A/N: I wrote all of the chapter plans! Isn't everyone proud of me? Yeah I'm such a loser. Last chapter was so incredibly bad compared to the others, but that's just my thoughts. Thanks for all of the reviews; I never get complements from anyone about my writing (FYI: There are these 2 amazing writers in my English class so I kind of take the back seat) and it's so cool to be getting praise, not giving it. This is the chapter I have been waiting to write for sooooooo long. Read and you'll find out why.
Chapter 5 - Broken Trust
"Paris!" Helen ran towards her awaiting husband. "I have missed you so much. Life back at that villa is so dull." Andromanche caught Briseis gaze and rolled her eyes dramatically. They both laughed, unnoticed, beside Helen and Paris.
"Welcome back." A voice said over Andromanche's shoulder. She yelped in surprise and turned to Hector, who was standing behind her with a foolish grin on his face.
"Why you-" He embraced her warmly before she could finish. It felt like forever since she had been held in his arms. She pulled away reluctantly and began to bombard him with questions "How is your father doing? How are you doing? When are the Greeks coming? Do we have any more spies in Greece?"
He held up his hands in defense. "We've only been apart for two days they'll be plenty of time to speak about that. But while we're waiting, how have you been? Briseis did drive you over the edge did she?"
"Sorry no. Why do you want me to?" The noblewoman flipped a mane of ebony hair over her shoulder. "Hope I didn't miss all of the fun."
"Believe me, the fun is just beginning." He grinned at both of them. "Neither of you have missed a thing. But we might miss the festival if we continue."
Briseis laughed derisively "More festivals? Are you trying to deprive us of sleep?"
"Yes Briseis my plan has at long last been discovered." They all laughed standing on the scorching sands. "And we have company." Hector said loudly as Pramadas, who had returned to the city days earlier, ran towards his sister. He embraced her, taking her completely off of the ground. She yelped, causing him to lose balance and make both of them fall onto the sands.
The four of them were overcome with uncontrollable bouts of laughter. After a few moments of rolling on the sand Pramadas righted himself and helped his twin back onto her feet. "Where are the rest of my brothers? They were supposed to travel back with you."
"They did, we had faster horses than them." Briseis answered matter-of-factly "Guess who won the race." She smiled wryly "They will be arriving before nightfall I'm sure."
"Should we wait for them?" Andromanche asked innocently. "It isn't as though we have anything direly important to go to. Is there?"
"The feast, but there will always be another of those I can assure you." Hector answered "Is there any reason why we should be there?" When no one answered he continued. "Then we can go up to the wall, wait for them there. Our meal can be brought up."
"Well then let's be going. I haven't eaten all day; I think your friend is trying to starve me." The princess said in a whisper loud enough for everyone to hear. Hector laughed and looked at his wife with a look of sheer admiration; Pramadas and Briseis stayed quiet but wore identical open smiles.
"I'll tell my father that we will not be eating with him tonight." Hector kissed Andromanche lightly and walked out towards the deafening festival. Half way towards the top of the tower Pramadas leaned towards his sister.
"You may have been able to win a race again a 10 year old but let's see who wins between us." And he broke off into a run.
"What? This isn't fair." Briseis yelled after him and started after him. Andromanche laughed but continued at her pace, she had just ridden a chariot a long way and was in no mood for bounding up the rest of the stairs. When she reached the top of the wall the siblings were both out of breath and laughing.
"Let's just say she lost." Briseis said gasping and pointing towards the princess.
"I'm royalty I don't lose at anything." Andromanche said in mock iciness.
"If you say so milady." Pramadas said as he bowed comically. Hector strode up the stairs as Pramadas executed his bow and grinned.
"The food is coming. It isn't too late is any of you wish to leave for the feast, it is far from over." The crown-prince asked nonchalantly.
"And miss the sunset, you must be a fool." Briseis leaned towards the edge of the wall. Pramadas brow furrowed and he walked over to her side. "It isn't as though I'll fall," she said sourly and then added "Although thank you for the concern."
"Concern is what I do best." He looked away. "Other than something I really don't think I wish to tell you about." Briseis paused for a moment, looked towards her brother and hit him on the side of his head.
"You're disgusting." she said loudly and hit him again, for good measure it would seem.
"No more than yourself oh innocent sister. Don't think I don't know half of your thoughts." He challenged
"Excuse me. If anyone thinks impure thoughts it's you. I saw you and that girl outside the-" Pramadas covered her mouth before she could finished her sentence. Briseis tore his hand from her face and hit him playfully, he hit her back. The prince and princess looked on in laughter.
"Briseis, as much as I would love to see you continue attacking my noblemen, the food has arrived." Hector could barely say the words he was overcome with laughter. The twins regained their composure while the servants walked up the stairs, carefully concealing their grins.
Andromanche took a grape form one of the trays. "What has been going on in Troy? You said the fun was far from over but it is impossible that the fun hasn't begun. Please do not say you've been waiting for us to come back, as flattering as that would have been."
"Unfortunately no." Hector said as he sat down. "We've held court everyday. It is as boring as anything you are ever likely to experience."
Andromanche raised her eyebrows. "Well at least you're able to speak. We cannot even move in the hall, do that for a day and tell me it is not the dullest experience of your life."
"If you would like to switch places with me for a day I would gladly do it." He looked over towards the horizon. "Is that them?"
"Yes, it won't take them long to get here. I wonder what took them so long." Pramadas toyed lazily with a goblet of dark wine. The high walls cast the city in shadows, save the bright fire in the center where the festivals raged on.
"Hector can we visit the viewing spot?" Andromanche asked quietly. He looked at her for a moment as though about to refuse but he stood up and walked down the wall silently. The other three followed him for what seemed like forever when they came to a fight of stairs Andromanche regretted asking but continued anyways. At the top of the stairs they came to a space on the wall just above the massive gates.
A cloth parasol canopied the chairs where the royal family would sit while the massacre took place below. Andromanche sat on the stone seat to the right of the throne, where she would watch the battles.
The princess covered her mouth with both hands. "This will be where I spend the war, on this stone, waiting."
Briseis took her place watching the rest of her kin come closer the palace. "At least you will be able to see what is happening. If someone dies I won't even know until you come back."
"No. Watch from up here," Andromanche sobbed. "You can't leave me all alone when they are fighting. Please."
Hector looked at the noblewoman. "Briseis, if you wish to I can make it so you can watch the battles from here." They all waited for an answer. "Briseis?"
"Do you really want me up here Andromanche?" She turned momentarily to see the princess nodding fiercely. "Then I will watch from up here. Why do you want me though? You can be here with Helen and Cassandra and Hecuba can't you?"
"Yes but I would rather be here with you than any of them." The princess looked into the distance. "You want to be up here more than me anyways, so why shouldn't you be?"
"Good answer." Pramadas said plainly.
"Good question." Hector countered.
Only a sliver of the sun's bright light shone over the horizon casting long shadows over the land. The dust from the oncoming chariots tainted the otherwise unmarred landscape and there was no wind to push the scarce trees to and fro. The clouds floated lazily below the horizon, their colours slowly fading from view.
"Have they arrived?" Pramadas questioned eagerly. Briseis shook her head slowly.
"But they will be soon. If we go back down to the gates we will not have to wait long." She answered his question drearily.
"Then we should go back?" She nodded. Pramadas didn't seem to notice his sister's lack of enthusiasm and ran back down the stairs as fast as he could. Briseis stood up slowly and waited for the prince and princes to follow her brother before she took a final glance at the sunset and set after the rest.
"Pramadas!" Hentayol embraced his brother firmly. "Briseis!" He ran to greet his sister as she appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Cartanye came running from the chariots soon after. Cariaxis was out of breath by the time he reached the city gates.
"How do you do that? They can run faster than Poseidon's own horses." Briseis laughed.
"It isn't as easy as it seems is it?" She turned away from Cariaxis and bended down to speak with Hentayol. Hector couldn't hear the words but he knew what Briseis was telling the little boy, about the Greeks. How he wouldn't be able to race in chariots anymore or walk on the beach at sun up. It made his heart break to take these small pleasures away from a small child but he knew Briseis would handle things, she always handled things.
"So you cannot leave the city. Do you understand that Hentayol?"
The boy rolled his eyes. "I'm not that young Briseis." She stood straight up again and messed his dark hair.
"Don't kid yourself Hentayol; you still have many more years until you're as old as your sister." Hector said jovially as he walked over to the pair, wearing an unguarded smile.
"And years to go before I am as big as you Prince Hector."
The prince laughed. "If you are anything like your brothers you will be bigger then me." This was, Melanon and Pramadas were both larger than him and even Cariaxis equaled his height.
"Briseis is it true we are missing a feast?" Cartanye pulled his sisters dress, almost toppling her over; for a small child he was strong.
"Not missing, you've already missed it. Both of you have to go to sleep." The boys whined shrilly. "No! If you hadn't taken so long getting here you would be able to go to the feast but that is your own fault."
"But Briseis that isn't fair." Pramadas walked over with two other brothers at his sides. Seeing that their sister would not be swayed, Hentayol and Cartanye tried their tactics on him instead. "Pramadas, please may we go. Just for a little while." His other younger siblings joined in and he was soon surrounded by 'Please Pramadas.' and 'Melanon would let us'
"No! If Briseis says it isn't alright then it isn't alright. It is late and even I am going to sleep. Cariaxis, Brisantho, Balcamen," The three brothers looked up from their conversation. "If you wish to attend the feast you may but everyone else is going to their chambers now and that is the end of it."
This was met with much grumbling on the boy's part as they filed through the gates staring at Briseis and Pramadas.
'They look like their parents.' Hector thought. Briseis and Pramadas' parents were strict but had a warmness that some parents, even Hector's, lacked.
"Well if I don't go to sleep now I think they might all come back." Pramadas said with a mock shudder that made everyone laugh. He walked through the gates and turned to wave as he disappeared around a corner.
"Wait!" Andromanche cried. "I should probably sleep as well. Traveling all day is exhausting." She looked back to Hector. "Are you coming?"
The prince shook his head. "No I'm not tired. Briseis and I need to speak; it will not take long my love." He illustrated by kissing his wife lightly on the forehead before she disappeared behind the same curve in the road. Briseis stared at him for a moment, thinking about what Andromanche had told her. 'People talk.' She had almost laughed at the thought of Hector taking her as a concubine when he loved his wife so much but now in the moonlight with the prince by her side it didn't seem like such a lucrative thought.
"Hector maybe we should be back-" She started but her stopped her.
"Briseis we need to talk about something," Hector's eyes darted nervously around the street. "Alone." She masterfully concealed a gasp and followed the prince up the stairs to the wall, wanting to make every footfall last.
When they reached the platform they had only recently come down from there was complete silence. Briseis could see in his eyes that there were a hundred thousand things he wished to say but he was too uncomfortable to say them. She slowly sat down on one of the stone benches, smoothing the creases in her dress and adjusting her jewelry carefully.
"Hector why couldn't we have spoken of this tomorrow? It is late and Andromanche-"
He cut her off again, a habit that was annoying her more and more. "-Is the problem. I don't want her hearing what I need to speak with you about. And you mustn't tell her anything I speak of tonight." Her heart thundered in her breast. There was never such urgency in his voice as tonight or the sudden beg of secrecy. There was never such a catch in his breath that made her wonder what he was going to say? Or more importantly how she would respond.
"Hector, if it's about Andromanche maybe you should be speaking to her about this, not me." And then added quickly. "I'm not your wife."
"I know that, but Andromanche and I have had problems." He sat down beside her and she drew breath sharply, thankfully he didn't notice.
"You both seemed so happy tonight. Was that all a rouse?" He laughed weakly.
"No we were happy to see each other. I missed her a lot, I always do when we're apart but when we're together." He rested his head in his hands. "When we're together it's like we aren't married at all, it's awkward almost. Like we've become strangers in two days. If my marriage can feel like that after only two suns maybe it- maybe we weren't-" he finished uneasily.
"Meant to be together." Briseis finished quietly; the silence that followed was the longest in her life. She was sure time had stopped if only for that moment. Her mind went blank and he lifted his head from his hands to meet he gaze. The thundering in her chest returned with a vengeance and her eyes weren't able to break his stare. His eyes were dark and brown; they had warmth but could also hold immeasurable anger and passion. Those eyes had seen her through everything but had never looked at her like this.
"Hector I really think we should-" He interrupted her again but not with words. Instead he pressed his lips to hers and stretched both of them down on the stone bench, tunneling his hands through her long, dark hair. With her eyes closed, Briseis could almost see Andromanche's face if the princess found out.
A/N: In case anyone was wondering Briseis has eleven brothers, which I already mentioned, in this order: Melanon, Pramadas (Briseis), Cariaxis, Balcamen, Brisantho, Termiande, Praxiam, Eopedeus, Condanion, Cartanye, and Hentayol. I haven't mentioned three of them yet and I may and I may not, they won't really matter if I do. I will get into why Briseis' parents are dead in a chapter or two