Some will sit idly by, frozen with dread with nothing that will ease their mind. I am not this way. I have managed to do all of the possible weaving, spinning, sewing, grinding of grain, fetching water, washing, and bathing that I could do in the past few days. Trying to keep my mind only in the feelings of here and now. If I let my mind slip, I don’t know if I would be able to come back from it.
Focusing now on the small bundle in my arms, I rocked and cooed to my sweet baby boy, Astyanax. Of all people, it was him I needed to be strong for. He needed a mother who wasn’t absent minded like I have been in the past few days, dizzy with worry. Astyanax’s little head, covered with hair like golden silk, emerged from the bundle with a yawn and a smile. I smiled back at this little creature, so delicate yet I know he will be a strong man in no time.
It was just past first light and the servant girl, Aella, entered the court with pails of water for me to bathe Astyanax.
“Just there, my dear.” I said as I smiled softly in thanks. Aella bowed her head slightly and set the water next to my feet. I hum to myself as I unravel my child from his blanket. I lean over, grabbing the wet cloth from the pail and kiss his soft belly, making him sigh contentedly. I make quick work of his bath and wrap him back into his cloth.
“There you are my perfect child. Born with the face of a God you were.” Whispering sweetly in his ear as I rise to help with the making of the first bread.
With nothing left for me to do, I pace the courtyard with my child tucked neatly in my arms, fast asleep. The breeze changes and I swear I can hear the cries of men in battle.
“My dearest husband, what will I do if you do not return to me?” Closing my eyes I try to stop the images of battle from flooding my vision. With my eyes closed, I overhear the words of men outside the courtyard talking of the Greeks fighting hard against them.
“I must go to the tower.” Addressing my nurse who seemed worried. She nodded and said, “I will carry him for you then.” I agreed, not trusting my body to carry more than its own weight.
Once on the tower, looking over the wall. The sight I saw was gruesome, even from such height. Feeling faint I turned from the wall, fearing the worst of my husband.
As if he had heard my thoughts and come to relieve me of them, he just then appeared, safe within the walls below me. He smiled at me and the child. I did not smile back, still afraid of what was yet to come.
“Oh Hector, your bravery will surely kill you. Do you no longer care about your wife and child? All of the Greeks will rush you and kill you. If you die, I will truly be alone. With no family left, you are my family. Please, pity me and stay here with us so that you will live. You have done your duty and will always be the bravest of all of the chiefs.”
“My dear wife,” he said then. “Do not fret. For I will come back to you. I cannot bear the thought that my child would see me hide from the battle while the rest of the men of Troy fight. I must fight for your safety and freedom from being a slave to the Greeks.”
Hector then took the child from me and prayed that Astyanax be just as great of a warrior as his father. Handing the small child back to me I held him tightly and smiled sadly with a tear running down my cheek.
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| Photo Credits: Bertel Thorvaldsen |
“Do not worry, my dove.” He said, wiping the tear from my cheek. “No man can kill me unless it is my fate to die. No one can escape fate, brave or weak. Go now, my dear wife, make sure the maids are doing what they are supposed to, let the men take care of the battle.”
With that I turned, slowly and without haste. For I fear this is the last time I will see my husband. With every few steps, I turn again to see his face once more, until he is out of sight.
Authors Note
Thank you for reading my story! I wasn’t feeling very confident about finding something to work with in this story. It was a lot of warriors battling each other and being petty about the women they capture and praying to the Gods for them to do something about it. When I was going through my notes, there wasn’t a lot that stood out to me. Then I thought that I should write the story from someone else’s perspective. When I was thinking back to all of the people in the story, I stopped on Hector’s wife. I thought it would be an interesting idea to tell it from the perspective of someone who isn’t a main character. In one of the books I am reading for fun, there was a part about how this man was not used to being the person who waited for someone to come back from doing something dangerous. He was usually the one doing it. So, that is where I came up with the start to the story and the rest just flowed alongside the writing in the book.
Bibliography
The Iliad retold by Alfred J. Church
This is a great story. I loved it how descriptive you were in the initial paragraph, talking about the baby and the bath, your word usage was great and I could picture it in my head, seeing Hector's wife so fret with fear yet being strong for her child and once I realized that I had this story and especially from the movie Troy I could easily picture it because of your great descriptive wording. I understand the whole fearing for another while you are safe idea, but was there something in the past that made Hector's wife ultra fearful, what was there love like, did she lose someone from her past? One part that confused me is how did Hector get back within the wall, if there is a battle going on how could he possibly escape since he is the captain of the forces. If you could add a little more background on his random appearance that would improve the story.
ReplyDeleteI thought you did a fantastic job. I loved your opening (which is so true), and you included very appropriate levels of detail. I was able to picture every scene very clearly. Also, I know how this story ends, and am now kind of heartbroken. You did a good job of showing how real her loss was about to be.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting that you chose to write this in the first person. I think most myths and fables aren't so it's a change in narrative style from old stories most people are use to. I do like that you expanded on Hector's wife. She didn't get much fleshing out in the original myth. Trying to take her perspective on her worry and sorta a peak into a day in the life is always fun to think about when considering minor characters even if she didn't contribute much overall to the original story.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad, but I'm glad you write about Hector and his small family. They are my favorite next o Achilles. To me, it is very tragic for Hector to die and left his wife and son alone. It’s great that you write in first person perspective because it allows me to see the feeling and struggle of Hector’s wife. She is a good mother and a brave wife. It breaks my heart in the last scene where she stands and watches her husband to go this death.
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job in writing in the perspective of Hector's wife. The way you wrote, I can totally feel myself as her. I really liked the little details you added, for example, “smiled softly in thanks.” With the words that you chose, I understood that his wife was a soft and nice woman. I can feel the love and worry she has towards Hector and her child.
ReplyDelete