After Achilles scooped her up and started to run, Brisies didn't remember anything. She woke up in a cabin the sea gently rocking against the hull of the boat she was on. Brisies blinked in the sunshine and looked around. She was in a small cabin with one porthole. She was lying on a cot and could tell someone had changed the sheets recently. Then she noticed a shape in the shadows.
"Who's there? Where am I?" she called out into the darkness. Slowly Achilles stepped forward. She stared at him for a second and then the memories came flooding back. She started to sit up but pain seared through her arm and shoulder and she fell back and closed her eyes. When she opened them Achilles was standing over her. He smiled.
"Good morning", he said, sitting down on the edge of her cot. Brisies smiled.
"How long have I been asleep?", she asked. Achilles pondered this question for a bit then answered, "About a day and a half." Brisies looked up at him. He stroked her hair and then leaned down and kissed her. His hand moved up her back to her head and he pulled her into a passionate kiss. She wrapped her uninjured arm around his neck and kissed back. He broke off the kiss and looked into her eyes. She smiled and her eyes twinkled in the early morning sunshine.
On the voyage home, Brisies and Achilles spent as much time together as they possibly could. Brisies' arm started to heal, but it still hurt when she moved it too much. They were almost to Phtia (Achilles' home town) when she had full use of her arm. Achilles always kept her in his sight, especially when she was sleeping. He would watch her slowly drift off to sleep and as she slept, she looked like an angel. Her halo was a mess of curly brown hair. The moonlight highlighted her curves that were clearly visible through her nightdress and through the flimsy sheets. Achilles couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was beautiful, and she was his. He smiled at the thought.
One day he took Brisies out on the deck as the sun was setting. It was just the two of them, in complete silence, his arms around her waist, her head on his shoulder. If they could have frozen any moment they spent together, this was it. Brisies was the first to break the silence.
"What's it like in Phtia?", she asked Achilles. Achilles thought for a moment then answered.
"Well, it's nothing special. There is a large market square where you can buy anything. The palace is on a cliff overlooking the ocean, with the most beautiful view of the ocean in all of Greece. We have trading posts and stables, and it's beautiful there. The best part is, it is now our home, not just my home." Brisies smiled.
They watched the sun set and as the first star appeared, Achilles picked Brisies up and carried her to the cabin. He laid her on the cot and kissed her. He kissed her neck and worked his way up her jaw line until he found her lips. His hand found the edge of her dress and slipped it up. The fabric glided up her thigh, to her stomach then over her head. Achilles took off his tunic and threw it to the floor. He started kissing his way down her stomach, making her back arch. Her lips parted and she let out a low moan. He kissed down both thighs until he found what he was looking for. She moaned a little louder as he kissed her core. He kissed his way back up to her mouth and as he kissed her he slowly inserted himself into her. Her moan was stifled by his kiss. He started to rock his hips back and forth, pushing into her powerfully. She gasped for breath, clinging to him as best as she could. He pushed into her faster and harder, waiting for her moment of release. She moaned out his name and it pushed both of them over the edge. Shaking, Achilles pulled out of her and lay next to her.
"I love you", whispered Brisies. Achilles smiled. "I love you too" he replied, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
Her eyes fluttered, and she took a shaky breath. Achilles was still asleep next to her and the events of the night before flooded Brisies' mind. She shuddered and realized that the blanket was on the floor. She slowly climbed out of bed and retrieved it. As she pulled the blanket over her and Achilles, she noticed all his scars. They were all over, on his back, on his neck even on his chest. Brisies shuddered at the thought of Achilles leaving for war now. She didn't want him to leave her ever again. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't notice Achilles' eyes slowly open. He rolled over and looked at Brisies. God was she beautiful. As if waking from a dream, Brisies looked at Achilles and smiled.
"Good morning, beautiful", said Achilles with a smile. Brisies giggled. "Good morning to you too", she said leaning down and kissing him solidly on the lips. Achilles took advantage of her moment of weakness to tickle her. Brisies laughed and punched him in the arm. Achilles pouted.
"Do you always have to hurt me?" he asked sarcastically. Brisies laughed.
"Only if you tease me like the way you did last night" answered Brisies simply. Achilles laughed. Brisies went to a trunk and picked out a simple pale blue dress with a low cut bosom. Achilles watched her get dressed. Brisies was no longer afraid of him watching her like she had been at first. After she was dressed, Achilles got up and got a dark blue tunic out of his trunk. It was the tunic he had worn the morning after he took her. Brisies smiled at the thought. Achilles took Brisies out onto the deck and they watched some seagulls fly overhead.
Standing on the deck of the boat going to some unknown place reminded Brisies of the only other time she had been on a boat. She was only 12, but Hector, Paris, Priam and Andromache had taken a boat and sailed to a small island of the coast of Greece. They wanted no one to recognize them as royalty, so they disguised themselves as simple farmers and were able to get through the city undetected. The boat was small but they made due. Hector was at the helm, Paris and Priam were playing chess and Brisies and Andromache were sipping sweet tea and talking about her upcoming marriage to Hector. It was perfect. The memory brought tears to her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away, not knowing Achilles saw them. He tightened his grip around her waist and kissed her on the cheek. Brisies smiled up at him and Achilles could tell she was back to her normal self.
It was a beautiful day. The sky was a bright blue and there was barely a cloud in the sky. Then all of the sudden they heard a shout. "Land! Land! Phtia is in sight!" Brisies smiled up at Achilles. She was home. This was where she belonged now, here, with Achilles. He looked into her eyes and, as if he was reading her soul said, "We are home." Brisies smiled and looked out over the edge of the boat. There was a huge cliff towering overhead and she could make out the shape of a large, white palace overlooking the sea. There were lush green forests to the right of the palace. Brisies noticed how different Phtia was from Troy. Troy was very dusty and Phtia was full of greenery and life. She smiled, she knew she would love it here.
