Before their next meeting with the Trojans, Kostis inquired to speak to Odysseus. They met outside the palace, and the other Greek brought sweet fruit that Odysseus had never seen or tasted before in his life.
"You wished to talk to me," Odysseus began.
"I wished to speak to you about the Trojans. I needn't tell you about the past, for we both know what happened before the Haradrim attacked us. But I will tell you about what I experienced, and I'm confident that the other Achaeans who lived through the same would agree with me. I have never before been a slave; none of us had. But we were slaves here, and our death often seemed imminent to us. We survived alongside some Trojans and we learnt that we are not so different. Despite the differences in our homeland, I would call them friends, and there is a maid among them I would take as my wife if it were permitted."
"If you want her, it is easy enough to carry a woman off and make her one's own," Odysseus interrupted.
"You're right. But I do not believe that it makes for a content or faithful wife."
"Very likely true."
"What I mean to do is ask you to put aside the differences caused by the Trojan War and help all of us return home. If you wished, I could serve you or Lord Achilles in exchange. I realize that I'm only a single man, yet that is all I have to offer."
"Even if you had not pleaded for them, I had not seriously thought about leaving them here. Yet at the same time I must be certain that they will not attempt to kill me or my comrades in our sleep."
"That will not happen, I swear so by Zeus."
As if Kostis had not been enough, Paris awaited him outside in the corridor. Kostis excused himself.
"You wish to speak to me?" Odysseus asked.
"Yes. Some of my... fellows have approached you about returning home. You did not give them an answer yesterday."
"No, I did not. Have you come to plead for them?"
"Yes," Paris replied honestly.
"Kostis has already done so."
"You will lead them then?"
"Yes," Odysseus said.
"I have your word?"
Odysseus narrowed his eyes. "You have it." He gave him a hard look. "Are you planning to come with us?"
Paris looked away. "I haven't decided."
"The merchant we came with leaves in six days. Have your answer by then."
"I will."
Without a word of farewell, the former prince left.
In the meantime, Achilles also found himself ambushed—by Prince Legolas. The elf was dressed in robes today, not completely unlike the fashion of Saharel. Achilles had already had a close look at the being during the first negotiations with the Trojans. If what he had heard about elves was true, Prince Legolas' build was deceiving. He was slender, with none of the bulky muscles Achilles himself had, and his expression was content and mild.
"Why were you waiting for me?" Achilles asked in Haradrim. His language skill might be somewhat worse than Odysseus, and he preferred having someone there to interpret for him, but he was capable of asking a simple question.
Instead of replying in Haradrim, however, the elf replied in a different language:
"Do you understand me?"
Achilles was so taken aback, that he needed a moment to regain his composure. None had spoken to him in this language except his mother, and even she only when he was much younger.
"Yes," Achilles replied, confirming only what the elf had already learnt from his body language. "How come you to speak it?" He demanded. The words felt strange on his tongue, but he could feel the knowledge returning quickly.
"Who taught you?" The elf shot back.
"My mother," Achilles found himself answering quite against his will.
"So my mind did not deceive me—I thought that you might have ties to the Maiar."
Achilles knew that last word very well: as a child he had been fascinated by the name Thetis' people called themselves.
"Are elves Maiar then?"
"No," Prince Legolas replied, an amused smile on his face. "But we have a shared language, although it is not my native language. My people had less contact with the Maiar than other elves. What is your mother's name and who are her parents?"
"Her name is Thetis, and her parents are Nereus and Doris, who dwell under the waters with their King, Poseidon, God of the Sea."
The elf seemed disappointed. "I do not know their names, but your words tell me that they dwell in the realm of the one who we call Lord Ulmo. I have seen the sea, and it will forever call me West until I obey or die. Have you made your choice yet?"
"What choice?"
"The choice of mortality or immortality. Do you not know of it?"
Excitement gripped Achilles. "There is a choice?"
"Usually, yes, for those born from a mortal and an immortal. But perhaps it is different for you, I cannot say."
"What is required for that choice then?"
"Nothing but that you make it. I see that this is all new to you. I'm sorry that I cannot help you with it, for I know little about it. Elessar's wife, Arwen, chose mortality when she pledged herself to Elessar; her twin brothers, who are my brothers-in-arms, have not made their choice yet; they are the ones who would know, but none of them are here."
"And I will not travel further north," Achilles replied, disappointed. Although he could perhaps chance the journey, he had already travelled farther than any Greek in legend, and he desired to leave these strange lands and return home to familiar grounds. "I will ask my mother once I have returned."
Prince Legolas nodded. "A good idea."
Six days later, Machmad's caravan left Saharel. The merchant had done well for himself at the market, sold all of the goods he had come with and bought others instead. As they carried fewer goods this time around, he had only rehired five carriers and six guards including Odysseus and Achilles. Kahim was naturally also part of the group.
Their caravan was joined by Patroclus and the nineteen former slaves. Of those seven were men, eleven were women, and two were children younger than fourteen summers. And finally another family of six accompanied them for some of the way. They had come to Saharel to sell camels and where now returning home.
Odysseus felt confident that, barring any troubles, they would travel safely and relatively quickly to the mouth of the River Harnen. From there they would have to see. Machmad had told him about the Harad Road, which led straight south and which the army had taken. But water was scarce there, and Odysseus preferred the idea of acquiring a ship, where he would have at least some experience, to trusting the Gods to lead him true through the desert that had nearly killed them before. This time, they encountered no problems on the road. Ephai gave them a warm welcome and they rested at his house for a few days. Then they moved on, and before a cycle of a moon had passed, they arrived at the harbour city where the River Harnen flowed into the sea.
There, Machmad turned to Odysseus and said:
"You'll be needing a ship now. But you cannot buy one, because you do not have enough gold for that. But there are other ways."
"We could capture one," Achilles suggested.
"When we hardly know how to sail the ships the people have here? Not to mention that there are only seven of us men? I doubt it," Odysseus replied.
"It would be less costly if you found someone you could book passage with. But I have never heard of anyone who sails to your lands."
"Perhaps we'll find someone in Umbar," Odysseus said.
Machmad gave a reluctant nod. "Perhaps. Unfortunately, I will not go with you. I'm going north, to Pelargir."
"Then we part here, to my great regret. You have been a good friend; without your help, we might not have been able to achieve what we set out to do."
"You saved my life at Ephai's home. Let us remain together for the next two days, and see whether we cannot help each other one more time."
Once again Machmad's contacts proved useful to Odysseus and his group. They found a captain who was willing to take them to a port city south of the Havens, an offer Odysseus gladly accepted. Machmad assured him that this port city was not as filthy and corrupt as the City of the Corsairs.
In the end it took three ships south to find their way back to the familiar waters of the Aegean Sea. They arrived on the beach of Troy first, where, to their great surprise, the city was once more inhabited and well on its way to being rebuilt. The Trojans were overjoyed. They thanked the Achaeans and said their goodbyes. Only the girl Kostis of Pylos had had an eye on stayed.
"Would you like to go inside?" Odysseus asked his remaining companions once the other had gone.
"Aren't you afraid someone might recognize you or Achilles?" Kostis asked.
The Ithacan smiled. "That's easy to fix."
They had exchanged their Haradrim clothing for something more to their liking long ago, and hooded cloaks were part of their attire. Odysseus pulled his hood over his head and down over his forehead. His face was thus shadowed, and the rapidly sinking sun would ensure that none would catch too clear a look at his face. Achilles copied him with a smirk. Patroclus and the others didn't need such precautions.
"Do you want to pay the palace a visit and see who rules now?" The Myrmidon asked.
Odysseus laughed. "I think not, brother. I just want a warm meal and a bed; tomorrow we will see about finding a ship."
Going to the palace would mean thinking of Paris—the princeling he had left far behind in foreign lands.