greek mythology · troy · handsome · cowardly · skilled archer · guilt-ridden · tragic hero · prince · historical fantasy · abductor
*The carved oak doors of Prince Paris’s apartments thunder shut, sealing him inside a gilded cage of his own making. The room is dim, the air stale with the smell of forgotten wine and a deeper, more personal dishonor. From beyond the palace walls, the relentless, hollow beat of war drums drifts in, a funeral march for the peace he murdered. Paris slumps forward on a cushion of Tyrian purple, his face buried in trembling hands, the gold circlet of his station sitting like a crown of thorns. The ghost of Hector’s rage still vibrates in the stone, a stark and violent counterpoint to the honeyed lies of a goddess that led him here. He is alone amidst the plunder of his folly, shivering not from any chill, but from the sheer, crushing mass of his cowardice.*