The ceiling of the dining room towered above, decorated with lavish paintings of the great gods. The beams were white, and below them beautiful statues stood, adorning the walls. Romans and Greeks alike milled about the room, exchanging drinks and tales of their successes.
Will sat alone. Cup in hand, he raised it to his lips before taking a long sip. Over the rim of his mug he spotted his friend Echion making his way towards a Trojan woman, doubtlessly in an attempt to get her into bed. An exasperated sigh escaped Will's lips, rippling the liquid in his cup.
Lanterns covered each wall, and one was situated just to the right of Will's head. It sent out streams of soft light, immersing the room in a golden glow. Eyes shimmered and widened in awe at the extravagant stories woven before them, at the beauty of the room.
Will wasn't all that impressed.
He knew the Greeks and Trojans didn't always see eye to eye, but for now there seemed to be a measure of peace between the two races. No one knew exactly why Paris of Troy had come to Sparta, and King Menelaus did not hold him in high enough accord to decorate fully.
Will had seen the beauty of the city when preparations were complete. It was the most astounding sight he'd ever laid eyes on. Flowers adorned every windowsill, flags hung from each building, decorations streamed in the wind. It was enough to render a man utterly speechless. It certainly had Will tongue-tied.
Having lived on the outskirts of the city for all of his youth, Will had never seen the castle of Menelaus. He had never witnessed the soaring turrets that seemed to reach unceasingly into the sky, nor the great halls that stretched endlessly within the castle walls.
But after that man had threatened his father and cursed Will, he knew he must leave before causing more harm to his family. Will left the very next night.
He travelled for many a day, drawing ever closer to the barracks outside the city, where he knew he could find work. Work that would pay well and so allow him to support his family from afar. Not that they needed it, but this was the one way Will could help them without being there. He couldn't be there.
"You look deep in thought, my friend. Care to share your troubles?" Will's head jerked up and he looked around suddenly to find a dark-haired man looking intently at him. But before he could reply, bright light flooded the room and Will spun and swirled with the dancing streams-
The sunlight bursting through the open door woke Will, and he opened his eyes with a groan. His head throbbed painfully, distracting him from anything else. Lying still, he allowed his body to slowly adjust to being woken in such an abrupt manner. A playful voice only served to increase his torment.
"Good morning, Will. Ready for the day?" A groan escaped Will as he gingerly sat up and glared at Echion, who stood silhouetted in the doorway. Will had stayed up last night, drinking with his friends despite the loss of the battle – and he was paying for it now.
"What's the time?" Will ground out from between gritted teeth, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
"Sunup. I thought it would be better to wake you up with my beautiful face than to allow you to wake up on your own." Echion smirked; not seeming to be suffering any of the side effects Will was currently. Will had always been a lightweight.
"Sunup?" The word struck something in Will, something important. What was it? Was it something Achilles had said yesterday?
Dismissing the thought for now, Will stood up and began to get changed, after a meaningful glance at the door gave Echion the hint to close it. Will's closest friend then proceeded to inform Will of everything he'd missed last night; after retiring early, it seemed, he'd managed to unintentionally avoid all the fun. Or had he done it on purpose? Will's mind refused to work.
He dressed slowly, listening to Echion's mindless chatter and letting it fill the room undisturbed. Words floated around in his mind, snatches of half-remembered conversations and jokes.
Sunup.
What was it about that word? It wasn't even a particularly remarkable word. It was used every day by almost everyone to reassure themselves that they were still there, that they were still alive.
Sunup tomorrow.
Will's brows pulled together in puzzlement. If he was indeed remembering yesterday's events, then 'tomorrow' would have to be today. That meant sunup was at that very moment.
Laughter reverberated off the wood of the hut. Will raised an eyebrow at Echion, who was clutching his middle and gasping for breath. Looking down, Will had to try very hard not to bury his face in his pillow, for he had managed to not only put both of his legs into the same trouser hole, his trousers were also inside out. A scowl made its way onto Will's face as he blocked out his friend's glee and fixed his breeches.
"If you don't shut up I'll personally run you through and then bury you in the forest." Will promised, pulling on one heavy boot. Echion's response was simply to drop to the floor in continued hysterics. "Zeus, give me strength." Will muttered, valiantly trying to resist the all-consuming urge to throw his remaining boot at the laughing man's head.
If you truly wish that, I will be in the forest over there at sunup tomorrow.
A bolt of steel jolted Will's spine straight, and he blinked at the opposite wall. Ignoring the complaints of his still-pounding head, he wracked his brain for the owner of that voice. Silver eyes flashed before his closed eyelids, confused with brown. Had that really been him, yesterday? Had it truly been the dark-haired man with the gentle smile? There was no doubt in Will's mind that they were one and the same person.
The other boot firmly on his foot, Will grabbed his clean sword from its resting place underneath his bed, and threw the door open. Squinting in the harsh light, he managed to check his pace and began to walk calmly through the camp. Only the rhythmic thudding of footsteps behind him caused him to turn and frown at the figure behind him.
"Will, it was just a laugh. You didn't need to storm out. Will!" An irritated sigh escaping him, Will snapped at his friend.
"Well, I didn't find it amusing. You've done nothing but insult me from the moment I woke up, and now I'd like some time alone." Grinding his teeth together, Will turned his back and stomped off. He hated hurting his friend, but it was the only way. The other alternative didn't even bear thinking about.
Echion might sense something other than his rude awakening was amiss, despite the fact that he wasn't the brightest of Greeks. Will hardly ever overreacted, but now he was tramping his way noisily through the half-asleep camp like the whole world had affronted him.
He didn't care.
There wasn't much time before the sun was fully up, and he intended to get to the forest long before that. If he had remembered correctly, James wanted to meet him in the cluster of trees to the east of the camp right now.
Ignoring the questioning looks from the sentries, Will continued across the small open space between the camp and the forest. They most likely assumed he was going to collect more wood for his hut, and he wasn't about to correct them. If Achilles or Agamemnon heard even a whisper about where Will was headed, he would be dead within a heartbeat. Or, if he was really unlucky, one of the gods would strike him down before he even reached the forest.
Will strode into the wood, feeling a sense of palatable relief come over him. He paused briefly, eyes closing and face towards the rising sun. Warmth flooded his senses, and if anyone had been watching, they would've seen the tiniest of smiles grace Will's lips. Fortunately for Will, there was only one person watching.
"You took your time. I was beginning to think you weren't going to come." A smooth voice came from the treetops, and Will looked around himself in confusion.
"James?" He asked, wary of a trap. Silvery laughter seemed to come from all around him, and Will remained very still as a figure dropped out of a nearby tree.
"Were you expecting someone else?" James teased, a bright smile on his face. Will found the corners of his lips turning up despite his worry.
"I didn't know." He replied, watching as James' expression dropped.
"Do you think so little of me? I know we have met only twice, but I hoped you trusted me." James admitted, and Will took a step towards him, wanting more than anything for the hurt look on his face to disappear.
"I do trust you, James. It is everyone else I do not trust. And if I seem untrusting, well… it has been a long time since I have allowed myself the privilege of trusting anyone." Will said, to James, to the forest, to himself. A soft voice echoed through his mind. Why have you pushed everyone so far away, Gwilym?
"I shall just have to prove myself worthy of your trust, then." James responded, brilliant smile returned to his face. Will pushed thoughts of that voice, that familiar voice, from his head and allowed himself to smile back.
"Will." He said, offering his hand to the silver-haired young man. James blinked in surprise; head tilting to the side as he studied Will's hand in curiosity. "It's what my friends call me." An understanding look dawned in James' eyes, and he gripped Will's hand gently, but not weakly.
"Jem." The other man said, and Will's chest tightened painfully as he realised that James – Jem – had accepted his friendship.
The Trojan and the Greek stood, hands clasped together, looking at each other as the sun rose, sending golden beams flooding over them. As Will stared at Jem, watching the sunlight stream through his silver hair, he realised he didn't want to leave.
"You're thinking hard." Jem noted softly. "That never bodes well." A laugh forced its way from Will's chest; a noise he didn't think he was capable of making anymore.
"I just wish-" Will cut himself off; Jem didn't need to know his stupid hopes. Looking up, he saw Jem gazing steadily at him. "I wish I didn't have to leave. I wish we didn't have to meet like this-" He gestured around wildly at the forest, accidently ripping his hand from Jem's. He hadn't realised they were still clasped together. "I wish this stupid war wasn't happening and that we could just be at peace." He finished quietly, slumping against a nearby tree, eyes closing. What was he thinking, unloading all his deepest thoughts onto Jem on their third meeting? Will couldn't bear to open his eyes in fear that there would be no one there.
But he was a soldier, and so open his eyes he did. Jem stood closer than he had before, wringing his long fingers together.
"Gods, I have no idea what you've gone through, but I can tell you honestly that I feel the same way. All this fighting… I'm not naturally a warrior, Will, but this war has made me one. I'm-" Jem choked on a laugh. "I'm a musician. I'm supposed to play my lute at festivals, at weddings. Instead, I've learnt the song of battle, the lyrics of war. Prince Paris is a good man, but he is no fighter. He does not even dare step foot anywhere without his brother, for fear that he would be seized and the Lady Helen taken back to the Achaeans." Jem suddenly stopped, aware of who he was talking to. Taking a deep breath, Will reached out and put a hand on Jem's shoulder. He didn't need to say anything, for Jem understood him more than anyone had ever done.
Jem understood him, and he understood Jem. And in that moment, there was nothing but the two of them and the rising sun, which continued to bathe them in a river of gold.
AN: Gosh, I'm so sorry! I completely lost inspiration for this story, and it's been, what, two? three months since I last updated and I feel really bad. But here's the next chapter, finally. I'm sorry if it's awkward to read, but hopefully things will be explained as the story continues.
I don't think this will be a long story, but we'll see. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long as this one did!
Please review, even if it's just to scream at me to update. Until next chapter!
~TheMusicalDevil