Twenty-One
I leaned against the window and gazed out at the gardens. My room had a gorgeous view of the palace gardens, complete with slaves who seemed to toil night and day to ensure not a single leaf or blade of grass was out of place. The palace was designed for perfection. Priam wasn't a god, but he was as close as one human could get without being scorned by the gods.
Even after all this time, I still couldn't get over the fact that I was in the ancient world. Archaeologists might have stood in the exact same spot I stood, thousands of years later and dug up some artifacts. Once upon a time, the world believed Troy had been fictional. There had been a discovery that confirmed its existence, but it was forever encapsulated in Homer's epic poem. A city of unimaginable resilience and riches. The surprise was discovering the gods were real. Athena and her annoying threats were definitely real.
I squeezed the acorn, the little nubbin digging into my palm as if that would help block out the memory of her standing there in the hall, all smug and taunting. She'd left me with more questions. Memory loss—I'd know if I was suffering from memory loss.
Right?
"Despoina?" Mistress?
The voice came out of nowhere, a jolt of fear spiking my blood. Zoisme was so quiet I hadn't even heard her enter. I collected myself to face her. We'd yet to come to a decision on what to do with her, even after my persistence. Paris insisted that slaves were generally treated well, but did that make a difference? Slaves were like family until they nudged a toe out of line. I had promised Zoisme freedom and failed.
Until we figured out what to do next, the least I could do was have her call me by my name.
"Seriously, don't call me that. I'm not your mistress," I sighed, wrapping my arms around my torso. "Call me Alexis."
Zoisme, still recovering from being corrected, dipped her head. It might have been a trick of the light, but I could have sworn there was a glint of rebelliousness in her eyes. It was gone in a flash, leaving me to doubt what I saw.
"Despota requested that I check on you in case you needed anything," she said, using the Greek word for master. "And, I am here to take your measurements, Alexis."
A fresh change of clothing and a bath and Zoisme went from feral to elegant. The chains had been removed. Given how she was still standing before me, no one bothered to ask why the chain had been broken in the first place. Now that she was clean I noticed just how toned she was. She moved with a careful, precise grace I envied. The type of person who needed to wear a bell so she couldn't sneak up on people.
"Measurements?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "What measurements?"
Zoisme pulled out a string and pointed at my waist. "You cannot be presented to the anax and queen in that again. You need something fit for royalty."
Fit for royalty. The chiton Athena had given me had seen better days. The once vibrant blue had faded, the gold
"Oh...right, I guess so."
Despite being here for two days, I was still dressed in Paris' old outfit, still coated in sunlight and sweat. Pretty sure my hair had a life of its own now and any day now I was afraid I'd be mistaken as Medusa. What I really needed was a hot bubble bath with floral scented candles, a glass of wine and a good book. A real self pampering session.
I lifted my arms and Zoisme hurried forward. Measurements, as it turned out, involved measuring by the length of a finger and marking the rope as she went. I wondered how Athena got my measurements. Divine wisdom no doubt. I figured there wasn't a whole lot of sewing and stitching involved with ancient attire, but Zoisme had to get the shape and length of the cloth right for my frame.
When she was done, she excused herself to go fetch some material and I was left alone again with nothing but my own thoughts. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared around the room, suddenly feeling particularly bored. What did people do to kill time around here? I'd seen kids playing but what about the adults? Drink, party...? It really hit me how much I missed my phone. I could always rely on good old streaming to kill some hours.
By the time Zoisme returned I was laying on the mattress, trying to entertain myself with the last few Tik Tok videos I'd watched before I went poof. My memory didn't do the videos justice.
"Des... Alexis?"
"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, pulling myself upright.
She held a bundle of fine, colourful material. Even with my knowledge of the ancient world, I knew expensive material when I saw it. Entrusting me with something so fine was intimidating. Guaranteed I'd spill wine or food on it before the night was out.
"I had a bath drawn out for you," she said, giving me a small smile. "I figured you could use one after a long day of travel."
"I could kiss you right now," I groaned, before laughing at the aghast expression on her face. The notion of a bath had brightened my spirits considerably. "It's just a saying that means I'm super grateful."
"Despota did say you had a funny way of speaking." Zoisme still looked uncertain but her shoulders relaxed and she gestured for me to follow her. "The bath is in the next room. This way."
The floral scent was striking as soon as we approached the bath. My body was itching to just dive into the steaming water and soak. All I needed now was that book and glass of wine I was thinking of earlier.
I all but peeled my old outfit off my frame before climbing into the bath. It had once been so beautiful. Now it was like a second skin. The water was so perfect I couldn't help but groan loudly in contentment.
"Jesus, this feels good," I moaned. "Exactly what the doctor ordered."
I stayed in the water until it lost all its heat. I scrubbed and scrubbed layers of dirt off my skin, leaving my skin pink and raw, though I felt a hundred times cleaner than I was. I massaged my hair using the bath oils Zoisme provided and when I was done my hair felt so smooth. I had to remember to use oils more often for my hair and skin.
Zoisme wrapped the chiton around my frame, cinching it in place around my waist with a lovely, golden rope. Then she pinned the sleeves, allowing the excess material to hang loosely behind my shoulders. It didn't take as long as I had imagined it would, though there was a fair bit of adjusting afterwards. Then she wrangled my unruly hair with some olive oil to smooth out the frizziness. Once satisfied with that, she settled a gold circlet around my head to keep my hair in place.
It was the first time I actually felt like I could blend into this world. Though I only had a distorted image of myself in the bronze mirror, I glimpsed a true Trojan woman. The look in Zoisme's eyes reflected that reassurance and I felt the corners of my lips lift. The thought that I was adjusting to this world both comforted and freaked me out.
"Come. They'll be waiting."
The girl opened the door and let me pass before following. I had no idea where we were going, but I trailed absently along behind her, my thoughts turning. We weren't scheduled to leave for Greece for a couple of days yet, but every second we remained here felt like another second wasted. I wanted to get home and here I was playing dress up in a Trojan palace.
We rounded a corner and found Cassandra standing there, her veil draped lightly over her face. She was so elegant and unsettling. I still didn't know if I liked her or not. Was definitely intimidated by her. Though she seemed determined to get to know me. Or keep me close. I wouldn't be surprised if she saw right through my act.
She glided towards me with her arms outstretched. "You clean up quite well, Alexis. Are you feeling better?"
"Oh, thanks," I nodded, "and yeah, yeah, I'm good. Probably just feeling the sun, you know?" Unsure of what to do with my hands, I smoothed out my dress.
"Ah, yes, Paris mentioned you were not used to the sun." Cassandra stepped forward and linked her arm through mine, tugging me close. "With your lovely complexion I'm not surprised."
She was stronger than she looked. As she led me down the hall, her arm was an iron link. She smelled of lavender and the bath oils I'd sunk into earlier. The Greeks had been big on hygiene, and it looked like so were the Trojans. At least the upper classes were.
"Where are we going?" I asked, "Zoisme said I was requested somewhere?"
"Yes, we are going to see Hector fight Paris."
The words were so matter of fact it threw me off balance. I wrenched my arm away from her, my heart leaping into my throat. "W-what?"
Cassandra turned to face me and I didn't need to see her face to know she was confused by my reaction. "A prince of Ilios needs to know how to defend his city. Paris must learn and who better than the captain of our army and his brother?" She tilted her head. "It is a test for Paris."
"A test..." I rolled my eyes. "I am so sick of tests. Why was I asked to attend? It seems like a familial affair to me."
When she shrugged, it reminded me of Athena. It was so blaise. "I only do as my father requests, I don't ask questions." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Though I imagine it's because he wants you to see what's in store for his son and therefore you as his bride. He must show he's willing to defend his city above even you."
I shoved past her. "You all need to stop calling me his bride. I am no one's bride. Let's just get this over with."
After a moment, Cassandra followed, though my blood was too hot to focus on anything else. I was really getting tired of people using me. The Trojans and the gods thought I was a pawn in something bigger. All I wanted was to go home. Was that so much to ask?
We arrived at a large balcony that overlooked a portion of the palace grounds I'd yet seen. It was barren, sandy and bland, though its purpose was obvious. Wooden planks formed a square ring in the middle of the sandy pit. Paris and Hector stood inside the ring, facing each other.
Priam and Hecuba were already there, along with another woman who held an infant on her lap. He couldn't have been more than a year old, but even then, the resemblance to Hector was uncanny.
The woman was stunning. Her face was round, her figure full, her blue eyes sparking with hidden intelligence. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head in intricate curls and braids, held together by a gold circlet similar to mine.
When our eyes met, she smiled, though its warmth didn't reach her eyes.
Hecuba flashed me a more genuine smile. I decided that I liked her. "There is a pretty girl under all that grime after all!" She gestured to the empty chair between her and the other woman. "Come, child, sit. Watch our men spar."
I glanced at Cassandra, who dipped her head in consent, and I took my seat. We were positioned above the training grounds, over the two princes who were in the process of selecting their weapons. I shifted, nerves fluttering like butterflies in my stomach. Hector dwarfed Paris in size, bulk and skill. Paris even admitted he had no experience in fighting, so how could they expect him to go up against his brother? The dude was a hero for crying out loud.
"How are you enjoying Ilios so far, dear?" Hecuba asked. I wasn't sure if she was being polite or if she genuinely wanted to make me feel welcome, but it would be rude to not say anything.
"From what I saw it was really amazing," I said. I had never seen anything like it, and the recreations from my time paled in comparison. "I'm grateful to be given the opportunity to see such a glorious city."
Smooth Alexis. You so got a handle on conversing with royals.
"Are you nervous for your Paris?" the woman with the baby asked.
"I mean, he's going up against Hector," I replied, ignoring the fact she called him mine, "I'd be nervous if anyone went up against him. He looks like he can crush a tree with his bare hands."
"Áner can seem intimidating, but he won't cause any unnecessary harm to his brother." The woman glanced at me as I guessed áner meant husband. "Especially considering how weak Paris appears."
"He's not weak," I protested, with a glare. "His skill lies elsewhere..."
Though I couldn't help but feel impressed to be in the presence of Hector's wife. Andromache. She was fiercely loyal to Hector, and stood by him until the end. No wonder she was acting aloof. If Hector didn't trust me, she wouldn't either. From what I remembered, their love for each other was true and beautiful. She was also the one who begged Hector to not go and fight in the inevitable war...
I pushed that thought away quickly. Judging by how things were panning out, I had been thrown into Troy well before the war. If I could figure out how to get home I might miss that altogether.
"My name's Alexis," I said, offering an olive branch.
"I know who you are," Andromache said with a clipped tone. The baby gurgled happily in her arms.
"He's very sweet," I tried instead, smiling gently at the baby. "And very handsome."
I had no idea why I was trying so hard to get her to like me but judging from the smile that flashed across her heart shaped lips, I'd hit the right mark.
"Yes, this is Astyanax," she said as the baby wrapped his chubby hand around her slender index finger. "He is as handsome as his father and will grow up to be a great warrior."
I caught Cassandra watching us quietly from her perch. Was she thinking the same thing I was?
"I'm sure he will," I said, my throat tightening. "With a name like that? He will conquer the world."
Andromache's smile this time was brighter and she offered to let me hold her son. Me? Hold a baby? I was scared to hold my nephew who was two, let alone a baby who could barely hold his head up. Fortunately, I was spared the embarrassing decline when a clash of steel resounded through the grounds. It was a sharp, pointed gesture and everyone on the viewing platform fell silent.
Paris' test had begun.