The Task

Later that night, Telopi's boat was safely placed in a quiet harbor and several of her men were placed out as scouts, against Prince Hector's wishes. Regardless of what he had to tell her, she was set on fighting on this war her way, at least ordering her men to fight her way, and as long as she had the best archers in the world she would continue to use them. When she voiced this opinion to Hector, he merely sighed and let her carry on.

Two sets of three archers were now set up to guard her small camp and boat outside of the walls Troy. Having let her carry on, Telopi did not see any reason to make her camp inside the walls of Troy. She felt it necessary to guard her boat and camp, and did so since most of her men were living in the camp. She, however, was not granted that same honor. She was forced inside the walls of Troy.

Prince Hector and his riders accompanied Telopi, Ammathus, and three more of her soldiers into the palace of Troy. As they rode through the streets, many people peered out of their windows to watch this strange young girl. Many tales had been told of this girl who fought battle, the most popular being that she wore men's clothing and armor and fought like a man. However, those who wanted to prove this particular tale right were disappointed. They peered out to find a young dark haired beauty sitting astride a black horse a strange assortment of garments, but completely without armor at all.

Telopi had found no need to wear a helmet or leather armor. She rarely even used a shield. Now she wore black, white, and red tunic that was cut strangely and allowed her free movement. She held her head high and glanced around imperiously at the people in their homes. When she caught them staring at her, they would quickly jump back into their homes out of fright. To all who saw her, she looked like a goddess.

But it was not Telopi that struck fear in their hearts. One of her men brought her flag, the red flag with a spear and dog, and was waving it high above her head. The symbols of Ares were clear to all who saw it. Instead of instilling hope in these people, it made them fear.

Once the group of riders reached the palace of Troy, they dismounted from their horses and made their way inside to introduce Telopi and speak of war. Hector walked quickly inside and led them down the many halls and courtyards. Telopi glanced around dismissively at the fine statues and gold and pottery. Finery was not a thing she cared for. She suffered from bloodlust, something she blamed her father for entirely.

Finally a pair of large doors rested in front Telopi and Hector. The doors led inside to King Priam and his advisors. As hard as she thought she just couldn't figure out why she was going to be allowed in. She scowled in thought, something she did often, and turned to Ammathus and her men.

"Stay here. Eat, drink, and be comfortable. But stay here," Telopi ordered them. Ammathus nodded and bowed without thinking twice about her orders, as did the others. She nodded to them and quickly turned back to Hector. "Shall we?" she asked somewhat arrogantly.

"May I present, Lady Telopi who has answered our call for aid," Hector called out while the doors swung open. All heads in the room turned towards Telopi and Hector. Hector walked down the long room to his place at the end and sat down next to his father, leaving Telopi alone in the doorway.

Telopi took a few steps forward and allowed the doors to swing shut behind her. She locked eyes with King Priam and bowed slightly as she did to Hector, but did not take her eyes away from him. Only when she stood did she finally break eye contact, looking instead at the long basin of water stood in the room in front of Priam.

"Lady Telopi," King Priam began with an edge to his voice. "On behalf of all of us, I thank you for aiding us in our time of need. You may rest assured that it will not be forgotten."

Telopi merely nodded rather than bowing as she should have. "Of course it will not be forgotten, if any are left alive," she said slyly. She could no longer resist the urge to speak of battle the way it should be: straightforward with no lies. No one should be led to believe that they can win a war if they can't.

Her words were not met kindly in the hall. The advisors gasped and the High Priest leapt to his feet. "There have been signs showing that we will win battles! Our gods will favor us!" But Hector silenced him quickly.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked. It was clear from the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes that he was truly interested in what she had to say.

"I mean that the Greeks will have gathered an army by now, thousands strong I am sure. How do you expect to fight an army thousands strong?" she asked bitterly.

"Our walls have never been breached!" boasted a fat general.

"Not yet, but all things fall in time," Telopi remarked casually. She stared Hector in the eyes. "You called me here, no one else; you. Why? Is it because you need more men? Is it because you need someone to challenge Achilles? Why? Answer me!" Her voice had grown to a demanding shout.

"Actually, Lady, we need someone who is as great with a bow and arrow as they are with a sword," Hector began with a sly voice. "We need someone who can stand on the rocks and hit a target in battle. The only target that we want them to hit. We need you to assassinate Achilles."