed. "Have you ever been in a battle?" Paris shook his head. "Have you ever fought? Have you ever risked your life for someone?" Paris blushed, and Hector lowered the tone of his voice. "What do you know about life, Paris? Absolutely nothing.. so leave those foolish games for children.. you're a prince, a prince who almost condemned his family's like and all the lives of his people.. just because of a woman you met two days ago!!" They both stared at each other, Paris was shaking.
"I don't want to hurt anybody" Stuttered Paris. His dark eyes were full of tears. "But I can't live without her"
"You're impossible.. I can't believe you're' my brother.. a warrior, a prince.. you look like a kid who will never grow up and who will never care about anybody else than himself" Hector turned around and left, while Paris sat on the wooden ground, covering his face with his hands.
Hector entered the cabin in silence, and heard Alana's slow breathing. He sat on his bed, watching at her. He wondered how would things be when they arrived in Troy.. and how would Priam react after explaining him that Alana had shared their secret. He wished that things had never been like that.
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I couldn't sleep well that night.. the heat was terrible, and I was too worried to relax. I knew that Priam wouldn't take what I had done in a good way.. I knew that I would have to explain lots of things but, at the same time, I couldn't wait for his respective revelations about my arrival in Troy. But most of all, I wished that Helen wouldn't get a revenge on me.. maybe I thought I had stopped a war, but Destiny had it planned and it would take place even if we didn't want. We couldn't fight Destiny.
Hector came and spent some time staring at me from his bed, in the darkens. I waited some prudent minutes before talking to him. It wouldn't be polite for my part if I let him know that I wasn't sleeping. So I kept my eyes closed and then, moving under the sheets, I woke up for real and looked at him.
"You can't sleep?" I asked, and he just nodded. I saw the empty bed in front of me, guessing that Paris had opted for sleeping in the upper part of the ship. "What are you doing there, sat in the darkness?" I asked, and he smiled.
"Just thinking.. don't worry and go on sleeping" He replied, leaning against the wall.
"How do you want me to sleep if you're staring at me?" I said, sitting. "What's wrong? You miss Andromache?" I asked, shyly. I saw his head moving towards me, although the darkness didn't let me see his face.
"Andromache? Why did you mention her now?" He asked, surprised.
"I suppose you miss her.. I mean, she's your wife.. you love her.." Silence came, and then he sighed.
"Yes, I love her.. but those missions keep me so busy that I don't' have time to miss her" He replied, honestly.
"I don't believe you.. I've come from the future and I miss my friends and relatives so much.." I felt bad because of this. I knew that probably I would never return. And Hector read my mind.
"Because you can't know if you'll come back.." Hearing it from him was harder than hearing it inside my mind. I felt my eyes full of tears but I promised myself I wouldn't cry. Hector spoke again. "I'm sorry, I made you feel sad.. it wasn't my intention" I noticed he was moving on his bed, and hoped he wouldn't come by my side. But he didn't.
"No, don't worry, I'm fine. But everything is so.. strange.. I've only been here some days and I'm already adapted.. "
"What do you mean?" He asked with curiosity.
"I don't know.. I suppose I feel I still have to do something here.. that this is not the end of the mission.. but I'm talking about nonsense. "I tried to smile, but I couldn't.
"I understand what do you mean.. things are uncertain right now.. but I promise you we'll find the meaning of everything"
"Thank you" I replied, feeling a kind of tension between us, but.. why? In that moment, he made me feel uncomfortable.. as if I was doing something wrong. So I said the first thing that came to my head. "How did you meet Andromache?" He was surprised with this question, because he took a time to reply.
"My father sent me on a mission to a western place in our region.. I met her, and we fell in love. She came with me, leaving her home. "I couldn't be more surprised.
"But.. Hector, this is the same story as.."
"No" He interrupted. "The difference is that when Andromache came to Troy, it was because we had made an agreement between his father and I.. we had agreed about her leaving.. Paris was about to kidnap Helen"
"Kidnap? She wanted to come.." I replied, but Hector became angry.
"Now you're defending him? After what happened?" He stood up, and walked towards me.
"I'm not defending him, I'm just saying that a kidnapping happens when you take someone against his or her will.." he didn't reply, standing in front of me.
"I'm afraid of my father's reaction tomorrow" He confessed, and sat on the edge of my bed. "He can't imagine what happened.."
"I'll tell him everything, and then he will understand.. it was all my fault and he won't blame on you. Nobody will. We can hide the incident about Paris and Helen, he already knew about it when he took me to Troy.. after all, things went well.. and telling him about it would only hurt his feelings.."
"Nobody will blame on you.. you made a honourable action" he said, his voice softer. I saw his eyes in the darkness, and I felt something in my stomach.
"I think we should sleep.. I'm a bit tired.." I said, and he reacted.
"Yes, yes.. of course.. we must sleep.. tomorrow will be a complicated day.." He stood up, leaving to his bed, and laid on the sheets, taking a deep breath. "Good night, Alana"
"Good night, Hector" I closed my eyes.. but couldn't rest.
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After along night we finally arrived in Troy, with the sunrise. A crowd was waiting for us on the beach, and we left the ship quickly. Since I had woken up I had avoided Paris, and he had also escaped from me. Situation was becoming more and more tense between us and it was killing me.
Walking in the sand, I saw Priam in the distance. The wall of Troy had been opened and up, at the end of the stairs, the king was standing with a smile. We walked towards there, Paris and Hector in front of me. Going upstairs, I felt my knees shaking. Paris hugged Priam, and then Hector.
"Alana.. you look well.. I'm sure you have many things to tell me.. "His blue eyes checked his two sons suspiciously. "Hector.. is there something you want to tell me?" But before Hector could reply, I spoke.
"They know it. They know everything" Priam gaped at me, with a shocked expression.
"I told you that you shouldn't speak.. what have you done?" I got so scared when I saw his face.. it seemed that I had made a bigger mistake than I had thought at first. But why was it so important, to keep silence about my origins? "I thought you were more intelligent, Alana" I blushed when he said this, because actually I didn't understand what he wanted to say. But then, when I started to think, I froze. I was changing the course of history with my acts, and besides my mission, I shouldn't give any kind of extra information. I thought about consequences.. people from that time would know that people from future had travelled there.. people would know that Priam had travelled as well.. and situation would be a chaos. I felt Hector's eyes on me, and to my surprise, Paris looked at me worried. When our gazes met, he moved his head , avoiding my sight.
"Now I understand" I said, shaking. "What have I done?" I started to cry when nobody comforted me.. people just stared at me, but nobody gave me his support. I felt so lonely and I ran inside the palace, looking for my former room . But before I could reach it, someone took my arm. When I saw Paris, I almost fainted. He had been running after me and I hadn't noticed it. We stared at each other and nobody spoke. His eyes were full of anger but, at the same time, I saw a sparkle of kindness.. but maybe it was just an illusion.
"What?" I asked, when I saw that he didn't' open his mouth. He left my arm, still looking at me. Then opened a door next to us, that led to a bit stance with a rectangular fountain in the middle, rounded by marble columns.
"Come in" He said, but I walked back, scared. What if he wanted to hurt me?
"I won't go anywhere with you, Paris" He sighed, impatiently, and then took my arm. I followed him, wishing that Hector had come too. But probably he was with Andromache. Once inside, he closed the door behind us.
"I'll just tell you this once, Alana" He spoke, walking around me. Then, stopping, he looked at me closely. "Whatever will happen from now on.. don't say a word to me. Never. In front of my father I'll have to pretend.. but the rest of the time, I don't want to see you. Do you understand?"
"You already told me this , you're always saying the same.. you're so selfish that you only care about yourself.. we saved the life of hundreds of people!" He stared at me in disbelief.
"How can you be so arrogant? You think you're very important, but you're just a stupid girl who can't do anything against destiny.. Helen is mine and we'll be together no matter what" His face was full of anger.
"You can be with her if you make things correctly!" I shouted, and he looked surprised.
"What?" He replied, and then I was sorry for my words, they didn't' know about divorce.
"I want to say that you can't be with a married woman.. you have to respect the marriage!" In that moment, I thought he was going to beat me, but he just shouted.
"What do you know about love, Alana? To love someone so much that it hurts? To be separated from the only person in this world who you care about?" He was frowning, hiding his nice eyes. I became nervous, wishing to leave the room, but I had to go on speaking.
"How could you risk all your nation for a person who you had met forty- eight hours before? It's impossible to love someone in such a short period of time!" I shouted, and he shook his head.
"It is possible.. and the proof is on me. " I didn't know what to reply, I took a deep breath.
"Obviously you hate me so much, and I understand you. Don't worry, I'll stay away from you forever. We'll pretend we never met, we'll pretend we never were close to be friends"
"Friends? You and me?" He shouted, and looked at me. But there was silence. When he spoke again, the tone in his voice had changed. "I still can't believe what you did, Alana.. " (Was he acting nicer now? )"You ran a big risk, alone, without support.. and all because you had such a strong belief and trust and loyalty to my father, a man you barely know.. think about it, Alana.. we're not so different" He opened the door and left. I kneeled beside the fountain, looking at the water, feeling so confused. Thing were only getting more and more complicated.