Holding My Last Breath

Chapter Thirteen- Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Kyte squeeled with happiness as Pat made numerous faces at him. The child sat up, clapping his tiny hands together, blanket wrappped around his waist. The courtyard was deserted save the two boys and Achilles. He sat on the ground off to the side of his sons, smiling brightly.

As easily as Pat got into making faces, his attention was caught by a butterfly on the flowers. He wandered around the bushes, leaving his brother content with clapping his hands together. Kyte's eyes focused intensely on the motion of his fingers as they hit one another. He looked up to Achilles and grinned, giggling happily. Going on all fours, he crawled to him, lifting his hand to signal he wanted to be picked up.

Achilles swept him up into the air, holding him above his head. Another round of giggles echoed through the palace as Kyte was lowered to his daddy's shoulder. He laid his head against it, patting his hands lightly on him. Achilles rocked side to side for a bit, eyes following Pat as he chased the butterfly around the garden.

At three and a half, Pat was as independent as could be. He talked well and often voihis his ideas and needs when they came to mind. He continued around the path, almost to his dad and brother when he stopped. Hiss fos focused on the entry way from the courtyard to the dinning hall.

"Pat?," Achilles asked, not looking to where his son's vision laid. "Pat what's wrong?" He watched Pat's expression change from confusion to joy.

"Momma!" He bolted past the two on the ground and into his mother's arms. Briseis lifted him with no trouble and hugged him close. He kissed her cheek sweetly, reveling in her smile and caresses. "Momma, Kyte tried to walk!"

"He did?" She walked into the garden, sitting down with Pat in her lap. Achilles smiled and went to kiss her. But Kyte got there first. He leaned into his mother, grabbing her shoulder and smiling. Pat shifted into Achilles' lap as she took her littlest. Kisses were exchanged and Kyte gladly leaned into her chest.

"He's walking now?"

"Only a few steps," Achilles replied, ruffling Pat's haoftloftly. "He's holding onto the table sides and chairs for balance, but nothing big yet." Briseis looked dispondent; she wasn't here to see him try to walk. She felt like she missed something big in his life. Achilles leveled her chin up to his and kissed her deeply. She submitted willingly, missing the taste and touch of her husband.

She leaned into him, Kyte playing with the ties on his shirt. "How was my mother?"

"She's doing wonderfully. Settingly in for yet another winter. All she talked about was you and the boys." She watched Pat examine the rose bush nearby, careful not to grip the thorns again. "The weather is so much warmer down there. I thought I'd die of heat." Achilles gave a small laugh, stroking her hair back.

Briseis recovered very slowly from the illness. She was barely able to support her own weight even after three weeks in bed. But she refused assistance. Achilles always walked with her, watching to see if she would fall. She slipped once or twice, but always landed in his arms. He would carry her sometimes, but always to her chargrin.

Now she was almost the same weight as before only a bit more muscular. He trained her a bit with the sword, wanting her to be able to defend herself if anything should happen. To his surprise, she picked it up quickly and ran with it. Briseis even disarmed him a few times. Now she looked healthier, smiling and laughing as her children grew before her.

"She still wants the boys to come and stay with her for while this winter," she said, tracing Kyte's cheek softly with her fingertips.

"Do you think they could handle that?"

"I'm very sure they could. I just don't think I could handle that." The blue and brown of their eyes met and meshed. He knew she wouldn't want them to be away for so long, but Thetis wanted to spend time with her grandchildren. Briseis agreed long before she left for the coast and she wouldn't go back on her word. "I'll miss them terribly."

"They'll miss you too," Achilles said softly, kissing the top of her ear lobe.

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Briseis finished putting Kyte to bed and sat out on the balcony, overlooking the Aegean. It was a cool night, the white clouds now gray, blotting out tiny sections of the sky. Her mind was busy at work, thinking about everything the boys would need while with Thetis.

While she was there, she realized Thetis already knew she would say yes. The room had been prepared with almost everything they needed. And their grandmother would be staying in the room right next to theirs, the door connecting them always open. A few small tokens: the blanket each of the boys had, their toys, clothes would go with them.

She thought about each of her sons. Patroclus was growing up so fast. He spoke clearly and took up his parents' nature for adventure. He learned by doing, not neccessarily the best of techniques, but he was learning. Everyday, he looked more and more like his cousin. She could see this in Achilles' eyes: he watched every move, every gesture, every word with a remincent gaze, like he saw all of this before.

Kytelus reminded her of her brother and cousins in so many ways. She watched him play, eyes attached and connected to each movement by him and all others. He smiled often, never shying away from tears when hurt. In a way, he resembled Hector and Paris; his brown curls grew thick and lush, his eyes dipped into the deep brown of his Trojan heritage.

The thought of Paris and Hector brought her to another train of thoughts. She heard sparce things of the Trojan survivors over the last four years. They had made settlement far away from Troy, in central Italia. Rumor had it that a young Trojan soldier, not Paris, led them. The prince supported and helped, but did not claim rule over his people.

More rumor of the birth of the child of Helen and Paris a year ago. Many people looked down upon them as shameful and adulterous. Those same people looked upon the widow of Hector with kind, sympathetic eyes. Supposedly, she had sworn never to marry again, raising their son alone with her brother and sister in law.

Curiously, her heart did not ache at these rumors and stories. She knew they would survive, Trojans are Trojans. She knew that Andromache would never marry again and that she would have a little cousin by Paris and Helen. (She suspected that they would not stop at just one child either.) The memories of Troy were disheartening, but her life here kept pain at bay.

She had a new life: mother, wife, princess. She loved her children with all of her being and gave her heart and soul to Achilles. She was taken care of and protected, never afraid of anything that could happen.

Achilles touched her cheeks lightly, stroking the soft skin. She closed her eyes, letting the slow movement rock her face into his palms. She savored the calloused skin gently playing on her silkened face.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," he said jokingly, running his fingers through her hair briefly. She kept her eyes closed as he pulled her up off the sofa and into his arms. She was so tired from the trip, but felt no strain to kiss him with as much passion as he gave. Achilles sensed her lack of energy and carried her to the bed.

She curled into his chest, enjoying the warmth of his tanned skin and relaxed muscles. He kissed her forehead, stroking her hair back out of her face. They both slept soundly, the gentle breeze staved off by their embrace.