A/N: The last chapter before graduation, oh boy. Thank you again for your patience. From the reviews, I gathered
that some of you do not understand why Harry and Hermione can't be together. I suppose I wasn't clear, so I am
including a bit of a political explanation in this chapter, part of which I sent as a response to a review by a
rightfully confused reviewer. Hermione is engaged to Ron (you can tell I don't like the guy). First of all,
Agamemnon has nothing to do with that; that is his brother's affair and even if it was his own, Hermione cannot
contest that. Again, she is a woman and at that time period, women had very little value and basically had to learn to
be submissive. Put it this way, everyone knows that Agamemnon raped her mother, repeatedly for that matter (Hell, even
Harry knows and he was just a child at the time). Agamemnon also happens to be even more powerful than his brother (he
is king of Mycenae, which also is around Greece; I'm not sure I could point it out on a map however), so if his own
brother cannot stand up to him, Hermione doesn't stand a chance. There is another reason for which Hermione
doesn't dare contradict her uncle and you will see why in this chapter. Moreover, even if Hermione was not engaged,
her marriage to Harry would not even be contemplated. It would not do as a political alliance because Troy is already
Sparta's property and therefore weaker than Sparta itself. Yes, Sparta controls it, and yes there is a chance that
the Trojans might rebel, but Spartans (Menelaus as you can probably tell is Agamemnon's puppet) are too arrogant to
think about a plan to make the people of Troy happy so they don't rebel. They are more interested in tribute and
needless to say, they don't think they would rebel under Cassandra's leadership (she is a crazy woman after
all). What Menelaus did to Hermione is diplomatic protocol. Once Harry takes the throne, Spartans assume nothing will
change; Harry will be another puppet (he knows this and lets Hermione know in Chapter 4, I believe). I hope this helps
to any of you who are struggling to understand the political situation of the time. Any questions/comments, don't
hesitate to write! Thanks to my new beta hhrsdaughter. She is amazing! You should check out her fics as well… Well, on
with the story! Thank you for bearing with me guys!
Chapter 21: Between a Heart and a Conscience
Harry's eyes opened wide and his mouth felt dry. He knew what Agamemnon was capable of. He had spent his childhood and more searching for information on the Spartans responsible for his father's death and Agamemnon's name had appeared on top of the list, despite the fact that Achilles's sear had been the one to pierce through his father's chest. But it was Agamemnon who had let Achilles fight for him. He knew that Agamemnon would not say this just to bother him. It was Hermione who would ultimately get hurt. He knew that
the king of Mycenae ached to repeat history.
"You are not going o bother denying it, do you? I cannot say I blame you though. She must have been a real delight."
Agamemnon's voice was calm and cool, and Harry's fist could not hold back anymore.
He should have been thinking about how exactly Agamemnon found out. Instead, he launched himself against the high king, punching his face and breaking his lip as a result.
"You will not touch her," Harry whispered in a threatening tone. His breath was uneven; self control quickly ebbing away into nothing.
"Do calm down Hector."
"Harry!"
"Well, she is going to Sparta with me whether you like it or not. You did not think you could have her forever, did you?" Agamemnon displayed a malicious sneer. Obviously, Hermione's fiancée Ronald did not figure in on his plans.
"You will not have her either," Harry hissed, although not necessarily because he was acknowledging that Ronald would get her. If it was up to him, neither of them would have her and she would stay in Troy, although he would never admit that.
To say Harry was disgusted with Agamemnon's clear intentions was an understatement. Harry was having a hard time keeping his sword in place. It would be so easy to just take it out and get rid of him once and for all, diplomacy be damned.
"So sure, are you? You are just like Paris, terribly naïve and foolish. Do you think Helen loved him? Do you think Hermione could ever love you? Women like that do not love. They are made to be dominated, tamed. Love has nothing to say in the matter. I wish Paris could have learned that before he died."
Agamemnon's statement was laced with disdain. Rest assured he was not sorry at all. Although Harry could not figure out what exactly Paris had done to Agamemnon; Menelaus was the one who should have been outraged at being cuckolded.
Harry sighed. Did he really want that image on his mind? He knew why Agamemnon was making this conversation. Hermione was the one who would suffer if the high king had it his way.
"You mean before you killed him?" Harry snapped. In his anger, he had not forgotten who was really responsible for Hermione's pain, in every sense of the word.
"I cannot argue there, can I? I did the man a favor! Women make men weak and Helen only wanted his throne. I taught her a lesson!" He laughed darkly as the words left him, "I liked her better when she was angry; made her all the more exquisite. She was quite an indulgence. Pity she died."
"You bastard!"
Now Harry did not even think about getting his sword out. He did not need any weapons. He only knew that he wanted to kill Agamemnon here and now, if only throttle him to death. He had done irreparable damage to Hermione. And if the king of Mycenae had it his way, he did not plan to stop until he had the next best thing to Helen.
"Careful Harry, you might lose your throne before you are even seated on it." Agamemnon sneered once again, ironically getting his name right, something that Harry obviously did not pay attention to.
"I am not afraid of you."
"So be it, foolish boy." Agamemnon drew his sword and launched at Harry.
"NOOOO!"
Hermione's high-pitched voice echoed through the garden as the swords clashed.
Every reason why she should not be running to the man she loved slipped out of her mind the minute Agamemnon's sword pointed to Harry's throat. She did not know what she would say to get Harry out of Agamemnon's grasp. She only knew however, that she would not let Harry get hurt, especially on her account.
"Please don't hurt him! I will do anything, but please don't!" Within seconds, Hermione's body was in front of Harry, her hand on his chest, in order to prevent him from launching forward.
"Hermione," Agamemnon was amused.
She really could not hide her emotions, could she? All the more reason women could not rule. They could not be rational.
"Hermione, get out of the way," Harry commanded.
He figured that there was no use trying to pretend anymore that the princess did not mean anything to him, as Agamemnon had figured that he had made Hermione his.
"No! " Hermione looked at Agamemnon with pleading eyes for a split second, suddenly desperately trying to look diplomatically composed.
Her guard however, had already dropped and of course, there was the little detail that her uncle already knew about her relationship with the Trojan heir to the throne.
Hermione cleared her throat, ready to address her uncle, although her hand was still in Harry's chest.
"All right uncle, think about this. Do you really want to be responsible for the death of the Trojan heir? We have worked so hard to achieve peace. You do not want to be responsible for a riot. How would Mycenae react? We would be on the brink of war. We have gotten what we want from Troy. There is nothing that cannot be solved with diplomacy. Is that not what you taught me? Please lower the sword."
Agamemnon looked at her approvingly, although Harry suspected that it had nothing to do with her diplomatic skills.
"Spoken like a true ruler Hermione," Agamemnon mused. "Of course, it would have sounded more believable if it did not come from someone who wants more than a diplomatic relationship with the son of Hector."
The statement obviously caught Hermione by surprise, as her eyes opened wide. She discovered that suddenly she could not find words. One thing was the queen knowing; she would soon be gone anyway. Another thing all together was her uncle, who had the power and the ability to strike Harry dead with one single blow of his sword. It did not matter that Harry was younger; Agamemnon's skills frightened her to no end.
Suffice to say, Agamemnon immediately picked up her predictable reaction.
"Oh Hermione, I did not surprise you, did I? Apart from the fact that the queen could not help but chastise me from sending a whore to pick the next ruler-"
"You- "Harry had to say something, anything. He did not care what happened to him, but he would not allow anyone to hurt Hermione, much less the bastard that had raped her mother and that had been indirectly responsible for his father's death.
Hermione pressed against Harry's chest once more. There was no use denying it, and she did not want to make her uncle angrier. He would take it against Harry and she was determined to avoid that confrontation.
"Harry, don't," she whispered pleadingly.
It was her painful tone, more than the request itself, which shut Harry up. She was tearing apart.
Did that mean she was feeling sorry about what they had? What was she going to achieve with this? What did she want? He could have taken Agamemnon. He did not need her here. In fact, he did not want her around her uncle, for the same reasons that his uncle Paris was always anxious when Helen strayed from his side.
Agamemnon could not help but sneer at Harry's effort to control his reaction.
"Oh come now Harry, do not tell me you actually are going to do what she tells you?"
He laughed knowingly at Harry's silence. Everything about the man was dark, and Harry could hardly control the anger ticking inside of him.
Hermione's hand had to exert more pressure on Harry's chest. She turned around to face him, and he knew that her pleading eyes always were the death of him. She was genuinely concerned and he would not give her any more reason to worry. He would take care of Agamemnon later.
Agamemnon however, would not let the issue go.
"Oh Harry, you are so terribly predictable, just like Paris. And you Hermione," his eyes drifted to his niece, "should learn to hide your emotions more resourcefully, at least if you hope to rule Sparta. Even if Cassandra had not told me what she did, I could see your longing for him miles away. Do you think your fiancée picked it up?" He glanced at Harry once more. "Not that he would be much of a threat to you Harry, but I would happily fix-"
"Uncle, please stop. Take your quarrel with me, leave Harry out of it."
Harry suspected where Hermione was going. He would not let her.
"Hermione don't-"
"You can do anything you want with me, just don't harm him. Please."
If Harry could have killed Agamemnon that instant; he would have damned the consequences. The way he was looking at Hermione made him want to throw up.
But more than that, he was shocked with what she did. How could she? Harry would have rather die the most torturous death than to see Hermione in possession of her uncle.
True, she had a fiancée, but her uncle was the high king of Mycenae. If he could get Helen, Hermione certainly was not out of his reach.
"Anything?" Agamemnon's mouth curled into a malicious grin as he glanced at Harry, who was feeling utterly powerless at this moment.
Hermione nodded as a tear dampened her cheek. Agamemnon took the liberty to bring his hand to her soft face and wiped her tear. She turned her face immediately, staying absolutely still.
"We will see to that once we are in Sparta. In the meantime, I will grant your wish."
"Thank you," Hermione whispered. With one last look at Harry, she sighed, taking her leave.
Harry however, would not let her leave that easily. Not after what she had just done, pulling herself even further away from his reach and doing something that he knew was against her will. He had to know why.
"Damn you Hermione, why did you do that?" Harry went behind her, not caring to lower his voice. The Trojan court could think whatever they wanted. He was worried about her, angry at her for doing what she had done, angry that he could not be with her, angry that it hurt as much as it did, and that she had finally been able to melt the wall of ice he had kept around his heart ever since his father had died. Now, reconstructing it would be even more painful than it had been to put it there in the first place.
"Because," her voice was a mere murmur.
He was not the least satisfied with her answer.
He would not leave until he at least had brought her words.
He was not doing that at the moment.
"Because?" Harry took her arm and pulled her forward, forcing her to face him. "You just sold
yourself! Does that not matter to you?" he snapped, suddenly not caring that a man was not supposed to scream to a lady. As far as he was concerned, she deserved every bit of the yell.
"I saved your life! What the hell do you think you are doing?"
Hermione matched him yell for yell. However, she made no attempt to remove her arm from his grip. She noted that although it was firm, it was not hurting her by any means.
Suffice to say, Harry was taken aback. He did not expect her to scream at him. He was worried about her honor and she did not care? But he was too angry to connect the dots, so he did not desist with the argument. He would not, until he got the answers, answers that he surely would not like, but those answers could probably help to get her out of his mind, and with time, of his heart.
"Defending you!"
"Me? I will walk out of your life tomorrow! I am not worth your life and throne!"
Hermione did not know how he could not understand. Could he not see that she was worried about his life? She would not forgive herself if anything happened to him, just like her mother could not live with herself after Paris was murdered.
"The throne is nothing!"
He had to make her understand that he wanted to take the throne, only if she was beside him, despite what he had said this morning.
"What?"
"You heard me! I do not want it!"
"Troy needs you, Harry! Must you be so stubborn?"
"Oh, I am not allowed to be stubborn, but you get to offer yourself to your uncle, who raped your mother, I might add? What about you? What the hell were you thinking?"
"I was thinking about you! "
"About me? Hardly." Harry scoffed, now positively enraged. Could she not see how much he was hurting? Could she not see how much he loved her?
"Do you not understand? Agamemnon could kill you in a second! And even if he did not do so today, he would still haunt you. You do not stand a chance!"
"But you do?"
"My life does not matter! "
"What?"
"It does not matter anymore, because I just saved the only thing worth saving!"
Hermione gulped. She had not expected that to come out. Too late. At the sight of Harry's frankly confused gaze, she had no choice but to proceed to explain. She would have preferred his hate than for him to have to live with the bitter truth of her choice all because she could not keep from kissing him. Sure, he had started it. But she should have known better.
"My mother once told me that there were things worth dying for. She did not say however, that such a thing would be your heart."
Harry sighed as Hermione's face drowned in silent tears.
"Hermione-"
He had to tell her. She did not have to do this. They could find some other way, and if death was an option, then he would prefer that to have her live the rest of her life as her uncle's sexual object.
However, he did not get a chance to say what was on his mind, for as soon as he opened his mouth, Hermione put her finger on his lips and shook her head. She took the liberty to caress his face softly before she made her way back inside the castle.
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