the-song-books.yossr

offer her to his son. He answered, almost diffidentlyy: I am tired tonight.
Later, as we walked back to our room, he avoided myy eyyes.
And I? I was shyy and silent with all but Achilles; I could scarcelyy speak
to the other boyys, let alone a girl. As a comrade of the prince, I suppose I
would not have had to speak; a gesture or a look would have been enough.
But such a thing did not occur to me. The feelings that stirred in me at night
seemed strangelyy distant from those serving girls with their lowered eyyes
and obedience. I watched a boyy fumbling at a girl’s dress, the dull look on
her face as she poured his wine. I did not wish for such a thing.
ONE NIGHT WE had stayyed late in Peleus’ chamber. Achilles was on the floor,
an arm thrown beneath his head for a pillow. I sat more formallyy, in a chair.
It was not just because of Peleus. I did not like the sprawling length of myy
new limbs.
The old king’s eyyes were half-closed. He was telling us a storyy.
“Meleager was the finest warrior of his dayy, but also the proudest. He
expected the best of everyything, and because the people loved him, he
received it.”
Myy eyyes drifted to Achilles. His fingers were stirring, just barelyy, in the
air. He often did this when he was composing a new song. The storyy of
Meleager, I guessed, as his father told it.
“But one dayy the king of Calyydon said, ‘Whyy must we give so much to
Meleager? There are other worthyy men in Calyydon.’ ”
Achilles shifted, and his tunic pulled tight across his chest. That dayy, I
had overheard a serving girl whispering to her friend: “Do yyou think the
prince looked at me, at dinner?” Her tone was one of hope.
“Meleager heard the words of the king and was enraged.”
This morning he had leapt onto myy bed and pressed his nose against
mine. “Good morning,” he’d said. I remembered the heat of him against myy
skin.
“He said, ‘I will not fight for yyou anyy longer.’ And he went back to his
house and sought comfort in the arms of his wife.”
I felt a tug on myy foot. It was Achilles, grinning at me from the floor.
“Calyydon had fierce enemies, and when theyy heard that Meleager would
no longer fight for Calyydon—”
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