The first kiss ~ Chapter seven

A certain event takes place...

Chapter seven ~ In the time of Achilles

The hills of Phthia, Greece, mid-August 1190BC

"The way you feel when you kiss him for the first time. Like fire within your bones. Like your soul has returned to the water. Like every part of you that came from a dead star is alive again" ~ Nikita Gill 

A gentle breeze moved through the leaves of the trees among the forest of Phthia, the crystal clear sea lapping against the sharp rocks of the Mediterranean. A few miles inland lay a meadow dotted with poppies and daisies, among which Aedia, Adonia, and Aedia's friends; Achima and Eos danced. 

Their movements were fluid and precise, their gowns moving with them as they whirled around one another holding fine blue silk that rippled like water through the air moving to a soft sweet tune being played by a slave boy sat beneath the nearby Oak tree, shielded from the late afternoon sun.

They were practising the dance for the festival that night; the Panathenaea, also known as the festival of the Goddess Athena. The girls began to weave in and out of one another, before twirling and starting again, all the while allowing their blue silk to flutter elegantly with their movements. As the dance came to an end, Aedia, Achima and Eos made for the shelter of the Oak tree as Adonia excused herself back to the house to continue with her daily chores, taking the slave boy with her as they began up the steep and rocky hill to Aedia's father, Helio's house.

Beneath the Oaktree lay a basket full of bread, olives and cheese, specially made up for the girls to snack on. Taking a seat among the grass, Eos was the first to make for the basket, taking out a green pitted olive and biting into it, closing her eyes in bliss as she savoured the taste. Aedia choose to snack on a slice of olive bread, taking a few bites before lifting a wood water bottle to her lips, letting the cool water run down her dry mouth and throat.

Having had a light snack, they made the short walk down to a secluded beach cove, placing the basket down on the rocks, setting their gowns down beside it, as to not ruin them with the sea water. The girls ran into the water holding hands, quickly diving underneath the waves. Swimming to the surface, Aedia, Achima and Eos swam further out where the water got slightly deeper, treading water to stay afloat as they chatted and laughed among themselves.

While Achima and Eos had their backs to the beach, Aedia who was opposite them had a clear view of the rocky cliffs and sandy path back up to the meadows and roads leading into town. Not many people passed by here, and so it was a place where they knew they could bathe in privacy. Surrounding them was translucent sea water as far as the eye could see, glittering and shimmering in the sunlight, and several large rocks protruding from the water.

"How about we swim to that rock?" Eos lifted a hand from beneath the water to point to a particularly large rock not too far from the beach, as Aedia and Achima turned to look over at it, having to squint in order to shield their eyes from the sun. Achima suddenly shot off, a determined expression on her face as she swam as quickly as she could to the rock, Eos and Aedia close behind her. Lifting themselves onto the rock out of the water they led out in the sun, basking in its warmth. 

"If only it could be like this every day..." Eos muttered dreamily, her eyes shut and blonde wet hair clinging to the soft pale skin of her shoulders and chest, water droplets dotted along her high cheekbones and defined nose.

"It could be like this every day, you just have to find a wealthy man to marry so that slaves can do all the chores." Achima replied, ringing her brown hair out onto the rock, the sea water trailing off of the rock and back into the water.

"Speaking of which, weren't you supposed to be getting engaged to Dymas soon?" Eos sat up, lifting a hand above her eyes to protect them from the suns glare.

"He proposed but I turned him down" Aedia responded half halfheartedly, lightly snoozing as the warmth of the sun soaked into her skin. Achima and Eos gasped in unison, as Eos covered her agape mouth, the pair turning to look at Aedia, who sat up to face them.

"You didn't!" Eos shrieked, her high pitch voice cracking as her widened green eyes fleeting between Aedia and Achima.

"Why?!"

"I do not love him..." Aedia trailed off, as Achima scoffed, a smile lifting at her lips.

"You have nerve I will give you that" At the sound of male voices the conversation stopped short, as the girl's eyes moved to the rocky cliffs and sandy path leading down to the beach cove.

"Oh no" Eos murmured as the voices grew nearer. Being close enough to the beach to be spotted straight away but too far to be able to reach the shore and get to their gowns in time, the girls had very little choice but to hide their modesty underneath the water. Diving back into the water, they hid behind the rock as two men appeared, lovingly play fighting as the older and taller of the two grabbed the other, wrapping them in a headlock and scrubbing their head. Meanwhile, from behind the safety of the rock, a fierce whispered argument was taking place as the girls decided who was going to swim out from behind the rock and alert the men of their presence. 

"Well, you're the oldest!" Eos muttered under her breath to Achima, as Achima groaned and defiantly shook her head.

"I'm not going! What on earth am I supposed to even say?!" She quickly went back to keeping an eye on the men as Eos turned to Aedia, a pleading, apologetic expression on her face. 

"No!" Aedia blurted before Eos had even had the chance to speak.

"It's Achilles and...his cousin"

"What?!" Eos and Aedia exclaimed in harmony, daring to join Achima in peeking over the rock to look at them. They were now sat side by side on the beach, chatting among themselves as the girl's basket and gowns seemingly went unnoticed from where they lay on the cluster of rocks on the sandy beach.

"You have to go out, you already know them!" Eos spoke up, as they lowered themselves down back into the water. And that was how Aedia found herself reluctantly swimming out from behind the safety of the rock, leaving only her head above the water as to cover herself as much as possible. It did not take very long for the pair to notice her, their blue eyes snapping over to her, a frown on their foreheads as they seemingly tried to decipher who it was.

"Aedia?" Patroclus was the first to speak, dropping the sand that he had been idly allowing to run through his fingers.

"I didn't know she knew how to swim" Achilles chimed in as Aedia stopped swimming and stood up on the seabed, choosing to ignore Achilles comment and instead focus on Patroclus.

"Would you...would you be so kind as to just give us a moment to dress?" Achilles rolled his eyes and sneered, an amused expression on his face.

"And I suppose you would like us to hand feed you as well-" He was cut short by Patroclus giving him a sharp nudge.

"Of course." They stood, trudging back up the sandy path before walking out of sight. The girls were quick to get back to the beach, hastily pulling their gowns over their heads and untangling their hair. Aedia smoothed out her light blue peplos gown, grabbing the basket and walking side by side with Achima and Eos up the path, making for where Patroclus and Achilles were stood. 

"Thank you for your kindness. We really must be going now in order to prepare for the festival" Daring to meet Patroclus's bold blue eyes she found herself unable to look away until Eos brushed past her, only then was she able to turn and follow Achima and Eos along the cliffs back to her house.

Later that night the torches shone brightly in the starry, clear summer night, as the festival of Athena took place and joyous songs and laughter echoed throughout the town. Earlier in the evening, there had been a procession through the town to the temple of Athena, where sacrifices and gifts to goddess were left before the celebrations moved to the town center. In the theater, there were skilled dancers showcasing their skills for all to see.

Aedia had spent the evening dancing with Patroclus, their hands brushing ever so lightly as they moved around one another. A soft smile on his lips, Patroclus's eyes followed Aedia as she danced around the fellow dancers before coming back to stand before him, her white veil and gown billowing in the onshore breeze coming in from the bay below the city walls. The music came to an end and Patroclus was quick to lead Aedia away from the new couples assembling into a long line, preparing for the next dance. 

"There is something I wish to show you..." He trailed off as they moved further away from the loud music and laughter, making for a black horse with a beautifully long mane and tail that was tied among the other horses to a wooden post.

"Am I allowed any hints?"

"No. None" He replied, easily climbing onto the horses back unaided by any of the grooms stood nearby who were to attend the horses every need. As he extended a muscular arm out to her, she momentarily hesitated, before taking hold of his forearm and lifting herself up onto the horse behind him. Wrapping her arms around his waist as he urged the horse into a walk, before cantering up the winding hill to a grassy overlook.

Dismounting, he guided her down, placing gentle hands on her waist as she lowered herself onto the ground. Strolling side by side they took a seat on the grass, Aedia took the chance to lie back onto the cool earth and look up at the stars, as Patroclus mirrored her actions. Due to being so far from the lights and torches that lined the streets of the town, the stars were now much more visible in the dark, cloudless sky above.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" Aedia asked breathlessly, keeping her eyes on the sky as she fully took in their spectacular beauty. Turning his head to look at her, Patroclus smiled, taking her hand in his, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Beautiful isn't it?" A few moments passed in silence where they simply took in the beauty of their surroundings until Patroclus spoke up, his voice soft and warm. 

"You know I didn't expect to see you at the Chariot race...and...when I did..." He let out a laugh, glancing over at Aedia who blushed in response.

"I was hoping you had forgotten" He laughed again, sitting up and draping his hands over his bent knees. Pulling herself up, she too sat beside him, taking in the view of the town, from which the hum of music drifted over to them, and then her gaze moved beyond that to the dark blue mass that was the sea in the distance. 

"Aedia..." Upon looking back at him, she found Patroclus already watching her, his eyes flicking between her eyes and lips, as they instinctively inched closer to one another.

"Yes?" Aedia replied, her voice a hushed whisper now that they were mere inches apart, as his warm breath glided over her face and neck. And then as softly as dewdrops falling onto a leaf their lips met. Bringing a hand up to her head, Patroclus brought her closer to him, as Aedia lifted a gentle hand to cup his cheek, her lips moving softly against his. Pulling away for breath, she rested her forehead against his, her eyes still shut, finding herself unable to open them; and when she did she found her breath get caught in her throat at the sheer intensity within the depths of his bright blue eyes. 

Author's Note

Hi, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. So what did you think of their first kiss? I feel like I didn't describe it very well so it would be great to know your thoughts on it. Once again I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you very much for reading.

Reviews

[DIVYA]

The first kiss leaves a hush on the readers. Leaves me marvelling how human emotions were so similar eons ago. I enjoyed this read that tranported me back thousands of years in time to an ancient land. The detailing that went into the scene by the sea side, the dresses and the mannerisms are just great. Just loved the feeling of festivity and revelry of the festival of Athena. You have studied the time well and your grip on the subject matter shows. I'll be going back to the first chapter of this awesome book soon.

[AliceBarnes]

Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I was a bit worried as I had posted this chapter mid last week and no one had reviewed, so I was thinking it must be a really bad chapter. I am so glad you like it, I really appreciate you taking the time to read and leave such a lovely review.

[DIVYA]

It was such a pleasure. Please keep writing.

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good set-up for the kiss. You are making each scene and situation come alive for the reader. I liked the situation at the lake. Thank you Alice for sharing the amazing chapter.
Coyote

[Suhd]

Oh well while I was reading this the whole scene was flashing before my eyes. This one has got great picturesque quality. Thanks for sharing :)

[AliceBarnes]

Thank you so much for leaving such a lovely review! My aim throughout is to make this book as detailed as possible (while not going into too much detail) in order to give readers a better view of what I am seeing. It does end up taking longer but it is worth it when I receive such nice comments from readers. Thanks again!