Achilles 💗

⚔️ The first meeting in Ftía

Achilles sat by the riverbank, letting the cold water run over his hands. He knew he was the son of a goddess, that the gods had promised him eternal glory… but sometimes he felt as lonely as any other boy. The other princes looked at him with respect, but also with fear: no one dared to get too close, as if his brilliance burned.

Suddenly she heard soft footsteps among the trees. She looked up.

He was a boy about her age, his clothes a little worn from the journey and his hair tousled by the wind. He carried a small leather bag and looked around curiously, as if trying to memorize every corner of the kingdom he was now to call home. She stopped when she saw him, and for a second she didn't know whether to keep walking.

"I haven't seen you before," Achilles said, breaking the silence. His voice sounded softer than he expected.

The boy took a step forward, without looking down.
—I am Patroclus. My father sent me here, to the palace of King Peleus. I cannot return to my homeland.

Achilles stood up. He was tall, with light eyes and a strength that was evident even in the way he stood. But he didn't approach with arrogance, as the others did.
—I am Achilles. You have no reason to hide. No one is going to hurt you here.

Patroclus smiled, and it was as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds. He sat down a little farther away, but close enough to talk:
—They say you're the strongest of all. That no one can beat you.
"Perhaps," Achilles replied, and sat down as well. "But I don't know what it feels like to have someone to share things with. Someone who doesn't look at me as if I were a god, but as... a friend."

Patroclus looked at the river, then at him.
—I was taught that strength isn't very useful if you don't have anyone to protect.
(You are Patroclus)