8. Settling in.
Hector led Andromache down various hallways, and past what seemed to be hundreds of doors to her before stopping before one engraved with a young woman braiding her hair with flowers.
"This is where you'll be staying, along with Breseis." He said. She nodded slowly, he eyes unsure and she looked back down the hallway.
"Oh, well good." She said nervously.
"You have no idea where we are, do you?" he asked.
"No." she replied and he laughed. She looked up at him faintly alarmed. "It's so big, it's impossible not to get lost."
"You'll find your bearings soon enough Andromache." He said and raised one of her eyebrows to that.
"So a lifetime is considered soon for you?" she asked. He laughed again. "I'm serious Hector I have no idea where I am except that I think that we took a left some where... a couple odd hallways back... before a right, I think." He shook his head, still laughing.
"Parris and Breseis will help you when I cannot. It's actually rather easy."
"You've lived here all your life! And you are eight years older than me!" she cried. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Breseis is four years younger than you and she knows this palace better than I." he replied. "Which is saying something, so you have no excuses." He replied. She rolled her eyes now and grumbled to herself. "Your things have already been put in here, and um... how many maids do you need?" he suddenly asked.
"Two, at most. I can dress myself; I don't really need that much help." She replied.
"Good well you will be assigned two. There is a banquet in the Great Hall tonight for us."
"How will I get there?" she asked. He laughed again, noting that she made him do that a lot.
"I will come for you." He said opening the door. "It starts around the twenty- first hour so... at the twentieth be ready."
"Ok..."
"Give or take." He added and she raised an eyebrow. "Just to be safe."
"Right."
"Good well see you then." He said starting to walk away.
"Aren't you going to show me around?" she asked. He stopped and turned to face her.
"It's the Maidens Quarters Andromache. Men aren't allowed." He said. Her eyes widened.
"Not even you?" she asked.
"Not even the King." He replied. A huge smile split her face.
"So if I was mad with you, I could come here and you wouldn't be able to follow?" she asked. He smiled wryly.
"It would appear so." He replied.
"Brilliant." She said."I think that I'll like it in Troy." He rolled his eyes.
"I can just as easily tie you to the bed and order two soldiers not to let anyone but me in under pain of death." He replied. Her smiled melted away and her eyes widened.
"But you wouldn't do that would you?" she asked. He smiled and regarded her silently for a moment.
"Let's make a deal then. If you promise not to hide in the Maidens quarters, then I promise not to lock you in and tie you to the bed. Agreed?" he said. She regarded him for a moment, her jaw tilted upward, toward him as she stared at him out of the corner of her eye. She looked absolutely adorable to him but he kept his smile down and kept his expression solemn.
"Agreed, if you promise not to raise your hand to me." She replied. His eyes darkened making them terrifying and his face fell and hardened. The change from the gentle, amiable, humorous man she had come to know was so complete, that it shocked her.
"You think that I would do that?" he asked, his voice dangerously soft. It was unbelievable how much that simple question hurt. She looked down at her feet. "Do you?" he asked, his tone rising. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes and opened her mouth to answer but nothing could come out. He didn't know how much that fear was engrained into her mind and heart.
"Hector..."
"Answer me." He said harshly and she jumped slightly.
"I... I can't help it." She whispered. "I can't help but ask." His jaw seemed to soften but his eyes were still that flat, chilling shade of black. "I'm sorry. I feel that you wouldn't but... I just... I have to ask because you could do it so easily. You could kill me within seconds with just your hands. I feel that I know your heart but what if you lose your temper with me-"
"Firstly; it takes a lot to make me lose my temper it's not an everyday occurrence, and secondly; I've already lost my temper with you, and I never hit you." He snapped.
"When?" she asked, obviously shocked and he felt his anger draining away.
"When you jumped overboard." He replied. "I was trying to bring you back and you were struggling, you kicked me and we sank under and I got very angry. I shook you hard, but I never hit you." He replied. "I have never hit a woman or a girl in my life and with Parris it's strictly discipline, never in anger."
"But he loves you."
"I make the beating fit the crime; he knows that he deserves it. I feel terrible afterwards but I still do it." He replied. She looked down at her feet again.
"I'm sorry that I said that." She said softly. He closed his eyes and shook himself mentally. She's just afraid, even Breseis asks questions like that sometimes, and she has known you all her life. She couldn't help but ask. Can you blame her? You're yelling isn't exactly helping matters and you aren't exactly the most unassuming man in the world, and you are at the very least twice her size.
"It's alright Andromache." He said placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not angry with you it just... it hurts that you would think that of me. I'm a man, not a monster, and yes there is a difference. Try to see it in me." She looked up at him, still a bit fearful and he stroked her cheek gently before leaning down to place a soft kiss on the other. "Get settled in, rest. I'll come for you for dinner at the twentieth hour."
"Give or take." She muttered with a small smile and he smiled at her.
"Yes give or take." He replied before walking away.
Hector sat on his bed staring at his closet. He had a problem. He looked up at the sun, noted it's height and then ran his hand through his hair again. It looked terrible. The soft dark curls were everywhere, the poor golden clips trying to keep the locks in some form of order and failing with every pass of his hand. Why did they need a banquet, he would like to know. They knew who he was, and they would have a coming out ceremony for Andromache as his wife after the wedding. Where they going to forget what she looked like!? He rose to his feet and started to pace; another habit of his. He didn't want to go, but he had to. He wore only a thin, black, skirt tied at his hip. A knock on the door sounded and he flew over opening it to see his smirking brother. He hated banquets.
"You called?" he asked. Two servant girls passed by, glanced at Hector, turned bright red and then broke out into giggles. Hector started to resemble a tomato and then looked at Parris. His brother looked resplendent with his hair perfectly groomed, clothed in a long formal chiton of the darkest green silk. It was trimmed with golden embroidery, and hung nicely on his rangy form.
"I need your help." Hector said pulling him inside and shutting the door.
"What on earth happened to your head brother?!" Parris asked fairly alarmed.
"I have no idea what to wear." Hector continued ignoring the question.
"What are you talking about; you go abroad and dress yourself all the time." Parris said still glancing at his brother's head distractedly.
"Yes, but I have an outfit per day. There are no options, now I have options." Hector explained hastily and his brother looked at him as if he had grown a few heads. Parris shook his head and laughed.
"You are completely mad you know that?"
"Yes," Hector replied.
"Why do you care it's just a banquet, you go to banquets all the time."
"But Andromache wasn't here before."
"You aren't serious." Parris said staring at Hector dubiously. "Oh, Apollo you are." He groaned in disbelief.
"Parris!" Hector shouted exasperatedly, "Help me!"
"Not even the god's could help you Hector, ok now have you picked out at least one option?" he asked. Hector walked over to the closet and pulled out a long, formal, black chiton embroidered with gold and a matching himation. Parris regarded it seriously and then nodded. "That's good. Do you own anything that isn't black?"
"I have a navy blue set." Hector replied.
"Keep going."
"Oh gods, Parris, I don't know that's what you're here for!" Hector cried. Parris rolled his eyes and sighed. "Alright, alright sit down and clam yourself. Have some wine." Hector flopped back ward onto his bed and sighed deeply. "You know for a future king you are rather hopeless."
"Yes well for a Prince, man and soldier you are rather hopeless as well." Hector retorted. Parris snorted and then started going through his brothers clothes. After a bit he stopped.
"You have a nice deep, burgundy one here that would go well with your coloring."
"Right."
"And there's this one, it's violet... nope black as well, not that one."
"What's wrong with black?"
"Nothing but your supposed to be happy not in mourning."
"I always wear black." Hector argued.
"I know." Parris replied. "The whole kingdom knows it, and it looks good on you but it's time to try something other than black or blue."
"Like what?"
"I'm working on that."
"Right. So what do I do?"
"Well, you could try to clam down for one thing," Parris paused in his search and looked back at him before wincing. "And for the love of Zeus Hector, fix your head!" he cried.
"Oh be quiet it's not my fault that banquets make me nervous, and not everyone's hair can lay the way it's supposed to like yours."
"Yes I know that, but you... that is ridiculous."
"Will you just find me something to wear Parris, for the love of Hermes!" Hector cried picking up a sandalwood scented brush and tackling his hair as Parris continued in his search muttering,
"Alright, alright." to himself. In a half an hour Hector was done with his hair having mastered it finally, pinning most of it back with golden clips. He didn't have bad hair, it was just so thick and curly that it got out of hand easily and he generally didn't have the patience for it. As a result it tended to get a lot worse before it got better. "Ah ha!" Parris cried pulling an elaborate chiton and himation set made of a deep, dark, violet, trimmed and threaded with golden strands. "This. Wear this one." He threw it onto the bed and then turned to face his brother. "Go, hurry up!" he cried and Hector nodded and started to don the set. "I can't believe that you actually needed help with this." Hector grumbled to himself but said nothing, as Parris grabbed a thick, golden, necklace and handed it to him. "Put it on. Good your hair looks halfway decent." Hector looked at himself in the looking glass and mentally rolled his eyes at his brother's comment. He looked in point of fact a little more than halfway decent; the colour made him look particularly regal set against his dark hair and coloring, but it still gave him an air of youth and vitality that hadn't been there before.
"Thank you Parris." Hector replied sarcastically.
"Not a problem." He replied and sat on the bed as Hector fastened golden bands to his wrists. "Are you escorting her there?" he asked.
"Yes." Hector replied distractedly. Suddenly he froze. "What hour it is?"
"Fast approaching a quarter past the twentieth, why?" Hector let loose a string of expletives that quite honestly, shocked and impressed Parris a good bit. "By the gods brother I didn't know you knew so many." He remarked.
"Where are my sandals?" Hector asked frantically.
"How much time do you have?"
"None, I'm already late." He replied looking for his shoes desperately.
"Hmmm." Paris mumbled and his brother stared at him expectantly.
"PARRIS!" Hector yelled a crazed look on his face, and his brother looked up blankly before he remembered what his problem was.
"Over by the bed." He said and his brother raced over to put them on. "You should keep track of time Hector, tardiness is not approved of by most women." Hector said something quite rude in return and slammed the door behind him leaving an awed and amused Parris in his wake.