Helen of Troy Page #3

-. . .l give him leave to go.

-No.

After all, part of my task

was to spread civilization.

But l must exact an agreement.

lf l come fairly out of this fight,

will you believe that l am Paris. . .

. . .and hear the Trojan peace terms?

lf your head's still

on your shoulders, yes.

Paris!

My good Trojan, you have used

a Spartan persuasion on me: courage.

My courage almost failed me

at the thought of meeting Ajax.

You shall rest.

And tomorrow we shall talk.

About your adventures,

your voyage. . .

. . .and the secret charm

that makes me call you ''friend. ''

And Troy shall call Sparta ''friend. ''

Alpheus, find quarters for our guest.

And, Alpheus. . .

. . .they say the Trojans have

great eyes for beauty.

Find him a slave

and see that she is beautiful.

There is one slave in your palace for

whom l'd gladly become a slave myself.

Menelaus!

You expressed a wish yesterday

to present your guests to me.

A proud wish.

Helen, Queen of Sparta,

wife to Menelaus. . .

. . .l present Paris,

Prince Royal of Troy.

Why are you here, Trojan?

To study our arts and culture?

Yes, my lady.

The art of self-preservation.

Trojan impudence!

By your leave, my lord. . .

. . .l shall receive the Greeks

at some happier moment.

l heard my lady was truly Spartan

this afternoon.

My heart behaved like a fool.

l'm sure Menelaus could hear it beating.

Tell your servants to go.

You may go.

-Get out!

-When will you learn?

The man can neither speak nor hear.

What did you think of the Trojan?

-You saw what l thought.

-Yes, l saw what you thought.

Of this Trojan anyway.

What is this game you're playing?

Helen, you reveal yourself.

So does he.

Speak plainly. lf l've given you

some offense, punish me. . .

. . .but don't welcome a stranger with

one hand and strike him with the other!

So now we're fond of Trojans?

l might do many things with him.

l might send him home. . .

. . .with his appearance altered.

l might hold him hostage

to bleed tribute out of Priam.

l imagined once l had married a king.

-You married a king.

-l married a robber.

Why did you marry him?

Why did you marry him?

When a king takes spoils,

he robs no one.

When he kills, he commits no murder.

He fulfills justice.

The way of a Spartan.

l understand these things.

You do not.

l understand enough.

Then understand your place

in the palace, nowhere else!

You've seen this man before.

Admit it.

Your silence condemns you.

You've been out of the palace secretly.

Admit it. You know this man.

Silent as ever. No words for me,

your husband. l am your husband!

-Don't.

-Say ''husband'' to me.

Say ''husband'' to me.

l can think of many ways of dealing

with your Trojan, Helen.

Andraste.

l am the slave sent

to the Prince of Troy.

The queen's handmaiden, eh?

The king commands me

to entertain his guests.

A fine Greek custom, but guest?

He's in a prison, if he only knew it.

Oh, l'm instructed that

he shall not know it.

Must King Menelaus command

you himself to admit me?

The royal temper's already running

a fever.

Shall l tell the king you said that?

Get to your business,

you little troublemaker.

You should be in bed.

Yes, l should but--

But your mistress sent you

to play another trick on me.

No. She sent me to help you escape.

Escape?

Those two soldiers

on watch down there. . .

. . .are they going to help me too?

You're a captive.

The king plans tortures for you.

You must leave quickly.

Return to the fisherman's hut.

l'll go a distance with you

to point the way.

My good friend Menelaus.

-The door is also watched.

-Then what chance have l?

Helen thought to make you

look like a merchant.

Any fool could see you're a prince.

-Soldiers.

-Fisherman!

-Yes?

-Fisherman!

Yes?

-What do you want?

-A cup of wine.

-Our throats are salted by the breeze.

-Oh. Cora, the wineskin.

The captain's an idiot.

Does he think the man will swim?

He'd be deep in the forest by now.

Here. Take it with you.

Go, and remember,

there will be soldiers above. . .

. . .so you'd best try the rocks

under the cliff.

Get to a cove beyond the tower.

There, a boat will send you to the ship.

Wings of Mercury speed you.

Why do you wait?

lt was just a foolish hope.

-l half-imagined she'd come.

-Here?

She sent you garments. . .

. . .arranged for a Phoenician ship

to take you home. What more, Trojan?

l didn't really expect her to come.

-l only hoped.

-Don't even breathe it.

lf she should show her face here

and be recognized. . . .

l know.

And l wish l could repay you

for your kindness.

And for the queen. . .

. . .tell her she'll walk in all my dreams.

Wait!

The ship is not yet in the cove.

Helen.

Andraste, you are free.

-Go as far away as you can from Sparta.

-My lady.

You made clear to Adelphus what l said?

-He is far off by this time.

-Then be on your way.

Freedom is made of quicksilver

sometimes.

Go. Hurry.

Helen.

Helen is the queen.

The girl you thought you knew

was quite nameless and without reality.

l can't believe that.

-lt was she who helped me to escape.

-No.

That was the queen who hates cruelty.

She would have done the same

for any slave.

l see.

She is the queen who

comes here to say this.

She will always remember

the gentle Paris.

And she will do her small part

to turn this nation from war.

-You're not a Spartan.

-l am.

Daughter of a king who chose

a Spartan husband for me.

A man you despised.

l despise oppression,

as do many others here.

We need to be Spartan to endure it.

And we need to be understood.

You are.

You, not Menelaus, will be Sparta to me.

l'll tell my father there's still hope.

l'll tell Troy what l've seen and heard.

The rulers divided,

unable to find cause for war. . .

. . .even the Spartan people.

Stop worrying.

The kings have been carousing all night.

And so she is real, that one l loved.

Yes.

The gods sometimes change

the bravest of intentions.

They are kind.

l'll never doubt them again.

Oh, Helen.

Helen, you are a slave as long

as Menelaus possesses you.

Come away to freedom.

Come to Troy with me.

And destroy the hope of peace

you were taking home with you?

No.

lf even one Trojan dies on the walls,

l'm a failure.

Forgive me, Helen.

You are two women,

both wise and good.

l am two men.

One fairly good, l try to believe.

The other, very bad indeed.

One is a man.

The other just a boy, l think.

Paris, let him be so always.

Never let him grow old.

Helen.

The ship.

And now l must go back.

lt is a way the gods have. . .

. . .to give with one hand

and take with two.

Oh, no. This is not goodbye.

You shall still be with me

across the sea.

And you with me.

And always young, Paris, remember?

What is remembered is forever young.

Halt!

Stand still, Trojan.

-My lady, l ask you remove yourself--

-Send your archers away.

l beg the queen to stand

out of danger.

You wouldn't dare. You'll die.

l can no more than lose my own life,

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