Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. Darn it.
Thanks to all the positive reviews! And for the negative, can I please ask for you to be patient? May I remind you that there have only been 2 chapters so far, and not everyone is completely flawed all the time. Petra is not perfect, but I am not going to point a sign telling you "FLAW! FLAW!" And to the comments about her name, I know it's not a truly traditional Greek name, but it is Greek, don't worry. Also, THERE IS A REASON SHE KNOWS SWORD-PLAY! It will be explained soon. (Hint: It has something to do with how Hecuba died).
So, read on!
Helen opened her eyes lazily, shifting against the strong arm wrapped around her. Blinking slowly, she looked over her shoulder to see Paris' sleeping features, calm and composed in slumbers. She gently nudged him back and slipped out of bed, wrapping a robe around herself.
Walking up to the window, she stared at the sea and shivered from the breeze as the sun warmed her face. A smile crossed her face while joy welled up in her, escaping as a laugh. It had not been a dream.
No more would she wake up and dread the day. No more would she gaze at the sea and long for her demise. She had Paris' love and freedom.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a figure in the gardens below.
She squinted, attempting to distinguish whoever it was from her sparse acquaintances from here. Her smile started to brighten when she recognized Petra, but then she perceived the slump in her shoulders, the listless and directionless stroll. Frowning, she turned and shuffled back into the room, grabbing a gown and dressing on her way.
Paris sat up in the bed while he rubbed his eyes blearily. "What's wrong?" he asked with a sleepy yawn.
Helen hesitated. She barely knew Petra, but she had a feeling that the young princess would want privacy for now, and no man would understand. From what she observed of Paris' relationship with his sister, he would insist on barging in and Petra would clam up. "Nothing," she whispered assurance to him, smiling gently. "I was just going for a walk."
"All right." He yawned again and rolled back over, asleep before she even left.
Rolling her eyes, she smiled and kissed his cheek. "I love you," she murmured, nuzzling his dark curls before straightening and heading with purpose out the door.
As she walked down the halls, she marveled at the quietness and cleanness of the buildings. Everything practically sparkled, unalike Menelaus' old sty of a home, where soldiers trampled their mud- and blood-soaked bodies everywhere and animals ran wild with the wine and wenches. There were even high ceilings that loomed above anyone and pools of water purposefully in the floors here for mirrors.
Helen was so enamored by the rooms, she almost walked straight into Andromache.
"Oh!" Helen almost fell over from embarrassment. "I am so sorry…"
"No, it's all right." Andromache helped steady her new sister-in-law, before asking, "Were you coming to talk to Petra, also?"
Pausing, Helen tilted her head to study the Theban princess. "Yes."
"Good, I'll come with you." Andromache smiled welcomingly. "She needs as many friends as she can have now." Helen felt a warm glow at being called Petra's friend. She rarely had any women friends in her life, only servants and visiting royalty.
"Did you sleep well?" Andromache inquired as they walked towards the garden. "I found the peace almost… disconcerting the first time I was here."
Smiling at that, Helen shook her head. "I found it comforting."
"Oh." Andromache belatedly remembered when Helen came from, and what her husband had told her about Menelaus and his men. "I'm glad to hear that," she covered and gestured towards a balcony they were passing. Sunlight poured into the still quiet halls of the palace.
Strolling into the courtyard, Helen felt her heart ache when she saw Petra.
Petra had rested on one of the benches and now stared blankly out at the cloudless sky, her eyes distant and sad. Her fingers twirled the milky gem on the end of a cord wrapped around her slim throat. Random breezes brushed past her, letting her hair dance around her face. But she never flinched, even when one strand whipped into her eyes.
Helen hesitated, but Andromache called out, "Petra?"
The princess started, then relaxed when she recognized her sisters-in-law. "Good morning," she called, smiling for their sakes.
Andromache ignored Petra's pleasantries. "What happened, darling?"
Starting to protest otherwise, Petra's voice failed when she saw the determination in the two women's eyes. "I asked Father to let me visit the Temple in four days, when Briseis returns. I thought perhaps I might find some answers there."
"The gods do not answer our every inquiry," Andromache reminded her, sitting to Petra's left. Helen sank to the right.
Shoulders sinking in dejection, Petra looked down at her feet. Helen felt completely useless, searching for something useful or appeasing to offer to her new friend. She finally spoke softly, her hand raised and stroking Petra's hair back.
"They sentenced me to silence," the former Spartan queen admitted, referring to the gods. "For years I prayed to any of them for release from Menelaus' advances and home, only to cause the end of what would have been peace between your people and his, before it even began. My new happiness comes at a dear price to those I now care for."
Petra and Andromache glanced at each other. Should they deny the truth? War was inevitable now.
"Was he really that horrible?" Petra questioned cautiously.
Nodding, Helen looked out into the sea. "I used to sit, like you do now." Her eyes became distant and pained as she remembered. "Every day I watched the waves crash on the shore outside the palace."
"And you wanted to join them," Petra finished with understanding.
Helen shrugged, looking down at her feet. "Menelaus is a warrior, a courageous man. He only learned how to kill and destroy. Not love."
"Paris will never hurt you," Andromache promised, letting a hand drift over Helen's shoulder. "He has his sister and brother to keep him in line, and he is honorable when it counts." Helen smiled at that.
"You needn't tell me that."
Petra's smile became mischievous. "Besides, I doubt he'll leave your chamber often enough to get himself into trouble."
"PETRA!" Andromache scolded as she shot up to her feet. "That is not the way you speak in polite company! I may be used to your bold speeches, but Helen is not!"
Incorrigible, Petra only looked over at Helen with a grin.
Giggling, Helen only nodded. "I shall endeavor to do so," she sham-promised.
Throwing up her hands in dismay, Andromache let out a shriek when Petra poked her sides. "Not again!" she exclaimed, chasing after the young princess. Helen hesitated to join her, but quickly the three women ran through the gardens into the palace and past Priam and his sons. Helen almost accidentally crashed into her husband, whose arms shot out to catch her from a potentially painful fall, and jumped when Petra took the opportunity to poke her side.
"I'll get you for that!" Helen promised, ducking under Paris' arm after Petra, who threw back her head in laughter.
Hector shouted after Helen, "Good luck! Neither Paris nor I have every caught her!" Petra let out a shout of affirmation, turning into a yelp when Helen's fingers almost caught her. They circled once again around the men, with Andromache attempting to do a rear attack while Helen distracted Petra. However, the agile princess only swooped under Helen and scampered down another hallway, shouting teasing remarks back at her two sisters.
Priam smiled after the three women. "Helen seems to be doing well."
"Indeed." Paris beamed at his sister's attempts to include Helen in her and Andromache's games. "Indeed."
Later in the Afternoon
"Are you sure that you are allowed to do this?" Helen questioned for the hundredth time, looking warily from the box Petra was balancing tipsily onto before cocking an ear to listen for any coming intruders in their little escapade.
Petra stuck her head out of the shelf she was peeking in. "Of course! Paris and I used to do this every day when we were younger!"
Still unconvinced, Helen glanced around the empty kitchen room again. "Menelaus never allowed me to try anything that the servants could do by themselves," she admitted.
"Well," Petra emerged with flour smudges on her cheeks and her hair askew, "This is not Sparta, and Menelaus sounds like a stubborn pig."
The less than exalted description of her former "lord and master" made Helen giggle. She noticed with delight that Petra had managed to grab the honey and a few other goodies during her raid. "Now what do we do?" she asked, holding out her arms for some of the cargo. Petra handed her a few treats.
"We sneak back to the garden," Petra ducked and crawled through the room, with Helen at her side, "and pray that the cook does not catch us."
"I thought you said we were allowed to do this!" Helen protested.
"Yes, but she still insists that I should let her do the work if I'm hungry." Petra rolled her eyes. "Father has let me do this for ages, and part of the fun is not getting- Oh, she comes!"
Both women stood and ran out the door, shrieking at the close call.
Once outside in the sunlight, Helen gasped and leaned against the palace wall, pointing at Petra. "You…" Petra chuckled.
"She did not see us," she confirmed, handing out a cracker.
They sank onto the grass, munching happily on their stolen goods. "I love the sunlight," Helen sighed, watching Petra kick off her sandals.
"Paris and I once made a fortress in that tree," Petra pointed to a sturdy oak, "eons ago. Hector helped us secure it. We would do everything there, from playing pirates to guarding the citadel…" Her voice trailed off at the happy memories.
"What happened?" Helen asked curiously.
Petra rolled her eyes. "The council thought I change my habits to more womanly pastimes, and Paris started to notice girls."
"I did not!" Both jumped at Paris' interruption.
"Oh, yes you did!" Petra argued, flicking a grape at Paris' head with expert ease.
When it smacked him right between the eyes, Helen shrieked with laughter, only to have Paris attack her by tickling her ribs. Leaning back, Petra smiled at her brother's antics, only to sigh when she saw the love radiating between the young couple.
She quietly stood and walked back inside, pausing only to kneel down and grab her sandals, when she realized they longed to be alone.
Her footsteps echoing through the great hallways, Petra let her feet drag and considered her options now. Paris and Helen were (ahem) preoccupied, as probably were Hector and Andromache, her father should not be disturbed from his work… As if to answer her problem, Briseis appeared down the way, holding a fussy Astyanax in her arms. Her troubled face brightened when she saw Petra.
Stepping forward, Petra opened her arms wordlessly and accepted her nephew, smiling down at his little face and tickling his tiny feet.
"I felt that Hector and Andromache would appreciate not needing to tend to him for a while," Briseis explained, her face coloring at the idea of what could possibly be their reasons. Petra silently laughed but nodded. Having dealt with soldiers in her youth, she already knew the basics that most royal virgins learned at their husband's hands from crude descriptions. Briseis, however, not only was a servant of Apollo but had also been sheltered most of her life and the only men she regularly saw were her uncle and cousins.
Astyanax cooed and gurgled at Petra, his pleasure at seeing her evident. He grabbed a tiny fistful of her hair and tried to bring it to his mouth with interest.
"No, no, no," she scolded gently, opening his hand. He only chortled.
"He grows so fast," Briseis said wistfully. "Every time I visit, he has changed so much."
"If you hadn't dedicated your life to Apollo, you would see him more."
Briseis sighed. "The gods deserve-" Petra arched an eyebrow at her with a look that plainly said no excuses. "Oh, all right. I didn't want the council to choose my fate for me for the rest of my life."
"At least you have that luxury," Petra said gloomily. Her tone affected Astyanax, who started to cry from the dark mood. "Oh, bother! Shh!"
"Perhaps you could find some way to avoid that decision," Briseis suggested over the wails erupting from within Petra's arms. She let her own fingers dangle tantalizingly in front of the baby.
Instead of responding, Petra hummed a Trojan lullaby to her nephew, sighing with relief when he closed his eyes and slept.
"Finally," she murmured, holding him close. "Let's not dwell on gloomy subject today, Briseis," she added. "We have so few days left together, let's enjoy them while we can!"
Before the priestess could object, Petra let her eyes plead for her. Briseis knew when to drop a subject.
"In that case, I challenge you to a game of chess," she said.
"Prepared to lose yet again?" Petra teased, letting herself fall into stride next to her cousin while she rocked Astyanax.
"I believe I won the last match," Briseis reminded Petra.
"Only because you let Paris and Hector help you!" Petra retorted. "Otherwise you would yet again be crushed under my cunning!"
"Modesty is so enduring," Briseis retorted.
The two walked down the hallway, continuing their banter that was laced heavily with topics neither dared touch. The days were too full of possibly explosions already.
Later, The Throne Room
I wanna call the stars
Down from the sky
I wanna live a day
That never dies
"They want us to offer her to Menelaus as compensation for his loss?" Hector shouted at his father. Paris let out his own angry huff before turning away, rubbing his jaw to hold back his own angry words.
Priam sighed with frustration. "It was not of my own doing," he said wearily, sinking onto his chair. "The council decided-"
"The council, the council! Father, you are the king!" Hector sighed.
Leaning forward, Priam held his head on his old knees as he listened to his son release his anger.
I wanna change the world
Only for you
All the impossible
I wanna do
Despite his words, however, Hector knew that their father could no more refute the council's decisions than force the sun to cease moving. This was an old argument that had repeated itself every year since Petra's fourteenth birthday.
"You have the power to tell them to stand down!" Paris added to Hector's comment, not sensing the losing battle present.
Outside the room, Petra sat on the stairs, huddled with her arms hugging her knees to her chest. Helen sat next to her, her arms wrapped around her gently, with her chin resting on Petra's shoulder.
"This is all your fault, Paris!" Hector shot at his brother. "If you had not touched Menelaus' wife, we would not have this problem to deal with! And Father, I will not allow you to even suggest this to Petra! I will not have that barbarian, that scum, that loathsome-"
Priam's voice rose in return fire. "You don't think it kills me to have someone tell me to force my daughter into a decision like this?"
"Sometimes I wonder," Hector retorted.
I wanna hold you close
Under the rain
I wanna kiss your smile
And feel the pain
A lone tear fell down Petra's cheek when she heard her father's response, spitting out each word precisely. "You arrogant young pup, if you were still a child-"
"I'm not a child anymore, Father, and I refuse to let you do this to her!"
"What do you suggest? That I disband the council?" Priam snapped.
"Perhaps you could reach a compromise-" Paris suggested out of the blue, looking to his father and brother hopefully. They each gave him a look of absolute disbelief.
"A compromise!"
Hector demanded, "Paris, how in the world could we offer the council a compromise on this?"
Petra raised her hands to her ears, trying to block out their voices.
Paris now attempted to redeem himself by protesting, "I just thought-"
"No, you didn't think!" Hector's pacing stopped and he looked with frustration at his brother, trying to make him understand the gravity of what he had done. "You never think until afterwards, you're such a boy despite your years."
I know what's beautiful
Looking at you
In a world of lies
You are the truth
Before another word of anger was said, Petra shot up to her feet and ran out, startling the three men. Helen started after her but stopped when Hector and Paris stepped out into the hallway.
Hector stared after his sister. "How much did she hear?" he asked finally with a hollow voice.
"Everything."
And baby
Everytime you touch me
I become a hero
I'll make you safe
No matter where you are
And bring you
Everything you ask for
Petra stumbled through the halls, fighting her way past the anger choking her so abominably that she barely could breathe. When she saw the light at the end, glowing from the coming sunset, she followed it to the balcony overlooking the sea. The wind whished through her hair and let it trail backwards, blowing past the palace and far away.
The oncoming night sky sparkled with diamond-like stars, and above her head a flock of birds flew off into the sunset. Her hands clenched the cool stone at her fingers as she gasped back a sob trying to escape her throat, knowing this was not the worst of the arguments to come.
Tears streamed down her cheeks before she angrily pushed them away. "What more can I do?" she whispered. She repeated her words, this time screaming them at the sky. "What more can I do?"
Shaking an angry fist at the sky, she shouted at Apollo. "I have given you everything! I have followed you faithfully! Why are you doing this!"
Nothing is above me
I'm shining like a candle in the dark
When you tell me that you love me
"He doesn't give you everything."
Turning towards the door, Petra saw her cousin standing there. "I cannot handle a lecture now, Briseis," she said, spinning back to the sunset. Hopefully her body language loudly explained her inability to communicate positively tonight.
But Briseis persisted. "We all love you, and Uncle will never force you."
"How do you know? You didn't just hear them; they almost sounded like they hated each other!" Petra stared out at the sky. After a while, she spoke again. "Do you know what I really wish?" she asked softly.
Briseis felt alarm at the sudden stillness in her cousin. "No."
"I wish…" Petra gestured at the twilight, to the horizon. "I wish I could go out there with Paris and Hector, fighting for Troy, not being stuck here behind these walls." She harshly laughed. "Father says they protect us. They don't. They cage us."
"Not everyone wants to leave here, dear."
"I'm trapped here," she whispered as if she could not hear Briseis.
"No!" Briseis shook her cousin's arm, frightened by this turn of events. "We would never trap you here, love!"
"You can't help it." Petra stared out at the sunset.
"We love you," Briseis said desperately. "We-"
"Briseis," Helen stepped outside, interrupting the priestess. Briseis turned to the blonde with desperation in her eyes. "May I speak with Petra… alone?" Her eyes booked no room for argument.
I wanna make you see
Just what I was
Show you the loneliness
And what it does
Nodding, Briseis hurried inside, crying out, "Hector!"
The two women watched Briseis scurry away before Helen sighed and looked back at Petra. "Do you need someone to just listen?" she asked gently, not pushing or prodding like everyone else.
Petra shrugged her slim shoulders, her body facing the sky again.
"When I lived in Sparta," Helen joined Petra at her side, "I would always long for someone to listen to me, to hear what I was feeling."
"That's all I've done," Petra tried to explain. "Talking does nothing."
"So does staring at the clouds and wishing to jump off the city walls," Helen pointed out. She glanced sideways to see Petra's reaction to this accusation.
"I do not want to jump off the walls!" Petra protested feebly.
"You soon will, if you haven't yet," Helen predicted. "Everyday I was with Menelaus I would stare at the sea and wish to drown in it. I was almost at that decision when Paris came into my life and saved me."
Sighing, Petra shook her head, letting her hair fly out of her face. "I don't have a Paris to rescue me, Helen. I doubt he even exists."
You walked into my life
To stop my tears
Everything's easy now
I have you here
Helen let her hand rub up and down Petra's back comfortingly. "Then you just need to be patient. He'll come when you are about to break, and when you have finally given up hope."
Finally making eye contact with Helen, Petra allowed a glimmer of hope in her words. "You really think so?"
The new princess of Troy took her sister-in-law's hand and squeezed it tightly. "I know so." She then pulled Petra towards the inside. "Come on, Briseis probably has the whole house in an uproar now."
In a world without you
I would always hunger
All I need is your love to make me stronger
Author's Note: The song is When You Tell Me That You Love Me by Diana Ross (I think). Review! And you still have a little while before the Greeks arrive. . .