Polyxena stood out on her balcony, watching the stars twinkle in the brilliant night sky. She wore a simple night gown and shivered with delight as the cold wind caressed her skin.
Thoughts swept through her mind, mainly those of Achilles and her imminent marriage to him. She hated herself for ever seeing him, for ever helping him, and for ever laying with him. She felt as if her body had suddenly become tainted because of what she had done and had spent most of the evening trying to wash the feeling of Achilles away.
For Troy, Polyxena would whisper in her mind, for Troy. It was the only thought that kept her going, even though she felt a ferocious desire to leap to her death every time she thought of being Achilles's wife.
The door to Polyxena's chamber opened quietly and Hecuba entered the room alone. No tears rushed down her pale cheeks, and her eyes were no longer bloodshot with exhaustion and sorrow, instead her queenly composure had been restored to her.
Hecuba stood by the door and watched her daughter for a few moments, so proud that Polyxena would willingly marry Achilles to save her country. She had come to tell her brave daughter that she would no longer marry Achilles as a plan had been formed to prevent that.
Polyxena slowly turned around at the sound of her door closing and smiled faintly when she saw it was her mother. She saw her mother's eyes move to look at the bridal gown which had been brought to her by her handmaidens.
"Your handmaidens brought you this?" asked Hecuba, surprise in her voice, and she gestured to the gown. She fondly remembered help make the magnificent robe, only a few years past when a prince from another land had wished to marry Polyxena, but the match had not taken place as Agamemnon threatened the prince's country if he married a Trojan princess.
"Yes," Polyxena softly answered, "I wished to try it on before tomorrow."
Hecuba looked at her daughter, feeling as if she had failed as a mother because Polyxena would have to have married Achilles if another plan had not been formed. She blinked tears away and pushed back the hair on Polyxena's face.
"I'm so proud of you," whispered Hecuba and she smiled sadly. "You have made your country proud by accepting to marry Achilles, but you don't have to now, you don't have to marry Achilles." She smiled more brightly as she finished her words, expecting to see joy on Polyxena's face but all she could see was shock.
"I do not have to marry him?" said Polyxena, her voice slightly high. She stepped back from her mother for air and looked to the bridal gown.
"No," said Hecuba, "your father has found another way to end the war."
Polyxena closed her eyes for a moment to keep her tears of happiness at bay, now that she had accepted that she would not have to marry Achilles. She then turned to her mother, seriousness beginning to cloud her face.
"What way has father found?" asked Polyxena, her voice hoarse. She had thought the only way for the war to end was by marring Achilles, since the army had dwindled so dramatically over the years and now that Hector was dead.
Hecuba was at first hesitant to speak, unsure of how to word or even say the truth. She looked at her daughter and saw the anxiety in her eyes and spoke: "Achilles is to be killed tomorrow when he comes to collect you as his bride. Your father and the Elders think that the war could end favorably to Troy if Achilles was dead."
Polyxena shook her head slowly, horror flooding into her eyes. "The Greek armies will still continue to fight us, even if Achilles is killed. They would probably be more adamant to sack our city if …," She then paused, wondering who would be given the honour of killing Achilles.
"Who is going to kill Achilles?" stuttered Polyxena. She doubted any man in Troy could kill Achilles now that Hector was dead, and her fear grew.
"Paris," answered Hecuba and her voice showed the doubt she felt at whether or not her son could kill Achilles.
If the matter had not been so serious then Polyxena would have laughed. She looked at her mother, her eyes holding an almost mad gaze. "Paris can't, he won't be able to kill Achilles! Hector was the greatest warrior in all of Troy and he could not defeat Achilles, how can anyone think that Paris could kill him?"
"Achilles will not be prepared," stammered Hecuba, "it is more than possible for Paris to kill Achilles."
"Possible?" cried Polyxena, she breathed in heavily and glared at her mother. "Possibilities will not end the war, certainty is what will! If Paris tries to kill him and fails then Achilles will be given more than enough reason to slaughter everyone of us."
Hecuba looked at Polyxena for a few moments and knew that her daughter spoke the truth. She inwardly prayed to the gods for victory tomorrow and embraced her daughter.
Polyxena clung onto her mother and allowed tears to drip from her eyes and onto Hecuba's shoulder. She knew the power within Achilles, the burning rage which he held within him, and feared that he would turn that rage onto her family once more if Paris did not succeed.
Dawn crept up upon Troy the next morning and showered her light over Troy. Achilles left his tent at first light, not having slept at all because he was filled with excitement and joy at the prospect of marring Polyxena.
Although, it was not only light spirits that flowed through Achilles as he walked to Odysseus's tent, it was also the feeling of uncontrollable anxiety and nerves. He had never felt nervous in all his life, not even in battle or when charming women, because he knew he had power and used it to his advantage. Today, however, he felt completely helpless because he could not choose whether the Kings of the Aegean would continue to fight or not.
Achilles's eyes squinted at the darkness in Odysseus's tent as he entered, only one dim torch was lit and it produced little light. He immediately saw Odysseus gazing at him with a questioning glance.
"What's wrong?" asked Odysseus and suddenly stood from his chair. He could sense that something important occupied Achilles's mind and was unnerved by it.
"Nothing is wrong, my friend," said Achilles calmly and motioned for Odysseus to sit once more. "I only came to speak with you, to ask for your advice before …,"
"Before what?" inquired Odysseus, and slowly sunk into his chair. He watched Achilles carefully, waiting for an answer.
"Before I speak with Agamemnon," replied Achilles. He fidgeted nervously with a small wooden horse that stood on the chest beside him.
"Why are you going to speak with Agamemnon?" Odysseus asked, concealing his curiosity by sounding casual.
"I need to ask him to end the war," said Achilles quietly and deliberately fixed his eyes on the horse and not on Odysseus. He could almost feel the low gasp which escaped Odysseus's mouth.
Confusion hovered over Odysseus's face as he looked at Achilles. He knew when Achilles was lying and knew that he wasn't now, and rubbed his chin nervously. "End the war? You wish for the war to end, even though it would mean that hundreds of lives, including Patroclus's, will have been for nothing if we left now?"
"Thousands more will die if the war continues," said Achilles sharply. He did not want to be reminded of Patroclus's death today, not on the day he would be marrying Polyxena.
"By the gods, Achilles!" exclaimed Odysseus and he quickly rose to his feet. "Agamemnon, nor I or any other king on this shore, has spent ten years here to leave without winning!"
"No one will win," said Achilles and he faced Odysseus, anger flashing across his face, "the war will have ended in mutual agreement."
Odysseus shook his head, dismissing the stupid thought. He knew if the Kings of the Aegean were to step away from this war now then it would only invite more nations to invade their countries when they returned. He would not risk the lives of his people, he was a king and had sworn defend and protect his city from all danger, even if it meant destroying another.
"Why do you want the war to end?" questioned Odysseus after a few moments of silent thought.
Achilles looked away from his friend again before speaking. "I am going to marry … Princess Polyxena of Troy." He felt the eyes of Odysseus glare madly at him and he closed his own eyes for a moment.
"Priam's daughter?" cried Odysseus. "How can you even marry her when you've never been to Troy?"
"I have," answered Achilles, his voice low. He did not want to reveal how he had entered Troy as it would prove to be an advantage to Greece and he not could jeopardize his marriage to Polyxena.
"How?" asked Odysseus. "How did you enter Troy?"
"How, indeed?" asked the voice of Agamemnon. He stood at the entrance to the tent, his brother Menelaus behind him, and glared at both Odysseus and Achilles.
Fear engulfed Odysseus as he looked at Agamemnon; he had not even heard the king enter his tent.
"I asked to see King Priam at the gates," lied Achilles and stared into the eyes of Agamemnon.
"And they just let you enter?" asked Agamemnon skeptically. He could not believe that Achilles had been allowed admittance into Troy after killing their heir and protector, Hector.
"Yes," said Achilles simply, acting as if a Greek entered Troy each day by merely asking to.
Agamemnon stared at Achilles, a slight smirk playing across his lips. The light in the room illuminated his dark eyes to make them appear possessed. Greed and power had made him the man he was today, he would do anything for power and wealth, proving that to each King of the Aegean by sacrificing his daughter to the Goddess Artemis.
"Did you see Helen?" whispered Menelaus and looked hopefully at Achilles. He had dreamed of climbing Troy's walls to see Helen again, to see her perfect face and to feel her delicate lips against his own. The thought of seeing her again was what kept him fighting.
"No," said Achilles and he looked away from Menelaus's eyes because he had seen her. He was unsettled by Menelaus's, seemingly, hopeless wish to see Helen again because he knew that even if he did see her again, she would never love him like he wanted her to.
"Priam will allow you to marry his daughter, even though you killed his son?" asked Agamemnon. He searched Achilles's eyes for a trace of deceit but saw none in those confident eyes.
"Yes," said Achilles, "as long as the war ends and our men return to Greece."
"I did not come to Troy to lose!" snarled Agamemnon, his anger beginning to blaze.
"Instead of considering this war a game," said Achilles angrily, though attempted to speak calmly, "think of the lives you could safe, the lives of your men! If we leave now then you could unite with Troy, think of the power you could have if you walked away from this."
Agamemnon did not say that he would have more power if he defeated Troy, as he had quickly thought of a cunning plan that could benefit his need of winning the war. "Can you guarantee that a pact between Troy and Greece could be made, if we ended the war?"
"Yes," answered Achilles, his voice showing his doubt. He did not know if Priam would agree to a pact, but hoped that the king would if it resulted in saving the lives of his people.
Agamemnon was silent for a few moments, surveying Achilles with his dark eyes. He had sensed the uncertainty in Achilles's voice; it was a skill he had learned through years of torturing his enemies into giving him information, and inwardly smiled at how Achilles's confidence had quickly faded.
"You may claim your bride," said Agamemnon, speaking slowly and firmly. "Tell King Priam that we agree to leave his shores by tomorrow, and discussions of a treaty will begin once I've returned to Mycenae."
"Agamemnon!" warned Menelaus, his tone unusually annoyed. He had come to Troy to get Helen, he would not leave it without her and let Prince Paris think he could steal her from him without retribution being served upon him.
Odysseus watched the scene before him, he could see by the sudden look of superiority in Agamemnon's eyes that the king had thought of something that could aid him by Achilles going to Troy with word that Greece would leave. He had known Agamemnon for many years, their father's had known one another, and Odysseus knew that Agamemnon was not a man who would leave a war for the sake of saving lives or making a pact when there was more power to be gained by winning the war.
"Menelaus," said Agamemnon, his voice low and deadly, and he turned to his brother, "I hope you are not planning to interfere."
Menelaus was silent, although he glared at his brother with the deepest loathing and hatred.
Achilles stepped closer to Agamemnon, fully believing Agamemnon's words to him. "Thank you, King Agamemnon." He smiled faintly and left the tent, his spirits soaring up into the sky.
Once the flaps of his tent had stopped moving, Odysseus turned to Agamemnon, a look of worry and curiosity rapidly spreading across his face. "I cannot believe that you'll simply leave Troy without defeating it, what plan have you made?"
Agamemnon smiled, he knew the quick witted Odysseus would have sensed a plan. "I knew you would not fall for my words to Achilles, unlike my dear brother." And he gave Menelaus a look of revulsion.
"I have known you for years, Agamemnon," said Odysseus, although he did not smile, "I should be expected to know when you are lying."
"What plan do you have then?" asked Menelaus, his voice full of hatred for Agamemnon. He resisted the overwhelming urge to strike his brother and tried to gain control of his anger.
"Achilles will have his wife," said Agamemnon and he looked across to the flaps of the tent, a distant expression flooding into his eyes, "and we will remain in Troy. I have made no official arrangement to leave this war with King Priam, nor will I ever."
"King Priam will have given his daughter to Achilles for nothing," said Odysseus, his face unreadable.
"Yes, and he will be devastated," smirked Agamemnon, "not only will he have lost his son to Achilles, but also his daughter."
"What if Achilles swears allegiance to Troy?" asked Odysseus, the thought suddenly occurring to him. "He may feel guilt for not doing what Priam had asked him to in order to marry his daughter."
Agamemnon laughed, a cruel and malicious laugh. "Achilles feel guilt? It's not possible for that man to feel even one strand of remorse for the lives he has taken, that is what makes him a great warrior. He cannot feel."
Odysseus said nothing, although he was not reassured of his fears. He had seen a sudden change in Achilles over the last few days, no doubt because of Priam's daughter now he thought of it, and he did not like to think how Achilles would react once he learned Agamemnon had lied to him.
At first sign of daylight, Polyxena rose and took her nuptial bath before allowing her handmaidens to help her prepare. Even though she was not to be married to Achilles, she was still ordered by her father to follow the marriage rituals and dress in her bridal robe, so Achilles would not be suspicious and the gods would not be angered.
A thin veil covered Polyxena's face, a veil that symbolized her virginity. She had frozen when one of her handmaidens had told her that she would feel little pain when lying with Achilles, since she had already lain with him and Nickolas. She was horrified at the thought of her father learning of what she had done, she thought herself little better than a whore as the veil brushed against her cheeks.
No tears rushed from her eyes as the beautiful bridal gown flowed over her body like water. The thought of what Achilles had done, that he had killed her brother and shattered hundreds of Trojans' lives kept her from weeping because she felt that his death would result in the end of the war.
The door to Polyxena's chamber opened as the handmaidens were preparing her hair. She looked up to see, not Hecuba who she had expected, but Andromache.
A weight suddenly felt as if it had been dropped into Polyxena's stomach when she saw her sister-in-law. She had not seen Andromache since Hector's funeral and dreaded to think how she would react with her now.
"Leave us," said Andromache, ordering the handmaidens to leave. Once they had left she sat at the end of Polyxena's bed.
Polyxena smiled faintly, imagining Andromache as a Queen of Troy. She would have been a magnificent queen, thought Polyxena.
"I did not come to scream or yell," Andromache said seriously, "I only came to speak with you before you left for the gates." She looked at the exquisite bridal gown Polyxena wore and smiled, remembering the day she had married Hector.
"I am sorry if what I did at Hector's funeral saddened you," said Polyxena quietly, she knew Andromache had been told by Hecuba that Achilles had been at the funeral, "I did not mean to cause you or anyone else harm."
"I know," said Andromache and she continued to look at Polyxena thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. "Do you love him, Polyxena? Do you love Achilles?"
Polyxena turned away from Andromache, surprised by the question, and bowed her head while she thought. She did not know how to answer her friend, but finally chose to speak the truth.
"I thought I did," she said slowly, "but I know now that I didn't, my mind was confused." She inhaled deeply and spoke again. "When I first saw him I thought it was Nickolas, I know that sounds silly but I did, and that is what drew me to him."
"Hector would have been proud of you," said Andromache and smiled sadly. "You would have put your people before yourself in marrying Achilles."
"Do you want Achilles to die?" Polyxena asked suddenly.
"If it means the war will end, then yes," Andromache finally answered, "but if you ask because he killed … Hector, then no." She was silent for a moment, staring at the floor. "I wanted nothing more than to rip Achilles apart with my own bare hands after he had killed Hector, but not now. I know nothing will ever bring Hector back to me, not even Achilles's death."
"You would have made a wonderful queen, Andromache," said Polyxena and smiled.
The city was filled with a deathly silence as Priam and Polyxena rode to the walls of Troy on a shared chariot. Priam, clothed in his finest robes, had ordered for every Trojan to remain in their homes because he did not want to risk his people crowding around Achilles. He also did not want to intimidate Achilles by being surrounded by hundreds of guards, so had chosen only two to accompany him to the gates.
Paris had gone to the walls alone earlier that day and waited at the armory beside the walls. He was fully dressed in his glittering armor and sharpened his sword to occupy his mind, even though he would be using his bow to attempt to kill Achilles as he was more skilled with it.
As soon as Priam and Polyxena arrived at the gates, Priam stepped off the chariot and then helped his daughter. Their two guards stood behind them and Priam held his daughters hand as they waited for Achilles.
A cloud of sand was surrounding a man as he rode to the walls; the plain was clear as the day's fighting had not begun. Each soldier on the walls knew it was Achilles and called for the gates to be opened.
Achilles rode through the gates calmly and steadied his horse before dismounting and handing it to the nearest soldier. He smiled when he saw Priam and Polyxena and stepped forward to greet them, stepping out from the shadow of the gate sometimes known as the Scaean gate.
Seeing Achilles enter the city, Paris left the armory and stood with the guards who were slowly closing the gates. He glared at Achilles with the desire for revenge beginning to burn within him, and waited for the signal.
"King Priam," greeted Achilles and he bowed before the king. He then turned to Polyxena and lightly kissed her hand before stepping back into the light shadow of the gate.
"The Kings of the Aegean have agreed to leave Troy tomorrow," said Achilles, trying to suppress a smile of joy on his face.
"Well done, Achilles," said Priam, his voice low and stern. He did not smile at the news, although he was surprised Achilles had succeeded.
"Thank you," said Achilles, noticing the king's odd tone. He looked to Polyxena and saw the cold and distant look she gave him.
Priam nodded, although it was not in reply to Achilles's words, it was the signal for Paris to aim.
Paris stepped forward as quietly as possible, determined not to be heard by Achilles, and aimed his arrow at Achilles's back. He breathed in steadily as he made certain that his arrow was in line and that it would meet his target.
The arrow flew from Paris's arrow and for a second it appeared that it would hit Achilles's back, but it suddenly changed direction, even though there was no wind, and it swooped down and pierced into Achilles's heel.
Polyxena flinched when she heard the arrow hit Achilles and closed her eyes, not wishing to see him suffer. She slowly opened her eyes, fearing what she would see, and saw that Achilles was staggering to stand.
Achilles gritted his teeth in pain and looked to Polyxena, expecting her to run and help him, but instead he saw only shock and guilt spreading across her face and it was then he knew. He turned to look behind him and saw Paris standing with a bow clenched in his hand.
It had been a ploy to kill him, Achilles realised, and he looked once more at Polyxena, feeling not only the blood drain from him, but his heart breaking also. He had loved her and even if he had only known her for a few days, he had known that he had loved her more than anyone before.
"You shameless whore," Achilles snarled, looking directly at Polyxena. He staggered once more on his feet, as if he were drunk, and tried to grip onto the wall beside him.
Polyxena closed her eyes in pain and felt tears begin to run down her cold face. She suddenly opened them once more and stared into Achilles's eyes, it was then that her body froze.
Within Achilles's eyes, Polyxena could see her death. She could see flames engulf her body on the shores of Troy while screams from women and children echoed throughout the plain.
Each guard looked at Achilles with shock spreading widely across their faces as they watched him sink down to the floor. They had never expected Paris to kill Achilles, let alone kill him with one shot at the heel.
Polyxena watched from where she stood, her eyes wide and filled with horror, as Achilles closed his eyes and finally succumbed to death. She soon turned away and returned to the palace, no longer able to look at the body of Achilles.
It was said that when Achilles was born, his mother Thetis wished to make him immortal and so she dipped him into the river Styx. Everything the sacred waters touched become invincible, but because Thetis held Achilles by his heel as she dipped him into the water, his heel remained dry and therefore vulnerable…
A/N: I'm sorry to those who like Achilles that I killed him, but his death is significant to the events which will take place in the coming chapters. His death almost begins the end of the war, but not in a good way… Thank you for all of the reviews :)
Queen Arwen – I hope you enjoyed Achilles's death, I know you've been looking forward to it ;) Thank you for the review and I'm really glad you liked the last chapter!
Priestess of the Myrmidon – Thank you for the review and I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and loved Paris's anger, thanks :) It is a shame that the film isn't good, especially considering the actors in it, never mind :(
Kitera – I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and thank for the review :)
Gaby – Polyxena doesn't do anything to stop Paris because she does not love Achilles and she feels it's the only way for the war to end, I hope that makes sense. Thank you for the review and I'm glad you liked the last chapter :)
Lily – I'm afraid I have killed Achilles as it's essential to what will happen in this story, I'm sorry :( Thank you for the review :)
Idun03 – Thank you for the review :) I'm afraid, despite not deserving the honour; Paris did Achilles as I'm sticking to the myth, but it was tempting to have Andromache kill him ;)
meitsiwong36 – At the beginning Polyxena saw Nickolas in Achilles which drew her to him. What I've tried to say, is that Polyxena was forced to love Achilles (although she doesn't know it) by the gods, and that once the gods no longer forced her to, she no longer loved him, but Achilles still continued to love her. I'm sorry if that is still confusing. Thank you for the review :)
Caz – I'm sorry I'm leaving you in suspense, but the chapters will hopefully come out a little quicker now. This is my first ever fanfic, it's the first thing I've actually wrote and allowed people to read other than family. Thank you for the lovely compliment and I'm really glad you like this, and thank you for the review :)