Chapter One....And The Two Shall Meet (continued)
Hector smiled warmly at her, also shortening his steps, but he was used to it. He was one of the tallest men he
knew, perhaps only Ajax himself was taller. "It is. And I'm glad you think so." He said, leading the way out of the
garden and through the main part, using short cuts really only he knew. He knew this city better than the back of
his hand, and it showed in the confident stride he took through it, nodding at the people who stopped to show their
respect to their prince, making his way up to the bell tower where he excused the ever present watchers. "I'll watch,
just give us a few minutes." He said as the guards left. "So there it is." He said, leaning over the railing, never
getting over the sight himself.
"oh" it whispered out of her and Andromache let go of Eleni to join Hector at the rail. Thinking - she'd never seen
anything that breathtaking before. The ocean in front of them was vast and forever. As if the edge of the world
started here. Little wonder Troy's founders had chosen this spot for their home. The wind played with her hair,
teasing strands of it loose and bringing her the scent of the sea in exchange. Smiling, eyes on that ever changing,
ever constant blue, she stated simply: "I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful."
He managed to turn himself so it almost looked like he was looking out at the view instead of her, but he found her
far more interesting than the view. Were this coming from his younger brother, it would have been one hell of a
lame line. From Hector, it was a high compliment actually. But she was just possibly the most exquisite creature he'd
ever seen in all the places he'd traveled in. "I have." He said simply, still smiling ever so slightly as he watched her
expression as she took in the view around her.
"Where could you have?" She asked, lips curving, laughter on the edge of them as she turned her head to look at
him. Having forgotten to be guarded and proper. As if they were friends. And then her eyes, lifting for a change,
met his. And something inside her stuttered.
Her eyes went wide. No, she thought. Oh no. She was still vague on what the 'oh no' was for but she knew it was
there for a reason. And she knew it was time to stop standing on the walls watching the water with a soldier who
looked at her that way. She held up a hand automatically. The exact same gesture she used on her brothers when
they had a bull headed idea in mind and were intent on going through with it. Not sure what the question was but
sure the answer was:
"no." She stated clearly. "Just - no." She clarified. Not sure exactly what she was clarifying but sure it needed it. "We
need to go see to our room arrangements." She laid a hand on Eleni's shoulder. Relying on manners until she
could figure out what else she should be relying on. "Could you ask someone to show us back now? Please."
He looked at her, absolutely confused, for a moment. Not that he was overblown with ego, but apparently she was
refusing something he didn't remember offering. He glanced over at Eleni, who was looking at her sister like she
had grown three heads like a Hydra. But just as some manners were second nature to Andromache, the same
manners applied to Hector. He nodded and glanced once more at the vast ocean in front of them. And knew he was
correct, that it had nothing on Andromache when it came to beauty.
"I'll show you back." He said, pushing off slightly from the railing he was leaning on. He raised a hand before she
could start with her objections again. "Its no problem, really. Besides, it saves me from the mind numbing trade
arrangements our fathers are discussing. So, you would really be doing me a favor as well." Okay, truth be told,
Hector would have thought of any excuse for just that one more moment in her presence.
Later...
"What happened? Up there on the wall?"
Eleni was standing in front of the mirror, rearranging the golden claps she was working into her hair. Andromache,
sitting on the bench, running a comb through her darker hair, had been expecting the question much earlier and
the long even strokes didn't hesitate.
"I don't know" she answered, low voice calm.
Eleni scowled but whether it was at her hair or her sister it was hard to tell. Perhaps both?
"One moment you're laughing with him like you're old friends and the next you're doing that 'dare not' thing with
your hand."
"My what?" Andromache laughed, stopping her work to look over at her younger sister.
"You're 'you wouldn't dare' thing" Eleni demonstrated dramatically with her own hand. "You just - lift it and there! It's
this solid wall of 'don't even think about arguing with me'. Its kind of like your 'you're in deep trouble' finger point.
You did it all the time when we were younger. Come to think of it, Hector did almost the same thing so you wouldn't
tell him he couldn't walk us back to our rooms." Her heart shaped face puzzled over it half a breath and then
dismissed it for the more important question of: "So what was going on with you and him anyway?"
Andromache blinked. What was going on with the two of them? What a question.
"Nothing" she stated calmly. "I just thought we'd been away from our duties long enough."
Eleni snorted and then remembered it wasn't ladylike and sighed instead, sweeping over to drop down dramatically
next to her sister on the bench.
"He was so good looking." she protested. "Did you see the size of his arms?"
"Good for swinging a sword." Andromache answered, absently rearranging her sister's hair clasps while Eleni
draped across her for full theatrical value.
"And such wide shoulders."
"Heavy armor." Andromache explained.
"He had nice legs too. I'd love to feel those legs - "
"All the marching." her older sister interrupted the thought.
"I bet he has a nice chest." Eleni sighed, letting her head fall back on her sister's shoulder. "Something solid and
warm and strong to fall asleep on."
"He's a soldier." Andromache reminded her softly. Thinking... wistfully, how nice it would be to be able to fall asleep
held close and safe and warm... She shook her head at herself. Thinking wryly that she was starting to think like
one of those cheap popular ballads all the young girls liked to swoon over.
"He's tall." Eleni murmured dreamily as her sister stroked her hair, eyes far away and soft. "Taller even than you.
And he had such nice eyes..."
"He did." Andromache agreed. Because - he had. Dark but never empty.
"Do you suppose he's married?" Eleni asked suddenly and Andromache blinked at the shift. Gave a soft shrug.
"Probably. He's one of the king's sons though so that wouldn't matter." Most men that could fell in and out of
women's beds faster than you could keep track of. Andromache gave her sister a light push to get her off. "What
happened to your old man?" she teased, standing up to wind her own hair up and secure it in place.
"I think I like young and virile again." Eleni stated from where she'd laid on her back on the bench to stare at the
ceiling. Andromache snorted and didn't bother hide it.
"I'll stick with fat and laughing" she stated dryly and her younger sister giggled again.
"Hector was laughing." she protested and then dodged off the bench when her older sister tried to smack her with
the comb. Threatening: "We're going to be late for the feast if you chase me around and mess up my hair."