AN: Thank you so much for all the glowing reviews. And I'm sorry it was such a cliffhanger. (Not really :evil grin:) Call me a masochist but I loved being threatened with death if I even PONDER killing anyone off. Oooo boy. Here it comes…. Hehe.

My Immortal
By BluWine

Chapter 19: I've Been Alone All Along

"Stop!"

Achilles looked up and saw Paris at the gates… Which surprised anyone who saw. Paris was spineless, selfish… the reason for an unnecessary war… And here was the cowardly prince, tentatively approaching a frantic warrior with a knife to a woman's neck when no one else would.

"Paris…" Hector grumbled from his position above the gates. He immediately ran down, not even noticing Andromache's worried glance.

"Please… Don't…" Paris pleaded. He took a step forward and Achilles' grip on Katri's hair tightened.

"Uh…" She grunted shifting her weight to try to ease the pressure.

Helen looked from above the walls and pursed her lips. A month and Paris hadn't even tried to apologize, and simply wasted away on the sheets of a woman who wouldn't return to him. She may have been a fool to let him sleep with others, namely Katriana, but she wasn't a fool when she saw the devotion in Paris' eyes as he looked down the great Achaean. He wouldn't do this for just anyone. In fact, Helen doubted if Paris would still risk his life for her now. Everything seemed to have changed.

"It's not her fight. This fight is between you and me," Paris reasoned. "Don't hurt an innocent in all this."

"Patroclus was an innocent in all this," Achilles yelled. "And yet he died at YOUR brother's hands!"

"He was in the battle! He knew what could happen in there but he still made the choice to fight." Paris replied.

"And SHE was in my hut… SHE knew what could happen in there but she STILL made the choice to stay," Achilles grinned, maliciously. Paris visibly blanched, immediately thinking what Achilles was baiting him to think. "Oh, yes… I see I've hit quite a tender spot, haven't I. I know all about it…"

"That has nothing to do with this…" Paris growled. "Just give her back to me…"

"And if I don't?"

"You'll have me to answer to…"

"Oh, you must be able to do better than that," Achilles guffawed. "I can beat you even without a blade while you are in your best armor." He pulled harder on Katri's hair until she was standing on her toes, clutching at his wrist and sobbing. "I'm beating you right now."

Off in the horizon, Paris spied the line of horses marking the audience appearing at the distance. A chariot was slightly ahead and Paris knew that Agamemnon was there as was Menelaus.

"What can I do to make you give her back to me…"

"I don't negotiate with cowards and princes," Achilles sneered.

"Well, I believe I'm a prince but I think all negotiations should be done with me so I ask you release Katriana," Hector called from the gate. Acacius was a step behind, glowering, his own anger at himself for trusting Achilles with Katriana beyond measure. Hector was dressed in well-worn armor, dented and rusty, and his sword was recently used, blood still staining its blade.

"Oh… Prince Hector…" Achilles grinned, throwing down Katriana. She fell face first into the dust and she immediately scrambled up to run. "How lovely of you to come."

Paris didn't know what hurt more. In retrospect, thinking that it was his fault that Katri was near burnt to a crisp was pretty painful in itself but this moment seemed to have hurt more. Regardless of what just took place between the two, Paris had risked his life to save Katriana. Truth be told, he expected her to run into his arms and thank him profusely, telling him that her love for him would never die and was even stronger now. He expected at least a glance or a smile.

What truly happened was the moment Katri had momentum to move, she ran past Paris and straight into Acacius. She didn't take notice of him. She didn't look, and much less, smile at him. His presence was completely ignored and it almost nearly destroyed him inside to think that his foolish mistake of sleeping with her had destroyed his one connection to his past.

Paris walked up to Acacius and Katriana who were huddled against the wall inside Troy. Katri seemed to have trouble breathing and was clutching the collar of Acacius' tunic and his hands cradled her head gently, keeping her close to his body.

"You're safe. You're fine. I'm here and I swear I'll never let him touch you again…" Acacius murmured but loud enough for Paris to hear as well.

"Katri, are you okay?" Paris asked, reaching out to smooth away the dust in her dark hair.

"Of course she's not okay, you stupid prat," Acacius snapped, twisting his body to protect Katri's from Paris. "She just had a knife to her neck and you ask a stupid question if she's okay…"

"Where's Hector?" Katri asked, her eyes wide looking up. Acacius' angry green eyes softened at her questioning stare. "Why isn't he inside?"

"He's gone to fight Achilles…" Acacius answered.

"What?! No! He can't! Achilles is too strong. Doesn't he understand that?" Katri shrieked trying to breakaway and run to the gate again but Acacius grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her back. "He won't win!"

"I'm not letting you go back out there, do you hear me? I'm not!" Acacius snapped. Katri wrenched her arms away, breathing heavily and angrily. Instead of staying beside him, she ran for the stairs. If she couldn't stop the fight, then she would watch it… Then pray to the gods that the prince remain protected.

"I thought I already killed you this morning," Hector murmured, taking out a heavy sword against the mighty Achilles.

"You obviously thought wrong." Achilles took out his heavy spear, a shield to match its strength on his other arm.
For I'm still here."

"I curious, though, who it was that I did manage to slay…."

"He was my family, you arrogant prince!" Achilles was the the first to strike, slamming his shield against Hector's. It was only meant to play with Hector, however.

Above the walls, Katriana and the royal family watched with bated breath the fight before them. It was near crucial to win this battle and what victory! Achilles's death in the hand of a Trojan! Their names would live on forever in history!

Katriana was much more short-sighted. She knew the strength of the Achaean, and just wanted Hector to survive.

Acacius was holding Katri's hand. He could feel her apprehension radiating from her back and he immediately began to rub the back of her neck, trying to ease away the tension from her muscles. He wasn't up to his old tricks again. He just wanted Katri to relax, but it still had the same effect on Paris.

Paris was glowering again, sulking in his mind as his heart feared for the brother he'd come to love. In the corner of his eye, he saw Acacius begin to rub his fingers smoothly over Katri's neck and he scowled.

Helen saw this expression of Paris' face and shook her head in disbelief. If this wasn't the best example of Paris' love for Katriana, she didn't know what was. It was so obvious, and she slumped into her chair, feeling so disconnected from the battle in front of her. She just wanted to block out the world around her. Nothing was going the way it was supposed to.

Hector threw back the attack, surprising Achilles with his own strength. The reversal made Achilles stumble but he caught his footing without breaking a sweat. His spear attacked this time. Achilles' weapon struck Hector on the side but the next four missed, hitting only his shield again.

Watching these two giant warriors fight wasn't something she expected when she left with Paris. Helen thought that a quick skirmish would be all that Agamemnon would need to deter him. The walls were too strong, impenetrable by anything the Greeks had… even that monster, Achilles. Now everything was so much harder. They were so persistent. They wouldn't leave her be.

Now, Hector was poised to fight. It was a lunge and thrust, one after the other. He knew he couldn't win by brute strength. He needed to use the resources before him. He managed to make a hit powerful enough to send Achilles back and as Achilles recovered, Hector kicked up the dust. Achilles growled, trying to desperated to wipe away the irritant. Hector took the advantage, stabbing at Achilles, scoring first blood as his blade swiped at the great warrior's shoulder. What gave Achilles time was Hector's surprise when he could have sworn he saw the wound close and heal right before his every eyes. Achilles attacked again, making Hector fall onto her back. Before the spear could run through his head, Hector rolled away.

Helen looked at Paris, wondering when he stopped caring about her… Well, at least stopped loving her. He used to adore her every move, every word… But now… only when she could look him in the eye could she draw him away from his distractions. It wasn't all bad, though.

Paris was growing up to be a good man. A long shot from the sixteen year old she met some years ago. Now, turning twenty, he's become an accomplished archer. He was able to put up a fight on the battlefield though he was still considerably unskilled. His intellect had bloomed into something to be impressed by. He was growing up so well. Now, it was not only the love of the most beautiful woman that he could brag about but his mind, strength and body, for he had also filled out qute nicely.

The sand had nearly handicapped him, irritating but not completely blinding him. Hector shook his head and jumped up to his feet again.

Achilles grinned. It was like playing with his mice, toying with them before he went in for the kill. It was fun, taunting the prey till they tired of the games, and the predator would tire of it as well. Until then, Achilles would just fight, jumping up to bring down his spear with the most force as possible.

Paris took Helen away from everything she hated. Made to wed at such an early age… to a man old enough to be her grandfather and to man that she didn't know either. She remembered being told that she was to marry the king of Sparta. Her demeanor was calm and accepting, everything a lady of her stature should have been but in her mind, she was kicking and screaming bloody murder.

She turned to Katri. Her envy was enormous, to love whom you chose, and to have the choice of two upstanding men… even if one of them was an idiot and didn't realize that he loved her. She turned again. Helen was not going to let herself fall into the sadness that was overwhelming her. It was not her way to be uncompliant about the hurdles of her life. Her beauty was both a blessing and a curse… but each passing day it became more of the latter.

Was it possible to further complicate this fight? It was hard enough as it was but now, Achilles had managed to hit Hector… hard… and his shield was now too far from reach. The spear had knocked it out of his grasp and he was now in mortal danger. The fight was even more disadvantageous to Hector who wasn't immortal as Achilles was to begin with.

"Come on, prince! You are the most skilled warrior of your city. Is this all you have to give?" Achilles laughed.

Hector gasped for breath. He made his way into a safety zone, away from a spear's strike. It was futile to trade words now. Every breath, he needed for this fight, if he even wanted to survive.

'Please don't let him die. Father… please,' Helen prayed to Zeus. She had her own connections to the gods and it was rarely answered. It seemed that Leda was only a brief fling. She should have known that… realized it. Zeus would never answer her prayers… but she had grown attached to Hector, regardless of his sometimes hostile treatment of her, he protected her…

Block… thrust… thrust… block… block… block. The attacks were coming now. Hector was losing his strength.

He was in a battle to the death because of a war that started for the love of the most beautiful woman.

The spear was at his right… right… top… block stab…. Reflect strike… This is no man… Left… right… left… left…

Helen just wanted him to live…

Hector just needed to survive… Achilles took to the right one more time before wearing away at his left yet again.

To see his little boy live for another day…

He couldn't leave Astyanax just yet.

Hold Andromache one more time…

He couldn't leave Andromache a widow just yet… His strength was draining like the sands of an hourglass. Grain by grain, he knew that he was that much closer to death. All he could think of was that he needed to survive this day…

Just survive…

Just live…

Just…

"NO!"

Helen's eyes shot up and she saw Katriana, her hand outstretched as if trying to reach for Hector. That was when Helen realized that the battle was over.

Achilles with his chilling blue eyes and long blond hair was standing over Hector's body, his spear embedded into the dead Prince's skull. Blood was pooling at the sand beneath Hector's head, chest about to collapse underneath the Greek's unyielding step.

It was over. Katriana broke into sobs and reached for Andromache who was watching the whole spectacle beside her. The new widow was frozen and didn't dare move. Acacius went to Katriana keeping her up as she herself held onto the princess.

Princess…

The thought came into Katriana and she realized that as she looked at Andromache's unmoving eyes, that they've only been married a month. The gods had only blessed their union for only a little over 30 days. It was unfair… It was completely and utterly unfair.

How could the gods break this perfect couple apart especially when their child was sleeping in the palace at that very moment?

Helen closed her eyes and didn't look up. She felt the pain of losing a loved one. She felt a tear coming down her cheek. Would there be anyone for her, to comfort her, to prove to her that she's not alone in her pain when she looked up?

Helen looked around with blurred eyes. Priam was nursing his grief as Paris comforted his mother. Acacius held on to Katriana as she held Andromache. She looked to another side but the guards were solemn in their own remorse… and no one was there to comfort her.

Ha… she though, miserably, standing up and wiping away the tears she never allowed an audience for. I've been alone all along, haven't I. With that, she left the walls for her chambers.

AN—I didn't want to! I didn't!! But it was inevitable… You have no idea how sad I am now.

Review Responses

dae. I'm so sorry for the lack of updating... But my other stories have been musing and I need to spread my attention, right? :grin:

amanda. Hopefully... :sniff: you won't be too depressed. It's just that... He died... and i wish I didn't have to write it but... :sniff: Everyone's dying!

Nevasaiel. Hopefully, Hector's death wasn't too hard to follow. And reality. :sigh: It does suck a little... And all those heart troubles... :sigh: My own are a little irking. Guys just suck in general.

Trojan Nag. Katri?! Dying?! Never!! JK... I might.. hehe

Chibi. Update here! And your optimism was just contagious. The happy was just all over the chapter.

Lady Vendea. haha... Or I'm just that forgetful maybe? I probably heard it and completely don't remember it... With my cluttered mind, I wouldn't be surprised.

onelostdream. PARIS IS AN IDIOT! That or... :grin: stuff... haha. I LOVE being omniscient. And Briseis is just a woman as bad as that sound. In Achilles' hernia moment, as you so lovingly put it, would have probably gotten her killed.

Maren L P. Astyanax! Poor him! An orphan at three... I didn't even realize that till the end of the chapter writing!

Shells. DID YOU JUST sAY THAT YOU WANTED HER TO DIE??!?!? My beloved Katriana?!?!

yuki. Helen needed a little sympathy I think. Which is what this chapter is for... Hopefully you like her a little better?

Ara7. You can't stand em but I LOVE writing em.

pierced-belly-button. Paris is still slightly wuss-ish. Wait in a coupla chapters though.

Larrikin. UPDATING! You good now? Hope you liked it.. Minus the whole Hector dead thing...

Honolulu. Haha.. Well how's that for a continuation? Good? Bad? REVIEW AND TELL ME!

Bloomy Angel. Well he ATTEMPTS to save her? Does that count?

rose-eye-blonde91. Like I could write a Troy fic without incorporating his butt! That was the first thing I saw in the movie!! :sigh: Yup. Life's good.

Stardust Angel2. Well it's been almost a month. Hopefully your nails are doing better. hahaha. Did it grow much?