A/n and disclaimer – ok, this is movie verse, since I can't find a copy of
the Iliad anywhere and my parents refuse to buy me a copy or let me order
it of Amazon. I know that Paris had sisters, and that one was Cassandra, so
she is obviously not mine. Vashti and Melitta are mine however. As is
Hanno. Nothing else belongs to me. I have also played about with ages here,
since I'm not altogether sure how old Paris was during the battle for Troy,
but I wanted him to be quite young. Anwya, on with chapter one.
Chapter 1
Yelling, people panicking everywhere. How Troy had been breached, Paris didn't know. He didn't stop to think. Shoving things into a bag, he shouldered it quickly and ran. He needed to find Helen and get out. And now. Somewhere he could hear Hector shouting orders. He hoped his brother had enough common sense to get out. And to get his wife a child out. Troy was going to burn this night, that much Paris knew.
Racing along a corridor Paris heard Vashti and Melitta, his younger sisters, crying. He skidded to a stop and entered their room. He sighed in relief when he realised that Vashti, the older of the two, had got them both into travel clothes. "Come quickly!" Paris ordered them both, taking them by the hands. "Put you're hoods up, we must not be recognised." Neither was crying now, they both recognised the seriousness of the situation. Paris felt a pang in his heart when he realised he would have to abandon Helen. He could only hope that he could get his sister's to safety and then come back for Helen. He didn't know where his older sister, Cassandra, was either. He sent a quick prayer to the gods to keep her safe, along with Hector, Andromache, Astyanax, his father, Briseis, Hanno and, of course, Helen. He hoped that someday he would see them all again. Hopefully in this life, and not the next
Paris knew that he was going to have to take the risk of trying to sneak out the main gate. Hopefully it wouldn't be too heavily guarded and they'd be able to sneak out. Paris heaved a quick sigh of relief when he realised that the Greeks had left the gate open and unguarded. At his sides, Vashti and Melitta were silent. No doubt they were impossibly scared, Vashti being eight and Melitta only five. Paris was glad he had been able to get them out.
Once on the beach, Paris picked up Melitta and urged Vashti into a run. He stuck to the shadows of the walls of Troy, following them, away from the gate and out towards the countryside. The journey was going to be a hard one, especially on foot, and Paris hoped that Vashti and Melitta could make it. With her head on his shoulder, Paris heard Melitta give a small sob. "Shush," he comforted her. He crouched down and pulled Vashti close as well.
"Will we ever see Troy again?" Vashti questioned Paris, her eyes wet with tears as she gazed up at the walls of Troy above her.
"I don't know," Paris answered, carefully keeping all emotion out of his voice. "I can only hope that someday we will. But I do know this, Troy will always be in our hearts and minds." Paris too turned his gaze to the walls of Troy. "Troy will always be our home. But for now, we must leave." Paris knew that they weren't out of danger yet, and he knew that he would be missed soon.
"Where are we to go?" Vashti asked.
"We must follow the wall until the sea is out of sight and then head on toward the river and Mount Ida. From there we can have a strategy meeting," Paris said. He glanced down at Vashti and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "Whatever you do," he told her, "stay close to me and I'll keep you safe. Keep hold of my hand. Soon it'll be completely dark, there will be no moon tonight and we cannot stop until we reach the river." Melitta was already asleep on his shoulder and Paris knew that this was going to be a long night for him and Vashti, but he didn't know if he had the energy to carry Vashti as well as Melitta.
They walked in the shadow of the wall for about another hour. Vashti was going slow, but Paris made no attempt to hurry her. He was pretty certain they weren't being followed, yet. The night was completely dark when Paris led Vashti away from the walls of Troy, the Aegean having passed from sight. Setting their course towards the river, Paris bent and picked up Vashti so that he was carrying her as well as Melitta. "I don't know how long I'll be able to carry you for," he whispered in her ear, "but take a little rest now." Vashti did and lay her head on Paris' other shoulder and quickly fell asleep, leaving Paris to struggle on. All his effort went into putting one foot in front of the other. At least being tired stopped him from thinking, he did not want to even to try and imagine what was happening back in Troy. And he didn't want to think or even wonder about what was happening to the rest of his family. He was pretty certain that Briseis, his favourite cousin, had been killed when the Greeks had first invaded, and that her body was still lying somewhere in the Temple of Apollo, down near the sea front. Hanno, her older brother and his other cousin, had no doubt avenged her during the siege, and Paris hoped that he had survived. Paris could not imagine life without him; it was hard enough with Briseis gone.
And Cassie... she was closer to Hector, Briseis and Vashti than she was to him, but she was still his older sister. He didn't know if she could handle a life of slavery, but he didn't think she could. She would not even marry, comparing it to slavery.
And Hector... his protector, the one he always ran to. The one he could depend on. He had a family of his own now, with Andromache and little Astyanax. A lump formed in his throat, as he thought about his little nephew and how he would never see troy in all of her glory. If he survived at all, that is.
And his father. He was a good king and Paris knew that he had greatly wronged his father when he had brought Helen to Troy. He and hector were the most honourable men Paris knew, with Hanno not far behind. Paris knew that he would never, ever be anything near as good or honourable as them and why they put up with him and all the scrapes he got himself, and Troy, into was beyond him.
As he walked along, with a little sister asleep on each shoulder, seventeen- year-old Prince Paris of Troy cried for the country he knew had fallen and for the family members he didn't know if he would see again.
Reaching the riverbank, Paris sank to the floor, careful not to wake either Vashti or Melitta. He shrugged off his bag and used it as a pillow, while letting Vashti and Melitta use him as a pillow. He knew it was unsafe to sleep without someone keeping watch in the wild, but he had no choice. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and he finally fell asleep after what felt like the longest night of his life.
The next thing Paris was aware of was sunlight penetrating underneath his eyelids and he opened his eyes to find himself laying on the riverbank with Vashti and Melitta still asleep. He gently shook them awake and they sat up groggily as the events of last night came to them slowly. Both looked at him, letting him decide the next move. He stood up and stretched and looked back at them. "Let's get cleaned up before we do anything else," he said as he took off his cloak. Vashti and Melitta followed suit and the three cleaned their hands and faces in the river. Paris then opened his bag. In it he had some biscuits, that standard type which the army had when it was on the move. They weren't very tasty but they were food and they kept for a long time. They each had a biscuit and Paris also had a flask of water with him, which they all drank from and Paris refilled from the river.
Then they were ready for a day of walking. The first day for Vashti and Melitta outside of the protection of the walls of Troy. They going was tough, since the sun was hot of their heads and shoulders and Paris made them all wear their cloaks during the hottest part of the day, so that they didn't get burnt. They stuck close to the riverbank, so water wasn't a problem, but Paris did not know how long they could survive on biscuits. He also had a few slabs of chocolate in his bag, which he hadn't told his sisters about, they would only be ate in an emergency, when they needed the energy.
Vashti and Melitta were silent, both extremely scared. Melitta was very close to Paris and trusted him completely. But, even though she was only five, she knew that what was happening was very serious. She didn't know, however, that it was a matter of life and death. Vashti was not as close to Paris as Melitta, but still trusted him completely. Behind the walls of Troy, Vashti and Melitta had led very sheltered lives. Paris' had also been quite sheltered, but he knew enough to be able to survive in the and he knew how to fight. He had the sword of Troy with him, but he had left his bow behind, despite that being his better skill – it was too awkward to carry. He did have his slingshot though. He could hunt, but lighting a fire would be a problem and it would also attract attention. Attention was something he wanted to avoid. He didn't know yet what they were going to do after they reached Mount Ida. There was a village on the other side but it would be an obvious place to look for him. And no doubt Agamemnon and Menelaus were looking for him everywhere.
Please, please, please review!
Chapter 1
Yelling, people panicking everywhere. How Troy had been breached, Paris didn't know. He didn't stop to think. Shoving things into a bag, he shouldered it quickly and ran. He needed to find Helen and get out. And now. Somewhere he could hear Hector shouting orders. He hoped his brother had enough common sense to get out. And to get his wife a child out. Troy was going to burn this night, that much Paris knew.
Racing along a corridor Paris heard Vashti and Melitta, his younger sisters, crying. He skidded to a stop and entered their room. He sighed in relief when he realised that Vashti, the older of the two, had got them both into travel clothes. "Come quickly!" Paris ordered them both, taking them by the hands. "Put you're hoods up, we must not be recognised." Neither was crying now, they both recognised the seriousness of the situation. Paris felt a pang in his heart when he realised he would have to abandon Helen. He could only hope that he could get his sister's to safety and then come back for Helen. He didn't know where his older sister, Cassandra, was either. He sent a quick prayer to the gods to keep her safe, along with Hector, Andromache, Astyanax, his father, Briseis, Hanno and, of course, Helen. He hoped that someday he would see them all again. Hopefully in this life, and not the next
Paris knew that he was going to have to take the risk of trying to sneak out the main gate. Hopefully it wouldn't be too heavily guarded and they'd be able to sneak out. Paris heaved a quick sigh of relief when he realised that the Greeks had left the gate open and unguarded. At his sides, Vashti and Melitta were silent. No doubt they were impossibly scared, Vashti being eight and Melitta only five. Paris was glad he had been able to get them out.
Once on the beach, Paris picked up Melitta and urged Vashti into a run. He stuck to the shadows of the walls of Troy, following them, away from the gate and out towards the countryside. The journey was going to be a hard one, especially on foot, and Paris hoped that Vashti and Melitta could make it. With her head on his shoulder, Paris heard Melitta give a small sob. "Shush," he comforted her. He crouched down and pulled Vashti close as well.
"Will we ever see Troy again?" Vashti questioned Paris, her eyes wet with tears as she gazed up at the walls of Troy above her.
"I don't know," Paris answered, carefully keeping all emotion out of his voice. "I can only hope that someday we will. But I do know this, Troy will always be in our hearts and minds." Paris too turned his gaze to the walls of Troy. "Troy will always be our home. But for now, we must leave." Paris knew that they weren't out of danger yet, and he knew that he would be missed soon.
"Where are we to go?" Vashti asked.
"We must follow the wall until the sea is out of sight and then head on toward the river and Mount Ida. From there we can have a strategy meeting," Paris said. He glanced down at Vashti and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "Whatever you do," he told her, "stay close to me and I'll keep you safe. Keep hold of my hand. Soon it'll be completely dark, there will be no moon tonight and we cannot stop until we reach the river." Melitta was already asleep on his shoulder and Paris knew that this was going to be a long night for him and Vashti, but he didn't know if he had the energy to carry Vashti as well as Melitta.
They walked in the shadow of the wall for about another hour. Vashti was going slow, but Paris made no attempt to hurry her. He was pretty certain they weren't being followed, yet. The night was completely dark when Paris led Vashti away from the walls of Troy, the Aegean having passed from sight. Setting their course towards the river, Paris bent and picked up Vashti so that he was carrying her as well as Melitta. "I don't know how long I'll be able to carry you for," he whispered in her ear, "but take a little rest now." Vashti did and lay her head on Paris' other shoulder and quickly fell asleep, leaving Paris to struggle on. All his effort went into putting one foot in front of the other. At least being tired stopped him from thinking, he did not want to even to try and imagine what was happening back in Troy. And he didn't want to think or even wonder about what was happening to the rest of his family. He was pretty certain that Briseis, his favourite cousin, had been killed when the Greeks had first invaded, and that her body was still lying somewhere in the Temple of Apollo, down near the sea front. Hanno, her older brother and his other cousin, had no doubt avenged her during the siege, and Paris hoped that he had survived. Paris could not imagine life without him; it was hard enough with Briseis gone.
And Cassie... she was closer to Hector, Briseis and Vashti than she was to him, but she was still his older sister. He didn't know if she could handle a life of slavery, but he didn't think she could. She would not even marry, comparing it to slavery.
And Hector... his protector, the one he always ran to. The one he could depend on. He had a family of his own now, with Andromache and little Astyanax. A lump formed in his throat, as he thought about his little nephew and how he would never see troy in all of her glory. If he survived at all, that is.
And his father. He was a good king and Paris knew that he had greatly wronged his father when he had brought Helen to Troy. He and hector were the most honourable men Paris knew, with Hanno not far behind. Paris knew that he would never, ever be anything near as good or honourable as them and why they put up with him and all the scrapes he got himself, and Troy, into was beyond him.
As he walked along, with a little sister asleep on each shoulder, seventeen- year-old Prince Paris of Troy cried for the country he knew had fallen and for the family members he didn't know if he would see again.
Reaching the riverbank, Paris sank to the floor, careful not to wake either Vashti or Melitta. He shrugged off his bag and used it as a pillow, while letting Vashti and Melitta use him as a pillow. He knew it was unsafe to sleep without someone keeping watch in the wild, but he had no choice. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and he finally fell asleep after what felt like the longest night of his life.
The next thing Paris was aware of was sunlight penetrating underneath his eyelids and he opened his eyes to find himself laying on the riverbank with Vashti and Melitta still asleep. He gently shook them awake and they sat up groggily as the events of last night came to them slowly. Both looked at him, letting him decide the next move. He stood up and stretched and looked back at them. "Let's get cleaned up before we do anything else," he said as he took off his cloak. Vashti and Melitta followed suit and the three cleaned their hands and faces in the river. Paris then opened his bag. In it he had some biscuits, that standard type which the army had when it was on the move. They weren't very tasty but they were food and they kept for a long time. They each had a biscuit and Paris also had a flask of water with him, which they all drank from and Paris refilled from the river.
Then they were ready for a day of walking. The first day for Vashti and Melitta outside of the protection of the walls of Troy. They going was tough, since the sun was hot of their heads and shoulders and Paris made them all wear their cloaks during the hottest part of the day, so that they didn't get burnt. They stuck close to the riverbank, so water wasn't a problem, but Paris did not know how long they could survive on biscuits. He also had a few slabs of chocolate in his bag, which he hadn't told his sisters about, they would only be ate in an emergency, when they needed the energy.
Vashti and Melitta were silent, both extremely scared. Melitta was very close to Paris and trusted him completely. But, even though she was only five, she knew that what was happening was very serious. She didn't know, however, that it was a matter of life and death. Vashti was not as close to Paris as Melitta, but still trusted him completely. Behind the walls of Troy, Vashti and Melitta had led very sheltered lives. Paris' had also been quite sheltered, but he knew enough to be able to survive in the and he knew how to fight. He had the sword of Troy with him, but he had left his bow behind, despite that being his better skill – it was too awkward to carry. He did have his slingshot though. He could hunt, but lighting a fire would be a problem and it would also attract attention. Attention was something he wanted to avoid. He didn't know yet what they were going to do after they reached Mount Ida. There was a village on the other side but it would be an obvious place to look for him. And no doubt Agamemnon and Menelaus were looking for him everywhere.
Please, please, please review!