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Achilles was ready to take his men and go home, his heart was not in this war, and he had fallen in love and with a Trojan priestess. "Achilles we cannot leave, we must stay and fight!" His young cousin protested, Patroclus was still a young boy and Achilles knew that he had no business fighting against train fighters in a battle.
"This is not our war, do you have some personal offense with the Trojans that I do not know of?" Patroclus did not say anything, he just waited, "It is time to go home and let Agamemnon lose this war on his own."
Patroclus loved his cousin but he wanted to fight, "This is about that girl isn't it?"
"Maybe it is, but it still does not matter we are going home Patroclus, trust me that were will be plenty of time for you to learn how to fight." Achilles said he was done talking about this, they were leaving. He told his cousin to help the men prepare to sail, and we went back to his tent…to Briseis.
Patroclus watched as his cousin walked away, it was not fair, he was no longer a boy, he was a man and he wanted to fight. He watched as his cousin and the girl left the tent and down to the beach, he slipped into the tent and grabbed his cousin's armor, he knew that he would have it back before Achilles even knew that it was missing.
On the beach Achilles walked with Briseis, "Are you really leaving?"
"Yes, would you come with me?" Achilles knew that he had fallen in love, for once in his life he was at peace.
Briseis was silent, "As what? Your captive?" She had to know, know that she was not alone in loving him.
"No…as my wife and love." Achilles held her in his arms, "I have fallen in love with you."
"Well that is a good thing, as I have fallen in love with you."
The palace was busy holding their meeting, Hector knew that if they attacked their ships they would unify the Greeks stronger than ever before. He stormed into the chambers, he hoped that the baby was not asleep as he had probably just woken him up and his wife would be furious.
"Hector what is wrong?" Andromache asked, he saw the fear in her eyes, lately the fear was there more frequently and he hated it.
"My father, he keeps thinking the gods will win this for us, but where are they? They are not the ones getting killed out there!" Hector yelled, "But he will not listen to me! I told him not to attack the Greek ships, but did he listen? NO! Now they are probably unifying and getting ready to fight us!"
Andromache sat the baby down, grateful he was used to his fathers outspoken manner, "My love calm down, it will not do you any good to carry on this way."
He sat on the bed and laid his head on her lap, "He has unified them, Achilles and his men did not fight because there is dissension between Agamemnon and Achilles but now they will have unified."
"Hector somehow…everything will be alright, you will see." Tears filled her eyes, "I just cannot lose you, and I know I would not survive." She stroked his hair like a mother would do a child, "Please do not fight anymore in this war…please."
"I wish that I did not have to, but the men need me out there, Troy needs her Prince standing tall for her." Hector felt as a tear hit his cheek, what he would not give to see his beloved smile. "Please do not cry my love."
He sat up and held her in his arms, "As you said, somehow everything will be alright. Now please…dry your eyes and give me a smile."
Stubbornly she turned away and he began tickling her, her laughter soon filled the room and for just a moment everything was right in his world.
The next morning it was time for battle once again, Hector dressed in his armor and was ready to fight. He glanced at his wife sleeping on their bed and at his son who was holding his lion, "If I die my son, please look after your mother."
He walked away from them, hoping that he would come back. He fought Achilles, he was a good fighter but in Hectors mind he was not the stuff of legends. He landed the fatal blow, but when Achilles removed his helmet there was a young who was gasping for air and not the mighty warrior Achilles. Hector was shocked, he felt ashamed and the guilt flooded his body as he looked at the boy lying on the sand, he saw the fear and death in the boy's young eyes. He picked up his dagger and plunged it into the boy, so he would no longer feel pain.
"It was his cousin." He heard Achilles' man say, he had killed Achilles' young cousin and he knew that Achilles would want revenge, after all wouldn't he if someone had killed Paris, or Andromache, or his son.
That night at the palace as he watched his son sleeping, he saw the face of the boy and knew that boy's dying face would haunt him the rest of his days. He led Andromache down the patch to the hidden tunnel and gave her instructions on what she should do if he fell, "Save as many as you can, but protect yourself and our boy."
They made love with a passion that night, it was as though Hector believed it would be their last time, she watched as he slept. She slipped from the bed and put on her robes and brushed out her hair, softly she knocked on the door of Paris's chambers, she hoped that Paris would not be awake and answer. Relief filled her when Helen came to the door, Andromache gave her sleeping son to the woman, and "Can you give me Paris's armor?"
"Why do you need it?" Helen asked closing the door of the chamber so that Paris would not hear them.
"Achilles will want revenge for what happened today, but I will not let him take Hector from me, our son, or Troy. I will fight him." Andromache told her with determination burning in her eyes.
Helen shook her head, "No…it is too dangerous!" She whispered harshly.
"I have to, even if I do not fight him maybe somehow I can convince him to not slaughter the love of my life and father of my child." She whispered back, after a while Helen relented and brought the armor, "Please…if I do not come back…please take care of my son." With a kiss on her child's forehead she left.
She slipped from the walls and rode towards the Greek encampment, she did not know what she planned to do, but she stopped and slipped the armor on, she was a skilled fighter, after all she had to be she had been raised the only girl of seven brothers. Fear was in her mind, and questions what if she were making a mistake but she would not listen to the fear she would remember the fearful look in her husbands eyes as he told her of the boy he had killed.
She found Achilles' tent and slipped inside with her sword drawn, "Andromache?" she turned hearing her name and faced her husband's cousin, her friend Briseis, "What are you doing here? It is too dangerous for you to be here." She whispered.
"I am here to fight Achilles, Hector killed his cousin today in battle, and it was a tragic case of mistaken identity." Andromache had so many questions of her own for her cousin but now wasn't the time.
Briseis nodded, "Achilles is devastated and he is bent on getting revenge and avenging his cousin's death, they were like brothers, I am scared for Hector."
"As am I, that is why I am here so that he will not have to fight." Andromache saw the fear shine brighter in the girls' eyes, "Do not try talking me out of this."
Achilles found them in his tent, "Who are you? What do you want?"
"I am Andromache, Princess of Troy…Hectors wife." She left out that she was the mother of his child, she did not know if the Greeks knew about the boy and was not about to tell them, "I am here to fight you and take the place of my husband."
Achilles watched her, she was a beautiful woman, and Hector was a lucky man, now he was intrigued why would this woman be here if she were not serious? "You wish to fight me, because you know that your husband killed my cousin and I want revenge."
"I wish to kill you, because you killed my family, because you are a monster, because I know that my husband will live with the pain of what happened today for the rest of his life, surely that is punishment enough!" Andromache yelled, her sword was drawn.
"If you do not wish for the entire Greek army to barge in here and see the perfect opportunity to destroy Troy by kidnapping it's princess and future queen I would suggest keeping your voice down." She definitely intrigued him, here she was with her sword drawn ready to kill him to save her husband's life.
Briseis was terrified, "Please no…Andromache he is much too strong, he will kill you, please do not do this." She turned to Achilles, "Please let this be the end, she is right killing my cousin will do nothing but destroy Troy, but yes he will live the pain of what happened today, my cousin is a man with a soft heart in a warrior's body."
He ignored her pleas, "Well princess where shall we do this? This tent is not big enough, and I do not think you would like to do this in front of the Greek army."
"There is a place on the beach, it is secluded from both the palace and this camp." She told him, her voice filled with determination, there was no hint that she was terrified.
Meanwhile, Helen could not sleep after her visit from Andromache she sat on the wall watching for the princess with the baby boy sleeping in her arms, but soon she was not alone, Hector had awoken to find his wife and son missing from his chambers.
"Here is Asyntax Hector!" Paris called, "Helen what are you doing with him? Hector has been so worried." Paris looked in her eyes and he saw the worry and fear, "What is wrong? Has something happened?"
Hector joined them, and took the boy in his arms, "Why do you have him? Where is Andromache?" He had wanted to make love to his life one more time as dawn rose, but she had not been in bed and neither had their son.
"She…she is…" Tears filled Helen's eyes, "Last night…after you went to sleep she came to Paris's chamber, she asked me to watch over the boy and asked for Paris's armor…she has gone to fight Achilles or to somehow convince him not to fight you today."
Fear flooded his body, "H…How long as she been gone?"
"Since midnight." She said softly as dawn broke the night sky, "I have been waiting here for her but she has not returned yet." She could not meet his eyes, the anger in his eyes made her think he would gladly pick her up and toss her from the wall.
"I…I must assemble the men…this war just became much harder." He said as he walked away holding his child protectively against him.
Helen was crying in Paris's arms, "I am so sorry, I begged her not to go but she was so determined."
At the camp, no one knew that at that moment Achilles was indeed fighting the Princess of Troy, and somehow after two hours of fighting they were both beginning to wane and the Princess was relatively unscathed. Achilles was amazed this woman was an incredible fighter and he was wearing out.
"Princess, I have a proposition." He told her, secretly hoping that she would take it without seeing how tired he really was.
Andromache put down her sword, she was exhausted, it had been years since her brothers had taught her to handle herself in battle and she was amazed that she was still standing with just a few minor cuts and bruises, "Well?"
"I will not fight your husband, I loved my cousin like a brother, however I respect you for coming here, it takes a brave woman and it shows how much you care about your husband and only a great man would be worthy of such a woman." Achilles said softly, the warrior in him still wanted revenge but there was a bigger part of him that wanted peace, "I propose that I be allowed to wed Briseis and end this private war between Hector and myself."
Andromache watched the pair they were in love, "Alright, I accept under the condition that if you hurt her in any way I shall walk up to the Greek army myself and tell them that you could not beat a woman."
Briseis could not believe it, Andromache was still alive and the private war between Achilles and her family was over, "thank you Andromache" She flung herself into his arms, "Thank you!"
"Princess I will escort you back to the palace myself, I would like to speak with Hector." Andromache nodded, "Tell me does he know that you can fight so well?"
Andromache shook her head, "I cannot believe that I never told him, when we were first married so long ago mother told me that I should keep it to myself for a while, so that I would seem more womanly to him, but then I just never thought about it."
On their way back they met the Trojan army, Hector was not in the front he was in the back, he had chosen not to lead the army to rescue Andromache in case his love and fear for her caused him to make a mistake.
"Hector is it alright, I'm alright!" She shouted, he saw the lines split as his horse ran through them.
Hector did not notice Achilles nor his cousin, all he could see was his wife, his beautiful, stubborn, frustrating, wonderful wife. "What were you thinking? You could have been killed!" He said lifting her from her horse and setting her on the ground.
"But I am not and Achilles…he has something to say to you." She said still wrapped in her husband's arms, for her it was the safest place in the world.
Hector turned to face Achilles, "Who do you think you are? What did you do to my wife?" He demanded, he saw the blood on her arms and her face told him she was exhausted.
"Your wife is a very skilled fighter, after two long hours of fighting we both called a truce, I hate you for killing my cousin however our private war is over, because I respect your wife and I love your cousin." Achilles said in a calm voice, holding his hand out to Briseis who was still on his horse.
Andromache told him about how her brothers had taught her to fight, and how she could not let him fight Achilles. She told him that Briseis had been taken captive but that Achilles had rescued her from Agammemnon and his men, how they loved one another and that she had given her permission for them to be wed as long as he treated her right.
"You are sure that you are all right my love?" He said facing Andromache, she nodded and kissed his lips, "I was so worried when I awoke and you were not in there and then Helen tells me you had gone to Achilles' camp."
Hector faced Briseis, "We have been so worried about you cousin, you have been well taken care of? And you love this man?"
"Yes Hector." She told him with a smile, "Alright Achilles, our private war has ended and I do want you to know that I am sorry about your cousin, his death will stay with me forever." Hector said solemnly.
"And with me, but I will take good care of your cousin after we are wed I shall take her home with me." Achilles told him and Hector gave a nod.
On the way back to the palace Andromache had fallen asleep on Hectors horse, she was leaned against his chest, he gave his men orders to stand by in case there was another attack from the Greeks. In their rooms he laid her on the bed, and carefully took off Paris's armor, he saw the cuts on her arms and the bruises, softly he kissed each one. He lay next to her and tears filled his eyes, "You say you can't live without me my love, but if I were to lose you I would rather be thrown from the city walls."
"Hector it's Paris, is everything alright?" He called from the other side of the door, he frowned when after his brother opened the door and there were tears in his eyes.
"Yes, she is fine just exhausted she is sleeping, tell the maids not to disturb her and ask Helen to keep Asyntax, she needs to rest right now." Hector could not believe that she had never told him about being a skilled fighter, "Here is your armor, it's a little dirty so it will need to be cleaned." He said handing it to his brother.
Paris frowned, something was troubling his brother, "You once told me that I do not know anything about love…yet I love Helen more than I have ever loved any woman."
"Do you know why I did not lead the army today?" Paris shook his head, he had been so sure that Hector would have led the charge and killed anyone who stood in his way of getting his wife. "I did not lead them because of my love for Andromache, and my fear for her life, it takes a focused mind to lead an army. If I had led them I could have endangered the men's lives and not to mention Andromache's. You love Helen now, but your wife must become your best friend, your lover, the person you trust in above all others. I have loved Andromache since the beginning but I love her more now then I did then. Once you have held your wife through a miscarriage of a child, you have fought with her, you have shown her the worst of yourself as well as the best and she has shown you the worst of herself, only then will you understand true love"
He walked away back into his room leaving Paris in the hallway thinking about what he had said, Hector saw she was still sound asleep. He took a cloth and bathed the dried blood off her skin, even that one small cut made him want to tear Achilles limb from limb, but the man was right their private war was over.
At the camp Agamemnon was furious, he had thought since Hector had killed the boy Achilles would finally join the fight, but he refused even still. It was that slave girl, she had affected Achilles somehow.