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streets-in-paradise · 1 year

Text

The Man of Aphrodite

Troy (2004) Reader Insert Fanfiction - Part 21

Word Count 10 K

Warnings: A bit of Eric Bana sneaking into my characterization of Hector ( just a bit, nothing to worry about)

Characters: Paris, Hector, Mycenaean Princess!Reader, Achilles (mentioned), Ereny (OC), Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus, Melantho, Antinous.

Pairings: Achilles x Mycenaean Princess! Reader, discussion of Hector x Andromache.

Summary: The welcome feast begins and the lady sets up her plan, ready to end with all the disruptions causing troubles in what she wished could have been a calm visit to her relatives. However, the result of her schemes lays in the choices of Paris.

Notes: I’m so sorry for taking so long :( This chapter went trough a lot of rewrites untill i reached the final version. I promise the next ones will never take this long.

Tags: @yerevasunclair @mysticaldeanvoidhorse @spideyanakin @spideyanakin-interacts @awakenedevildays @alaysha-of-middleearth @zoegarfield @rfkfan

The feast was a merry occasion, foreigners and locals were sharing great food and entertaining stories as a pleasant startpoint for their transactions. Hector was the center of the achaean curiosity and he was asked many questions about the glorious tales being shared by his proud countrymen. Ithacans weren't far behind when it was about talking of the brilliant resourcefulness of their king, and so the fame of both heroes was being celebrated.

Silent, but not inactive, the mycenaean princess had sporadic interventions on the conversations that were clever strikes manipulating her men into talking for her. She couldn't be the one directly contributing to make the glory of Achilles grow, talking about him with pride in public was too suspicious. Instead, she made others get invested in the telling of recent mycenaean war feats. He took part in all of them, so he would have to be mentioned as the most popular heroe on her land by the men themselves.

It was presented as a matter of local pride, not the rambling of an enamored girl. She knew how to make her points be heard without letting those could be attributed to her. The men would argue and she would support, subtly putting in their mouths what she wanted to say.

No one would notice, except for Paris, who had his full attention on her

Less scandalous than before, the prince was one with her tactic of semi passive observation. Drinking, eating or pretending to care about the conversations were background activities masquerading his interest. If he wanted her before the party, seeing her arrival intensified the craving. Hector tried to explain to him in quick whispers that her looks were a political message. A stance for peace between nations that was most likely personal, the nice gesture of a lady who didn't want to be seen as the enemy. Warnings fell once more in deaf ears, the blue of the trojans fitted her perfectly.

Paris acted as if all the horrors of the mycenaean crown were well paid with that beautiful image that he couldn't stop looking at. Sharing glances with her wasn't hard because she was sitting ríght in front of him, close to the local royals.

Her coldness was his personal challenge and the goal was making her smile back to at least one of his imperceptible but provocative public flirting grins. He was ready to work for it the entire time, there was nothing else more interesting to do when the table was full of men praising each other's slaughtering in battle.

The topic started to suffer changes only when she broke silence to question Hector on a simple detail. Her people were finishing telling one of their stories and there was a misunderstanding of oral traditions with the trojans. Paris thought she must have been as bored as him and started the controversy just to have something to do.

" Retellings can reach your shores full of misconceptions." The young princess warned " There are people ríght here in Greece that would tell you my aunt was born from a swann egg."

Penelope chuckled at the reminder of that rumor.

" ... Others would tell you my mom was the rotten egg of the family. If I had to count all what people say of us as truth ..."

Hector wasn't truly seeking to correct her, he just had the bad luck of doing a casual reference on the worst time.

" King Peleus of Phthia received my father in his palace many years ago. It can be said they were friends and that is not a misconception.”

She was doing an outstanding job pretending to be annoyed because a foreigner was explaining her own country to her. Hiding beneath that acting there was a consternated, confused girl trying to make her world make sense again.

If Peleus was once a king, that would make his son a prince by birth and that simply couldn't be. Achilles wouldn't have hidden something like that to her. Maybe he was unaware of his royal blood, that was the most logical explanation that occurred to her.

Unless he would have hushed the detail on purpose so she wouldn't get hopeful. Then the sayings of Odysseus would have at least a portion of truth beneath.

Strangers exaggerating, that had to be the answer, and she had a vague idea of why.

" Achilles is a traveling mercenary, I know this because my father points it out every single time when complaining about him. If that warrior wouldn't be a common man, then atta wouldn't be so spiteful seeing accomplishing wonders in battle. Agamemnon wishes Achilles was a prince! He would be way easier to predict and we wouldn't live in fear for his next move. "

It was a perfectly logical explanation, but not enough for her. Before conclusión she needed to perform a verbal assassination to avenge herself for the nearly awakened doubts.

" I understand other kingdoms can find demeaning for their greatest figures to be compared with a simple soldier. Kings here have been ashamed to see their champions fall by the blade of that vulgar man."

" I have known men in the countryfield who I value twice my worth. '' Was Hector's comeback, faithful to his honorable reputation. " My father has no reason to lie, but yours wins from making everyone tremble upon his army because of that man. The things I'm hearing are certainly impossible, my lady. Epical descriptions to create magnificent tales. I have fought countless battles and I can easily separate truth from poetry. "

The girl looked at Odysseus, who shared her same dissimulated amusement.

" My father can't lie when he is angry, his mind gets numbed too fast. I would take one rageful rant of his as truth over your word anytime." She concluded, then proceeded to tease him just a bit more. " And by the way: we are not lying to you. My men are witnesses, not poets."

" Both of you are ríght. '' Odysseus clarified, intending to put an end to the relatively calm altercate. " Achilles is terrifyingly good at what he does. Some things I have seen him do are impossible, but he makes the impossible look effortless. "

The princess seemed satisfied until he redirected his speech to her.

" The house of Aeacus is a dying bloodline and my friend is the last one in the line of succession. Theoretically, he is a prince, but he doesn't care at all. In order for that title to hold any value again he would need to marry and have a son, but the myrmidons have lost any hope that could happen and i don't blame them because i know him well."

It felt like a slap in the face, Odysseus knew that all along and he wouldn't even bother on telling her if the trojan prince wouldn't have pointed it out. His warnings were made in the context of that hidden information. Interpreting everything he said to her in the light of the new facts made it all sound logical.

She was angry and disappointed, unsure of who she should trust.

" We are a dying bloodline, I'm the last one in my royal house. " She snarked back, trying to hide her bitterness. " Had I ever told you that the priestesses of Artemis have shown interest in me? Father has bragged about that for years. "

' Was she attempting to threaten anyone with that ? ', the king wondered, unable to hide some laughter. Locking herself in a temple so nobody would have her if Achilles wouldn't wasn't a possibility for her.

" Temple life doesn't suit you, quietness and Isolation have never been pleasant to you."

" Sparta is one of the biggest centers of worship. I would be close to Helen." She teased back, stubbornness making her sound almost as if she was convinced. " I am a little behind in praying, but the rest I can learn. "

Penelope didn't want to allow the madness to escalate. Her husband was having a bit of a petty fight with their youngest relative and she was their middle ground.

" Worry not, my dear." She attempted to comfort the girl. " Why the sudden pessimism?"

She was about to explode

" ... Maybe because most of my suitors are noble breed RATS that can't wait to feast on my father's accomplishments."

At that point nothing would have made her shut up, but even in her rage she spoke with prudence.

" That's the thing, Hector. When greedy arses want to take what belongs to you, they come to your country to fight. When they want to steal from my house all they have to do is pretend they are interested in me. The more intense it sounds, the faker it is."

Paris couldn't tell if that was an angry callout for him or if she was subtly explaining why she consistently refused his advances.

" Have you ever spotted anyone you find sincere, princess?"

Her response was ambiguous, probably inspired by her momentary confusion.

" Only once, but i have doubts about that one... "

She was not talking about him, but he had no way to know and preferred to believe she was.

"... Helen and my best friends are helping me to come up with a method that may help me out with that..."

It was unfair, she knew it, but if she was going to remain upset she could at least do what she was meant to.

Her plan to expose Paris and get him away from her once and for all couldn't be postponed.

"... It's a test in the form of an hypothetical problem of multiple solutions..."

" Test me whenever you wish." He confidently suggested. " i'm ready for your trial and i want to succeed on it"

Ereny, until then silently standing behind her friend, did her part doing the needed ethical warnings.

" Good lord, there is no possible success in the Judgement. I see it more as a mental labyrinth where every choice leads to a different sort of imaginary doom."

" Let me judge that." Odysseus recalled, feeling stimulated by the difficulty Implied in the description. " There has to be one correct answer and I will find it. I have been playing riddles with your princess for years."

The lady dismissed the claims without objections.

" Are you in, Hector?"

He was starting to get sick of her challenging attitude towards him, but he could tell it was somewhat of a game for her.

" That's not a question I need to answer. I believe in actions over games showing who we truly are." The eldest prince simply declined. " i'm a transparent man. Who you see is who i am."

" ... and you have nothing to prove, i get it. That's fine for me, i'm going to play with Paris."

The room was paying attention to what was about to happen, never before she captured so many stares explicitly based on what she had to say.

Before starting she drank a sip of wine and begged for divine inspiration. Her storytelling skills were not famous, but it was something she felt a bit proud of herself.

" I want you to imagine with me that you find yourself in an open, isolated spot from your kingdom. Nature surrounds you... " She started narrating, trying to create an immersive ambience. " ... Forget of your palace, your agora, markets and streets. You are alone, maybe going for a walk in the beach or in the woods near mount Ida."

Her voice was sweet and inviting, it wasn't hard for the prince to get enraptured in the tale. He closed his eyes instinctively for a moment.

" Are you there with me?"

" No, you are on your own... but that doesn't mean you are completely lonely. You quickly come across a woman, a complete stranger. The sight of her overwhelms you and she understands it. Your eyes weren't meant to see her, but she needs your help."

She stopped for an instante to create some intrigue, mentally vowing to who she was about to evoke.

" She is Hera, Paris, and she has a sacred mission for you."

Paris opened his eyes like a marveled kid.

" Why me? People don't come to me with their problems "

" But inmortals do, alright? Just for the sake of this, imagine they do." She insisted, dulcifying her tone a bit more. " You have been selected as judge in an altercate of olympians, something Zeus couldn't solve because his answer would have been obviously biased. It is up to you to determinate who is the most beautiful goddess from up there"

“ That is not that hard” The prince optimistically commented. “ The obvious answer is Aphrodite because she is the goddess of beauty.”

“ Has nobody ever told you that if something sounds easy, it is probably a scam?” Odysseus added, trying to guide the naive lad solely from the knowledge he had of her. “ Slow down, we don’t even know the rules yet.”

“ Am I allowed to give a piece of advice?” Ereny asked her lady, obtaining an immediate approval. “ Rules are implicit, those emanate from the power imbalance.”

" You are a mortal chosen to judge goddesses: expect gifts, not explanations. " The princess agreed, going further with the narration. " They all possess extraordinary means they would present to you in hopes of quickly winning your verdict."

" With that attitude you wouldn't last a day in a temple." Odysseus mocked her. " I doubt priests would support that allegory of corruption."

" Who says we can't consecrate games to the gods?" Was her quick comeback. " My friends and I were very inspired in the process of inventing this. It may be divine, they could have put the ideas in our minds themselves."

" ... Face it, it is not for you."

He wasn't talking about priesthood and she knew it. Their underlying argument was about her dangerous romantical life.

An exhortation to give up and find someone else, give the men he brought there for her a chance.

" This is a decision making method ironically based on choices, I bet they appreciate the circularity. "

" A judgment tool built of judgements, it's insane. " Hector commented. " Well thought, still insane."

" I love to receive gifts. Who doesn't love gifts?" Paris innocently recalled. " So far this sounds very fun."

" As Queen of the Gods, Hera gets to make you her offer first. " She immediately continued. " ' Choose me, son of Priam, and I will make you the mightiest king that has ever existed.' says the goddess. ' With my blessing you will conquer the world."

Hector bit his lip to hush a reaction produced by the instinctive guessing of where she got the idea for that first fictional divine gift. It was bait to spot men with the same ambitions of Agamemnon, possibly to avoid them if she had the chance.

She was perhaps scared of ending up married to a man who could be like her father, attempting to protect herself through that game.

One furtive glance was enough to let her know he understood where that came from, but wasn't going to judge her for it.

" Contestants approach you one by one. " The mycenaean kept narrating to Paris. " Ríght after Hera presents her case, Athena shows up..."

" ... ' I will make you an invincible hero!' She promises ' With my wisdom and strength you will win all your battles.' "

Odysseus was the one containing himself then, wondering if the idea of a perfect hero inspiring that part was born from a mix of his own fame and Achilles'.

" In last place, Aphrodite appears to you, but she does so in very different manners. Softer, sweeter, intimate approach "

It was the part meant to be played by Helen, the final of her own invention for obvious reasons. For so, the princess tried to make her justice by impersonating her impersonation of Aphrodite.

Hoping to look as lovely as possible, she stared intensely at him before speaking.

" ' Paris'." She called softly, something in between a regular voice tone and whispers. Loud enough to be heard in a room full of people, low enough to feel intimate. " ' If you choose me, i will find you a wife as beautiful as i am.Under my bliss you will win her love' "

The prince didn't get to talk before Odysseus started complaining.

"That's a probability of one against two! It's completely unfair!"

" Life is unfair, my friend. Helen had a probability of approximately one against over fifty when she got married." The girl lightheartedly replicated. " ... The choice here is simplified to three."

" Hurting the pride of rejected kings can't be compared with angering two rejected goddesses."

The girl listened him with a mischievous smirk

" ... I thought you said solving it was going to be easy for you..."

" My dearest divinity is a participant, I would be morally forced to pick Athena."

" Congratulations, Odysseus! You just lost the love of Penelope and your kingdom!" She sarcastically exclaimed. " In a combinated strike of Aphrodite and Hera, your wife abandons you and the man she welcomes takes your place as king. Since the gift of Athena protects you in combat, you are most likely to die poisoned in this very same hall."

The macabre but flawless argumentation only stimulated him to take the insane speculation further.

" You forgot Athena made me too wise to take the poison."

" ... Then you are forced to exile and Hera doesn't grant you a new kingdom."

" But he has a son!" Telemachus spoke for the first time, making the girl realize he was being unusually quiet prior to that. " I can reclaim the throne for him."

" No, you can't. You better go hide because the new king wants you dead."

Penelope was carefully following the chaos, waiting to see when it would get worse until she felt it was getting too far.

" Impossible, no change of feelings for a man would make me forget my boy."

" That is the point! You are not being yourself, cousin. Aphrodite drove you crazy. It's not you, the will of the goddess acts through you. She controls you like a doll."

" I believe Aphrodite would be the wisest choice." Paris interrupted, taking his stand " I know what you are thinking, hers is the less ambitious gift... but I have some very good reasons."

" Please, enlighten us." The princess encouraged him sarcastically, hoping to hear the crucial mistake after seeing him make the obvious choice she was waiting for. " I would love to know what your definition of a wise choice is."

" Ignore the bribe, it's justice. If Apollo would be a performer in a music contest, you would expect him to win. Giving the prize to the deity whose domain is being questioned seems reasonable to me."

" Indeed, but don't hope apparent justice would placate the other two." She darkly clarified. " Sounding like a neutral judge will not save you, I want your personal reasons. What do you think you win with this?"

" Unlike political power and militar wisdown, my sentimental life belongs to me only because I am not an eldest son. Nobody shall care for the woman I bring home if I get married, I will never be a king. Finally, I am not ashamed of admitting that finding love is a great goal I seek. I wouldn't stand being a powerful king without my queen, or the greatest army leader without love to fight for. What's the point of having all of that if you are going to be lonely? Even if I get disowned and my shots with the bow never hit the target ever again, I have a woman who loves me. I can start over."

The heartfelt speech got many of the women present in different stages of commotion, some more dissimulated than others. With his honest answer, leaving the mask of a role to play behind, Paris captivated a good part of the audience.

The mycenaean challenger was speechless witnessing how the prince ruined her scheme completely, and even sounded lovely while doing so.

" ... Wonderfull, you are a man of Aphrodite in its purest form."

Paris smiled, thanking what to him was an in point compliment.

" Did I pass your impossible test?"

" I guess you did... " She doubtfully concluded. " You understood it is not about finding a completely beneficial outcome and stayed true to yourself. The lascivious, selfish hedonist you appear to be; the man who has been my headache since your arrival, hides a lovely man full of love to give. The reasons behind your selection show a certain wishfulness for seeking love for the sake of love itself"

" ... This is a frightening experience, I feel as if I would have been truly tested by celestial goddesses peeking inside my heart and communicating through you.”

For some reason he didn't understand, she seemed to enjoy that observation.

" Thank you so much! I like to cause terror in the hearts of men, but that's very hard to achieve when you are a girl."

" This entire exchange is grim and terrifying." Hector followed, seeing that he didn't have to hide his thoughts anymore. " I don't even want to ask what would happen next in the riddle if he picks Hera."

She carelessly smiled before replying.

" Wise choice, you better not ask about it because you are an heir prince and I don't want to give you nightmares."

" I would never want Hera to kill you or exile you so I can be king" Paris told his brother regarding his own choice. " ... What kind of man would do that to his own brother?"

For the mycenaeans, that innocent comment was like a misfortunate invocation of ghosts from their past. It belonged to their local history, an obscure saga of it that the prosperous kingship of Agamemnon was supposed to keep buried and everyone tried to forget. The trojan prince had no way of knowing that with precision, but in his sayings the historical and cultural differences between nations became more evident than ever before. Neither their dressing style preferences or referenced local traditions were as exotic to the continental greeks as that simple observation.

The trojans belonged to a different world, one where darkness and suffering seemed to come primarily from the outside. Hector was the one in the royal family forced to keep himself more in touch with that darkness and that had its effect on him, but also made him be more prepared with an encounter with the greek world. His brother was a mystery, even the young girl contextually leading the mycenaeans was surprised after finding him so unpredictable.

Although it was a bit more than that what kept her thinking.

Paris was allowed the privilege of naivety, not even in the sweetest stages of childhood she remembered to have possessed such unawareness of the ways of the world. He was probably sheltered by a father who didn't force him to grow up faster out of negligence or abusive behavior. He loved his brother and never felt the need to compete with him, he was never forced to fight because his kingdom had enough fighters. He was raised on an ideal of peaceful prosperity. What King Priam must have been wishing all his life for Troy found embodiment in the ways of his youngest boy. Hector, the eldest, had to take the role guarding what Troy is in its concrete existence.

One pragmatic, one and idealist, they were meant to complement each other in a cohesive work of two brothers ruling together despite only one could wear the crown. That was what his father wanted for them, the present and future of Troy preserved by his two sons.

They could never possibly understand tragedies like the carnage of Atreus and Thyestes.

" Paris, I don't want you to misunderstand this but I have to say I think you must be a treasure for your people. "

The prince wasn't the only one confused, disconcert ruled the room and some stiffed chuckles in the trojan side were still be heard.

" You are the most Trojan thing Troy has ever produced, a miracle of your local politics. Do you have any idea of how many succession wars us greeks used to have before atta started conquering everyone with the hope of creating some damn unity? If we would have more princes like you, we wouldn't have lost decades fighting each other."

It was the weirdest praise he ever received, but he accepted it gladly.

" Nobody in Troy would ever believe you told this to me. " He frankly commented, a chill self deprecating joke that had its own dose of truth. " The princess of Mycenae thinks I'm a national symbol... Would you ever come to visit so you can tell that to my father in the face?"

" ... Only if you come to my palace and tell my father some of the praise words about me you have been repeating. " She snarked back. " He wouldn't believe you either, I can imagine him laughing in your face. "

" I insist on that. You are as smart as you are beautiful and you are the scariest woman I have ever met. That should be a matter of pride for your homeland as well."

"... Yet I wouldn't consider myself a national symbol, I have no true significance for the political development of my city. Who you are as a person says a lot about Troy and the ideals in which your father's ruling is based."

He was radiant with happiness, maybe ready to get a little cocky. It was a very easy turn for a shamelessly confident man like him.

" See, Hector? I always knew it was a gift to our people, a joy to be around."

The eldest prince chuckled before replying.

" You are a gift to women, Paris. Of that I have no doubt."

He made her laugh, even her servant saw herself forced to stiff her own chuckles. However, it didn't happen out of the textual meaning of the joke.

Silly sibling bickering, Hector was for once being a bit more relaxed in public and that was fun to see.

The princess felt for once the need of making the youngest know she wouldn't be making fun of him anymore.

" Don't worry, Paris. I'm speaking less as a woman and more as a politician would. "

They shared a silent exchange of smiles until the uncontrollable laughing in the sitting crowd at the feast ruined the moment.

She followed it's direction with her glance and found a young boy laughing at her carelessly and arrogantly.

" Excuse me???"

" Apologies accepted. " He replied in the same cocky spirit. " That was really funny, but really dumb... What can you know about ruling? Hey, can you both take the flirting elsewhere? You are ruining the feast... BORING!!!"

Telemachus looked hatefully at him, almost as if he was craving to jump in defense of the honor of his guest relative but something else was stopping him. Ereny noticed it, but couldn't comment directly to her friend.

The princess felt humiliated, mistreated like not even the most insolent of mycenaean men would ever dare to in their interactions with her.

Compared to that kid, even Adrastus seemed nice. The worst part of his intromission was how a nice moment of sincere friendly approach she had with Paris was from then potentially to be confused with a flirtatious exchange initiated by her.

" Odysseus, who is this insolent brat?"

" Antinous..." The boy answered on his own. "... son of Eupeithes. "

The king reprobed the behavior, but he couldn't help to feel amused witnessing how the young woman was about to enter in an altercation with a child barely older than his son for a matter of a few years.

The man who could be assumed to be the father was the noble that couldn't get his audience with the king because of the trojan arrival, the princess' temporary main suspect.

It would have been wiser to start a conversation with him from the clear offense his son delivered on her.

" Tell me, Antinous... Do you know who I am?"

" The divine daughter of the great Atreide"

He was teasing her, like it didn't matter at all because her father wasn't present. As if she wasn't worthy of respect when the head of her house wasn't watching.

Reducing all her worth to Agamemnon was the worst crime anyone could commit when dealing with her. She despised it, it was a weakness triggering the most irrational rage.

" Indeed. " She did her best to simulate calm. " I have to say you need some guts to insult me like that when my father is known as a man who dedicates his life to invading kingdoms, sometimes even without good reasons. I'm going to concede you that."

Thinking she was done, he seemed secure of getting away with it.

" Do you have any sisters?"

" Not yet, my lady. "

" I hope you never will." She replicated, in a dry but still mockfull tone. " No girl deserves the punishment of putting up with you before marriage would force her to.”

Telemachus had to contain himself and not laugh to avoid choking with his food.

She noticed that and it encouraged her.

"Next time we will get the pleasure of receiving Odysseus in Mycenae, I want you to come here and watch how Penelope handles this whole kingdom on her own while he is away. See for yourself how much a woman can know about ruling. In the meantime, if both rulers agree, I would love to also get visited by your prince so I can show him myself how bigger kingdoms are ruled. My father and I would love to do it. After all, Telemachus will be a king someday. "

The ithacan prince wished he could have stood up to clap, the brightness in his eyes was a silent equivalent of that. Antinous had no more arrogant comebacks to give, hurted in his pride on a perfect equivalent for his previous offense.

Since he didn't remember much about Helen, the son of Odysseus and Penelope decided right there that the daughter of his mother's eldest cousin had to be his favorite cousin.

They had to wait until people dispersed for dancing to share any comments about what happened. As soon as the music started the kid clinged to her and her servant friend, giving Paris a deathly serious stare indicating him to approach only at his own risk.

After the brief misunderstanding they had before, the trojan abstained from trying because the possibility of being attacked by a child in public was humiliating.

" It seems like I have found a personal protector for myself." The lady lovefully teased the little boy. " I have an entire group of companions keeping an eye on him, you don't have to. "

" What you did was awesome. " He directly replied, regretting later "... I mean, your riddle was very fun for the banquet. Everyone was losing their minds, atta hasn't stopped thinking about it. I think I heard mom telling him to stop as they were getting up to dance."

She chuckled with him before her answer

" I'm glad I didn't bore you as much as I bored Antinous. Although it seems to me that assholes like him don't stop at girls, they bother anyone they find available."

He looked at her way too seriously for a kid of his age.

" Don't tell my father, never. Eupeithes may be annoying, but they are friends."

Ereny wanted to also do her part on comforting him.

" That jerk thinks he has the upper hand now, but he will have to submit to you someday."

" Or you can always befriend many slaves and prepare pranks in complete invisibility, making him feel like he is going insane because those can't be traced back to a particular infractor." The princess completed, referencing her own friendship with the girl. " If you don't like someone, make your slave friends befriend their slaves or befriend them yourself."

" Did it work for you?"

" My childhood rival is married to a Corinthian noble who deals with the trade routes, far away from me. "

"Unless you are Achilles, never try kicking ass as first option." Ereny followed with her own recommendations. " If you are, then sure. Go ahead, kill anyone who looks at you in a way you didn't like. If not, it never ends well."

The princess would have appreciated not to hear him being mentioned, but still defended him.

" Eny, he is not like that!"

" He is, he has anger issues. " She reminded her. " He is like... your father, but with slightly better morals. Why do you think they fight all the time? They are more similar than what they are willing to admit."

After a lifetime making fun of Agamemnon's lack of self awareness that was a strong hit for her.

What if, after all the struggling to do different, she had ended up falling in love with a man that was like her father?

" You speak as if he would have killed the first jerky kid he came across with when he was a boy."

Telemachus made his small contribution.

" He killed the jerk or he used to be the jerk. I would expect either."

Ereny had a subtle surprise for her friend: some in spot encouragement to fade the doubts she was feeling.

"There must be a lot he hides to protect the people he loves. We have done it plenty of times too, like ríght now keeping Telemachus's secret."

If he did hide the royalty in his origin from her, it must have been for a good reason. She had one when she chose not sharing Hesione's story with. She omitted it to protect him from a violent, intempestive reaction against the remaining men of her family.

They were in love, just protecting each other from the past. She clinged to that thought, remembering he loved her and trusting on that.

"... Do you love me?" Telemachus asked, confused. " both?"

Only then they got back at the literal meaning of the conversation.

" Of course, we are family. " The princess quickly added. " and i consider Eny part of my family, so you can do it too. "

He smiled, a beautiful grin full of a happy confidence like feeling.

The young slave girl felt wonderful

" Guess what? You are my new favorite prince on the entire greek land. "

A familiar voice interrupted when Melantho reached them searching for the girls.

" I guess you haven't met many."

" What are you doing here?" Telemachus complained in return. " Party is over for you, go bother someone else. "

" See? That's what I wanted to warn you about. " She said to the girls, as if they were friends already. " Everytime Antinous is near he gets fussy."

"... Maybe if you wouldn't act like a princess all the time just because you are my mother's favorite slave "

"... Maybe if you wouldn't want to simulate a strength you don't have to compensate your father for your flaws."

It was the peak of bickering between the children.

" WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO TALK TO ME LIKE THAT?"

Melantho surprised the adult audience with her reply

" NO ONE, I GAVE IT TO MYSELF!!"

The young women began to understand why Penelope manifested such predilection for that little girl. She was not only quite clever, but a free thinker.

" I bet you are here just to keep looking at Paris. "

" You could learn from Paris, at least he doesn't care about what Antinous says about him. "

They would never stop fighting unless someone would find a way to stop it and the princess was coming up with an idea to fix more than one problem.

Antinous was of easier access than Eupeithes. If properly scared into talking he could reveal things his father never would. Forcing an interaction with that man had shown to be harder than expected, but his son was a little prick who wouldn't shut up.

" Kids, calm down! We have a common enemy to defeat."

The girl seemed careless about that call to cohesion.

" Why? Antinous is not bothering me. I would wreck him if he tries, but he hasn't. "

The lady was going to need a bit more if she wanted them to agree on working together.

" Melantho, if you follow me on this I promise I will spend time with Paris just so you can come with me and talk with him for hours."

The girl's combative semblance was transformed due to the imminent excitement.

The princess still needed to convince the boy.

" Telemachus, trust me on this and I promise Antinous will be scared at the end."

Not only she calmed the situation, but also got them on board to take roles in her attempt to investigate the economical conflict.

There was someone else she wanted to recruit for the next step, someone on the trojan side. She spotted the princes in the crowd trying to determine who was the best fitting choice. Hector would have been the obvious, but he seemed tired. He was drinking and chatting with a few local aristocrats, not really engaging in what was happening. Pretty much as if he wanted that mandatory moment of the receivement to be over so they could pass to the important things and finish.

And the poor guy didn't even know everything was an excuse, a deliberate fraud Odysseus pulled specially for him hoping to play matchmaker and get him a mycenaean wife.

It couldn't be him, Hector already had enough bullshit to face, so she glanced at Paris. He was all about the dancing, shining like no other and cheering the place.

His cowardice for fighting was compensated for in the most unexpected of fields, since he was one of the bravest dancers she had ever seen. Paris moved in ways no other man there would, with a natural grace and seductive charm that were his style. Attracting stares everywhere was his glory and the vibrant cheer he transmitted was excellent for the moment.

" What a lifeful little man, isn't he?" The lady accidentally said to her friend. " I think I like Paris, not in the way he likes me, but still ..."

" I'm counting points in his score today." Ereny mocked her. " For now, Hector is in the last position. Let's see if his numbers improve over time. "

Paris won a chance to be trusted by his own merit and the princess was going to offer it to him. Her servant girl stayed out only of the recruitment phase, since her lady needed to get to him alone. The road cleaned itself with each step she was giving towards him. People moved without needing to be asked, making her notice of how remarkably aware of her power the insular kingdom was. Although she didn't feel intimidated, it did make her remember a very important detail.

Smaller the kingdom, faster the gossiping. Being invisible was easier in Mycenae. For ithacans, the coincidence of royal visits must have been one of the most exciting things that happened in some long time.

As soon as the prince noticed her approaching on her own he made a signal to one of the wine pourers to reach them for drinks. She had him so distracted that he almost forgot of the libations.

" Forgive me, I was caught up by your beauty. That dress seems to suit you better than the last time I checked. " He praised her ríght away. "But, of course, I didn't have a look from so close before. "

" It's a miracle that it still fits. " She joked in return. " Odysseus was getting married when I finished it. "

He smiled, but not exactly as a result of the joke.

" It turns out to be true that you like seashells. " The prince pointed out, about her simple but well crafted belt. " From a mycenaean princess, the least I would have expected is a silver belt with delicate incrustations of jewels. "

" I like to show that I can enjoy simple things. I'm not a bragger when it comes to wealth. "

She deviated her glance towards the few trojan performers Paris had put in service to the feast alternating their songs with the greek ones from the local ithacan musicians.

" I don't mean to brag, I made them work this time just for you. " He defended himself from the accusation. " Knowing of your deep curiosity for us, how would I resist spoiling you with some trojan music?"

The speed of that perfect comeback impressed her

" It's beautiful, a very sweet gesture."

" You knew ríght away that I was going to turn out to be a man of Aphrodite... Why did you play with me anyways?"

" It's true that I guessed the goddess, but you surprised me with the motives. I really don't mind the choice as much as I care for the why. The Judgement is a character test showing where the true priorities of a man lay between the three main goals they tend to seek."

Paris took her hand without breaking eye contact.

" Would you dance with me?"

The request was purred with the softest charm.

" I would love to," answered the princess. " but i have work to do first."

" Of what sort? Can I help you?"

" I wish so, but that depends. Do you like children?"

Paris wasn't sure of the direction that the proposition had, so he said the silliest thing that crossed his mind.

" Why? Do you want me to make you some?"

All progress made was at the edge of downfall, she got the sudden wish to smack him.

" WHAT'S wrong with you?! Of course I didn't mean that!"

She grabbed him by the collar of his tunic, forcing closeness only to seem more menacing.

" Listen to me carefully. Do you want to know why Hector was formally invited and you came here only as his companion? This is a fraud, Odysseus wanted us to meet because he wants me to become your brother's wife. It's up to us letting him out of excuses to keep you all here "

Paris was greatly surprised with the news, but not precisely dismayed.

" Done, he can't try to be a matchmaker for you and Hector if I'm here... Look at us ríght now, we are so close that I may just kiss you and people are surely watching us."

She dropped him immediately and he felt slightly frustrated about that.

Unfortunately for them, Hector was one of the near witnesses. Lacking context for what he saw made him fear the worst and his worries escalated once the pair disappeared from his visual range. He was no longer in the mood for parties, not even able to pretend he wasn't in a state of alarm. His disconnection with the surroundings was, however, easier to conceal in the festive environment full of distractions.

At least he hoped so, until someone else attempted to cheer him up.

" Don't worry for them, Paris is not her type. She prefers them braver. " Said the King of Ithaca, coming from behind with his usual snarkiness. " In fact, I am not completely sure if he is safe with her."

The prince smiled to himself.

" The resemblance with your wife it's outstanding... I only hope it includes her prudence, for the wellbeing of us all."

" She would never harm you, that girl is obsessed with Troy.” Odysseus followed, ready to quickly elaborate in the matter. " ... In a positive way, it could be said that she inherited the reverse side of the paternal obsession. To her Troy is the magical kingdom of her childhood dreams. She would never do anything to endanger you and she is also very aware of her worth. "

Only Odysseus could have been able to disguise his intentions so effectively. The talk advanced in the same direction, but it truly felt as if he was merely giving words of comfort to calm his guest down. Hector wasn't fully convinced, since the King didn't know Paris as well as him. The princess of Mycenae wasn't the first honorable girl in his way and that has never been an impediment for him before.

He couldn't just talk ríght there about some of the most despicable actions in the licentious history of Paris' nocturnal adventures. That girl wasn't even the most scandalous of his seduction targets, only one of the most dangerous. Hector had spotted him before going after servant girls, married women and even priestesses.No matter the context, his brother would always spot the cutest girl in the room and end up running after her. If he would have known of the danger they would be facing, he would have left him in Troy.

Seeing them return in rushes and giggling to mix themselves with the dancing people wasn't tranquilizing either. Not at least until they abandoned the activity to get back with him.

" Hectoor!!!" The princess cheered his name, her voice sounded musical-like. Something in between speaking and singing that was very sweet to hear. " I have great news for you."

Paris smiled innocently at him.

" Guess what? We are working together on a scheme to investigate the contrabandists. If ithacans know something about that, we will figure out soon."

Hector was in disbelief, a positive one for once.

" Working together, you said?"

" Yes, what did you expect? Us passionately making out somewhere in the palace? " She mocked him. " I only do responsible mischief, like figure out ways out of potential political crises. "

" Better say trying to rule two kingdoms behind everyone's backs. " He corrected her. " I appreciate it, but you can't personally arrange the fate of everyone. "

The princess responded as if she felt specifically attacked.

" Are you going to tell me that you have never attempted things behind your father's back when times are difficult? "

The expression in his reaction was a strong negative.

" What is wrong with you? You always must interfere whenever he is about to do something stupid! "

" Even on the occasions when his choices make me angry, I respect those because that is what I have to do. "

She couldn't believe her ears.

" ... If i was a man with half of your power and credibility..." She lamented, ironically. " I'm committed to protecting the last drops of common sense in my father and when those can't be saved I often see myself forced to act in the shadows. I'm used to doing it and I want to teach Paris how it's done because I think there is a lot of wasted potential in him. "

" Just like you told me, I'm using this trip to learn. " The youngest prince concluded. " Only learning from a brilliant greek lady."

" Be careful with that," Hector warned." her vanity is on her mind. "

" As yours must lay in your arms. " The lady snarked back. " Strongests in Troy, legends say. "

She began to tap his ríght arm with the tip of her index finger in an annoying way.

" What are you doing?"

" Research... " She simply explained, then proceeded to grab him with full hand. " I would say it's at least twice smaller than Ajax, almost the same size as Achilles… Almost, his are still bigger."

Hector looked at Paris, who seemed about to burst into laughter.

" I feel like a prisoner about to get sold in the market."

She reacted in the same amusing tone.

" Ajax likes to hug, Achilles made me bathe him once as a reward to satisfy his ego. Carelessly touching heroes is the only thing I do that sometimes impresses the people."

A friendly pat on his shoulder pointed to the end of her examination.

" I may not have the strongest arms, but i'm pretty proud of my chest." Paris commented, acting casual. " Do you want to lay your hands on me and feel for yourself?"

The maiden made of stone most thought she was made a stellar appearance.

" I had enough when I was threatening you."

The letdown would still make him look cute.

" This isn't working, isn't it?"

" No man ever has attempted to seduce me so openly and persistently, I give you credit for that."

He began to feel defeated, but she didn't want to make him feel bad about that.

" However, I would prefer if we stay as conspiracy partners. It's not only beneficial, but more entertaining."

She made a brief pause before getting into the most delicate topic

" I will never be a fun lover, but i do well with political intrigue. Would you switch an useful alliance for an awkward first night with me? Because that's what you would be getting. "

Hector couldn't believe what he was hearing, a princess speaking in such frank terms was awkward on itself.

" Don't judge me, he has to know about what he is exposing himself to. I'm clueless in bed, he is clueless in politics. Which one of both is actually more useful ríght now? "

" I would never judge you. " Paris interrupted. " Don't judge yourself so harshly."

" Save yourself the letdown, i'm said to be the coldest bitch in Greece and that reputation has saved me troubles"

" ... I bet you would find it unfair after getting to know me. There is no such thing as a cold woman, that’s what careless lovers claim to comfort themselves.”

" You are second born, I'm an only child. What I have between my legs is worth more than your life..." She harshly concluded. " As a maiden I'm valuable and I am not stupid enough to give that away to a pretty trojan boy."

Paris didn't seem as offended by her words as she thought he would.

" So, you find me pretty."

" It feels to me like you want to compete against Helen for the ' most beautiful person' award. " She mocked him. " You are pretty enough to stand a chance, but she would wreck you. "

" Is she really as ravishing as rumors claim? You greeks can't be trusted, Hector spotted you exaggerating about Achilles."

She chuckled carelessly before replying

" If you think I'm beautiful, she will change your life. When she got married father was so happy because he claims she was blocking suitors for me."

" I guess it was not the only reason. '' Hector casually commented. " Your aunt and uncle being together brings the family closer. "

Strong, loud laughter came out of her that she couldn't control, although she didn't even try.Once more, the men wondered what was wrong in the sayings.

They were so nice, they had no idea.

" You two are the funniest, most likable princes I have ever met... My stomach hurts from all the laughing!!

She had a few more chuckles and they had no idea of what to do.

" Are you alright?"

" Yes, Hector. I'm not drunk, if that is what you are implying. "

She glanced at him with an amused expression as an idea was coming to her.

" In fact, I'm going to prove it to you: let's dance. Do you think I haven't noticed that only Penelope has got the chance so far? You are disappointing all those ithacan girls who want to feel the grip of your famous arms. "

Hector didn't mind the tease.

" I can live with that, I didn't come here to impress women. I had enough with your servant and some maids of Odysseus looking at me as if I was the first man they had ever seen. "

" That wasn't personal. Eny only found you overwhelming to look at." She defended her friend. " I don't. Just like Achilles, you aren't that impressive to look at no matter how great you fight."

She had the feeling of being back at her formal dancing lessons from when she was still learning how to behave like a princess. The strict tutor would have been pleased watching her dance with Hector. Neither with him or Paris she showed her true level of skill, what she learned far away from those classes,a secret that had no place there. However, alongside the eldest brother her will to incarnate a perfectly well behaved princess was stronger. They didn’t seem like two persons having fun, more like two royal heirs in a meeting salute. It was alright for both of them, since they needed some calm.

Although she had more fun with him. Paris gave her the strange sensation of being dancing with a man that was moving for her as well as with her. He wanted her to look at him and admire his body in aesthetically pleasant movement, trying to make himself be noticed like a palace concubine sent to entertain the guests. It was like seeing herself in a reverse mirror, a man trying to use on her the same seduction tactic she once tried during the only time ever when she felt desperate for masculine attention. Paris was less cautious than she was, but his intentions were similar. Having the inverted perspective made her consider that she perhaps owed Achilles an apology for her behavior back then, although it was a bit too late for that. He wouldn’t care after all what happened between them later, she was all his with his complete awareness of that.

Yet there she was, dancing with the heir of the trojan crown as if that welcome party would be the receivement of her newest suitor.

“ Why are they staring at us?” She murmured, with annoyance. “ Paris was doing more scandal and I didn't see so many caring for that… Even your men are looking odd.”

Hector chuckled and she noticed a vibrant sparkle in his eyes.

“ You of all people, Greek Queen of Riddles, can’t see why? We are two heirs holding each one a half of the world.”

It was obvious, but she wasn’t expecting it coming from him.

“ I’m aware of that, but your brother…”

“ Paris has no access to the throne, no formal right to you… Some believe I do, and those are not only greeks.”

The news was completely unknown for her and he seemed perhaps a bit proud of surprising her playing her own game.

“ Why would anyone in Troy want to see you bring home the daughter of the man that seeks to destroy you?”

“ If I had one talent of gold for each time I have been advised to reach Mycenae with a wedding gift…” He honestly declared. “ They think that it would be the final victory for Troy because I would be the man of the marriage. If the news about your cultural infatuation with us reaches them, the people in the council believing this may try to convince my father about it.”

“ Don’t worry. I bet the same man who raised Paris would never force you into an arranged marriage.” She attempted to comfort him. “ I wouldn’t want me as a wife either, if i were you.”

“ You are the gift of Hera.” He quickly recalled. “ A riddle within the riddle, it was a warning.”

“ Pick me and you will get the chance to become the most powerful king the world has ever seen… only for the modest price of becoming Agamemnon’s personal battle slave until he would let you rule.”

Exactly as he supposed, he wished some of his father’s close friends would be listening to that girl.

“ I must suppose you want to save me from that horrible fate.”

She was not going to answer that.

“ Who is Andromache? Paris told me about her and it seems that someone has a crush…”

“ Are you accusing me like a mean little girl?” Hector affirmed in an ask, evidently amused. “ I see you interact with others, why do you act so childish only with me?”

They were bickering like Telemachus and Melantho for no need reason, she should have been explaining to him why.

“ Is your girl an amazon princess? Many people in Greece claim that you won the love of one.”

“ I’m serious.” The trojan insisted. “ Why me?”

She stopped moving, frozen by the question and the realization that she would have to be sincere.

“ Maybe because I grew up in your shadow, you are what my father thinks I was meant to be if I would have been the boy he wanted. I get competitive with you because, only if I feel I'm winning you, I prove him wrong. “

Nothing he could have possibly said would have been a proper answer to that, so he stayed in silence. To his surprise, she clinged to him in a quite friendly hug.

“ Hector… “ She added, whispering in fears anyone else would hear. “ Although you are a son, you have the spirit of an exhausted daughter struggling alone and I relate to that.”

He smiled and her soft laughing followed not far behind.

“ You may be a daughter, but you have the spirit of a firstborn prince consumed by the weight of his crown and I also relate to that.”

Hector gave her a gentle peek in the forehead and she released him with a smile. Under the distant but expectant surveillance they were being submitted to, they choose to abandon the activity and walk away to keep chatting. Many, the deceiveful local king included, may had perceived the wrong energy but their closeness was so strictly non romantic that they didn’t consider it.

“ So, tell me about your girl. “ She insisted once more, teasing him in a more friendly tone. “ When is the wedding? Do you have one scheduled? Don’t make her wait if you know she is the one.”

“ Would you ever let it go?” He complained,although she knew it was not a severe observation. “ I can always start making the same sort of questions and assumptions about your personal situation.”

The suggestion sounded plausible to her.

“ Me? What would you find so interesting in my boring life? I already told you everything about my ‘ situation’. I don’t have herds of infatuated men coming at me, only my greedy suitors who think like those fool men in Troy wanting you to take me.”

Like her moments before, he showed himself far from satisfied with that.

“ I highly doubt the most beautiful girl in the feast lacks real prospects.”

Unexpected, but she allowed it because she knew it was a clean compliment.

“ So, you think I’m pretty.”

She made him laugh by quoting Paris on purpose.

“ It’s an objective fact. Troy’s tallest mount is the Ida, my name is Hector and you are beautiful.”

“ I suppose I should say some objective facts about you.” She oddly but gently thanked him. “ You do look more handsome in person, but you have to work on your movements outside of battle. “

“ So, what about you?” Hector asked, making a truly hilarious impersonation of her voice. “ You must have someone in mind.”

Her chuckles were uncontrollable and she was barely able to believe that was the same man from a while ago.

“ You are actually good at impersonations! Finally a human fact about you.”

“ I’m waiting for yoours.” He copied the musical tone that caught his attention before.” Who is your secret crush? I bet you have one.”

He was being as annoying as she was just to make fun of her and her insistence about wanting to know about Andromache, but that inspired her a little experiment.

“ It’s Achilles.” She whispered, acting out as if she was following Hector’s joke instead of talking the purest truth in an exaggeratedly comical way. “ I often fantasize about sitting him on my father’s throne so I can sit on those glorious thighs while he holds me and whispers to me how much he loves me in ways no one would ever believe coming from him. I have an emotional void that will never be filled, except by an older man telling me that I'm pretty and he would kill for me even despite I don’t want him to.”

Hearing her say that with a serious tone made him break the character.

“ That was…, I could have never thought you would… “ Hector tried to answer between chuckles. “ It’s the most insane joke I have ever heard from the mouth of a noblewoman.”

She smiled, relief mixed with gratitude for the compliment.

“ Fame is unfair to you.” He added in conclusion. “ Princess, I’m afraid I could also laugh with you to the point of stomach ache. “

#troy 2004 #troy 2004 fanfiction #troy fanfiction #achilles x reader #hector x andromache #paris of troy #hector of troy #achilles #odysseus #penelope #telemachus #melantho #orlando bloom #eric bana #brad pitt #brad pitt x reader

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shippy-pjo-shipper · 2 years

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Posally ~ Repeating!Mythology [Hector and Andromache]

"POSEIDON !"

I could hear the booming voice coming from all around us. Heavy and threatening. Like thunder, growing closer and closer each passing second.

I didn't need to ask who it was. I knew it would happen. We both did.

Though Zeus' voice was in nothing as scary and hurtful as the resignation I saw in my lover's eyes.

"I have to go or he'll follow me everywhere. He'll hurt you." His eyes dropped down. "You both." I followed his look to meet my son's. Percy Jackson. Son of Poseidon. Soon fatherless.

I wanted to protest, to cry, to beg, to clinge. But what was the point ? Fate was something written in marble. And our love story wasn't lettered in it.

I was so resigned that the hope I perceived in his ultimate words almost made me hate him :

"Have you made up your mind on my offer ?"

His offer. A palace below the horizon, down into the sea. It sounded like a dream. One I couldn't refuse. But not one I shouldn't refuse.

So many stories of women left behind, kept aside for his own pleasure, his own conscience, if a god could have any. But not much stories ending in a happily ever after.

There was no happily ever after for the married man, the poor struggling mother and the illicit newborn in my world. In his there wasn't even one for the princes and princesses.

So yes. I had made up my mind.

"I can't, Poseidon. This is not my world."

I could see in his eyes that he wanted to fight me on this. But as if memories deeper and farther than I could ever fathom had flashed before his eyes, they went back to numbness and resilience.

"I understand." No he didn't. How could he ?

This time the voice didn't just sound like thunder. It was. A clear indicator of what the king of Olympus would use to strike this flat if we were to keep this conversation going on any longer.

"Duty calls me." Duty. What a poetic and neutral way of putting it.

"As it calls me too." I said hugging my son tighter. If I couldn't hold back the bitter comment, I held back the bitterness in my voice.

I half expected him to get angry, storm out, or worse, laugh at my comment. But he only cupped my cheek with a tenderness I had only ever known from him.

"You are a goddess among men, Sally Jackson. Our son is as lucky to have you for a mother than I was of meeting you. Never forget it."

One tear escaped my eyes but evaporated as soon as she touched his thumb.

God of water, maybe that way you'll keep a part of me with you.

Then so soflty, so gently, he kissed me. I had dreaded this moment from the moment I met him. But at last, here we were. I didn't know distance was a feeling that a kiss could ever taste like, but nothing could describe this last sign of affection better. I almost smiled realizing how he had found a way to teach me one last thing before leaving me forever. Leaving us.

Reluctantly, he pulled away.

At least it was reluctant. I shall hold onto that.

His eyes opened to look into mine one last time before darting toward Percy.

"Son, one day you'll be of age to protect your mother. When this day comes I'll be there to guide you as best as I could." I resisted the urge to ask what would happen until this age. "Until then, love her and respect her. So my love for her can shine through your eyes, your actions and words."

He kissed his forehead. A tender kiss. A fatherly kiss.

It was unsettling to see how he seemed to have mastered this display of affection. But the tears at the corner of his eyes washed all my bitterness away.

Then so slowly, he took a step back. It was as if all his moves were played in slow motion before my eyes as he retrieved his cap and coat. And when he seemed finally ready to leave for good, I couldn't hold the words back anymore :

"I love you. I'm not saying that to make you stay or confuse you, only...only in the hope that you don't forget."

"I won't. I won't ever forget, Sally."

And in a glimmer of green bubbles and light, he was gone. Leaving me alone with the painful feeling that he was lying, and that he knew he did.

I don't know for how long I had remained still before a dangerous growl resonated in the street. Different than Zeus' voice but not less dangerous. It was scarier, closer, familiar.

And in this instant, as I finally looked at my halfblood son sleeping soundly in my arms, I realized that the monsters I dreaded my whole life now wanted something I had. And that I would do anything to protect it. Something I didn't know if I could do alone. But something I knew no hero would come to rescue me from.

@them-awesome-rarepairs

#yes in my head smelly gabe=pyrrhus #the man andromache was forced to marry after he took her as his price at the end of the trojan war #pjorarepairs2022 #posally #sally x poseidon #sally jackson #poseidon #poseidon pjo #repeating mythology!au #repeating mythology #repeating #au #hector and andromache #fanfiction #my fanfiction #shippys

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streets-in-paradise · 9 months

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Golden Chains

Troy (2004) Reader insert fanfiction/ Achilles x Mycenaean Princess! Reader - Part 23

Masterlist

Word Count 17 K

Warnings: As always, re-invention in troy movie style of some mythological plots absent in it.

Characters: Hector, Mycenaean Princess!Reader, Paris, Achilles ( mentioned), Andromache (mentioned), Odysseus, Penelope.

Pairings: Achilles x Mycenaean Princess!Reader, Hector x Andromache

Summary: With all the visitors comfortably established, the palace of Ithaca becomes the venue for an unprecedented cultural exchange that creates a perfect political climate for new ideas to emerge. The role of Mycenae in the trojan blockade gains more relevance and its indirect war of powers against Troy becomes a subject of certain questioning. In this context, and with the heirs of both royal houses present, an alliance-seiling marriage feels to many on both sides like a very tempting easy solution.

As the prince and princess feel the overwhelming outside pressure trying to bring them together, her aggressive refusal becomes the portrait of the denounced mycenaean stubbornness impeding the very profitable political step.

Notes: This Is mostly centered on Hector and the reader having a few lovely moments while dealing with the political and personal concecuencies of their encounter. I also don't want to avoid mentioning i added an Iphigenia (1977) reference at some point of this chapter ( you will easily notice where )

Tags: @yerevasunclair @mysticaldeanvoidhorse @spideyanakin @spideyanakin-interacts @awakenedevildays @alaysha-of-middle-earth @zoegarfield @helie-brain @rfkfan

Great days followed the arrival of the trojan princes in Ithaca, almost as if no one had reasons to worry about. Diplomacy was harvesting excellent fruits because, as the political faces of a cultural encounter, Odysseus and Hector seemed to get along very well. Suddenly, the greek discourse pointing to the indirect economic blockade imposed by the trojan tax policy as cause of a declive was replaced with a hopeful call for unity. Many started preaching the virtues and benefits from an association between nations, promising goal that was being obstaculized by the stubbornness of the mycenaeans. In that narrative, their princess’ role was acting as a facilitator convincing her kind through her positive bonding with the foreigners. It could be said that, despite starting it out of a scandalous misunderstanding, she was actively building a friendship with the youngest trojan prince. However, very few cared for that anymore.

Once he settled in keeping his profile of seductor at bay, Paris looked to the greeks like an enthusiastic pet of their noblewomen. Completely harmless and even likable, always seeking for the approbation of the queen as if that emulated the understandings of his brother with the king. He was aware of that, but learned to embrace the underestimation under a new finding. While the men were too distracted trying to impress each other their fates were in his hands.

His bonding with the women was the truly mobilizing agent of things. In the secrecy of that intimate world not meant for warriors or politicians he was participating in a conspirative collison figuring out the course for them. The promise that the mycenaean girl once made to him turned out to be true, since their teaming up away from any romantic proposals made them efficient and discrete. She found herself truly surprised of not feeling frustrated for having to remain away from the council meetings because Paris would tell her everything afterwards. He even offered to be her voice there, but she preferred to let him be true to himself and later retributed his kindness showing him her labor in the distaff. In an endless encouraging exchange, Paris attempted to teach her basic handling of a bow and surprised her on the discovery that she didn’t completely despise archery despite it being way harder than it looked like.

They were getting along and being helpful in the process, but it was all being eclipsed by the growing interest everyone showed in her every interaction with his brother. If not long before they were restraining him from approaching her, then Hector had to stand being pushed in her direction. The insidious reminders were not mean intentioned, except for those truly interested in spreading gossip, but they all seemed decided on the matter ahead of the two persons involved.

Some of the locals in the citadel and part of their own crews had hopes of making it happen. Even when she would be calmly sharing moments with both princes alongside their men the tension was in the ambient. They could be sharing stories and her reactions would be scrutinized if the tale was about Hector, plenty of his friends trying to impress her for him. If they were sharing songs, the beautiful voice of Ereny would be temporarily ignored for that single verse in which her princess and the trojan lord found their voices mixed. One moment afterwards, they could be asked to sing together and Paris would be laughing at the situation instead of saving them.

Signs were everywhere: their countries wanted them together and they were self aware of why. Still, there were moments when the realization would hit harder. The most ironic aspect was that the perpetrator of the scheme didn’t have to move a single finger for it to play out. Odysseus often acted as the one helping them catch a break, neither him or Penelope were bringing any insistence on the matter. Precisely for that, they were important witnesses of their most spontaneous interactions.

It wasn’t casual that one of those moments happened under his watch, in the midst of a serious discussion about some of the current events affecting their respective political contexts.

“ We understand your position, Ithaca is a nexus of greek politics but so is Troy among other asian nations. “ Hector was commenting to Odysseus “ While hittites and assyrians fight each other for the control of the copper mines, we control the sea. Trade is the fundamental source of our prosperity, we secure the route of copper. “

The young princess was listening with avid attention and didn’t hesitate on adding her own remarks to enrich his descriptions.

“ The increase of demand that my father pushes in Greece is for you an element of pressure on itself, even if he isn’t attacking you. “ She said before the Ithacan king could answer. “ Mycenaean forges work non stop to provide bronze weapons for his endless cycle of wars and the numbers keep going up. As his local power grows the visual of our army gets more spectacular, but this constant expansion must be supplied somehow. “

The great observation was, however, quite amusing given its source.

“ Are you directly blaming my problems on him?” Hector asked, not even surprised anymore. “ You know that incriminates yourself by extension, right?”

“ Contrabandists aren’t reaching trojan shores for the horses, they want metal. Atta is hoarding the best sources in the country, a process that used to be slow back when i was a kid but is reaching an admirable speed nowadays. He will soon cause a shortage, at some point that can even put conditioning limits to his wild dreams of ruling the world. “

“ That would justify the attack on a great city like Argos.” Hector followed,very willing to keep theorizing with her. “ Only by monopolizing the supply in the region can he secure the future of his campaigns.”

The stimulating talk was keeping her excited and Odysseus dissimulated a smirk observing it.

“ Exactly!” She cheered the idea of the prince. “ Argive forges may be more important than their men, with the clear exception of King Diomedes. “

At that point, the trojan was enjoying himself as much as her.

“I would love to help you put that piece in order. What can you tell me about him?”

“ He was one of Helen’s suitors, but let me tell you that her marriage was a complete scam accidentally organized by this liar.” She began to tell, pointing at Odysseus right next to her, who abstained from any commentary. “ I suspect Dio was the only one who had the courage to speak up after feeling betrayed, because he was the only greek king who didn’t attend the wedding.”

“ Understandable, division happening very close to his own homeland may have preoccupied Agamemnon.”

“ It doesn’t matter if he likes it or not, Diomedes pacted with all the rest an oath forbidding him from attacking Sparta. “ The king recalled, defending his invention. “ My friend is hurted, he has developed true feelings for her. He reacted like a man in love who has lost all hope, but he wouldn’t compromise his honor out of heartbreak.”

She was outraged to discover a new detail he didn’t mention before when he narrated the story of the oath to her.

“ Even if my uncle doesn’t know that Diomedes is in love with Helen, or if he does but can’t care less, his actions send a message. All my father needs to mobilize his forces is a petty excuse and he gave him one. Decades ago, it was the search for Thyestes. Now he is hunting down disconformed suitors … No wonder why Menelaus wasn’t very invested in following him to Argos. They have done this before when they were princes, uncertain heirs of an unstable throne invading territories hoping that would solidify the dynasty. Menelaus knew he was just the empty pretext, he didn’t want to be there… Agamemnon didn’t do this only because he craves to prove everyone he can win without Achilles, there are even more political layers underneath that I didn't dig yet. “

Fortunately, there were no more witnesses around to see her fascination.

“ Hector, that was so amazing! You just opened to me a complete new angle of analysis for strategy planning. “

The awe was mutual, since he had also found one more crucial point to consider when presenting to the trojan council his defense plan of the allied cities ubicated in their shores.

“ Thanks to you I dispose of some new powerful arguments to add when this topic will be discussed at the next council meeting after my arrival to Troy. I keep insisting we must double patrol on Thebe Hypoplakia, but my father has to consent to sending the aid.”

Suddenly, she smirked at Odysseus with the sardonic attitude of someone who knows they are a winner.

“ He is here for Andromache. She is their princess, Paris told me.”

Her free chuckling was only stopped by her wish to taste the victory with more counter arguments.

“ Hector is holding on despite the spectacle being built around us because he hopes to get here what he needs to help her kingdom… How does it feel to be wrong for once, resourceful Odysseus?”

The king wasn’t sharing her will to declare a definitive result, she was closing the case with an unicausal approach centered on the factor of romantic love. A prince falling in love with the daughter of the most remarkable among the minor kings on his domains meant nothing in the big scheme of things.

“ Don’t you notice I get chills watching your debates? You can’t lie to me, you just felt it yourselves.” He replicated right away. “ You are finishing each other’s political arguments. Can’t you blame people for feeling excited at the idea of you two ruling together? Your personal compatibility amazed everyone, even your own men are behaving like a bunch of gossiper women. I wouldn't want to join the merriment so quickly, but you are becoming a strong political pair in front of me. Hector is the king mycenaeans have dreamed to have for generations … and you? My dear, you are a dream queen that any king would be lucky to have. Agamemnon shaped you after his greatest dreams, but his expectations are lame compared to the reality of the woman you have become. Many aspects escaped his plans and your sentimental filiation with trojan culture is just one of those, but I wouldn't blame trojans themselves for suspecting he could have made Hesione raise you for Hector. “

“ Flattering me is not going to be enough this time. “ She mocked his reasoning. “ Help us stop this mess.”

Hector had a more eloquent objection in mind.

“ Golden chains are still chains, your highness. My people will not submit to Agamemnon, not by the blade but neither by the charm of a princess. “

Odysseus wanted to let him know he was going serious on the topic, but also started offering tempting counter arguments meant directly for the prince. .

“ Believe it or not, Hector, you could personally benefit a lot from having her around. You are a good man who wants to do the right thing, but for each one like you there has to be someone else behind doing the dirty work it takes to get there and she is the right girl for that. She can scheme, manipulate and deceive so you can rule with justice, freedom and honor. With your integrity in the front and her questionable methods operating in the back you would be an unstoppable political unit.”

The exhortation was paused just a bit, the king cleared his throat to deliver the conclusion with a sweeter tone.

" Anything you want to accomplish, no matter how game changing it could be, I think you will... if you stay together. "

He made a clear emphasis on the last part, setting the tone for a persuasive speech directed to their personal ambitions.

" You can make the world a better place by doing more than mixing its two halves together. I know you both want to make a difference and your union emerging from the ashes of hate can send us into a golden age. We can flourish as an unified nation and you would become a legendary royal marriage, the foundational parents of a new civilization..."

The princess, used as she was to see him persuading high commanders and kings, was marveled with the skill shown in that speech. It reminded her that she was just an apprentice of that flawless master.

She hated it for how perfect it was, but couldn't help admiring him.

" ... Are you going to give up all of that just because you aren't currently in love with each other?"

For the first time since all started, she detected doubt in Hector's face. A soft glimpse of hesitation that made her feel like a cornered beast in desperate need for a way out.

" Play with me, I'm used to it, but don't try to fool him. " She confidently replied. " We will not set humanity free, Odysseus. If he marries me, he shares my cage. "

Odysseus was ready to strike back again.

" For now, maybe... but sometimes you have to ..."

" ... serve in order to lead." She cut him off to complete the sentence. " We have served our full damn lives and we can't even lead our own fates. When do we get to the leading part? I don't see it, there is no personal gain for any of us in this. "

" Only a state of relative peace and safe trade routes. " Hector commented, missing the point with observations on the best case scenario for the political outcome. " An obscenely rich and practically untouchable kingdom only the Egyptians would be in conditions of competing with... "

" For the price of giving up on happiness with a partner we love for the rest of our lives. "

" I see the appeal it holds for everyone else, they like to speculate what they could gain with our personal sacrifice."

" I'm tired of sacrifices! " She determinantly stated. " The men of my family are entitled pricks that get whatever they want with absolute impunity. Why must I be the only one constantly sacrificing my hopes and dreams to them? "

Hector tried to hold her hand as a calming gesture. He felt her lament hitting a bit close to home, he wanted to let her know he understood her. Tossing his needs aside for everyone else's was a constant in his own life.

She rejected the contact with sudden distrust, as if she feared the intentionality came from a betrayal after getting convinced by Odysseus's words.

" I will get you a nice pair of golden chains to match mine. "

As a direct consequence of the misunderstandment, she made a deliberate effort to avoid him for the rest of the day. For most of the time, that implied reclusion in the feminine environments alongside her friend, the queen when available for them, and other occasionally selected women under the warning of not bringing the topic. Ereny had made quite a few good acquaintances among the servants of the palace and only those she trusted her lady allowed in. Hiding from the world until the trojans would leave wasn’t a realistic solution, but rushing the return to Mycenae was not in consideration either because she would have hated to leave. A moment of solitude to think was all she needed, time away from Hector so the collective excitement around her would calm for a while.

Revisiting their past interactions she was almost sure nothing was worthy of being read as romantical. They were getting close and that was a true fact, but never from that expected angle. They had shared feelings and ideas nobody truly paid attention to, gray sides of themselves discovered through being in a place of mutual understanding. If they were cheerful around each other, had intense constructivist political debates or came to share an inner joke not even Paris was aware of; that came mostly from the feeling of finding support in an unlikely place. Their similar experiences connected them, but they weren’t going to fall in love for the sake of that. Meeting the man whose shadow of greatness she could never compare with, the perfect son reflecting all her failings as a daughter, only to find in him an equal was incredible. Wonderful surprise that the romantical narratives were ruining, blind to the also incredible coincidence of how both had plans involving other people.

One under minimal hierarchical difference that his father could tolerate, the other as an actual transgression hers would never allow, but both wanted to be with persons that could be considered underneath them. Hypoplacia was a territory under trojan control, making Princess Andromache an indirect subject of Hector. Their union wouldn't be an abnormal event. She was still a princess perfectly available in his horizon of possibilities, only that marrying her wouldn't imply an outstanding outcome for his people. She was the daughter of the most remarkable king among the local powers they were already leading. Politically wise, her people would win more than the trojans. In contrast, the only heir of a foreign empire in expansion, perfectly trained in their uses and ways was tempting enough for some to start trying to make their heir prince change his mind. Hector was one firm decision away from marrying the woman he loved. Andromache wasn't impossible to him, as long as he could be capable of choosing himself over Troy for once.

In that at least the mycenaean beated him, the choice of her heart was a completely unexpected and strictly forbidden one. Achilles was not only a mere soldier supposedly under her father's command, he also hated him the most. He was so símbolically away from her that nobody suspected of them and gossips preferred to claim he was staring at Helen everytime his glance would follow her.

Analyzing the situation through the reminder of those rumors brought to her the question for his reaction. Achilles showed to have found the false claims of his uncontrollable attraction for Helen hilarious enough to make his own jokes. There was nothing serious at risk and he knew that the true target of his attention wasn't feeling jealous of her own aunt. However, bringing Hector into the gossip chain could twist things upside down. Already established as his best competence for heroic glory, the trojan prince was also being preached as her perfect candidate for marriage. Hearing someone say he was the perfect husband for her perhaps wouldn't feel so comically innocent, mere words of unaware people confused by the context.

Like most would, she liked to believe Achilles was too arrogant for jealousy. His cocky charm kept it clear, he was completely sure of being the best. That still could be a problem even if he wouldn't show himself directly affected. Would he tolerate in silence all the voices conceding that unseeked and unwanted victory for the trojan? Agamemnon would drive him insane. His prideful speeches calling Hector his son, his new mighty arm, even before any certainty of a formal pleading would be too much for him. In that particular context, the fear of losing her would be of losing all. Hector occupying his spot on the thalamus could also lead him to be placed in his spot as the brightest star of the army.

" If I were you, I would keep clothes packed and hidden somewhere. '' Ereny told her once she dared to open up in the secrecy of one of the chambers that Penelope destined for her daily activities. " Once he will hear of this, Achilles will be climbing the walls of Mycenae ready to steal you in the middle of the night. "

The queen was the only one present alongside them at the moment of the exchange and her reprobatory expression was speaking for her.

" ... What wouldn't be nice for all the mycenaean soldiers losing their lives trying to stop him."

" Kidnap isn't his style and neither is jealousy. " The princess replied, trying to sound calming. " It's just that I don't know how he will take the new popular preferences on gossip surrounding me. Nobody used to care about my personal life before, now everyone does and they all want to see Hector doing a triumphant entrance in Mycenae to propose to me. "

" Aren't you curious to find out if Achilles is actually capable of jealousy?" Ereny asked with some intentional mischievousness in her tone. " All this time you have been worrying about not developing negative feelings towards the many women who would bed him in a heartbeat if they could. You arrived at this relationship feeling like he is too good for you. "

That advice was quite a surprise, even coming from her best friend.

" I have my reasons, he is a demigod!" The lady defended herself. " Do you think I understand how I managed to not only attract, but win over a man that is the masculine equivalent of Helen in terms of ultimate perfection ? "

Penelope stopped the argument ríght away.

"The son of a sea goddess, not even an Olympian, while you are the heir princess of Mycenae and in the world of mortals that's not a meaningless detail. Hercules was a son of Zeus and mycenaean princesses were out of reach even for him. At risk of sounding like Agamemnon, I have to remind you: he is the one beneath you. "

" Don't act like you did anything different! You married the king of a small island, a man that was beneath your highest possibilities. "

" ... A man who worships the floor I step, and you shouldn't settle for any less. " Penelope remarked with pride. " Do you want to know if Achilles intends to get serious with you? Wait until he hears this and his reaction will give you the answer. Even when we know you don't want to marry Hector, this situation plays in your favor. Achilles will have to act fast before you both could possibly run out of time for a secret romance. The prince is a realistic competition of the level he doesn't find in Greece, a real challenger for him. Hector doesn't love you, but your man doesn't know that and this will show you if he is willing to fight for you... metaphorically speaking, of course. "

" I don't want to force any of them to be with me... and I certainly don't plan to manipulate them." The girl complained. " is not fair, i don't want to get Hector involved in this mess and I can't force Achilles to propose. I will not use this downside as a pressure element for him. "

" Odysseus is ríght in at least one thing: so far he had it too easy with you. " The queen insisted. " I'm not saying you must force him, I only pointed out that Hector is the only one who can shake his certainties a little bit and that is not necessarily bad. "

" I would be worried if i was him." Ereny followed. " I personally find Hector the most attractive of the three men in our bet. Paris is the prettiest, but in the sort of way that Helen finds attractive. Hector is practically as handsome as Achilles, but he is well mannered, soft tempered and modest... All while being the greatest hero in Troy and possibly the best asian warrior who ever lived ..."

Her princess received her honest words with certain annoyance.

" Do you work for me, Ereny, or for Hector?"

The calling out surprised her a bit.

" For you, of course. "

" Then let the servants of Hector do the work of flattering him in my presence hoping that will convince me. "

" A few of their differences favor Hector. is a clear observation when you can keep some objectivity. " The slave girl defended her point. " That cilician princess is very lucky, look closely at what he is doing for her! I bet Hector wants to reach her palace with a solution for her father before asking for her hand in marriage... Aren't they adorable? Meanwhile Achilles' first act stepping inside your palace was making you watch him get naked, Hector would never disrespect Andromache like that. "

" Propriety is not his thing, but he knows how to be a gentleman when he wants to."

" My dear Eudorus has better manners and he has no reason to behave like that with me. I don't have a rank worthy of respect, yet I'm the one who gets treated like a princess while you tend to adopt servile attitudes flirting with Achilles. "

" Say it clear, Eny, don't be afraid. Sometimes she downgrades herself for him. '' Penelope interrupted, then redirected her speech to her cousin." Listen, darling. I don't doubt Achilles can be a good husband, but there are realistic aspects you are overlooking. He is not a home oriented man, he lives jumping from one war to the other. Is most likely that his main sources for female companionship so far have been prostitutes or war captives. He is not used to women like you and that must have played a role in the initial attraction, but that also means he has to learn new codes of conduct. Hector is used to spending time around princesses and, if your father would have done things differently at home, maybe you would notice that it makes a difference. This servile attitude that your friend says you adopt for Achilles, while in contrast I'm watching you turn into a brilliant princess with Hector. That shows the effects of that difference, you are responding to the models of conduct these very different men are used to expect from women.``

" Adaptability is your blessing and curse. " Her friend continued. " You developed it to please the mood swings of the king, but now you can't stop. I hate to say it, but your romantic behavior is not very wife-like and that could be because you think Achilles doesn't expect that treatment. Now you are just being friendly to this prince, but your acts scream ' hey, i'm wife material!'. You are a concubine for your boyfriend and a wife for your intended friend. "

“ It’s a talent you have to read men and spot a void in their lives that you can occupy, shapeshifting into what you think they want. " The Ithacan queen summarized for her. " You don't do it deliberately, Is like an instinct, a survival strategy that ends up defining all kinds of bonds with men for you. It's so Interiorized that you don't even question it. "

The curious theory generated immediate rejectment in her.

" That's absurd! What about Patroclus, or Paris?"

" Mother figure and caring friend who values him beyond his pretty face. " Ereny responded, giving crucial proof. " You became the mother friend of Patroclus and your efforts with Paris are focusing on the sexless aspect of your bonding. "

" I'm NOT mothering Patroclus!"

" In your palace he gets spoiled like a prince, you gifted him weapons and Agamemnon took him on a brief hunting trip like a good grandpa ... Do I have to keep going?"

She was not going to let it go, incapable of admitting defeat and proving a failure on her self awareness.

" Nestor, Ajax ... Eudorus. What about them?"

Ereny was starting to find the revealing quite funny because of the challenge to the usually flawless logic of her lady it implied.

" Sweet grandchild he sees occasionally, elegant lady from the big city very distant yet available and queen-like lady for his lord."

The evidence was piling up and it was impossible to keep ignoring.

" Fine! How do I stop offering Hector a wife when trying to build bridges for friendship? "

The interrogant was left temporarily unanswered due to a sudden interruption. Guided inside by Melantho, Paris was about to join them once more and he seemed worried. It was most likely that he was already aware of the altercate that the princess had with his brother.

“ I can’t believe that, of both of us, Hector is the one who made you hide away. “ He mocked her. “ We agreed to have an archery practice today, remember?”

She completely forgot,he saw her groaning with frustration at the reminder.

“ I’m so sorry, Paris. I didn’t mean to…”

“ Completely disappear?” He added for her, pacing in her direction with a friendly attitude. “ Don’t worry, I learned the hard way that you don’t like attention.”

He sat next to her, inviting her to talk with his relaxed demeanor.

“ In that you are very alike, my brother never seeks attention. He only stumbles with it wherever he goes. I have decided to ignore the blatant hypocrisy just because all of this is fun to watch.”

“ Well, we both know what you wanted and it's not like you were going to propose afterwards.”

Their chuckles resonated together.

“ They have realized you are too decent for me, it’s your doom. Now you will have to endure the biggest honor trojans can grant to a woman outside of religious circles: being considered good enough to possibly become the wife of Hector.”

For as much as he seeked to cheer her up, that wasn’t any tranquilizing.

“ I don’t want it, I can’t be associated with him like that.”

The prince raised an eyebrow, he wondered what made the situation so terrible for her.

“ Why not? Do you know how many girls dream of being in your spot right now? Take the glory at least, Hector is the only mortal man who awakens this devotion in my people. They worship him, so all of this means they like you. “

“ I would prefer to be liked with the usual neutrality applied to a foreigner. It’s true that I have admired trojans my entire life and I was dying for your approbation, but I never wanted it to get this far.”

“ Too late. I’m so sorry for you, sister.”

She punched him on the shoulder. It was a soft push, not meant to hurt but to indicate his jokes weren’t funny to her.

“ I just think you are overreacting, they think you could be a cute match for Hector. So what? No one is breaking any laws, it’s not like your angered husband will come after him because neither of you are married. Is your father going to be upset about this? I don’t think so, you have mentioned that he likes him. “

Ereny jumped on her defense to restrain herself from laughing because her imagination had someone to place in the spot of the furious husband.

“ That’s the problem, he likes him too much. Give him the slightest hope and they will end up married.”

Paris remained totally careless.

“ If you would have seen how my brother acts around Andromache, you would know there is nothing to worry about. He adores her and no amount of threats from the mycenaean king would change that. No matter what others tell you, no one knows Hector like I do and I’m sure of it.”

The lesson that circumstances forced him to postpone took place the next day and Hector was invited to witness it because his brother wanted to brag to him about his teaching skills. However, what ended up impressing him the most was the mature demeanor he was adopting. Placing himself in a position where he had free way to play out his charm, Paris was actively choosing not to do that. For the trained eye of his brother that was a sign of true friendship starting between him and the greek princess.

It made him feel happy for him and completely erased the initial concern, although deep down he wished the talking would still center on Paris. If he could ever think of settling down, someone like her wouldn’t be a bad choice. A centered woman acting like a positive influence guiding him into assuming responsibilities was exactly what his brother needed. It didn’t have to be her, the mycenaeans would never accept a man like him as next heir to their throne, but that girl was a first step guiding him into the right direction. The more he watched them, the more relieved he felt, but the words of Odysseus were still echoing in his mind and the merry scene seemed to reflect those.

Even in a smaller scale, simply helping him deal with his rebelliously indolent little brother, she was a magnifical problem solver. Empathy and understanding of his struggles were her only encouragement factors, her will to prove herself to him was only based on competitive thinking. If she wanted to help, to share his load, it never came from a place of romantical interest. She was overloaded and he was the only person around that would understand it. Brutally honest sometimes and carefully secretive when he was too close to figure out the full weight of her problems, she invited him to share his because it made her feel understood.

It wasn’t hard to see why even among trojans their union could sound so convenient. She was the perfect empress, sick test developed by Agamemnon with the future of his empire in mind. Disappointed by his wife, the king raised his daughter to incarnate his ideal queen and the undeniable potential perceived in her was in fact the result of that twisted operation. They were paying attention only to the reflections of flawless royalty both obtained through personal sacrifice, thinking they had found a perfect queen for their future king. Her interactions with them showed she had good chances of adjusting quickly to life in Troy and that was her merit, the surprising aspect of her personality sealing the perks of the deal. She charmed them into ignoring the true implications of her origins, ironically representing the gift of Hera without its downsides.

To some he was being a fool for not wanting to take it. A lovely girl that came to them like a gift, a peace offering of the greeks and the chance to prevent the inevitable clash with them that the trojans never stopped fearing. All Hector had to do was let her in, except that he knew better than to mindlessly accept what sounded too politically perfect to be true. Agamemnon of Mycenae never knew of gifts, only bargains under crushing conditions for the enslaved kingdoms he called allies. Marrying her seemed a tempting easy way out, but his men were conveniently ignoring that it would be like taking a bait that wasn’t even particularly prepared for him. Hector had no intention of abandoning the choice of marrying the love of his life for her, the sacrifice was too great and the consequences were uncertain. Her many virtues meant nothing because Andromache was irreplaceable to him. No other woman, mortal or immortal, could ever compare to her no matter the insistence.

A scream of pure joy coming from the greek princess distracted him from his introspective thinking. She was celebrating her very first good shot after countless frustrating attempts over the course of many lessons, clinging to Paris and making him share her excitement. They looked like happy fools and Hector couldn’t help smiling at the sight, a reaction that didn’t escape to the sharp perceptiveness of Polydamas.

“ Are you seriously going to let her go? “ He questioned him,letting him know he wouldn’t let it go unnoticed. “ I’m not asking it as a subject, I'm doing it as a friend.”

That was probably the most insidious outcome of the matchmaking strategy that Odysseus developed in hopes of getting them together. In the perspective of the prince he wasn’t the one to blame for the pressures, but that was because he cleverly managed to make it come from his friends. The king only manifested support of the idea, but he made it look like he was going with the flow of speculations he didn’t initiate and were a spontaneous outcome of the meeting he had no control over.

“ If you want her so badly, let me accompany you to Mycenae and provide my legitimating support once you plead her as your wife.”

“ You are the only one of us who has any chances of succeeding, my friend!” Polydamas replicated. “ Paris may have many flaws, but he has great instinct when it comes to women. He spots the best of the best, and this time he was kind enough to decline for you.”

That particular interpretation of what happened made Hector chuckle.

" She wrecked his spirits for seduction, her rejection made him wonder if he was missing his touch... What makes you think she should be mine instead?"

" I'll start with the shallow reason: she is the last woman with the blood of Helen that remains available. She is directly related to who is said to be the most beautiful woman of our times."

Polydamas emphasized the last part gesturally indicating him to glance at her.

" Look at that gorgeous girl, it's clear that beauty runs in the family. She must be the cutest among the unmarried princesses in this country. "

Hector didn't seem affected.

" If I cared for the famous beauty of Helen, I would have competed for her directly. " He cutted him off. " Let her pretty blood stay in Greece where it belongs."

" In the hands of those brutes greeks call heroes? Who are her prospects here? Diomedes, Ajax, maybe Achilles? Local leaders without vision, mere fighters competing for scratches of glory. Their simplistic views would limitate her, constrict her to the most basic functions of a wife. You are better than all of them and you wouldn't let her personal potential go to waste. "

" I think she has what it takes to handle them from any role given to her. She doesn't need me and I certainly don't need her. "

" How many of the leads she gave you turned out to be true?"

Hector forced the eye contact to make him completely sure that his objections were going serious.

" You know my code. There are three límits i will never cross: commit a sacrilege, abandon my country or to call mine a woman I don't love. "

Precisely at that moment she reached them to share the excitement of her victory.

" Did you see that? Pure luck, no idea of how i did it. This is so hard! I finally understand why archery makes the amazons mutilate their chests. I'm never going to be a good archer anyways, but i'm happy with just knowing how to use a bow. Although i did it good this time, right? What do you think?"

Her expectant expression awaiting for praise on the small achievement made them feel guilty of admitting they weren't paying attention.

" It was great..." Hector improvised first. " The main goal was to functionally show you how to use a bow and it seems like you made it to the basics.”

"Next time someone will tell me I'm too weak for spears, i will say your chest is too big for archery" Paris commented from behind her making fun of his brother. " Look at that! You are one war away from having a more prominent chest than hers."

" Don't worry, Ajax has already accomplished it. " The mycenaean followed. " I'm pretty sure no girl in Greece can beat his."

The chuckling of teacher and appretience was more intense than the comedical implications in their comments.

" You made great progress today, your highness. " Polydamas praised her, holding on to propriety. " Keep trying, don't feel discouraged because your arrow didn't pierce the center. The fact that you can properly hold a bow and hit the target is a wonderful improvement. "

A light chuckle of hers made him smile from the sight.

" I wasn't aiming for the center. I imagined myself wounding the target, not killing it. " She confessed. " Paris advised me to think of something or someone making me angry, so I thought of Menelaus. "

Used as he was at her dark humor, Hector simply followed her thinking it was another of her jokes.

" Good choice, he angers me too. What a coincidence!"

They shared a few chuckles because, despite her not joking, he did make her laugh.

" Why ?" Polydamas asked, disconcerted. " I mean, your highness. That man is your uncle."

" He is horrible to his wife. " Paris explained for her. " Hector, can I be a royal advisor for marriages? So many men need someone to teach them how to treat their women ríght. It's my ideal position, I could make people happy. "

" No king would want an advisor on how to deal with his wife." His brother pointed out. " It's not a concern that would make them seek advice. "

" It would be the miracle saving my dinasty. " The princess corrected. " The Atreides desperately need that service, they are the last in the line of a family that produced generation after generation of horrible husbands."

She should have stopped there, but couldn't.

" One would expect that her extraordinary beauty should have given Helen a privilege on that, but it didn't. If that is the outcome that the prettiest girl in Greece got... What will be of the rest of us, simple mortals? When the one the country has fallen in love with ends up with a selfish prick there is no hope for any greek woman. If she couldn't make it... Why me? All the talking about marriage behind my back lately has made me feel sensible about this, so I thought of my uncle the day he got married before doing my shot."

No one ignored her words, each man seeking to comfort her their way.

" May your sweetest dreams come true, my lovely friend. " Paris told her. " Even if suffering is the rule here, you deserve to be the exception. "

" May the gods protect you from such unfortunate circumstances. '' Polydamas added. " You would be a wonderful bride for any man wanting you."

" May your nuptial walk not lead to another sacrifice. " Hector concluded, evoking on purpose her words during their argument. " I'll not demand that from you."

Her eyes went wide and she practically jumped to hug him out of pure and thankful relief.

" I thought he got you ... I almost thought he got you. Nobody resists Odysseus' rhetoric, I can't believe you are still with me. "

Hector received her, but warned her in whispers.

" Be careful, Polydamas is one of them. "

At that point she didn’t care to watch out regarding her reactions on that particular issue.

“ Excellent, just excellent!” She sarcastically snarked after releasing him. “ Your priest is part of the problem, we are ruined.”

“ I’m not a priest, I am a seer.” Polydamas corrected her, also attempting to stay at her good side. “ Some priests can be seers, but not all seers are priests.”

She glanced at him for an instant, then coldly replied.

“ Misconception of Eny back when she met you all that i never actually corrected. You dress so richly that she confused you for one despite it turns out you are just a divinator… Interpreter of signs and explorer of dreams.”

He wanted to make her understand he was not her enemy.

“ My father is a priest of Apollo, growing up with his servants must have made the god choose me to receive a gift only he can concede.I don't serve him doing labors in the temple, but i honor him serving the country as one of the best warriors in the Apollonian Guard.”

She smiled, but it wasn’t a sign of approbation. If any mycenaean would have been there to witness the interaction, they would have described it as the kind of ironical smile Agamemnon would usually show hearing the arguments of an opponent he was about to discredit.

“ Is there any vision you had, or direct order from a god demanding Hector and I to be together?”

The seer swallowed his pride.

“ No that I am aware of yet, your majesty.”

The answer didn’t calm her at all.

“ What do you mean with YET? WHAT IS ‘YET’? Do you have an appointment with Hera tomorrow morning and are waiting for what she will tell you? BE CLEAR!”

“ It is not wise to scream at the seer, even if you are around friends.” Hector attempted to calm her down. “ I’m sure Polydamas has an explanation for the nonsense he said.”

Paris wasn’t doing any interventions because he was trying to hold back his laughing so she wouldn’t turn her anger at him. Luckly, the bow was in his hands so there was nothing to fear.

“ I said yet because, when you have my gift, you never know when a message from the gods will come to you. It can be in a dream, or even in a very vivid daydream coming from you or others around you that lack the ability to interpret the signs. Nature can have all sorts of hidden messages, especially in the movement of birds … When was the last time you saw a bird this week, princess? Do you remember what was happening around you?”

Hector crossed his arms and huffed, aware of what was about to come.

“ Well, I was with the kids. We were playing in the garden and Argo started barking at the doves, it made them disperse and fly but one remained there at the top of a branch.”

“ Was that one dove particular in any way?” Polydamas avidly asked. “Strange colors, a singular majestic demeanor?”

“ I wouldn't say ‘special’ but it was very beautiful.”

The seer looked at her with a special bright in his eyes, as if he just discovered something.

“ It 's a sign! Please, forget my usual lack of impartiality. What I need to tell you comes from the deepest truth of my craft: love is closer to you than what you imagine. “

She rolled her eyes, immediately regretting enabling that conversation.

“ No, I mean it! Doves are messengers of Aphrodite“ Polydamas insisted. “ Just as the barking of the dog that guards this house kept the doves away, most flew away in fear but only one remained with courage and obstination, so will your suitors abandon their cause fearing the protectiveness of your father. Only the most courageous and stubborn among them will remain and he will be the one for you.”

She couldn’t help smiling, that time pleasantly and with excitement. Courageous and stubborn were two adjectives that perfectly described Achilles.

“ Offense forgiven.” Paris mocked her. “ I think she liked your prophecy.”

"No more bird signs, Polydamas. Do you call that comfort? " Hector complained. " Can you sincerely expect her to make the most fundamental choice in her life based on that? "

" Normally, I would side with you, but this time I have to say I liked the content of the omen. '' She added. " A persistent man that is willing to stay despite my father could be exactly what I want. Someone who wants me for me and not just for what I can bring to the table."

The princess was then very curious about the seer.

" Is there anything more you can tell me about my fate?"

Polydamas was sure to have won her trust and he allowed himself a playful comeback.

" Do you want to know if Hector is in it?"

His friend was in horrified disbelief.

" Now you are flirting with her for me! This is going too far. "

" You can thank me later ... and you will. " Polydamas defended himself. " I find you an excellent wife and you help me to court Briseis."

The brothers shared a good moment of laughter and Paris was the first making a snarky clarification afterwards.

" I will tell you what I tell the rest: my condolences, friend. Yours is a hopeless cause. "

" You are absolutely right, old friend. Your plan is perfect. " Hector followed. " I will marry this woman when you marry Briseis! Which means never, because no one will get to marry my cousin."

The young princess was a bit lost, but very curious on the topic.

" What's wrong with her? Why would nobody marry her?"

Hector provided her the needed context.

" She is the most wanted maiden in Troy, only that she has decided that marriage is not for her. "

" ... but not everyone understands it." Paris continued. " Many men keep coming at our doorstep hoping father, or Hector would give her to one of them. The main perk Polydamas has compared to most is that he is ours and her friend, but it's clear that Briseis will choose the priesthood robes. The infatuated seer over here hopes to make her change her mind and choose him, but for that he also needs the approbation and open support of Hector. "

They seemed to be losing her, but not precisely out of lack of understanding.

" You mean that your cousin is desired by everyone there and she still has the ríght to choose the priesthood? " Were the words she managed to articulate. " She just has to say no and King Priam rejects all the suitors so she can go to the temple?!"

The trojan men shared the fear of realizing they probably screwed the situation even more. She was in shock, calmed apparently but about to explode.

" Well, yes. " Paris attempted to reformulate. " Hector and I are almost sure this is what will happen, but the ones in love with her keep deceiving themselves. "

The princess took some steps away from them and started pacing in rect line from one point to the other like a caged lioness, careless to let them hear her rageful ramble.

" You are telling me that the trojan equivalent of Helen can not only truly choose the man she could marry ... , BUT ALSO DECIDE TO REJECT THEM ALL?!!! NOW YOU SEE WHY AGAMEMNON SEEKS TO DESTROY YOU? THE BEST WOMAN IN THIS CURSED COUNTRY COULDN'T EVEN DREAM WITH THAT! FORGET THE METAL FOR WEAPONS, HECTOR ... THEY ARE COMING FOR THIS !!!"

Her fury was nothing seen before, like someone who just discovers to have been deceived.

" We thought Hesione must have told you some of that. " Paris attempted to attenuate. " I see now that she didn't. "

" SHE COULDN'T, IT WOULD HAVE FEEDING IMPOSSIBLE ILLUSIONS. WHO WOULD BELIEVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS? "

Hector took the courage needed to calm her nerves. He disrupted her pacing and locked her around his strong arms. Although she struggled, he didn't let her go and that forced her to stop moving.

" I'm mad, I'm furious. And is not you, is us. " She told him in a more composed tone. Rage was turning into frustration and sadness as the grip of his arms impeded her physical outlet. " I'm a queen among greek princesses and my life worths nothing, Helen is trapped in that palace suffering in the hands of that BASTARD... Ruling Greece is not enough, I want to destroy this damn country to the ground and start over."

She lifted her head slightly up trying to meet his gaze as she pronounced the last sentence, allowing him to truly feel her anger. In response, Hector deviated his glance for a brief instant towards Paris and Polydamas as a silent request to retire.

“ I wish I could help you, but the timing is terrible.” He told her in a sweet tone as soon as they were left alone. “ Maybe this is what Odysseus meant when he said we can bring change, he implied that if I marry you I can bring to Greece all the things you love about Troy.”

“ Would you protect the wives and daughters of the greeks from their husbands and their fathers?” Was her grim reply. “ You can’t, don’t think of sacrificing yourself in vain. Go home, marry your princess.”

She had a good point that he couldn’t question, but that didn’t mean he was going to let her embrace a hopeless rage so easily.

“ Talking to you never ceases to amaze me, you know? My city is a mess from the inside with politics dominated by priests, there is so much I would like to change on how things work there. Despite all the problems I deal with on a regular basis,the reality of the Troy I have just surpassed your dreams…If my heart wouldn't belong to someone else already, I don't know if I would hate the idea of becoming your new suitor. "

His grip was less firm than instants before, what allowed her to put some distance.

" What are you talking about?"

" You would be a great princess to be queen for the trojans because sometimes you appreciate the good things we have more than we do. " He simply explained. " It's our reality and we often give it for granted. If you would tell Briseis of what happened to Helen, she would tell you that greeks are insane. She can't imagine that across the sea a girl in her position would be forced to get married just because of her many suitors. She knows my father would never do that to her and that's the limit of her experience."

" You can't be serious!" She mocked him. " Did they convince you already? Are you out of your mind? "

" I'm not, I just think you would fiercely protect all what makes Troy worth defending. The little things trojans find natural, but greeks never had." He sweetly concluded. " You know what is at risk if one day the city we have now stops existing as we knew it and that's not a meaningless detail. Our prosperity is so long dated that no one really thinks about what we can lose. It's a serious problem of our political thinking, a very overlooked issue. If you would rule with me, you would remind trojans not to take Troy for granted and work hard to keep it the way we love it to be. "

She swallowed hard, fearing a crushing defeat.

" That's the best reason I have heard so far, don't make me feel like a selfish bitch. " Was her hesitant answer. " Damn it, Hector! Why do you suddenly have more faith in me than my own family ever did? "

" If you listen carefully in a silent environment, you can hear the cackles of the twelve olympian gods laughing of us ríght now. " He joked in return. " The people are right and I hate it, you would be of great help in my country. "

" Like if you were the only one stuck on that! Have you heard my men daydreaming out loud about an army commanded by you with Achilles as your first general? That's the unstoppable duo that they want to see, they don't personally care for us." She added, exposing her perspective. " My father rules with a very clear message behind:' the Age of Demigods is ending, let the Age of Men begin'. His royal house has no divine blood other than its foundational head and by now it is completely diluted. He needs a new founding legend as successor, an admirable hero born from two mortals that could incarnate his message erasing from history the dark past of our family once and for all. "

" ... And I guess mycenaeans thought they found the ríght fool. " He completed, unamused. " Not that I’m proud of that. ."

" Our people can't find hope, my family is full of monstrosities. Menelaus married Helen thinking her beauty would cover the ugly in us. "

Hector fixed the slightly messy locks falling at the sides of her face and softly caressed her cheek.

" I don't see a single hint of that ugliness in you."

She was fighting tears, but still smiling.

" Stop doing that! For things like this people comment that we should get married."

He chuckled to her emotionally driven praise.

" I meant it, you are nothing like those horrible men."

“ Don’t be so quick to judge, I do resemble them in one thing. They prioritize personal ambition over their royal duties and their own people, which is exactly what I am doing.” She stated in return. “ You are joining me in my first big irresponsible act of true selfishness, my inaugural moment as a member of this royal house. I am about to make a controversial choice that Agamemnon will never forgive me for just to make myself happy. I don’t care for him, I can't even care for the mycenaeans right now. I figured out that the only one who could have made me marry you will not be saved through that.”

“ Your mother in heart.” Hector guessed. “ Agamemnon would have to set her free as a goodwill gesture before our marriage gets arranged.”

“ He won’t, she knows too much.” She determinantly replicated. “ I used to think something like that could work, but then I found out she has seen the worst of my family. Hesione knows my father better than i do, he would never risk himself letting her reach Priam. The things she could tell him would make your father lose the very little respect he may still keep for him. I don’t doubt she would be proud to see me married to you, but that wouldn’t be enough to rescue her. What’s the point of becoming the next queen of Troy if I can’t help the one trojan I love above everyone else? I would rather marry a greek and force my father to let her go on our terms. He will never let her reach Troy, but I will not let her stay alone with him in that palace. Once I will be married I will make him give her a little country house and a few girls to help her around … Peace, at least, since I can’t take her with her family. “

“ That’s terrible, I hoped that at least I could make you happy by granting you her freedom in this nightmarish scenario where you become my wife.”

He was teasing her, but she wasn’t leaving it like that.

“ Shut up, you are a wonderful man! Any girl would be lucky to have you, only that we both prefer I wouldn't be that girl. “ She replicated and patted his cheek. Three soft taps before pinching it to later add a fourth. “ Take the compliment, I don't say this easily.”

Her surprisingly effusive behavior and his reception of her ways to mess around showed they had reached a certain amount of trust making her feel ready to explain things a bit deeper.

“ Something has changed in me, if you would have met me a few years back we wouldn’t be having this conversation. All I wanted was to escape, I didn't mind with whom as long as I would be sure that he wouldn’t hurt me. If it was Paris or you, there would be no difference for me … Actually, I would have never considered you as a possibility, but what I mean is that I would have taken any offer. I didn’t mind if the man that would be my husband would be in love with me or if he wouldn't, if he would cheat on me or forget I exist as soon as I would give him heirs. I didn’t care, I just wanted to leave and find peace. “

“ Something made you care, or someone.” Hector guessed out loud. “ Helen, right? That’s why you get these short rage outbreaks, despite you loving to present yourself as this emotionally self-sufficient woman you are crying out for help because you are scared of ending up like her.”

“ Many things changed after her wedding, but I’m not afraid.” The princess cryptically clarified. “ Now my old expectations aren’t enough, I demand true feelings from my future husband. It is a very humble ambition, don’t you think? If being the princess sitting right next to the king that will soon own all Greece can’t get me that, then his power is useless to me.”

There was nothing more he needed to understand, sharing the truth about her aunt with him and his brother was already a big step that she gave only because she trusted in the trojan sense of justice. She was already aware trojan women had it a bit better than greeks, but she didn’t know things were going so great under Priam. At least in practical terms, being the niece of the trojan king meant more than being the only daughter of the mycenaean or the most beautiful woman in the country. Indignation for the reality of her country aside, she was happy for the luck of that girl and perhaps others like her. A bit envious too, but in a healthy way. After all, fate wanted her to be mycenaean because as a trojan princess she would have been unstoppable. Hector seemed to confirm it, his praise was all about the virtues she could develop in that role.

Despite she was already aware he had a way with words, it wasn’t of the kind she was used to. The silver tongue of Odysseus exceeding in the art of persuasion, the flatterers sweet talking her father, Nestor’s experience based advice… The eloquence of the trojan prince was nothing like any of that. His words were of encouragement, his speech of the kind that pushes people to try hard bringing out the best in them during the worst situations. There was something in him immediately inspiring courage and hope to face the hardships, there was no doubt he was the kind of leader anyone would be willing to die following. She almost felt sorry for privating her people of such a great king, but she was experiencing the spirit uplift of Hector’s speech and it made her feel invincible. Suddenly her dreams weren’t impossible because she felt strong enough to stand up to her family and so good enough that she stopped doubting Achilles would propose to her at some point. He would marry her and then brag about having stolen her from the trojans who had lost the chance to have one wonderful future queen. Hector didn’t need to say that, it was clear that the princess he loved was the best in his eyes, but he did. He turned the cause of her anger into something beautiful, finding potential for good in her darkest thoughts.

He inspired her hope to believe she would achieve what others said was impossible. It didn’t matter if everyone else thought Achilles would never marry and even the myrmidons had lost hope: he would become her husband. Great feats started as insane ideas very few believed in. The road of many heroes began when they were desperate madmen stumbling with the discredit of people who thought they were walking to their deaths before they accomplished unimaginable acts. King Polydectes thought Perseus would die trying to bring him the head of Medusa and so thought King Pelias when he sent Jason for the Golden Fleece. That wedding was her impossible feat and she could be a hero in the feminine sphere. Her inherited ambition had to be focused on that goal. She had every ríght to picture herself as his wife even if she wouldn't directly demand him marriage. Only at the light of her renewed spirits did she realize that Penelope was ríght and understood the real implication of her advice.

It wasn't about forcing him, she had to make him want it. If he never thought of that, she had to inspire his desire for it. Tempting him from her heart, beyond their running jokes about the consummation. She would subtly show him through her romantic gestures the great wife she could be and make him wish she would be his. She would be like the sweet dream he never expected to have and Achilles would find himself fantasizing about finding someone waiting for him at the end of every battle.

That night she let her thoughts run free again and the mix of wishfulness with the anguish of separation kept her awake for a while focusing on him once more. If he could only see the displays of devoted loyalty she was showing there! His name was gaining traction among the foreigners and her fidelity was successfully tested from two completely different angles. No matter the lies people wanted to spread about her and Hector, or her work on the sidelines to help the trojans, Achilles was still getting the best part in everything. Still, the points of intersection between the most recent words of advice of the queen and the speech of the trojan prince made her ask herself if perhaps her beloved could be facing some doubts. Never regarding her, but the circumstances surrounding them. It was hard to picture, but she discovered many things before that other people judged wrong of him. Attitudes that were unseen for them, sides of him they would never imagine, and he unfortunately had reasons to doubt.

Across history, disowned heroes on their road to success had never married any women of her house. Not even at their times of glory and vindication mycenaean princesses had been available to them. Besides, obtaining the daughter of the king they challenged was never part of their rewards. None of them demanded that from the old kings, rulers who used to hold less power in their scepters than Agamemnon. If he wanted to marry her, Achilles would be challenging a king more powerful than all of those for a reward that surpassed the limits established by the most remarkable legends. Asking for the throne that was his birthright to rule among the myrmidons would have made more sense with the past than taking her. Just like Penelope told her, following the rules of the mortal world she was the unattainable one, since her hero would have to trespass beyond the expectatives of the disowned transgressors that came before him. Jason didn’t marry a daughter of Pelias, Perseus found Andromeda on the way and Hercules didn’t become a suitor for any daughters of Eurystheus after his purgative labors. Neither of them found marriage to a princess in Mycenae, not even the errant son of Zeus, greatest hero still remembered.

Imagining that behind the arrogance all of that could be worrying him broke her heart a little bit. If it depended on his qualities, he should have been able to pick any woman he wanted. Who wouldn’t want to be his wife? It made no sense, to the public gaze she was just a rich princess with no personal merits greeks were aware of while he was the greatest warrior of their times.Losing herself in those thoughts before falling asleep inspired her to have a very vivid dream where she was finding him in the gardens of her palace.

The place looked like a mix between its state in her childhood and what she judged her present. Walking towards him slowly revealed that he wasn’t alone, but chatting with a woman she could only see from the back, but whose luscious blond locks revealed her as Helen.

It seemed to her that it was a private conversation they were trying to keep in the appearance of being waiting for her, understandable given the gossip surrounding them. Despite they weren't noticing her approaching she was still able to hear them.

“ I’ll never surrender to Agamemnon, I don’t respect him and to be honest I am glad we agree on that.” the myrmidon was saying.” I’m loyal only to her, but I understand she expects me to listen to you like she knows I wouldn't do for him.”

Helen didn’t give a verbal answer,but she must have been pleased because he smiled at her before proceeding to plead his case.

“ I’m here for her and you know it. What other reason could I have to arrive at the gates of my enemy? I am the only of these unlucky bastards who remains permanently banned from the throne… What can it be then? Revenge for what I had lost? If I wanted my throne to rule among the myrmidons, it would be mine already. Do I look to you like the kind of man who hesitates before spilling blood to get what he wants?”

He wasn’t threatening her, only making a joke based on his reputation.

“ I despise her father, but I am willing to retreat on the anger that man causes me to be with her. Isn’t that the very same thing you have been doing? The others don’t understand you like I do. At this point she is our only excuse to try staying calm everytime that high class pig opens his mouth. “

Probably moved by his exhortation, Helen attempted to caress his cheek in a welcoming way but Achilles shunned her with disconcert. It was as if she would have done something unexpected that he wasn’t sure he liked, which made no sense because they weren’t strangers and he wasn’t one of those men terrified of her good looks. The princess was even more weirded than him and the first audible response of the queen deepened that sensation.

Chuckles, slightly condescendant but happy. Her voice sounded nothing like Helen’s and her first spoken words confirmed she wasn’t her aunt.

“ My child! How are you afraid of your mother in law?”

The young her felt her world shattering: her mother, as young as when she died and acting like it would have never happened. The logical part of her mind was wondering if she was simply imagining her the way she could or if a merciful god was helping in the awakening of her memory.

“ I wasn’t expecting you to welcome me so easily, it's said that you are impossible to please when it comes to your pretty princess. '' Achilles was mocking Clytemnestra, seeking to dissipate any assumptions of fear on his part. “ I heard you are the only one Hector has not yet impressed, i fail to see why such a difficult mother is already calling me her son.``

The queen was careless for the provocation.

“ Surprisingly modest! And incredibly handsome, no one can deny my girl has a good eye. I know that she wants you, I have a bet with my maidservant. You see, Hesione has a naturally understandable predilection towards Hector, but you have always been my favorite.”

She concluded the cheerful praise while laying a hand on his shoulder.

“ Come, let me hug you.”

He was slightly hesitant, but eventually agreed to be trapped in that strange motherly embrace.

“ Why are you doing this? Your daughter is not my bride.”

“ But she will.” Clytemnestra insisted, then grabbed his cheeks to make him turn his head to the side and force eye contact. “ I need you, Achilles. you are my only hope.”

“ Let’s hope King Priam would never hear you discrediting his son like that. “ The warrior teased the queen, obtaining release. “ I can’t say I am not thankful, but I am surprised. Usually my skill to carelessly kill men is the only aspect in which my superiority is indisputable. Why would you, of all queens, want to see your princess get married to a myrmidon butcher instead of the heir prince of Troy?”

She seemed to have a great answer for that, planned ahead, that she didn’t mind sharing.

“ The butcher is in love with her and for her sake he would cross limits the prince never would. A man like Hector would never survive this family and taking her to the opposite corner of the world will not be enough to cut the bastards in it from her life. I don’t need a heir prince that will prioritize his country over her, I need an irrational fool that would set his on fire protecting her if he has to.”

The description meant for him wasn’t one he would have liked to hear, but the intentionality of it weirded him a bit.

“ Clytemnestra … what precisely should I protect her from?”

She took a few steps back, her eyes acquiring a grim shade.

“ An innocent girl destroyed by her father and uncle, means to an end … Someone had to pay the highest price in the war of brothers and it had to be a girl. The sole survivor, the sacrifice ordered by the oracle. Once the husband and brother in law finish destroying the queen, they go for one of the princesses. It happened to my mother in law and it will happen again. They will come for her, I know they will come … Agamemnon and Menelaus will lead my child to her death.”

The cryptic bridge between the past and that feared future was based on the fate of Pelopia, the most unfortunate mycenaean princess who ever existed. A cousin of Agamemnon twistedly damaged by his uncle and his father, only one generation separated her from their daughter.

“ Achilles, even if you wouldn’t want her I would still be begging you. You are the only one who can save her. “

The girl was breaking down, her already tearful face was a mess but only then the dream allowed her some sense of participation. Achilles noticed her, discovering her as if she had just arrived and had accidentally walked in the conversation.

One moment afterwards he was holding her in his arms, trying to calm her down acting as if nothing strange was happening.

" It's alright, gorgeous. I'll not let your father turn you into a stew or anything else close to what your ancestors had already done." He sweetly teased her. " Your mother only meant to say that I am deranged and she appreciates that. "

Clytemnestra moved like a ghost, she was then unexplainably visible to her from her perspective on the hug. Her smiling mother was a wonderful visual complementing the reassurement of her boyfriend.

" It's my secret advantage against all your suitors: I am out of my mind. " He was telling her while caressing her hair. " She likes me, we found a bonding point. Turns out we are both insane and we love you."

It made her chuckle, but she was still crying out her mixed emotions.

" I think I need to talk to her. " The queen suddenly said. " We haven't had yet the conversation every mother must have with her daughter prior to her wedding. That's why she is so nervous. "

Achilles showed quick understandment and accepted to leave, but not before managing to stop the tears. Looking at her in the eyes while helping her clean her face was enough to make her smile. She could tell he resisted the urge of kissing her as a gesture of decorum for her mother and loved him for that despite being unsure of the situation.

The tension grew once both women were left alone. The young princess became distrustful, silently observing the woman in front of her as if she was a complete stranger. It was technically the truth, since she didn't have memories of her mother, but it was way more than that.

She couldn't be her, once the funerals take place the dead are gone forever. Only a divinity could be communicating through her dreams.

" I see what this is about, i'm obsessed with helping Helen because I couldn't help my mother. " She concluded out loud. " Is this even her true shape? "

Her listener gave her a friendly grin before replying.

" I tried to resemble her the best I could. I did it because I thought you would like to hear her voice and take a look at her face, I'm not trying to mortify you."

A slight shade of cautious fear in her eyes indicated she was about to change her approach completely.

" Forgive my skepticism, the gods have never spoken to me before. Sometimes i'm not even sure if they listen to me. "

" But we do listen to Achilles and he has been talking a lot about you lately. The same can be said of Helen. Do you think that falling in love with him around the same time you were getting to know her was a coincidence? Get close to one of the favorites of Aphrodite and she will be watching you. "

The amount of insight she showed was frightening.

" Who are you?" The princess asked, hesitant." Have I angered you with my riddle? I created it respectfully to make the goddesses participants of my choices. If you came to punish me, I take full blame. Don't make Helen, Eny or Tal part of it. "

" I'm not here for that. If you want to know, I am the only goddess that doesn't hold hard feelings towards Clytemnestra. " Was the vague reply she obtained. " Her actions as a wife were unexcusable, but I have come to understand her powerlessness of mother. Even if she never heard any oracle sentencing you, she read the dark history of your family like a prophecy and tried to act ahead of it. I am not in the place to judge that, we would be guilty of the same crime."

It didn't clarify much, but it was slightly relieving.

" I sincerely appreciate that, she still means a lot to me." The mycenaean girl stated, making a graceful reverence. " ... May I ask if you truly believe she would have reacted like that? It was a bit unfair to Hector. Agamemnon likes to believe he would be easier to control than Achilles, but he wouldn't."

" At least in that they can be compared. " The goddess calmly mocked her. " They are like two sides of the same coin ... Are you going to toss it and see which one fate picks for you?"

" I don't want to, my heart has decided."

" You will need more than that before making your choice. Your devotion is admirable, but love is not always enough. If you want to let Achilles pursue you, there are risks you need to consider. Problems beyond what Odysseus and Penelope had already told you."

It was a confusing message, specially given what she witnessed before.

" Can you tell me something they haven't told me yet? Odysseus gave me hundreds of reasons to stay away from his friend. "

" Peleus died too soon, after years of keeping up with a similar lifestyle. Many years later, your father is still breathing. " The deity pointed out, refusing to be specifical. " Kings tend to live longer lives, men like Achilles die younger. If we follow the tendencies in family history, marrying him is choosing to be a young widow. Ask yourself if you would survive that. Do you rather stand the heartbreak now, grieve the love story you couldn't live at its fullest and move on, or live it and grieve later the loss of all you have experienced? "

She had no idea of what that meant, but it was starting to scare her.

" I can't answer that, but what I can say is that I am not a coward and I won't force anyone to be with me. "

She needed to explain herself further to put things in perspective.

" The woman who raised me is a slave, so are my best friends. My father raised me because he had no other choice when he got stuck alone with me after my mother ... Everyone around me at all stages of my life was somewhat forced to be there, I can't keep doing it. I won't force Hector to be my husband. Why should I do it, when Achilles has chosen me against any advice of reason? I'm the only woman in the country he really shouldn't want, he gains absolutely nothing loving me and nothing ties him to my family. Let alone loving me, he doesn't even have to care for me! Nothing in our context forces him to do it... For the first time in my life I am experiencing completely unconditional love, I would rather spend a few months with him than decades of guilt waiting for Hector to find out I ruined his life dragging him with me. "

The very serious speech, although effective, wasn’t enough to avoid a very specific counter argument she wasn’t expecting at all.

“ Hector is terrified because he likes you.” The goddess commented as if she would be sharing with her a secret that the prince didn’t want her to know. “ Not romantically, but he has the intuitive feeling that you two could make it work if you had to. He loves his asian princess, she is the one he has chosen just like you have chosen Achilles, but being with you wouldn’t be the unbearable punishment for him that you imagine. If this man wouldn’t have someone else he already loves waiting for him, he could have developed an attraction towards you that would be more substantial than the mere acknowledgement of your beauty Paris showed through your meeting. He just realized it and the irony annoys him, especially because people wouldn’t let it go if they get to see it too. “

Whoever she was, her ways were more maternal than royal. The princess felt like she was chatting with a woman who intended to make her feel like a daughter more than with a divinity scrutinizing her situation.

“ Paris may have boosted my confidence a bit with that flattering spectacle, but not enough for me to swallow that.” She dared to admit. “ Hector, the man I spoke with today and who clearly stated that the good he sees in me is only about what I can do for Troy? Sure, he is so worried about the possibility of finding me attractive. I'm so irresistible that trojans are about to claim I'm the new Helen now that she isn’t single anymore. I’m full of suitors that come to see me and not the gold in the heavy decoration style of Agamemnon’s throne room! It's not like Achilles is the only one who actually wants me, right?”

The sarcasm was excessive, but it didn’t get to anger the listener.

“ Trojans would suggest Princess Briseis for that position, she is shockingly pretty and a bit younger than you and Helen. She has what it takes to make you nervous, you are lucky that she is being allowed to choose the temple and she is far away from here. Your jealousy in her presence wouldn’t be fun to see.”

It was a low blow on her insecurity and real fear to develop jealous behavior.

“ Who cares about her looks? Men ask for her opinion with real intentions of respecting it… Now that is something I want!!”

“ Then you want to be treated like trojan royalty.”

" I surely envy the freedom of Briseis, but that isn't enough to make me marry Hector. " The mortal clarified. " Achilles lives with unthinkable freedoom and as his wife I'll share his. I know this because I can already taste it everytime i'm with him. "

She stopped herself mid ramble, thinking she finally realized what the talk was about.

" Am I being tested? If that is the case, I just want to say that for Achilles I would be the wife mycenaean kings never had. I truly want to make him happy. If i get to be the lucky one, he will feel so loved that he will start appreciating domesticity despite i will never try to domesticate him. I will not try to change him, I want to be the partner of his lifetime with all the ups and downs in it. I'm fine with having him for myself whenever possible if in that way i will not disrupt the way to his dream. My only intromission will be giving him someone he would want to come back home for. "

The goddess seemed very much satisfied.

" Well, princess. That's all I need to know, consider me your ally."

She was even more suspicious than before.

" That was it? Did I pass?"

" Being the wife of Achilles isn't easy, not even for a girl without obstacles in the way to the marriage, but you seem prepared for the challenges in every angle. You are even equipped to deal with his anger! The years with Agamemnon have provided you optimal training, he ironically raised you to be the perfect match for his young rival. "

A sparkle of genuine happiness illuminated her face.

" Perfect match?"

" Absolutely, although I also think you could be great for Hector but I bet many people have told you that already."

Impressed as she was, the princess showed the incommensurable thankfulness with another reverence.

" Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I wish I could know your name so I could offer you a sacrifice once I return to Mycenae. I don't understand why you would want to help me, but your words are extremely validating. The ' you are perfect for him' part? I will be thinking of that for the rest of the week... Months, probably forever."

The goddess chuckled in return.

" I can't blame anyone for falling in love with Achilles ... and I guess you can call me mother. "

That strange joke based on her chosen appearance was the end, to what the young lady woke up feeling very confused.

Her immediate reaction was crying, not of sadness but out of emotive surprise because she then had a precise image of her mother in mind. She was beautiful, but clearly more severe and arrogant than Helen. Their identical hair would have made them be mistaken as twins when looking from behind, but Clytemnestra's looks reflected a balanced combination between her sister and cousin. It wasn't hard to imagine why she had never let her husband make her feel humiliated. Through the vision incarnated by the goddess, she looked and acted like the kind of woman he could have once loved. Their daughter had never considered that before, always imagining his concern for the betrayal was only his hurted honor.

Suddenly, she started to think he could have developed feelings for her mother at some point of the marriage, but ruined it being who he was. The lovers, the passive aggressive disdain and compliment sounding insults were part of his strategy to make sure she would submit to him. He needed to become her everything, the center of her world, but for that to happen she would have had to become the kind of woman that would feel like she is nothing without him. Only then his paranoid jealousy would be calmed and the ghost of his cheater mother would stop haunting him. Following that delusional mindset, Clytemnestra broke his heart and that was perhaps why he completely erased her from his life.

The divine inspiration was probably doing its thing in enlightening aspects that were once banned from her understandment. She felt the imperious need of consulting the seer, it was an urgent matter that couldn't wait until the morning because she feared to forget crucial details for his interpretation. If he was a good one, he may even help her figure out the identity of the goddess. She had some suspicions and only one possible name in mind,but she didn’t want to admit that to herself until being sure.

Irrational rush made her leave her bedroom after barely covering her nightgown with a cloak. Once out, she began to desperately search the section of the palace where the trojans were staying.

Unfortunately, she didn't make it far. Hector was awake and he saw her suspicious approach despite he couldn't figure out who was coming. Ignoring his warning to stop twice cost her to get physically stopped by him.

" I get it, you have strong arms. How many times are you going to use that advantage against me? " She complained ríght away, the hood falling in the action. " Do you like to hold me, Hector? Or is it the only way to slow me down that works for you? "

His eyes were like daggers pointing at her, wide open and in a state of alarm.

" What are you doing? Are you INSANE? “ The prince whispered, allowing his voice to go slightly louder at the end. " What if someone else would see you?"

His frustration over her behavior grew once he looked down for a brief instant.

" I can't believe it, ... you are barely dressed! What do you think my men will say to each other if they see the cute greek princess wandering around at an ungodly hour in her night clothing? "

She defended herself with an innocent smile.

" ... That Paris finally made it?"

He groaned as only anger release outlet.

" That will not work this time. He is on duty, following the lead you got him. "

" You mean he is sleeping with the young wife of that good friend of Eupeithes Antinous told us about after I terrified him through one of my flawless schemes. You have to admit i am amazing at scaring children. I told him that your treasures have a theft preventive curse affecting the sons of the looters and this prívated my father from having male descendants. The little shit bought it! I may have caused massive hysteria, but it was worth it. "

. " Stop pretending you don't know what I am talking about. " He cutted her off. " They will think you were in my room. "

She raised her glance and started laughing.

" You and me, doing that??" A slightly louder chuckle interrupted her speech. " Please, Hector! I can't even imagine you flirting."

He seemed abnormally annoyed by the exaggeratedly chaste implications of her comment directly linked to him.

" If I wanted you, I would be perfectly capable of making you swoon over me. You would be coming back home to beg your father if he could please let you be my wife." He defended himself. " I may be the moral paradigm for my people, but that isn't a limit in my romantic performance. Another trait we have in common, don't you think? They may say you are an example of chastity, yet I'm finding you very skilled in sneaking out of your chambers at night searching for the rooms of men."

She couldn't argue on that, she was in fact making him part of the same discourses she conveniently used as cover up.

" Are you jealous because I would never do it for you?"

Hector dropped her instantaneously and she kept chuckling.

" You are laughing, they are about to enforce marriage on us and you are laughing. " He complained, frankly exasperated. " Not so long ago you were afraid of being seen with me and now you do this? What is wrong with you?"

The mycenaean understood the time for pranks ended and she had to be direct.

" A goddess spoke to me in a dream,I'm here because I need to see Polydamas."

The news only increased his panic.

" Are you sure it wasn't just a dream? How many chances do we have that he had actually asked a deity for help to do his work like you foolishly suggested to him today?"

A proof for credibility was demanded and she had to provide it, even if she knew he wouldn't like to hear it.

" You are scared because you like me more than what you expected. Nothing i should worry about, but you suspect that if you would have arrived here as a free man this scheme may have worked on you... Paris doesn't know about this because you know he would have told me. "

He froze, probably out of amazement and shame in equal amounts.

" It's not what you think, I am not currently attracted to you. It's only that you happen to possess certain qualities I appreciate overall in women and I know people could have exploited those generalizations. Just because you could be potentially attractive to me, it doesn't mean you are. "

" I can prefer blonds, but not be attracted to every blond I see. " She exemplified understandment of his point to calm him. " I didn't mean to expose you, but you wouldn't believe me otherwise."

" I do it now, please tell me she isn't commanding us to get married. "

" Do you think I would be this calm if that was the case?" She mocked him. " She said i could be good for you, but I would be even better for someone else. There is another man who needs me more and he is greek. "

He looked up with thankfulness and exhaled, what she found amusing.

" Mind if I give you some advice? Forget the trojans. Marry Andromache no matter what, even if you get rid of me but later find out an hittite princess is waiting in the line. " She recommended him in a friendly approach. " You only have one life, Hector ... and if you waste it always trying to please them they will be giving you a funeral of queen. "

The strange phrasing confused him.

" What is that supposed to mean?"

The princess layed her back against a column nearby, relaxing while about to share some insight of her thoughts.

" Have you ever attended the memorials for a deceased queen? It's twelve days of bullshit, people never say anything relevant ... And you know why? Because nobody trully got to know that woman. The speeches are a parade of people repeating themselves over and over about how much she gave to her family, her friends, her country... "

She deviated her glance for an instant, not necessarily avoiding him but trying to create distance for her conclusion.

" She lived for them and no one would remember a single personal detail about who she was. "

Hector realized the comparison was personal, but that didn't make it even less accurate for him as well.

" Is that what you fear? Mind if I ask you how would you want to be remembered?"

" As someone who lived. In my funeral I want people to speak of me as a person they know, the good and the bad. I don't need to die a symbol, but if I do I want legends to acknowledge my humanity. "

" Then I suppose you meant I should humanize myself in life. Take a choice no matter the outcome, don't let public service consume me until it becomes all what people would remember of me. "

" Do it now while you still can, or all the trojans would only be saying ' He was a wonderful man! He gave everything for us!'... With your dead body still on the pyre, they will make it all about themselves. "

" Is for moments like this that I like you. " He admitted. " All of this would be easier if I liked you less... Couldn't you be more like the spoiled and insufferable, treasure girl of your father I imagined you as? That would be very helpful."

" If it makes you feel better, I reserve her for my father and our selected visitors. He particularly loves to see me play her for Achilles, it reaffirms his authority in front of his most disobedient soldier. " She answered ríght back. " You aren't the coward toy of kings I thought you were. "

Hector couldn't believe what he was hearing.

" I have never felt more offended over being described by foreigners ... Is that how your people see me?"

" Just me, I always imagined you as a very brave soldier without the guts to challenge an order you know is crap. That's why atta wants you, I think he believes that and i had to meet you in order to stop believing it. Just because you are a good leader who fights for his country, he thinks you would accept anything if they tell you it is for the wellbeing of your people. "

The prince showed skepticism through his unamused expression.

" Through my time here I developed immunity to your manipulations. " He warned her. " Keep those tricks for your father."

" I don't need to lie to you. Your understanding of female subjectivity surpasses the skill of the average greek man, so i have no reason to pretend." She defended herself. " I meant it, you have to prove him wrong. Marry that girl so he will know Hector of Troy is not a weapon kings can wield at their will. Reject the stupid command of taking me and also show the trojan priests who rule behind your father that during your reign you will have the last word. "

" If that man wouldn't be a fool, he should be making you the heir of his throne so you could be a queen with full attributions without me. I don't want you for a wife, but you would make a fantastic advisor." He praised her. " I would like to take you with me just to see high priest Archeptolemus dealing with you. "

" Come to visit me ... Who cares about Agamemnon? " she calmly offered. " Have you noticed that the people of Ithaca don't horse ride for fun? Mycenae has great fields for that. "

" I don't know if my wife would be willing to travel that far. "

They laughed together out of pure relieving joy: the choice was taken and their friendship sealed. It was a wonderful moment, until they became aware of being discovered.

" Am I interrupting something?" Paris announced himself in the way to his room. " I have to say this is heavily suspicious. "

They composed themselves immediately.

" I want a report of your mission, brother. That's why i am awake. "

" And I would like to hear that report. " The princess added. " After that you will wake up Polydamas for me and tell him I have urgent work for him. "

The young prince raised an eyebrow, glancing at them with skepticism.

" That's it? Is that all you are going to say in your defense? " He mocked them. " Fine, i will not ask. "

" So, anything good?" She insisted. " I told you that you didn't have to use your body, but since you seem to enjoy it anyways ..."

" We talked of her husband and for the things I did to her, she could have sold her entire family. " Paris replied with seductive mischievousness. " Her boring man and their friend aren't thieves, but they finance them for a part of the profit. I have a possible location, we must search in Asteris. Hector still has the chance to surprise them, but it would be convenient to take Odysseus with us. They are his neighbors and subjects, his presence would legitimize the operation and provide a possibly pacífic outlet for the conflict. "

Hector and the lady smiled at each other, then looked at him.

" Are you aware that you may be about to solve what could have been the start of an international crisis?"

Paris was very excited receiving the praise.

" That goes for the ones who think I'm just a pretty face. "

"... I don't approve your methods, but I have to say I am impressed." Hector added. " I only hope you will follow me for the execution of your plan."

" Constructive criticism: put an effort on the surprise. " The princess concluded. " Make it look like a social visit, pretend Odysseus is taking you touring the near islands. I can go with you to make it more convincing. "

Hector gave her a reprehensive glance, what was enough to know his opinion.

" Fine, don't take me! It's alright, i can't trust myself with a bow so i'm useless weight slowing you down. Take some of my men for backup at least. It would be an honor to them, I see how they like you."

" That offer goes way beyond your attributions. " He reminded her. " You can't command the soldiers and your father only ordered them to protect you. "

The obstacle didn't seem to concern her.

" Pirates in the area are a threat to my safety and I'm currently the most valuable item they could take. Kidnapping me to demand a rescue could make them rich. It's true, Agamemnon would never allow his soldiers to follow you, but they were following his order all the time. "

Paris listened to her with a wide smile, then exclaimed.

" Compared to you, the fox is a foolish animal."

" That's why I am still the teacher and you my naive apprentice." She friendly teased him. " I'm proud of you, now go get me the seer. "

The course of action was decided and although she joined them only in the preparations, her conversation with Polydamas remained a secret. When the time came to present Odysseus with the plan the princes were once more surprised. Any other king would have felt offended, but that one loved schemes of all kinds and knowing they used the one he stuck them in to run one themselves impressed him. The trojans reached a deeper layer of respect with Odysseus, who then became willing to actually help their case for once beyond his interests.

The improvised greco-trojan squad reached an interesting finding, since they did end up stumbling with a treasure. However, there were no breathing men still guarding it. What looked like the secret arrival in a quiet, clandestine - feeling port was the scenario of a massacre. The bodies were still laying on the ground, splattered blood drying around them, and there was no sight of any survivors nearby.

" I guess our problem solved itself. " Paris commented, trying hard not to complain for the repulsive smell. " Greed made our thieves kill each other at this point of the route. "

Hector was wandering the scene looking for any signs of life.

" It would be logical, if the spoils wouldn't be intact. There are no signs of a disagreement happening, no one got time to touch a thing and claim it theirs. This looks like an outside attack, an army annihilating them and then mysteriously leaving. "

Before joining their theorizations,Odysseus seemed lost in his own thoughts. He was examining the dead as if he recognized signs in their scars. Traces left by attacks he had seen before in a completely abnormal context.

Those men weren't given time for anything. They had quick deaths, wounded in core spots to get a greater number of fallen at the fastest pace.

A fast, mechanical attack of prolific effects.

" Not an army, a man. "

#troy 2004 #troy #troy 2004 fanfiction #troy fanfiction #hector of troy #paris of troy #odysseus #penelope #achilles #achilles x reader #eric bana #orlando bloom #sean bean #brad pitt #brad pitt x reader

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streets-in-paradise · 2 years

Text

The Games

Troy (2004) Reader Insert Fanfiction - Part 20

Masterlist

Word Count + 12 K

Characters: Hector, Paris , Mycenaean Princess!Reader, Ereny (OC), Melantho, Penelope, Telemachus, Odysseus.

Warnings: Heavy flirting ( aka, Paris being slutty.). My usual twists on mythology references in Troy style.

Pairings: Achilles x Mycenaean Princess! Reader (mentioned), Eudorus x Ereny (OC) (mentioned), Hector x Andromache (mentioned),Odysseus x Penelope.

Summary: The welcoming celebrations begin and Odysseus has decided to shift the protocols starting with an athletic competition preceding the party, a situation that ends up confronting Hector with the inusitated impact of his legend among greeks. While Paris gets ready to give a performance worthy of remembrance in order to get what he was induced to think it takes to impress the mycenaean lady, his brother gets into an advice exchange with her. In the spirit of that personal interaction, they get to share some of their viewpoints and experiences about politics, heroism and their lives as members of drastically opposite royal families.

Notes: I am aware of how long I have made you wait for this update and I am very sorry. In compensation, as I said in one of my writing update posts, the original draft for this one ended up becoming an over 30 K chapter that I saw myself in need of splitting in two. For this reason, part 21 will be uploaded very soon because I have most of it done.

Tags:@yerevasunclair @mysticaldeanvoidhorse @spideyanakin @spideyanakin-interacts @awakenedevildays @alaysha-of-middleearth @zoegarfield

A secret meeting took place in the bedroom occupied by the princess; it was a viable option that no one would have found odd at that hour. She headed there with the little girl after searching for Ereny, since the lady wasn't going to take any choices or receive any important information without her. She was found in a late night talk with some other maids of the palace, young women closer to her age, and they seemed to be chatting about the newcomers. It was nice to have her friend back after the unusual silence during most of the time they were near Hector.

When the group saw her coming the ithacans hushed out of a sudden, making her wonder if they did it to avoid an expected nagging or if it was because the talk wasn't meant for her ears. Ereny was in an excellent mood, the anger that her little altercation with the eldest trojan prince caused seemed forgotten. She knew her far well to not suspect that she must have found some interesting information to share.

They were capable of reading it on each other, both had stuff to share but they had to be very careful around Melantho.

Once they were on the bedchambers, the lady picked a different route from the expected in the interrogation of a snitch with blackmailing intentions. She wasn't going to follow the guidelines of her game. It was one that she knew too well to fall for,since even at her age she used to play it.

" How was your research?" The princess asked Ereny, purposely ignoring the matter that dragged Melantho there. " We haven't talked about investigating the trojans, but I got the feeling that you did it anyways. You are unstoppable, my dear. "

" My curiosity is personal this time. I have spied on uninteresting people when it was necessary, this work is for myself. "

She gave her a smile of approval.

" And I celebrate your individual initiative... Anything interesting?"

" I helped the local girls in some of their serving tasks for the crew, let me tell you that the trojans are delightfully polite. " Ereny began telling. " I spoke with soldiers, a few manservants and there is even a young aspirant to priest that they consult on religious issues. Paris specially requested to bring men who could play music for him because he claims that he can't survive without it. From all the trojan soldiers, servants and sailors, at least one third of them possess some sort of musical skill. It's insane. What kind of prince, for as spoiled and rich as he could be, can afford such specifical whims? I hate to show understanding of Agamemnon's fixation with them, but now I think I see the point. Our king is greedy beyond measure, he has looted populations for smaller treasures."

" Well done, excellent observations!! They are not here to brag, it's not that kind of visit. If that crew brings everything and everyone they judge as indispensable, then they must be incredibly rich or they have serious troubles controlling the expendings of Paris. "

It could be both, that was what they were thinking, but Melantho interrupted them to defend the prince.

" Who would say no to him? He is so handsome, his voice is soft and he has a way with words making everything sound sweet. If I was you, I would feel like the luckiest girl on the island."

" Did Paris hire you to convince me of giving him a chance tomorrow? I thought Odysseus must have instructed you to cheer for Hector. "

" I do what I want. " The kid mischievously replied. " Take my advice. Hector is a bit lame, he bores me everytime he opens his mouth. Paris is prettier and seems far more fun. He has this thing called charisma that his brother may have lost on the ground of some battle. "

The mycenaeans bursted into laughter. It was more about the shock that her irreverence caused than out of some absolute agreement with the implications of the joke.

" Warriors can be charismatic. " The lady pointed out, not thinking precisely on Hector while saying it.

" True." Melantho prepared another strike. " That's all what stops people from seeing that Diomedes is as crazy as Achilles, only smarter. "

Ereny laughed alone that time, harder than before because she was waiting to see how her friend was going to cope with being unable to openly defend her lover.

" They are intimate friends of your king. Isn't that a bit insulting?"

" Achilles creeps me out and Diomedes knows how to be nicer but always ends up looking like he has something to hide. They are treated as family here, but I don't see why I should do so."

" Achilles has recently stayed in my palace. " The princess commented, pretending to be casual about it. " He hasn't scared me yet. I don't find him that frightening. "

" He is a freak!" Melantho replicated. " Unpredictable but impossible to surprise, I never could figure out anything useful about him. "

" You don't know that much about us either. "

" That's because the last time you were here I was too little to care and you ware all about your dumb obsession with dogs.”

Her bravery managed to amuse the princess, who was unused to get that kind of unfiltered commentary from an Ithacan servant.

" You seem to have strong opinions on everyone,for someone so young. "

" I'm just saying that Achilles could use smiling from time to time. Showing some emotions, at least resembling humanity. When he hangs out with Odysseus things seem to change, but later you see him and he is ríght back at those menacing ways. He cares too much for looking rough and nothing for being likable."

Ereny offered Melantho some advice that came from her experience as servant in the mycenaean palace, an attempt to encourage her while buying her friend some time to recover from what she heard

" I don't like most of the friends of my royal family, King Agamemnon doesn't pick the nicest men to befriend. He is gross, his brother is gross and when both are together they influence the environment. Any nice person would feel uncomfortable close to them. " She confessed herself to the ithacan girl. " King Odysseus is one of my favorites not only because my lady loves him, but also because I gave myself the chance to bond with him and found out that he is great. "

" That's easy to say, he is not that bad. '' Melantho concluded in a tone that showed how she was hiding the impulse of saying good things about him. " My family comes from the queen's side, the small share of the servants who followed her here. I love her the most, but Odysseus is not bad. He is fun, although he could be making more efforts to win more of my love but he can't care less now that he has a son. "

They discovered the roots of her jealousy; Melantho wished that she could bond more with Odysseus, but couldn't get to him because of settled limitations regarding the differences that would always exist between her and Telemachus. Ereny couldn’t relate completely with that feeling, because she never felt any wishes to get closer with her king, but her friend felt that ‘ He can’t care less now that he has a son.’ hitting close to her experience with her father. Agamemnon didn’t show much care for her, but he would have completely forgotten about her if she had a brother. Remaining silent because she had no wish to open that gate, she encouraged her handmaid to deliver the positivity advice alone.

" Open up, be honest with yourself and stop acting like a bitch to cope with everything. It's true, Odysseus and Penelope have a son and the love they feel for him will never be the same compared with what they can feel for you. It’s also fine to sometimes feel like a third party around Odysseus and Telemachus because their bond of father and son is very special,but guess what? You are lucky, because I have already seen your master emotionally adopting other men's daughters. Bonding with him is easier than what you think."

Melantho found some comfort in her words, even when she wasn't going to admit it. The mycenaean lady smiled at her friend, pleased with the effect of her speech and a bit flustered by her implied description of her friendship with Odysseus as emotional adoption.

" I still refuse to bond with his freak friends. I can try with Diomedes, at least he is a king so we have something to respect, but Achilles is a no-no.” The youngest slave concluded. “He is crazy, the sort of man that you feel like he doesn't rest even when he sleeps. I can't see why there are so many girls at his feet... Who knows what he is into? If i was them, I would fear to wake up in the Underworld after a night with him. "

The princess restrained herself to avoid murdering her with words.

" Wait, wait, wait... Isn't that too advanced for you to think? You are still a kid,only a few years older than your prince."

" I'm a slave, we get to learn all of that faster." Melantho explained. " And you can learn a lot of weird things just listening around you."

" Achilles may not be most known for his good manners, but those insulting assumptions are a product of your imagination. You have made yourself a bad impression of him because you are terrified by all those tales about his brutal charges into battle, but he is not like that outside of combat. When he was in my palace, we found him pretty nice to be around despite his arrogance. Most of the time he was doing cocky jokes to insult my father, it was very funny. Ask Telemachus and Penelope what they think of him, I'm sure he must not have acted in a scary way with them. "

While speaking, the mycenaean princess had to dissimulate how sweetly sensitive she got while thinking about Achilles and the softness he displayed with her in the domestic setting of her palace. It was a side of him that the little favorite of Penelope didn't get to see because fear would impede her from getting close to him. The claims about the perceived emotionlessness in him were particularly funny, the man that he allowed himself to be with her wasn't like that. She started wondering if it could be considered a proof of how happy he was when they were together. Was she worthy of thinking that, of attributing herself a tiny bit of responsibility for that remarkable difference? Thinking about that almost brought a blushy smile out of her, but she repressed the warm feelings that such thought caused her to avoid looking suspicious.

Melantho had no idea of how much happiness her horrendous observations brought to the guest.

" I wish he would be here now." The princess confessed, quickly correcting herself. "... Because he would be making fun of everyone and you would get a cocky partner to be mean with. You two wouldn't let Hector be, I would feel so sorry for him... but I still would like to see that happening. There is something childishly happy about Achilles when he perceives a challenge, it's the same motivation for his fights with my father. I think it would be funnier to witness when involving someone he doesn't hate, seeing him driving Hector insane with arrogance driven mocks just because he knows that he is the best. "

" Achilles, come here to defend your title !!!" Ereny joked with an analogy of doble meaning. " You are ríght, it would be fun to see. You know, I have discovered quite a few interesting things about Hector in this short time we shared... I would say that the competition can be very tight, he has no reasons to envy him in any way. "

The mysteriously suggerent tone she used alarmed her friend.

" Eny... What did you do??"

The two servant girls stared at each other and giggled over a shared secret.

" ... I was helping the girls who were serving the trojans, stopping this little spy from messing anything up because of her crush on Paris... Turns out that, in a series of events that had nothing to do with any of us, I paid a visit to Hector in his room while he was still getting fixed after bathing.”

The princess wanted to be angry, but the shock was stronger.

" YOU DID WHAT??"

" I excused my presence there saying that I wanted to apologize for almost yelling at him to the mere mention of Hesione and he was so kind that I ended up feeling it. Staying mad at that man is impossible. He is so sweet! "

" I know, I couldn't either, he is just that nice. The problem for me now is that he might think that I sent you there, but I don't know if he really thinks that. At least he didn't mention anything to me about this in the short meeting we just had."

" I knew it!!!" Ereny cheered, sharing the excitement of not being alone in the feeling. " See? You don't have to be into him to feel curious."

" It wasn't personal." She clarified, with frustration.

" ... And he is handsome enough to make me nervous despite not having a crush on him. I legitimately don't, but his good looks are intimidating. You have to see him when his hair is loose and wet, it changes the deal..”

" You may not be dating anyone yet, but that's not an excuse. " The princess mocked her friend. " You can't be checking out any of the trojans... What if the captain gets jealous?"

Ereny took the claim with skepticism.

" Do you think they don't check on other women when we aren't looking? Don't be so naive, of course they do!! " She replicated. " It doesn't really matter because it was an accident, I'm not being serious about it and describing Hector’s appearance in fair terms is just stating the obvious.. The man has beauty! If he fights as well as he looks, all greek heroes must beware. "

" Eny, control yourself! Did Odysseus buy you too? You can't cheer for him. "

" I'm not cheering for him, but Odysseus knew what he was doing when he chose him to be the man that he would try to push on you. In his objective viewpoint as someone who doesn't know for sure you are truly in love with someone else:getting you that man and the throne of Troy, all in one single act? It's a pretty good deal." Ereny clarified. " How was your meeting? Did you get anything interesting out of him?"

" It was a serious thing, I did it so there will be peace between his men and ours. I really wanted to keep it political, but Hector had this great gesture with me and I let it get a bit personal. Now I can't be mean to him, even if i could try it. " The lady explained with some frustration. " Damn it, why is he so nice? He has no business being that sweet with me. "

Melantho interrupted them, excited because she thought she had the piece of information they lacked to understand the situation.

" Maybe Odysseus isn't the only one pulling the tricks. " She added with a bit of malice. " Maybe the trojans wanted all of this to happen, they could be part of a plot with my king. Can't you see that, if Hector marries you, he controls Greece? You would be the woman of the marriage, Mycenae becomes Troy's bitch. "

The assumption was quite funny for both listeners. The princess realized that the stupid claim didn't come from her, it sounded like she was repeating the words of someone else.

" Was that what you wanted to tell me? You just gave it away for free." She mocked her. " Let me give you some expert advice: control the nerves and never think yourself smarter than everyone else when you are trying to blackmail someone. Information is your currency and if you don't control your tongue, you are screwed. Also, never forget to check your sources. You sold me the deal as if you knew something about his plans coming from Odysseus himself, but I know that isn't him. Only someone who doesn't know Agamemnon can come up with something so stupid. "

The girl seemed disencouraged because she didn't impress her as she thought she would.

" ... I heard it from Eupeithes. The way in which he spoke made it sound legit, he is very worried. " Melantho confessed. " He was here today trying to see the king for whatever reason but obviously couldn't because he was too occupied with the trojans. "

The selection criteria of her still too young mind to figure out which pieces of information were valuable didn't allow her to realize that she was about to make a great contribution.

Her late confession, given away information that she considered not important, was a potential lead in the case of the trojans. A trail to follow ahead of them.

" I heard him ranting at our own table. My queen offered him and the men accompanying him some space to have a drink before leaving, as any good host would. Everyone there was too upset to keep it quiet. It was like they were as low as they could when angry, but it wasn't much. They were discussing the news, Eupeithes' thoughts guiding all the rest. He was talking of how easy it would be for Hector to just get with you and get to control the country. He made it sound like he was a menace to us all, but i don't feel scared by Hector so i really don't get his point. "

" Did he use those exact words, Melantho? Did he say that Mycenae was going to become the bitch of Troy?"

" Well, yes. " The little girl admitted. " and he was very worried about it, indignated. Like it wasn't a fair thing to happen."

" ' How hard to get that bitch can be? I don't think she has seen a real man in her whole life... Shall we show her one?' " The princess parodied what she imagined was Eupeithes' thinking process about her and the trojan prince. " ' It's not fair. If someone is going to take that prize, it should be a greek like us. Odysseus is going to screw us over for peace because he doesn't have the balls to handle the trojans.' "

Melantho laughed to her completely guessed impersonation, indicating for them that they were on the ríght direction.

" Was he like that?" Ereny asked her, also recovering from laughing.

She nodded affirmatively.

" Very close to that."

The princess bursted into laughter and then added her commentaries.

" ... Fucking prick, he has no idea of who he is messing with. " She added, controlling more laughs. " If he prefers to keep being Agamemnon's bitch, it must be because he takes some profit out of it. "

" Don't jump into conclusions. " Her friend stopped her. " He may sound like your greedy stupid arse suitors in Mycenae, but that doesn't make him a suspect. "

" We are looking for greedy stupid arses and this one seems to feel threatened with the presence of the trojans. I would give it a shot, check him just to be sure. "

In those words, it sounded fair.

" Melantho, what can you tell us about this Eupeithes? "

The ask was amusing to the little one for some reason.

" It surprises me that you don't remember him, he is the father of Antinous. "

The clue didn't solve their disconcert.

" Why should I know Antinous? " The princess asked. " Sorry, I don't remember neither him or his father. There are so many people coming and going here. Some of your nobles come from other islands on your limits, that's not a thing where I live."

" Did Telemachus never tell you about Antinous? You must not be as close as he makes it look like.“ Melantho replicated, her jealousy was fading a bit to the assumed realization.

" Telemachus may not have many friends, but he already introduced me to every single one of them. " The princess pointed out, fearing to have came out as careless because she may have forgotten of a kid. " Most live here, so it was easier. "

The guess was even funnier, Melantho couldn't even imagine it without laughing.

" He is an older boy, his father is a local noble. They are not friends,but you will get to see it for yourself. "

The little girl refused to comment on anything else about it once she realized that the prince didn’t discuss it with them by himself. The lady was satisfied with the new findings, pointing a direction to investigate and she didn’t try to get more out of her. Ereny could be right, not every dumb greedy man without self awareness could be necesarily involved with the pirates attacking the trojans, but the paranoid fear of Eupeithes about the chances of an alliance between Odysseus and Hector rubbed her the wrong way. Her friend would call it a reflection of her hate towards her average mycenaean suitor, a projection of what she felt for men like Adrastus,but it was about intuition. It didn’t feel right, something was odd and that exaggerated reaction didn’t fit the context. Even if he wasn't stealing from the trojans, Eupeithes had to be involved in something shady that was worth digging.

Before going to sleep, the princess asked them to stay up for a bit longer with her because she wanted to end the day in a more relaxing tone. Since she was curious about Melantho’s unusual talent for roasting people, she decided to ask for her opinions about every single hero she had met as a visitor in the palace. The little slave was mordaciously funny and her incisive claims weren’t always fair, but it was a comedic spectacle in which no one was safe. Hector, judged as boring, and Ajax, assumed dumb and mocked for his impressive height, were the ones with the less offensive attributions. For all the atrocious things she spoke of everyone, Achilles remained as the most insulted name on the list. This didn’t bother the lady as much as it initially seemed to, but it was because she guessed a satisfactory explanation.

It wasn’t out of hate, but a consequence of his peculiarity. Achilles wasn’t like any other, even in bashing he was meant to highlight. If Melantho was going to say awful things about all the heroes, the best had to stand the worst take. He was someone often hard to understand for the standards of adults, a child who barely knew him because she refused to out of fear would have it even harder. Butchering him with words was her way to rationalize that there was something different about him, but it escaped her perception.

Many thoughts wandered the lady’s mind once she got to be laying alone in bed to rest. Some were about him and he managed to sneak into the ones that weren’t. The problem of Paris and his attitude of seductor, the mystery of Hector’s surprisingly welcoming ways with her. She would stay focused in one thought at the time, but her mind would eventually deviate into imagining hypothetical situations that, while loosely connected,had nothing to do with the pivotal aspects of her concerns.

‘ What if she would have allowed Achilles to follow her to Ithaca as he initially intended to?’ She was toying with the idea because thinking of him was comforting.

Despite the chances for mess, it could have been fun at least for both of them. Odysseus would have got to talk with him and, to the actual proof of his love for her, Achilles would have dissipated his misconceptions about their relationship. The presentation of marriage candidates would have been suspended and things could have taken a more relaxed course, since she wouldn’t have to worry about the consequences of her every move fearing to provide a base for the encouragement of misunderstandings. Politics would have been her only occupation and he would have found the way to bring chaos to the situation anyways, that time just having fun bothering everyone while being her supporter.

The most amusing part, she had to admit, was imaging his reaction to her encounters with Paris. There was no way for him to be taken seriously then, Achilles would have mostly mocked him through very particular teases falling over her. She was able to imagine him making fun of Paris through her in ironic comments that only they would fully understand. Things like “ Don’t waste your time with her, trojan, she is as cold as her father.” or “ What a heartless woman you are! Why wouldn’t you give him a chance? You are so cruel for such a pretty princess.”. She was getting flustered only with the ideas of the things he would say and that made her realize that Paris would have figured them out with ease. He showed to be astonishingly clever for the most frivolous purposes, getting to see another man obtaining from her the reaction that he wanted for himself would have been an easy trigger of his sharp perception on that sort of thing. His interest was a more superficial one, but the youngest trojan prince would discover her romance with the myrmidon warrior through it. Only for the sake of that she felt relieved for Achilles’ absence. Even when he appeared harmless, she wasn’t going to underestimate Paris. Behind her facade of niceness she kept hidden a very mistrusting person who wouldn’t be fooled by an act of fool. She would often self-perceive as a snake hiding in the appearances imposed on her by her father, that she only sharpened to her own benefit.

Used to deceive everyone, she wouldn’t let anyone do it to her and despite the naive foolishness of Paris was convincing, she wouldn’t commit the mistake of assuming it true in the same way people would do with her.She wasn’t regretting having pointed it out to Achilles and Patroclus: even when Paris would sometimes act like a fool, it could be an excellent cover just to keep the pursuit of his selfish purposes without being questioned. Nobody was expecting much of him and no pressures coming from higher expectancies meant more freedom of action. He was probably still seen as the family failure but, unlike in her case, it didn’t seem to translate into any recriminations behind closed gates. She would always feel like failing, but because the expectatives would still apply to her. Even when Agamemnon would consider her a dissapointment, that wouldn’t mean he or the country would let her be. She was still supposed to incarnate perfection, submitted to all kinds of ridiculous standards while waiting for a breaking point. For the trojan,this only seemed to resemble a similar issue not through pressure or direct mistreatments, but through the condescending attitude that everyone else had towards him.

Only Hector wouldn’t fall for that and she liked that of him, knowing that he wasn’t proclive to condescension was a nice detail of his personality. It implied that what he felt for her wasn’t pitty after all. Despite being a man made him superior to her from birth, he wasn’t talking to her as a woman. It meant she wasn’t a weak, helpless thing to feel sorry for in his eyes. Whatever it was, their open exchange felt like an approach of equals. Perhaps, his comfort to her didn’t come from pity, but from an actual acknowledgement of that feeling. It was her impression that Agammenon would be disappointed if he would get the chance to know him for real. It was possible that the flawless idealization of a perfect son and obedient army commander that he had made of the enemy's heir didn’t match reality. Hector wouldn’t believe her if she would tell him how often her father reflected his frustrations into his legend. Positive comparisons on his favor to bash Achilles were always at the tip of his tongue and even when he wouldn’t contrast them, the same criteria would indirectly apply to her. When it was about ranting as a troubled leader or a disconformed parent, he would defend Hector as fiercely as any trojan would.

The thought of telling him about that unbelievable paradox was amusingly tempting, even if he wouldn’t trust in her word. She wanted to see Hector react to it, only lacking ideas on when it would be a good time to share it with him.

It didn't take long for them to stumble across each other again. On the next day she found him being chased by Telemachus, who was rambling to him with excitement. Hector didn't seem bothered with his company and there were no signs of Paris near them.

It encouraged her to approach, the princess made herself be noticed with a joke.

" Hey, little traitor! Are you going to abandon me for him now? I guess it is clear as water that you don't want me here anymore. "

The boy giggled while staring back at her.

" It's so good to see you. I need you to help me convince Hector of joining the games. "

The request seemed to surprise her. Not because it would be strange, but due to the news about the fast moves of Odysseus.

" Is your father organizing games already? Isn't it a bit too early for that?"

The kid was unamused by the claim.

" We can skip some formalities, people are excited."

" And by 'people' you mean ' you' ... ríght?" She mocked him and the child answered with some faked cluelessness that would only confirm the point.

" You really want to see the prince fight, don't you? Why would you think I can convince him otherwise, if he doesn't want to? What a weird attitude on his part, by the way."

" Paris is going to prove himself to you in the archery competition and I wouldn't want to outshine him. My dear brother wouldn't wish to see your attention being stolen from him. "Hector teased her in reply. " Besides, I have nothing to prove and I know how violent some of the other competitions can get. "

" Is it true that you still have bull jumpers in your feast of Poseidon? "

Her clever way to make things harder for him through increasing the excitement of the little prince was the perfect comeback.

It was so smooth that he almost regretted the mock, but it was too late. Telemachus' curiosity was effectively awakened.

" WHAT 'S THAT?? "

" It's a sport, acrobatics involving bulls. " She began to carefully explain." It was popular back when Crete used to rule the world and it is a game even older than Minos. Troy is one of the very few places where you can still see bull jumpers, but even there Is not as common as it used to be. It stayed in their traditions as a footprint of their relationships with Crete before the decline. The thing is about men literally jumping over bulls, the descriptions I heard sound super risky."

" AWESOME!!!" Telemachus exclaimed. " Have you ever done that, Hector?"

The trojan glanced at her before answering.

" No, but I have seen many getting wounded while trying. I have enough with the efforts of combat and, like I said, I have nothing to prove."

" I wouldn't be so sure of that. " She stopped him. " That may work with your own people but here that attitude is useless. In his innocence, my friend is giving you the best political advice he can. Greece is a land of heroes: on occasions, here the spear matters more than the scepter. "

Since Hector was nice to her the night before and she was too prideful to accept owing him anything, she was going to gift him one single piece of advice in return.

" Telemachus, dear. Why don't you go to check on Melantho as I handle this?" She suggested to the ithacan boy in order to get a while alone with the trojan. " I got the feeling that she misses playing with you and she would be a bit more happy and less mean if you spend some time with her. "

He was about to present some minor protest, but he guessed that she needed to speak of adult things in order to achieve their purpose and agreed to leave her the space for that.

The lady opted for convincing the trojan prince with the truth, but presenting it in a convenient way to interpelle a politician.

“ He may look like he is all about looking up to you, but there is no one he admires more than his father. I love what Penelope has built for herself here, they are certainly my dearest royal family in the country. You are going to have a great time with them, if you accept to play by our cultural rules. “

He looked slightly skeptical of the meaning implied in her last words.

“ What a curious commentary, coming from someone who doesn’t seem to have much respect for her own cultural rules. I heard you trying to bargain your way into a council meeting.”

“ I’m pragmatic. I take whatever I find useful and pretend to go with the rest. “ She simply stated, not caring to defend herself in long explanations because she knew he wasn’t saying it in a critical way. “ To be honest, I think it’s precisely what you should do if you want to navigate greek politics. I may not be allowed in the agora where the men exhort each other, but I have learnt enough in their shadow when they think I am not listening. I don’t think you are the kind of man that would underestimate a woman. If so, I wouldn’t be wasting my time with you. “

He answered with a well intentioned mock.

“ Aren’t you doing it because your little friend commands you to? “

“ I wasn’t exaggerating when I said Telemachus gave you excellent advice, even if he is too young to see the true reach of his pretentions. If you truly want these people to listen to you, you have to give them a show. That must be the reason why Odysseus chose to begin celebrations with games: he knows it and he is trying to help you out because he wants your political mission to succeed for the wellbeing of everyone involved.”

For then at least, she tried to obviate the issue regarding the king’s will to play matchmaker with them. It would only make things awkward and confusing, she needed to wait until the set up would be obvious in order to discuss a common strategy to get out of that situation. Stating that Odysseus wanted him to succeed was enough, there was no need for clarifications.

Hector didn’t inmute, choosing to remain optimistic in his own way to approach things.

“ Thank you, but the worth of my words is going to be measured in the council.”

The princess felt there was no option but to get rid of any sutility in the political implications of her speech. That man had no idea of how to build a consensus among people he only knew as militar adversaries. It wasn’t the particular case of Ithaca, but Hector’s main contact with Greece was most likely to have happened only around times of war.

For that reason, she proudly enlightened him with the best example she knew for the point she was trying to make. .

“ What I’m going to say comes in no spirit of comparison, but it needs to be explained to you if we want to solve this mess as soon as possible. “ The attenuation was the softest way that occurred to her before proceeding. “ Achilles is capable of building outstanding agreements without attending one damn assembly. He listens to no King, he does what he knows best and at the end not even my father has the chance for a say on that. He can do absolutely whatever he wants and he is loved for it, there are tons of stories out there I could tell you about how sudden switches of plans got him no consequences. My father and all the other kings he befriends or forcefully restrains to appear as so can spend lots of time gathered in a discussion for a plan that Achilles would screw over in an instant, if he feels like doing it. You may wonder right now why I am bringing this up to you, why must you hear an enemy princess pitching the victories of a man you don’t know and you certainly don’t care about? You are doing that, Hector, because she is referencing to you the most effective way to penetrate politics among greeks. “

“ If you think this is helping, I sincerely thank you, but I don’t think that your admirative rambles will change my strategy. “

Fearing to be crossing a dangerous territory, she tried to reformulate her sayings.

“ Whether you like it or not, the way of Achilles has proven to be fast and effective in terms of constructing legitimacy. I am not offering singular valorations about him, I can’t give a fuck of what he does with the power he builds. The important thing here is that people love him and the consensus created around him is powerful because it comes out as movilizating. How has he accomplished that? Why has a myrmidon mercenary become one of the greatest political fears for the interests of my father? Because he knows how to give a good show, one that leaves everyone speechless before he would even get to speak. Achilles knows how to amaze an audience and keep it on his side better than any well experienced politician and, in the end, that always shifts the discussions in his favor.”

“ Good if it works for him, but what you are suggesting is for me to become an entertainer in order to be persuasive. That doesn’t fit with me, I will not make a spectacle out of my fighting skills.”

“ … Too late, Agamemnon took that choice away from you.” She informed him, trying to hide her excitement about the news she was bringing. “ You are part of the show, he sucked you into it when he decided you had to be the contrasting figure. You are said to be the only mortal man that can be compared to him and my father is among the ones to blame for the spreading of that reputation. That legend grows all over Greece at the heat of his hate for Achilles, processed into some intense admiration for you I’m still trying to understand.”

“ You just said… Admiration? Did I hear it well?” The confused prince asked. “ I think you may have misphrased your thoughts.”

“ I know what I said and it stays.” The mycenaean insisted. “ You, prince of modesty, are the only thing I hear Agamemnon and Hesione agree on back at home. It is incredible to see them sharing almost the same shade of excitement anytime we get news of you. Even back when we got to hear about how you kicked his brother’s ass he was so pissed off, he hated you for it … but he was marveled. His rambling sounded like hate, but there were glimpses of admiration deep enough to allow her self expression without being punished for it. I feel I need to tell you this because you need to see that you can’t ‘ I’m just a normal man’ out of this one, Hector. The fact a kid pointed it out for you first shows how strongly these expectations operate.”

His disbelief was too great to take everything in consideration.

“ You mean that I have no choice because my worst enemy has mystificated me more than my own people? You don’t sincerely expect me to believe that, you can’t be hoping so.”

Despite the fact that she was, without doubts, having fun with his reaction, helping him for real was the best way to get him away fast for his own good.

“ More or less, I do. There is a very specific mythical figure built around you and the people of Ithaca are expecting you to perform according to it. Join the games, kick someone’s ass but finish the act with a nice display of your classical mercy showing your opponent that you are supposed to be the better man. After that, political reach is not going to be a problem for you.”

For some reason that she didn’t catch immediately, her conclusion was amusing to him.

“ How is it that you have such specifical idea about how this performance is supposed to go? Must I assume you are part of the crowd who wants to see it? If what you said about my image in Mycenae is true, I would understand it. Yet with you, good lady, I never find myself sure of anything. “

She was about to chuckle, the mere thought was too funny.

“ Assume I’m part of the crowd that thinks Achilles would end you and wouldn’t be excited to see you fall. It’s common sense, not personal predilection. I have seen him and I don’t need to see you fight in order to know at which spot of the controversy it is wise to stand.“

The declaration didn’t bother him in the slightest.

“ Don’t you hold a single sparkle of faith in me?” He joked, showing to have found some friendly relief in the rather bashing statement. “ No that it should surprise me.”

“ Show us what you are made of, you need to prove yourself to be at least a worthy opponent for Achilles if you want to make an impact here. Your father's scepter is not enough. “

By that point, he was perhaps having more fun than her.

“ Insulting my pride is not going to take you anywhere.”

“ I want to believe you are smart enough to take my advice even if it goes against your style because I know this country better than you and I have a more approximated idea of what its people want.”

“ In that case.. I know my brother better than you and, because I have an approximate idea of what he wants with you, I advise you to not play this game with him. “ He replicated through imitation of her phrase. “ Try more unamusement and less sarcasm. “

“ You try less humility and more action. Some of my men have recently returned from fighting in Argos, where Achilles gave Diomedes another chance to see the sunlight, and they have already shared their stories with the ithacans.. Tamer some fucking horses before they will all fall asleep.”

Hector laughed, not because the callout was inherently funny to him, but due to how direct and so not lady-like she sounded.

The epithet-based joke brought her an important reminder.

“ I have a friend who wants to know why you are called ‘ the tamer of horses’, he wonders if there is a story behind that epithet and you have no idea of how much he loves those sorts of tales. I promised myself that I was going to ask you about it in his name if we would ever come across each other. “

“ Let me guess.. Is he Achilles?”

“ No, he is a lad who is younger than your brother. Do you think I am allowed to befriend many adult men?“ She joked back, referencing her glimpses of fondness with Telemachus. “ He has an intense admiration for heroes and wants to be one someday, I honestly think he is going to be better than Achilles and you combined. “

The claim was a tender expression that seemed to be of his liking for the affection implied.

“ High expectations, you are excited about someone after all.”

“ House of Atreus, we are all about greatness. If we love you, we are going to make you the best and Patroclus is already the most kind spirited person I know. I would give him the world if I could, but atta wants to own it for himself and that brings me some limitations.”

He could have answered with a mere anecdotic reference, but he felt like doing something more.

“ Tell your dear Patroclus that the best he can do is not let poets sweet talk him on the way because the reality of the men you call heroes isn’t as inherently poetic, and that in other regions I am also referenced as a ‘ breaker of horses.´ That one is disturbing, I love horses as much as most trojans. “

She smiled and kept listening, no clever sounding replies interrupting him that time.

“ I did have an experience around tamers, but it’s not the actual reason I’m being called like that. If you still would like to know.. It happened a long time ago, when some mischievous adventure of Paris got us both in trouble and our father sent us to work with common people as a lesson. He worked as a shepherd and I was with the horse raisers. “

She was clearly surprised and amused to hear that.

“ Paris,a shepherd? I would have paid to see that, even when it doesn’t seem to have changed much. He still acts like a spoiled prince used to having anything he wants being handled to him.”

“ In fact, he learned a lot from that experience.” Hector corrected her. “ You have no idea of how more whimsical he used to be before that. As for me, I can't complain. I loved to raise horses. I actually wouldn’t mind a peaceful season where I could do that again.``

The playful wishfulness in his voice near the end was a bit heartbreaking.

“ It feels to me that you are very tired of fighting, don’t you?” She teased him kindly. “ Feed the poets only once, give me a nice tale I can tell to my friend along with those words of wisdom and then you are done for the rest of the stay. One fight with the overconfident dumbass that you would get as an opponent and that’s all. “

“ … What if said man is the King?”

“ Odysseus? I don’t think so, it’s most likely that he would want to brag with the bow of his grandfather. It’s the only weapon that never leaves this palace when he goes for war, a true symbol of his kingly right to rule among the ithacans. Legend says that no one can wield it, not out of a prohibition, but because he is the only man who can actually make it work.”

Hector’s expression spoke for him, he was thinking about Paris and worrying about what he could do when presented with that information.

“ Do you think your brother is overconfident enough to try it?”

“ Absolutely.” He pointed out. “ It’s the kind of thing he would try in hopes of impressing you, he is a wonderful archer.”

Her face turned bright of happiness and he would have liked to guess why.

“ Hector, you just improved my day!” She exclaimed in an attempt to explain herself. “ Not that I want to be mean to him, but that is a perfect way to beat him in his own game. He will not tense that string, not even if Apollo would come down to help him.”

Her precipitated thinking process was weird to witness, her mind would jump too quickly from one thought to another without any clarifications to the witness. Hector wasn’t able to guess that she figured the situation out as a clever idea the Ithacan king found to subtly encourage him over his brother for his personal motives with them.

“ Is there anything else i can help you with, your majesty?”

In the relaxed spirit of the interaction, she felt encouraged to ask something that only she wanted to know.

“ How were you going to be named if you were born a girl?”

The question seemed so out of place that he was sincerely wondered by it.

“ I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t seeing that coming. “ He joked. “ Why would you want to know that? “

“ All parents eventually tell their children the baby name plans, how they expected them to be like while they were waiting for their birth… Did Priam ever imagine you could be a girl?”

“.. What a weird thing to wonder, sure he did. “ Hector clarified. “ My name would have been Cassandra.”

“ Orestes.” She playfully shared hers. “ The girl name was thought of by my mother and our trojan friend.He only approved the one he liked the most from a list they came up with.”

He remembered that the mentioned name was the same she used for the character of the ithacan prince during their tricky meeting at the beach.

“ You have a wicked sense of humor, it will take me time to get used to it.”

When the pointed time presented itself and the games were about to begin there was a certain feeling of silent complicity between them and it got some attention. The princess knew that Odysseus was catching It and she was having fun with that, internally laughing at his hopes while engaging in a silly competition of guesses with the trojan. They were trying to see whose advice would work the better and her competitive spirit against Hector, although harmless, was something that would have made Achilles very proud if he could have seen it.

Despite having abandoned the initial harshness, she kept challenging Hector in what was almost like a remote team work between them. Ríght there, sitting next to the queen while remaining in the company of her loyal servant friend, she was making them witnesses of a wordless conversation she was having with the prince purely based on interpretation of expressions. Judging him more stubborn than what she could have imagined before, she couldn't wait until the moment he would eventually realize that he had no choice but to take her advice and make it work.

In a relatively short amount of time some of the best men on the island gathered to the call of the king. A vague ask to her cousin let the princess know that neither Eupeithes or his son were at sight siding with the ithacans. Along with the reunited locals there were only the mycenaean and trojan visitors. Hector was ríght next to his brother and, for once, Paris seemed more excited than him about taking a challenge. The aesthetical spectacle he was making had a clear purpose: all in his appearance screamed how badly he wanted to look brave for her.

Instead of the blue cape that was part of the trojan uniform, Paris was wearing one made of leopard's fur that he would only get rid of later when picking up his bow would be necessary. She wanted to laugh,but it was less funny than what it should have been because he was somehow managing the goal. To the eyes of someone who wouldn't have seen him before, he would have looked like a brave champion about to get glory. Seeing some of his interactions with her men gave her a clue of where he got that idea. While she was talking with his brother he must have been with them, gathering whatever information they thought they knew about her through informal conversation. Someone must have told him about the reward Achilles got from her after his victory in Argos.

Guessing how much he was about to annoy her for the sake of that, she tried to focus on listening to the introductory speech of Odysseus to pretend to be busy with something else and avoid his furtive glances.

" My intention isn't to feed the flames of hate between us, but to get rid of any aggressiveness before our minds would get to work on rational solutions for our problems. " He was saying while the young prince was exhibiting himself in what looked like a fighter-like stance, hoping that would get the attention of the princess on him. " Our differences shouldn't be hidden or ignored in order for us to reach understandment. Let's celebrate our rivalries, shall these games make our battle ground so we can all reconcile around my table!! "

Everyone showed enthusiastic approval to his words and Paris used the disruption in his favor. As soon as the situation made her stop avoiding looking at him, he winked at her. Less subtle than before, loaded with meaning, the shameless gesture surprised her in a way that left her unable to show the complete unamusement she was supposed to.

Even Penelope had some degree of amazement over it.

" I start to think my husband may have betted on the wrong horse. " She whispered to her. " That one is all over you, I don't remember when was the last time I was wanted like that as an unmarried woman."

" Horses can go back to the stables, the one that owns me is a lion. " Was the reply she obtained from the girl, what made her chuckle in approval.

" Good to see you at ease about this. " Ereny added. " It seems like Paris no longer cares for dissimulating his particular desires. I may be wrong, but that felt to me like an invitation to his bedchamber."

" You are not wrong, dear. It was. " The Queen confirmed for her. " I never saw a man so eager to bed his possible cause of death."

The three women shared a few careless laughs, not having to worry about being heard by the kids. Telemachus and Melantho were at sight, but at a certain distance from them, since both wanted to see the event from a closer viewpoint.

To a gestural sign of Odysseus, Penelope abandoned her seat. There were glimpses of excitement being shared by both and the mycenaean girls suspected that it should be about something they were preparing together.

" The first trial I have for you is an archery challenge. " The king informed and Paris was unable to hide how pleased he was with that. " I choose to start with this because it is a personal favorite for a series of reasons. As you must know, I am famous for my tendency of turning things weirdly and unnecessarily complicated. "

The joke gained a good flow of chuckles, mostly from the ithacans.

" I have participated in games in Mycenae, I know how you like to make things. I can't say the same about Troy, but I am sure that this is nothing like everything you have seen before."

Hector glanced at the mycenaean lady and she gifted him with a silent chuckle. Even if Odysseus' words weren't explicit bait for Paris, those were working as such.

" What a coincidence! Archery is my favorite event as well." The youngest trojan prince commented. " Let me warn you that in Troy nobody can beat the precision of my shots."

" But none of those competitions were designed by me. " Penelope interrupted, making Odysseus smile with pride. " I have come up with this idea all by myself and, since then, we haven't tested it many times with guests. It is one we save for very special occasions. My husband has attempted it on his shot practices and accomplished it in front of me, the reason why I will be the judge, hoping that wouldn't be a matter of objection for the contestants."

The power that woman emanated through her attitude and phrasing was of everyone's admiration. Even if someone wanted to object, they wouldn't dare to do it. Penelope was that much mighty, despite being the queen of a small insular kingdom.

The young princess witnessing such a display was in awe, remembering once more why she was an inspiration for her.

For once, Hector abandoned his polite silence and replied ahead of Paris.

" None of my men would have a problem with that. "

" I mean ... are we all doing this only to impress each other? " He followed him. " Being judged by a lady feels more honest to me, measuring ourselves isn't fun if there aren't women watching. We may keep pretending this is all about us, but we all have been there. You should have seen Hector the last time Princess Andromache came to visit us."

The mere mention of that episode seemed to bring a bit of shame to the eldest brother. It was a tease, a blatant mock about a woman.

The two mycenaean girls stared at each other and laughed. Louder than before, chuckles that weren't enough to be a distraction but could be heard as a shy echo. They discovered that the woman of the rumors had a name, those laughs were mocks born out of the freeing feeling of being about to debunk the mad plan of Odysseus.

" Paris, you managed to miss the point once more. " Hector corrected him as an attempt to deviate from the topic. " The Queen created the challenge and that is enough for her to claim the place of judge. "

" Our princess brought us here, it would be dumb to refuse the judgement of her cousin. " A mycenaean commented, attempting to close the issue. " We are already contesting for her. "

She smiled at the comment of that soldier, gesturally thanking all the participants of her crew.

Penelope proceeded to show them the setup of the game before Paris could get to answer with any flirty commentary for the girl. In front of them was a line of twelve axes forming a circuit.

" As you can appreciate by yourselves, this test doesn't involve a traditional target. '' She explained them. " The goal is shooting an arrow that could pass through the holes of this twelve axeheads, a number I didn't pick out of casuality. Twelve: one for each olympian god."

Getting the perfect shot was even more complicated than what it looked like, but that didn’t seem to worry the young trojan. He trusted in his skills, thinking too highly of himself as an archer to even consider the possibility of messing his shot. The symbolic goal attached to it had him more preoccupied than the trial itself; his chances of getting some interested attention from the mycenaean through that little feat was what he cared the most about. If that was what she liked, he was more than happy to indulge her with a display of his courage. He wouldn’t be fighting mighty warriors or taking over cities, but there were other ways to generate a similar impression.

After Odysseus commented to have chosen saving his turn for last, he manifested a preference for going right before him. In the meantime, he would constantly try to capture his intended audience through gestural communication meant to build expectancy. She would sometimes answer him, merely acknowledging his presence with that, but he began to notice certain glances of Hector interrupting the comebacks. Only then he began to see a bit of coming and going between them. He immediately associated it with a certain controlling will of his brother, guessing his intentions and intending to prevent him from acting over those. In the simplistic interpretation of the situation, he was guessed an idiot about to ruin an already tense political situation out of his erotical desire.

He wouldn’t deny it: he wanted to sleep with that beautiful greek girl. However, in his mindset, that wasn’t necessarily endangering Troy. What he wanted and what could be good for his city were two things that could coexist. Sex, like any other bonding activity, could be a route to create allies. The princess of Mycenae wasn’t only a ravishing maiden, she proved to be a quite clever strategist versed in the informal mechanisms of greek politics. Spending a season as her lover, enjoying the pleasures of her nocturnal company as he very much wanted to, could be beneficial in the long term. The future queen of the mycenaeans, possibly of all the greeks if the military power of her father would keep growing over time, would find herself bonded to Troy through something more than the origins of her favorite slave. Even if it would be only through the reminder of how well he made her feel in bed, she would be willing to help him in case of need. It wasn’t some sort of manipulation tactic, but a possible side perk in the already exciting opportunity to seduce her.

One by one, all the other men contesting did their attempts with a wide variety of results, but not a single perfect success. Paris initiated his well calculated acting by taking off his cape to later pace in the direction of the girl in order to place it over her lap.

“ Would you hold this for me, princess?” He seductively asked her. “ It would be just an instant, I need to get comfortable if I want to do this.”

With the advice of Hector in mind, she fought the urge of replying something over the lines of ‘ Don’t you have servants for that?’ and throw it in the ground.

“ I don’t mind, at all.. I really don’t care.”

“ I want you to see this, I will get that shot done for you and bring you the glory that your soldiers couldn’t.”

Every fiber of her being wanted to answer ‘ Nevermind about the glory, they have conquered Argos for me.’ and make fun of his militar incapacity, but she restrained herself once more.

“ Who says I want that?”

“ I heard that your touch is a prized reward for brave actions and I don't want to be less than the heroes that you pamper.”

Although he intended it to be a tease referencing the story of Achilles’s anointment ceremony, something he surely got to hear from the very prideful mycenaeans who would share it with anyone asking things about her, the mere mention of it coming from the trojan upsetted her.

“ That is not of your business… I didn’t want to be part of that, I did it because I had to.” She lied, disguising the truth with a facade of hurted honor. ``It's called a sense of duty.”

“ You don’t need to justify yourself to me. I’m trying to show you that I can be anything you want, if you let me.”

His attitude was unbelievable, not in a positively remarkable way, yet Paris seemed to catch the core of her advice about appearances given to Hector without having listened to it and while using it for drastically different motives. From the information he got he concluded that, in order to seduce her, he needed to at least appear as a worthy rival for the kind of men considered admirable in Greece. Appeal to societal values, play by her cultural rules in the measure of his possibilities. He knew himself in possession of certain characteristics that could resemble the preferred ideal and he was making a show out of that, intending to impress her through that performance.

To the shock of many greeks, he achieved the goal of the challenge in just one try. Enthusiastical cheering fell upon him and he was about to self declare the best archer, but things didn't end there. Odysseus still had his available turn in the contest and his magnificent bow was about to steal any credibility on the trojan's feat. As soon as both saw the bow, the mycenaean lady directed a furtive glance towards Hector. It was a silent ' I told you so' that he catched immediately.

Her cockiness only grew as every detail on her estimated prediction came to happen. The king's shot outshined Paris' and the quick success of the first try made him be overconfident enough to challenge him directly. Despite Penelope herself advising him against it, the arrogant prince asked her husband for a chance to do one last try with his bow and arrows and the expected outcome presented itself.

He struggled with all his strengths, but couldn't even tense the string. He began to seriously wonder if the rebel weapon was hexed out of pure desperation to make it work, a comment that brought genuine chuckles out of the Ithacan king. Eventually, the failure of his muscular resistance forced Paris to give up, which seemed to truly impress the trojan crew. Clearly the amazement didn't come from a sincere belief in the image of himself he was trying to project, but because his skill in archery was remarkable despite the fact that he wasn't a warrior. The trojans wouldn't have imagined their bowman prince literally being defeated by a bow, what actually worked as a clever way for Odysseus to show his mightiness without having to fight Hector to prove himself exceptional.

In his humiliated retree, after the royal couple still congratulated him for the attempt, Paris ended up being reached by Melantho and Telemachus.

" Your performance was amazing, sir. I was cheering for you the whole time. " The little girl comforted him while offering him a piece of cloth to clean his sweat. " Your arms are a gift of Apollo and you remain as the best trojan archer. "

" You are an idiot." The boy added, in blatant contrast. " That first shot was awesome and you ruined everything for nothing. My father is the only man whose strength that bow obbeys, dumbass. Was it worthy to get your arms sore for a pretty girl?"

The trojan prince smiled as if the best idea would have come to him through the nagging.

" It was... Indeed! "

He would have gone right afterwards to put his new thing on practice, renewed excitement as he realized that the game wasn't fully lost. However, Ereny ran out his direct excuse of approach by handing him the fur cape in her princess' place and that forced him to remain for some more time aligned close to his people to witness the other events.

Taking the choice with the past events in consideration, Hector ended up engaging in a combat of deportive characteristics against an Ithacan challenger. Paris couldn't imagine any reason making him change his mind after emphatically refusing to make a performance out of himself, but his act drove the audience wild. He intended to keep an eye on the princess' reactions to the fighting of his brother out of curiosity and then he found something even more intriguing about her.

She seemed amused and not in a sense of entertained admiration. The daughter of the eldest Atreide was holding her chuckles, as if something would be hilarious to her, but he couldn't understand what was that.

He couldn't wait to get to talk to her, but he held his excitement until a proper moment where the two of them could be relatively alone. There were certain things he needed to say to her, but those shouldn't be heard by anyone else.

" Your men have been trying to comfort me out of my longing for you. " He straightfully confessed to her. " They say that your heart is an impenetrable fortress and your desire is unreachable, since not even the provocations of Achilles were enough to beat your resistance. From what i understood, he is considered as the most desired man in Greece and he got quite disappointed with your rejection."

" It was a bathing ceremony and he asked for it to piss off my father because they hate each other. " She simply replied, trying to take away any valorative implications. " I'm actually growing tired of hearing it being referenced as if it was my greatest feat. "

"... What I would give to be in your hands like he was! You have no idea. " The prince continued in an infatuated sounding tone. " If i would have been in his place, you could have done with me whatever you would have wanted. "

" Bold of you to assume you wouldn't have found the same fate he did "

"Do i have to believe you are the femenine version of Hector? For as much I heard men describing you in similar terms, I don't buy it. '' Was his rather fun comeback. " You don't seem like that to me, In the slightest. You like risk... fun."

" That depends on your way to define fun. " She corrected him. " Fun like jokes and interesting conversation? I am great at that, I am a fun girl.. Fun like, sneaking in the dark with a man to let him explore the forbidden límits of my beauty? Not at all, I am very boring. I barely date when my father arranges it for me, but that doesn't happen often and those tend to be terrible."

" I am nothing like those men, you know that. Although archery is a great strength of mine, the amatory arts are my true talent. I'm not a warrior, i'm a lover. Bed is the ground where I achieve glory and my honor is in my partner's pleasure. "

" Is that supposed to impress me?"

" I would be happy if it tempts you. " He tried to tease her again. " Aren't you curious over what the hands of a bowman can do for you? Wielding a spear or a sword is about grip, but to be good with the bow you need to know how to use your fingers well. "

His flirty claim was followed by a smirk that he intended to be perceived as tempting and mischievous in equal amounts.

" You may think you are being ultimately provocative, but all that tells me is that through my skill as a seamstress I could be trying archery." Was her unamused conclusion. " I have quick and precise fingers too, got that skill through another activity. "

" May you lay those on me and use them to help me relieve the pain I have acquired in your name?" He sweetly begged. " My shoulders and back are in need of good hands."

" Sure, I will fix that for you. " She assured him without specifying how and proceeding to send a subtle sign to Hector so he would approach them.

His amused expression almost replied for him.

" Your brother needs someone to help him out with muscle soreness and he made the mistake of coming to me. “ She informed him. “ You must deal with that sort of thing from time to time, right?”

“ Unfortunately, I do. Most fighters do.”

She seemed careless about the acotation, exaggerating just to look extremely unamused by both of them. Hector felt himself about to laugh in front of her because of how she was obviously making fun of his advice.

“Handle that yourself, you would do it better than me and I really need to go if I want to get ready for the banquet party on time. "

With that, leaving both brothers behind, she headed to get herself into the announced task. It was a perceived requirement she needed to accomplish for the upcoming part of the celebrations, particularly because of a very important detail. Odysseus didn’t have to explicitly solicitate her to wear the blue dress for her to know that was what he wanted her to do. That party was most likely to be the motive he had in mind when he specifically requested her to pack it with her things, besides from the fact that his palace was the very same place where years before she intended to show her once brand new creation. That was the aspect that made her excited about it, but she was also afraid of sending the wrong message with that, specially under the consideration of how Paris’ flirtatious attitude was reaching sexual territory.

Her pride defeated her fears, since her wish to finally show off her looks in those garments was stronger than her care for his opinions. The idea of going back home to tell Hesione what her own people commented about her looks in that dress was making her very happy regardless of Paris. Ereny shared that feeling, since she was part of the making process of a thing that never got them their deserved glory. After all, that was the only form of it they were able to obtain as women; recognition about beauty and the skillfulness of their laborious hands.Everyone involved was prideful of the result, but they were all stripped from any glory on the silence enforced in the punishment of the mycenaean king. It was a chance for vindication that they weren’t going to let pass. The glorious praise for the well done work they did together had to come, they waited years for it.

To fit along with the beautiful dress, the sweet handmaid had a special surprise for her friend that she prepared in secret on the rush of her whiles away from her. She awaited until the very exact moment where she knew she would be asked to help with the fitting of that dress in order to show it to her, excitement taking over her because of how she simply knew that the lady was going to love it.

A new belt, a simple but wonderful piece made of seashells.

“ I took the liberty of using our share of the treasure we gathered with the prince to make this. '' She explained to her while allowing her to admire it in amazed silence. “ I am the only one here who knows what seashells mean for you, so it is safe. I like to see it as a symbolic hug, a reminder of Achilles that will be embracing your waist.”

“ You are the sweetest woman in the country.” Her princess began to thank her. “ I don’t have words.. You are such a wonderful friend, my beloved... and to think that I thought you were about to start cheering for Hector! You tricky deceiver, this is awesome! “

She hugged her tightly while repeating once more how much she loved her.

“ It’s not like I didn't have the right inspiration to think on doing this. “ The servant girl attenuated her accomplishment. “ I saw your man clinging to your waist enough times back in Mycenae.”

The loveful tease made her feel a bit ashamed.

“ A downside of being my personal servant, because he can’t do it in public. “ As she was speaking, the last sentence brought another idea into her consideration. “ … but this will be in public display. This may be not only a personal sentimental token for me, a sweet reminder of our love. it is also a mark. One that no one else understands, I am telling everyone else that I belong to him in a message they can’t decipher. “

Ereny was surprised to have missed that point before.

“ … I guess you are about to tease yourself in his name too. Wouldn't it be nice to not become a mess in public because of him just for once?”

“ You brought this to me, my friend. Maybe Aphrodite put that idea in your mind. “ The princess answered to her mockery. “ Think about it. The functionality of the belt is to keep the dress in place and I am going to be wearing mine as a secret symbol only I associate with Achilles.. In a party where it will be on display for the fool who will be trying to seduce me, who keeps hopes of undressing me tonight. Can you sense how deliciously ironic this is? “

Their mischievousness grew with the shared realization.

“ Whatever he thinks he is doing, I only hope Paris would give us a good fashion show for our little contest. Not that the leopard fur wasn’t an over the top thing worthy of accounting on the verdict even if it wasn’t part of the main outfit we were analyzing.”

The reminder brought a chuckle out of the young noble girl.

“ … All the men are going to be reunited… maybe even Eupeithes will show up. It would be such a waste if only both of us would be making judgements. “

Ereny’s eyes went wide out of pure excitement, guessing exactly what she was talking about.

“ Please, tell me that you are going to do it.”

“ I owe it to Helen, she would have loved to see them all losing their minds with our fabricated dilemma.“ The princess explained right before dropping a playful conclusion. “We designed it together under the specific purpose of serving as a test of character for men on the basis of their greatest ambitions. That is precisely what I need right now: to spot the greedier men of this kingdom and eliminate suspects in the case of the trojans while exposing Paris as the horny danger he is.”

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