Everlasting (A Greek Tragedy)

Everlasting Ch III

Patroclus glanced at the sky as soon as he left the fort, a seris of stars glimmered on it's black surface. He immediately figured what was happening as his soldiers began running in a frenzy. It was dusk, and those damned Trojans were trying to advance without being noticed.

He scoffed,"Dirty dogs."

Achilles' voice echoed in his head which troubled his heart in the process. He had told him to be cautious and to make sure he returned to the fort in one peice, and any wrong move could have conflicted him.... Or worse...

Kill him.

Whilst drawing his sword, he held it into the sky, drawing the attention of his men. Some of them looked confused, others determined and a few scared. Patroclus had to give them an encouraging talk- well, a quick one.

"My fellow men," he spoke out, his voice booming through the thin air. "As you can see our enemies are advancing. Any wrong moves could lead to our demise."

He paused to look over his shoulder, spears were tightly clutched in each Trojan's palm. His eyebrows bent, expressing his uncertainty. There were times like these when he wish he was bolder and stronger. Times like these hindered his ego and perverted his esteem, which has been his only link to sanity at this point.

Although, the young man was schismed by his uncertainty and doubt, he did not cower. He remained as strong as ever.

While closing his eyes, he blocked out the obnoxious haranguing of the Trojans and his own men and clutched the hilt of his sword. His feet carried him towards his sworn adversaries, eyelids peeled up in aggression. Between the blunt calls of degrading names and battle cries, he found himself yelling as he took the first swing at the general. Cries elevated, bronze bounced and scrapped copper, heads fell and battle prologued.

***

The alan took a moment to cough, his throat growing dry by each passing mimute. Luckily for him, the young girl noticed his discomfort and rose to her full height.

"Do you need something to drink, sir? Perhaps some water?"

He chuckled, "You just want me to continue the tale. Your intentions are not within aiding me."

She gave him a distant look, one that the old man had never seen from a child before (despite his retiring age). He had a feeling that the girl's education was far beyond that of a normal child and that she was not as innocent as he presumed.

"A fool would only sit here dying if thirst rather than accepting the water."

"I guess you are just a little girl anyway. What harm can you do?"

She giggled and shook her head slightly, "And just how old do you think I am, old man?"

"I'm afraid that if I knew, I would have to say my age as well."

Silence captured their conversation as they stared blankly at each other. The old man's wit was not too far off from being wisped away completely and the girl had took note of that. Exactly what else could she say to retort to such a superfluous situation. She knew as much about him as he knew about her, which unfourtanely was not very far off of anything at all.

Finally she smiled and shrugged, "Go on about the story and maybe, just maybe, I'll fetch you a glass of water."

A "maybe" wasn't a definite answer to the alan, however, it was a greater chance of not having anything at all. He gave his lips another moist lick and resumed.

***

Achilles was very uncomfortable at the moment. He was in a situation of having a reappearing female seduce him in the privacy of his room and his dear Patroclus fighting off swine beyond the silk curtains of the fort. Patroclus had told him not to leave the fort when they had first started the journey. His plea was that if the army's true leader and prince were to die that they would be uncontrollable. And such a statement was plausible.

The woman in front of him at the moment wore nothing but a shimmering white gown. Her long dark hair was tied back in a large bun which cleared room for her ravishing sea blue eyes to be seen. She was beautiful nontheless, and was a concubine for Achilles to do whatever he had pleased to for the past few months. Achilles, however, was unlike other male warriors that treated women as if they were prizes and treats. She was as worthy as he was when it came to living fairly. In fact, he had treated her better than even her own deceased husband had been to her during their marriage. It was no surprise that the young woman fell helplessly in love with him.

Achilles lowered his eyes to the floor in an attempt to resist her wiles. "Briseis, I do not have time right now. Patroclus is out fending for his life and I must stay here and fret. Prayer is all that can ensure his well-being."

The woman (known as Briseis), could only frown at his frantic expression. She had always envied the friendship Patroclus and Achilles shared with one another, even though she was vaguely fond of the fair prince. "I would not worry too much over the matter. Patroclus has fought these men many times."

"But not injured. He has not even had the proper time to cure and is already risking his head and blade. Tell me, Beautiful; should I intrude?"

Briseis felt her round cheeks grow warm at Achilles' name for her. He was always the type to remain modest about himself and compliment others. It had been one of the many reasons why her infatuation grew so profoundly. Taking it upon herself, she gracefully stroded towards him and sat down earning a solemn look from the leader himself.

"Perhaps you do not understand when I say that-"

His words were cut off by a single placement of her index. Her touch was like a spark jolting through his lips and then fueling his body full of lust. A feeling he had not intended on sharing with her.

"Relax, Achilles. Close your eyes and allow me to sweep you away to bliss. Patroclus would want you to calm down. Tension only leads to a clouded mind."

His eyelids lowered halfway, leaving his dark eyelashes to provide a shield to display his immediate temptation. To turn down a woman so alluring was an action only a fool could do. All sins washed over him as he did the devil's bidding.

"If I allow myself to succumb to you, I will no longer be a worthy leader. To pleasure you while my men fight is a disgrace..."

Briseis leaned closer to her master, her pink lips parting to kiss the soft skin of his cheek. "Then let this be your gift. A reward for being so good to me..."

Before Achilles could stop himself, his hands were already at her waist and tugging at the cloth of her gown. The evil temptation of a woman perplexed him, but fulfilled him nontheless.

***

The alan was glad to see a large glass of water placed in front of him, the girl had not been so cold to him.

As he chugged the refreshment, she figured it had been the right time to share with him beneficial information.

"I'm fifteen by the way, so this whole thing with Achilles isn't that surprising."

The alan swallowed and blinked, "I'm shocked. You look younger than that. Why do you go around playing with young kids?"

She gave another shrug, "To maintain the youth, I suppose."