Author's Note:
Part Three is the epic battle that we've been waiting and building towards all along. We finally get to see every character on the battlefield and what fate brings them on a long morning on the beaches of Troy. I had a long discussion with myself over whether or not I'd want to take the path of least resistance and one that stay with Homer's Iliad the most or just stay with the characters and branch of into a direction that is so different from what we know in the Iliad. I chose the latter because the story became an epic one that came from a simple idea that I would tweak things here and there. I wound up changing more than half of the setting and outcomes of the Trojan War and would say the risks paid dividends to how and where the story ends.
Part Three
A journey that should take weeks took only a few day. Polydamas and the Trojan fleet flanked the Greek army in the Aegean Sea.
Polydamas: Full stop. We don't want to be in range of their spotters. We need the element of surprise on our side.
The Trojan fleet halted their advance to ensure the Greek coastline could not see them coming and waited for the Trojan archers to launch a barrage of flaming arrows on the beaches to move into attack positions. Meanwhile the Trojan army was marching towards the beaches and only minutes away are being lead by King Priam himself, General Glaucus, and Prince's of Troy Deiphobus, Hector, and Paris.
Back on the beaches Agamemnon made his decision. He went into Achilles ship and ordered him to rejoin the fight.
Agamemnon: I have had enough of your insolence.
Achilles: I see you haven't come to apologize and beg for my help.
Agamemnon: I am a king, I do not need to beg. You will fight or I will have your men hung.
Achilles: We'll make sure to tell Hades in the underworld that Agamemnon has no respect for those that fight his battles for him.
Agamemnon storms off of the ship in a furry of rage and orders his men to burn the ship with Achilles and the Myrmidons on board it.
Just moments before Agamemnon's men could burn Myrmidon's ship the Trojans made themselves known to the Greeks by the drumming of their shields and the horns being blown by the cavalry.
King Priam said with a smirk: Look at them.
General Glaucus: The Greeks are frightened. You can see it in their eyes and shaking legs.
Hector: Paris, go to the hills with the archers. We'll handle the rest.
Paris: Aye.
Paris rides to the hill tops to where he can command the archers.
Paris: It is time. ARCHERS! IGNITE!
Trojan archers: IGNITE!
Paris: STRETCH!
Trojan archers: STRETCH!
Paris: RELEASE!
Trojan archers: RELEASE!
Miles of the coast the Trojan fleet sees the flaming arrows raining down on the beaches and moves into attack position.
Polydamas: Move us into attack position! The Greek ships are weak in the middle! RAM THEM THERE!
Agamemnon is watching the world collapse before his eyes. Trojan archers are picking his men off and his best unit does not want to fight for him in anymore. In the madness Nestor and Odysseus order the Greek army to take cover.
Nestor: FIND SHELTER! GET AWAY FROM THE ARROWS YOU FOOLS!
Odysseus: TAKE COVER! GET DOWN!
In the madness and death Achilles sees an opportunity. Not to be a Greek legend, but to be a Trojan legend. Achilles orders his Myrmidons to suit up.
Achilles: Eudoros, get the men ready.
Eudoros: We're finally going to fight the Trojans?
Achilles: We're going to fight with them.
Eudoros: My lord?
Achilles: Agamemnon made his choice. In Troy, we will be remembered for helping them save their city and their way of life for centuries.
Eudoros: As you wish.
King Priam shouts to the hills and orders the archers to stop firing on the Greeks.
King Priam: STOP FIRING! Glaucus, Hector, prepare to charge. Deipohbus, take Agenor with you and make sure no Greeks escape to the South. Cut them down like animals.
Deipohbus: Company on me!
King Priam: TROJANS! ATTACK!!!!!
The Trojan army charges at the Greek army being led by their king. Hector and Glaucus lead the Trojans into the Greek front. Ajax charges at Hector only to be taken out by Paris and his archers on hills. Agamemnon uses the confusion of his army to load up and sail away. Polydamas then rams Agamemnon's ship in the fog of the sea and lets it sink to the bottom of the Aegean.
Back at the beach Achilles and his Myrmidons charge out from their ship. The Greeks think Achilles is still with them. Odysseus goes to greet Achilles only to have Achilles cut his throat on the charge. The Greek army is horrified at what they just witnessed. King Priam sees the dissent in the Greek army and orders the cavalry to charge in and to press forward. The Myrmidons having distinct armor from the rest of their countrymen are spared by the onslaught of Trojans. With every Greek general and lord dead, with the exception of Nestor, the Greeks surrender as they see their ships being burned and rammed by the Trojans fleet led by Polydamas.
With Nestor having ordered the surrender of the Greek army he asks King Priam what his terms for surrender are.
Nestor: Great Trojan King Priam, you have bested the mighty Greek army and killed our leaders, what are your terms for surrender?
King Priam: My terms are unconditional, you will sail back to Greece and never return. We did not want this war nor do we wish to continue fighting the Greeks now that the leaders that held malice towards my people are dead.
Nestor: Your navy sunk and destroyed a giant portion of our fleet, I do not know if we have enough serviceable ships to head back home at this moment in time.
King Priam: Then you shall remain here under the watch of Trojan soldiers to rebuild the necessary ships that you need,
Nestor: Then it is settled, we leave the moment the ships are ready for the open seas.
With the battle over King Priam then looks for Achilles and asks him why he betrayed the Greek army.
King Priam: Why did you fight against your own people?
Achilles: They are not my people anymore.
King Priam: Then are you a Trojan?
Achilles: I am neither Greek nor Trojan, all I want is to be remembered forever.
King Priam: You will be remembered. Just maybe not the way you want to be remembered. A traitor in Greece and an unreliable lion in Troy.
Achilles: I can die knowing that will be my story so long as Agamemnon dies like a coward.
Bibliography:
Adapted from Homer's Iliad
Images from Warner Brother's Troy (2004)