*Notes from Rae and friends...*
Achilles: Ahem. This is the story of a great warrior and a great war! And If you don't like gore, well then...
Kila: Achilles! (elbows him)What he's trying to say is that if you are offended by violence, then you probably won't like some of this story. Some situations and quotes are based on Homer's 'The Illiad'. But this is an origional story based on me, a cool origional character, and...
Achilles: Ok enough.
Kila: Now enjoy the story! ^_^
In the misty morning a shout was heard from the Village Square of the small fishing village, Poiseidious. The cry rang through the streets. Though the people were already awake and working, some had not found their way out of bed. One in particular, was a girl of nineteen summers, Kila. Kila had dark brown hair and green eyes. She was very pretty…and very smart. She rolled over in her bed…and fell out. "Ow! Gods…what is going on?" Kila looked out of the window and was almost blinded by the morning sun. Her eyes adjusted to the light, and she saw some of the Greek soldiers standing in the village square, with a crowd of people around them. Kila slammed the window shut, quickly got dressed, and ran out to see what was happening. As she neared the crowd, she heard the Greek soldiers speak. "Good people, as you all know we are fighting a war…" Kila thought for a minute, and then remembered…the war with Troy. The soldier continued. "We are running short of men, so we have come to you and other villages asking for your strongest men." The people started talking. "So," said the soldier. "We would greatly appreciate it if we could have these men by the afternoon so that we may set sail. That is all." The crowd broke up, and families began to prepare to let go of their loved ones. Kila kicked her boot in the dirt. Her mother, Lisandra, came up to her. "So you are finally awake. I assume you heard the announcement?" "Yes, mother." "Luckily for us, your father is too old to go off and fight." "Mother…" "Anyway we should start helping the men pack for their trip… "MOTHER!" shouted Kila. Her mother looked at her in astonishment. "What? What's troubling you dear child?" "That's exactly it. I'm not a child. I want to go fight in the war." "Kila, are you ill? You can't go fight. You're a woman…they'd never let you." "Oh come on…I can fight. Don't you remember that we've all been taught how to fight in case of a pirate attack?" Kila's mother sighed. "Kila, I know that your heart is set into doing this. I just can't think of how I could manage without you." "You've got father." "Yes, I do and let me see what he thinks of all this. Martious!" Kila's father came over to them. "Yes?" "What do you think of Kila going off to fight in the war?" "I think that the girl can do what she wants if she puts her mind to it." Lisandra sighed. "All right…you can go." Kila hugged her mother and smiled a grateful smile at her father. "Thank you. I love both of you so much. Never forget that." Her mother stepped back…and began a lecture. "Kila, really…do you have to wear those clothes? You look like some amazon…not a village girl." "Mother!" "I'm sorry. But this might be the last time I get to lecture you." Kila laughed. Her mother took off the necklace that she wore and placed it around Kila's neck. "Your father and I will always be with you." She then gave her a flask of water, and took Kila into one last hug. "I love you. Be safe…" "I will. Good-bye!" Kila swung her sword that she had since she was young, and started down to the docks. She looked back at her mother and father, and waved. They waved back, and Kila was off to start a new life.
Kila was at the docks in no time. Various men from her village were gathered there, awaiting departure. The soldier, who had spoken in the Village Square earlier, now shouted over the noise. "Men, you will enter the boat single file and be assigned to rowing positions. The trip should only be for a few days. Once we reach Troy, you will get further instructions." The men filed on to the ship. At last it was Kila's turn to board. The soldier held up his hand. "Hold it. My dear, are you lost?" Kila rolled her eyes. "No. I'm here to go to Troy and fight." The soldier laughed. "Sorry, but no. You are a woman. You don't fight." "But…" "No buts. I'm sorry. Go home and cook or sew." Kila glared at the soldier and stepped down. But she was not going home. She cleverly found a small place to hide on the outside of the ship. It was there where Kila would stay for the entire trip. Finally it was time to set sail. As the ship pulled away, Kila took one last look at Poiseidious. "Good-bye…" she whispered.
The ship sailed for four days. Kila sat in her little niche without food for four days. Luckily she had that flask of water that her mother had given her. They had smooth sailing the whole time. There were no storms. It looked as if Poseidon was smiling on them. The only big complaint that Kila had was that every time a larger wave hit the ship, she would get soaked. So Kila spent most of her trip soaking wet. But she was happy that she was out for a cause. At least things wouldn't be boring once they got to their destination. They finally reached the Greek port and camp. Kila knew that they were almost there when she heard the shouts of the men above her. She was almost excited when the ship pulled up to the camp. The men filed into little boats so that they could get to shore. Unfortunately getting on a boat would mean getting discovered too soon for Kila. She waited until the men had disembarked from the ship. She decided that she would have to swim to shore. Kila took a deep breath and jumped into the ocean. The shore was a short distance away, and Kila hoped that Poseidon was on her side today. She swam to the shore in no time. Kila gave a silent thanks to her home village because everyone there was taught how to swim well at an early age. She glanced in the direction of Troy. She saw the huge walls in the distance. She then looked at the camp. There were many tents set up. Men walked around in armor, discussing the latest battle, strategies, etc. Kila also saw the wounded. It was not a pretty sight. She wasn't sure where she was supposed to go, so she went in the direction where she thought all the men from her village had gone. Sure enough she found them. They were getting orders from…none other then the great Odysseus. "Odysseus…wow," Kila whispered. Suddenly there were shouts of "Hey! You there!" Kila turned quickly to find some of the Greek soldiers coming at her. "I…" Kila began. "Don't speak. Spy. You will die…or become a slave." "Wait! I'm here to help you. Do you honestly think that I could hurt you alone? Would I be stupid enough to do that? I don't think so." "Get her!" Kila pulled out her sword. "No! Look! This is a Greek sword. It's from Poiseidious." She turned to the men from her village. "Hello guys. A little help here?" The men looked at each other, and finally her friend, Conaf spoke. "It's all right. That's just Kila. She's from our village. I think she came to…help." "That's preposterous," said the soldier. "She's a woman. Women don't fight." "Hey!" shouted Kila. "What do you know about me anyway?" "Why you little…" "SILENCE!" came a strong voice through the fighting. All was silent. Whispers of "It's him" were heard through the crowd of new comers. Kila looked up. The man standing there wasn't much older then her. He was handsome…blue eyes…blondish brown hair. His armor gleamed in the sunlight. And Kila recognized him somehow. It was…"The great Achilles," said Kila slowly. Achilles looked at the new men, the soldiers, and then at Kila. "Who are you, and what are you doing here? You are a woman…" "I know that already. I've been told that about a thousand times in the past few days. My name is Kila. I am here to fight." Achilles tried to hide his amusement. "Fight?" "Yes…fight. f-i-g-h-t." "I see. Everyone, get back to your duties. Miss Kila come with me."
Achilles led Kila through the camp. "I know that you came here for a reason. Unfortunately I can't let you fight. However, I will not send you away. How good are your healing skills?" Kila thought for a moment. "They're good I guess. I am good at sewing people up I suppose." Achilles turned and looked at her, startled for a moment. He had failed to notice how pretty she was… He shook his head and snapped back into reality. "Then you will be the healer. You will help the men that fall in battle. Agreed?" Kila nodded. She had to start somewhere. "I agree."
There was a bloody battle the next day which kept Kila busy and on her toes. She sewed up men, fixed broken limbs, removed arrows, and watched people die. Watching people die was hard. Kila knew that she couldn't let it affect her too greatly. She knew that she had to be strong for the sake of the men. Unfortunately her healer's tent was filling up fast, and though she had some help, it wasn't enough. Her two assistants, Giles and Sol were working as hard as she was. Another wounded soldier was brought in. Kila went to him quickly. "Giles! Come here. This one has a broken arm and an arrow. Get me a splint." Giles went to get a splint. Kila turned back to the man. He looked panicked. "Am I going to die?" he asked. Kila shook her head. "Not if I can help it." This eased the man's worries for a minute. "I am Titus. You're the new healer…" Giles returned with the splint. Kila got ready to set his arm. "The new healer? I don't even want to know what happened to the old one. Now, Titus, I am going to set your arm. It's gonna hurt, but it'll be ok after." "All right…" Kila cut off his nerves by the pressure points. "What did you do to me???" "Don't worry. I cut off the nerves so it wouldn't hurt as much." Kila and Giles set the arm. Then Kila returned the nerves to their normal state. Titus gritted his teeth in pain. "All right now we have to get the arrow out. Giles, I don’t need you for this. I believe that we just got another one it. Go check on him." Giles nodded and went off. Kila focused her attention on the arrow. "You're lucky," she said. Titus looked at her strangely. "What in the gods names do you mean?" "I mean that the arrow didn't hit any major organs and that it went through all the way so it'll be easier to remove." "Whatever you say…" Titus mumbled. "Ok I am going to cut off the arrowhead…" Kila took a dagger and cut the arrowhead. "And now I am going to pull the arrow out. Yes it will hurt a bit. Ready?" She pulled the arrow out, then quickly pressed both sides of the wound with bandages. Now I am going to stitch it up. I will pressure it again so it won't hurt. She got to work stitching both sides of the wound, and then bandaging it up. "There. Everything is done. I think you'll live. Just rest here for a while." "Thank you so much. What is your name again?" "Kila." "Kila…you saved me. I give you all my respect." "Thank you." And Kila got up to attend to the other wounded soldiers. It was going to be a long few days…
Battle log. Day five. The battle has been going on for a week. I think I've attended to at least 150 men. These past few days have been the most gruesome days I have witnessed. Ok that's it. Break is over. I have to go out and do my job again. Kila dropped her scroll in her tent, and hurried to see what was happening in the healer's tent. She walked in. Everything was going smoothly. Giles and Sol were great assistants. They were responsible and fast acting. The number of casualties wasn't high because of them. Suddenly another wounded soldier ran in. His head was bleeding badly. He dropped at Kila's feet. "Please…" he begged. "You have to…go out there." "What?" "You must get Lucas…his leg is broken. But he is alive. You have to get him…I won't make it, but he's my brother. I need you to do this please." Kila thought for a moment. She would have to go out into the battle…unprotected. But this was the dying man's last wish. "Very well. Sol! Giles! Watch everything…I'm going out."
Kila ran from the healer's tent. She ran from the camp. She ran until she spotted the huge battle. "How in the world am I going to find this man?" She studied the situation. Far in the distance she saw…the great Achilles battling. Kila was witnessing all of the great heroes. "No time," she said. She had to find Lucas. So, she decided to run into the battle full force. Kila dodged soldiers in battle as she screamed for Lucas. "Lucas! Lucas give me a sign so I can find you!" She heard a shout. It had to be him. Kila started in that direction, when a Trojan soldier leapt out in front of her. "Ah…a new slave…and a pretty one. You'll get a good price." Kila rolled her eyes. "I really have no time for you now. Don't mess with me." The Trojan swung his sword. He started slicing the air in front of her. Kila closed her eyes, and with all her might, gave a high kick. The sword went flying. Kila kicked the man's legs out from underneath him, and pressed the pressure points on his neck. "I'm sorry. You lose." The man gasped for air…and died. The sword was falling, and Kila reached up. She caught the sword. It was time for her to find Lucas. Kila ran through the battle, blindly slicing Trojan after Trojan. She found Lucas. "Lucas! Is that you?" The young man looked at her with pain in his eyes. "Yes. Please…help me." "I will." Kila looked around. She realized that she had run all the way up to the front line. It was there where the great heroes and all the men on horses were. It became apparent to Kila that Lucas had fallen from his horse. The horse must have run off. Kila hurried to find a way to get Lucas to safety. Then she heard a shrill whistle in the air. It was coming. She reached out and…grabbed a flying arrow. Lucas looked at her, eyes wide. "How did you…" "I don't know…who did it…" Kila scanned the Trojans…one started riding toward them, bow out and reaching for an arrow. "Ok I know who did it. We can't out run him, so…" she took Lucas' bow and arrows. "We'll stop him." Kila put one of the arrows on the bow, pulled it back, aimed, and…fired. All seemed to stand still. The arrow went whizzing through the air. Achilles turned to see where the arrow had come from. It was Kila… The arrow flew straight into the Trojan's neck. Blood squirted from his jugular vein. He fell off the horse, dead. Kila quickly fired more arrows. Each one pierced a Trojan in the neck. Achilles stared in amazement, then went back to battle. Kila waited until the attention was off her. She then decided that there was only one way to get Lucas back. Using all of her strength, she lifted him onto her back. Then she took off running back to camp. The Trojans came at her. She killed them with the sword. She couldn't lose. Finally they made it back to camp. Kila ran Lucas to the healer's tent. She made sure that he was in good care, and then went back to the battlefield. Her agility and speed proved useful. Without any permission, she battled the Trojan soldiers. They dropped like flies from the power of her sword. Night was coming. The Trojans retreated until the next day would come. Kila slowly walked to her tent. She knew that she had disobeyed, but it felt right to her. She flopped onto her bedroll. Then she realized that she had gone through everything…without any protection of armor. Kila stretched, proud of herself, when she heard a stomp on the ground outside of her tent. "What is it?" she called. "It's Achilles. I need to speak with you." Kila straightened up. Achilles wanted to talk to her? "Can I come in?" "Go ahead." Achilles entered the tent, and Kila stood at attention. "Drop the attention stance, Kila. We're going to talk like friend to friend. Not commander to…healer…soldier…" Kila blinked. Had Achilles referred to her as his friend? "All right. Have a seat I guess," she said. They both sat down on the hard floor. Achilles cleared his throat. "I assume that you know why I'm here." Kila looked at the floor and nodded. "Today. What were you doing out in battle today? You had absolutely no protection. You could have been killed." "I know. I had to do it." "But why? You are not allowed to battle. You were told that." "I really don't care. It was a dying man's last wish for me to save his brother. Don't you realize that I would go to Tartarus and back to carry out a dying man's wish?" Achilles looked at her. "You are either the most noble person I've met…or the craziest. But all that aside… Agamemnon told me that he wanted you to fight. He wants you up at the front line." Kila's mouth dropped open. "The front? With all of you heroes? I can do it…but what if I was just lucky today?" Achilles put a hand on her shoulder. "You can do it. For some reason or another I have faith in you. Which is funny because I don't even know you. Yet you strike me as a great warrior. You must have had great training to be such a good shot with those arrows." "Maybe…not." "No?" "Achilles, this was my first time in a battle. At home we were taught how to fight off pirates…not armed soldiers. As for a bow and arrows…I've hunted with them." "Are you saying that this was your first time in a real battle?" Kila nodded. "Yup. And today was the first day that I took a human life. My blood innocence slipped away today." "I didn't realize…" "But it's nothing. That's why I'm here. I know that I would have to fight and kill. And I accept it because it's for my people. You understand?" "I…I guess so. Well I should be going." Achilles stood. "You know…battle plans and stuff. Um I'll see you sometime…" He looked straight into her green eyes…and then he was gone. Kila sat back on her bedroll. Everything was so weird when there was a war. She rolled on her side and fell asleep.
The first light of dawn woke Kila up. She was getting used to it. She rolled on her back and stared at the top of the tent. Then she looked next to her and gasped. She blinked her eyes twice and pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Lying on the ground next to her was a warrior outfit. It was leather…it had a dark blue color to it. Beside the leather was armor. The armor was silver, and it was just like the men's armor. She had gauntlets as well. And there was a silver bow…and arrows next to the armor. Kila stood and dressed herself in the warrior outfit. It fit her perfectly. Someone must have gone through a lot to get her the outfit so quickly. She put the arrows in the little case on her back, sheathed her sword, and swung the bow over her shoulder. She went out into the morning light and was almost deafened by cheers. Kila looked around. Why had these men suddenly grown so respectful of her? Then Agamemnon came through the crown of men. "Kila…our first woman soldier. You realize that this is responsibility?" Kila nodded. "And you realize that you're going to be treated like one of the soldiers now?" Kila nodded, a little uncertain about that one. She scanned the crowd and saw Achilles. He winked at her. She almost blushed, but she couldn't in front of all of these men. Kila quickly snapped back into reality and followed the men for orders.
It was battle time. Kila felt excitement and fear in her bones. She was going to the front. A flying arrow signaled the attack. The Greek soldiers charged the Trojan soldiers. At the front line, Kila fought hard so that she wouldn't get killed. She sliced people with her sword. Arrows were flying everywhere. Kila took a moment and scanned the walls of Troy. She saw archers there shooting arrows down at the Greeks. What and unfair advantage! She thought. Kila drew one of her silver arrows, aimed, and fired at the archers. One fell down, dead. Kila kept the process up until all of the archers on the wall had died. After she was out of arrows, Kila fought with her sword. But something was very wrong. The strong Greeks were being beaten by the Trojans. The battle raged on. The Greeks were trying their hardest, but for some reason, were not winning. Finally the Greeks had to withdraw from the battle. Kila solemnly followed them back to camp. What had gone wrong? There were so many of them dead. Suddenly Achilles grabbed her arm. "Achilles! What in Hades?" "Hurry I need you to come with me!" Achilles practically dragged Kila across camp. "What's going on?" "You must get to the healers tent immediately. They need you in there. We have twice as many injured as the battles before." "Well you could have just told me that. I'm going." Kila ran as fast as she could to the healers tent. Giles and Sol had done a good job of taking over her position, but the injured soldiers outnumbered the two professional healers. Achilles had followed Kila to the tent. She now turned to him. "Come on. You're helping." "What?" "You heard me. We are way outnumbered here. More people will die if you don't help. Please…" He saw the desperation in her eyes. "All right. I'll help. What should I do?" "Follow me." And so Achilles and Kila went from man to man, fixing bones, stitching wounds, and so on. By the time they had finished with their last patient they were exhausted. They went outside and sat down for a few minutes to catch their breath. Finally Kila spoke up with a question that had lingered in her mind. "What do you think happened today?" Achilles looked at her in surprise. He wasn't used to a woman who fought…or asked questions about battles. But he slowly felt Kila growing on him. He was getting quite attached to her for some reason. "I don't know why we lost. I assume that the gods were involved some way." "You could be right I suppose. I hope we do better the next time." "Yeah I hope so too." Kila looked up at the sky. The sun was setting. "I think I'm going to go to sleep now. I need energy after today." Achilles nodded. "That's a good idea." Kila stood up and stretched. "See you tomorrow." "See you tomorrow, Kila."
The sound of arguing woke Kila up the next morning. She held her pillow over her head…but it didn't help. Finally, Kila got fed up with the noise, and decided to see what was going on. The source of the noise was coming from Achilles and Agamemnon. As Kila neared them, she picked up bits of conversation. Achilles was yelling, "No wonder we're suffering such misfortune…the daughter of a priest of Apollo." Agamemnon responded angrily, but Kila couldn't make out what he said. She approached the two. "What's going on here? It's disturbing the whole camp." Achilles sighed. "It's nothing of your concern." "It woke me up. It's disturbing everyone. And if it's affecting our war, then it is my concern. Now tell me what's happening." Agamemnon shot Achilles a dirty look, and Achilles told the story. "In one of the more recent battles, Agamemnon took a young girl captive. But we found out that she's the daughter of a priest of Apollo. Apparently the priest has been praying for revenge, and his wish is coming true. We're dropping like flies on the battlefield. And Agamemnon is being stubborn by keeping her here." "I captured the girl fair and square," Agamemnon replied. "Yeah and we're dying for it. Agamemnon, you must give her back." "I will not." "You must…we'll lose the war." Kila crossed her arms. This was totally out of hand. Then Agamemnon thought for a moment…and spoke. "All right, Achilles. You want me to give that girl back? I will do as you wish, but you must do something for me…" "What?" "You must give me one of your captives." "What!" "You heard me. I'll give her back if you give me one of your captives." "I'll do no such thing!" "Well it's either that…or this army fails because I won't give her back without something in return. I am the commander in chief of the forces, you know. I demand you to give up one of your captives." Achilles knew that he had to obey. "Fine…" he grumbled. "For the sake of the army…which you can handle by yourself. I'm going to my tent…and maybe I won't come back." Kila's mouth dropped open. "Achilles!" "Kila, you wouldn't understand." And Achilles brushed by her and stalked off to his tent.
The next battle came within a few days later. Kila was ready…but she knew that Achilles would not be fighting. She could not understand his reasoning. The battle began. Kila went to work, as usual. But something was different about this battle. Menelaus and Paris decided to go into single combat. They declared that their fight would decide the war. The two forces stopped fighting, and gathered around to watch the battle. The duel began. Paris threw his spear, and it stuck the shield of Menelaus. Kila sighed with relief. He wasn't hurt. Menelaus threw his spear, and it cut through Paris' shield and clothes, but Paris was somehow able to get out of harm's way. Then the two drew their swords. Menelaus swung his and broke it on Paris' helmet. Then he grabbed the helmet, and dragged Paris towards the Greeks. Kila was ready if needed. Then suddenly Paris was dragged back, and he disappeared. Kila had a feeling that the gods were involved. Menelaus looked for Paris, but he could not be found. They were about to claim victory. Kila could feel her comrades ready to celebrate. Suddenly and arrow flew through the air and hit Menelaus. He was wounded. The war was still on…but the battle for that day was over.
Kila and a few other soldiers took Menelaus to the healer's hut. Luckily the wound was minor, and could easily be healed. But Menelaus was upset. "Agamemnon, come here." Agamemnon stood next to him. "Yes, sir?" "I don't know what happened with you and Achilles…but it must be fixed. We are going to lose this war without him." "But…" "No buts. This is a serious matter." "Well…I guess I could send someone to talk to him…" "Send me," Kila interrupted. "What?" "Send me. Achilles will listen to me…I'm sure of it." The two men glanced at each other and back to Kila. Menelaus spoke. "You have my permission. Go ahead and talk to Achilles. Hopefully you'll get through to him…"
Kila walked swiftly to the tent of Achilles. She found men surrounding the tent. "Sorry, Kila, you can't go in there. Achilles will see no one." Kila rolled her eyes. "I really don't give a damn. The outcome of this war rests in his hands. I will not let us fall because he's being a baby." "But you…" Kila pushed through the men and into the tent. Achilles looked up from his table where he was writing something. "Kila…" The men came into the tent and grabbed Kila by her arms. "Great Achilles should we take her away?" Kila was not in the mood for this. Achilles knew that she would take down his men. "No. It's all right. Leave her alone." The men let go of Kila, who pulled her arms away. She looked at Achilles. "Leave us," he said. "Are you sure," the men protested. "You heard me. Leave us." The men, grumbling, left Kila and Achilles. Achilles looked up at the angered woman before him. "Kila…" he began. "Achilles this is very important." "Have a seat." Kila sat across from him. "They sent you…didn't they?" Kila sighed. "In a way. Listen to me, Achilles. We are losing. The men are dropping like flies. We can't hold them off much longer. Menelaus got injured today… We are going to get wiped out if you don't do something." "Why should I?" Kila stood and kicked the chair over. "Achilles! Don't you understand? Have you no compassion? Our ships are being attacked…one was even set on fire. We're all going to die because of your pettiness. If you don't do something…it's the end of all these men…me…and even you." Tears of frustration spilled down her cheeks. She wiped them away. Achilles stood, a look of hurt on his face. Seeing the great warrior totally break down in front of him…almost killed him right there. He went to Kila and put an arm around her. "Come on Kila…I'm sorry…I'm sorry I've caused you this frustration." "Will you do something then? I mean all you have to do is come out, swing your sword a few times, and the Trojans will run like rabbits." "I'm not going out there." "Great we're back at square one." "I won't yield to Agamemnon yet. But I have an idea." Achilles called for his men to bring in his friend, Patroclus. "Patroclus, how would you feel to go into battle as me?" Patroclus thought for a moment. "You mean as a disguise? To fool the Trojans?" "Exactly." Patroclus knelt. "I would be honored to act like the great Achilles. I will ride into battle as you." Achilles pulled him up. "Very good, friend. Here is my armor. Kila will show you where to go and what to do." He turned to Kila. "Will this satisfy you?" Kila nodded. "Thank you Achilles. You saved us." Then she and Patroclus left the tent. Achilles picked up the fallen chair, and sat on it. "I saved you? No, Kila…you saved me."
Patroclus, in the armor of Achilles, rode into battle the next day. Kila was right behind him. The Trojans saw the armor. Shouts of "Achilles is back…tell the men! He's back!" were heard. Kila let out a war cry, and her comrades responded. The Trojans and Greeks met in battle. Kila was doing her normal battle routine. Patroclus was totally convincing the Trojans that he was Achilles. Out of the corner of her eye, Kila saw Patroclus slay one of the Trojan warriors, Sarpedon. Then her face fell as Patroclus met his next opponent. It was Hector, the leader of the Trojans. Kila knew that he was tough…and hard to beat. Patroclus and Hector began their battle. Kila sprinted to help Patroclus, but immediately became surrounded and distracted by Trojan soldiers. She was in the middle of fighting, when she heard a cry…of death. The Trojans ran to where the cry had come from. Kila turned swiftly to see what had happened…and then wished that she hadn't. Patroclus lay at Hector's feet, slain. Hector took Achilles' armor from Patroclus, and raised it in the air victoriously. The Trojans cheered. Then they picked up the body. Kila couldn't let them take it. "No!" she cried. "Attack!" The Greeks attacked the Trojans for their fallen comrade. Kila shot her arrows. "Come on, we can't let them take the body!" She ran through the battle to the men who were trying to take the body. She punched on, and then kicked the other. Then she picked up the body. As she looked up, a shadow fell over her. It was Hector…and the great warrior, Aeneas. "Going somewhere?" Hector said in a sarcastic tone. "I'm taking him back. You've slain him, and that's enough." Aeneas smirked. "This woman thinks she can take him back… We won't let you." He raised his sword, and Kila took off running. "Retreat!" she screamed. The Greeks began retreating. They surrounded Kila in order to protect the body. Hector and Aeneas lead the chase behind them. Kila quickly gave the body to one of the men. "Take him to the ships. Hurry." "Yes, ma'am." Kila, without the burden on her back, raced back to meet the oncoming Trojans. She took out the rest of her arrows, and began firing. Each arrow hit a Trojan. Then she swung her sword, threateningly. Hector and Aeneas took the hint. "Trojans, retreat!" The Trojans began running back to their city. The Greek soldiers surrounded Kila. "Should we get them?" Kila held up her hand. "No. Enough has been done today." Then she turned and walked back to the camp. The battle had been a win…but also a defeat.
Achilles, having heard of the death of his friend, ran swiftly from his tent to meet the returning soldiers. Anger tore through him as he watched the men prepare Patroclus' body for the funeral. Patroclus was put on the pyre. Kila stood with the torch in her hand. "Friends," she said. "Today one of our most beloved comrades was lost. However, we must be strong for his sake. May his journey to the Elysian fields be a peaceful one." She lit the pyre. The men joined together in the funeral song. Achilles' eyes hardened. He would avenge his friend. This death would not go unpunished. Achilles came up beside Kila. "Men, I made a horrible decision." The men listened. "It is because of my vanity that Patroclus is gone. I should have been out there. My decision was foolish." The men talked among themselves. "So," Achilles continued. "I am coming back. I have my new armor from Hephaestus already. Agamemnon, I call a truce. It was foolish for us to fight like children." Agamemnon stepped up to him. "Agreed." They shook hands. The men cheered. Achilles held up a hand for silence. "Tomorrow we ride with the memory of Patroclus. Tomorrow we get out revenge!" The men cheered again. Kila took that moment to walk away. As she walked to her tent she pondered over what Achilles had said. They were going to fight full force tomorrow. She had seen the look in his eyes. It was a burning fire of rage. And she thought to herself…was this battle going to be for the honor of Greece? Or would it turn into a bloody battle for revenge?
