A/N : Here's another chapter! Please R&R! Hope everyone had a happy new year!
Briseis stayed in the room for the rest of the trip. Achilles had warned her from going topside, Agamemnon apparently was fond of young girls, and he did not want her to be within his sight. The ship traveled faster than the others, and Achilles had his black sail. Briseis started to go mad inside.
Achilles had told her to stay below as they reached the beaches of Troy. Briseis knew that he was going to sack the temple and she could not stop him.
"If you do go to the temple of Apollo, please don't kill all the priests" Briseis said
"I've killed men in 5 countries, never a priest" Achilles answered back
"Well then your men will. And I will be at the temple as one of the spoils of war"
"You are to stay on the ship! You are not to leave the ship unless I say so!"
Briseis stood there in shock, not that he had yelled at her, but that in his anger there seemed to be an inkling that he cared for her.
"You will be victorious and kill thousands of my countrymen. Their blood will stain your armor and I will be in your tent unable to do anything"
"You asked to come to Troy"
"To die!"
"Not today!" Achilles walked out and closed the door.
Topside, Achilles looked at the shores of Troy. Immortality was on the shores of Troy. He could taste it almost.
"Patroclus put your spear down" Achilles commanded
"What?"
"You will not fight today"
"Why cousin?"
"Guard the ship"
"I want to fight!"
"Cousin, I can't fight the Trojans if I'm concerned for you. Guard the ship. And make sure the girl doesn't go anywhere"
Achilles entered battle victorious. He slayed thousands of Trojans on the beach, he took the beach with 50 men while the rest of the Greek army watched. He pushed forward and claimed what would be his. He heard his name being chanted by the Greek army, and looked up. Immortality was just a step away it seemed. His men reached the temple of Apollo. And he had told his men to take what he wanted from the temple. He had not expected Prince Hector to come and confront him. But it was all another day of fighting to him. He had accepted the fact that he would die a glorious death here, and that he would be remembered forever. Death was merely a part of life and he accepted it.
Briseis was inside the tent, while Patroclus was outside making sure she did not escape. He did not want to watch over his cousin's concubine, he wanted to go out and fight and prove himself to his cousin instead. Who was this girl to him? What importance did she have?
Achilles was walking back from a long day of battle. He was covered in the blood, sweat and dirt of war. He entered the tent, and saw Briseis huddled in a corner of the tent. He said nothing to her, and washed his face with the cold water in the basin. The cold water felt soothing on his skin. He began taking off his armor as it was heavy and let it drop to the ground. Briseis said nothing as she had already lived through this moment in her mind.
"Did you enjoy slaughtering my countrymen?" she asked
"I did not slaughter anyone, this is war, and your countrymen are well aware of that" Achilles said as he let the water splash onto his neck
"Let me go to Troy. I cannot stay here"
"You cannot leave this camp now, there are soldiers who will not be as kind as I have been to you."
"Then let me die"
"You will not die today"
"Will you do it?"
"What?"
"Will you take your sword to my throat and end it for me?"
But before he could answer her to tell her she was a mad woman, Eurodus came into the tent.
"Agamemnon requests your presence"
"Give me a moment"
Eurodus nodded and left. Achilles looked over at Briseis who picked up a knife off the table and held it to her throat.
"Or I'll just do it myself"
Achilles was in no mood for this. He reached out and twisted her wrist. She dropped the knife onto the ground, and he pulled her closer to him, she was pressed up against his sweaty blood stained chest.
"I'm not in the mood for this!"
"If you leave to see him, he will claim what he wants from your tent"
"He doesn't know what I have"
"He knows everything, and he knows too much. Please do not go"
"Are you a seer?"
"No" Briseis pulled away from him, "But if you go, he will take what he wants from your tent, and I will not be here"
"Have you seen your own death?"
"Please do not go! I beg you!" Briseis fell to her knees
"You are on my last nerve. Get up. Agamemnon will not dare take anything from me. I cannot deny him an audience. I will have guards outside the tent, no one is going to harm you"
Briseis looked up at him and then looked away.
Achilles got dressed and changed and walked to see Agamemnon who was sitting on his makeshift throne, receiving tribute for claiming the beaches of Troy, even though he did not fight at all. Achilles rolled his eyes, it was always the same, politics and more politics, he grew tired of these things. Odysseys saw him and patted him on the back.
"You know how these things are. War is young men dying and old men talking. You know this. Ignore the politics" he said as he walked off
Achilles tried to ignore the politics but he could not stand Agamemnon, He was a self righteous, self absorbed arrogant, reckless, power hungry king that made careless mistakes because of his ego and pride. Achilles stood there and listened to him prattle on and on.
"A great victory was won today! I heard your mean sacked the temple of Apollo today"
"You want gold? Take it, as a tribute to your bravery. My men have no use for it"
"Oh but I already have"
Achilles narrowed his eyes as he saw the smug smile on Agamemnon's face. He turned as he heard a woman's screams and struggles. He saw her there, as the guards held her, he saw Briseis. And in his mind he realized that her prediction was right.
"I have no quarrel with you brothers, but if you don't release her you'll never see home again" Achilles said as he reached for his sword
Briseis struggled with her captors as Agamemnon watched with delight.
"Decide! Wrong answer!" Achilles drew his sword and was ready to attack while the guards drew theirs.
"Stop!" Briseis screamed out, "Too many men have died today, if killing is your only talent then it is your curse! I don't want anyone dying for me today!"
Achilles stood there, angry, first this girl wanted to die, then she wanted go to Troy to die, and now she doesn't want anyone else to die? What was this? What was wrong with her? He couldn't stand the games women played. So he lowered his sword.
"My, my, the might Achilles silenced by a slave girl" Agamemnon said as he walked closer to her and touched her hair
"Tonight I'll have her give me a bath, and who knows?"
Briseis hated it when Agamemnon touched her. She remembered to the first time he had touched her, the way his greasy fingers mauled her body. She was so repulsed, she smacked his hand away and pushed him and ran to him. She ran to Achilles and he reached out to her. He grabbed onto her hand and pulled her behind him,.
"Why you wretched little creature. Guards kill her!" Agamemnon roared
"Think again!" Achilles yelled back
Briseis hid behind Achilles and reached to find the small hidden dagger he kept in a small compartment in his lower back. Achilles' attention diverted for a second as he wondered how she knew about it.
"Guards bring her to me so I can kill her with my bare hands!" Agamemnon yelled
"I will not fight, none of my men will fight against Troy if you pursue this!" Achilles yelled
"You're whore has insulted me!" Agamemnon yelled
"Spoils of war" Achilles replied with a grin
"You must surrender her."
"Never. I found her first. Do not take what is not yours"
"Everything is mine. Troy is mine, and that whore is mine!" Agamemnon hissed
"Before my time is done, Achilles will look down on your corpse and smile" Brisies added
"Impudent little-"
"Hold your tongue, or I will cut it out for you" Achilles yelled
"You will suffer a great loss, several losses each day Achilles does not fight for you. You will never take Troy!" Briesis said
"There's a mouth on that one!" Agamemnon yelled
"And you will die by the hands of a Trojan" Briseis said
Achilles turned to look at her.
"Silence your mouth woman" Achilles said
Briseis looked at down and realized she had said too much. She had truly never felt hatred for anyone except Agamemnon.
"I could kill everyone in this room within seconds, except for you king of kings, I'd have to save you for last. Now we can do this all night or you can bow down your swords" Achilles said
"She is much to spirited, far too much trouble. I shall have a finer, virginal priestess tonight instead. But you have crossed me son of Peleus." Agamemnon hissed
"No it is YOU that have crossed me." Achilles grabbed Brisies's wrist and lead her out of the room. He dragged off his boat and back onto the sand.
"Are you mad woman?" Achilles yelled
"What do you care?"
"It is not wise to go against Agamemnon alone"
"But you do it"
"It is different for me"
"Because you are a man. And I am just a mad woman"
"You are a mad woman! And how did you know I had a dagger?"
"I just know things"
She lied to him then. She had known because he had told her before. When they were together, before he killed her cousin, before her cousin killed his, before their lives became so complicated.
"Is there anything else you know you'd like to tell me?"
"No"
She lied again. She wanted to tell him all the things she didn't say before, she wanted to tell him she cared, that she still loved him even though he was such a cold, arrogant warrior. Even though he had slain thousands of her countrymen, she still loved him. And would forever to do so. Even though her Achilles no longer existed she still loved him.
Achilles yanked her and pulled her back into his tent. Brisies walked to the other side of the tent.
"You are completely mad, or completely stupid, or insanely brave priestess" Achilles said as he sat down to sharpen his sword. Brisies sat down in the corner and looked away.
"I thought you were a dumb brute. I would could have forgiven a dumb brute"