Alexis of Troy (Book I)

κγ′ - Eikosi Tria

I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. They had softened since we arrived. The years of toiling away on the farm had been smoothed away with bath oils and balms.

"We can still go our own way," I pointed out, keeping my voice low. "There's no shame in leaving."

I didn't want him to leave, but I desperately wanted him to. Caught between doing the right thing and the moral thing left me in a constant state of limbo. If Paris made the decision to leave on his own then I would not stop him. If he decided to go through with Hector's convoy, I wasn't going to stop him.

"No, I need to see this through," Paris said, setting his chin straight. The chocolate burned in his eyes with a fierce determination. "Besides, this is what I wanted, right? To see the world? What better place to start than our rivals across the sea?"

Overwhelmed and uncertain about the situation he'd gotten himself into, Paris still took everything in stride, and he remained excited about the trip. To him it seemed like a straightforward visit, and it would give the prince a chance to figure out his role while also getting the chance to see a new country.

Things were still tense between him and his royal parents, so he was probably happy to leave them behind for a while.

****

Two days before we sailed out, I found a balcony overlooking the palace grounds. It was still difficult to wrap my head around the fact that there weren't any smog or city noises polluting the air. The palace grounds were big and surrounded by a high enough wall that it was in its own bubble. It was quiet, peaceful, and utterly beautiful. Archaeologists would have a field day if they saw what they were really digging up. The ruins of fallen, ancient cities helped shape the ideas they had of what the ancient societies looked like, but this was the real deal.

There was a party later, a farewell event to send the two princes off on a safe journey.

I was so consumed in my thoughts that I didn't notice the man approaching until he was standing next to me, his body a giant tree next to me. He leaned down, resting his arms on the balcony railing with a sigh.

"My parents are delighted to see their precious baby boy return home," Hector said, "although I fear he's a little overwhelmed."

"Paris can handle it."

I glanced at the older prince who was watching me out of the corner of his eye.

"He's a sheep among wolves," Hector said after a moment. "He might be a proficient shepherd, but he is not royalty. He'll see that when we go to Sparta."

I bit back a snarky reply and just stared out at the garden again. Hector still thought his younger brother was weak and, while I was worried about Paris, I had to get to Greece before it was too late. Paris needed to meet Helen and fall in love with her. Not me.

The force behind that thought made my chest ache.

"Who are you to him, exactly?" Hector asked, this time facing me directly. He leaned against the balcony railing, flexing his gorgeous biceps in such a way that made me almost swoon. Damn him. "It's rather strange for a young man to have a girl for a friend without any intentions of marriage."

I shrugged, heat crawling up my neck. The constant little jabs about women being property were still annoying, even if it was commonplace here. I thought of his confession to Cassandra and felt the burn in my chest again. "Not that it's any of your business, but we are just friends."

"And yet he looks at you like he wants more. You know you can't toy around with him forever." Hector's smile was chilling. I shrank away from him. "You're not of noble birth, so, of course, you will never have him. If he intends to stay a prince, he will need to marry someone fitting of his status."