Chapter Two...Sneaking Off (continued)
The night was calm with a soft sea breeze coming off the ocean that was able to be felt as soon as they got over the
ridge surrounding the beach. The beach, not surprisingly, was for the most part empty, a fisherman or two was
bringing his boat into shore, pulling it up on the sand and unloading his catch of the day. The stars were out,
surrounding the brilliant moon, all shining off the clear sea, which was also calm, light waves lapping on the shore.
He got off his horse and trailed the reins, the horse was well trained and wouldn't stray. He walked a bit off on to the
beach, leaving it up to her whether or not she really wanted to get off her horse or not.
She saw the late coming fishermen and their presence reassured her. But for a while she sat on top of her
borrowed horse and simply watched the sea from that vantage point.
It had been - so long since she had ridden. Almost as long as it had been since she'd been free of responsibility
enough to disappear into the night without finding herself trailed by dozens of servants and family and friends with
questions and needs. Hector walked, stretching his legs, and she sat still and absorbed the world around her.
The moon shone down like a lighted paper lantern and the stars were so achingly bright it was as if the darkness of
the night sky was a cloth thrown across an impossible light and the stars were bits of that light that came out
through holes punched in the cloth. The breeze was cool and clear against her skin, like cool water on a hot day
and the sound of the waves whispered of secrets both wonderful and terrible. The quiet peace of the place soaked
into her bones.
Exhaling, she slipped easily off the side of the horse. Mounting again would be a bit harder but Hector seemed at
ease with her weight. Strange she could accept his help onto the horse and not feel self consciously awkward.
Mimicking him by letting the reins trail, she rested a hand against the horse long enough to unlace her sandals and
slip out of them. Smiling quietly to herself. Then she walked down to the edge of the water and lifted the hem of her
dress enough to let the waves lap up and across her feet. Delighted by this littlest of things.
"Watch out for the crabs." he said as he walked along side her in the surf. "The little buggers like to come ashore at
night, and they certainly don't like their path being interrupted." He laughed, knowing from personal experience how
much their pinching claws could hurt or injure a toe or an ankle that found itself in the crab's way.
He felt relaxed out on the beach, his horse nearby. For once the heavy responsibility of leading the Apollonians, or
the fact that someday he would be king, or protecting Paris and Cassandra from their own personal threats, were
far away from his mind.
Hector breathed deep of the night air tainted with sea salt, stretching his arms up and back, letting the joints crack,
stiff from a day of meetings and formal dinners. He hated the whole sitting and listening to people talk about
nonsense, though he knew it would be an integral part of his future life.
But for now, his father was still king, his army had the night off, and he was on the beach. He chuckled a bit,
wondering if the fishermen knew they were acting as chaperones. "I like this part of Troy, the ocean. No matter how
high you go in the city, or even to the top of Mount Ida, all you see is ocean."
"I think I will hear in my dreams for the rest of my life." Andromache murmured, as much to herself as to her
companion. She would treasure this moment that long, she knew. Looking down to watch for the tiny minions of evil
in pursuit of their single minded paths now that she'd been warned, she softly confessed:
"It’s the freedom. No matter what you are doing, the ocean doesn't care. It doesn't need you to make it through its
day and if you make a mistake it doesn't mind. It will always be. It doesn't ask anything of you. It simply is and so it
lets you simply be you as well." She pressed her lips together and their edges lifted at her addled philosophy.
Suddenly glad she was looking down at the water instead of at his face.
"I'm sorry. I'm sure that didn't make sense. You were right about the moon. It is beautiful tonight."
"It’s the same as Mount Ida, eternal." He said, looking at her in the moonlight as they idly walked through the wet
sand, occasional waves lapping at their ankles. Hector kept his sandals on, he had already been through enough
crab bites to last a lifetime, so he was leery of them. "its always something else to be surrounded by the eternal, and
knowing that you're really not. Makes time a little more precious I think." This time he caught the look of surprise she
threw in his direction.
"Occasionally soldiers are capable of deep thought, as are princes." Hector said with quiet laughter. "But don't let
that get out."
Andromache studied him from the corners of her eyes. Soldiers wore different masks over who they truly were. The
faces they showed to hide the violence and cold inside of them. She - didn't remember having ever run into one that
talked about how precious life was.
She didn't remember ever feeling safe in the presence of a man that topped her height easily and earned his way
with the sword and spear. Not late in the night. Not even her brothers. But here, now, all she felt was a deep
peacefulness. Her lips shifted at his last comment.
"No one would believe me" she agreed softly. Looking back down to mask the fleeting smile that showed she was
teasing. She skirted something that might or might not have been one of his demons of the sand, feeling the brush
of him against her arm for a moment as she did so. Fishermen long gone and forgotten about.
"I think I would like to live by the sea" she stated wistfully, looking up and out across the water. Well aware she would
have little choice. "To remember precious moments."
"Maybe not." He said with a bit of a smile at her 'no one would believe me' comment. "But as long as you believe it,
that makes tonight a good night. And you should live by the sea, it suits you." He said, gazing over at her as they
walked, seeing the breeze lift strands of her hair up around her face, her probably normally tight neat coil having
loosened at his abrupt tour of Troy. Made her seem almost relaxed, which he liked.
She was far too beautiful to carry the weight of the world on her slender shoulders, shoulders he couldn't help but
notice had pale skin that reflected the moonlight back up towards her dark hair and eyes, whenever he could catch
her eyes that is. "But I'm glad I could show someone Troy through my eyes." Instead of his fathers, which, though
the king also loved Troy, loved Troy in a different way. Priam loved Troy for its strength and durability, which Hector
respected as well. But there was so much more to it.
She looked over at him with a warm smile that spread both across her lips and through her eyes. He had so much
pride in his city. It was in his voice. In the way he looked at it. Such a great love that he even loved the mountains
and water that surrounded it.
A city needed a prince that loved it so devotedly.
Impulsive she reached out and gently rested her fingertips against his arm. Stopped walking to look up at him.
Quietly proud of him, which wasn't her place, for the way he held his city in his heart. It was rare and precious and
she hoped his people loved him for it.
"Then I am honored you chose me," she told him softly. "To share your city with." She moved her hand from his arm
to rest its fingertips lightly over his heart. He'd given her a precious gift tonight. "Thank you." she whispered.
He reached up a hand to brush the hair the sea had blown in her face back behind her ear, keeping his hand there
against the smooth soft skin of her cheek, he could almost feel his heart pound underneath her fingertips. He'd
never been affected by a woman, or anyone, before like this as he looked at her. "You're welcome."
He had to fight off the urge to kiss her here underneath the stars on the quiet of the beach, but she had had such a
stand offish way about her, he didn't want her to run. He was enjoying her company. He had heard her father talking
to his father about Sparta and marriage plans, and he decided right then and there that wasn't going to happen.
Now, of course, he had to convince her of that.