Before the traitor turned I had armed myself. I was no fool, I would return home to my boy. A heavy branch lay in the road, no longer then my son. I took the heavy wood in my hands. The weight was quite pleasing, when Caedes turned I struck him as hard as I could, right across the face with the wood.

The armored man fell in a heap upon the dirt ground.

Helen screamed when I did so, I ignored her, angrily I kicked Caedes's limp form. I glanced up to see the Greek warriors were all gone. I looked back to Caedes who still breathed. But there was no honor in killing a defenseless man. So I simply dropped my weapon, and knelt by his side. He still wore his ranking armor of Troy.

I took Briseis's cloak off and lay it upon the dirt ground.

In my marriage I had taken apart Hector's armor many times. I would not allow this traitor to have this armor. With deft fingers I began to dismantle each piece. I began at his chest-plate and worked my way down.

The man, Norm, came back on the road. Where he had been I could only guess, but his hands were bloodied, and the Greek Warriors were not in sight. His friend let out a cry of relief upon seeing him. "Hoot! Thank God…That was real armor those men had on!"

Hoot? MattEversman had addressed Norm as Hoot. I did not care or wish to know. I concentrated on the armor. I had taken the top plate off to be surprised at what lay beneath.

Paper. Letters. He was a messenger.

I lay the letters in the cloak along with the breast plate.

The man, Norm or Hoot, I did not know what his name was anymore. He came to my side rather quickly, I pushed Caedes on his side to get the back-plate. I then lay it atop the chest-plate.

"This is the road. West is Troy, East will take you into the city. I would suggest you go west to find a different city." I advised the man without looking up.

For a moment the man said nothing. I quickly dismantled the gauntlets upon Caedes's wrists and lay them in the cloak. He still did not move, so I looked up into his dark eyes. He watched me take the armor apart with surprise. As if he suddenly realized something.

"What is today," He asked.

I unlatched the belt Caedes wore, I did not want that, instead I took the sword off it. With great respect I lay it at my side, "The third week of Summer."

Helen came to my side, "Andromache, what are you doing? We need to get back before more Greeks come!" I looked to the sandals upon his feet, "Go ahead of me."

The sandals were not Trojan, I then took out my knife. The cloth under the armor still remained. I did not wish to touch his vile skin. So I began to cut the cloth off.

"What year is it?" The man asked, Helen told him the year.

When I got the cloth off, I lay it upon the armor. Caedes lay in no more then a pair of sandals. I wanted nothing more then to slit his throat. Instead I put my knife away and tied the cloak up.

The younger man looked as if he would vomit. Norm or Hoot, seemed to be unaffected, he looked to me, "Why are the Greeks here?" Helen seemed to grow smaller at my side. Without a look to her I told him, "They sacked and conquered Troy."

At Troy's mention MattEversman ran to the man's side. A horrified expression on his young face, "Troy? No, that cannot be true."

The man looked curiously to MattEversman. Who seemed to be on the verge of hysterics, "You remember Troy?" Norm or Hoot shook his head, "Maybe you should sit down, Eversman." This only agitated Eversman who shook his head, "No. Troy, the great walled city? The Prince Paris stole Helen from Greece, starting the Trojan war, and the city fell."

Norm Hoot looked perhaps more confused, to which Eversman continued, "Don't you remember ninth grade literature? The wooden horse? The blonde woman, she's Helen!"

Norm Hoot looked to Helen, then I, then Eversman. "You had too much to drink last night." Eversman shook his head and pointed to Helen, "It's true just ask her!"

I looked to Helen, "What did you tell him?" "The Truth! Someone had to, you were sending them to their deaths!"

That was not true, "They were going willingly. Ask Briseis, Perhaps it was the will of the Gods."

Helen's face grew redder as she grew angrier with me. I cared not, it was not my job to make her happy. Norm Hoot then spoke, "Well ladies it was a pleasure. Eversman you can stay here with the blonde nut, I don't care, I'll send help. Mrs….Lady, it was a pleasure, even though you may be Homicidal.

I waved and turned to my newly acquired armor.

Norm Hoot began to walk along the dirt road, towards Troy. Eversman shouted, "Where are you going?"

Hoot turned and walked backwards, while I picked up the heavy armor. It weighed as much as Hector! "To the Embassy!"

"There is no Embassy," Eversman shouted, "HOOT!"