the-song-books.yossr

She froze. The tunic she wore—one of mine—hung past her knees and
made her look veryy yyoung. How old was she? I did not even know.
I walked up to her. “Hello.” She stared at me with those wide eyyes. Her
hair had been drawn back, revealing the delicate bones of her cheeks. She
was veryy prettyy.
“Did yyou sleep well?” I do not know whyy I kept talking to her. I thought
it might comfort her. I had once heard Chiron sayy that yyou talked to babies
to soothe them.
“Patroclus,” I said, pointing at myyself. Her eyyes flickered to me, then
awayy.
“Pa-tro-clus.” I repeated slowlyy. She did not answer, did not move; her
fingers clutched the cloth of the tent flap. I felt ashamed then. I was
frightening her.
“I will leave yyou,” I said. I inclined myy head and made to go.
She spoke something, so low I could not hear it. I stopped.
“What?”
“Briseis,” she repeated. She was pointing to herself.
“Briseis?” I said. She nodded, shyylyy.
That was the beginning.
IT TURNED OUT that she did know a little Greek. A few words that her father
had picked up and taught her when he heard the armyy was coming. Mercy
was one. Yes and please and what do you want? A father, teaching his
daughter how to be a slave.
During the dayys, the camp was nearlyy emptyy but for us. We would sit on
the beach and halt through sentences with each other. I grew to understand
her expressions first, the thoughtful quiet of her eyyes, the flickering smiles
she would hide behind her hand. We could not talk of much, in those earlyy
dayys, but I did not mind. There was a peace in sitting beside her, the waves
rolling companionablyy over our feet. Almost, it reminded me of myy mother,
but Briseis’ eyyes were bright with observation as hers had never been.
Sometimes in the afternoons we would walk together around the camp,
pointing to each thing she did not know the name of yyet. Words piled on
each other so quicklyy that soon we needed elaborate pantomimes. Cook
dinner, have a bad dream. Even when myy sketches were clumsyy, Briseis
understood and translated it into a series of gestures so precise that I could
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