Chapter Ten....Secret Place (continued)
"I'm not hurt." Hector said. "And nothing's going to stick with me and fester. Not from that woman." How
Andromache had been born from that witch, that was something he'd never figure out. He thanked the gods that
the rotten core inside Triantifilla had somehow bypassed Andromache.
"Its who I am." He said. "I ride off and protect all I love from any threat that may come along. Did you think that
wouldn't apply to your mother, just because she's your mother? I've watched you in Troy, you know. All the little
problems that I should deal with, you've stepped up and taken care of." From the day to day charges of being
crown prince, to even settling squabbles between his men before word of those squabbles reached him. "Did you
think I wouldn't do the same for you? I love you. And that means all your problems and trials become mine. And if I
can solve them, or fight them, without exposing you, then I will."
She wound her arms around his shoulders. Thinking... she would never be able to deserve him. Never be able to
deserve the way he loved her. No one could. He melted her heart.
She was a bit embarrassed that he'd noticed the little things she did in Troy. Ways to make things smoother for
him, to give him less to have to deal with. There was so much he did anyway, so much he carried on his wide
shoulders. It pleased her to be able to make things a little lighter for him, a little easier. She just - hadn't thought he
would notice. And she knew she should have.
Here, safe in his arms, held close with his warmth and his words wrapping around her - how could anyone love the
way he did? Love her the way he did? And own her heart and soul and mind as completely as he did? She thought
she'd loved before - loved her family, loved her friends, loved her country. But that was nothing compared to the
way she loved him. It should have scared her how strong it was - stronger than she'd believed it could be even
when she'd suspected it as she'd first lost her heart to him. But it didn't. It might be her doom at the end. But she
couldn't imagine life, or love, without him anymore.
"You melt me." she told him, raising dark eyes to meet his own. "All of me." She raised a hand to brush the curling
hair back from his temple. "I've never had anyone guard and protect me as closely as I wanted to guard and
protect them. And as much as I worry when you ride off to protect us - I love that about you too." She gave him a
soft smile. "See how badly you've turned my world upside down." She kissed him then. "Thank you." another,
longer kiss. "thank you..."
"If you love me half as much as I love you, then we're in good shape." He teased her with a smile. If he could give
her peace at all, it warmed his heart and eased his soul. She had never talked about her mother, had refused in
fact, but he knew that woman hurt her deeply through out her life.
"So the big crisis is over." He said. For now at least. "Tell me how your sisters are?" Since the women had swooped
in and whisked her away before the greetings were even done.
Andromache gave a little snort at his question. Willing to let other talk slide though she'd be watching to make sure
nothing her mother had done was coming back to haunt him in the night. Smiling, eyes dancing, she took both his
hands in hers and drew him back to a secluded spot near the river where the grass was soft and the mist was light
enough to not chill. Sitting down, she looked up at him and teased:
"Details. They all want details about you. I could have changed my hair color, lost an eye and grown wings and all
they want to know about is you." She gave his hands a light tug to draw him down with her, eyes teasing. "I think
our conversation was much more interesting than your trade agreement with my family."
Hector laughed, glad the conversation about her mother had been dropped for the moment. "Really? And what all
did you tell them about me? Am I allowed to know or is it a deep dark sisterhood secret?" He asked with a grin as
he sat down beside her on the soft grass under a spreading tree.
"at least tell me I came off good. I've managed to get on your brothers' good sides, would hate to be on your
sisters' bad sides. Though Eleni likes me." He said with another chuckle.
"Eleni loves you." Andromache laughed, shifting so she could snuggle close in his arms, head resting on his
shoulder. "She's already done her fair share of gossip about you too. All kinds of romantic stories" she grinned up
at him, eyes dancing. Entirely free of troubles or worries as she teased him. She cupped his cheek with her hand
gently and her face softened. "They're all impressed with your smile, or your body, or the way you move. Or the
stories about how you rescued their oldest sister from Spartan hands. Or how you won her in the first place. Eleni
apparently spun quite a story with the little she knew." She was enjoying teasing him and it showed. "I tried to tell
them that you hog all the bed covers, eat like one of your horses, and spend far too much time on your hair but
they wouldn't listen to me." Dark eyes full of mischief, she added off handedly: "All they want to know is how good
you are in bed."
"Someday I might want to hear Eleni's version of it." He said with a chuckle. "Though I'm sure she also has theories
on how I am in bed, also. She's a very strange girl you know." He planted a light kiss on her forehead as she
teased him playfully. "So....what did you tell them?" He asked curiously, as any man would when told their
'performance' was being held up to critique.
But at least, even if he were the most disappointing lover in the history of lovers, he was assured that she'd spare
his ego and never tell him that, even if she did tell her sisters that!
"mm, I've heard." Andromache replied to his comment about Eleni with a smile. Which spread and went secretive
and smug as he asked what she'd told her sisters. Hector truly had no idea how rare and amazing he was. She
loved that about him. And she loved that she was the one that got to tell him too.
"Well," she started slowly, taking one of his hands in hers and spreading their fingers wide. "I told them you had
amazing hands." She tipped her head back to look up at him. "They'd already informed me you had the body of a
god so I really didn't feel the need to mention it again. And Eleni had already told them that you kissed me as if I
were your last breath and it always made her stomach go funny whenever you did it around her." Hector as her
lover was the same as Hector as her husband and her friend. He thought about her alone. And it made her want to
give him everything in return. She didn't need to do more than look to her own sisters to know how precious and
unusual what she had with her husband in and out of their bed was. Her face softened as she looked up at him. "I
told them that when you touch me everywhere that your touch isn't is jealous of the skin that you are touching.
That your kiss makes my heart feel empty and wide and full and complete. As if I can finally breath again. That
loving you makes my heart hurt and I've never been so happy." Her heart was in her dark eyes, soft and full of him
and she brushed fingers down his cheek. "That sometimes I forget we are two people and not one. Since they were
jealous enough already I didn't add that when you take me into your bed, you make me sigh and laugh and cry and
drive me mad and soothe me all at the same time. I thought I should spare their husbands."
"Well, no wonder they didn't listen to me over eating and hogging the blankets." He said with a soft smile as his
free hand played with a lock of her hair. Though it did warm his heart immeasurably that he had given her as much
joy as she had him since the day he came to Sparta. "So how long can we stay out here before your brother
comes looking for us?" He asked, tracing her cheekbone with his finger.
Her eyes half lidded at his caress. He did have the most amazing hands.
"This place is mine." she told him, voice low as she raised dark eyes, winding her fingers softly into the dark,
curling hair at the back of his neck. The smile she gave him was quietly triumphant, as if she'd had to win this place
for herself. "No one is allowed to bother me, or you, while we're here. Father gave it to me years ago."
"Really? Does Podes know that? Because he's dead set on being my shadow." Hector said with a grin. "And your
father has a lot in common with mine, loving the ceremonial side of being king." He was half surprised he'd gotten
out of all he had so far, it seemed like he was the latest dancing monkey in these parts, everyone wanted a peek!
"Course, if we have privacy, I can give you something to brag about to your sisters later."
"You're a hero, my love. Long before you married one of the many princesses of Thebes." She slipped the fingers
she didn't have tangled in his hair lightly down his chest before looking back up at him. "And even so, no one
would dare go against my father's promise to me and bother us here." Innocently, trying to keep her lips from
curving, she asked: "Was that last sentence a promise?"
"I'm not a hero. I'm just a mortal man who does his job well." He protested, hating that label most of all."And well,
you could consider it a promise, a threat, a declaration, an edict...whatever you want. You know that. Absolutely
anything you want, I will either give it to you or get it for you."
"I know that.” her voice was soft. She shifted to rest on her back, the grass soft and gently drew him down with her,
still looking up at him, eyes soft. "And I just want you." She cupped his face in both of her hands. Fingers stroking
along his cheeks. "The rest of the world can think you're a hero because you win battles and fight for what you
love. People need someone to look up to. It gives them hope. And it points some of them in that direction too, that
they can be heroes to someone else." She brushed the curl that always fell against the side of his forehead back.
She knew it bothered him that people put him on a pedestal.
"I think you're a hero because you warn off my snake haired mother and didn't let the stubborn wrath of a princess
of Thebes scare you away from winning over the woman you wanted." She teased and than softened, cupping his
face again and raising her own to press a soft kiss to his lips. "But I love you for being my Hector and mortal and
strong and gentle and kind and persistent and brave and open to me. More than I ever dared dream for. And I will
love you all of my life and the next one until far past the end of time." She smoothed her thumbs across his
forehead. Gentle. Eyes soft. "Will that do?"
He smiled at her and propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at her, so completely in love with this woman,
bystanders might have found it funny. "That will more than do. More than I could have hoped for myself." At one
point he was sure his parents would have worn him down and married him off to some Lycean princess for the sole
purpose of solidifying allies. To actually have the chance to pick his own wife, and have her pick him, with no
interference from their royal parents was something rare in their world. And he knew it.
"And one day I'll deserve you. That I promise you."
"Oh," it breathed out of her and sudden tears filled her eyes even as her lips tried to curve upward. Her long
fingers reached up to brush against his cheek. "Silly man." she managed, throat tight. "It’s quite the opposite. I'm
the one that doesn't deserve you."
"Hmm...so let me get this straight. You know, just because I've gotten knocked in the head a few times." He said
with a chuckle. "Here we are, the crown prince of troy, general of the mighty Apollonians, and his beautiful wife,
and they're going to argue over who doesn't deserve the other more? You know, no one would believe it, even if
they were eavesdropping. But I'm older, so respect your elders and admit I'm right."