Why had he done it? Had she failed him in some way? Perhaps she had offended him. That was the only explanation for why he had disgraced her.
'She' was Didyme, princess of Phocaea, princess of Troy and wife of Paris, and presently she was sitting on the ledge of a fountain in the corner of the Royal family's private garden.
Sunset had been hours ago and this was the first time Didyme had left her chambers in nearly a week. With the exception of princess Briseis and princess Andromache, she couldn't bear to see any other members of the family, most of all Paris. Pushing her lips together, Didyme willed herself not to cry. She had been spending the past week doing nothing but weeping; surely there were no tears left in her.
Sniffing, Didyme wiped a lone tear from her face and stood up when she heard someone walking towards her.
"Didyme?" The voice that came from behind her was deep and gentle.
"Hector," she gave a sad smile.
Her brother-in-law. 'I suppose I shall have to see them again sometime,' she thought to herself.
As he closed the gap between them, Didyme lip began to quiver.
"Dear sister," he said as he embraced her. "I am sorry."
The crown prince's strong voice rang out clearly through the empty garden and Arsinoë choked back a sob.
"I don't understand," she said into his
shoulder.
"Was I a bad wife?" Hector broke away and held her at arm's length.
"Never," he told her. "You have been nothing but a perfect wife to Paris. The fault lies with my brother, Didyme, not you. He has always had...an appitite for women. One of his many flaws."
Didyme smiled briefly before it fell from her face and tears made their way into her eyes.
"But was he so unhappy that he had to marry me? Did I please him so little that he had to steal away another foreign wife? I know Paris has no love for me, but did I not enter his thoughts at all?" All Hector could do was shrug.
"And why did he have to announce her in such a fashion? In front of the entire palace? All of Troy? And then to say..." She broke off and covered her mouth with her hand to keep from crying.
"To say that I was a cousin?"
Hector's heart ached as he watched his young sister-in-law cry over his womanizing brother.
"Will I be sent home?" Didyme asked suddenly.
"Back to Phocaea?"
asked Hector.
"You think we would just put you on a ship and send you home?"
Didyme shrugged.
"I am no longer Paris' wife, after all."
Hector sighed.
He could disagree and scold his brother until he was blue in the face, but Paris had indeed decided to set Didyme aside and put Helen in her place.
"You may not be his wife anymore, but you are still my sister and a princess fo Troy. You have a right to..."
"To what?" She interrupted.
"To live as a cousin while the Spartan whore takes my place?" Hector's eyes went wide with shock.
He had never heard Didyme speak in such a manner. With such venom.
"Didyme," he stammered.
"Helen is no whore." At once, the young woman tore herself away from his grip and narrowed her eyes.
"She left her husband and stole mine, what else would you call her?" Hector, who always felt duty bound to defend his brother, stood helplessly in front of the scorned young woman.
"She loves him, and he her," he said, although he felt guilty saying it.
Didyme sneered and Hector thought briefly on how this was a new side of the princess.
"Your father would let Troy go to war for love? She will bring ruin to this country, Hector. Perhaps no one will say it aloud, but it is true and you know it."
Hector sighed and closed his eyes.
He couldn't deny it, what Didyme said was the truth. By now, Agamemnon's armies were probably already on their way. She took another step back and gave the bitterest of smiles.
"I wonder if that thought occurs to either of them when they bed each other at night." Without letting Hector say another word, the youngest princess spun on her heel and walked back into the palace.
Making her way down the long hallways toward her new chambers, Didyme passed the doors that led to Paris' rooms.
'They used to be mine, too.'
Stopping for only a moment, she continued down the hall until she heard something coming her way. Footsteps.
She knew it couldn't be Hector; the steps were coing from up ahead. Didyme turned the corner and came face to face with Helen.
A gasp escaped her as she stared up at the blonde woman. The woman who had taken her place.
But Helen did not look at her with triumph, nor with contempt. She had no idea that she had pushed an innocent young woman from her place.
Instead, she smiled down at Didyme, convinced that she had just run into one of Paris' young cousins.
"Good evening," Helen greeted. "You are Didyme, yes?"
The younger woman could only nod.
"I haven't seen you since since I arrived at the palace. Have you been well?" Didyme had to stifle a smirk.
'As well as one can be when one has been abandoned by their husband.'
"Yes," was all she said.
As Helen stood before Didyme, she began to feel a little uncomfortable.
"I noticed that you ran from the hall when we entered the palace. Were you not pleased to see the princes' safe return?"
Didyme threw a wry grin at Helen.
"Yes, I am quite glad to see prince Hector safely back in Troy." Helen blinked, confused.
"Are you not glad
to see your cousin Paris?" The former queen of Sparta saw Didyme eyes become slits and her gaze travelled down to her neck where Helen was fingering her pearl necklace.
"Did he make you that?" She asked. Helen smiled and ran her fingers over the shells lovingly and Didyme felt the anger build up inside of her. "Yes, on our last night in Sparta."
The younger woman pushed her lips together in order to keep from saying something that Paris would reprimand her for later. Instead, she gave Helen a curt nod and continued down the hall.
Helen stood there for a moment, before turning the corner and entering her new chambers. Her dark haired prince lay on their bed and she took a seat and began to remove her
jewelry.
"That cousin of yours is very rude, Paris," she told him.He sat up and looked at his love.
"Who? Briseis?"
said and asked Paris
"No, the young one, Didyme. You really should have a word with her."
YOU ARE READING
My Beloved Affair
היסטורי בדיוניWhy had he done it? Had she failed him in some way? Perhaps she had offended him. That was the only explanation for why he had disgraced her.
