ALL NOVEL Prelude to Troy: Paris
King Priam of Troy had many children, most of them became warriors, some became statesmen, and some became wanderers. Among his many children, two stood out the most, Hector with his tenacity as a warrior, and Paris with his ambition and charisma.
Paris was once prophesied to be the downfall of Troy, the priestess Cassandra says so, and King Priam, afraid that his kingdom would fall because of the prophecy, threw Paris away when he was a baby. His mother begged the king to not do it, but alas, his duty as a king ruled over the decision.
Years later however, Paris was still alive, adopted by a farmer, and he grew to be a handsome young man. His neighbours adored him, and he is good at what he’s doing, which is herding the cattles.
One day, King Priam of Troy demanded the village Paris was living in a tribute for the tournament that will take place in Troy. And so, Paris reluctantly gave the messenger one of his favourite cattle. He was not going to let it off so easily however, and he travelled to Troy, to join the tournament, intending to reclaim his cattle.
And so he did, and surprisingly, he won, he even defeated his half-brother, Hector, who was known as a warrior. But people could tell that it was just luck. When he won, he was instructed to face the king and the queen, he entered the palace, and kneeled before the king.
The queen, who was depressed since Paris’s exile, saw the young man’s face, and instantly recognized him as her own son. The queen was ecstatic, much to Paris’s confusion, the queen had hugged him in the middle of the palace, in front of the king itself.
The king was doubtful, as it is impossible for a babe to survive in the wilderness of Troy, so he called Paris’s foster father, and the farmer told everything to the king, that the farmer found Paris in the middle forest.
At first, the king didn’t want Paris to be an official prince, as he remembered the prophecy, but because of his wife's pleading, and the overall talent of Paris, the king reluctantly accepted him as his own son.
And so, Paris has suddenly become a prince. It was a strange event for him, as he was just a simple herder, and now, countless servants gathered around him, tending to his needs. Paris was definitely overwhelmed by it, but overtime, he became used to it, too used to it…
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One day, a delegation from Sparta arrived at Troy, it was a sudden visit, and king Priam was not in Troy, as he was travelling elsewhere. So, it was up to Paris to offer them hospitality, and Paris welcomed them, albeit reluctantly.
He hosted the Spartans, he talked to them, he brought wine and food and women, and they talked business. The spartans were a rowdy bunch because of their warrior nature, and they were a handful when they were drunk. Paris secretly despised them, the servants could see the scowl on his face once Paris left the Spartans, he thought that the spartans were just some brutes, barbarians from the west, but he kept a smile, maintaining his reputation and honour of Troy.
The Spartans stayed until King Priam arrived. When the king arrived, they talked about trade and peace treaties between the two kingdoms, all of them were successful talks. When the spartans left, they offered that the Trojans should do the same, to visit Sparta, and they would welcome them with hospitality.
The king agreed, and so the Spartans left, sailing through the rough sea. Because the Spartans have offered to accept them in their kingdom, the king sent Paris to Sparta, in the thought of lessening the burden of the servants inside the palace. Countless servants sighed in relief, while Paris hated the decision of sending him to Sparta. But he had no choice, and so he travelled to Sparta, bringing a rather luxurious and big delegation with him.