Disclaimer: I don't own them.
"I do not want to spend the rest of my life with a man I have not met." Andromache said sternly, while her party from Thebe was riding up to Troy. She had little choice in the mater of her life, however.
"Prince Hector is a fine man and any woman would love to be his wife." Her maidservant Cresida said.
"But he is old." Andromache complained. Cresida sighed, thinking Andromache was acting silly.
"Hector is only five years older than you are. Now put on a smile, we are coming to the palace." Andromache fained a smile as they came up to the palace. They were in a chariot and stopped at the bottom of the stairs up to the palace.
Hector watched Andromache leave the chariot from his room. She was pretty enough, he thought, and not too old. He still did not know if she was someone that he could love. He sighed, he have been listening to Paris to often. He would meet her at their wedding, tomorrow. He wished to talk to her before, to know more about the woman who would, hopefully, give him his children. As he was thinking, Andromache looked up and saw him starring at her. She knew it was her husband to be, and she wondered what he was like.
Hecuba and Priam greeted her warmly. She immediately felt like she was part of their family, and liked the feeling.
Hecuba, after greeting Andromache, escorted her to her temporary chambers. "There is some food here. If you would like to look around, Briseis, I am sure, would be glad to show you." Hecuba said. Briseis came in, as if on cue, just as Hecuba finished speaking. Cresida was given a room of her own, next to Andromache's.
Andromache found some of the food that had been placed before her. She walked to the window and watched the sun begin to sink below the horizon. She made a decision, in a second, that she hoped she would not regret. She went to go find Briseis.
Andromache found her in the hall, luckily. Briseis has been walking back to her rooms. Andromache quickly approached her.
"Would you show me around a little?" Andromache asked kindly.
"I would be glad to. Is there any place in particular you would like to see?" Briseis asked, happy to show Andromache around.
"No." Yet Andromache hoped she would say where Hector's chambers were. Andromache was in luck again, and she thanked the gods for it. Briseis showed her the hall down to his chambers. Briseis also told her which door was his, and she giggled a little as Andromache looked intently down the hall. They walked to the gardens and then Briseis said that the light was fading, and she should go back to her rooms.
Briseis left her in the gardens. Andromache retraced her steps and found the hall that lead to Hector's rooms. She hesitated at the door. She wondered if she should just wait till the next day to see him. She heard a noise in the hall and thought there was no way to leave. She knocked quickly on the door.
Hector turned at the sound. Who could be at the door at this hour? Andromache waited impatiently as she heard the noise again, and was preparing to run. Hector opened the door and Andromache forced herself in quickly. Hector was surprised to see her, let alone that she forced herself in. Andromache blushed a little when he looked at her. She took in his appearance and found herself attracted to his brown eyes and wild hair. Her blush deepened when he smiled at her. She tried to find words to say why she was there, but her voice seemed to have disappeared.
Hector brought up the question at hand. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to talk to you, before tomorrow. I am Andromache." Her voice was shaky and unsure of itself.
"What about?" Hector turned and motioned for her to follow. Andromache was rooted to the spot though.
She found her voice again. "About our marriage. I do not want to marry someone I do not know."
"Neither do I." Andromache was shocked at his words. They were softly spoken, making her feel the defeat in them.
"What are we to do about this then?" She joined Hector where he was, they both sat down around a table. He clasped his hands together on the table and looked at her.
"We could talk a little at the moment. Is there anything you would like to know about me?" Hector's eyes found hers again. Andromache did not like the feeling that those eyes gave her, like he could see everything about her. She thought about his offer. What did she want to know about him? She could not find a good question to ask, so she began with the only one she could think of.
"How large is your family?" Andromache felt that the question was nothing to be proud of; that there was something better that she needed to ask but could not find the words to.
"Very large, even without counting my cousins. May I ask you a question?" Andromache nodded. "Were you asked if you wanted this marriage/?" Andromache laughed.
"Me, any choice in the matter? I have never been asked anything in my life. I have always been told what I am to do and say and what to wear." She paused and looked back at his eyes. "Were you?" Andromache held her breath, and wondered why she wanted to know the answer, that, for some reason, she wanted to know that he did want this, want her.
"In a way yes, I was asked if I would enter into an arranged marriage, and I said that I would." Hector spoke as if in council. Andromache wondered if this was how he saw his whole life, just some deal. Hector looked at her, seeing her eyes imploring him to say more. "I know it would be my duty to marry, so I accepted that fact. I knew that it was for an alliance, and I knew that it would help Troy to have one with Thebe." Andromache began to see what Hector was like. He loved his country and knew he had a duty to it. She wondered if she would ever merit this, then caught her thought. She did not want to marry Hector, no matter what he said now. That was what her mind was telling her, her heart seemed to begin to like the man before her.
"Why do you not want an arranged marriage?" Hector asked suddenly.
"I always hoped I would marry for love, or be asked. The gods did not bless me with that choice though." She said sadly. "It is silly I know, but I still want it. To have a choice about something in my life." Andromache looked at her hands. She lifted her head and looked to the window, at the nights starred face.
Hector looked at her. She looked beautiful looking out the window, he thought. He admired her for coming here, and thought she was also very bold for doing so. An idea occurred to him; maybe she could have a choice.
"Andromache." He said.
"Hmm." She whispered, not really paying attention to Hector at the moment.
"Would you have me as your husband?" Andromache snapped her head back to look at him. "If you say no, there are ways that we could not be married tomorrow, the gods work in strange ways." Hector said with a little smile.
Andromache contemplated what Hector had said. She could be free of this tomorrow, alone to marry who she wanted to. Yet, she was given a choice here, which was something no one had ever given her. Would her life be so bad with Hector? She could be seen as un-marriable, someone the gods wanted for themselves is she did not marry Hector. Did she want that life? No, she did not.
"Hector, son of Priam, I would have thee, if you would have me." She said.
"Andromache, daughter of Eetion, I would have thee. I promise that I will not ask you for more than you are capable of giving. I promise to protect you and to be faithful to you." Hector said, sincerity clear in his voice.
"Thank you." Andromache said smiling. She began to move to leave, when Hector spoke again.
"Is there anything more you would like to know before we are married?" Hector wore a grin while he waited.
Andromache could not stop herself from smiling. "Why are you called the tamer of horses?"
"I have always been able to ride any horse I choose, or clam any horse enough to ride them for a little. Whenever a rider was having trouble with a horse, I would be asked to see what I could do. I received many injuries from them before the horse would cooperate." Hector said with a laugh. Andromache laughed with him and Hector thought she looked even prettier when she laughed. There was a tension that was had gone between them, and Hector liked the feeling. "Have you ever ridden a horse?"
"No, I did not think you could." Andromache answered truthfully.
"I will show you then."
"I would like that." Andromache said earnestly.
They talked a little longer, becoming better acquainted with one another. It was not until Hector noticed the moon beginning to descend that they stopped.
"I believe we have talked most of the night. You should go back to your chambers." Hector said rising to go to the door with her. Andromache rose as well, not wanting to leave yet. She then realized they would have many more nights together, beginning with the next night. She blushed a little at the thought.
Hector opened the door for her, he looked out in the hall, making sure no one was there. As Andromache began to step out of the door, he caught her arm. Their eyes meet and there was a mutual understanding. Hector leaned forward and kissed her. It was her first kiss, and Hector knew it. It was short, but Andromache had not wanted it to end.
"Good night Andromache." Hector said softly.
"Good night Hector, till tomorrow." She whispered back.
Andromache slipped back into her room unnoticed, and fell asleep, feeling better about the day ahead than she had before.
A/N: I decided the whole author's note would be at the end. Ok, so where I got my idea on the horses was from Queen Arwen, because she said they would not have ridden horse in may places. You can see my Lord of the Rings obsessive ness in the way they said they would marry the other. The name Cresida is from Shakespeare. And I would continue this story if some one could tell me what and ancient Greek wedding would be like, or point out a website where it would be. Please review!