HELEN: OF TROY OR SPARTA?
Chapter 1 before Sparta
For years there have been stories written about The Trojan War, and the battles that went on. For years the legendary tales of Achilles, "the fleet-footed", Hector, "the tamer of horses", Odysseus "the fox" and of course the legendary love, or better told as the forbidden love have been told. The love of which has started many written tales is that of the love between Paris and Helen of Troy. Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world enchanted Troy and its people, well the men. The woman were frightfully envious of her beauty, some say even Andromache herself was jealous of her. She believed that Hector, noble prince of Troy desired her. Even though legend tells us that Hector was completely in love with his wife Andromache. For centuries this is what has been told of Troy and the legendary war. The only story you haven't heard was the story of beautiful Helen, "the face that launched a thousand ships", my story.
My birth is a mystery that marvels many it is a mystery no longer. Some say I was born from an egg laid by my mother Leda but I will tell you that isn't true. It is true that my father was mighty Zeus and he did in fact come to my mother but not as a swan. He came to her in the form of her long lost love Andros. She hasn't told me much of them, yes both Zeus and Andros but I will tell you what I know.
My mother had always regretted not marrying Andros when he asked her to. She never exactly told me why she refused him. I believe that she was scared of him, and his power. She told me that one night as they were walking on the beaches of Greece, he told her that he would be sent to Ithaca to train with the army if he didn't have a reason to stay. He told her he would only stay if he could marry the woman of his dreams and live with her forever. Of course the thought of forever scared my mother just as it did me years later when I would meet Paris. She told him that she needed to think and he took her home where she pondered what to do. The very next day she told him to pack his bags and go to Ithaca. She regretted it the moment she let him go and she fell into a deep depression. She didn't know that someone was watching her from Olympus, Zeus was captivated by her beauty just as he was captivated by many beauties. He saw her pain and wanted to help ease the pain. He wondered if he could risk going to Greece, and angering Hera, his wife. She knew everything he did and so he would always turn himself into an animal as he would go to places. This time if he left as an animal she would find out; he didn't stop to think that Athena, goddess of wisdom knew everything he did and always reported back to Hera. He decided that he would go disguised as Andros. He went to her and she was overjoyed and naturally his will power won. That is how I became a life. When Zeus learned that she was carrying me, he decided to take pity on her and he went to her only this time he went as Zeus. He told her that the father of her child was not Andros, it was he, Zeus who was to blame. When she learned that the baby she was carrying was of mighty and powerful Zeus, the god of thunder she feared that the child would grow up to be arrogant and show hubris towards the gods. He told her that the child was to be a girl and he would bless her with great beauty. He said that the daughter she would birth would be named Helen and she would captivate the world. When she asked him what this meant he said this to her "far on the Aegean shores, there is a city called Troy and an unborn prince named Paris. If Aphrodite has her way they will meet, and two worlds would fall, one faster then the other. Many lives will perish for Helen is to carry a beauty that has the power to destroy and bring together worlds." She asked him what all this meant and again he told her "Troy."
She was of course confused as was I when I learned the story. Fearing that I would die she sent word for suitors and many came. Among them were Odysseus, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Ajax, Theseus and many more. All of them were leaders in different parts of Greece. Well naturally the one who would marry me would need security from anyone who dared steal me away. So the leaders made a pact that no matter whom I chose they would support him if I ever ran away. My mother chose Menelaus, king of Sparta because it was far from Troy. I was sent to marry a man I hardly knew in a city that was constantly fighting with Troy, something that my mother failed to find out. There years later I would meet the man Paris who would change the course of my life.