Hey! Sorry for the long update... but ya know how life is! sometimes stuff just happens, lol. But yeah thanx for all of ur reviews still... it means a lot. i'm not a pro writer or anything (obviously) but i thought I'd give it a go! lol

But yeah anywayz... yeah i don't if u guys will like this chapter it's sorta okay i guess... i did it really quick! but yeah sooner when a & b reunite things will get steamier (hopefully!) lol... anywayz ok R&R please!

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Chapter Nine

Achilles stayed there, on his knees in the white sand, for quite some time. Still trying to register exactly what had just happened. Nothing like this had ever happened to him in his life and he was in complete and total shock.

He didn't know how long he had been kneeling there; time seemed to stand still as the events of what had just happened kept on replaying in his mind.

The Myrmidons had come out of their tents and they were all shocked and saddened to see the state that their mighty leader was in. They had never seen the great Achilles so lost and dismayed, and they all had to take a double take when they saw a single tear make its way down Achilles pink cheek.

No one wanted to say anything to the warrior; they were all afraid that he might snap on them and do something irrational. But Patroclus couldn't bear to see his elder cousin like this a second longer, so he stepped forward and spoke his name with uncertainty.

"Achilles…" Patroclus uttered his name with as much valor as he could muster. No answer.

"Achilles…" he tried again, this time with a little bit more firmness, only to be greeted once more with no answer, making Patroclus let out a frustrated sigh. "Cousin!" he exclaimed, and finally Achilles snapped out of his trance, and slowly turned his head and focused his watery blue eyes on Patroclus. "Cousin… have you forgotten who you are? Get up off of your knees and dry your eyes. Do not let one woman take away your pride! It disgusts me how you could let her reduce you to such a sorry mess of your former self!"

Achilles' eyes, which had been a somber void moments before, lit up with anger at his remark, and he immediately got up off of his knees and stared down at his cousin with an infuriated stare.

"You know nothing about me and Briseis so do not pretend that you do!" Achilles declared.

"I know that she has changed you!" Patroclus accused. "The old Achilles would never have yielded to emotion and made a bargain with that snake Agamemnon!"

"You were the one that wanted to fight! Were you not? And now that we are, you suddenly do not wish to? What sense do you make cousin!"

"Yes, I had wanted to fight—but not at the cost of you losing your pride! What has she done to make you this way? I have never in my life seen you cry. And now you weep openly for all to see!"

"You know nothing about my pride! And you know nothing about my feelings for Briseis!" Achilles voice boomed. "And you will learn your place Patroclus!" He shouted before turning abruptly and storming into his hut. Patroclus did nothing but shoot an icy glare at the hut that Achilles had just disappeared into, before going back into his tent.

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It was very early morning and Achilles had not slept all night, he hadn't realized how much he had gotten used to Briseis being around, until she was in fact gone.

He had been alone most of his life, but now he had no idea how he had ever gotten used to the feeling. Nor did he have any idea how he had ever actually liked the feeling.

He hadn't even attempted to sleep; knowing that his uneasy mind and heart would never allow one bit of slumber. Instead he drank his sorrow away—or at least he tried to.

He drank himself into a babbling stupor, and he had even imagined that Briseis was right there next to him, and he carried on a conversation with her accordingly. Until he came to his senses, and realized what in fact he was doing, he started to sob realizing that Briseis was not with him and he didn't know if she ever would be with him again.

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It was noon, and had finally Achilles woken up. He had finally gone to sleep early that morning, and he had slept all morning long.

He slowly opened his eyes and he was surprised to see a man was in his hut. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and realized that the man was Eudorus. He said nothing – not really sure of what he wanted.

"You have finally awoken, my lord…" Eudorus spoke uneasily. When Achilles only uttered what sounded like a grunt, Eudorus spoke once more. "My Lord? Are you okay?" he asked nervously.

Achilles still said nothing, and Eudorus was becoming increasingly more nervous. It looked like the sleep had calmed him down a bit, but he knew Achilles was a very volatile individual, and Eudorus was hoping that he wouldn't take his anger and frustration out on him. "My Lord—" Eudorus started again, but Achilles' harsh voice cut him off.

"What is it that you want?" he asked in a gruff voice, and Eudorus hurried to get to his point.

"I had just wanted to tell you that you have the full support of all of the Myrmidons when we go into battle tomorrow…"

"Why did you feel the need to tell me this? You tell me this as if I were to believe otherwise," he said narrowing his eyes at the clear-eyed soldier.

Eudorus hurried to explain himself, "Well… I mean we didn't know what state you were in my lord… we had never seen you so low and—"

"I'm fine Eudorus!" he harshly cut him off, as his angry eyes cut into him. "And the rest of the Myrmidons need not to think that they will fight… we will not be going into battle tomorrow." He said lowly, his voice gruff, as Eudorus' eyes widened at the sudden information.

"What? But you told Agamemnon—"

"Never mind what I told Agamemnon. I'm telling you that we will not fight tomorrow," he cut him off in an eerily calm voice. "Tell the men that tomorrow they will dress in their armor as if they are going to battle but do not march." He said before focusing his red eyes on Eudorus, and for the first time Eudorus could actually see the pain reflected in his blue orbs. He would've never imagined that a mere slave girl could have such a deep impact on such a great warrior as Achilles.

But he simply bowed his head in understanding, and obediently turned to leave the hut. But before he could leave, Achilles voice stopped him.

"How is Patroclus?" he asked with sincerity. "Is he still angry with me?" No matter how frustrating Patroclus could be, he really loved his young cousin, and he didn't want to be in ill favor with him.

Eudorus turned his head and answered, "As angry as he should be, I suppose." And with that he pulled the flaps aside and left Achilles with his thoughts once more.

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The experience was all too familiar for Briseis. Being dragged and beaten… again.

But now instead of the original two guards, there were now half a dozen guards watching over her. Apparently Agamemnon had learned from his mistake, and he was obviously not fooling around this time.

It was a scary situation for Briseis. She had been dragged in the coarse sand all the way to the Kings' tent, and she had the cuts and scrapes on her well toned legs to prove it.

And now she was sitting on the sandy floor in some dark candle-lit room in the Kings' tent. She felt her heart drop when she realized she wished Achilles was with her now more than anything.

She let out a low hiss when she smoothed her dirty hand over a particularly painful scrape that ran along the underside of her calf. The stinging sensation ran throughout her leg, and Briseis couldn't help the tear that trickled down her soiled cheek.

When she heard one of them snicker, she looked up sharply and focused her dark eyes on the pack of Greek soldiers. She narrowed her eyes at them and angrily wiped away the tear at her cheek; suddenly feeling angry with herself for letting these pigs see her weakness.

"Say Timeus… you think she still deserves to wear that virgin robe?" one of the soldiers asked another with a sickening chuckle.

The soldier she assumed to be Timeus snickered before saying, "I wonder if Achilles has deflowered her yet… or if we'll be given the honor." The other soldiers chuckled as Timeus bent down to Briseis' level and reached his large hand out and caressed her soft thigh.

Briseis froze when she felt his grimy hand travel up her leg and her eyes darted to his hand. She unconsciously held her breath hoping his hand would not venture too far up.

The other soldiers snickered in the background, obviously enjoying watching the Trojan on edge.

With a sly smile Timeus moved his hand further up her thigh. When his hand started moving under her torn and tattered robe, Briseis realized that he was not just toying with her.

Within the blink of an eye, she grabbed onto his wrist as hard as she could, and her blood shot eyes locked onto his. "Don't… touch me." She pronounced each word with such decisive malice that even the soldiers were a little taken aback.

Timeus' eyes initially widened with shock, but quickly narrowed with contempt. With his other hand he grabbed Briseis' hand and squeezed harder that Briseis thought possible and she could not help the painful yelp that fell from her lips, and the new tears that stung her red eyes.

"What did you say Trojan?" he asked in a menacing tone as he twisted her wrist in a very painful position. Her heart started racing when out of the corner of her eye she noticed another soldier lifting up her robe. She tried to swat him away with her free hand, but instead she met with a sharp blow to her face.

Briseis didn't even recognize the helpless scream that left her as she closed her eyes tight and tried to block out the soldiers contemptuous laughter. She lay there limply as she felt more pairs of gritty hands on her body now, and she dared not open her eyes to see what was being done to her.

When she felt her precious robe being ripped from her bruised body, her eyes widened, and she knew that she would not let them take her without a fight… even if it was useless.

All at once, Briseis began hitting, scratching, kicking, and punching anything that she could touch. But of course her little outburst didn't last long, as the soldiers quickly and easily pinned her arms and legs down.

"You little bitch!" One soldier cursed examining his forearm, which she appeared to have scratched. "The little wench made me bleed!" he exclaimed to the other soldiers, before narrowing his eyes at Briseis.

Briseis stared back at him with hateful eyes, and tried one more futile attempt at getting free. She let out a ferocious growl before she spat out, "Apollo shall curse you! He shall curse you all!"

The soldiers did nothing but laugh at her words, before one soldier, who ha not spoken up before, said, "Oh really? Well then I guess we should jus—" The soldier was suddenly cut off by a booming voice that came from the entry way.

"Men!" The soldiers all turned to looked at Agamemnon who had appeared in the entry way "Leave me and my Trojan prize…" he ordered lowly shooting Briseis a menacing stare. The men all smirked and snickered and released their hold on Briseis before leaving her and Agamemnon alone.

There was a moment of silence between the two as they exchanged glances. Briseis shooting him a disgusted one, and Agamemnon throwing her an amused one.

He looked at her torn robe, messed up hair, and bruised body before breaking the thick silence. "I'm deeply sorry about my soldiers milady…" Agamemnon offered her a beyond obvious fake apology, before continuing on in the same tone. "But if I do say so, the dirty and beaten slave act does suite you… I mean I see that you have somehow managed to get mighty Achilles wrapped around your little finger."

When Briseis said nothing but her eyes continued to burn a hole into him, he smirked and slowly advanced closer to her. Agamemnon had a sickening smirk on her face and Briseis had an intense urge to empty the contents of her stomach when the king knelt down to her level.

"I know what you think that I'm going to do to you… and perhaps I should…" he trailed, and he got some sick form of pleasure when he saw Briseis visibly tense up. "But I have no desire to be inside anything that Achilles has already been in—"

"Don't touch me," Briseis cut him off in a monotone voice, when Agamemnon started to trail his index finger down her arm. And all at once the smirk quickly fell from Agamemnon's face, as he grabbed Briseis upper arm, and twisted it painfully behind her back.

Briseis screamed from the pain, as Agamemnon said his next words. "I can do anything I want… for I am the high king of Greece. And it won't be long until I'm the king of Troy as well." He whispered in her hair.

Briseis' laughter rang in his ear like a gong, as she said her next words, "I doubt that… King Priam has the finest army in the Aegean. You shall never conquer Troy!"

At her words Agamemnon twisted her arm even farther back, and threw her forward, so she fell face first into the sand, causing her cry to be muffled by the white sand.

"I have the finest army the world has ever seen! Me! Agamemnon!" He shouted so fiercely that Briseis could see the veins in the side of his neck popping out.

Briseis spit the sand that had went into her mouth before yelling back at him, "If your army is so great why is it that they have not won a single battle against Troy!"

Agamemnon said nothing, but just took in deeps breaths as he thought of something to say to counter her. Briseis watched his chest rise and fall with narrowed eyes, and a half smile formed on her face when she realize that she had rendered the king speechless, because what she had said was in fact the truth.

"The truth hurts doesn't it?" she remarked crudely. "Prince Hector will annihilate your men and—"

"That's where you are wrong, milady…" Agamemnon cut her off abruptly. "Now that I have you in my clutches… your little lover boy Achilles is forcing himself to fight, although I can't imagine why he would for such Trojan filth as yourself." He spat out with obvious disgust. "But I must admit… I can't thank you enough, for you have certainly proved yourself to be useful… if it wasn't for you it probably would not have been a Greek victory. But with Achilles and his mighty Myrmidons in battle Troy's fate is sealed…"

Briseis eyes lit upin anger as she crossly yelled, "You bastard!"

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Achilles sighed as he looked up at the night sky. He was walking along the beach, thinking about his captive that had turned out to mean more to him than he could've thought.

This empty feeling was not a new feeling for him; rather he had felt pretty empty his whole life. But there was something perceptibly different about the feeling he was feeling now… it was unimaginably worse.

The time that he had spent with Briseis, and really explored his feelings for her… he realized a lot of things about himself and the life that he had been living.

It was true that he loved the glory and the recognition he had received from being a virtually unstoppable warrior. And the utter power that he felt from being on the battle field was addicting… it dawned on him that being with Briseis and the feeling that possessed him whenever she was around, was better than anything that he had ever experienced.

And it amazed him how hard these intense feelings had unexpectedly crashed into him. It was as if in the blink of an eye she had him. He did not remember when he had fallen, but somehow he could not imagine not loving her. Even though Briseis had been in his world a relatively short amount of time, it was as if somewhere deep in his soul he had always loved her. Achilles shook his head at the crazy thought, but he realized it was true.

And he knew he had to get her back.

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ok... please review! if u hate it, please try and give me constructive criticism and not just totally bash me! cuz i tried! lol! k bye!