Gears of Troy: A Scifi Fantasy Harem

by Daniel Pierce

  The King greeted me as I approached. “Good morning, Troy. I trust you have slept well after your long journey?”

  “Yes, sir.” I saluted him by bringing my fist to my chest as I had just seen his soldiers do. “Well rested, well feed—everything as good as can be.”

  “Marvelous,” he said. “We plan to test your strength here soon enough. But first, let us speak of Helen.” He lowered his voice. “Our new Helen, I mean.”

  “Sir. What about her?”

  “It is no secret that she—the other one—is the reason behind all this. As we were saying last night, those two are one and the same as far as everyone else is concerned. Are we absolutely clear on that?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good, good. It would be too much for the common rabble to try and reconcile the difference, and our enemies would never believe it anyway.” He took a moment to look up at the wall. There were dozens of soldiers climbing the stairs and coming in and out of compartments spanning all levels. “She is the axle that keeps this wheel turning. She keeps the battering ram that is our army moving ever-forward. If she were not here, it would all come crashing down. I feared the worst when the other one disappeared. Common folk do not realize the effect morale has on the tides of battle. But without her, this effort would be lost. The men would forget what they were fighting for. They need a face to defend. Do you see, Troy?”

  “Yes, sir. I know all too well the part that a positive outlook plays in the field.”

  “Of course you do. Helen told me last night that you are a powerful warrior in your homeland. She described to me every detail of your battles thus far—with the tribe on Santorini who pledged their fealty to you, the merciless Greeks, the Cyclops from which you saved our dear Cressida. To say I am impressed by your cunning and valor, well, that would be an understatement. The girl makes you sound like a legend.” He chuckled. “And I intend to have you prove these stories to me.”

  “Sir.”

  “I have sent a messenger to the Greeks as a final attempt to come to some semblance of peace before we are neck-deep in all-out war. Can you guess what I have requested of them, Troy?”

  “No, sir.”

  “I have—ah! Look who has come. Welcome, Helen.” He greeted her with a generous smile. “You are right on time. I was just explaining to Troy our next course of action.”

  “Good morning, Your Highness,” she said, bowing.

  He bowed in return. “I was just telling Troy that you shared intimate details with me last night of his exploits during your journey together. The other generals and I have decided that, before we put the lives of all our men on the line, we make an offer to the Greeks to have a series of one-on-one battles with our strongest warriors. Whichever nation wins will have victory in this conflict, and the loser must concede to their terms.”

  “This sounds wise, Sire,” Helen said. “What are the exact terms?”

  “Well, I am waiting for a response from the Greeks as we speak, so their explicit conditions are uncertain, but I know for sure that they will want you, my dear. My messenger was told to inform them of your presence, but also to insist that we were not hiding you and that your previous departure was of your own volition. We must save face at all costs, you see. Reputation is important for a kingdom. So, they will want you—this is a given. If they demand much else, aside from a little reparation for the time and expense they accrued by traveling all the way here, we may have to reconsider the whole thing. All we ask is that they leave us in peace and we forget this whole thing happened. I think that is more than fair, do you not?” He turned to her.

  “I . . . you mean to give me up to the enemy if they accept and succeed?”

  “If they succeed.” He spoke with a coy tone. There was clearly more hidden up his sleeve. “I did not consider that we would lose with Troy here.” He looked to me, a glint in his eye. I was beginning to see his angle. “He will be our first—and only—champion. We have allowed the enemy to send up to three of their strongest men to compete, with one competition held each day. I doubt they will turn down our offer, thinking they have a chance to win this conflict both quickly and with minimal losses.”

  The subtext was clear. I was no one to them yet, a simple pawn on their side of the chessboard. If I died in the challenge, they would have no reason to miss me, and I would have bought them more time to prepare while I did battle, possibly even taking one or two of the enemy’s key players in the process. The chance to sacrifice a pawn for a queen was a golden opportunity. If, on the other hand, I was the hero Helen made me out to be, here was my chance to prove myself and lead them to victory. The stakes were high for me, but for the King it was only an experiment that would benefit his side in some way, regardless of my success. Priam was a clever man indeed.

  “But I jest a little,” the King continued. “We have planned for all outcomes. If by some chance Troy does fail, we will know that he is no more than a mortal man and proceed accordingly. Nothing is certain in battle. It is often that both sides execute many plans to achieve victory. Many such plans are destined to fail, but only one decisive success is needed to win a war. So, if Troy does fail, take comfort in knowing that we do have contingencies in place to protect you, Helen. As I have said, I will not let the enemy do with you as they had intended with your previous iteration.”

  “So,” she said, thinking it over, “you will not keep your end of the terms if they do defeat Troy?”

  “We must keep in mind that our adversary is a known cheater,” Priam said, again looking to the wall, his hands tucked behind his back. “One can never hope to defeat a cheater if one continues to abide by the rules of the game.”

  Helen said nothing. Her expression read as if she were confused, unsure of whether she approved.

  “Tell me this, Helen,” he continued. “Would you feel any obligation to speak the truth to one who lies compulsively? Would you think it fair?”

  “Well, no, I supposed I would not.”

  “Our situation is the same. To put it another way, you cannot expect to fight a pig and avoid getting dirty.” He turned to her, smirking.

  This time she smirked back. I wasn’t sure if she actually agreed or if she was only happy to hear someone talk trash about the Greeks.

  “But regardless of what happens after the competition, assuming they even accept—which I have no reason to doubt they will—you must appear before the people and show them what they are fighting for. We have not released an official statement on what we believe happened to the original Helen, but rumors have spread quickly. Now is the time for you to show your face, Helen, and let the people know they have your full support. If you can do that for the Queen and I, you will be that much closer to our good graces. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Your Highness. I will do whatever is needed, even if I must surrender myself to the Greeks. I hold the good of the people above all else.”

  The King chuckled. “You sound less and less like her every time you open your mouth.”

  After seeing a hint of Priam’s craftiness, I had to assume he was not being completely honest with her. Surely, he would not fight for her at a certain point. There was no value she could possibly provide that any good king would risk his entire kingdom for. That was just common sense. With all his talk of the importance of morale, it seemed likely that was the only use he saw in her at all. I was fairly certain that, although he might not be willing to let the Greeks have the satisfaction of victory so soon, using her as a bargaining chip was still on the table somewhere down the line in his chain of “contingencies.”

  I remembered how she told me about the cannons she designed on her ship back in Egypt and thought it would be worth mentioning to the royal couple. Then they might understand more of what my Helen had to offer. I was confident that, in a relatively short period of time, my girl could make herself indispensable to the city. But first things first. We both needed to show that we could simply follow orders and pull through.

&nbs
p; We waited outside the barracks for the messenger to return. Unlike the one from the night before, this man returned in the same condition as when he left. He sang a different tune than that other one as well. The Greeks accepted the plan, simple as that. The city would blow its battle horns, and the Greeks would send a champion over to duke it out with me right outside the gates. They were allowed to send up to a certain number of spectators to verify the result. If they won, all they claimed to want was Helen and five Trojan warships.

  I had to wonder why they so readily accepted this offer if Dymas had offered Helen to them in exchange for them backing off with no potential bloodshed. I knew it was all still speculation, but it was all I had to go off of. Perhaps, I thought, they were more willing to entertain this idea since it came from the King himself. Maybe one of Dymas’s terms was that they quietly lay off and not rat him out for double-dealing, and they couldn’t handle terms that made it appear as if they were getting cold feet. Maybe the King’s offer satiated their lust for battle. Maybe they, too, saw it as an excuse to bide their time. Maybe they truly were just happy to have five extra ships added to their armada. All of those reasons seemed likely to me, and I really wished I knew what was in Dymas’s letter; it would have made extrapolating so much easier.

  We proceeded to the top of the wall. Soldiers lined it on both sides, surveying every direction for suspicious activity. I could see for miles. The view was breathtaking. I saw to the other side of the hill Dymas pointed to as we entered the city. The Greek soldiers toiled away like ants, fortifying said hill and the encampment just beyond. We towered above, not unlike a child with a hose, ready to rain on their parade. It was impossible to get a semi-accurate headcount from where I was standing, but their army seemed to number in the “shit-ton” category. It would have been awesome if I could make them turn tail just by cracking a few skulls, but as I looked over their firepower, I found it highly unlikely.

  Helen gave a short speech to the troops around us, not saying much more than to state that she was there as one of them and fully supported their cause. The idea was that these men would take her words back to the rest of the troops, and the news would spread through the city as quickly as the prior rumors of her disappearance. The King told her to expect to follow up with more speeches in the coming days.

  The men around us returned to their posts when she finished, and the signal was given to blow the horns. With that, the ball was in motion. All I had to do was await my first challenger.

  28

  We waited atop the wall for the Greek champion to arrive. I had skipped lunch, not wanting to feel bloated in combat. Dinner was in the process of being brought to us when one of the soldiers called out that six men were making their way to us from the Greeks’ camp. I hurried over to look, and several soldiers blew their horns to declare that the competition was about to begin.

  I really hope we don’t have to do this naked, I thought, remembering back to what I was taught about the original Olympics. I thought it best not to ask and instead just wait to find out.

  “Do you recognize their hero?” Priam asked his men.

  “No, my Lord,” one answered. “It will be too hard to tell until they are nearer.”

  “Let us descend to greet them,” he said, urging me over.

  There was a temporary ladder constructed for easy access to get from the top of the wall to the outside so that the soldiers did not have to climb down on the inside and have the men open the gate, exposing the city to ambush. A cauldron of oil sat nearby so that, if necessary, the men could drench the contraption, light it up, and push it away. This is what we used to go down and meet my competitor—me, Priam, Helen, and four soldiers.

  “Greetings,” the King said as the Greeks approached.

  There was no question which one they had chosen to fight. He towered over me, a real-life colossus, probably eight feet tall. I had never seen such a big man in real life. His muscles rippled from neck to calf like a goddamn comic book character. He wore no armor, covered only by a plain tunic and a silver sash wrapped around his waist, but he did hold a massive hide shield strapped to his left arm that reached all the way from his head to the ground. I looked at my own shield and it felt wimpy in comparison. In his right hand, he wielded a simple sword like all the other Greek soldiers.

  If I had run into that guy in a dark alley back home, I might have been a little nervous, but ever since my bout with the Cyclops, no mountain seemed too tall. He was just another obstacle to charge through.

  Helen was behind me. She wrapped her arms around my waist as the enemy came closer and whispered, “You will kill him, yes? You will accept no surrender?”

  “Either that, or I’ll die trying,” I said and laughed. “But you know what I can do.”

  “Yes, Troy. I have every iota of confidence that you will see this man dead at your feet before the sun descends.” She kissed me and backed away several paces.

  They stopped in a line, spread out several yards in front of us. The King came to my side, and we made introductions.

  “Ah, I should have known we would be seeing you here, Ajax the Great,” Priam greeted.

  Ajax.. I knew I’d heard that name before. I tried to recall where, and of course, I found my way back to the brief overview of the Iliad I was given in high school. I remembered that he was involved in the Trojan war, but with the evidence standing before me, I assumed that was a given. There was something I faintly recalled about the warrior that really stood out to me as a testosterone-filled young man. I thought I remembered hearing that he somehow fought off an army single-handedly during this very war, receiving minimal wounds, no less. I would have been interested to see that, but it was a shame I was going to have to stomp that fire out before it really got burning.

  “It is an honor, Your Highness.” Ajax saluted him and briefly kneeled on one knee before standing and addressing me. “I am Ajax, son of King Telamon of Salamis.”

  Taking his silence as my queue, I stepped forward, saluted, and said, “I am Troy, son of CEO John of Michigan.” It felt like a strange thing to say, but I hoped as long as I looked serious, he wouldn’t question it.

  Ajax raised an eyebrow and looked to his allies, all equally confused. Damn it. “See-eeyo? Misheegan? What are these? They sound foreign, as does your accent . . . and your garb.”

  “I—yes, I am from a faraway land, called the United States of America. Michigan is one of its many kingdoms. My father is a CEO in that kingdom—a very prestigious title. He wields great power in the court and has many arcane responsibilities that few can even comprehend.”

  “This is impressive,” Ajax said. “So, you, too, are of noble blood?”

  “That I am.”

  “I am honored to see you in battle.” He saluted me. “Your name is Troy, like the city, yes?”

  “That is correct. It is merely coincidence. Troy is a popular name where I come from.”

  “Ah, I see.”

  Priam moved to my side and said, “Helen was traveling with Troy during her time away. Last night, at our reunion, she regaled the Queen and I with tales of his daring exploits. He is the sole reason she can be here with us today, as he defended her life on multiple occasions. I cannot wait to see him perform.”

  “Nor can I,” said Ajax, appraising me. “I must say, it would not be honorable of me to hide behind such a great wall as this.” He indicated his shield, but I suspected there to be a double meaning at play, a jab at the city. “What say you, Troy? Let us cast our shields aside, bringing nothing to the fight but our swords and brawn.”

  “I can agree with that.” I tossed my shield to the ground. One of the Trojan soldiers rushed over to pick it up, then I took my sword from its sheath and unclipped my belt, allowing another man to take it from me. My spear I handed directly to Helen, as it was the only precious thing on my person.

  “Let us change the scenery a little, if it is agreeable to you and His Majesty,” Ajax continued. He looked up to the wall. “I ha
ve seen the view from up there only once before. I remember it to be breathtaking. If the Fates have chosen for me to die today, I would like to see it one last time. Shall we test our iron atop the wall?”

  “Sounds good to me.” I looked to the King, who nodded in agreement, an amused smile crossing his face.

  We climbed the ladder back to the top, with Ajax following directly below me, making small talk as we went.

  “I could not help but to notice you were carrying Greek equipment, my friend. Am I correct to assume that those items were not gifted to you?”

  I laughed. “Yes, that’s a good assumption.”

  “How many were there? Were you assisted?”

  “There were eight of them, and another eight the next day. Helen fought by my side. She is a capable warrior, probably much more capable than you would suspect.”

  “That is most impressive—that the two of you defeated eight trained Greek soldiers on two different occasions. My excitement grows the higher we climb, friend.”

  “You’re a very pleasant person,” I said. “You’re not at least a little miffed that I’ve killed so many of your brothers-in-arms?”

  “No, not at all. We are all men here. Allegiances change. Battle is battle. War is war. One side is no different from the other. I bare no hatred toward Trojans. I have no great love of Greeks. I am simply a man who lives for the glory of battle. The minor details do not matter so much to me. The side I am fighting for is merely a matter of circumstance, and, if I live past today, that circumstance is likely to change over time.”

  “Huh, interesting.” He seemed like such a decent guy, it was kind of disarming. I thought it might feel weird fighting him, but as he said, he lived for battle. We climbed the rest of the way in silence.

  He had asked his troops to stay on the ground before we made our ascent, making it clear to us that it was a gesture of good faith, a sign of trust that we would not do anything illicit the moment his men’s backs were turned to us. I thought about what Priam said earlier that day, about how the Greeks were known cheaters and that the only way to beat them was to cheat as well. Ajax isn’t a cheater, I thought. But, then again, Ajax was not really Greek either, at least not in his heart.