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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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maximoff-pan · 4 months

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the ultimate deception | benedict bridgerton (part one)

summary: you are a well known artist who paints under a pseudonym. What happens when Lady Whistledown comes to know of your identity? How will your relationship with Benedict evolve?

pairing: benedict bridgerton x fem!(artist)reader

word count: 4k

warning(s): poor writing and dialogue (sue me, I'm rusty lol), very unedited so if there are mistakes, I apologize, misogyny, penelope aka Lady Whistledown's biggest defender

a/n: this is definitely going to be more than one part, but I wanted to post something after so many months. Let me know how you like it (or don't like it haha)...comments and feedback are much appreciated <3

• • • • • •

“I wish I possessed merely an ounce of your talent.”

Benedict’s gaze seems to be wholly absorbing your latest painting, a depiction of the botanical wonders of London’s Royal Kew Gardens.

You puff out a breath, blowing on the feathery end of one of your writing quills. In your haste, it had gotten loose, tickling your face irritatingly. Tucking it back behind your ear, you wave him off. “You have much more talent than you give yourself credit for.” You admit through squinted eyes, scanning your work. “You simply lack conviction. And you worry far too much about what others think of you.”

Benedict smiles, receiving your words as the highest of praise. He reaches out to take a better look at the piece of art before him. “You flatter me.” He mumbles in awe. “But I suppose there’s a chance you could be right.”

Chuckling at his words, you grin knowingly. You’re right. It’s more than a chance…you just are. He knows it too.

You both continue to steadily eye the painting, you out of critical evaluation of your work, and him in sheer admiration of it.

Benedict’s favourite part remains the beautifully bloomed magnolias that are scattered across the canvas. He’d been sure to tell you numerous times of their elegance while you’d been working on it, eagerly awaiting the finished product. As you’ve come to realize, Benedict loves watching you work. It’s one of the prices you’ve had to pay for his allowance of your workstation being at Bridgerton House, if you could even call it that.

You are grateful, truly. You wouldn’t be able to make your own living without his kindness. And you certainly wouldn’t be able to keep to yourself in the way you prefer to.

“When will Augustus Leighton be displaying his latest work of perfection?” Benedict’s question reminds you of your fate as an artist.

Augustus Leighton is the pseudonym you paint under. Using his name, you have become a well known artist among the ton, even going so far as to have a painting hung at Buckingham Palace. It’s difficult, you must admit, pretending to be someone else. But it’s a necessary evil.

Painting as a woman would get you nowhere. Especially as a woman with no money (particularly at the time you began), no status, and no husband.

Your mother is a seamstress with little to her name and your father was a servant to Violet and Edmund Bridgerton, before his heart became too weak. He passed away when you were thirteen, only a few years after the Bridgerton children had lost their own father. You’d grown up with little money, but Violet had been kind to both you and your mother, seeing how close you’d become with her children.

You were raised alongside them, Benedict and Eloise becoming your closest of friends. At three and twenty, there are five years between you and the two siblings in either direction, with Eloise being freshly eighteen, and Benedict having turned twenty eight. To this day, they remain two of only three people who know of your true identity, outside of Penelope Featherington.

You hadn’t exactly meant for Eloise or Penelope to find out about it, but once they had, it became comforting to have more than just Benedict to speak to about your predicament. Especially considering, although Benedict has been wonderfully supportive, he could never understand the struggle a woman must endure in a male dominated world.

“Likely never. This one is a gift for Lady Danbury.” You answer Benedict’s inquiry after a bout of silence. “She’s spoken about her love of these gardens quite regularly, so I thought, why not have Mr. Leighton recreate it for her?”

“How will you get it to her?” He questions.

A smile pulls at the corners of your lips. “I have my ways, lest you worry about it.”

• ж • ж • ж • ж •

The next few days are interesting to say the least. You’d somehow managed to get the painting delivered to Lady Danbury, and as far as Violet had been willing to speak of her latest visit with the formidable aforementioned woman, you have been made aware that she adores it.

You’d also heard more about it from Benedict, who’d mentioned something about her being at a loss for words, an ultimate shock to both him and his mother. They’d never seen her look so bewildered.

According to Eloise, Lady Danbury had been surprised to receive such a gift, especially of something so near and dear to her heart. She’d said it reminded her of her time with the Queen, telling the young Bridgerton woman about the months just after her husband had passed, when a new independent lifestyle began to bloom for her.

The painting itself reminded her that women like her could be free, and one day, they would be. That sort of metaphorical mindset had definitely appealed to Eloise’s sense of social justice. She’d been more than excited to tell you about the older woman’s reaction to your art, claiming it to be a wonderful revelation.

Today though, as you sit in the Bridgerton’s common living room, the opposite representation of said female autonomy rests in your hands. The paper feels rough against your skin as you pass it to Eloise who’s propped excitedly to the left of you. You’ve never been a fan of Lady Whistledown’s gossip column, although you can admire her unabashed confidence. But despite her strong will as an author, which could be seen as an inherently empowering trait, you are of the impression that she goes about it in an entirely backward way.

Women don’t need to put each other down to build themselves up. It accomplishes nothing, consequently acting as a source of nourishment for the patriarchy you find yourself trapped in.

“You’re not going to read it?” Eloise asks as she takes the pamphlet from you.

“I never do.” Is your instant reply.

Penelope perks up at the mention of the column, eyes trained curiously on you. If you had known better, you’d say she was a little too interested.

But at this moment you shrug it off, listening with no suspicion as she asks a simple, “Why?”

You don’t have the hindsight to understand why your stomach turns at her question, but you respond anyway. “I tend to think of Lady Whistledown as a poison.” It’s the first time you’ve voiced such an opinion.

Penelope and Eloise turn to you in surprise. “Come again?” Penelope’s soft voice cuts through.

“She is a poison.” You repeat before explaining yourself. “Do not get me wrong, I hold admiration for her bravado, but her words, the things she writes, they cause nothing but pain and conflict for those she chooses to sink her teeth into.”

“But she’s an independent woman.” Eloise interjects. “One who is doing more than any of us could dream of. She is making a name for herself!”

You try to think about your next words carefully, but your mouth makes quick work of a reply. “A name which she hides behind, casting stones through the guise and safety of anonymity.”

Penelope lets out a scoff from beside you. She’s always been one to defend the infamous gossip columnist. “At least she does not hide herself behind the mask of a man.” That feels like a shot. “The people know full well of her gender, despite her true identity remaining a secret.”

You hear the implication on her tongue. The same cannot be said for you.

And she’s not wrong. You do hide yourself behind the mask of a man. You’d never once denied that.

You sigh. “I know you must think of me as a hypocrite.”

Eloise agrees hesitantly. “Only a little.” She admits. “It’s just that you do the same as Mr. Leighton.”

You soften at her honesty. Truthfully, you understand where she’s coming from, but you can’t help the urge you feel to defend yourself.

“I disguise myself as Augutus because I know that no artist or art critic alike will take me seriously as I am. I want to share my work with the world, that is simply all I want. It’s all I have ever wanted.”

“Does that not make you a coward?” Penelope inquires, although it feels less like a question and more like an opinion. This is what she believes. And she's entitled to that.

“Perhaps.” You nod in acknowledgment. “But it has also made me uniquely successful. And I take great pride knowing that my work is highly regarded, in spite of the fact that I have to be someone else to succeed.”

“Does that ever bother you?” Eloise persists. “Knowing that no one will know you for the work you have done?”

Before you can respond, Penelope chimes in with a query of her own. “Does it ever make you feel guilty, lying as you do?” This feels like a challenge.

You turn to Eloise, answering her first. “No, I feel quite unbothered. I like the privacy it provides me.” Your gaze flicks between the two girls, a fire in your eyes as you speak.

You answer Penelope’s question next. “Guilt is one of the last feelings to cross my mind.” You feel content with it. “Because of Augustus, I have my own money, my own independence. I do not need a man to survive or to be happy. I have choices. And that's a facet of my life I never dreamed could have existed. If there is anything more empowering for a woman than that, I cannot think of it.”

Eloise listens to your words carefully, absorbing them, reveling in them. She hadn’t thought of it like that, but you’re right. Independence is a sign of true equality. And you have that. Not because of the name you hide behind, but because you’d used the insecurities of men to your advantage. You’d played the game and won.

“I suppose I have been quite short sighted.” There’s much less arrogance in her tone. Eloise sounds humbled. “You’ve given me a new perspective to think about.”

Penelope does not enjoy the direction this conversation has headed. “Surely you cannot think yourself above someone such as Lady Whistledown.”

Your face scrunches in thought. “Above?” You stipulate. “I do not think myself above anyone, gender aside. But I do think I have a much higher sense of self respect than she does.”

“And how could that possibly be?” Penelope has to bite her tongue. She wants to say more, defend herself more. But she cannot.

Eloise cuts in. “Lady Whistledown has the utmost confidence in herself. I dare say more than all the women in London combined. As much as I have come to see your side, I cannot agree with that.”

“One’s high level of confidence is of little concern here.” You deliver. “Often, in matters regarding the human condition, such as these, it can act as a detriment.” Your eyes narrow as you speak. “Self respect and self confidence can coincide, but they are not the same.”

Eloise laughs out of confusion. She’s not used to being this clueless. “I don’t understand.” She says.

“Ah,” you decide to stop tiptoeing around the subject. “I merely think that no self-respecting woman would use the pain and suffering of other women, or any other person for that matter, for their own profit and entertainment.”

Eloise’s smile drops. “Oh.” Again, she hadn’t thought of it that way. But what resonates with her most is that you’re not wrong.

“Is that what you truly think of Lady Whistledown?” Penelope’s voice is calm and collected for the first time this afternoon. It almost scares you.

“Yes.” You say, before voicing, “However, I mean no offense to either of you. I know how much you girls adore her column. I just want more for you than what she does. A life of gossip is dangerous, and you deserve so much more.”

If you had known you’d been talking to Lady Whistledown herself, maybe you would have kept those opinions to yourself. But little did you know how much your life was about to change, how dangerously you’d walked the line, and how much vengeance rests in Penelope Featherington’s soul.

Future note to self, do not play with fire if one does not wish to get burnt.

• ж • ж • ж • ж •

“(Y/n), I think you need to see this.” Benedict holds up the newest edition of London’s famous gossip column.

Your heart sinks at the look in his eyes. I’m sorry they seem to say.

You haven’t even read it and you already know it’s bad. Handing it to you, Benedict looks hesitant, almost in preparation of what's to come. As you take it from him, you glance down at the ink on the paper, her handwriting etched in your brain.

You swallow the lump in your throat as you begin to read:

Dearest Gentle Reader,

It has come to this author’s attention that a certain individual is playing an unforgivable game of deception within the world of classical art that this ton so highly regards. This artisan has gone to great lengths to keep their true identity from you, painting under a well recognized pseudonym.

By now you may have guessed, this artist is a woman. One who has tricked you and lied to you by passing her work off as that of a man’s. What a horrid crime it is to keep such a secret from you, and a desperate one, I must admit. A woman so foul as to seek such attention for her art, far too greedy to be content with the life so many of the wonderful women of the ton lead. Instead, she parades around disguising herself so she can live a life she feels entitled to.

This author asks you to consider the arrogance of it all. But the question remains, as I am sure you are desperate to uncover: who is the serpent who remains among us?

And so it is with great sorrow that I announce the once beloved Augustus Leighton is a fraud. A man never seen in the public setting, has given us a reason why. He is a woman.

And her name, ladies and gentleman of London, is (Y/n) (L/n).

As I am sure you, gentle reader, are shocked at this revelation, I will take a moment to address the woman this particular entry concerns.

May I remind you Miss (L/n), I have ears and eyes everywhere. Or did you forget? It would do you a world of good to remember that the next time you think about besmirching me. And, as I write this, I must say, this warning goes for all. Heed it, live by it, breathe by it. I am not a woman you want to cross.

Yours truly,

Lady Whistledown

Panic crawls through your body. You want to cry, scream, maybe even simply die from the anxiety you’re feeling.

“What am I going to do?”

Your voice cracks, it sounds like glass breaking. Shattered, ragged, and tired, and Benedict can do nothing but hold you.

Again, as your body shakes and caves into the pressure you think, what am I going to do?

• ж • ж • ж • ж •

The moment Eloise enters the room with Anthony at her side, your mind is sent ablaze. Only three people had known about Augustus. Only three people could have possibly let it slip, and you know for a fact it wasn’t Benedict.

As much as you want to believe Eloise would never do something like that to you, you can’t help but feel like she might have offhandedly mentioned it to someone. Her mouth had always worked much faster than her brain.

Benedict’s gaze meets yours in understanding. He hopes his sister hasn’t done this; he’ll be furious if she has.

You’re about to say something when a certain eldest Bridgerton catches you off guard. Anthony smiles when he sees you, eyes twinkling uncharacteristically so.

“I had no idea you could paint like that.” He says. “I must admit, I’m quite proud of you.”

You blink rapidly in confusion. Proud? In all the years you’ve known Anthony, he’s never told you he’s proud of you.

“So you’ve read the column then?” Your head hangs in shame. Everyone in London has probably read it by now.

“Everyone has.” Eloise pipes in timidly, confirming your suspicions.

She’s nervous, understandably so, fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress. You assume when you finally catch her gaze that she’ll avert it quickly, but instead, she holds it well.

We need to talk.

Benedict, reading the room perfectly, coughs in apprehension. “Brother, how about we let these ladies be for a moment? I’m certain they have some things to discuss.”

“Of course.” Anthony nods with a smile, not before reminding you how proud he is of you.

If anything good can come of this, it might just be that.

Once alone, Eloise is eager to assure you of her innocence. “I spoke to no one.” She promises. “Blood be forgotten, you’re my sister (Y/n). I would never betray you like that.”

The look on her face is one of pure panic; she needs you to believe her. And despite everything, you do. It almost makes you feel guilty that you questioned her.

“It’s alright.” You assure her. “I know you wouldn’t.”

But that only leaves one person…

“I think Penelope is Lady Whistledown.” You're taken aback by Eloise’s words, like a stab to the chest. Twisting the knife in further, she corrects, “I know she is.”

Moments of silence pass before you can collect your thoughts. “How long have you known?”

This is where Eloise loses her composure. Pure shame is etched upon her features. “I caught her a few weeks ago.”

A few weeks. A few weeks… A FEW WEEKS?

“Oh.” Your murmur is dejected and weak.

Eloise had known you’d been slandering Lady Whistledown in front of Lady Whistledown, and she’d done nothing to stop you, except defend her best friend’s honour. No wonder she’d been so reluctant to agree with you.

“I wanted to say something.” Eloise stammers. “But I couldn’t. Penelope doesn’t know that I know.”

You inhale a staggered breath of air, face falling to your palms. “I’ve been such a fool. How could I have been so stupid?”

“You have not.” The girl beside you opposes before continuing, “Trust me, I am furious with Penelope. The things she’s done and said about me, about the people I care about, I’m not sure I can forgive her for it.”

You scoff lightly. Trust her? How are you supposed to do that?

Sure, Eloise has certainly been burned by Lady Whistledown before, but she’s always had her name to fall back on. “You have no idea what it’s like, Eloise.”

“I’m sorry.” She slumps in apology, shrinking in on herself. Eloise likes to think she can understand where you’re coming from. She’s a woman, same as you, one who has the same struggles against the patriarchy, and yet, hers are much different.

“Don’t.” You dismiss her apology in frustration. It feels harsh but necessary. “You always speak about feminism and the difficulties of being a woman. How it is impossible for you to hold title and rank, or to be recognized for your accomplishments. But you are a Bridgerton Eloise, and that comes with more privilege, more title, more rank, and more acknowledgment in society than you seem to understand.”

Eloise’s brow furrows. “More often than not, that name is a burden, something you could not possibly grasp.”

“And I should not have to.” Your lips pull into a thin line. This isn’t a competition, but you feel it necessary to defend your point wholly. “I am the daughter of a servant and a seamstress. I have no money, no control, and no future if I am not to marry. Since the day I was born, I belonged to someone else. You talk of struggle, but you have no idea what it truly means.”

Eloise doesn’t like what you’re implying. “You think I live a life of luxury? That I am a stranger to the adversities life has to offer? I can assure you, I know much more about the struggles of which you speak. My mother has prepared me for the purpose of my future; finding a husband is imperative.”

“You plan to remain unmarried, correct?” You ask her seriously.

“With every fiber in my being.” Is her scathing reply. And it only serves to prove your point. But you can see her side of things too.

“El, you defy your mother with your distaste for society. And while I applaud your determination to fight for equality, your fault remains in your failure to recognize the entitlement that has been bestowed upon you simply by having that choice. Unlike so many women, you can choose to live your life as a spinster. For you, those options exist. For me, I have not one choice besides finding a well suited, at best, middle class husband, because that is all I am suited for.”

In this moment, her heart shatters for you. Is that really what you think of yourself? “You cannot possibly mean that.”

“It’s how it has to be.” You affirm.

“It’s not.” She disagrees. “There’s so much more for you than a husband.”

Both your defenses are down, walls have collapsed, and you’re starting to get through to each other. She’s starting to grasp the gravity of what this means for you. Your career is more than likely over, as is the steady source of income you’d managed to build. Except where before you’d had less than no money to your name, you now had a healthy dowry (that you’d earned no less) to find a more comfortable suitor.

Eloise sees it now. What Penelope has done is monumentally life changing.

However, as emotional as this circumstance is, you still feel the need to reach out. She’s your sister after all.

“Eloise,” your eyes search hers. They tread in a sea of empathy. “I never meant to imply you have lived a life without misfortunes. I’m not trying to diminish your hurt. But I thought if you heard my side, you might come to understand mine.”

She softens at your admission, having gotten carried away in defending herself. Nodding, she smiles gently. “I do.” She says. “And while you may not bear the Bridgerton surname, you do have us. Every Bridgerton will stand behind you, always.”

Against every fibre in your being, you believe her. Somehow you’ll always have this little family of yours, somehow you hope you’ll be okay…

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