Hector returned to his chamber, he had been with his father who wished to know all details about the attack on Thebe. Hector hadn't wished to leave his wife, but knew that he needed to speak with his father. He now closed the door to his chamber quietly; he didn't wish to wake Andromache who was sleeping on the bed.

Andromache was glad that Hector had to leave her; she wished to scream at the world alone. As soon as her husband had left, she collapsed onto the bed and cried herself to sleep. Although, even in sleep she wasn't at peace, her family's faces haunted her, they called out to her, crying for help.

Slowly, Hector walked over to his bed and lay down next to his wife. He kissed her forehead slightly and felt how cold she was, even though she slept beneath the sheets and the night was still warm. Hector stood up off the bed and found a couple more sheets and carefully laid them over Andromache, and then he returned to lying next to her. He watched as his wife searched within her dreams for happy memories of her family.

It pained Hector to see his wife feel so much grief; he knew how much she loved her family. Whenever Andromache spoke of her family, her eyes lit up as if she could feel them near her by remembering simple memories. She would always speak of them with the utmost respect and love, something she knew they returned.

Hector crept underneath the sheets of the bed and cradled his wife in his arms, then swiftly drifted off to sleep.

A few hours after Hector had returned to the chamber, Andromache suddenly woke up; she sat up in the bed and panted heavily. She had once again dreamt of Achilles killing her brothers and father, and of her mother dying alone. Carefully, Andromache stepped out of the bed; she didn't wish to wake her husband who remained sleeping. She wrapped a shawl around herself and then stepped out onto the balcony, and looked out into the pitch black night.

Andromache looked up to the sky and saw the stars shinning brightly above her; she remembered how Podes, her brother, had told her the names of certain stars. She had been engrossed within Podes' words of how the stars had been named.

Warm arms suddenly wrapped themselves around Andromache's waist. She rested her head on Hector's chest, and continued to look up to the heavens.

"You should return to bed," said Andromache, and turned to look at her husband, "you need to rest after your long voyage." She then walked back into the chamber and poured herself some water.

"I'm fine," said Hector and followed Andromache, "it's you I'm worried about."

Andromache put her cup of water down beside the bed and walked up to her husband. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Don't worry about me my love. I'll be alright."

Hector nodded, although he knew his wife was lying, she was only attempting to be strong. "You don't have to pretend with me."

Andromache buried her head in Hector's night robe; she clung onto him and began to cry once more. She'd never be able to pretend with Hector, he'd always know when she was. Her eyes suddenly caught sight of Hector's old shield, the shield she had hit Paris with while he fought with Alexander. Andromache knew she'd have to tell her husband about Alexander, the guilt was becoming too horrendous to conceal any longer. "I need to tell you something."

"What is that?" asked Hector, and looked down to his wife.

"Alexander came to the chamber on the day you left," said Andromache, quietly. She waited for Hector to respond but he didn't, so she continued. "He told me why he killed your friend, and told me about Elora. Alexander thought I'd understand, and for a while I reminded him of Elora."

Hector drew himself away from Andromache; he then sat on the unmade bed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," said Andromache, she then rushed to her husband and knelt down before him, "he never wished to harm me. I thought I could help Alexander. I'm sorry that I disobeyed you, I just thought I could help him."

"Was Xanthe with you when Alexander came to you?" asked Hector, he already knew the answer but wished to hear it from his wife's lips.

"No," whispered Andromache, and lowered her head, "I sent her away soon after you'd left, I wished to be alone."

Hector stood up off the bed and walked around the room for a moment. "I instructed Xanthe to stay with you at all times, I did that so you'd be safe!"

"I was safe," said Andromache, and once again walked over to her husband. She held his face in her slender, cold hands. "Alexander's gone now, he returned to the south." Andromache sighed heavily and continued. "While Alexander spoke to me, Paris came into the room. He immediately threw himself at Alexander and began to fight with him; he thought Alexander wished to harm me." She paused before speaking again. "I didn't know how else to end their fighting, so I hit Paris with your shield, then allowed Alexander to leave the palace."

Hector moaned and removed his wife's hand from his face. "I thought Paris was your friend!"

"He is!" insisted Andromache. "I knew that if I didn't hit Paris then he'd not allow Alexander to leave the palace freely."

"He didn't deserve to leave the palace freely," scowled Hector.

"He did," said Andromache, sternly. "I know that Alexander is a traitor and killed your dearest friend, but he lost someone too! He needed help, not to be locked away."

After a few moments of thought, Hector walked over to his wife, and kissed her. "Alexander is gone now; let us not worry about him anymore."

Andromache smiled and kissed her husband ardently. "Thank you."

Hector gently pushed Andromache down onto the bed and slowly made love to her.

------

Hector rose early the next morning, he saw that Andromache was still sleeping and smiled. She had been turning constantly in her sleep, obviously dreaming of her family. Only when Hector held Andromache in his arms, did she relax slightly.

After watching his wife sleep for a while, Hector stood up out of bed and dressed into a light robe. He ordered for breakfast to be sent to the chamber and gently woke Andromache when it arrived.

"How is it that you can still raise early after having little sleep?" asked Andromache, and smirked slightly.

"It's a gift," laughed Hector, and drank some more water. He watched as Andromache nibbled at a piece of bread, he knew that she wasn't hungry but ate to please him so he wouldn't worry. "I've nothing planned today, not even a meeting, so what would you like to do?"

Andromache knew that Hector was trying to occupy her thoughts with things other than her family and was grateful to him. "Could we go for a ride?" She knew that riding would clear her mind, and hadn't rode Hermione since she had rode to the beach and met Alexander there for the second time.

Hector nodded and stood up from the table; he walked over to his wife and kissed her smooth lips. "Of course my love, I'll go to the stables now and prepare the horses. Come when you're ready."

Andromache nodded and watched as her husband left. She then stood up from the table and quickly dressed herself into a turquoise coloured robe. Andromache decided to leave her hair flowing down her back, she didn't wish to have Hector wait for her while she prepared her hair perfectly for a mere horse ride.

As Andromache neared the stables she could see Hector was so heavily absorbed with talking to Hermione and Helenus, that he didn't even hear Andromache walk behind him, he only noticed her presence when she reached up and kissed the nape of his neck.

"Talking to horses again are we my love?" asked Andromache, and smiled cheekily.

Hector laughed. "I find the conversation much more pleasing than ones I have with you."

Andromache playfully nudged Hector and mounted Hermione, and watched as her husband mounted Helenus.

"Where would you like to go?" asked Hector.

"Are there any lakes near the walls of Troy?" asked Andromache, and then suddenly remembered the lake in Thebe she had loved. She imagined Thebe on the night it was attacked: fires blazing high into the sky, women and children screaming, men fighting for their lives but only to have them ended by ruthless men. She thought of her brothers protecting their wives and children, her father protecting her mother.

Andromache dismounted her horse, and then exhaled deeply. She grabbed Hermione's reins and looked up at Hector who returned the gaze, he looked at her oddly for a moment, but as he continued to look at her, he understood.

"I can't do it today," said Andromache, quietly, "I just want to return to our chamber."

Hector nodded and dismounted Helenus. "Go to the chamber, I'll return the horses to their stalls."

Andromache kissed her husband's cheek and then hurried away to their chamber. Once she had entered her chamber, she slammed the door behind her and fell to the floor. Her eyes then landed on a shawl given to her by her mother. Andromache rushed to the shawl and quickly smelt it, wishing to smell the sweet scent of her mother. No trace of her mother's scent existed on the shawl now, instead it smelt of her.

Hector entered the chamber after returning the horses to their stalls; he saw his wife clasping onto the shawl her mother had given her a few weeks before she came to Troy. He walked over to Andromache and embraced her tightly.

"I can't bare it any longer," cried Andromache, and clung onto Hector so tightly that he could feel her nails dig into his skin. She clung onto him firmly because she feared she'd lose him as well. "I can't bare the thought of my family being dead, their throats slit by damned Achilles! He has taken everything away from me … everything except you."

-----

A/N: Thank you once more for the reviews, I greatly appreciate them! :)

Merry Christmas!