Chapter One...And the Two Shall Meet (continued)
The doors had almost closed when they swung open enough for a man in armor, sword at his side, to race through
on his horse, followed by a few other soldiers before finally closing and locking. Hector dismounted his horse and
passed the reins to a stable boy, taking off his helmet and going over to his father. "The western front is secure."
There were fear of raiders, and the Apollonians had been sent to make sure that wasn't the case.
"Ohhh." Andromache pulled her eyes away from the sight of armored men on horses to look at her younger sister.
Eleni was looking at the soldiers too. Or one in particular. Andromache shut her eyes briefly, edges of her lips
quivering with the smile she was trying to swallow. Some things - they never changed. "Eleni." She murmured softly,
taking her sister's arm. Eleni looked over, blue eyes cloudy and started to smile. Andromache gave a sigh that
turned into a soft laugh. "Come along, Leni." She directed, glancing over at the dark haired man her sister had
been staring at. "We were going to take a walk while the men talked. Remember?"
"Do we have to?" Eleni asked wistfully and Andromache laughed quietly again, turning her head. Instead of
answering, she simply linked her sister's arm through hers and shifted them both away from the men with their hard
armored forms and sharp edges.
Hector had looked over at the women, a good soldier always knows when he's being watched after all, and was
immediately taken by the tall dark beauty, even if she wasn't the one staring at him. No, she was the one prodding
the other one away. He nearly lost track of the conversation before his father called his attention back to the
matters at hand. "of course." Hector said and followed his father and the King from Thebes into the royal hall for
discussions, looking back at the two women.
Andromache took the opportunity that presented itself and slipped out into a side courtyard. It wasn't her fault if her
father had forgotten to 'arrange' for someone to guide them about and watch over them. Not her fault. But she was
good at taking advantage when it was offered. Eleni came with her, looking back over her shoulder at the retreating
men as Andromache dragged her along.
"Are you sure we can't listen to them talk?" She asked and her older sister laughed.
"Staring at a man isn't listening to them talk."
"No." Eleni agreed cheerfully, returning her attention to where they were now that they were out of sight. "But it is a
nice way to pass the time." She added. Andromache laughed then, fuller now that she didn't have to worry about
attracting unwanted attention and stretched her legs into an easy run, lifting her skirts around her ankles. Eleni,
giggling, did the same and tried to keep up. "Where are we going?" the younger sister wanted to know and
Andromache shook her head with another laugh.
"I don't know." She flung back cheerfully. "But isn't it better than being caged up and carried?" The question really
didn't need an answer and the two girls merrily made their way through several twists and turns, discovering the
stables, a side kitchen roasting meat, a side closet full of brooms and buckets and brushes and - finally - the
gardens, where Eleni caught up against a tree panting and laughing.
"Enough." She pleaded, trying to find enough air to laugh. "I yield." Andromache wrapped her own arms around
another tree just to feel its rough bark against her palms and rested her cheek against its solid presence. Grinning.
"For now." She agreed.
Hector had stayed in the meeting until he thought his eyes would glaze over and he'd lose consciousness. So he
made some excuse that sounded good at the time, and was excused by his father. He asked around and found
himself following the path of the two women he had seen earlier until he found them in one of the gardens. "You
know, way up at the top of that tree, you can see all of Troy down to the beaches." He said, watching the dark
haired one. "That's what I found out when I was a boy at least." He had his armor off, and was in 'normal' clothes,
for a crown prince at least, as he grinned at the two women, glad to see them enjoying the city he loved.
Andromache looked up at the tree branches above her head. She'd shifted as she and her sister had been talking
and laughing and teasing and this tree had seemed to draw her. And it was - she realized - perfect for climbing. "I
think," she stated as if choosing her words carefully, face serious, "father might be a bit put out if we climbed up to
see if it still does give that good a view."
Eleni, giggling, peered around from the trunk of her own chosen tree to shoot Andromache a look. No one ever got
her sister's sense of humor. Andromache looked back at the man in front of her and her lips shifted upward just at
their edges. It was such a beautiful city... "Is there somewhere a little more accessible we might be able to see 'all of
Troy' from instead?" She asked, dark eyes hoping the directions weren't going to be too confusing.
Hector almost grinned. "Well, our fathers are both busy in deadly boring meetings, so if you really wanted to climb
the tree, he'd never know." He pointed out. "But, there are other places in this city which offer almost the same
views." One of which he couldn't offer, which was too bad, for that place truly had the best view, that was one of his
only demands when he moved out of the children's quarters.
"No one's showed you around?" He asked. "That embarrasses me, and on behalf of Troy I do apologize and hope I
can make it up to you."
"We didn't - exactly - wait to see if anyone came for us" Andromache offered her own apology. Daughters tended to
slip between the cracks of memory when kings bragged about their sons. Or, at least a determined daughter could,
if she was so inclined to take advantage of the situation. It was hardly his fault if she and her sister had made a run
for it when the opportunity presented itself. "There's really nothing to make up for."
He was playing the part of courteous host at the moment and while she appreciated it, it was surely something he
had gotten cornered into. She shifted over to join her sister. Who was looking lovelorn. The lowered eyes and lash
fluttering was going to start in a minute, Andromache knew from experience.
"Perhaps you could tell us somewhere else we could go to see more of the city?" She asked, unable to keep the
hope out of her voice. Such a beautiful city. She couldn't imagine how it was so solid and yet didn't feel at all
confining. So very unlike her own home in the mountains.
He smiled at Andromache, and belatedly at her sister, almost forgetting her presence. "It would be my honor." He
said. "There are a couple of good spots, depends on what you want to see. Mt Ida or the sea?" He said, then
remembered that he had completely forgotten to introduce himself, which seemed the only way to get the taller one
to tell him her name. "I'm Hector." Wasn't very often that he met someone who was not only beautiful and poised,
but didn’t look like a child next to him due to his height.
Andromache opened her mouth to protest that he really didn't need to go out of his way to escort them but her
sister, knowing her too well, chirped:
"The sea. We stare at mountains all the time back home. Sometimes I think if I never see another mountain I'll die
happy. But we never see the ocean. Not the way you do here. Can you show us the ocean?" She looked up at him
with her wide eyes and Andromache almost smacked her on the back of the head. At least the urge was there. The
way she had when they were children and Eleni had reached for more sugared fruit even though she'd already had
enough to make herself sick. The way she would if her sister was reaching for the hot stones around a fire.
Which was exactly what she was reaching for in flirting with the soldier.
Instead, she simply linked her arm though her younger sister's again and looked at their new escort apologetically.
But there was a warning in her eyes as well. He hadn't done anything untoward toward Eleni yet but he would if her
younger sister kept looking at him as if he was the last candied date in the bowl.
"I'm Andromache" She offered, low voice polite despite the warning look. "And this is my little sister, Eleni. And..."
She met his dark eyes and her own softened. Wistful. "Is there somewhere we can see the ocean?"
He gave Eleni a smile, much as he would his sister or his cousins. "Pleased to meet you Eleni." He said. "And
pleased to meet you Andromache. So up in the bell tower is the best place." He said, walking toward there
backwards so he could continue to look at Andromache. He was trying hard NOT to ignore Eleni, really he was. But
underneath all the armor and crowns, he was still a man. "its what we use to see who's coming." So it was defensive
in purposes, but still. Best view of the sea in the city. in fact, the only place better than the bell tower for a view was
his apartments, but he couldn't very well suggest that! If he tried, he was sure just from the looks of it Andromache
would try to smack him.
"I don't like being on the water" Eleni supplied brightly. "I like to look at it though. All we've got back home is a giant
lake. I don’t like being out on the lake very much either, come to think of it. But its not like the ocean. The sea
reminds me of an entire continent."
Andromache, walking next to her and shortening her steps automatically so that Eleni wouldn't have to skip, simply
nodded. Not making the humming noise simply because Eleni wasn't really interested in whether her sister was
listening or not anymore. Right now, the younger girl was focusing solely on the man in front of them. Who kept -
looking at her.
She wasn't sure exactly what to make of that. If he made the tired old joke about Amazons though she was really
going to be hard pressed not to crack him one despite being a guest.
Her eyes drifted. Taking in the city. And she forgot to feel awkward about her height. Because - everything was so -
warm. So rich and full of life. The stones should have made the heat even more unbearable but the colors seemed
to soak it comfortably up and there was so much green everywhere. And the buildings and streets seemed
designed to catch the cooling breeze off the water. She absently touched one of the branches that had escaped
from a low wall to rest over the path they were taking, long fingers trailing.
"It’s a beautiful city" She murmured looking back at their guide, dark eyes warm. "The stories didn't do it justice."