Titania of Troy

Chapter 27

Pregnancy appeared to be harder than battle. Andromache was twisting and turning with blood oozing onto the bed as she shouted and yelled whilst she cried and sobbed. Hecuba, Penthesileia and an army of ladies maids scurried around the room like ants whilst Andromache writhed with the pains of her labour.

Titania didn't scurry. She merely sat next to the wailing woman and gripped her hand as tears streamed down her face at the thought of the fatherless baby about to enter into the world. Titania did not cry or shout, she merely watched with no expression as the baby finally entered this world.

Andromache gripped onto her son with such sadness that Titania couldn't take it anymore. She left the room in great pain, the image of Andromache collapsing to the floor just as Hector died echoing through her mind.

Titania ran through the corridors with no direction. Her sight was blinded by tears and a pain in her chest that felt as though her rib cage was being ripped open from the inside. She saw nobody in her path. It appeared the entire city was mourning for their lost prince.

Oh Hector.

Just the thought of his name brought her body into a series of convulsions as her lungs tried to breathe but her tears caused her to merely gasp for air as she continued to sob. Titania ran in no particular direction, but fell to the stone floor as she lost her footing. Her body hit the floor so loudly the sounds echoed off the walls. Titania's mind told her this was the throne room, but her body simply refused to obey it anymore.

She remembered when she'd first met Hector. Paris had just challenged him to a duel before any of them knew that they were related. Paris was determined to prove that he could beat a royal at his own game. Him and Hector had wrestled for mere minutes before Hector had him practically drowning in the sand as he shoved his body down. Titania had been so angry at him. Paris was the only brother she'd ever known, and Hector was hurting him so unnecessarily that it made her see red. She'd launched herself at the heir to Troy and lasted a lot longer than Paris before she was also thrown to the ground in defeat.

Since that day, she'd become his sister by divine intervention. She'd trained and trained in hopes that one day she would bring him to the ground just as he had done to her. Her hopes were nullified, because in the back of her mind she always knew that she only ever won if Hector let her. He was the fiercest warrior in all of Troy, and they'd lost him.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to whip onto her feet faster than anybody could blink. King Priam gave her space as she haphazardly attempted to gather her strength and stop her crying, but the king simply gave her a knowing look and the tears poured out again. Like a little she collapsed into her father's arms and he held her tight as her emotions poured out of her.

"Father, did I just kill my brother?" she sobbed into his robes as the vision of her misplaced arrow entered into her mind. Hector had dived to avoid it, giving Achilles the perfect opportunity. Her father merely rubbed her back, but he said nothing. Titania continued to sob, "He deserved better. He deserved a funeral, and coins for the boatman. He deserved Elysium and now he will never get there."

King Priam's arms tightened around his daughter as his anger escaped him, "He stole you brother, Titania. We must get the body. For Hector."

Titania sniffed before lifting her face from his robes and watching him curiously through her red eyes, "What do you want me to do?"

Entering the Greek camp unspotted before had been challenging enough, but dragging her father through the tall grasses and dunes without making a sound and catching the eyes of the watchers proved more difficult than before. Her father was no spy, he was king who was used to demanding attention and for his presence to be known. Sneaking was not known to him.