In Paradisum -- Patrochilles THE SONG OF ACHILLES

Chapter 3

"Who are you?"
My heart dropped. He drank from the River Lethe. I slowly backed away from him and left the cottage. I collapsed onto the grass below me.
I never once conceived the possibility of forgetting. Each memory I had of us was precious. I close my eyes and I relive the moments when Achilles would proudly juggle plums to entertain the other boys. The moments when he played my mother's lyre. The moments when we would swim together and run together. The nights we spent together in innocence and otherwise.
"He had no other choice," the nymph said. She sat down next to me and touched my back in comfort. "He thought you would never make it here. That with Pyrrha's influence, you would never receive a proper burial. That you would be stuck in purgatory forever. That and he was traumatized by your death. Each night before he slept, he whispered your name over and over, unable to sleep, unable to function. He felt the guilt of your death and the grief of potentially never being able to see you again, even in death. He needed relief, Patroclus. So he drank."
I remained silent.
"Even now, he roams the fields listless. Almost as if he is lost and without purpose. But at least he does not suffer anymore."
"Thank you for letting me know...whatever was your name, I sincerely apologize."
"Madeline Miller."
"That is quite an odd name. Tell me, Madeline, why is it that you have not drunk from Lethe?"
"I believe memories contain stories and stories shouldn't be forgotten, do you agree, Patroclus?"
"I believe the same." I sat on the grass some more, my head in the clouds. "If I took Achilles to the river of Mnemosyne, he could regain his memories. But I am troubled with the idea that he could possibly resent them, his memories. After all, he chose to winnow them."
"Perhaps all is not lost, Patroclus. Perhaps, this is an opportunity to fall in love with each other all over again."
"Perhaps..."