Read Online The Princess of Sparta: Heroes of the Trojan War by Aria Cunningham - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Aria Cunningham
Tags: Historical Romance
Ads: Link
her twin, gently wiping away Nestra’s tears. “Sisters forever?”
Clytemnestra was so broken with emotion, she could barely speak. She wrapped her arms around Helen in a fierce embrace. “Helen, you crazy fool!” Her face twisted in horror. “You don’t know Menelaus. You’ve made a terrible mistake.”
Part 2
Ten Years Later
The Cursed Prince
IN THE LANDS across the sea, in the plains of Anatolia and the twin rivers of the Tigris-Euphrates, the Old Empires clung to their seats of power.
Here, the land was different, crueler. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and floods wiped out entire populations. Both high and lowborn fell victim to plague. Death, in its many manifestations, was a familiar threat that struck indiscriminately.
In these times of chaos, the people turned to their spiritual leaders: Seers, Soothsayers, Priests and Priestesses. They were tasked to make sense of a senseless world. As reason gave way to fear, the cold grip of superstition ruled over the masses, and in many realms the king was at the mercy of the temple’s influence. There was no greater example of this phenomenon than in the Royal House of Troy and the sad tale of Paris, second born son of King Priam.
Hecuba, beloved wife to the king, had a vision on the night she gave birth to the prince. She dreamt of a burning torch, the heat from its flame so terrible it burned her very soul. Aesacus, Priest of Apollo and Seer to the Throne, interpreted this dream into a dark omen. The queen, he said, was giving birth to a fire that would consume all of Troy. This child was cursed and must be killed to ensure the safety of the realm.
King Priam refused. He would not give the temple zealots the power of life and death over his son. But Hecuba, blinded by her devotion to the Gods, tried to smother the infant child. Priam stopped her, but it was the first of many attempts on the innocent boy’s life.
The influence of the temple was too great, and though the king did his best to protect his son, he could not denounce the omen outright. Paris was an outcast, rejected before he took his first breath. Priam’s only option to save him from temple knives was to send Paris away to foster abroad.
At the same time that Helen was wedded in Mycenae, Paris came of age and was named an Ambassador of Troy. Normally a prestigious position, this appointment was not given for honor. Its true purpose was to keep the prince away from his homeland, where his presence would not create more turmoil for the king.
And thus, even Priam, the greatest ruler of mighty Troy, was laid low by forces he could not control.
Chapter 6
A Prince of Troy
PARIS STOOD at the prow of his longship as it coasted into the crystal blue waters of Troy. The forlorn cries of a flock of gulls floated across the clear spring sky, a fitting song to herald him home. He took a deep breath, and savored the view of the golden city from afar. It had been too long since he last gazed on the splendors of Troy.
The world was changing. Empire clashed with Empire in feuds that spanned a millennium. And in that chaos, Troy was a shining ray of hope. Nestled along the coast of the Aegean Sea and the river lands of Anatolia, it was the gateway between the aged wisdom of the east, and the youthful vibrance of the west, a perfect blend of the old world and the new. No matter how far afield his duties sent him, no matter what exotic lands he beheld, to Paris, there was no place as special as Troy.
The lowlands that fed into the harbor were densely packed with a thriving market town. Merchants from Cyprus, Babylonia, Crete and the Levant intermingled in the Trojan streets, eager to profit from the bustling commerce of the hub city.
Beyond the plateau and encircled by massive gates of stone, the inner city bloomed like a desert rose. It was an immense complex of interconnecting buildings of limestone and marble
Clytemnestra was so broken with emotion, she could barely speak. She wrapped her arms around Helen in a fierce embrace. “Helen, you crazy fool!” Her face twisted in horror. “You don’t know Menelaus. You’ve made a terrible mistake.”
Part 2
Ten Years Later
The Cursed Prince
IN THE LANDS across the sea, in the plains of Anatolia and the twin rivers of the Tigris-Euphrates, the Old Empires clung to their seats of power.
Here, the land was different, crueler. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and floods wiped out entire populations. Both high and lowborn fell victim to plague. Death, in its many manifestations, was a familiar threat that struck indiscriminately.
In these times of chaos, the people turned to their spiritual leaders: Seers, Soothsayers, Priests and Priestesses. They were tasked to make sense of a senseless world. As reason gave way to fear, the cold grip of superstition ruled over the masses, and in many realms the king was at the mercy of the temple’s influence. There was no greater example of this phenomenon than in the Royal House of Troy and the sad tale of Paris, second born son of King Priam.
Hecuba, beloved wife to the king, had a vision on the night she gave birth to the prince. She dreamt of a burning torch, the heat from its flame so terrible it burned her very soul. Aesacus, Priest of Apollo and Seer to the Throne, interpreted this dream into a dark omen. The queen, he said, was giving birth to a fire that would consume all of Troy. This child was cursed and must be killed to ensure the safety of the realm.
King Priam refused. He would not give the temple zealots the power of life and death over his son. But Hecuba, blinded by her devotion to the Gods, tried to smother the infant child. Priam stopped her, but it was the first of many attempts on the innocent boy’s life.
The influence of the temple was too great, and though the king did his best to protect his son, he could not denounce the omen outright. Paris was an outcast, rejected before he took his first breath. Priam’s only option to save him from temple knives was to send Paris away to foster abroad.
At the same time that Helen was wedded in Mycenae, Paris came of age and was named an Ambassador of Troy. Normally a prestigious position, this appointment was not given for honor. Its true purpose was to keep the prince away from his homeland, where his presence would not create more turmoil for the king.
And thus, even Priam, the greatest ruler of mighty Troy, was laid low by forces he could not control.
Chapter 6
A Prince of Troy
PARIS STOOD at the prow of his longship as it coasted into the crystal blue waters of Troy. The forlorn cries of a flock of gulls floated across the clear spring sky, a fitting song to herald him home. He took a deep breath, and savored the view of the golden city from afar. It had been too long since he last gazed on the splendors of Troy.
The world was changing. Empire clashed with Empire in feuds that spanned a millennium. And in that chaos, Troy was a shining ray of hope. Nestled along the coast of the Aegean Sea and the river lands of Anatolia, it was the gateway between the aged wisdom of the east, and the youthful vibrance of the west, a perfect blend of the old world and the new. No matter how far afield his duties sent him, no matter what exotic lands he beheld, to Paris, there was no place as special as Troy.
The lowlands that fed into the harbor were densely packed with a thriving market town. Merchants from Cyprus, Babylonia, Crete and the Levant intermingled in the Trojan streets, eager to profit from the bustling commerce of the hub city.
Beyond the plateau and encircled by massive gates of stone, the inner city bloomed like a desert rose. It was an immense complex of interconnecting buildings of limestone and marble
Similar Books
