Alexis of Sparta (Book II) - Unedited, first draft*

λα′ - Trianda Ena

Thirty-One

The ships arrived at the rendezvous island by nightfall. With a troop of war ships, we moved slowly across the Aegean Sea, much to my disdain. Even at a slower pace, my stomach did not appreciate being on a ship again. At least the weather was mild, even if the sky sagged with the promise of rain the entire time. And there was no sign of Poseidon. That alone made the trip better.

As Achilles' ship rounded the rocky shore, the sight of Agamemnon's army took my breath away. The island was surrounded by ships from all across Greece. War ships with thousands of Grecian soldiers all aiming for the impenetrable walls of Troy.

"This is a sight worth seeing," Patroclus said, coming up behind me.

"What is?"

"For once, the Greeks are united instead of fighting each other."

He leaned on the bannister, focused on the activity on shore. There was a gleam of anticipation and excitement in his gray eyes that I noticed in almost all the other Myrmidons. War is what they trained for and they were finally putting those skills to use. All because of one woman.

It made me wonder what Helen would think of the whole thing. A war spurred on by her jilted husband to win her back. The whole thing seemed a little too ridiculous but I'd heard the men talking. The war wasn't entirely about Helen. She was an excuse for Agamemnon's plans. Plans Paris had, inadvertently, brought to fruition.

"Nothing like brutal killing to bring everyone together," I said dryly. I tilted my head at Patroclus. "And you're excited for this? You never did strike me as a warrior."

Patroclus' smile widened into a dagger. "Maybe that's what I'm going for." He nudged my shoulder. "I trained with Achilles, don't forget. Oh, I would never. Not with what I know about his fate. "I should go help get the shop ready. We'll camp here for a bit and then all sail to Troy."

Patroclus turned to leave but I grabbed his hand, the reality of the journey starting to sink in.

"Patroclus, wait. I...I know you agreed to keep an eye on me but..." I worried a hole in my bottom lip as he waited for me to finish. "Just be careful. Please. Don't do anything foolish."

Patroclus lifted his eyebrows. He placed a warm, calloused hand over mine and gave it a squeeze. "We haven't even started the war yet. You don't have to worry about me. I promise."

He slipped away before I could stop him. The hardest part about being stuck in that time was the fact that I had to watch everything unfold and I couldn't stop it.

I turned back to the island, swallowing the growing anxiety lodged in my throat.

The island was more or less one giant slab of rock shooting out of the water. Whatever plants called it home were tough and spiny, used to the hostile environment. Only the huddles of grass dotting the uneven terrain provided any colour. The shoreline was white and pebbly, not exactly a great place to set up camp.

Hostile. Rough. Those words tumbled through my head as a dozen soldiers on land scrambled to greet us. A few of them eyed me in a way that triggered the prey instinct to run. An island sprawling with war-ready soldiers and barely a woman among them.

A hand came to rest on my shoulder and Patroclus smiled reassuringly at me. "No one would dare touch you. Not while you're under Achilles' protection."

"So comforting," I muttered.

Not that that mattered. I'd been training with Achilles, honing my skill with the sword. I have to say, I'd gotten pretty good. I don't drop the sword anymore and I can hold it above my shoulder. My thighs stopped throbbing after the third lesson and, just yesterday, I totally caught Achilles off guard. He'd probably deny it, but my sword definitely grazed his ribs.