Titania of Troy

Chapter 26

Travelling through the castle at night didn't give her a lot of good memories. It made her soul feel strained and departed, especially as she limped through the corridors on her aching thigh. The muscle would heal eventually, but it would take time that they did not have.

"Hector, where are you taking us?" Aeneas asked him. The son of Aphrodite had yet to actually speak to her, though his actions on the battlefield told Titania that he was on the mend and ready to consider forgiving her.

Hector only raised his torch higher and led them into a small storage corridor on the ground floor of the palace. The four of them, Aeneas, Andromache, Paris and herself followed skittishly, unsure of what the Prince of Troy was planning. His very pregnant wife struggled down the steep staircases, but Titania held her hand tightly as Aeneas supported her. They squeezed through a few barrels of wine before coming to a large wooden door.

Hector breathed deeply, "Do all of you remember how to get here?" They all nodded, and Hector smiled grimly, "Good. This door hides a tunnel that we dug to get to Cilicia. It's barred for now, but if we need to we could empty it and escape to Mount Ida. The next time any of us come here, it will be to escape the city."

Titania shivered at the thought, "Hector why are you telling us this? The city won't fall."

Hector closed his eyes as though remembering something painful, "Just in case." The Prince of Troy made to leave again and took on the role of supporting Andromache as she wobbled back up the staircases. The others made to follow, but Titania found she couldn't.

She sat tiredly on a nearby barrel and gently caressed her injured thigh. She'd hoped it wouldn't be that bad, but her only hope for battles in the near future would be on horseback. She sighed at the thought, and then realised she wasn't alone.

"You don't have to worry about me," she chided him.

Aeneas shrugged, "We're friends, aren't we? That's what friends do."

"I take it you've decided to forgive me?"

Aeneas sat down beside her and let out a groan at his aching muscles, "Perhaps. Maybe I've just decided to tolerate you."

Titania snorted, "You've been tolerating me for years now."

To her surprise, he shook his head, "I never tolerated you. You know that."

Titania started to fiddle with her fingers on her lap, "I do, and I'm sorry I cannot give you the affection you deserve. That's what I should've told you when we fought, not implied you were lying about it."

He placed a tender palm over her nervous hands and caused them to still. He gently raised her left hand and placed a slow kiss on the back of it, causing goose bumps to erupt onto her skin, "I still hope that one day your feelings for me will change. I will wait and hold my breath until that day comes."

Titania felt a sob build in her throat as she gently placed her hand on his cheek, "Please, Aeneas, don't wait for me. One day, you're going to have children that will be noble, and wise, and they will love you and their mother very much. In my heart, I know that woman is not me."

A single tear escaped his eyes, "If she is not you then who is she? Because I cannot see myself loving another woman."

"I do not know. Something tells me that she is not here, in this city or on this beach. She is very far away."

Aeneas defiantly shook his head, "Until you marry somebody else, or your body lies cold beneath my fingers, I will care for you, unless you tell me right now that you want me to leave you alone." Titania couldn't meet his eyes, "Say it, Titania." She couldn't do it. Her heart fluttered every time he touched her. How could she tell him to leave her when he'd been by her side since they'd met? "Say it!"