Bound

Chapter 2

                                     ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

'If you go to Troy, glory will be yours. They will write stories about your victories in thousands of years. And the world will remember your name. But if you go to Troy, you will never come back... for your glory walks hand-in-hand with your doom...'

-

Achilles' eyes slowly open the next morning, it takes him a moment to adjust to the light, to fall back into awareness of what is his current reality. He had been dreaming of home, of Larissa, he had been dreaming of his mother. He allows himself to dwell on the sweet memories that occurred in the dream, only for a moment. Being a child in his mother's arms, her seashell necklaces, her scent, the warmth and comfort that is associated with home, he allows himself to succumb to the feeling of gentleness that surge through his body as he recalls these moments of his dream, until, as though coming to his senses, he sits up and snaps himself out of it. Achilles clenches his jaw as he roughly runs his hands over his face, sat upright in bed, naked and exposed to the itchiness of the blankets in which surround him as he stares at the far wall of his tent, mentally preparing himself for another day of battle against the Trojans. He pulls himself out of bed, making his way to the water basin and splashing himself in the face in order to wake himself up, he leans against the counter in which the basin stands, his head hanging low and his eyes closed as he tries his darnest to rid his mind of thoughts of home, a home he will surely never see again. His muscles flex involuntarily as he takes deep breaths to calm his mind, to ease himself back into the emotionless and arrogant solider that he presents himself as.

Hours that day are spent slaughtering Trojan soldiers alongside his fellow Myrmidons, Achilles does not think twice when he swings his sword with such force that it decapitates an enemy warrior, he simply moves on and continues his battle with great skill and precision. His muscles ache, his skin is coated with sweat and blood, but he continues on. The blinding Trojan sun beats down upon him and his men, but he does not allow it to distract him. By late afternoon, after hours of chronic physical exertion and bloodshed, the soldiers return to camp. The men seem exhausted, weakened, worn down, all except for Achilles. He makes his way back to his tent at the far end of the camp as though the day spent killing were nothing to him. The battlefield was covered in bodies and blood, but the sight is nothing new for Achilles. He wears his armor and has his sword strapped to his side, and his expression is neutral as he walks past the rows of tents. His dear friend and fellow soldier, Eudoros, catches up with him, patting his back as they walk side by side through the camp.

"There is a surprise for you in your tent, my lord. We thought she could amuse you." Eudoros says with a smirk as they approach his tent at the back of the camp.

His expression doesn't change but he gives Eudoros a slight glare. "You think I need to be amused?" he replies then waves his arm "Lead the way," and he continues walking towards his tent. Eudoros leaves him as he enters through the tent flap, surprised to see the young woman from the previous day sat on the ground. Her back rests against a wooden pole, with her hands tightly bound behind it. Her feet are tied together with rough rope, her hair is slightly disheveled and she has several fresh cuts and bruises adorning her face. She turns to him and glares at him coldly as he enters the tent. Achilles doesn't react to her glare at all as he walks in and stops in front of her, he just looks down at her with an indifferent expression on his face as she is tied and sitting on the ground. He looks at her for a moment, as he takes everything in. She looks up at him, glaring at him as she attempts to remain as stoic and unafraid as possible. He looks into her eyes and stares at her for a while, his eyes wandering all over her face, and when he was done looking, he crouches down in front of her and he lowers her chin gently.