Celebwen Telcontar: Here's a chapter dealing with Andromache. I don't own anything save the plot, Hellfire/Darkness, Barley, and James.
Andrea stared at the massive animal, his hooves the size of dinner plates.
"How am I supposed to control this animal!" she cried, trying to approach it with a halter. The stallion tossed his mane at her advances, and broke into a rapid canter about her, snorting.
"He'll be fine, Andrea!" her brother chastised, making crooning noises towards the horse. The Frisian stallion reared and lashed out with his fore hooves, one of them catching James on the shoulder. He went down with a sickening crack, and he went white. The horse neighed and pranced about, oblivious to James on the ground. Andrea ran over to her brother.
"James!" she cried. She felt his shoulder then his neck. When she touched the region of the collarbone, he winced and cried out. "I think your collarbone is broken, little brother," she said.
"Get… Darkness… Halter… Whisperer… Henry Ilias…" he grunted from between clenched teeth. Andrea ran for the tack shed, grabbing a rope and a lariat. It was now up to her.
She threw a saddle on one of the calmer mares, a Clydesdale by the name of Barley. The mare whickered in confusion, as she had only been to pull carriages.
"Come on, Barley. Let's go," she said, flinging herself in the saddle. Or trying to, anyways. She pulled herself onto the massive mare's back, counting on the horse's size to protect her from the wild Darkness. She gripped a bridle, slid from the large horse's back, and put the show bridle on the placid mare, which was as easy as Darkness was temperamental. Then, Andrea pulled herself back onto the mare's back, and the horse cantered out at her bidding. "Easy, Barley. Now, jump girl!" The mare took the fence at a gallop, and hurtled the fence with a bulky launch, stumbling as she landed. Darkness whinnied his shock. Andrea loosened one of the lariats, swung several times, and cast. She only looped a tree's branch.
Her cell phone rang, and she plucked it from her jacket pocket. "Andrea Gail," she said.
"Miss Gail? This is Henry Ilias, horse whisperer." Andrea's vision swam. Memories raced before her, confusing her beyond thought. She remembered Astyanax, Hector, Paris, Helen, and Briseis… All of them. She nearly fell from Barley's saddle, and knew herself now to be Andromache.
"Oh my Gods… Hector you're alive! Oh, Gods! Oh, thank the Gods!" she cried, not knowing what she was saying. "I have an uncontrollable horse, and since you're a Horse Tamer—"
"A what?"
"A Horse Tamer. The best tamer in Greece," she said. "Hector, this horse is diabolical, even Poseidon couldn't control this beast!"
"What did you call me?" he asked, sounding completely confused.
"Hector. Son of Priam. Father of our son, Astyanax. Brother to Paris, who started that whole messy war."
Henry stared at the phone. Who was this woman? He had a son with her? Who was she! She must be a nutcase. He followed the directions James Gail had given him, and ended up at a place where there was a wild Frisian running. James Gail was lying on the ground outside the paddock, and the woman in the Clydesdale's saddle was speaking rapidly into her phone, crying hard. She turned in the saddle, and dropped the phone, tumbling from the back of the mare, and ran straight for him. She vaulted the fence, crying happily, and embraced him. Her kiss was hard and passionate, built of desperation and joy.
Henry forced himself from the madwoman.
"Who are you!" he snarled.
"Andromache! Don't you remember? Your wife! We have a son, Astyanax! Hector, Achilles killed you after Paris dragged Helen home and the Greeks came to get her back!"
"Who killed me because of some city and a blind a deaf woman? And what about Greece? This makes no sense!"
"Hector! Hector, why don't you remember?" the woman sobbed. She seemed to go into a mental breakdown, weeping unashamedly. "This is far worse than before. Do you enjoy tormenting me, Apollo!" she cried, throwing her arms wide. Henry was glad to see James staring at this madwoman like he had never seen her.
"What! Andrea… Andrea Britannia Gail! What are you talking about!" James rasped, barely able to make the words out.
"Who are you? You must be Andrea's brother. I'm Andromache of Troy."
"Androwhat of Trowhere?"
"Do you not remember, Hector?" Andromache asked, saddened by the news. Her face fell, and she looked devastated. She went over to the Clydesdale and began to sob in the mare's mane. Henry looked at her. She seriously needed to have her head checked. It was almost like those previous lives things some people went through, like one of the dreams he had. But this was far worse. It showed that the woman Andromache he had dreamed about was real. Unless this was some elaborate hoax.
"Listen, Andromache, if that's your name, I'll take you to a neural center."
"I'm not crazy, Hector! I remember! You, dying before the walls of Troy! Our son, Astyanax, your brother, Paris! Your cousin, sweet Briseis, the priestess! Achilles, the monster who killed you then took your body around the walls of Troy!"
"You never were very interested in the Iliad before, Andrea," James managed.
"The Iliwhat!" Henry cried, getting more confused by the second. He decided to do something he could actually control, and grabbed the halter, walking softly after the mad animal. Darkness whinnied, and pranced off. He locked eyes with the stallion, which neighed and pranced closer. The wildness in his eyes fell away with startling speed, and he walked closer. He nipped Henry's hair, and then nuzzled his chest.
"Hellfire!" Andromache cried. She laughed, but Henry turned away, looked at both horse and woman, then vaulted the fence and ran for his truck and drove away.
Celebwen Telcontar: So, how was that?
Balrog: Uhhh… I guess. Review, you people!
Celebwen Telcontar: Indeed. Please do, my friends! To clear some things up, Andromache remembered her past life by hearing Hector's voice. Darkness was Hector's old war horse, and remembered his master. I will be updating soon! I hope.
