Disclaimer: It's not mine, although I wish I could claim Paris. The characters belong to Homer and the movie rights belong to Wolfgang Peterson and Warner Bros.
Ch. 12: Happily ever after?
King Priam had never been so insulted in all the long years of his life. Having just finished a late night meeting with King Agamemnon and his brother, he was starting to doubt the true identity of his son's new fiancée. Spartan King Menelaus had just accused the Trojans of stealing his wife Helen, and questioned the legitimacy of the freshly written peace treaty. Priam had barely been able to keep the infuriated patriarch from searching the palace for the woman while she slept! Using years of diplomatic training, he was able to convince the monarchs to rest until the morning, when he would introduce Paris and his bride-to-be, show the kings that the Trojans had not stolen the Queen on Sparta, and clear up this political mess.
Yawning, he rubbed his temples in annoyance. Yes, he would find no sleep tonight. He had to know the entire truth of the matter, although he already had a good idea what was going on. There was something different about that girl, Callista. It struck him odd that Paris would fall in love with an ordinary servant girl, and his intuition told him that she didn't quite seem like a servant. As he made the long trek down to the temple of Apollo, he knew exactly the person who could set him straight.
"Uncle!" cried Briseis, albeit groggily as she'd just been awakened by the high priest. "It's good to see you, but whatever is the matter? The high priest said it was urgent!"
"Yes, I'm afraid so, my dear," Priam said heavily. "You'd better sit down; this might take awhile…" They discussed Helen's identity and the pressing accusation from Menelaus.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" the King asked, frowning.
"Well," Briseis hesitated, "Paris, Hector, and I didn't want you to worry. We thought you had enough things on your mind as it is, being king and all."
"So it had nothing to do with the fact that I'm getting on in my years and that you were afraid I wouldn't be able to keep the secret?" Her uncle stared at her knowingly and she grimaced.
"It's alright, dear niece. I was planning on giving up the crown to Hector sometime soon anyway…my time as king should end when I'm still on top of things. Perhaps I shall announce this tomorrow morning, giving Paris and Helen time to think of something," he mused.
"That's a good idea," she agreed. "But we must warn Helen, and quickly," Briseis emphasized. "She cannot go back to that horrible man!"
"You're right…take me to speak with Helen immediately," Priam agreed, and they began the long journey to the palace.
Dawn came; its brilliant rays were no match for the bonds of sleep. Paris stretched and leaped out of bed while Helen just groaned in protest and rolled over.
"I don't believe it – I'm marrying a morning person," she lamented, and Paris laughed.
"I take it you aren't." Helen yawned in response. "That's alright love…why don't you stay in bed for a little while longer while I pick up Larissa?"
"Are you sure you don't need me to come with you?" He grinned and shook his head.
"As much as I'd love your delightful company, I realize that you may need a bit more time to recover from last night." He smirked devilishly at her and she blushed.
"Oh you…" she began but before she could scold him, Paris sauntered over and silenced her with a kiss.
"You know you like it," he whispered, his voice dangerously low.
"Perhaps," she teased. "Now there will be none of that when Larissa arrives…we don't want to scare the poor girl!"
"I wouldn't dream of that," said Paris, remembering all of the horrible events the child had told them she'd witnessed. "Alright then, love. We'll be back soon…how about we meet you in the dining hall for breakfast? I trust you'll be rested enough by then?"
"That sounds wonderful," she agreed. "Now be off with you!" she cried, shooing him out the door. Helen flopped back onto the bed with a contented sigh, intending to sleep a bit more before she had to face the Trojan court and Paris' family members at breakfast. But that did not go according to plan. Barely a few moments after her husband-to-be had left, there was an urgent knock on the door. Sighing, Helen got up to answer it.
"Briseis!" she exclaimed happily when she saw who it was. "I did not expect to see you so soon…what a pleasant surprise." Briseis did not return the greeting, but gulped instead and stepped aside to reveal the king of Troy.
"Hello, Helen," Priam greeted her quietly, his tired blue eyes taking in her shocked reaction.
"How…how do you know?" she stammered, her stomach plummeting in fear. Now that Paris' father had discovered their secret, was she to be sent back? Was their careful planning all for nothing? She couldn't bear to be parted from him, not after all this.
"I'm so sorry, I had to tell him everything," Briseis explained tearfully. Helen nodded, understandingly. If the King of Troy had demanded that she tell the truth, the girl couldn't have kept their secret any longer.
"I suspected there was something different about you," Priam began, calmly. "It seemed to be that while you were a charming, sweet girl - you were hiding something. Now that I know your secret, I must confess that it wouldn't have mattered to me, and I wouldn't have bothered to uncover it except for after what happened last night." He quickly explained about his midnight meeting with Menelaus and Helen gasped in horror.
"Oh no…this can't be happening!" she moaned. "He's come for me…I was so afraid this," she muttered.
"Please, don't send me away," she begged Priam, who regarded her with a cool expression. "I cannot leave Paris…we need each other!"
"I know how much you mean to my son," he told her gently. "But I gave your husband my word that you would be present this morning at breakfast."
"But he'll recognize me for sure," she said, blinking back tears. "Please, sire. Isn't there any other way?" The king stroked his beard for awhile, as if contemplating a tough decision.
"Come with me," he ordered, and Helen had no choice but to follow him and Briseis to what she knew would be certain doom.
Priam entered the dining hall, along with Hector, his wife, and son…but neither Helen nor Briseis were in sight. Everyone stood up as a sign of respect until the royal family was seated, even a disgruntled Menelaus and Agamemnon.
"Good morning to all," Priam spoke as the nobles began to dig in. "I would like to welcome our esteemed guests, Kings Agamemnon and Menelaus from across the seas." There was scattered applause and Priam waved his hand for silence.
"And now I would like to speak on a topic that I've been pondering for quite some time now. And that is the passing of the throne." A startled murmur swept through the hall…apparently he had caught his audience off guard, Priam thought with amusement as he continued his heartfelt speech. Poor Hector seemed to be the most stunned of them all.
"The people of Troy already look to you, Hector, as their leader in so many ways. You lead the army; you've commanded respect for not only your victories but for your mercy against those who surrender. I am getting on in my years…and I'm beginning to feel my age. I feel that it is time for me to retire quite soon - so it would only seem fitting if you assumed the throne within the end of the month."
"Enough of this!" thundered Menelaus, his face turning purple. "You people are harboring my wife, and stalling won't help you face the truth!" Another murmur swept through the hall, only this one was more speculative.
"I gave you my word last night, oh hasty one," Priam said in a quiet but commanding manner. "The woman that sailed from Sparta with my son shall indeed be present in time…but whether she is your wife or not will remain to be seen." Tempered for now, Menelaus took his seat, but he conversed with his brother, throwing angry looks in Priam's general direction.
"Now, where was I? Ah yes…Hector. Son, I've always known that one day you'd grow up to be a fine king. Never once have you complained about the weight of the responsibility and you have the wisdom and temperament of the makings of a great ruler. Will you accept this honor that I and all of Troy bestow upon you?" Hector got to his feet.
"I shall," he answered, standing tall with all the dignity of the future king. "And I promise to lead my country to the best of my ability." Cheers could be heard all around the palace as Hector gave his acceptance speech.
"Stand still, child!" cried an elderly servant as she dabbed circles of red dye on Helen's fair face. "These boils need to look convincing and the king cannot stall them forever!"
"Are you sure this is going work?" Helen asked dubiously.
"We have to try," Briseis reminded her gently as three other servants were also having the dye applied to their faces. "From what I gather of your husband, he's not one to like to stare at ugly, sick women while eating. We can only hope that he'll send you away before he has a closer look at you."
"But what about Paris?" Helen fretted. "He had to pick up Larissa and knows nothing of this!" Briseis sighed.
"We must hope that he'll catch on quickly."
"There…you're ready miss," the servant said, putting on the finishing touches. "You look…"
"Disgusting?" Helen supplied. Admiring the servant's work in the mirror, Helen had to smile. If she didn't know better, she would've mistaken herself for someone stricken with the pox.
Along with the other servants, Helen was hustled down to the kitchens, where she was given a serving tray to carry. She was instructed to serve the table furthest from King Menelaus, in hopes that he wouldn't recognize her from afar. Hands shaking in fear, Helen bravely entered the dining hall, a servant once more. Quickly she found her table, and turned her back towards her old husband. As luck would have it, she was able to eavesdrop on his conversation from across the hall.
"What's this?" Menelaus asked with disgust, pointing at the woman who was serving him some bread.
"Last night you asked that all of the women in the palace be present in the morning so that you could judge for yourself if your wife was among them…it seems that you didn't trust us," commented Priam, with a twinkle in his eye. "So I ordered them all to be present, even those with the pox."
"That I did, but I don't want to lay eyes on those rotting with sickness! Get them out of my sight – those are the ugliest women I've laid eyes on!" Menelaus bellowed, and Helen, along with three other servants sporting the 'boils' were ushered out of the hall. She breathed a sigh of relief…perhaps she wouldn't be discovered after all. Silently, she prayed that Briseis' plan would work.
Suddenly, the musicians announced the arrival of Paris, with Larissa in tow. Helen held her breath as he took in the scene – Menelaus' cold accusing stare, Hector's worried look, and Priam's calm gaze.
"Where have you been?" Came the uncharacteristic screech from the young priestess. Hands on her hips, she marched towards the Prince and his newly adopted daughter.
"I…I had to bring Larissa home," Paris stammered, seemingly bewildered in how to act in this strange situation.
"Ah..." Briseis sneered. "Then what took you so long? I have been waiting for you to return to I could eat my breakfast in peace, but no. You had to dawdle along the way. Does my love mean nothing to you? I left my country, my family, and my entire old life just to be with you and this is how you treat me? Hmmph." She glared icily at Paris who played along beautifully.
"I didn't mean to make you wait my love," he protested. "I was just talking with her family and we got sidetracked…"
"I don't need to hear your petty excuses," she sniffed. "I'm hungry…you can explain yourself later. Let's eat!" she announced as they took a seat at the royal table. The Trojan nobles dared not voice their confusion as the scene played out before their eyes. For they knew that Briseis was not Paris' betrothed, but they knew better than to say anything.
"Larissa, darling, how was your stay?" Briseis asked the little girl, whom Menelaus closely observed.
"It was fun, Mama. Aunt Nepenthe and her family were so nice," she gushed. Out of sight, Helen let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding when the little girl pretended that Briseis was her mother.
"That's nice," said Briseis, absently, regarding Menelaus and Agamemnon with interest.
"Who in Zeus's name are you?" she asked nastily.
"Allow me to introduce myself," began Agamemnon. "I am Agamemnon, King of all Greece," he said, standing proudly. "And this is my brother, the King of Sparta."
"So?" Briseis shrugged, regarding them as one regards the floor. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be minding your kingdoms?"
"Dearest, I wouldn't speak to the king like that…" Paris warned but he was rudely interrupted.
"I can talk to him however I want," she yelled. "At least he's more well-mannered than you!" Paris cringed. "It must be her time of the month," he muttered.
"I heard that!" Briseis snarled. "You couldn't be any less sensitive of my feelings, could you Paris? I can't believe I'm marrying such a man…" she moaned.
"Actually the reason why we're here is a huge misunderstanding," Agamemnon interjecting apologetically before Briseis could really make a scene. "Since there is no doubt in my mind that you are the one betrothed to the young prince of Troy, my brother and I will be returning home shortly."
"No we most certainly won't!" Menelaus hissed. "You're hiding Helen in here somewhere…I just know it!" Agamemnon frowned at his brother and he quieted.
"You'll have to excuse him," Agamemnon said, embarrassed as he addressed Priam. "He's still grieving for his wife committed suicide only a week ago…he only thought he saw Helen leaving with your son."
"It's quite understandable," Priam said kindly. "But as you can see that she is not your brother's dead wife, I'd like to ask you to return home."
"Yes, of course," agreed Agamemnon. He'd acquired quite a large sum of gold and had greatly expanded his territories under the peace treaty - he had no intentions of jeopardizing it.
"Come, brother…we leave immediately." After much prodding, Menelaus got to his feet, and the Greek monarchs left the hall, still arguing. Alight with happiness, Helen watched them from afar with as they set sail for Sparta, never to bother her again. Forgetting her grotesque appearance, she rushed into the dining hall to greet Paris.
"Helen!" He cried, and swept her into his arms. Then Paris did a double take, really seeing her 'boils' for the first time. "What happened, love?" Quickly, she explained that it was part of the plan to help her evade Menelaus.
"…Once he saw one of the other servants who was 'sick', he sent us all away," Helen concluded, contentedly resting her head on his shoulder.
"Ah," Paris murmured. "He was too blind to recognize true beauty…but I know differently." And in front of the entire court he kissed her, while the crowd feverishly applauded its approval.
From that moment on, there was no doubt in the Trojan nobles' minds that Paris' fiancée was Helen, former queen of Sparta. But they were so pleased at thwarting the Greek kings that they didn't object to their marriage. The amazing love story hastily traveled to the streets, and soon all of Troy knew of Helen's true identity. It became the country's best kept secret…the only time Helen ever had to worry about being discovered was when foreign dignitaries came to visit. However, Briseis always played her part as Paris' wife beautifully, and the ambassadors were always left shaking their heads when they saw the 'couple' fighting over the strangest things.
A week after the Menelaus incident, Helen and Paris were married in the temple of Apollo in what was a very private ceremony. Paris' family attended of course, and Helen had invited Larissa's Aunt and Uncle to the ceremony as well. Larissa was the star of the wedding, scattering flower petals down the aisle just before Helen was escorted by Priam. When Helen saw Paris waiting for her at the altar, she knew that her prayers had been answered. Beaming, she started down the aisle, ready to begin her new life as a Princess of Troy, but more importantly, as the wife of her true love.
The End