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The last days of Achilles' peace passed in a haze of exhaustion. No one, including myself, were sleeping as much as they should have been. Every time I fell asleep, my dreams were haunted by the strange woman and images of Hector's desecrated body.
I did not sleep at all the night before the ending of the peace. I stayed in my room, gazing out at the slowly brightening sky, dreading what would happen to Troy without Hector.
By mid-morning, however, I knew I had to go and see what was happening. I had not heard any sounds of battle, and even though it was possible it could not be heard from where I was, I was becoming curious. If no one was fighting, what had happened? I needed to know, so I left my room and made my way to the wall.
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It was crowded and noisy as people tried to fight their way to the front, eager to glimpse something at the gates. I panicked for a moment, thinking the Greeks were attempting to fight their way in, but realized quickly that this could not be the case. Every face on the wall looked happy and eager, and the noise that filled the air was an excited buzz. Something good had happened, and I needed to find out what.
I pushed my way to the front of the crowd, sidestepping children and old women, and leaned over the edge of the wall to get a closer look.
What I saw there I will never forget.
It was an enormous wooden horse, unlike anything I had ever seen in my life. It was on a pedestal with wheels below it, and large, thick ropes led from the horses mouth to the ground. Soldier held on to these ropes, pulling it into the gates while Priam eagerly conducted its passage from the sidelines. Paris, however, who stood to Priam's right, did not look happy. He watched the horse being led into the city with a mixture of what seemed to be disgust and suspicion.
I ran to him, back through the crowds, down the stairs, and past the horse.
"What is it?" I breathed, tearing my eyes away from it to look at Paris.
"A gift." He said mockingly. "We went to the Greek camps this morning, seems they've all gone- the horse was all that was left. "
"We can't trust it." I said, turning back to the horse and surveying it with newfound distrust. "Burn it."
"Burn it." Paris repeated, laughing bitterly. "That's exactly what I said. Burn it. But Father didn't listen, said it was a gift to the Gods, and the Gods should always be-"
"Honored." I finished for him. I felt hate for the Greeks swell up inside me again- they had found King Priam's biggest weakness- his overzealous love for the Gods.
"If anything happens, I want you out of Troy." he said turning to me. I felt a pang of sadness- since Hector's death he had become more like him than one would have thought possible. Hector had protected me; now Paris was doing the same. They really were similar.
Similar, My mind echoed, a sense of foreboding coming over me. Hector told Priam that fighting that dawn battle would be a bad idea. Priam didn't listen, and look what happened. Now Paris has told him to burn the horse, and again he ignored one of his sons. Will this end in disaster, as well?
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Fire.
I thought I dreamed of fire that night, of black smoke filling my rooms and Troy. Flames licked the small huts and wooden homes of the villagers, and their screams filled the city. Greek soldiers ran up and down the alleys and streets, weapons in hand, cutting down people who were attempting to flee from their homes.
I tried to wake myself, to force this nightmare out of my mind.
It can not be real, It can not be real.
I comforted myself. It is just a dream. I pinched my arm to prove to myself that it was nothing more than a horrible nightmare, only to have a sharp pain greet me.It was then I realized I had been awake all along. Everything was real. The Greeks were in the city. Hector was dead and could not defend it.
Troy was burning.
I almost screamed, but realized that just in time that if I did, someone might hear me. If there were soldiers in the palace, I would be killed, or worse, taken prisoner. I shuddered at the thought of being a slave to some Greek soldier. I had to leave. But where would I go?
I remembered Hector's words with a jolt. "If Troy falls, go find Andromache. She knows a way out. You have to find her."I had to find Andromache.
My door burst open and I yelped slightly. It was too late. They were already in the palace. They had found me.
"Charis!" Paris said urgently, grabbing me by the arm. Relief coursed through my body as he pulled me up. "Come on."
He led me through a maze of small chambers and passageways until we were deep in the palace, deeper than I had ever been before. Andromache, Helen, and a few others were there, standing in front of an entranceway to some sort of tunnel.
"Oh thank Zeus, you found her." Andromache breathed, reaching out for me with her free hand, cradling Astyanax in the other. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it, and I smiled at her gratefully. "No luck on Briseis?"
"I'm going back to find her." Paris said firmly. "Go."
Paris pulled out his sword and handed it to a boy I recognized, who went by the name of Aeneas. He said something to him, but I did not hear it, because Andromache pulled me away, away from Paris, who was now speaking in a hushed voice to Helen.
"Don't worry about him." Andromache whispered comfortingly. "He'll be fine. He got you without trouble."
I nodded, knowing she was right. Paris would not die, I could feel it in my heart. I would see him again.
We made our way through the tunnel silently after that, Helen joining us a few moments later. The tunnel was cool and calm, though some echoes of fighting could occasionally be heard above us. Eventually, though, all sound faded and the tunnel was completely quiet.
After a few hours, we reached a river. From here, you could see all of Troy. It now stood in shambles, completely destroyed and falling into ash, courtesy of the Greeks.
My heart seemed to break as I watched my country, the place that I loved with all my heart, crumble into ruin.
"You have not yet known true loss. Prince Hector was only the beginning."
Athena had been right. Troy falling was far worse than Hector dying. It was my home. Silent tears streaked down my face.
"Charis, come." said Andromache gently, pulling me in another direction. I noticed that Paris and Briseis had joined the group, and Briseis was sobbing quietly. Paris seemed to have fewer arrows, and it was obvious what happened. I had hated Achilles, and I did not regret his death, but my heart ached for Briseis. I reached out to her, pulling her into a hug, and she returned it, still crying. When Andromache tugged on my hand again I let go, and grabbed Briseis hand instead. Paris had reclaimed his sword, and he went to stand on Andromache's other side, where Astyanax was. Helen was clinging to his hand as well, and we stood in a little line at the front of the group of Trojans we had led out of the city.
Slowly, we made our way away from Troy, away from our homes, to new life and uncertainty.
It was then I realized my lessons of Troy were over.
My lessons in life, however, had just begun.
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Okay, so, that's it!
Hope you liked it, and I'm going to take this time to say my thank-yous!
Here goes.
Thank you to:
Roxy's Pet, DatP, Chris Rorin, terluttorsec, lileskimochica, Adania, DoReMi, Firien Inuyasha, Xtreme SeaGazer, topher is my grace, NeonSharpie, Caryn, Amanda14, Lady Discord, Eamane Sparrow, PfizerGuy/Pfizer Fan, Christina, Christina 24, and Donna Lynn.
Special thanks go to:
Queen Arwen, Morticia Black Rose (ArtsyGirl500), for leaving such a steady stream of reviews, and Poppy2, for helping me with my writing and out of a few writers blocks.
Thank you for reading!
Love,
Sector