Patroclus ~ Chapter twelve

Patroclus learns of the incident with Dymas and Helios warns Aedia of Dymas's intentions for him

Chapter twelve ~ In the time of Achilles

House of Achilles, Greece, September 1190BC

"What is meant to be will always find a way" ~ Unknown

"Did he not tell you?" By the confused look on Aedia's face, he guessed that he had not "His father is Menoetius, king of the island of Opus. Patroclus was never destined for a lowly farmers daughter..." The first thought that popped into Aedia's head was why Patroclus would not tell her. Her skin paled as she processed what this could mean for her, especially with Patroclus's parents coming to visit him. Would he hide her from them? Or even if he didn't, would they approve of her? Aedia wanted to respond, to say something, but she found herself speechless.

"That is not for you to decide" The strong voice of Patroclus sounded from behind Aedia. She turned to face the direction where his voice had come from, finding him standing at the end of the Pergola walkway, the vibrant pink flowers standing out strikingly from behind him and magnifying his handsome features.

"Patroclus-" Achilles started towards him with an irritated expression, only to be stopped short by the stubborn look that had replaced Patroclus's normally soft and gentle one. It reminded Achilles of when they were boys; that when Patroclus made up his mind about something, he went ahead and did it before he could be stopped. It was usually for something foolish and that had not changed over the years, like for that damned chariot race and this girl. He only hoped that his young cousin's stubbornness and the girl stood before him would not be the end of Patroclus.

"I need to speak with Aedia alone". 

Still irritated and unimpressed with the girl who was causing his family trouble, Achilles gave a brief nod and began to walk back towards the house, pausing after passing Patroclus to glance over his shoulder and mutter "Make sure to rest" before turning away and heading back inside the house. 

Aedia was surprised at Achilles, ever since she'd met him he had been vocal about his dislike for her, but now she understood it wasn't his pride but more that he was trying to protect his cousin from the pain that their situation could cause. That hadn't changed but he put that aside for the moment for his cousin. It was strange to see the famed and fiercest warrior of Greece as a man among his family. It seemed that there were only a few who would ever see it...and fewer still who the great Achilles was close to.

After Achilles had disappeared from sight, Patroclus's eyes moved away from the flowers and hedgerows, as he hesitantly lifted his eyes to meet Aedias. 

"Is it true what he said?" 

"Yes" 

"About your destiny as well?" 

"No-" He made for her, his eyebrows raised and forehead creased, his eyes pleading "-my father may be king, but I am exiled, I can be with who I choose" 

"Why didn't you tell me?" He briefly looked away from her, his eyes moving to the ground and jaw clenching.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't think it was important. I thought that if you knew you would treat me differently and I didn't want that to happen-" He brought his eyes back up to meet hers and the beautiful blueness of them that she always loved almost made all of her anger leave her completely. "-it's probably too late now, but I'm sorry" Aedia's lips twitched into a small smile as she found herself breaking under his gaze. 

Raising a gentle hand to Patroclus's cheek, Aedia closed the space between them pressing a soft kiss to his lips, being careful not to hurt him, before pulling away and resting her forehead against his. 

"It's ok. I understand why you didn't tell me-" She opened her eyes, looking into his and taking a shaky breath in "-but I have something to tell you too" Moving away from him, she blinked away tears at the memory of what had happened in the forest with Dymas. Finding that it was becoming hard to stand, Aedia took a seat on the grass, avoiding the concerned look on Patroclus's face as he sat down beside her. 

"I went to the lake in the forest and waited for you to arrive. When I heard footsteps behind me I thought you had arrived-" Aedia paused momentarily as she turned to look over at Patroclus, finding him watching her intently, traces of worry still lingering in his eyes. "-It was Dymas whose footsteps I had heard. He knew that I was alone and he used it to his advantage-" 

"He didn't-" Patroclus's eyes widened with concern as he frowned, searching for any signs of bruising or injury gracing Aedia's pale skin.

"No, but he threatened that upon the day of my father's death I would be his wife. I managed to get away from him and to my father. After I told him what had happened I couldn't stop him, he went into the forest after him" She glanced at Patroclus fearing what his reaction would be. She had expected him to be angry at Dymas, or even upset about what had happened, but what Aedia could never had anticipated was that Patroclus would be angry at himself.

"I should have been there-" 

"You couldn't have known what would happen-" 

"That is no excuse when you needed me I wasn't there!" Suddenly, he had stood from where he had been sat on the ground. Turning to look back at Aedia, the wind blowing through his hair and brushing it away from his face.

"Did he hurt you?" 

"No-" Aedia picked herself up from the ground, taking his hand in hers and giving it a slight squeeze. "-I'm fine. I was shaken up at the time and it upset me, but I'm fine" He gave her a sympathetic smile his head tilting to the side as he looked down at her. 

"You don't have to say you're fine if you're not" Aedia lifted her free hand and placed it on top of their conjoined hands. 

"I am, I promise" He snorted, shaking his head lightly before bringing her hand up to his lips. 

"From what my aunt tells me you have been here a long time. Your father will be no doubt wondering where you are"Aedia made to protest but was cut short by Patroclus sending her a stern look as if to say 'you know I'm right'. The only sound in the gardens being that of the Birch trees leaves and branches rustling in the breeze behind them.

"Come, I will walk you back" Not moments after they had entered the Atrium did Thetis step into the room. Her wise eyes fleeting between the two of them and then falling to their conjoined hands before lifting once more to look at her nephew. 

"Is that wise, Patroclus? When mere hours ago you fell from your Chariot? The doctor said you need rest-" 

"I am only going to walk Aedia home, I don't want anything to happen to her along the way" Thetis smiled, her eyes moving from Patroclus briefly to look over at Aedia, who stood beside him. 

"I would prefer it if you sent one of the servants with her." 

"No, I will walk home on my own-" Aedia spoke up, having seen how much Thetis cared for Patroclus's wellbeing and knowing that while her house lay not far away, it did consist of climbing a lot of steep, rocky hills in order to reach it "-A lot has happened today and I need the time to think" 

"Are you sure?" Thetis asked, inching closer to where Aedia and Patroclus were stood. 

"Yes-" Aedia looked over at Patroclus who she could tell from the frown on his forehead was not happy about her choice "-I will be fine, don't worry. I promise I won't stray. I will come and visit you tomorrow." 

"Very well, but you must stick to your promise" She smiled and bid Patroclus and Thetis farewell. Lifting her light blue gown off of the mosaic floor and moving into the entrance hall, before stepping outside. She had only managed to take a few steps away from the door when Patroclus called out after her, joining her outside. 

Confused, she turned to face him, her eyes squinting to try and avoid the suns glare, for it was now low in the sky. With a soft smile gracing his lips, Patroclus made for her, the sky a deep red behind him, turning the normally turquoise, clear sea orange.

"Yes?" 

"I want you to have this-" In his hand, he held a small dagger that was encased by a leather sheath and strap. "but I don't know how to use it-" Before she could say anymore Patroclus had placed it into her hand and closed it around the daggers case. His hand then lifted to her cheek in a loving caress. 

"Don't think you can convince me out of giving it to you-" And with that, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "-as much as I hate to say it, you need to go before it gets dark" 

"See you tomorrow" Aedia only just managed to reply, her cheeks a rosy red as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. 

"See you tomorrow" Patroclus's lips lifted up into a cheeky grin as he noticed the soft blush that now adorned Aedia's cheeks, his hand sliding down from where it gently held her shoulder to her hand. Slowly, Aedia began to try to leave, reluctantly starting to let go of Patroclus's hand. Suddenly, he used the grip he had left and swung her back round to face him. With a giggle she allowed him to give her one last kiss before he finally let her leave. 

Just as she promised, Aedia did not stray, managing to reach her father's house just as night fell. Entering the house. Aedia did not fail to notice how frighteningly quiet and dark it was. Usually, by this time of night Adonia would have lit the candles, but tonight Aedia could only adjust to the lack of light as she searched the house for her father or Adonia. 

"Aedia?" Adonia's voice rang out through the dark, echoing off of the walls. Aedia followed it to Helios's room, where she found her father slumped in his chair. At her entry, he looked up, going to move but grimacing in pain and flinging himself back into the seat. 

"Aedia, where have you been?" 

"Patroclus was badly injured in a Chariot race, I wanted to visit him-" She rushed to her father's side, kneeling on the floor beside his chair and taking his hand into hers as he rode through another wave of pain. "-Adonia, why have you not sent for the doctor?" Adonia's lips parted as she went to talk, only to be cut off by Helios's deep, brash voice. 

"Because I told her not to. I don't need a doctor. My injuries are the last thing on my mind" Gritting his teeth and clenching his eyes shut, Helios motioned for Adonia to fetch some water from the red ceramic jug placed atop his bedside table. She was quick to do as he asked, soon placing a goblet in front of his mouth and letting him take a few pained sips. Pushing the goblet away from him, he allowed his head to lull back.

"Dymas warned me that for the injuries I inflicted upon his person that he would be taking me to court" Aedia frowned, letting out a gasp as she looked between Helios and Adonia for more answers. 

"And will he?" 

"Oh you can be sure he will. And if he has any say in the matter he will surely win"

Author's Note

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading and I applaud you if you got this far. Sound off in the comments what you might have liked about this chapter, what you might not have or what you thought could have been improved.

Reviews

[Karen Redburn]

I'll need to go back to the beginning and catch up on this story. What I can say from the read through is, the characters are interesting and lively. I look forward to learning more about them from the start. Clean and sharp writing which creates an easy read. Look forward to getting into this story, cheers!

[AliceBarnes]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review! I hope you enjoy my book and thank you for such a lovely comment.

[jaywolf1738]

I loved everything about this chapter, a true piece of work. Thank you Alice for giving me the chance to read your works. They really give me a good read everyday

[AliceBarnes]

Thank you ever so much you are honestly the best. Thanks again for reading and reviewing and as I said before I promise to return the favor.

[Coyote Poetry]

I look forward to reading more. A excellent tale you create. Thank you Alice for sharing the amazing chapter and story.
Coyote

[AliceBarnes]

Thank you so, so much for all of your lovely reviews! Thanks again for taking the time to read and review my work, I am glad you are enjoying my book so far. I am currently updating and I am working on the next chapter. As I said before, I will be sure to return the favor!

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good tale. I did enjoy and you are welcome..

[poetgurl]

WOW! A Very descriptive read, like the imagery and detail you put into this. So very nicely written and nicely thought out.

[AliceBarnes]

Thank you! And thank you so, so much for taking the time to read and review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.