Trojan Tales: the ones who survived

1st Chapter: Prologue (Pt 1)

Music is pumping all over the city. There's a big celebration coming.
There's wine, honey, bread with olives...
There are screams, wooden carriages...
Some dancers and poets are guiding the procession to Athena's temple, up on the hill, next to Menelaus' palace, holding olive branches and a flower crown.A wooden horse is being dragged into the city. Some actors are locked inside, dressed up like Greek soldiers, and when a musician bangs the drums, they all come out, shouting.
Maria is watching it all happening from the big window in the throne room.She was there, that day, she remembers it all, like it happened yesterday.Memories of war, memories that will never be erased, and that will always be sang and told as glorious and golden.
What is so great about a war, exactly? A war that killed so many, a war that left a hole inside her heart...
-No matter how many years will pass, Achilles will be remembered as the good guy, that defeated the villain and brought peace back to Greece... but Hector... he fought for his land... he only wanted to protect his wife and son... None of this war was his fault, and he was the one who paid the price...

Her thinking was abruptly interrupted by Arianna, who ran inside the room and locked the door behind her back.
-Finally!
She leaned against the door, trying to catch her breath.
-Years have passed since I got here, but I still can't get used to Greek feasts. Too many drunk people on the streets, what happened to their morals?!
-Oh, it's you...
-The temple is a sacred place, what were they thinking! That's not a place to organize rave parties.
Arianna approached Maria and sighed.
-What were you thinking?
-I was just... thinking, back to the war... So many years have passed since then.
-Yeah... I must say, as much as I like it here...- she paused. -Well, not when they get polyamorous in the temples, but still... I must admit that I miss my city.
Maria fell silent, and went back to the window, leaning on the parapet. There was melancholy in her eyes. Wherever she looked, all she saw was an unjustified celebration in honor of a war that should've never happened in the first place.
-Yeah, you know what? I still regret not listening to you...
-Oh, that's good. Of all the people I know, you're the only one I was expecting these words from.- Arianna joked, but Maria didn't laugh.She soon regretted her life decisions.
Arianna cleared her throat, looking away. She stepped on Maria's side, and gave a look to the festival outside. Their cheers could be heard even in the highest point of the palace.
The queen's return arose rumors and wrong sayings about her morality, which kind of dragged her down. Menelaus' words of comfort were of no use against her self-loathing, and not even Maria, who always knew how to make her queen feel better, had that impact on her. That was the only day that Helen was actually having fun, with all that music, the dances, the wine...
-You know, I was thinking about how much things changed since the day all of this happened. How much we changed in the first place...- Maria said, leaning against the glass.
Arianna shot her a concerned look, and nodded. Indeed, they had changed.
Truth to be told, they were the most affected by the war that saw so many men lose their lives in the name of something that never belonged to them, and that could've easily been solved by a simple duel.-Yeah... not even I would've expected things to change so much... You know, time is a continuous change of events, sometimes even foresees are wrong...- she said, taking off her glasses and cleaning the lens with her dress.
-After Agamemnon's death, Elettra had a little argument with Clytemnestra... She was ejected from the palace, and went to stay with Francesca in Phthia.
Maria listened carefully to what her friend had to say. She was actually interested by what had happened to her friends after ten years they didn't see.
-I see... it's nice to know they're ok, at least.- she said, a smile creeping from her lips. She missed them, she never thought she would though, they were so different, she almost couldn't understand some of their behaviors...
-And Livia is still around, telling stories about past wars and victories... myths, legends... something tells me she's still thinking about Hector, somehow, making him look not so evil like everyone would think he was.- Arianna kept going with the story, looking straight forward, her eyes landing on the dancers who had stopped in front of the palace's door. -I saw her at the temple, but we didn't talk. She was reciting.
-I can't wait for them to come here.- Maria said, smiling at the idea.
-They're coming, you know... Francesca and Elettra should be on their ship right now. And Livia, well, the procession is over, so she's coming too.
Maria nodded, and ran downstairs, checking if the symposium was ready.

A big table was put outside, there were menials running everywhere with plates, glass goblets, silver cutlery, dishes coming from everywhere. Pork, lamb, fish, every type of meat, wine, cheese and lots of honey. Greeks love honey. What better way to celebrate the memory of a victory, than eating cheese with honey and drinking wine?

-Hurry up with those dishes! The table must be ready as soon as the king comes back!
There were shouts from all over the place, in a corner there were some dancers practicing their moves to the rhythm of the tambourines.
Maria looked around, amused by the unusual atmosphere.
Sparta was always a poor city, following a strict cosmos of humility and poverty, and only during occasions like these you could see the beauty underneath.People were coming from all over Greece, some were coming from Athens, from Mycenae, from Ithaca, and other islands. Some could swear that even the Gods were there, dressed with civilian clothes, drinking their ambrosia and enjoying human fun.

Finally the ship from Phthia had arrived. Francesca ran on the bridge and breathed in some fresh air. The sun was setting in the horizon, Apollon was again sailing the sky as the light was slowly fading away.
-It's almost time, Elettra, we'll arrive in mere minutes!- Francesca danced, risking to fall in the water. She was lucky she had her friend on her side, preventing her from going overboard.
-Ok but calm down, I don't want to stop the ship just because you fell in the water.
-You're right, sorry...
Elettra exhaled, frustrated, looking away. Sometimes being around Francesca too much made her lose her mind, she was always running around doing irresponsible stuff, always getting herself in troubles. She knew exactly where she got that from.
She shook those memories off; those were gone now.
Agamemnon was finally dead, but she didn't get the power she wanted. Instead, what she got, was a public humiliation in Mycenae, and a consecutive exile. But at least, Chriseid was alright, she was finally free. And she would've thought of anything except that she would become Francesca's mom.
-They don't pay me enough for this.
-Don't be grumpy, I know for sure you care about me.- Francesca joked, playfully nudging her.
Elettra looked away, hiding a smile.