Pierre-Claude-Francois Delrome 1783-1859: Hector admonishes Paris, who removes his wreath and reaches for his helmet. Behind him sits Helen.
After our eventful tour of the Tenedos, the tourists and our crew had the night off. Waking up late the next day, everyone seemed a little groggy from the late night partying...but spirits were high as we all knew the trip was coming to a climax! Our next trip consisted of a visit to the grounds of Troy itself! From Tenedos, the trip to the original site of Troy was a very short one, as the Island is only about 20-30 miles off the coast. With breakfast wrapped up, the crew pulled out of the dock at Tenedos and revved the motor into high gear. The water was crystal blue, and the sun was out, making for a beautiful ride along the Mediterranean coastline. Ahhh...I thought to myself! The hallowed battle grounds of Troy await us...
Docking at the port designated for Troy tourists, I rounded everyone up and explained our plans. The final two days of our trip would be spent here at Troy, and I made sure to remind everyone of this. Getting excited, I hurried the tourists off the boat, and we began a long hike to the walls of Troy, where Hector and Achilles battled to the death, and the tides of the war were changed dramatically with the passing of a great warrior...
A few hours later, we arrived at the site and I immediately dived into one of my favorite speeches I get to give during the entire trip.
"Ladies and Gentleman, you now stand on the hallowed grounds of the Troy battlefield, just outside the walls of Troy. Thousands upon thousands of men lost their lives here during the lengthy Trojan War....Spartans killing Greeks and Greeks killing Spartans! In the truest sense, the war was a stalemate for quite sometime due to various reasons. But both Kings and Gods alike knew the end of the war was near when the great mortal warriors Hector and Achilles finally faced each other on the battlefield. Of course...one man had to die...and that man was Prince Hector. The story goes as follows: Hector and Achilles both led their respective armies against each other for many years on end, yet never did they come face to face. Hector knew he stood no chance fighting Achilles all by himself, and avoided him at all costs. Yet the time came to face his fears as Hector had a dream in which he fought Achilles and died honorably. Many tried to dissuade him from fighting, yet Hector would hear none of it. The day arrived and he anxiously awaited the appearance of his biggest enemy. Yet...as soon as he caught site of Achilles, his confidence vanished and he began to run away, with Achilles chasing him feverishly. As they made circles around the city, the Gods who had once protected Hector began to see his doom and deserted him. One by one, they left. Finally, his end came quickly as 'Athena, who wished to help Achilles, assumed the shape of Deiphobus (Hector's brother), and convinced Hector to make a stand against Achilles'. And thus, Hector made a stand against Achilles, tragically realizing the Gods had fooled him. Achilles mortally wounded Hector in the neck, and disgraced his body by dragging him around Troy from the back of his horse drawn chariot. Only after lots of pleading from King Priam, Hector's father, did Achilles return his body. Indeed, it was a tragic ending to such a great warrior....and the war began to swing in favor of the Greeks soon thereafter. Anyone have any questions??" I asked patiently, worn out from my long speech which I had just given.
Eventually, I was able to answer everybody's questions and the tourists were given some free time to roam about the grounds. Walking off on my own, I almost felt as if I could sense the battle unfolding before me in my mind. The powerful feeling one gets when visiting these grounds is enough to make the strongest legs go weak. Just the thought of a massive city fighting till the bitter end brings goose bumps to my skin!
Authors Note:
Like my other stories, this story has a big emphasis on historical facts. I tried to make sure that I kept everything as close to the real thing as possible, only changing a few facts so as to make the story adapt to the overall theme of my storybook. I really enjoyed writing the story in particular because I feel as though this battle was a legendary moment in the Trojan War. Furthermore, in losing Hector, the Spartans lost their greatest warrior and leader...a man who they had hoped to lead them to victory. With his death came a feeling amongst the Spartans that they were fighting a war which they could not win. Eventually, this, coupled with other events, led to the demise of Troy, and the fall of the Spartan empire. Lots of cool and interesting stuff if I do say so myself!
Bibliography:
"Hector"
By: Carlos Parada
Weblink: Hector Website
By: Austin Brewer
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