Chapter Three- Love at First Sight
Paris' P.O.V.
In Sparta we feasted, with King Menelaus and Queen Helen. Our father, Priam, has worked well to uphold peace between Troy and, not only Sparta, but all of Greece as well. He was always a peaceful man, disliking unrest; honorable King Priam, who loved Troy and who would do anything and everything for his country. Even enemies couldn't help but admire our father.
So the feast was a kind of celebration dinner for continuing the peace treaty. It was a merry little party, with wine and dancing and music and roasted lamb. We drank for the good of our future, all of the three days that we had spent in Sparta.
"Let us keep the wolves in the forests and the women in our beds," exclaimed Menelaus. With this, the Spartans laughed. I, on the other hand, didn't even smirk at the remark. Hector nudged me and pretended to be amused. "Smile, brother. We must pretend to be as jolly as possible," he whispered, and I nodded.
How strange the Spartans were. They spoke in a terse manner, their words laconic to drive the Trojans itching for more words. That was all Menelaus said the whole evening. That is when my eyes met Helen's gaze.
She was much younger than I had expected; twenty at the oldest. She smiled politely, and I smiled back. She had said nothing the whole evening save for the greetings with her husband. I reminded myself that her name was Helen, a name just suitable for a woman like her. Her hair was blonde and flowing, her eyes a pale, summer blue. Her skin was pure white, her nose long and sharp, and her lips pink and too small for her face. All in all, I decided that she had a perfect complexion, perfection beyond words could ever describe.
I looked at her with innocent curiosity. Questions swirled in my mind like busy bees. How many suitors had asked for her hand in marriage? How difficult it must have been to pick Menelaus? Why Menelaus? What was it about Menelaus that set him apart from all the others? Was it her beauty that had forced her parents to possibly force her into an early marriage? How horrible must it be, to be confined at such a young age! She was an active sparrow trapped inside a cage with no means of escape. I felt sympathy for her above all else.
Then, when my eyes turned extremely inquisitive without my consent, her once white cheeks turned pink. She seemed to be flattered, and I looked away in embarrassment. What was I doing, anyway, paying more attention to the King's wife than the purpose of this dinner?
Yet, I couldn't deny the truth, which rang in my ears like temple bells. I was falling for the King's wife, Helen of Sparta.
No, I couldn't!
Hector would never forgive me. He will hate me forever if I fall in love with Helen. What to do?
Three nights. It had been no longer than three nights. Yet in my heart, I knew. I knew that there was a yearning for her, a desperate feeling. Yes, Aphrodite had sent Eros to do some dirty work. A dose of the love potion was in my veins. It was love at first sight.
I knew Helen felt the same way about me. The way she talked smoothly while I was in her presence. It was all obvious. We admired each other, but was it enough to risk getting killed by Menelaus? Was it worth the future of Troy and Sparta? The outcome of our affair would come to bitter ends. Perhaps the Spartans would come searching for me. Even worse, they would kill me… It was against the law for a guest to take his host's wife. It was immoral, against all traditional beliefs.
Helen got up and glided as gracefully as a swan to the back door. It had been the same way for four straight nights now- she would give the signal, and I were to follow. That was always the plan.
I checked to see that the coast was clear. Not one soul was to see us having secret meetings. It wouldn't be safe. No one was where Helen stood now outside, waiting for me.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I picked up my pace, eager to get to Helen, my love.
Outside, the air was dank with the summer heat. The sky was alight with fireflies.
"We shouldn't be here," she said, more afraid than ever.
"That's what you said last night," I said, whining like a willful child.
"Last night was a mistake," she said with finality. She sounded as if she was dismissing me. No, Helen. Let me stay.
"And the night before?" I asked, wanting a good answer. Certainly she wouldn't have kissed me by mistake. All the brief times we met each other were not mistaken.
"I made a lot of mistakes this week." Helen kept her composure but looked scared just the same.
I went over and touched her smooth skin. Helen opened her soul to me, and she swayed a little. I touched the nape of her neck and her gaze met mine. She enveloped me in her arms and kissed me. A kiss more passionate, more intense than the previous night's had been, desperate and longing. The shadows hid us away from the farewell party, and that's when it struck us. Our last night together.
Quickly I took out the necklace I had saved for her. "Shells from the sea," I told her. "It's yours. Farewell present."
We were far from the palace now, in the woods. We could still see the palace lights from here. Here we were, naked in the dark of night.
"Menelaus will kill us if he knew," she said. "We were lucky every time, Paris."
"I will fight him. I will fight to protect you."
"I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid of tomorrow, watching you sail away never to come back again." Helen had tears in her eyes, and I looked on and shared her sadness.
"You don't have to be afraid of tomorrow. Come with me!" My idea was rash, but I loved her too much to not see her again.
"If you come, we will never be safe. Men will hunt us. The gods will curse us. But I will love you. Until the day they burn my body, I will love you." Those words were true.
