princes of troy, on our last night together, queen helen and i salute you.
we've had our conflicts before, it's true. we've fought many battles, sparta and troy. and fought well!
but i've always respected your father. priam is a good man, a good king. i respected him as an adversary, and i respect him now as my ally.
hector, paris, young princes, come, stand, drink with me. hector stands. paris does not. he's still staring at helen. hector nudges his brother's shoulder. paris stands.
let us drink to peace. hector nods to menelaus and raises his cup.
may the gods keep the wolves in the hills and the women in our beds. all the men in the hall cheer and rise to their feet.
a strong arm. thank the gods we made peace -- i've seen too many of my men struck down with this arm.
only one man works a sword better than you. the son of peleus the argonaut.
that madman would throw a spear at zeus himself if the god insulted him.
you see that one over there? i picked her just for you. she's a little lioness. menelaus grins at the girl, who lowers her eyes and smiles. helen notices this silent exchange but ignores it, conversing instead with another handmaiden who sits beside her.
my wife waits for me right there. he leans forward to whisper conspiratorially in hector's ear.
wives are for breeding. you understand? for making little princes. come, enjoy yourself tonight. helen stands and walks out of the reception hall. menelaus does not notice. hector does. he raises his cup to menelaus.
where is she?
i swear by the father of the gods i'll gut you here if you don't tell me. the handmaiden tries to speak but no words come out. fortunately for her, hippasus, , a royal advisor, enters the room at that moment followed by an old
the trojans?
get my ship ready.
i want her back.
i want her back so i can kill her with my own two hands. i won't rest until i've burned troy to the ground.
i should have listened to you.
all my life i've stood by your side, fought your enemies. you're the eldest, you reap the glory -- this is the way of the world. but have i ever complained, brother? have i ever asked you for anything?
the trojans spat on my honor. an insult to me is an insult to you.
will you go to war with me, brother? menelaus reaches out his hand. agamemnon looks into his eyes. finally he nods and clasps hands with his brother.
whose ship is that? nestor shields his eyes from the sun and looks. nestor black sail. achilles. they watch achilles' ship approach the beach.
prince? these are not princes. what son of a king would accept a man's hospitality, eat his food, drink his wine, and then steal his wife in the middle of the night?
she's up there watching, isn't she? good. i want her to watch you die. agamemnon places a hand on his brother's arm.
let me kill this little peacock.
and i came for my honor. his every breath insults me. let me kill him. when he's lying in the dust, give the signal to attack. i'll have my revenge and you'll have your city. agamemnon ponders the offer. he nods. they rejoin the others.
i accept your challenge. and tonight i'll drink to your bones. he walks over to his chariot and grabs his shield. hector helps paris into his helmet and speaks quietly to him.
you see the crows? they've never tasted a prince before. the spartan's mind games are working -- paris wears the face of a man who doesn't want to fight. he swings clumsily and menelaus manages to catch his wrist. the spartan grins and raises his sword for the kill. paris lashes out with his free hand, punching the spartan hard in the jaw. menelaus grunts and shoves the trojan away. he spits out a tooth. he's no longer smiling.
fight me, you coward! fight me! paris, unable to look at either man or speak, trembles by his brother's side. hector, completely at a loss, lays his hand on paris's head.
we have a pact. fight!
this is not honor. this is not worthy of royalty. hector looks at his brother but paris is not looking at anybody. he gasps for breath, the blood streaming from his wounds. hector glances at the greek army, then back to paris.
if he doesn't fight, troy is doomed.
the fight is not over. stand back, prince hector. hector stares at the king, judging his intentions.
i'll kill him at your feet. i don't care.