Fated and Forgotton

Marriage Proposals

Cass glanced towards her door as one of the soldiers opened it to allow Hector to enter. He looked around the room as the soldier shut the door behind him before his eyes landed on where she was perched on her window ledge. He sighed and walked over, propping his sword against the wall as he leaned back on the ledge next to her.

"I spoke to father." He started. "He is willing to let you out if you agree to go along with the marriage proposals without a fuss."

"I am high priestess of the temple of Apollo, I am not meant to marry." She reminded him, brushing away more tears that escaped out of the corners of her eyes.

"There are worse men you could have been promised to. Coroebus and Orthronus are both noble men." He pushed himself up into the ledge and she moved her legs to make room for him.

"That is not the point, Hector." She turned back to look out of the window, watching the city bathed in the last golden rays of the day. "First he locks me in here and then he expects me to marry to help win a war I tried to prevent from happening."

"We are in the war now, none of us can change that. All we can do is play our part and hope to survive." He said, pushing his curls back from his face.

"When do you return to the front?"

"As soon as night falls. I will talk to father again when I next return." He said, turning to look at her.

She looked back at him, meeting his eyes for the first time since he entered the room and immediately regretting it as the world seemed to lurch around her and she felt the now familiar tug of the fates.

"The eldest sons death approaches,

slain in a bid for peace.

He will be avenged by the lost prince,

a well placed arrow will fell the Greek's Hero.

But the city will still burn."

***

Cass regained consciousness to find herself propped up against the wall beneath the window. Hector was knelt in front of her with a worried expression on his face and his hands on her arms to keep her upright. She reached up and gripped his forearms as tears started streaming down her face again. "Do not return to the front."

"Cassandra." He sighed and dropped his head forward, his dark curls bouncing into his face. "I have to go. I am head of the army, they need me."

"Please. Stay here, stay safe. Please." She choked out, trying to stop the sobs escaping her chest.

"I have to go." He pulled her into him and she clutched at him as if that would make him change his mind. "I will see you when I next have chance to return. Be safe, sister." He kissed her forehead before standing and walking out.

She couldn't stop the sobs that racked her chest as the image of Hector clutching at his throat as blood poured through his fingers kept replaying in her mind. She blindly pushed herself off the floor and fell into her bed. She hoped all the crying would tire her out, she wanted nothing more than to be anywhere but here.

***

"What are you doing?"

Cass turned from the dream in front of her and looked at Morpheus as he stepped up to her side. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before turning back to the scene in front of them.

Orthronus was sat at a table piled high with everything a person could ever want; gold, jewels, weapons, and enough food to feed an army. He was staring greedily at it all, bouncing back and forth between the piles.