Chapter Twenty....Escape (continued)
"You really would have pushed me over?" He asked with a chuckle. "Really?" He chuckled again at the thought of
giving his captains and the doctor a chase. Then he picked her up easily and hopped back off the railing. His chest
was still sore, don't get him wrong, but it was a lot better and he could push through it easily.
"Okay, then lets go see if Mother's up to babysitting her favorite grandson." Okay, so Astyanax was her ONLY
grandson.
"Hector!" she tried to sound disapproving but the fact was she loved when he picked her up. And he knew it. "Put
me down!" she laughed. It was bad enough she was being such a push over for the restless look in his dark eyes
and helping him break the doctor's orders of bed rest by fleeing the city. Helping him strain his shoulder carrying her
around wasn't part of the plan. "You can carry Astyanax instead" she teased.
Hector laughed but finally put her down then leaned down to pick up his son, who had snoozed through everything,
including his mother's tirade against his father. "That’s okay." He said, grinning at her. "I know as long as I'm holding
him you won't push me over, so he's my new security blanket."
"My husband's such a clever man." she teased, slipping a kiss across his cheek before they headed for the door.
It wasn't easy reaching Hecuba's room without running into anyone. Word spread like wildfire in the palace and a
single servant could tip off the guards who would tell their captains. Or tell a steward with about the same results for
Andromache. She couldn't believe she was helping sneak her husband out of the city. By the time they reached his
mother's apartments, it was all Andromache could do to stifle the laughter. It wasn't quite as mad as practicing
exercises on the railing but she hadn't snuck around the palace this way since she had first come here as a visitor
and Hector had forever been finding ways to whisk her somewhere new out from under the noses of her family.
The queen had been reading a letter from one of her sisters when she heard the outer door to her apartments open
and she set it down on her table and walked into the sitting room to find her son looking cheerfully guilty and her
daughter in law sneaking a last peek out the door they'd just come through. Her grandson, gift of the gods,
considering the trouble his parents appeared to be working on, slept peacefully in his father's arms.
Hector kissed his mother's cheek affectionately. "Mother." He said. "as you can see I'm up and around, just fine. So...
Andromache has agreed to let me escape the city for a bit. Could you watch the baby?" He asked, turning little boy
eyes on his mother, his eyes were like his father's in the way they could convince most people to do what he
wanted. Paris had the same eyes. Difference was, Hector used them less frequently and for different causes.
Hecuba took her grandson with a smile. "I take it this is a secret?" She asked, amused.
"Of the most secretive kind." Hector said. Hecuba looked at Andromache to make sure this was Andromache's idea,
and not something her son had convinced her into.
Andromache looked at her mother in law with a guilty smile.
"Its actually safer for him than the alternative." she agreed, stepping closer to press a kiss to her son's forehead.
She should feel bad about it but this past week of having her husband and son both so close by had been a guilty
pleasure of hers. She kissed Hecuba's cheek as well.
"We're going to go out for a while, just to get away from everything. I don't know when we'll be back. Do you mind?"
"Andromache." her mother in law chided, fitting her perfect grandson into the crook of one arm so she could shoo
them both off with the other hand. She loved her daughter in law like a daughter. For the girl herself and for what
she knew the girl did for her son as well. Things had become much easier in the household since her oldest boy had
brought the Thebes princess back to stay with them. "Go. Astyanax and I will sit here and amuse each other. And
maybe take a bath later." She stroked his downy cheek with an indulgent smile and then made the shooing motion
again. "If anyone comes looking for you I'll tell them you're sleeping. Now go on." Hecuba lifted her cheek for her
son's kiss and then chuckled quietly to herself as they disappeared out the door again. Sighing wistfully.
Andromache was lucky. But then again, so was her son.
"Thank you." Hector said, kissing his mother's cheek then his son's head, then took his wife's hand and ushered her
out before she could come to her senses and try to confine him to bed rest again.
They made it to the stables, using the secret ways Hector knew all too well, locking the door behind him until they
were ready to ride out.
"Trust me on one horse or still afraid I'll take advantage?"
"Given the mood you're in," Andromache stated innocently. "I suspect you might try to take advantage of me."
She shouldn't be doing this. And she most certainly shouldn't be letting her husband, who'd already proved he was
insane, do this either. But she knew exactly what he was feeling now that he was starting to feel better and the rest
of the palace thought he should still be tied to a bed. And, for herself, it wasn't helping that she hadn't been outside
the wall so Troy since she'd been only a few months pregnant with Astyanax. That lack wasn't helping her will power
when it came to resisting the delighted mischief in her husband's eyes.
And it wasn't helping that she'd missed being able to sneak out of the city with him either.
"So let's take one horse." she suggested cheerfully, moving over to join him.
He nodded with that same grin and blanketed a horse quickly, put her on it then got on behind her. "I stand by my
original statement," he said with a chuckle. "You're a bad influence."
But he carefully led the horse through the narrow alley ways, nodding to the occasional person they passed with a
finger held up to his lips. Shhh..his gesture said. this is our secret.
There was no mistaking the looks of glee they received. This city was as bad as she was, Andromache decided. She
was hardly the one in the relationship that was a bad influence. Hector had them all in love with him and the fact he
was making them a part of his 'great escape' no doubt simply endeared him more. She was laughing quietly by the
time they reached the gate and the startled guards were jumping to attention at seeing their prince, apparently
complete whole, going out for a ride. Andromache leaned down to ask one of them about his son while the others
ran to open one of the smaller side gates. No doubt this was going to be the topic of discussion at dinner tonight,
she thought. How the prince of Troy took a spear to the chest and recovered completely in little over a week.
Sometimes it was hard to believe that Hector couldn't do the impossible like that through his simple, stubborn
determination.
The gate opened and he at least walked the horse sedately out of it. She couldn't help but wonder how long that
would last. Glancing around, comfortable with his strong arms around her, and the feel of his chest against her
back, she asked:
"Where are we going?"