War Inside My Head // Achilles (CURRENTLY EDITING)

είκοσι τρία

A giant pyre has been built in the city square. Thousands of Trojans are gathered around to watch my brother's funeral. The crowd was silent. No one ever tried to make a noise and it was all because the city lost its favorite son.

Hector lies on top of the pyre, dressed in a robe of white and gold, his hair was freshly washed, his skin gleaming and clean with two coins resting above his closed eyes for his entrance to the underworld.

Father stands at the base of the pyre, holding a lit torch. I watched with no emotions as Paris took the torch and lighted my brother's body on fire.

I didn't dare to take a step on the pyre so I was seated with Helen and Andromache. Baby Scamandrius sits on my lap as Andromache stares at her burning husband.

I held her hand before turning to Hector's boy who is playing with the wood lion that Hector made for him when we were sailing to Sparta.

I sat there with no tears to shed as I watched my brother being eaten by the bright flames.

"Selene!" Paris pounded on my door repeatedly the next day making me stand up from my bed quickly.

"What is it?!"

"Father asked for your presence. The Greeks left a present"

"They what?!" I asked. The Greeks left after twelve days. They sailed back to where they came from after Hector's funeral although I still held my guards up. I know that something's going to happen. They lost hundreds of people and they won't back down that fast until Agamemnon is still alive.

"Wait a second!"

I took a very quick shower and pulled my hair in a ponytail before throwing on a blue gown.

Father, Glaucus, Archeptolemus, and Velior was waiting for Paris and I. They were all riding their horses. I turned and saw my white horse before we strolled the beach with dead bodies from the attack.

We all dismounted and slowly I approached a huge wooden horse standing thirty feet high, my brows furrowing as I stared at it.

"Don't get too close, my king." Glaucus said to my Father as he approached one of the dead bodies.

"This is the will of the gods." Archeptolemus said making me chuckle.

Everyone turns to look at me. "What?" I said sarcastically before turning to the wooden horse.

"They desecrated the temple of Apollo and Apollo desecrated their flesh. The Greeks could fight our swords and arrows, but they can't fight the god's plague." He said. Glaucus shakes his head and laughs.

"They thought they'd come here and sack our city in a day. And look at them now, fleeing across the Aegean."

I squint my eyes as I stared at the head of the horse in caution. "Now, what is this?" I asked catching everyone's attention.

"An offering to Poseidon. The Greeks are praying for a safe return home." Archeptolemus said. I looked at the wooden horse, slightly amused.

"They offered the Sea god a wooden horse? I must say we should burn it" I said stubbornly, looking at my Father seriously.

"This is a gift. We should bring it to the temple of Poseidon." Archeptolemus said and glared at me slightly.

"I think we should burn it." Paris said, agreeing with what I said. I nodded and Velior looked at us.

"Burn it? I'm sorry my prince and princess but it's a gift to the gods." Velior said.

"The princess is right. I'd burn all of Greece if I had a big enough torch." Glaucus said with a chuckle.

"I warn you, good men. Be careful what you insult. Our beloved prince Hector had sharp words for the gods and a day later Achilles' sword cut him down." Archeptolemus said making me turn to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Father, we should burn this" I said sternly and turned to my Father.

"Burn it, father." Paris said. Archeptolemus ignores Paris and speaks directly to Father.

"Forgive me, my king. I mean no disrespect. But I don't want to see any more prince or princess of Troy incur the gods' wrath." Archeptolemus said and bowed a little.

I turned and looked at my father who stared at the massive horse. "I will not watch another son or daughter die."

I turned to Archeptolemus and glared at him. "If this horse causes any trouble, you're the one to blame"

"Father, I felt something would happen to Troy by the time we sailed to Sparta. I knew that something was going on with Paris and Helen. I knew that Agamemnon was coming after us. I knew that Hector will fall before this war ends and I was right. This horse will burn our city, Father! So burn it before it burns us!" I said to Father but he just shook his head and looked at his councils. I clenched my jaw and quickly ran to my horse and slapped it lightly with my feet to make it run fast. I heard another horse galloping behind me and I saw Paris.