CHAPTER 2
SPARTA AND MENELAUS
I arrived in Sparta and I met many people among them was Agamemnon. It is true he was a suitor but the only suitor I had talked with was Menelaus when my mother chose him for me. He looked me up and down and said, "My, my, my, aren't you a pretty thing. I wish that the gods had chosen you for me, and if you weren't my brothers betrothed I would steal you away. Yes I know you're wondering what about that pact that we suitors made, well no one can beat me most of all my pitiful brother can not." I looked with fearful eyes at him, and I thought to myself please say that he doesn't live in Sparta. He again looked me up and down, and then someone came in the prettiest gown I had ever seen in my entire life. It was all gold and it shimmered in the sun, this lady said to me "don't fret child this man lives in Mycenae, and he shall not harm you for I am the protector of marriage, Hera." I thought to myself poor crazy lady and she said "do not disrespect the gods. I am Hera wife of Zeus and you do not want to suffer his wrath do you?" I said to her, "I am truly sorry it wont happen again." Then she was gone and I looked to where Agamemnon was standing and he looked as if everything was perfectly normal and he hadn't seen a thing. I thought it was best not to earn the reputation of a mad woman. After much wait I was taken to the palace where I saw him my betrothed, Menelaus. I looked upon him and I wished that I could die on spot he was much too old for me. How could I bear it? He came up to me and kneeled and kissed my hands then spoke these words "my dearest lady Helen I am honored that you're to be my bride. I know you will make a wonderful queen and a perfect wife." Then he said in words only audible to me "that means that you speak only when spoken to from now on and at banquets you stay until I tell you to leave. You are to be my wife and you will follow my every command understand?" I nodded, and I thought oh gods please have mercy on me, please don't let him ever be angry with me and let me swallow my pride and do everything he says. He had his many servants show me to my room and they told me that the wedding would be held tomorrow. In my room there was a young girl not much older than a child and she looked up at me with eyes as wide as saucers. I asked her name and what she was in my room for, "my name is Sophia and i'm to be your servant girl, here in Sparta. I will do everything you tell me to do, for I am yours. I will tend to your room and your belongings and I will bring up your breakfast every morning. You will have lunch and supper of course with lord Menelaus. Then tomorrow I will transfer all your belongings to Menelaus' bedchamber." I thanked her for her help and asked her what she knew of Menelaus. She told me, "he is a powerful man my lady, he gets everything he wants and I mean everything so I don't think that you will be the only one in his life." I would soon learn that there was always someone else in his life as he was king and no one could refuse him. That didn't bother me, the only thing that bothered me was that I had been sold away into a loveless marriage by my mother and I started to weep. I wept and wept and wept and just when I thought I could weep no longer I wept some more. Suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder and I thought please don't let it be Agamemnon and I screamed. Then I heard, "don't be frightened my dear it's me your husband to be, but why do you weep? is there something troubling you" I thought to myself what a dumb brute, of course there was something troubling me, "I miss my home and my mother my lord." Of course I had lied I couldn't tell him that the real reason I was weeping was because I hated Sparta and I wanted to leave. He looked at me and then after a long pause he spoke, "missing your mother is understandable but this can and will be your new home and you will be happy here. Tomorrow I will make you my bride and you will be Helen of Sparta. You will be a queen and you will be richer than your wildest dreams. So don't fret all will turn out to be okay." I thought well at least he had a piece of decency in him, "oh and my lady supper will be served soon, please dress accordingly." He walked right out and I wished that he had walked out of my life. I got up and dried my tears and at the moment I knew that Menelaus would never be the man for me and he would never wipe my tears. All that I was to him was a plaything, a possession of some sort and I would never be more. I went down to dinner and I saw all the people looking at me and I nearly died under all the pressure. Then I saw him Menelaus and I walked up to him and sat down and all the sudden there were cheers coming from every direction. He stood up, "my people this is Helen and she is to be my wife. Tomorrow she will be queen of Sparta and you will honor her. I have arranged for this feast to celebrate the festivities and tomorrow there will be a wedding reception and you're all invited. Now eat and let us celebrate that we will have a queen and I will have a wife." I looked up and smiled, for the next 5 long years of my life I would learn how to smile even when I wasn't happy. The rest of the feast was marvelous but I didn't know what was happening because I had tuned out of the conversations as soon as I arrived. In Sparta I would learn to tune out of many conversations. I retired to my room and said my prayers to the gods then I wept for I knew that tomorrow it would be definite that I had to stay here. Tomorrow was the start of a new life and I dreaded that. I lied down on my bed and thought of my mother and all that I had left behind because my mother had been fearful of what Zeus had said, "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." I wondered what that meant, but sleep took over me and soon I was surrounded with dreams but the dreams were very peculiar. I kept hearing "he is coming soon, you will meet him. Paris noble prince of Troy, it is done he has chosen me as most fair and of course Hera and Athena are mad but how could they match up to me, Aphrodite. I am fairest and they hate Troy and Paris for it. He is going down to Troy to be with his family. After all he did live on Mount Ida because his parents sent him there as he is to bring great danger. That will change and he will no longer be a shepherd. King Priam will accept him and he will be here soon to claim his gift. I promised him the most beautiful woman in the world and he will have her. After all I am Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. You are confused but don't worry it will all make sense soon." I kept hearing that over and over again. What did it mean? Was I his prize? I must be crazy.
The next day in early morning Sophia woke me up and told me that it was time to eat. She served me a delicious breakfast that could have been mistaken for ambrosia. That was the first highlight I had in Sparta. I would have more but they would be few. After I was done eating she left the room for a few moments and came in with a wedding dress. It was truly stunning with jewels sown right into it. I loved it for what it looked like but hated it for its purpose. It was here so I could be Menelaus' bride. I dressed in it and I was immediately given enormous amounts of gold to wear. I went down to the temple where the wedding was being held and I met the gaze of hundreds of people that I mostly didn't know. I did however see some people that I recognized Agamemnon, Odysseus, Ajax and of course Menelaus. I saw a tall, bronzed, muscular and blond man. I wondered who this was. The wedding started and Menelaus of course said vows that I know he didn't intend to keep. I didn't blame him though because I didn't intend to keep mine if I could help it. We were married and I wanted to die. I later would come to accept that we were married but that would be many many months later. I walked around and met people at the reception and then I sat down and accepted gifts from the guests. I also accepted the gold that Menelaus would give me. I then got up to talk with the men who had wanted to marry me and I learned that Ajax was a mighty warrior and I learned that Odysseus was king of Ithaca and he had married a charming lady named Penelope. I learned that Agamemnon was a power hungry king, who wished to rule all of the Aegean and wasn't going to rest until he had done so. I then turned to Odysseus and said, "Who is that tall and blonde man over there sitting by himself?" Odysseus looked at me as if to say how do you not know who he is. "That man is Achilles, the greatest warrior to walk this earth. He lives for fighting and he often fights only for himself and for glory. His mother is a sea goddess. He came here on Menelaus' bidding, even though it was Agamemnon who asked him. Agamemnon and he don't get along. Achilles is a very haunted man searching for piece of mind. He does however have a heart and therefore he is wonderful to those that he loves." I immediately knew that I had to talk with this man, I didn't know why but a voice kept telling me that one day I would come to hate him and I wanted to know why I would. "I thank you Odysseus of Ithaca." I walked up to him and he looked at me with surprised eyes almost as if to say why would you talk to me? He got up and bowed, "Queen Helen, how wonderful it is to meet you. You are as beautiful as id heard." "I thank you noble Achilles, I wonder why you sit alone when you could be enjoying your time here." He was puzzled I could see, finally he spoke, "I am here to make an appearance and I can leave whenever I want, but I have to ask you how you know my name?" "How I know of you is my affair and if you can leave whenever you want then what is stopping you," I said in an agitated voice. He paused and smirked and said, "Only to say to you this, I can see you aren't happy here and you also aren't enjoying this reception Queen Helen. I can see it in your eyes you don't want to be in the presence of these people but I don't blame you, I don't enjoy the company of these people either. The only one I actually respect is Odysseus of Ithaca. I imagine you've met him. I also can see that you don't want to be married to Menelaus or to be in Sparta, but don't you worry your secret is safe with me. I bid you a good night and I hope that we meet again some day." I liked yet feared this man immediately and I wondered how I would ever come to hate him. I knew why Odysseus had called him haunted though. He looked as if he had his fair share of inner demons. I stayed in the company of Menelaus and Odysseus for the rest of the night. Then I retired to the bed chamber and knew from that moment that it would be nearly impossible for me to be happy here. I heard a voice say to me, "Don't worry child, you will be happy one day and you will be in love. I told you before that I am Aphrodite and trust what I say my dear. Now rest." I was left in that chamber to ponder what she meant for a little amount of time then Menelaus showed up and it was time to play wife.