The Princess of Sparta: Heroes of the Trojan War (40 page)

Epilogue

A DISTANT SHORE

HELEN STOOD at the prow of the Trojan longship as fifty oars dipped quietly into the still waters of the Aegean. The moon had barely set below the horizon when she led the Trojan entourage out of the acropolis via the hidden cistern tunnels that burrowed beneath the fortress walls. The mist was an added blessing, masking their departure from the prying eyes of the palace. With any luck, no one would know of her departure until the morning meal.

Aethra sat at the stern, deep in conversation with the Trojan captain. There was no question that her maid would travel with them to Troy; Aethra had made that point clear to Paris before they left the palace grounds. She had a debt to repay and would not leave Helen’s side until those old wrongs had been atoned.

Paris joined her at the prow, wrapping his arms around her. The warmth of his cloak was a welcome respite from the chill of the night. Together, they watched in silence as the mist swallowed the tiny harbor lights of Mycenae.

“Do you think if we travelled far enough, it would be like this life never existed?” Helen mused, hoping it was true. “Where I didn’t have to be Helen of Sparta?”

A pang of empathy tightened Paris’ throat. He cradled her to his chest as the wind picked up. He had spent his entire life on such a journey. “You’re not Helen of Sparta any more.”

The mist lifted as they oared further out to sea. A dazzling field of stars filled the sky, their brilliant light reflecting back from the waters beneath them. The ship cut through those waters as though navigating the cosmos itself. Troy, and their unknown future, lay before them in the east.

A fear gnawed at Paris’ mind. The warmth of their homecoming was uncertain. There was no way of knowing how Priam would react. Paris only knew he was not going to live in shame any longer.

He spun Helen around, the starlight reflecting in her lovely eyes, and kissed her with passion. The force drawing them together was as ancient as the celestial orbs shining down on them from the heavens.

“You’re not Helen of Sparta,” he whispered to her again. “Now and forever after, you’re Helen of Troy.”

“Helen of Troy,” she whispered breathlessly, melting into his embrace.

The title fit, like a key sliding into a lock. As the winds picked up, she dared to lift her head with hope. A greater destiny awaited her. She was leaving everything she knew behind, trusting the Fates once again for a future filled with purpose and love.

She entwined her fingers with Paris’, his tender squeeze reassuring her that this time the journey would end differently. She dared to believe it. So long as Paris was by her side, she had nothing to fear.

Author's Note

When I set out to write this book, I wanted to bring to life a period of history most people only know about through legend.Any history student is familiar with the concept of “Punctuated Equilibrium”.It’s a theory that humankind advances, not gradually, but with giant strides forward at pivotal moments. If history was a novel, these periods of advancement are the climatic ending after uncountable pages/years of status-quo. Nothing could be more true than the twilight years of the Bronze Age.

Over the course of
one lifetime
, the greatest empires of the ancient world fell to a mysterious power.Cultures that dominated the Near East and the Mediterranean for a thousand years disappeared virtually overnight.As Moses led the Exodus across the Red Sea and Rameses ruled as Pharaoh over Egypt, the heroes of Greek legend walked the earth.These historical figures were
contemporaries
of each other, their worlds interlinked.

This series is my endeavor to understand that pivotal time in our history under that holistic view.The Mycenaeans were not the awesome power that Homer claimed in verse some 400 years later.They were a small part of a larger world: one dominated by bigger, more powerful realms.

History is written by the victors, and events—like those told by Homer—cannot be fully trusted as truth.Myths told fantastical tales of history, but were also propaganda to support Greek supremacy.As an archaeologist, I was trained to question every source and try to remove cultural bias from my conclusions.While I’ve taken small liberties in my reconstruction of the Trojan War for dramatic purposes, to the best of my knowledge, the socio-political context of the Mycenaean/Near Eastern worlds are true.    

The Greek heroes were honorable, brave, and fierce—but they were also human.And like their descendants, some three thousand years later—we are all made vulnerable by love.I hope this tale ignites your curiosity about the world of our ancestors, and perhaps, through retelling their stories, we can learn from their mistakes.

PHOTO BY: JEFF LORCH

ABOUT ARIA

Inspired at an early age by the adventures of Indiana Jones, Aria Cunningham studied marine archaeology at UC Berkeley.In 2004, she set forth to create her own adventures and helped excavate a Roman palace from 200 AD at Tel Dor, Israel.

Continuing her old world education, she travelled the expansive fjords of Norway, castle hopped from Wales to the Rhineland, and explored the funeral complexes along the Egyptian Nile. She is an avid scuba diver who has navigated shipwrecks on the ocean floor, the immense kelp forests off the Channel Islands, and the legendary Cenote caverns of the Yucatan.

Aria has a Master’s degree in the Cinematic Arts from USC and currently lives off the coast of Southern California.

Look for

THE PRINCESS

OF PROPHECY

Heroes of the Trojan War

Vol. II

Coming Spring, 2015

Visit the author’s website for updates, ancient history facts, and insider information on the series at:
www.ariacunningham.com