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Back in Troy, Andromache and King Priam share their sentiments about the long absence of their loved ones.


Philana stood outside Hector's cabin door. Her hand was poised to knock, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Not only was she riddled with guilt for what she had done, or rather failed to do, but she was frightened of his brother more than anything else. There was so much anger in his eyes and spite in his words. The only time she has seen her brother that way was when he is in battle.

Now, Philana was about to enter the room of an enraged warrior. I must be foolish to do this, she thought to herself. She took one deep breath to calm her nerves and her knuckles made contact with the door.

Philana knocked three times, but there was no answer. She knocked again, but still nothing happened. She pressed her ear against the door, but she couldn't hear any movement from inside.

"Hector?" she called softly, half of her wishing Hector was there so she could speak with him, half of her glad that he didn't answer.

Philana was about to leave when she heard the door being opened. She froze in her spot and her body tensed up when she heard Hector call her name.

She turned around slowly and saw Hector in the doorway, but said nothing. He only wore loose trousers and was clearly ready to go to bed. Philana stared at his bare chest and immediately she was more frightened. He has such a strong physique and Philana was sure that Hector could snap her in half in less than a second if he wanted to. Hector held the door open for her and looked at her expectantly.

Without looking at her brother, Philana walked inside the room and stood by the window. At least there, if she couldn't think of anything to say, she would just look out the sea. Hector closed the door and stood in the middle of the room, a good distance away from Philana. He waited for Philana to speak.

All of a sudden, Philana's mind seemed to go blank. She had worked out her words before she decided to go to Hector. She had thought of what to say and how to say it, but she seemed to have forgotten everything. She shook slightly, part of it out of fear, part of it out of exhaustion from the day's events.

Sensing that Hector was still waiting for her, Philana opened her mouth, but the only thing that came out was a hushed "I'm sorry."

Hector didn't say anything. He sat heavily at the foot of his bed and placed his head in his hands.

Philana struggled to fight back her tears. It killed her to see her brother in such a troubled position, and she knew she had something to do with it.

"Philana," Hector said hoarsely after a while. He looked up at her, and Philana immediately saw the weariness in his eyes. For a second, Hector and Philana just stared at each other, unsure of what to do. Then, a small smile broke into Hector's face and he opened his arms.

A sudden rush of relief and happiness flowed into Philana's body as she keenly jumped into Hector's arms and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She broke away from Hector and knelt on the bed beside her brother.

"You silly girl," Hector said tiredly as he lifted his sister and placed her on his lap, just as he always did when she was younger. Philana looked so small and fragile against the majesty of Hector.

Philana rested her head on Hector's shoulder. A whole Trojan army couldn't give her as much security and protection as Hector gives her.

"I'm sorry, Hector," Philana said, losing her battle against her tears. "I should have told you, and I wanted to, I just wasn't sure what would happen if I did."

"I don't blame you," Hector said reassuringly, gently wiping Philana's tears off her face. "There is nothing we could do now, in any case."

"And thank you for not breaking my neck."

"Philana," Hector said in amazement, "I would never do that to you."

Philana smiled, then her expression became serious. "What would happen now?" Philana asked.

Hector sighed. "It is not for me to say." He knew exactly what would happen, but he was not about to voice it out to Philana.

"Surely, Menelaus would find out. Even he is not that daft," Philana said infuriatingly.

Hector laughed softly. "Why do you hate that man so much?"

"Because he is ugly and stupid and mean and evil," Philana answered stubbornly, her mouth pouting.

Hector gave out a real laugh now. "Now where is that clever little lady I spoke to in Sparta? The one who had bigger words to say than 'ugly, stupid, mean, and evil'?"

Philana smiled at her brother. She knew she was being childish, but at least she made her brother laugh. With her head still on Hector's shoulder, she wrapped her arms around his torso and closed her eyes.

"Poor big brother," she said absently, her mind slowly drifting away.

"Why do you say that?" Hector whispered, seeing that his sister is falling asleep.

Philana yawned and snuggled against Hector. "So many people commit so many mistakes, but it is always you who has to fix them; the one person who never committed a mistake." Philana sighed deeply. Her breathing slowed down, and she slept contently in Hector's arms.

Hector wrapped his arms around his sister and rocked her gently back and forth. He rested his chin on Philana's forehead and closed his eyes. Everything did fall in his hands, no matter whose fault it was. And now, another deadly mistake must be smoothed out, and he didn't know how to.

He looked down at Philana's peaceful face. It has been a long time since he last saw Philana sleep, since he last held her in his arms like he was doing now. He suddenly realized how much time he spent away from Troy. She looked so innocent and vulnerable, but she was wise way beyond her years. She was growing up, and Hector wasn't sure if he wanted her to.

Still rocking his sister, Hector's mind traveled back to his home. With everything he had to do and still needed to do, he has not thought of his family for a long time. In the silence and stillness of his room, he could now clearly see the face of his own child. Scamandrios had just been born for two weeks when he left for Sparta. How he ached to see his son now.

Then he thought of Andromache. Hector loved her so. Everything about her soothed him, from the very insides of his body to his skin. Andromache was his angel.

Finally, he thought about his father, and his heart sank. He has been alone for three months, and now they're coming back with bad news. Three months have gone to waste. Peace will not reign.

Hector has given up on being angry at his brother. Anger will lead him nowhere. With this in mind, he gently set Philana on the bed. He covered her with a soft blanket and kissed her gently on the forehead. He took a seat on the chair by the window, contemplating on his thoughts. After a moment or so, he finally fell into an uneasy sleep.


As promised, this chapter came more quickly. The future chapters..well, we'll have to see first hehe. I seem to be focusing more on Philana than anyone else, but that's because she's my own character and I know and could relate to her a whole lot more than the other characters. And they will be returning to Troy very soon. I hope you guys enjoyed it!

And thanks again to Queen Arwen and Lily for reviewing! Thank you, thank you!