For the Sake of Love [Aristeia TW] (upd. 6/2/2016)

[Alwyn]

Good chapter! I noticed that Menelaos specifically asked Paris if he would honour their alliance - and he said that he hopes that Trojans have honour. Perhaps Menelaos senses the possibility of betrayal? If Paris carries out his plan, perhaps Menelaos will be angry with himself for trusting Trojans - before being very angry with Paris, of course!

[Stavros_Kalmpou]

Aineias
Something was wrong. Aineias could feel it, but nothing could be done to prevent it. Paris had changed since their arrival at Sparta, or to be more exact, after the feast. The moment they entered the Great Halls all was fine, a moment later, Paris just stood, still like a statue, staring at the Queen of Sparta. And Menelaos was no fool, even though Paris tried to reassure Aineias that the King knew nothing of this. The Anax of Sparta had left his own city, apparently headed to Mycenae, the greatest city of the Achaeans, and the seat of Agamemnon, brother of Menelaos. What if that was a trick? A farce, to lure Paris into trying to escape, only to find Menelaos and his brother waiting for him. That would mean the end of all the Trojans' lives, from the Prince to the twin guards, Exadios and Axion. Menelaos would spare none of them. And all of this, for what Paris claimed to be love. But Aineias knew the Prince, they had been close for a long time, during which Paris had seduced half the women in Troia, the other half being either too old, or relatives.

This time, however, Aineias was not sure about what Paris felt. Helene was attractive, he would be a liar if he did not admit that, with a beautiful face, green eyes and long brunette hair, but Aineias just saw her as another woman. He couldn't stop thinking of Kreusa, his own wife back at Troia, having left her around 4 fortnights ago, to embark on this journey, which could be his last. He would remember the last night they had spent in each other's arms from time to time, and then all trouble they were going through in Sparta was not important anymore.

That moment, Paris patted him on the shoulder, as he always did, and smiled at the man.
''What's wrong?'' the son of Priamos asked, seeing through Aineias' expression ''Still doubting about our plan?''
''Yes'' Aineias nodded ''You know the risk we are taking.''
''Love is worth everything'' Paris said, calmly, and full of confidence from what Aineias could see. He looked eager to reach the temple of Zeus, where Helene would meet with him.
''Is it worth your father's Kingdom and the lives of all Trojans?'' Aineias asked, his voice revealing his anger
''If I am to spend a single hour with her, I would gladly die after.'' Paris smiled, as the two walked through the roads of Sparta, envious eyes watching them from dark windows. He was ready to die for her, yet he didn't even know if she shared his feelings.

''And what if she doesn't feel the same way?'' Aineias asked, testing Paris in a way. If he had trully fallen for Helene, he woulnd't care if she felt the same way.
''I will still love her'' Paris said, for a moment feeling sad, yet he seemed sure for what he said, which worried Aineias. ''Besides, I don't think she would have invited me to the temple if she didn't feel anything.''
''Well, I guess you have a point there'' Aineias nodded, acknowledging the truth in Paris' words. Whatever Paris felt, was intense, and would lead to a diplomatic crisis at best, or a war between the whole of Achaia and Troia. ''But next time you will be the one carrying the poor animal'' Aineias said, and pointed to the sheep he carried, meant to be sacrificed in the Temple of Zeus. It was a sweet animal, naive, and innocent, most like the children in Troia, that would suffer from the upcoming conflict. Their fathers would die, their mothers would either lose interest in life or get raped, and perhaps the children themselves would lose their lives. This madness could be prevented with only a single way, but it was too late for that, Menelaos had left for his brother's kingdom. Aineias would betray Paris, if it meant his honour would remain intact. He loved the man, like the brother he never had, but he could not follow him in this dark road.

''I know it is difficult for you to agree on the plan'' Paris said, and now his face was grim, sad ''But it is necessary, it needs to be done''
''Why?'' Aineias asked, and Paris stared at him, surprised ''There are so many women in Troia that would gladly have you in their bed. Why Helene?''
''She...'' Paris was thinking what to say, Aineias realised ''...is something different. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I deserve a try.''
''She is married, Paris!'' Aineias yelled, and instantly realised his mistake, as the locals all stopped their works, to see what the two foreigners were arguing about. ''I am not telling you what you want to hear, because you deserve to be told the truth, nothing else''
''Let me tell you another truth then, Aineias'' Paris said, with sarcasm ''She is the first woman to make me lose my sleep'' his voice had now become serious ''And I am not willing to go back to Troia without trying to win her.''
''She is not an item, to be won or lost, Paris'' Aineias said, now calmer than he was before ''She is a person, equal to us. Let's not be unfair towards women. After all, without them, we wouldn't be here.''
''Even though you are right, now is not the time to discuss this subject, right?'' Paris smiled, then looked ahead, at the temple. They had arrived at their destination.

An impressive building, built with stone, and tall as eight men, the temple caught Aineias' attention almost immediately. A statue of the god Zeus stood at the entrance, thrice the size of the average person. In typical Achaic fashion, the body of the God was muscular, with ripped abs visible, and his member in view of everybody. According to the statue, Zeus was a ''gifted'' man, yet Aineias did not look favourably upon the representation of the gods in lifeless statues. He believed in the 12 gods of the Olympus, yet this revolutionary idea of his placed him against most believers.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Nonetheless, he walked ahead of Paris, entering the temple. It was not extensively decorated inside, following the Achaean style of simple decoration. The altar was in the middle of the temple, and it was a little bit taller than its surroundings. He tried to approach the altar, when Paris grabbed his hand with power.



''Wait you fool. Caution!'' Paris whispered in his ear, despite the emptiness around them. ''How do we know it is not a trap?''
''Now you are thinking of it?'' Aineias asked, not trying to conceal his anger ''Your feelings will get us BOTH killed!''
''Shhh'' Paris hissed, and Aineias stopped talking ''Did you hear that?'' the Prince asked, but Aineias had heard nothing
''No, what is it?'' Aineias asked, staring at Paris, who had a worried look on his face
''Footsteps'' he managed to say, before Aineias noticed the figure in the darkness.

She was just as he remembered her from the feast. Beautiful, attractive, yet also humble, and modest in her clothing. Other women with her gifts, would show them off all the time. Yet she didn't, and that was a positive thing. Getting Paris to love you may be a very difficult thing on its own, but deserving that love may well be the most difficult thing in the whole world. She walked out of the shadows where she was hiding herself the whole time, and Aineias couldn't help but stare at her. She was truly a magnificent woman, true daughter of a God.

''I think it's not a trap'' Aineias managed to finally say to Paris, and hugged his friend, before the latter turned around to look at the woman he loved.
''Prince of Troia, Lord Aineias'' The Queen greeted them, and bowed, before taking a look at the son of Aphrodite. Truly, she could rival his own mother in beauty, and his mother was a godess. ''You may leave us'' she smiled, and left Aineias silent. He didn't know how to reply to this, he hadn't been intimidated by a woman at such an extent before, not even his own wife...
''Wait outside, leave the animal to me, I will do the sacrifice'' Paris commanded him, and smiled. It was clear that he was in a state of extreme joy.
''Alright.'' Aineias nodded ''If something happens, I will warn you''

Headed to the exit of the temple, Aineias could only think of the animal that Paris would sacrifice. It would be the only honourable thing the Prince of Troia would do, if all went as he hoped. After exiting the temple, he could see two guards looking suspiciously at him. He was armed, and he would fight, to give Paris enough time to achieve the impossible: Get a woman to love you, instead of unrequited, one-sided love!




The guards started closing in, one against more than twenty. Thankfully, some were stationed in the walls, so it would take some time before they could get close. He sensed movement next to him, and would have attacked the man, had he not spent many years fighting with him. Dolon had somehow managed to get to the temple. He was armed to the teeth, and could see the approaching wave of enemies, yet he still smiled, as he always did.

''1 against half the city guard is unfair.'' Dolon jested, and Aineias nodded.
''6 on the other hand is almost equal'' he said, as he whistled, and all the Trojan guards appeared. First the twins, Exadios and Axion, eager to fight, then Eresus and Apheidas. Eresus' rat like eyes were bright, as if he was enjoying the bloodlust that was about to ensue. Apheidas, however, revealed no emotions, his grim face harder than stone. And so it was, six Trojans that were about to engage an unknown number of Achaeans.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[Kleomenis]

very nice update!

[Alwyn]

Six Trojans against a lot of city guards sounds like a dangerous situation. Will the Trojans survive and, if they do, will this incident cause a war?

[Stavros_Kalmpou]

Aineias
The situation was grim, almost hopeless... How would 6 Trojans force a hundred and fifty Achaeans to retreat? At the head of the Achaeans was Antiphus, the same man that had welcomed the party to Sparte. He was a good lad, just, honourable. But if he crossed him during the fighting, he would do what he had to. He then turned to look at his companions, all ready to fight, and kill as many Achaeans as possible. Dolon, his old friend, was ready, sword in hand, his glowing green eyes scanning the enemy. As always, he was smiling, and his dark hair and beard looked bright brown, as the beautiful setting sun was visible in the landscape. The twins were fully armoured, with beautiful helmets in their heads, but the sense of fear they felt was visible, and it could not be hidden with a piece of metal. Exadios and Axion, inseperable from each other since birth. Both with long, brown hair, no sign of beard and light brown eyes, no man could seperate them just by looking at them. As long as they defeated the Achaean enemy, Aineias didn't care about which twin was Exadios and which Axion. Eresus, the last of the party, had an evil grin on his face, which worried Aineias, even though passion would be good for the fight that was about to begin. His balding head, and rat-like face weren't the most beautiful sight to set your eyes upon. But that evening Aineias was more scared of his dark, black eyes. But as long as he fulfilled his duty, Aineias would be satisfied. Apheidas, the grim but wise middle-aged man, forty five years of age, had the same, emotionless expression on his face.

''Apheidas, you go with the twins and cover the road on the left.'' Aineias ordered, and Apheidas quickly left, followed by the young men, ready to face their destiny. ''Dolon, Eresus, you stay with me.'' The Achaeans had split in two groups and were charging. The one was headed for Aineias' group, the other for Apheidas'. Fully armoured, these men were not amateurs, and seemed eager to give the Trojans a hard time. Antiphus, the leader of the Achaeans gave the signal to attack, and hundreds of Achaeans were charging towards the Temple of Zeus. Despite their numbers, they would break should their leader, Antiphus, die. The Achaeans had left their spears on a pile at the end of the road, propably they thought they were not necessary. Being underestimated by the opponent is an advantage, and Aineias was willing to exploit it to the greatest extent. Antiphus barked orders to the Achaeans, trying to organize the rabble they had turned into, but to no avail. They were already charging towards the Trojans, certain of qucik and bloodless victory over those that had insulted their Anax. They were still 20 feet away, but would soon be exchanging blows with the Trojans.

''Prepare your spears'' said Aineias, with a calm voice, despite his heart beating faster every moment. He heard Apheidas repeat the same order to the twins, and knew they were in safe hands. He then focused again on the incoming swarm of angry Achaeans, and sighed, finally realising the danger.
''So it begins'' said Dolon, eager to survive the slaughter, and prepared to launch his spear at the Achaeans
''No'' replied Apheidas from behind, grim as ever ''So it ends...''

Aineias could sense there was something weird in Apheidas' manners, yet hadn't searched the subject, and was curious about the man. He never visited the whores, never lied, never plotted to rise higher. A truly curious case of a man, yet Apheidas' past was not of the essence at the time, for the Achaeans were coming closer every moment. Aineias felt like fleeing, leaving Paris and Helene at the mercy of Menelaos, and escaping the city with the rest of the Trojans. He would lose his honour, yet he would prevent the death of hundreds -if not thousands- of men, women and children, soldiers and mere farmers as well, nobles and slaves alike, but he would lose his best friend, and this strange, beautiful woman, who he knew for so little, yet felt so intrigued about her. No... What would life be without his best friend? He would fight for him, to his last breath if need be, and then return to Troia victorious, dead or alive.

''Ready your spears'' Aineias shouted, with a voice that echoed across the streets of Sparte, and gave his lads' confidence. The Achaeans, however, continued without hesitation, eager on their sheer numerical advantage, perhaps arrogant. But signs of arrogance from the enemy would be very helpful for Aineias right now... ''Aim'' he barked the order, and he himself searched at the mass of the Achaeans for any soldier bolder than the rest, in order to take out a perhaps serious challenge from a safe distance. He saw one, a feet or two ahead of the rest, two heads taller than the rest, and very muscular. Should Aineias allow this one to reach the Trojans, he would certainly kill at least one, before his own demise. The Achaean's face was red for some unknown reason, perhaps such was his lust for battle? Aineias did not know, nor did he care. He only knew that this man had to die, be it by his spear or by his sword, no big difference.

''Fire'' he shouted, and launched his spear towards his target with great speed, full of fury. A moment later, the man was dead, with a spear in the space between his eyebrows. At least he died instantly, and felt no pain or suffering. He looked around him, his comrades had fired their own weapons, and all of them had found their mark. ''Prepare your blades'' Aineias yelled, and unseathed his own. It was a fine weapon, given to him by his mother, and made by Hephaistοs, the blacksmith of the Gods. The Trojans followed his lead, and the bloodlust that was about to ensue would shake the relations between the people of Hellas. Because, despite the slight differences in architecture, it would be stupid to say that Trojans and Achaeans were not both one nation, the Hellenic one. Same Gods, same language -with minor changes in some words, different dialects-, same traditions and moral qualities, same type of building -only with Troia being more lavish-. They were one, not different, but the upcoming war would surely change that.

''For Troia! For Priamos! For Hektor!'' he roared, and prepared his shield for the incoming Achaeans. The rest of the Trojans repeated Paris' roar, and in their voices determination and courage was clear -except for Apheidas, as always-. The first wave of Achaeans had now reached their ranks, and the first clashes of metal could be heard. Three Achaeans were charging towards Aineias, a lust for bloodlust clearly expressed on their faces. If he could push one back, kill one while blocking another's attack, then finishing the other two off, he would make it. He started running toward them, scanning for any weaknesses on their armour, and he found openings in the arms and the neck. The Achaeans had now split up, with one coming from the left, another from the center, and the last one from the right, still eager to spill some Trojan blood. They were a moment's distance now, and Aineias had came up with a plan to take them out, and charged forth, with pride feeling his heart with energy. He quickly repelled the attack from the attacker coming from the left, knocking him backwards on the side, while clashing his sword against the blade of the right one. He then turned his body to the right, and attacked swiftly at the Achaean's left foot, resulting in a deep cut, which made the man kneel and scream in agony and pain. He quickly decapitated the enemy, sparing him the suffering, then turned to face the Achaean coming from the centre, and had Aineias delayed a single moment, the son of Aphrodite would have lost his own head, but the Trojan managed to block the enemy's blow with his shield, and, within a moment, pushed his sword through the unlucky Achaean's neck, and blood poured out of his mouth. He then turned around, remembering the last one, who attacked from the left, but Dolon had taken him down it seemed. Aineias glanced at his friend, and smiled. Then, he looked around him, Achaeans in every corner. It was madness, chaos... It was the first day of the greatest war the world would see.



''We must stick close to one another!'' Dolon shouted, while exchanging blows with an Achaean ''Otherwise we are doomed!'' he added, and finished his opponent with a stab through the heart.
''Come near!'' Aineias yelled in the midst of combat, at the same time stabbing an enemy in the stomach ''And call Eresus for Zeus' sake!'' he said, pointing at the rat-like Trojan, who seemed to fend off the Achaeans fine on his own. Aineias quickly turned around, and two more were charging towards him. The one in the left was short and lean, whereas the other one tall and muscular. Aineias then, threw his sword at the short one, and hit his enemy at the chest, forcing him to kneel, blood coming out from the mortal wound. The tall one glanced at his comrade, yet didn't lose heart. On the contrary, he seemed more enraged and eager to engage the Trojan, and thus moved faster near Aineias. The son of Aphrodite looked around him, looking for something to use as a weapon, and he found many among the corpses of the Achaeans. He picked the one closest to him, and prepared for the attack. The sword was not of good quality, not even comparable to a mediocre Trojan blade, yet Aineias would have to survive with it. He looked up, and the Achaean had already prepared his attack. Aineias blocked it off with his shield, and tried to stab the man at the stomach. However, the Achaean dodged the attack and pushed Aineias, making him lose his balance and fall. He felt dizzy, what he could see was blurry, and his ears could barely hear anything clearly. Yet, in the midst of chaos and war, he heard a familiar voice, Dolon! Instictively, he rolled aside, and his vision was now clear, and saw the Achaean's sword stuck were he was a moment ago. He quickly rosed to his feet, and started a sprint toward the enemy. He jumped, and the Achaean stood in awe, not believing Aineias' reaction and speed, and the Trojan took advantage of the opportunity, and pushed his sword through the man's right eye, making him scream in agony and pain, the sword still stuck in the area where his eye used to be. Aineias ignored his pleas for a quick death, and left him crying, aproaching the other Achaean he had killed, picking up his blade, then looked back, only to see Eresus having moved to an open area, something like a plaza, taking on the enemy by himself, and then Dolon aproached him.



''We can't help him!'' Dolon said, knocking a man unconscious with a hit on the head -with the tilt of the sword- at the same time, and stabbing another in the guts ''They will kill him, he is a fool!''
''I know'' Aineias replied, while fending off the furious attacks of two Achaeans ''But he has fought well, I will give him that!'' he exclaimed, before taking the one Achaean's head in a single strike, and hitting the other in the face with his shield, making him lose his senses. He looked at Eresus, laughing like a maniac while killing his opponents, and sighed.. He had to choose, where would he go with Dolon, to help Eresus, or to assist Apheidas and the twins? But before he could decide, he heard a sound behind him, and turned around, only to see Antiphus, the commander of the Achaeans, walking towards him, slowly, clearly not in a hurry. 5 Achaeans followed him, with dark, cruel eyes.
''Dolon'' Aineias said calmly ''Go help Apheidas and the twins, leave these to me.'' he added, and prepared himself for the duel that would decide the outcome of the whole fight. He glanced back, and saw Dolon joining Apheidas and the twins, providing some much needed help.



He smiled, then looked back at Antiphus, who had a face calm, not revealing any emotions. He looked around him for any possible weapons he could use, to take out some of the Achaeans from a safe distance, and then face Antiphus in a fair duel. He noticed the sword of the man he had decapitated earlier, as well as his head. He then smirked, and looked at Antiphus, still marching, without a single pause. He had to make them pause their advance, to find a ruse. Aineias seathed his sword, and laid his shield down.
''Antiphus'' he shouted, smiling ''We can work something out, right? There is no need to spill more blood!''
''It is too late for that'' Antiphus replied, stopping his march, his guards following his example ''We let you in our city, fed you, took care of you, yet you spat on that! Your spoiled Prince wanted more! If he surrenders himself, as well as our Queen, then you will be free to go. But I can not let this insulting coward escape. I am sorry, my friend, Achaeans, kill him!'' the Spartan roared, and the five Achaeans charged with fury in Aineias' direction. Aineias sighed, and quickly caught the sword he had noticed earlier, throwing it at one Achaean, hitting him in the chest. Simultaneously, he kicked the head he had also noticed to another one of his opponents, pausing his charge. He then spotted that the man he had knocked unconscious earlier had a sword, and picked it up, prepared to engage the three Achaeans -plus the one left behind-. He quickly mortally wounded one with a cut in the throat, while pushing another back with his shield. Then he dealt a painful blow to the remaining one, penetrating his stomach with the blade. Afterwards, he turned to the one he had pushed back, and killed him by pushing his shield against his throat, with blood exploding. In the end, he turned to the latecomer, and threw the blade, which hit him in the forehead, killing him instantly.



He glanced back, only to see Eresus falling before the bulk of Achaeans surrounding him, and that hurt him. Aineias and Antiphus, the only remaining survivors on that area of fighting had distanced themselves from the battlefield, and were located in a quiet road, without any other Achaeans or Trojans. It was the calm, before the storm, a storm that would decide the outcome of this battle. He looked at his enemy, scanning for any signs of weakness, and he found none. He was fresh whereas Aineias was exhausted, had a spear and a sword whereas Aineias only had a blade, was muscular compared to the Trojan, and so on...
''Surrender Aineias'' Antiphus shouted, his shoulder-length brown hair shining under the setting sun ''Surrender and you shall be left alive, free to go to Troia, to your family'' he concluded, and made no move to unseath his sword.
''Never'' Aineias proudly exclaimed, despite the generous offer of his enemy ''Six members of my family are still here, waiting for me.'' he added, and unseathed his sword.
''A noble claim'' Antiphus noted, with a friendly tone ''I am proud of having the chance to fight such a person, thank you'' and bowed his head
''The same can be implied for you, my friend'' Aineias smiled, and took a deep breath.



Both charged towards each other, with Antiphus throwing his spear at Aineias. It got through the shield, and hit the Trojan in the upper arm, above the elbow. Aineias kneeled, the pain distracting him from the incoming charge of the Achaean. The wound was deep, and needed special treatment immediately, yet he had to survive this duel if this was to happen. He broke the spear, and removed it from his shield, to begin with. He had no time to remove the piece remaining in his arm, for Antiphus was next to him, delivering the final blow. Aineias' battle instict returned to him, and rolled over, only suffering a minor cut in the right calf. He screamed in pain, yet rose to his feet, determined to fight, despite barely being able to stand.
''Let it end, Aineias'' Antiphus said, calm, not even sweating ''I give you my word, you will be free to go to Troia!''
''Never'' Aineias growled, and charged, trying to hit Antiphus, yet failing miserably. The Spartan simply dodged his attacks, trying to speak to him at the same time.
Aineias continued his attempts to deliver a succesful attack on Antiphus, but still achieved nothing. He couldn't do this anymore, he was too exhausted by the wounds he had sustained. He kneeled, trying to breathe, with his eyes wide open, and then fell down, barely conscious. He knew it, he had lost, he had failed Paris, he had failed Hektor, he had failed Troia.



All he wished for now was a quick, and painless death.
''Make it quick, Antiphus'' he stuttered, blood coming out of his mouth
''No'' the Achaean replied, and seathed his weapon ''I am a man of my word, and I promised you-'' he stopped suddenly, and fell on his knees, an arrow through his throat. Aineias noticed Paris at the temple's entrance, his bow at hand. Aineias used to call it a Coward's weapon, yet it had saved his life. He glanced at the main area of fighting, and saw the Achaeans fleeing, and all the Trojans -except Eresus- alive and well. He smiled, and removed the shaft of the spear from his arm in a single move. Everything turned black, he was fainting. The last thing he saw before he passed out was Dolon and Apheidas carrying him to the safety of the Temple.
There was no return from this now.... War would be brought to the shores of Troia, and it would be the greatest in the history of mankind.....

[Stavros_Kalmpou]

very nice update!

Thank you my friend!

Six Trojans against a lot of city guards sounds like a dangerous situation. Will the Trojans survive and, if they do, will this incident cause a war?

Indeed it is! Check the new update for the outcome
P.S. Sorry everybody for the delay, school... But I have returned

[Alwyn]

Welcome back, Stavros_Kalmpou! A dramatic return indeed. I like the contrast between 'So it begins/So it ends' and the line with three 'he had failed' phrases - nicely done! I'm looking forward to the continuing tale of this truly epic war.