Heralds had been sent to those that had sworn the oath of Menelaus's right to Helen; it reminded them that they were bound to defend King Menelaus and to help him avenge the outrage of Helen leaving Sparta with a Trojan.
Almost two months after Menelaus had rode to Mycenae, seeking help from his brother, the great Kings that had sworn to the oath now met by an alter in Aulis, a Boeotian harbour opposite the island of Euboea.
After receiving the heralds reminding them of their oath, the Kings of the Aegean had sailed to Aulis with their armies, and where they had now remained for nearly two months. The Kings had proposed to sail to Troy to retrieve Menelaus's wife and for him to seek revenge on the Trojan Prince that had taken her. But two months had passed and still favorable winds did not come to the impatient armies who wished for war.
The Kings now stood surrounding the alter and watched as King Agamemnon looked out to the sea and to the hundreds of ships that floated on its surface.
"Two months!" snarled Agamemnon. "Two months, and still the wind remains against us!"
The renowned warrior Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, and leader of the Myrmidons, stepped forward to speak to Agamemnon. "The men grow impatient!"
"I grow impatient Achilles!" snapped Agamemnon. He turned to face the Kings and his eyes washed over every face, he saw the desire within their eyes to flee back to their Kingdoms and snarled angrily. His eyes then fell on his seer Calchas. "Come here, Calchas!"
Calchas obeyed his master and stepped in front of him. "My lord?"
"When will the winds be with us?" Agamemnon asked his seer. "What do the Gods say?"
Calchas was silent. He had prayed to the Gods that morning for insight as to why the winds did not favour the Kings of the Aegean, and Artemis answered his prayer. "You must do a terrible thing."
"Tell me!" said Agamemnon, growing impatient.
"In trade for fair wind the Goddess Artemis asks for your daughters life … here on this alter," said Calchas, bowing his head slightly.
Agamemnon's eyes widened and he staggered a little with shock. It was true he was a harsh and twisted man, but there was one who held his affection and that was his daughter Iphigenia. She was the jewel in his heart, the only pure innocence in his life that he loved.
"And that will satisfy the Goddess?" Agamemnon stuttered.
Calchas nodded, but raised his head to look into the eyes of his master. "But you must hold the knife, the Gods demand it."
Every drop of life faded from Agamemnon's face that day, and it was never to be replaced. A pale haze hovered over his face permanently and he was forever haunted with the sweet laughter of his daughter Iphigenia. He turned away from his seer and looked out to the sea once more. He looked out across the sea for a few moments before inhaling deeply and saying:
"The winds will soon be with us!"
On the same day after having been told a way he could have favorable winds to Troy, Agamemnon sent some of his men to collect his daughter from his palace in Mycenae, where she was with her mother.
The Queen of Mycenae, Clytemnestra, and her nine year old daughter Iphigenia sat in a garden of the palace and twisted flowers into their crowns.
Clytemnestra felt a mixture of peace and anxiety now her husband had left Mycenae, thus leaving her and her daughter at the palace quite happily. She usually felt at peace when her husband left the palace, but now she also felt frightened because she feared the outcome of her sister.
Helen and Clytemnestra had always been close sisters, as close to one another as could be, which caused Clytemnestra, the elder, to feel constant fear because her sister had left Menelaus for another man. It was still hard for Clytemnestra to believe that her sister had left Menelaus, but she would soon realise the seriousness of the situation … the bitter stab of it.
"Look at my crown!" laughed Iphigenia and placed her crown, full of flowers, on her small head. She stood up and twirled around in small circles before collapsing onto the floor once more, causing her mother to laugh.
"You remind me so much of your Aunt Helen!" beamed Clytemnestra and cuddled her daughter.
"Will Hermione live with us now Aunt Helen has left?" asked Iphigenia. She had heard the conversations of the servants in the palace, that her Aunt had run away to Troy, but did not understand much of it.
Clytemnestra looked down to her daughter, somewhat shocked that she had heard Helen had left. She had thought of her niece, Hermione, and what would become of her, but she didn't need to worry as Menelaus would never dare to harm her. Hermione would remain in Sparta in her father's palace and be cared for by her nurse and others.
"No dearest," answered Clytemnestra, "your cousin will remain in Sparta, she is happy there."
"She could be happy with us!" said Iphigenia and she smiled widely.
Clytemnestra smiled but said nothing.
One of Clytemnestra's handmaidens quickly ran to where the Queen sat in the garden. She bowed before the Queen before speaking:
"My Queen, a letter from your husband has arrived," panted the handmaiden. "You must read it at once."
Clytemnestra quickly hurried to her feet and told Iphigenia she would come back. She hastily walked through the halls to the entrance hall where a soldier stood with a roll of parchment in his hand. She took it from him and slowly read it.
A gasp escaped Clytemnestra's mouth as she finished the letter which she dropped to the floor. The letter had said that Iphigenia was to be taken to Aulis to see her father and no more, but Clytemnestra felt suspicious of it. She ran to her daughter but found she wasn't there and when she screamed at her handmaiden and guards to find her, she was told that Iphigenia had been taken to Agamemnon.
King Agamemnon stood by the alter in Aulis, and was alone there now because the Kings of the Aegean had retired back to their camps – many not wishing to see the death of the child.
On the ride to Aulis, Iphigenia had been told she was going to see her father. She was not frightened, she had no reason to be because she trusted and loved her father.
Iphigenia was taken to the steps leading up to the alter when she had arrived at her fathers camp, and carefully walked up the steep steps to him. She laughed sweetly and ran to her father when he held his hands out for her.
Agamemnon swung his daughter up into the air, something he had done since the day she was born. He then sat her down on the alter and asked her to lie down and close her eyes because he had something for her.
Obediently, Iphigenia lay down on the alter and closed her eyes tightly, expecting a present from her kind father.
In one swift movement Agamemnon had raised his knife into the air and slit his daughter's throat. Vomit immediately rushed up his throat when he saw the blood rush from his daughter's throat, but he swallowed it back down.
Loud cheers from the camps full of warriors, desperate to fight, suddenly began. Agamemnon dropped the knife to the floor and stepped away from the alter to look at the hundreds of warriors that cheered for him.
Two weeks after sailing away from the Spartan docks, the ship carrying Prince Paris and Queen Helen of Sparta was attacked by a ferocious storm. The ship suffered from severe damage, but there was an island near the ship during the storm so the men accompanying the Prince and Queen were able to steer the ship to the island.
For less than two months the men, who had traveled with Paris to Sparta, repaired the ship as best as they could on the island. Now the ship was finally able to carry them all to Troy.
The daughter of Zeus stood looking out to the sea from the beach of the island. She watched as the waves rushed up against the sand and smiled as the sound of the sea calmed her rapid nerves. Ever since she had boarded the ship she had constantly felt on edge, as if someone or something was waiting to attack her.
Helen continued to look out to the sea and thought of her daughter and tears leaked from her eyes immediately. She could not think of Hermione without feeling guilt rush through her. And she could not think of arriving in Troy without feeling more frightened than she had ever felt before. Paris had tried to ease her mind, but Helen could see that he shared her emotions, if not more so.
There was no mistaking that Helen and Paris loved one another, they did and always would, even if their love for one another would lessen over the years, but in years to come they would stop and wonder if their love was worth the lives of thousands.
"I've just spoken with the men," said Paris as he walked up behind Helen and wrapped his arms around her waist, "the ship is repaired and we are able to leave for Troy tomorrow. We could then arrive in Troy in a few days; we are not far from there."
"So soon?" whispered Helen, though it was not a question. She leaned her back against Paris's chest and slowly turned her head to look at Paris, her eyes revealing how scared she was. "What will happen when we arrive in Troy, will I be sent to Sparta?"
"Of course not!" exclaimed Paris. "You'll be safe in Troy, Helen."
Helen placed a hand of Paris's cheek; he was still such a child she thought. He didn't know the likes of Menelaus or Agamemnon, or any King that would unite against Troy. She knew the Kings; she knew them all and knew why they would each fight in battle. Some would fight because they had sworn to; while others would fight for glory, for spoils, and one would fight for revenge.
A/N: I've used more dialogue in this from "Helen of Troy", when Agamemnon talked with his seer and Achilles. Iphigenia was really killed by Agamemnon and I've included it because it will be of some importance later on in this story.
Ithil-valon – Thank you for the review and I'm really glad you liked the chapter! I'm not ready to say goodbye to Hector yet either, which is a main reason why I went for the ten year version :)
MRS.Nathan Scott – I'm really glad you liked the last chapter, thank you and thank you for the review:)
Priestess of the Myrmidon – Helen really did have a daughter, which makes her leaving Sparta even worse I think. Thank you for the review, I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and enjoy my writing, thanks:)
Donna Lynn – Thank you for the advice about making Cassandra less reclusive, I think you're right and I'll definitely try. Thank you for the review:)
Matrixfan101 – I'm a Matrix fan too:) Thank you for reviewing and I'm really glad you love the story, thanks!
Kitera – I feel sorry for Clytemnestra too, but she'll get her revenge in the end. Thank you for the review and I'm really glad you loved the last chapter too:)