The sun beat down upon my back as if to discourage me from my task, but I marched bravely on. There was no mistaking what I had seen in the vision, though only the Fates could tell whether it was true or not. I caught sight of Paris standing over an ornate marble table studying the best routes to Sparta with a small smile on his face. Well, I thought to myself, that's one thing that will definitely change.
"Brother!" I exclaimed in greeting. I sounded more jovial than I felt. Paris quickly looked up, his smile blossoming into a wide grin. "Cassandra! I knew I recognized your voice. To what do I owe this pleasure?" I focused on the vast sky above Paris's small mousy brown head, where darkness and grey clouds began to gather like an omen.
Swallowing hard, I tried for a smile and announced, "There is something I must speak with you about." Immediately his eyes glimmered with caution. He has heard, then, of what the people accuse me of, I noticed. Even so, I forged on. "A vision has come to me, one of grave importance. I foresee that when you make your journey to bring back this...this married woman, beautiful though she is, she will bring the desolation of our city with her! Are you so blind that you can't see the mistake you're making?"
I quickly realized that I had raised my voice and I steadied myself, but it was too late. Paris became dangerously quiet, his face taut with anger. "What about you, Cassandra?" he snapped. "Don't you think I know what you're infamous for? I haven't seen any evidence here to disprove it." Insanity. Lies. The words threatened to snatch me and pull me under, down to the depths of Hades.
"I am going on this journey," Paris declared firmly, "and that woman is my prize. I judged that contest between the goddesses; I deserve her. Helen is the love of my life!" Paris turned on his heel and strode out the open door before I could scream, "You haven't even met her yet!"
The next night I stood on the tall cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea and watched Paris set sail. I thought I saw the sky for but a second tinged blood red, as if the gods were sending a warning. I could not be sure what would happen, but I knew our lives in Troy would never be the same.
YOU ARE READING
The Last Prophetess
Short StoryA retelling of the tragedy of Cassandra of Troy, an insane prophetess in the Trojan War. I wrote this for a school project long ago, a narrative of a character in the Trojan war. It's quite short but explains the mythology well, if you're into that...
