Chapter Five...Wedding Jitters
"Or we could the orange flowers. Orange brings out the red hidden in your hair and it stands out against the blue in
your dress. You look so good in blue. I always thought so, not just now, you know. Or maybe white flowers. You've
got such nice skin. White flowers would match the whole ocean theme this city has going on. You should wear the
white. Or the orange. Wait! Purple! Those little hanging purple flowers! What are they called?"
Andromache rubbed forcefully at her temples. Shutting her eyes and trying to figure out how to shut her ears too.
"Eleni..." she sighed.
"I don't remember either. Maybe we should ask someone. Do you think we still have time to ask someone? I'll go
ask." Andromache caught her younger sister's wrist as she started past.
"Eleni." she stated sternly. Eleni collapsed on the stool next to her.
"Aren't you nervous? I'm nervous. I've never been this nervous in my life. Not ever. Not even on my wedding night.
Well, that was a different kind of nervous. This is a better nervous. Aren't you nervous?"
"Eleni." Andromache caught her sister's face between the palms of her hands. When her sister started to open her
mouth again she shook her head. Waited and then calmly instructed: "Take a deep breath. Good. Now hold it until
you pass out, all right?"
Eleni lost the breath immediately but it was in a giggle so that was all right. Andromache smiled at her and gently
brushed some a strand of hair back up into the elaborate hairstyle Eleni wore.
"I'm the one getting married, remember?" she asked and her younger sister nodded.
"I can't believe you're so calm." Eleni protested.
Andromache smiled softly. She was nervous. Nervous that the royal family and Troy itself might not want her and
just be pretending they did. Nervous that Hector might change his mind at the last minute and decide she was too
tall or stubborn or unattractive. She was so nervous that this was all a dream she was going to wake up from that
her stomach was in knots that actually physically hurt.
"I'm scared out of my mind." she confessed in a soft exhale. Meeting her little sister's eyes, her own large ones full
of it. "I've never wanted anything. Not like this. Sometimes my chest hurts." she laid a slim hand over her heart.
"Why do I feel like crying when I've never been so happy?"
Eleni's own nerves were immediately forgotten and she wrapped both arms tightly around her older sister.
"Oh, Andromache...he loves you so much."
"Gods...what if he realizes I'm not as wonderful as he thinks I am? What if someone better comes along? His father
must have thousands of wives. Men are supposed to. What if he realizes how much trouble I am to live with?"
"Now that's just nonsense." Eleni pulled back with a scowl which did nothing to detract from her delicate features.
"Hector thinks the sun only rises each morning because it wants to see you again. And he fought for you. A man
doesn't chase a woman all the way across the ocean on a whim. Face it, he's crazy over you. Besides," she added,
standing up and taking a brush to her sister's hair again. "If he ever marries another wife, I'll poison her for you.
After the third or fourth one, he should run out of prospects."
Andromache covered her mouth with a hand and laughed. Poison was a bit more subtle than her idea of pushing
them off one of Troy's walls.
"You haven't seen him for a while, have you?" Eleni asked and her sister shook her head.
"Its this woman purifying thing. For the wedding celebration. The priests have this whole ritual - thing." she waved a
hand. "Its been almost a week."
"Thought so." Eleni stated dryly. "That's why you're going crazy. My wedding they just killed a cow in front of us,
splashed around in the entrails, said it was all fortuitous, and he hauled me off to the bed." Andromache reached
up and took her hand and they sat silently for a moment before Eleni gave a shrug. "I bet you wish all Hector had to
do was haul you off to his bed." she teased.
Andromache laughed but her skin heated too and she turned her head to the side to hide it.
"See, I knew." her sister grinned. "You didn't even look at that blond that was flirting with you earlier."
"The who?" Andromache asked, looking up at her sister. Who shook her head and went back to brushing.
"You'll feel better once you're back in Hector's arms." Eleni declared. Teasing: "They're such nice arms too."
"I know." Andromache laughed with her.
Hector was in his apartments, stretched out on his bed, ankles crossed, hands linked behind his head, eyes closed,
just laying there.
"You aren't nervous?" Priam asked his son again. He couldn't believe that. He'd been nervous before each and
every one of his weddings, and he was king! No woman would dare reject him after all. At least that was Priam's
view point.
"Nope." Hector said. Just laying there, relaxing. He'd had enough of the pre-wedding festivities, all the meals, and
the blessings the priests insisted on. Of course he had managed to meet up with some good friends he hadn't seen
in a while. And there was always the anticipation of what this was all leading up to.
"Why?" Priam asked.
"Because after what I've gone through, this is a cake walk." He said. "So I'm just going to enjoy the nice quiet time."
He'd faced Akakios, and her father, and her family. Not to mention running off to Greece in the first place and facing
her. This? It really was that simple.
"The gold drop earrings." Eleni held them up next to her sister's face. And then just as dramatically asked: "Or the
pearls?" holding those up as well.
Andromache let her head fall back and shut her eyes.
"Eleni." she protested. "I don't care. Pick one for me."
"Oh gods..." Eleni threw up her hands in supplication. "We're never going to get you ready in time! I can't pick. I'm
the flighty one!"
There was a tap at the door and it opened. Andromache hastily rose to her feet at Hector's mother, queen of Troy,
came into the room. Eleni just made 'ooh'ing noises.
"I can't help but overhear." Hecuba stated calmly and Andromache shut her eyes realizing their drama must have
been leaking out the door. "Perhaps I can help."
"Please?!" Eleni jumped on the offer like a starving dog. "I can't do anything with her. She's no help and we haven't
got much time. All of Troy's going to see her and she won't be wearing matching earrings."
"She's exaggerating." Andromache tried to apologize. "Really. We're fine. I won't embarrass anyone."
Hecuba raised her elegant eyebrows.
"I somehow doubt you could if you tried, my dear." she answered calmly. "But, if you would, I know your mother
couldn't make it - " which was a tactful way of saying 'wouldn't' Andromache thought and was grateful for the
wording. "So I thought I'd give you something of mine to wear. Because you're my daughter now too." She walked
over to the tall girl. Seeing the youth and the soft glow that being in love gave you and remembering another time.
So very long ago... "I think this will solve our dilemma" she offered her son's future wife a box and Andromache took
it. Opened it and light lit her eyes.
"oh." she managed and Hecuba understood what her son had meant by the light of wonder in his bride's eyes when
she saw Troy.
Hector just kept his eyes closed, a small relaxed smile on his face until his father finally left to make the final
preparations for the ceremony. The minute the door closed he got off his bed with far more speed and
determination than someone who was completely relaxed.
He almost made it out of his room when he ran into Glaucus.
"You're not dressed." his captain said.
"Please. It takes five minutes for me to get in full battle gear. How long do you think it will take me to get dressed in
non battle gear?"
"Longer than you think." Glaucus said wisely. "This is your wedding. Where are you going?"
"For a walk, clear my head." Hector said vaguely, doing his best to look unbelievably stressed and distracted. Of
course he had a destination in mind.