Titania of Troy

Chapter 19

Titania feared what tomorrow would bring.

The war could be over in seconds, or it could take hours. She wondered if Menelaus would keep to his word, or if he would kill Paris and attack them in any case. It was no shock that he'd accepted their proposal. What surprised them was that they withdrew their forces from the siege.

The enemy was regrouping.

Titania and Hector and mulled over it for hours but eventually had come to the same conclusion: Menelaus would not come alone. Thankfully, the Greeks abandoning the siege meant that they could send their farmers out and gather reinforcements from the countryside. The Greeks hadn't seen their full force yet. When they come tomorrow, they'll face an undefeated army.

Still, Titania's mind was plagued with worries. She'd trained her soldiers nonstop for days now, but this was the night before a possible battle. They deserved to spend it with their wives, which left Titania with nothing to do but think.

Walking through the palace brought her a sense of peace. Every corner reminded her of old times, when joy was plentiful and her family was together. Now, times were harder. Not everybody was so fond of each other anymore. She recalled a time when she, Hector, Aeneas and Paris would take to the streets to cause mischief. Hector and Aeneas commanded armies now. Paris had started a war. She'd fallen for a Greek.

The gardens had always been beautiful at night. The moonlight caused all the white petalled flowers to shine like stars. Starshine. Titania remembered Artemis, the goddess who'd demanded Iphigeneia's life for war. The more this war continued, the more Titania understood. Men should not take life if they do not understand loss. Perhaps Artemis had hoped Agamemnon would be deferred from his war. She was wrong.

A woman hurried into the garden.

Titania squinted her eyes. She was hidden in the shadows, and the woman did not see her. She wore a dark cloak, though the pearly white silk of a chiton peaked out below the hem. Titania shuffled closer. She wasn't running, but her haste was evident. She wasn't on a leisurely stroll like the daughter of Apollo. Titania saw a flash of blond hair.

Her eyes widened and her anger spiked. Titania whirled out from the shadows and intercepted the woman with such speed she hardly believed it herself. Titania's warrior instincts kicked in and she grabbed the woman by her chiton and forced the hood off of her head.

"Helen." Titania couldn't keep the snarl from escaping her. "What are you doing? Out to kill more of our servants?"

Helen was crying. Her face was red and blotchy but she was still the only woman Titania knew who cried beautifully. It annoyed her.

Helen sputtered out in frantic sobs, "You must let me go! If I go back, it will end!"

Titania didn't let go of the wailing woman. Instead she rolled her eyes, "Too late for that, Queen of Sparta. The war's begun, and Agamemnon never came here for you."

The woman shook so much Titania could feel it just from where she held the white chiton, "Please, Titania, please. I can't have him die for me!"

"He won't die!" Titania barked.

"Menelaus will kill him! I can't let that happen!"

Titania looked into Helen's eyes and saw the truth. Perhaps Helen really did love her brother, but Helen's love was selfish. She would start wars for love. She would abandon her lover on the night he needed her most. She did what she thought was in the name of a power greater than her own. Titania nearly scoffed at the thought. No wonder Aphrodite liked this woman.

Titania realised that she was stopping Helen from doing what she'd wanted her to do all this time. She'd always wanted to Helen to leave. Perhaps now it was clear that she and the Queen of Sparta had both blamed the same person. It was clear to both of them that it no longer mattered who Helen belonged to.