Troy - Historical Fiction (Novel 10)

By Adele Geras
This novel tells about the story of the war of Troy from the Trojans' point of view. The two protagonists are Xanthe and Marpessa and they are orphan sisters. Xanthe is the nanny of Hector and Andromache's son, Astyanax, and in her spare time she helps cure the wounded soldiers. Marpessa instead is Helen's helper, and she lives with her and Paris. She is very special because she sees the gods, and she doesn't forget about them like the other people, but the only person who knows of this is Xanthe. Xanthe has two best friends, Polyxena and Iason, but she doesn't realise that Polyxena is in love with Iason, even though he loves Xanthe. One day, when Xanthe is curing the wounded, she comes upon a young man, Alastor, and Cupid makes her fall in love with him. She tells her sister, and Marpessa is sad for her because Alastor's mother would never permit the marriage, even if he loved her back. Then Aphrodite, the goddess of love, makes Marpessa and Alastor fall in love with e ach other, and Marpessa doesn't dare tell her sister. In the meantime, the war is moving on, and first Hector, then Achilles and last Paris are killed. Andromache and Helen are full of grief, and Marpessa and Xanthe are doing all they can to comfort them. Then the city of Troy is destroyed, but all the friends survive, and Marpessa, Xanthe and Alastor (who is disguised as a woman to not get killed) go to Greece under Helen's protection, and Xanthe is not in love with Alastor anymore, so everyone is happy.