to NightbirdSongbird : The Troy section is placed under 'movies', so we all just follow the movie.
to baphomet : I think Astyanax really did die that way...as from what I've read...And it's Andromache who's captured, not Aretha...Phrased the sentence wrongly, I did.
to Trojans : Well Aretha is just a character I made up. I just chose a Greek name from the baby book of names...
Yay 123 reviews! Thanks a lot!!!
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Chapter 8
Andromache bit her lip as they threw her to the ground. She did not look up at the figure before her, but instead stared defiantly at the floor.
The figure bent down, lifting Andromache's chin.
--
Briseis opened her eyes again. She could not sleep. What was Andromache doing now? She lifted a hand to push her curly fringe away from her eye, but her hand hit Achilles' chin instead.
Achilles took Briseis' wrist in a swift moment, asking, "Are you still unable to sleep?" Briseis looked at Achilles, then nodded. "Because of your cousin-in-law?" he questioned. Briseis nodded again. "Get some sleep. It is no use worrying."
"What if Patroclus were captured, then?" Briseis argued, then regretted her rashness. Achilles seemed rather disturbed at the mention of Patroclus' name, and tightened his grip on Briseis' wrist. "I-I'm sorry. I meant not to relive the pain."
"It's alright, I understand." Achilles replied. "Do you then want to go check on your cousin-in-law?"
Briseis shook her head. "No." She seemed to feel that even if she went, there was nothing she could do. Which caused her more worry. All she could hope for now was that this Neoptolemus would at least treat Andromache well.
"Do you think Astyanax is still alive?" Briseis asked. There was an obvious answer, but Briseis asked the question anyway. Achilles said nothing but brought Briseis closer to him. Very slowly, Briseis fell asleep.
Briseis did not have a good sleep that night. Nightmares haunted her mind...
She was standing on the edge of a cliff, and the Sun shone so brightly that she was squinting her eyes to see. Right before, there appeared Apollo, mighty and strong, but furious at her. She knelt down, begging for forgiveness, but all of a sudden, she fell off the cliff. The scene suddenly changed. There were high walls. High walls that trapped her in. "Achilles is mine," she heard a woman say. Fire. Now there was fire. Paris stood above a hill, aiming for Achilles' heel. And then a baby cried...
Briseis' body jerked, and she awoke, breathing heavily and sweating. "Briseis?" Briseis jumped in shock, then Achilles said, "It's alright, it's just me. You kept saying my name in your dreams. Are you fine?"
Briseis slowly sat up, and nodded. It was just a dream, she comforted herself.
Wiping the sweat off her face, Briseis went into the bathroom and cleaned herself, then changed into a set of white robes. She lazily pinned her hair up into a bun with a few golden pins, and exited the bedroom. As she approached the dining hall, she quietly opened the door and entered. Aretha and King Leander were seated between Thetis and Achilles, Aretha being closer to Achilles. Briseis ignored this fact -- she trusted Achilles. A few other women were seated along the long table, some with children. Briseis sat down on the other side of Achilles, then noticed a young man whose eyes much resembled Achilles'. He must be Neoptomelus, Briseis thought. Beside the young man sat Andromache, who stared defiantly straight ahead, dressed in a green robe.
As the food was served, Briseis ate quietly. She found herself losing her appetite.
"I will talk to Neoptomelus, and tell you of my son. He has not harmed your cousin-in-law, do not worry." Achilles assured Briseis. Briseis smiled at him gratefully.
"I wish to visit the market, in the afternoon, if I am allowed to do so." Briseis said.
"I would ask of you to bring your handmaiden with you." Achilles replied.
"My handmaiden?"
"Yes. Ariadne. I apologize, but due to the events that have happened, I did not have a chance to introduce her to you." Achilles said.
Briseis said nothing, and Aretha decided to strike a conversation with Achilles. "I've heard of your strength and skills while you were at Troy, Achilles. You won Prince Hector, the commander of the finest army. That was a great victory!"
Briseis winced at the mention of this, and dropped her fork onto the plate. Everyone at the table looked at her, surprised. Briseis looked apologetically at everyone and lifted her fork from the plate again. My husband's a murderer, she thought.
There is something me and Achilles can accept, but not the girl, Aretha thought, secretly smiling to herself.
Achilles did not say anything but nodded in Aretha's direction. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Andromache, trying to prevent tears from gracing her face.
In the afternoon, Briseis went out into the market with Ariadne, while Achilles spoke with Neoptolemus.
While strolling in the gardens, after much silence, Neoptolemus finally asked, "What is it, father?"
"It has come to my attention that you have brought home Princess Andromache as your concubine." Achilles commented.
"Yes, I have." Neoptolemus answered. When Achilles did not speak, he then continued, "She has a strong spirit, father. I have not seen many women like her. There is something about her that I find curious about. She seems like a door which olds many secrets beyond it, yet it needs much to unlock it." Neoptolemus paused and looked at his father. "I will risk no arm to her, nor will I treat her like a slave."
"Very well then. I have matters to attend to. If you need to find me, you know where to find me, but do not intrude unless it is very important." Achilles said, then left the gardens.
Briseis strolled along in the market, looking out for anything she might wish to buy. Every now and then, someone would whisper and point in her direction, but Briseis did not care. Let them say what they want to, she told herself.
Feeling silence between Ariadne and her, Briseis turned towards her handmaiden, asking, "How long have you been serving the royal family?"
"Three years, my lady.My father is a fisherman, and my mother, a tailor. But ever since my father passed away, I had to work in order to support my four other siblings. Thus I was sent to work in the palace." Ariadne replied.
"But you are so young!" Briseis exclaimed."Would you take me to your mother? I wish to purchase some cloth..."
"Oh certainly, my lady! But I do hope you would not mind the presence of my four other siblings. Most of them are still young children." Ariadne said excitedly.
"That would be fine." Briseis replied, then followed Ariadne down a busy street.
The shop was not very large, and rather packed, but still it provided the children a good enough place to play in.
"Children, children! Go play out in the back, we have a visitor." an old lady said, ushering the children into the back alley. There seemed to be no customers around in the shop, though outside, the streets were terribly packed. "Good day, Miss, what can I help you with-" The old lady then spotted Ariadne. "My daughter?" she ran over to Ariadne and embraced her in a tight hug. "My dear Ariadne, I haven't seen you for months! How are you doing? Are you fine? Thank goodness for the extra income, or we wouldn't have survived, judging from the state of the shop." She then turned to Briseis and said, "Oh pardon me, my Lady, for my rudeness. Here, have a seat." The old lady pulled out a chair. "What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to purchase some cloth." Briseis replied. "Pardon me for my question, but what happened to your husband?"
The old lady gathered some cloth and laid them out for Briseis to choose. "I have never seen the great Prince Achilles before. But I do know, that he was a terribly frightening man. We all feared him." Briseis was confused and wondered why the old lady was saying all this. Then the next line answered her question. "He killed my husband. And then we came to struggle for our survival."
Briseis was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry I..."
"Oh it's alright, my lady. Judging from your looks, you must be foreign, and thus I assume, from Ariadne being your handmaiden, that you are one of the women of Achilles?" the old lady kindly asked.
Briseis nodded silently, guilty. "Why did Achilles do that?"
"I do not know. No one really knows when he strikes." the old lady replied. She looked at Briseis' frowning face, then put a hand to Briseis' hair, stroking it. "There, there, there is no need to get upset. It is not your fault."
"Then why did you still choose to send Ariadne to work in the palace?" Briseis asked.
"My husband's dead, we need income, and moreover...there is nothing else we can do other than give him a proper burial. Why should we bear grudges and not live our life better?" the old lady answered.
Briseis looked at the old lady closely. Her face was filled with lines of age and worry, of suffering. But yet she and the rest of the royal family were living in luxury. There was a clear line dividing them. She suddenly remembered of cloth she would like to buy, and said, "I think I'd take this one." She pointed to some blue cloth, which had patterns of the Sun and Moon upon it.
When Briseis went out of the shop, she sighed to herself, and wondered how many innocent lives Achilles had taken.
to baphomet : I think Astyanax really did die that way...as from what I've read...And it's Andromache who's captured, not Aretha...Phrased the sentence wrongly, I did.
to Trojans : Well Aretha is just a character I made up. I just chose a Greek name from the baby book of names...
Yay 123 reviews! Thanks a lot!!!
--------------------------------
Chapter 8
Andromache bit her lip as they threw her to the ground. She did not look up at the figure before her, but instead stared defiantly at the floor.
The figure bent down, lifting Andromache's chin.
--
Briseis opened her eyes again. She could not sleep. What was Andromache doing now? She lifted a hand to push her curly fringe away from her eye, but her hand hit Achilles' chin instead.
Achilles took Briseis' wrist in a swift moment, asking, "Are you still unable to sleep?" Briseis looked at Achilles, then nodded. "Because of your cousin-in-law?" he questioned. Briseis nodded again. "Get some sleep. It is no use worrying."
"What if Patroclus were captured, then?" Briseis argued, then regretted her rashness. Achilles seemed rather disturbed at the mention of Patroclus' name, and tightened his grip on Briseis' wrist. "I-I'm sorry. I meant not to relive the pain."
"It's alright, I understand." Achilles replied. "Do you then want to go check on your cousin-in-law?"
Briseis shook her head. "No." She seemed to feel that even if she went, there was nothing she could do. Which caused her more worry. All she could hope for now was that this Neoptolemus would at least treat Andromache well.
"Do you think Astyanax is still alive?" Briseis asked. There was an obvious answer, but Briseis asked the question anyway. Achilles said nothing but brought Briseis closer to him. Very slowly, Briseis fell asleep.
Briseis did not have a good sleep that night. Nightmares haunted her mind...
She was standing on the edge of a cliff, and the Sun shone so brightly that she was squinting her eyes to see. Right before, there appeared Apollo, mighty and strong, but furious at her. She knelt down, begging for forgiveness, but all of a sudden, she fell off the cliff. The scene suddenly changed. There were high walls. High walls that trapped her in. "Achilles is mine," she heard a woman say. Fire. Now there was fire. Paris stood above a hill, aiming for Achilles' heel. And then a baby cried...
Briseis' body jerked, and she awoke, breathing heavily and sweating. "Briseis?" Briseis jumped in shock, then Achilles said, "It's alright, it's just me. You kept saying my name in your dreams. Are you fine?"
Briseis slowly sat up, and nodded. It was just a dream, she comforted herself.
Wiping the sweat off her face, Briseis went into the bathroom and cleaned herself, then changed into a set of white robes. She lazily pinned her hair up into a bun with a few golden pins, and exited the bedroom. As she approached the dining hall, she quietly opened the door and entered. Aretha and King Leander were seated between Thetis and Achilles, Aretha being closer to Achilles. Briseis ignored this fact -- she trusted Achilles. A few other women were seated along the long table, some with children. Briseis sat down on the other side of Achilles, then noticed a young man whose eyes much resembled Achilles'. He must be Neoptomelus, Briseis thought. Beside the young man sat Andromache, who stared defiantly straight ahead, dressed in a green robe.
As the food was served, Briseis ate quietly. She found herself losing her appetite.
"I will talk to Neoptomelus, and tell you of my son. He has not harmed your cousin-in-law, do not worry." Achilles assured Briseis. Briseis smiled at him gratefully.
"I wish to visit the market, in the afternoon, if I am allowed to do so." Briseis said.
"I would ask of you to bring your handmaiden with you." Achilles replied.
"My handmaiden?"
"Yes. Ariadne. I apologize, but due to the events that have happened, I did not have a chance to introduce her to you." Achilles said.
Briseis said nothing, and Aretha decided to strike a conversation with Achilles. "I've heard of your strength and skills while you were at Troy, Achilles. You won Prince Hector, the commander of the finest army. That was a great victory!"
Briseis winced at the mention of this, and dropped her fork onto the plate. Everyone at the table looked at her, surprised. Briseis looked apologetically at everyone and lifted her fork from the plate again. My husband's a murderer, she thought.
There is something me and Achilles can accept, but not the girl, Aretha thought, secretly smiling to herself.
Achilles did not say anything but nodded in Aretha's direction. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Andromache, trying to prevent tears from gracing her face.
In the afternoon, Briseis went out into the market with Ariadne, while Achilles spoke with Neoptolemus.
While strolling in the gardens, after much silence, Neoptolemus finally asked, "What is it, father?"
"It has come to my attention that you have brought home Princess Andromache as your concubine." Achilles commented.
"Yes, I have." Neoptolemus answered. When Achilles did not speak, he then continued, "She has a strong spirit, father. I have not seen many women like her. There is something about her that I find curious about. She seems like a door which olds many secrets beyond it, yet it needs much to unlock it." Neoptolemus paused and looked at his father. "I will risk no arm to her, nor will I treat her like a slave."
"Very well then. I have matters to attend to. If you need to find me, you know where to find me, but do not intrude unless it is very important." Achilles said, then left the gardens.
Briseis strolled along in the market, looking out for anything she might wish to buy. Every now and then, someone would whisper and point in her direction, but Briseis did not care. Let them say what they want to, she told herself.
Feeling silence between Ariadne and her, Briseis turned towards her handmaiden, asking, "How long have you been serving the royal family?"
"Three years, my lady.My father is a fisherman, and my mother, a tailor. But ever since my father passed away, I had to work in order to support my four other siblings. Thus I was sent to work in the palace." Ariadne replied.
"But you are so young!" Briseis exclaimed."Would you take me to your mother? I wish to purchase some cloth..."
"Oh certainly, my lady! But I do hope you would not mind the presence of my four other siblings. Most of them are still young children." Ariadne said excitedly.
"That would be fine." Briseis replied, then followed Ariadne down a busy street.
The shop was not very large, and rather packed, but still it provided the children a good enough place to play in.
"Children, children! Go play out in the back, we have a visitor." an old lady said, ushering the children into the back alley. There seemed to be no customers around in the shop, though outside, the streets were terribly packed. "Good day, Miss, what can I help you with-" The old lady then spotted Ariadne. "My daughter?" she ran over to Ariadne and embraced her in a tight hug. "My dear Ariadne, I haven't seen you for months! How are you doing? Are you fine? Thank goodness for the extra income, or we wouldn't have survived, judging from the state of the shop." She then turned to Briseis and said, "Oh pardon me, my Lady, for my rudeness. Here, have a seat." The old lady pulled out a chair. "What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to purchase some cloth." Briseis replied. "Pardon me for my question, but what happened to your husband?"
The old lady gathered some cloth and laid them out for Briseis to choose. "I have never seen the great Prince Achilles before. But I do know, that he was a terribly frightening man. We all feared him." Briseis was confused and wondered why the old lady was saying all this. Then the next line answered her question. "He killed my husband. And then we came to struggle for our survival."
Briseis was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry I..."
"Oh it's alright, my lady. Judging from your looks, you must be foreign, and thus I assume, from Ariadne being your handmaiden, that you are one of the women of Achilles?" the old lady kindly asked.
Briseis nodded silently, guilty. "Why did Achilles do that?"
"I do not know. No one really knows when he strikes." the old lady replied. She looked at Briseis' frowning face, then put a hand to Briseis' hair, stroking it. "There, there, there is no need to get upset. It is not your fault."
"Then why did you still choose to send Ariadne to work in the palace?" Briseis asked.
"My husband's dead, we need income, and moreover...there is nothing else we can do other than give him a proper burial. Why should we bear grudges and not live our life better?" the old lady answered.
Briseis looked at the old lady closely. Her face was filled with lines of age and worry, of suffering. But yet she and the rest of the royal family were living in luxury. There was a clear line dividing them. She suddenly remembered of cloth she would like to buy, and said, "I think I'd take this one." She pointed to some blue cloth, which had patterns of the Sun and Moon upon it.
When Briseis went out of the shop, she sighed to herself, and wondered how many innocent lives Achilles had taken.