Chapter Text
Cassandra, Princess of Troy begs her father not to let them bring that giant horse into the city. She felt it in her bones, the way she felt that Paris would start the downfall of her beloved city, that this horse would cause the complete destruction of Troy.
This gift bestowed upon her by the God of the Sun and Prophecies, Apollo, was a blessing. One that could keep Troy safe and keep the Greeks at bay.
Cassandra tells her father this horse will bring nothing but death and destruction. How could a father ignore the imploring cries of his prophetic daughter? How could he disregard all she tells him of this Horse?
He does not believe her; for when Apollo asked Cassandra to be his lover, she refused. Her punishment given? Nobody would believe her prophecies.
Cassandra is forced to watch as Sinon, a Greek deserter, spews lies of the great gift left by the Achaean brothers. She must suffer through the deaths of Laocoon and his two sons, eaten by sea snakes at the behest of the wise Athena, for Laocoon’s dissent at bringing the horse in. She accepts her fate as the horse is finally dragged through the gates of Troy, their perceived gift, their unbeknownst downfall.
Inside the horse, Odysseus had been listening to all the exchanges around the horse and found Cassandra to be a strange character. Laocoon was just skeptical of the horse but this princess seemed to understand the role it played, the beginning of the end for Troy. As the soldiers exited the horse that night, Odysseus asked a pair of soldiers to go and find this princess. She was to be brought to the shore and placed on one of his ships to keep as a prize after the city was sacked.
The sacking of Troy left the city powerless as Troy was bare of its reigning family. Achilles’ son Neoptolemus avenged his father through the murder of King Priam and Queen Hecabe. Paris, killer of Achilles, was shot down by Philoctetes. As the city fell, Cassandra was taken to the Greek camp. Locked in to prevent her escape, she wailed for her fallen family, her beautiful city, and her fate left to the whims of a Greek king whom she did not know.
Despite her grief, Cassandra had her wits about her as the Greeks divided their prizes amongst themselves.
Among the choices for Agamemnon and Menelaus, was baby Astyanax. The son of the warrior-prince Hector was taken from his mother, Andromache, and the Greeks had a decision to make about what to do with the child of an enemy.
Andromache would become a slave to Neoptolemus in Phthia and would more than likely tell her son of the war, hoping to sow hatred towards the Achaeans for what they did to his father. Leaving Astyanax to his mother was not an option. Agamemnon, not unfamiliar with the concept, suggested the child be sacrificed. Perhaps its blood would get them a faster trip home. Menelaus, wary of the consequences the gods may bestow upon them as punishment for infanticide, suggested the child be exiled where none could tell him of his lineage. Odysseus requested that the boy be sent with him, he had a son already and the guilt that followed him around for not being there to raise him was lurking around every corner, jumping at him every time he caught a glimpse of the infant. Cassandra listened as her precious city was ransacked and her family separated to prevent alliances wondering how she could save her nephew and avenge her kingdom.