Disclaimer: It's not mine. The characters belong to Homer and the movie rights belong to Wolfgang Peterson and Warner Bros.
SenatorSolo: Thank you! I'm so glad you liked Larissa…she was super-fun to write. I tried to make her as realistic as possible. She should be in the rest of the story as I think Helen needs a friend besides her cousin to talk to so she won't be moping around missing Paris all the time. Sometimes kids make the best listeners. Keep reading!
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Ch. 7: Confession
The next morning, Paris went downstairs for breakfast and for the first time in his life he found he was dreading the meal. The reason he was such an emotional wreck was because he and Briseis had decided that he should tell Hector about Helen right after the morning meal. Yesterday he'd gone down to Apollo's temple on the beach to visit with his cousin. Briseis was adamant that he should tell Hector right away about the real reason why he volunteered to head the Foreign Exchange Program.
"Right after breakfast, you should pull Hector aside and explain to him about the plan concerning Helen's secret identity. Once he learns that Troy will be safe if you bring her back, he'll be much more agreeable to her arrival." Briseis had convinced him that Hector wouldn't be too angry if he explained the situation like that. Reluctantly, he'd decided to take her advice and talk to his brother this morning.
Paris' stomach was tied in knots as he descended the stairs and entered the dining hall. He greeted each family member in turn; Priam, Briseis, Andromache, little Astyanax, and finally Hector.
"Good morning, brother!" A smiling Hector gave him a pat on the back.
"Good morning," Paris nervously replied.
"I trust you slept well?"
"I slept fine," Paris lied. Thankfully, Hector didn't notice Paris' jumpiness. As the Crown-Prince of Troy took his seat, he spoke to his audience.
"I have an announcement to make – well, Andromache and I have an announcement to make," Hector corrected himself. He shared a secret smile with his wife. "You tell them, honey." Andromache beamed.
"Alright. Astyanax is going to be a big brother!" Shouts and cheers rang out from the Trojan nobles and their wives as they congratulated Hector and Andromache on their new baby. Paris jumped up from his seat and went over to his ecstatic brother.
"Congratulations!" Paris smiled at his brother.
"Thanks. We weren't expecting another one so soon – it seems like only yesterday we had little Asty!" Hector shook his head, giving his brother a lopsided grin.
All throughout breakfast, Paris was dreading the end. He looked at Briseis despairingly. She leaned over and whispered,
"Quit being such a baby! Just tell him already!" Paris frowned as his cousin, as if to say 'It's not that easy!' and she scoffed and turned away. Finally Hector had finished his meal. (Paris had barely picked at his food since he was feeling queasy.)
"Brother, could I speak with you for a moment?" Paris called as Hector was leaving the dining hall with his wife and son.
"Sure," he said. "But make it fast; I have to go train the army in an hour." Paris gave him a confused look.
"But I thought we are protected by the newly-formed peace agreement!" Hector nodded.
"We are."
"Then why do you need to be training the army?"
But it never hurts to be prepared," he added lightly. "I want my men to be able to defend this country if ever we're attacked." Paris nodded understandingly.
"Can we go and talk in my chambers?"
"Of course," Hector replied. "What's this all about anyway? Are you in trouble?" Paris sighed.
"Why do you always assume that!" Hector pretended to think.
"Maybe I think that because every other time you want to talk with me, it's about something you did that you need my help to get out of."
"Actually, I wanted to discuss the Foreign Exchange Program," said Paris.
"Oh. I'm sorry Paris, I was only teasing –" Paris cut Hector off.
"When do I sail for Sparta?" Stop stalling, Paris! Just get it over with – then you'll feel better knowing that you'll be allowed to rescue your beloved Helen.
"Tomorrow," Hector told him. "The twenty boys that are participating in the exchange shall meet you down at the docks tomorrow at dawn. And General Glaucus will be going with you, so if you have any problems, go to him for advice. Also, I'm assigning you some guards; safety won't be an issue."
"Thank you, brother." Hector could tell that Paris was still concerned about something.
"Don't be nervous, Paris; I'm sure you'll do just fine," he assured him. By this time, they'd reached Paris' lavish chambers. The Trojan princes entered the room and sat on Paris' magnificent feather bed.
"Hector, when you take on great responsibilities, do you ever do them for more than one reason?" Paris asked. Hector thought for a moment.
"I guess so. Let me give you an example. When I train the army, I do it to ensure that Troy can fend off her enemies. But more importantly, I do it so I know my wife and son will be protected if a war ever occurred," Hector explained.
"Good, because I have another reason why I volunteered to head the Foreign Exchange Program," Paris confessed in a rush. "I'm in love with the most amazing Spartan woman. When I return, I shall bring her back with me to Troy to spend the rest of my life with her. Do you think ill of me, brother?" All a flabbergasted Hector could do was stare at his younger brother. Paris waited anxiously for Hector's reaction.
"You…you're in love?" Hector sputtered. "By the Gods, you continue to surprise me Paris." He gave his astonished brother a hug. "Congratulations!"
"You're not angry with me?" Paris asked in disbelief.
"Of course not! Why would I be? In fact, I think it's wonderful that you're entering a lasting monogamous relationship for the first time." Paris hit his arm. "What!" said Hector. "Well, it's true. You've never cared about staying faithful to your girlfriends in the past."
"I've never met anyone like her who's worth staying faithful to," Paris admitted. "She's changed me, Hector. She's helped me grow up."
"And for that, I'll be eternally grateful," said Hector and Paris just rolled his eyes.
"So – when's the big day?" Paris' brow furrowed for a second before he realized what his brother meant.
"Oh! Um, I haven't asked her to marry me yet. I wanted to wait until we've safely arrived in Troy to propose. Do you think she thinks I don't want to marry her?" he worried. "That would be awful; I should've mentioned it before I left. Now she may not want to come back with me…"
"Nonsense," said Hector, trying to calm down his jittery brother. "I'm sure she knows that you love her and that you'll ask her when the time is right." Paris nodded.
"I love her more than life itself –I'd do anything for her, Hector. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me. I can't imagine my life without her anymore." Hector laughed.
"You've got it bad! Who is this girl that's captivated you so?"
"Well," Paris hesitated, "she's royalty and she's already married. But before you say anything, (Hector was about to interrupt) hear me out. We have a plan to get her out of Sparta without her husband knowing where she's going. I know how you feel about infidelity, Hector, but I swear to you, her husband is a pig! And you'll know what I mean by that when I tell you who she is. She obviously didn't choose him as a husband and the marriage is a loveless one. We were both immediately drawn to each other and we fell in love…"
"That's great Paris, but eventually her husband is going to notice when his wife goes missing," Hector interrupted. "And if she's royalty, he'll have the connections to find out where she's gone."
"Not if he thinks she's dead; he won't go looking for her then!" Paris briefly explained Helen's fake suicide plan to Hector who nodded in approval.
"Alright, so everyone in Sparta believes that she's dead. Where is she going to stay until you come for her?" Hector asked.
"With Penelope and Odysseus," said Paris. Hector was mildly impressed.
"They are formidable allies; I'm sure she'll be safe if she's with them. How does she know the King and Queen of Ithaca?"
"Penelope is her cousin," Paris explained. "So, she's disguising herself as a servant and will pretend to serve them until I return for her."
"Wait a moment, Paris, I believe you're mistaken," Hector said gently. "Penelope only has one female cousin, and that's Queen Helen of Sparta.
"Yes. I know, Hector," Paris said quietly. Hector frowned.
"Surely you're not insinuating that you're stealing the Queen of Sparta and bringing her here?"
"That is exactly what I'm saying, brother. And I'm not stealing her; she's coming of her own free will – something she was denied in Sparta!" Paris glared at Hector, who glared right back.
"How could you do such a thing, Paris! I should've known something was going on when I saw the two of you spending so much time together." Hector rubbed his temples as he was getting a headache.
"It's one thing if you fell in love with one of the lesser princesses. But, the Spartan Queen? I can't believe that you'd actually seduce the Queen of the country that until recently, used to be our enemy. Wait, I take that back…it's you. I can believe it." Hector shook his head and Paris angrily set him straight.
"I didn't seduce her, alright? She came to me, not the other way around. I know you think she is just another one of my conquests, but I promise you, Helen is different. Haven't you noticed that ever since I returned from Sparta I haven't spent time with any girls other than Briseis?" Hector looked at him guiltily.
"Well, now that you mention it, I guess that's true."
"Hector, I love Helen with all my heart. Being without her has been torture this past week. Haven't you noticed that I've been feeling a bit down lately?"
"Yes, but I thought that could be attributed to your nervousness about your first real responsibility," said Hector. "Now you're telling me that it's because you're pining for Helen of Sparta?" Paris nodded miserably.
"Hector, you know what a terrible kind of a man King Menelaus is. Helen shouldn't have to deal with that. She deserves better than someone who doesn't treat her with respect, or someone with a terrible temper. I'm not sure she deserves me, but I'm who she chose; therefore I must try to save her from that awful man." Paris gave his brother a pleading look and Hector truly felt for his brother.
"Paris," he began gently, "Are you sure that no one else knows that Helen faked her death?"
"I'm fairly certain no one know – besides Odysseus and Penelope, you and Briseis are the only ones that Helen and I have told." Hector nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, at least you didn't try to sneak her on board with us when we sailed for home last week." Paris sighed.
"You have no idea how much I wanted to. Oh, how did I want to; I didn't want to ever part with her. But Helen refused; she told me that she wouldn't be the cause of a war between Greece and Troy."
"Thank the Gods for that, then," said Hector, looking quite relieved.
"We agreed that somehow I'd find a way to return for her. And by the time I did, 'Helen' would've been long dead, and I'd bring a servant home with me. She told me how she was willing to undergo a transformation into another person from looks to mannerisms. We planned out every detail so that nothing would go wrong. And she had Penelope and Odysseus to help her until I arrive…" Paris knew he was rambling so he stopped talking and waited for his brother to finally comment.
"I can't stop you," Hector said finally. "While I don't approve of breaking up marriages, in your case I'll make an exception. If everything that you say is indeed true, I don't see why not you can't bring Helen home with you."
"Really!" said Paris, excitedly.
"Yes, really." Hector gave him a brotherly hug and Paris couldn't wipe this silly grin off his beautiful face. "Just as long as Briseis, you, and I are the only people who know the truth about Helen. I don't think father needs to know. He's getting older and things are starting to get mixed-up in his mind. I wouldn't want him to accidentally let anything slip."
"That's fine with me," Paris agreed. "But I had to tell you, Hector. You're my brother – we've always shared everything with each other. And I had to share the identity of the love of my life with you." He dreamily stared off into space, and Hector succeeded in restraining himself from laughing.
"Well, I wish the both of you good luck."
"Thanks," said Paris. "I'm just glad you're not too upset with me. I really do want peace!" Hector chuckled.
"I know you do. I'm sure you will make Helen very happy – you deserve each other and don't think otherwise! Now if you'll excuse me, duty calls."
Hector left Paris in his room to mull over what he'd just said. He's right, I do deserve her. I shall shower her with my affections everyday; Helen will never have to wonder if I love her because I'll tell her every night right after we make love. I'll make sure to tell her why I love her; it's not solely due to her radiant beauty, but due to her cheerful personality and caring demeanor. I'll spend every waking moment with her until she gets annoyed with me and then I'll give her horses and money for shopping and all the fine things she could want to be occupied when I'm not around. When she comes to Troy, I'll do everything I can to make her feel welcome, so that Troy will become her true home as it is mine.
On that happy note, Paris' stomach growled. He remembered that he'd barely eaten breakfast that morning. Now that he was sure that he'd be able to bring Helen home to Troy and that she'd be received well by his brother, his appetite had returned. I think I'll do something about that empty stomach of mine. When the young Trojan prince sped downstairs to have a late breakfast, he began to formulate ways that he would propose to his lovely Helen.
End Ch. 7