Holding My Last Breath

Chapter Seven- Changes

Achilles watched Briseis as she spoke to Penelope. Her voice was soft and sweet, gesturing lightly and fluidly. Odysseus came to take part in a treaty meeting that was in the nearby city. Penelope volunteered to stay at the palace with Briseis so neither would be lonely. He was happy she was there, all things considered.

"I don't expect this will take long," he said, taking a sip of wine and turning to Odysseus. "They seem rather eager to just review terms and sign. It probably wasn't worth your leaving Ithica."

"Nonsense, Achilles," Odysseus replied. "I would rather be here for a quick signing than be farther away if it goes sour. Besides, they want me to mediate on a few things, so I had to come." Odysseus was one of the wisest men on the Earth. His skills of mediation and conversation were renouned. It was he that made the final settlements with all the nations when Troy fell. He made sure that if the survivors needed help, it would be available.

He watched as Achilles gaze kept shifting back to his young wife. Odysseus knew her only by actions. He knew that Agammemnon took her from Achilles for his own pleasure; she was the stipulation for Achilles' return to battle. He knew that Achilles only agreed to enter Troy to retrieve her, nothing more.

Now that he had met and talked to her, he understood why Achilles cared so much for her. And how much she had changed Achilles. He was still the egotistical warrior he had always been, but that was perminant damage. He now smiled, a rare thing from before, and openly spoke about peace and non-violent solutions. He always favored them, but he also always craved battle.

"You're this bad and she's only that big?," Odysseus quietly joked. Achilles shot him a look then flashed a guilty smile. "Its only going to get worse from here, trust me. The bigger she grows, the more protective you become." Achilles nodded in total agreement.

Briseis' hand rested lightly on her rounded belly. She was five months pregnant with their first child and showed it. She seemed to radiate beauty even more in this state. She moved slower, but still as gracefully as ever. She hummed to the babe that grew within her, soothing it to sleep every night.

Achilles became different as well. At first, it was sheer excitement. His dream of being a father came true only a month after marrying the perfect woman. But it excitement went to protective quickly. He watched how much she ate, her movement, her moods, everything. It drove Briseis mad at first, but she settled into it. She knew that even after thild ild was born, he would be insanely protective of the two of them.

"She refuses to stop doing some things that aren't good for her," Achilles replied in a low voice. He didn't want Briseis to hear him; she was too involved with her conversation to notice. "I say anything and she gets so angry she starts to cry."

"At least it takes you saying something. When Penelope had our first son, she would hate me for days on end and suddenly want to talk to me again. I think that's the reason I'm so alert around her even to this day." The laughed at this; two men, both cunning and skilled warriors, confused and blinded by women and children.

"Have you thought of any names?," Penelope asked to them both.

"I have," Briseis said, rolling her eyes. "But Achilleesn'esn't like them."

"They don't suit," he said in return, locking eyes with his wife. She lowered her eyes at him, then smiled.

"That's okay," Penelope said. "We didn't have a name for our son until an hour after he was born. Most people change their minds at the last minute anyway. Once you see your child's face, its a different story." She leaned back, smiling at Odysseus.

"We had the name, Merianie, for our daughter, ever since she had our son," Odysseus started. "Wanted it so y, by, beautiful name and everything. We saw our daughter and immediately neither of us liked the name."

"How did you come to her name?," Briseis asked, taking ae ofe of fruit.

"Odysseus' mother wanted to have a daughter named Chyristane. We changed the last letters and we had Chyristine. (note: pronounced Shear-is-tine; tine sounding like shine) I think it much better for her."

Briseis laid in bed, waiting for Achilles. Her one hand behind her head, the other on her belly. She closed her eyes and imagined her child's face. She knew her expectations would change over time, but she knew the child would have eyes like Achilles, maybe his mother's. She was sure of that much.

The winter winds died down and she knew spring wasn't too far away. She was happy the birth would be in the summer time. Winter births are the worst she was told.

Achilles shut the door behind him and quickly stripped. He extinguished the light in their room and joined her in bed. She laid against him, the soft material of her night gown tickling his bare skin. He laid flat on his back, Briseis turning onto her side. Her stomach created a bulge beneath the sheets.

"Have you thought of any names?," she asked, her hand finding his.

"I have, but I don't know if they are right," he said, kissing each of the fingers laced with his. He saw her interested expression in the darkness and continued. "I want to name the baby after someone....lost."

"Lost?"

"Someone who died."

"Oh. Who?" She watched him hesitate for a moment and knew the name. "You want to name it Hector?"

"It would be a memory for your family," he said, explaining himself when he really didn't know how to. He liked the name and knew it stood for strength and courage. "The baby will never know him and it is wrong that they should only know his name in passing. If its a boy, I want to name him for your cousin."

"And if its a girl?"

"Same situation; for someone who's died. My mother's friend Tytinane. She was like an aunt to Patroclus and I. She died in an attack when I was thirteen." Briseis nodded and smiled at him. Her fingers traced his hairline repeatedly, softly touching the loose hair.

He took this oppertunity to look her over, as was customary for him now adays. She filled out more now, not as skinny as she was at Troy. Her face was jovial, light from her smile and eyes radiating everywhere. Her torso changed the most obviously. Her belly was rounded, protruding through even the loosest of dresses. She wore the same style dress which included a low cut neckline that showed her now swollen chest. If ever there was temptation, that was it for him.

Briseis had her share of scary moments in the beginning of this child's exsistence. Instead of gaining weight, she lost a lot. He could visibly see where bones connected on her body beneath her skin. He held her in the lightest of touches, afraid at any more strength, she would shatter into a thousand pieces. His mother, Thetis, helped her to regain the weight by proper eating and herbal remedies. Once she got to a certain point, she was fine.

Then came a small batch of mood swings. For a while, she wanted to be left alone. He respected her request, watching her from a distance. At night, however, she curled into his arms, grasping tightly at his hands and arms.

He came back from memories as her hand slid down his cheek and onto his shoulder. She was fast asleep in his arms. Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed her wedding ring. Everyday he woke with her next to him, it thanked the Gods for it. He closed his eyes slowly, touching her belly lightly.

"I'm going to be fine, Achilles," Briseis said for the eigth thousandth time. "You won't be gone for that long, and you aren't that far away. If anything happens, you can be here in a flash."

"Five hours at top speed," he grumbled. She rolled her eyes and squeezed his hand, kissing the arm she leaned against. She knew he would be like this and it there was little arguement to be had.

Briseis was now into the end of her eigth month and her belly was big. It was harder to move now, but she enjoyed every second of it. Within, the baby kicked and twisted, trying hard to be comfortable squished inside her body. Achilles was there when she first felt kicking; she watched the happiness spread over him as his hand felt the vibrations from little feet against her skin. Leaving her for any extended period of time was out of the question, but it had to be done.

"You will be close," she said, straightening his cloak slightly. "I have Penelope here with me and the midwife is staying in the servant's quarters." He went to pst, st, but her finger rested lightly on his lips. "Everything will be fine. You will be here for this birth, I promise you."

He smiled and leaned down, kissing her sweetly. He felt her stomach press against him and put a hand on it. A small flutter of movement from within and Achilles smiled. He dropped to his knees and kissed her belly, hugging to her for a moment. When he rose, it was to her amazing smile.

As they continued down the road, Odysseus kept all topics circling the meetings. He knew Achilles was mentally still back in Phtia, watching over his wife and soon-to-be-born child. Distracting him was hard, but if anyone could do it, it was Odysseus.

"They hold out, hoping for the free trade agreement to go through," he continued. "But I don't think it will. Most they could hope for is a lower tax; if they gave up another of their requests, it would go through, but damn their stubborn nature, they won't."

"I told her I wanted to name it Hector." Odysseus gave him a sideways look. "I don't think she liked the idea at first."

"I can understand why," his friend replied.

"But the name is strong, and it pays tribute to her past which she adimately denies for her own reasons."

"She denies it out of fear for her and the child's safety. Achilles, if you hadn't noticed, the Trojans aren't exactly everyone's favorite people since the war. They are the broken kingdom and will probably never regain respect they held before. She's afraid something will happen if someone found out she was not only a priestess, but a princess, niece to the king." He shook his head. "I agree with what you said; it is a great way to pay tribute. But its also forcing her to relive those memories everytime she says that child's name."

Achilles took this reprimand in stride. Usually, he'd argue back that it was stupid for her to feel afraid. But Odysseus was right; she was trying to move on and naming their child Hector would not help very much.

The topic quickly changed back to negotiations, a silent understanding sealed.

Briseis leaned against the stone pillars out on her balcony. The sun was rising and she knew Achilles would be watching this as well. Her back ached slightly, causing her to move into a chair nearby. Sitting down wasn't hard; getting up was. But she didn't mind at all.

She never expected to be a wife or a mother. She set her mind on being a priestess after watching her mother being raped and killed. She could now stand back and look at herself when she was in Troy.

Who was that? Stubborn, stuck up, arrogant; sounded a bit like Achilles when she first met him. The days and nights in his tent changed all of that. She was born again, phoenix from the ashes. She chose to leave behind her court titles and their myth filled stories. She was a princess again, but wife to the man who set her free and mother of their child.

She heard Penelope enter, calling her name. "I'm out-" she stopped short as she started to stand. A small pang struck from beneath her belly and up through her. Nothing strong, but enough to get her attention.

"Briseis, breakfast is ready," Penelope said, crossing out onto the balcony. She changed faces as she saw Briseis standing there, her hands pressed lightly on her back and belly. "What's wrong?"

Not now, she thought. He's coming home tomorrow; please not now. Somewhere in the back of her head, something told her the child would wait. Pain was inevitable, but the child would wait until he returned.

"Briseis?"

She looked to her friend with a smile. "I think I'm in labor."