#threads undone

[tamorasky]

Threads Undone - Chapter 10

Summary:

It was not as the Fates intended.

There was to be a marriage bed, a son, and twenty years of waiting. But King Icarius denies Odysseus his daughter’s hand, and the thread begins to fray. Penelope of Sparta—clever, quiet, and promised to no man—is swept from her home on a tide of stolen love and war.

Now a stranger in Troy, Penelope is caught between warring gods, mortal ambition, and a war never meant to be hers. As alliances crumble and empires burn, one woman’s defiance may alter the course of fate itself.

Relationship: Penelope/Odysseus, Penelope/Deiphobus (Onesided), Helen/Paris

The gods had no need for walls. Despite that, Athena just stood beyond them, her form cloaked in air and shadow, perched like a watchful hawk above the Scaean Gate. Below, the mortal kings arrived one by one: cloaks of rust-red and oxblood,  and crested helms catching the sun. They moved like men already doomed, though none would name it yet. Hector stood, straight-backed with the caution of a soldier raised on knives and honour. Beside him, Aeneas exchanged a glance with his prince, measured, and unreadable. Neither spoke, waiting for the Achaeans to arrive. Hospitality was still custom, even as it soured in their mouths.

Continue Reading Here!

[tamorasky]

Threads Undone - Chapter 3

Summary:

It was not as the Fates intended.

There was to be a marriage bed, a son, and twenty years of waiting. But King Icarius denies Odysseus his daughter’s hand, and the thread begins to fray. Penelope of Sparta—clever, quiet, and promised to no man—is swept from her home on a tide of stolen love and war.

Now a stranger in Troy, Penelope is caught between warring gods, mortal ambition, and a war never meant to be hers. As alliances crumble and empires burn, one woman’s defiance may alter the course of fate itself.

And not all myths go as the Fates decree.

Relationship: Penelope/Odysseus, Penelope/Deiphobus (Onesided), Helen/Paris

The sea breeze stings Penelope's face with salt and chill as the ship finally docks in Troy early in the morning. The air is thick with the sounds of the bustling port. Workers shouting, ships creaking, and the low murmurs of soldiers waiting on the pier. In the distance, the great walls of Troy loom like an ancient fortress, striking a chord deep within her, but it is a bitter note. There is no triumph in this arrival, no celebration. Only the gnawing ache of being far from her home. Penelope stands at the bow of the ship, her knuckles whitening as she grips the rail. Her focus is startled as a hand lightly touches her elbow, her head wrenching at the offender. Prince Hector stands next to her, that guilty look that has marred his face these past days still present.  "Princess," he calls gently, his voice lost in the chorus of rope and shouting from the deck. "You will catch cold if you linger in the wind much longer."  

Continue Reading Here!!

[tamorasky]

Threads Undone - Chapter 9

Summary:

It was not as the Fates intended.

There was to be a marriage bed, a son, and twenty years of waiting. But King Icarius denies Odysseus his daughter’s hand, and the thread begins to fray. Penelope of Sparta—clever, quiet, and promised to no man—is swept from her home on a tide of stolen love and war.

Now a stranger in Troy, Penelope is caught between warring gods, mortal ambition, and a war never meant to be hers. As alliances crumble and empires burn, one woman’s defiance may alter the course of fate itself.

Relationship: Penelope/Odysseus, Penelope/Deiphobus (Onesided), Helen/Paris

The sand map was crude, drawn with a blade-hilt in salt and soot. Someone had carved the ridgeline in too deep; Troy's shape was exaggerated, the coast skewed. But the key things were there: the sea to the west, the river to the north, the Scaean Gate glaring like a single unwinking eye.   Agamemnon rapped the flat of his hand against the map's center. "We break east and drive upward toward the gate. No more flanking. No more beach feints. A straight thrust into the belly. If we breach that slope, we can bring the palisade down in days."  

Continue Reading Here!!!

[tamorasky]

Threads Undone - Chapter 4

Summary:

It was not as the Fates intended.

There was to be a marriage bed, a son, and twenty years of waiting. But King Icarius denies Odysseus his daughter’s hand, and the thread begins to fray. Penelope of Sparta—clever, quiet, and promised to no man—is swept from her home on a tide of stolen love and war.

Now a stranger in Troy, Penelope is caught between warring gods, mortal ambition, and a war never meant to be hers. As alliances crumble and empires burn, one woman’s defiance may alter the course of fate itself.

And not all myths go as the Fates decree.

Relationship: Penelope/Odysseus, Penelope/Deiphobus (Onesided), Helen/Paris

The wind swiftly drives them across the Ionian Sea but carries no comfort.     Odysseus stands at the prow, a lone figure against the rush of sky and waves. His chlamys cracks like a whip in the wind. Sea-spray clings to his beard and salt stings his lips, but he remains unflinching. Behind him, his men row with practice, their oars biting into the brine with rhythmic force. Their low voices stirring the ship, soft laughter, muttered awe, and their Captain's name passing like a secret between them. Above, Ithaca's banners wave, blue and gold, proud and persistent, the echoes of their homeland left behind.   

Continue Reading Here!!

[tamorasky]

Threads Undone - Chapter 2

Summary:

It was not as the Fates intended.

There was to be a marriage bed, a son, and twenty years of waiting. But King Icarius denies Odysseus his daughter’s hand, and the thread begins to fray. Penelope of Sparta—clever, quiet, and promised to no man—is swept from her home on a tide of stolen love and war.

Now a stranger in Troy, Penelope is caught between warring gods, mortal ambition, and a war never meant to be hers. As alliances crumble and empires burn, one woman’s defiance may alter the course of fate itself.

And not all myths go as the Fates decree.

Relationship: Penelope/Odysseus, Penelope/Deiphobus (Onesided), Helen/Paris

Wild thyme brushes against the wild wind, its purple blooms trembling with each gust, casting their honeyed perfume across the sloping hills of Ithaca. The scent mingles with the sun-warmed lanolin of the flocks and the musk of sweat and earth clinging to the shepherds' skin. From a distance, the men look like dark specks scattered across a green canvas, their herded sheep no more than drifting constellations of white along the hillside.  A lamb cries out, its voice sharp, high-pitched and uncertain- its legs too long for its tiny frame as it trembles with every wobbly step along the rocky incline. Its bleat slices through the wind like a call for help. Odysseus is the first to move; his stride is loose and practiced from a life of walking on uneven ground. He catches the creature gently, his fingers firm and sure beneath its damp belly. Laughter catches in his throat, not from humour but from the simple delight of working with his hands.  "Careful, my king," comes a call from behind him, loud and teasing. "If you keep pampering the lambs like princesses, they will demand rooms in the palace by dusk." 

Continue Reading here!!

[tamorasky]

Threads Undone - Chapter 1

Summary:

It was not as the Fates intended.

There was to be a marriage bed, a son, and twenty years of waiting. But King Icarius denies Odysseus his daughter’s hand, and the thread begins to fray. Penelope of Sparta—clever, quiet, and promised to no man—is swept from her home on a tide of stolen love and war.

Now a stranger in Troy, Penelope is caught between warring gods, mortal ambition, and a war never meant to be hers. As alliances crumble and empires burn, one woman’s defiance may alter the course of fate itself.

And not all myths go as the Fates decree.

Relationship: Penelope/Odysseus, Penelope/Deiphobus (Onesided), Helen/Paris

The cacophony of laughter echoes throughout the halls of Sparta, the palace thrumming with merriment. Torchlight flickers from tall iron sconces, dancing across alabaster columns and weaved tapestries whispering with victories and histories. The air is heavy with the scent of roast boar, honeyed wine, and blooming laurels. It is a cause for celebration, a mark of diplomacy, not war, with the arrival of Trojan envoys at Sparta’s gates.   Penelope watches from her father’s side, the silk of her sapphire-coloured gown shimmering like the sea beneath the torchlight. Her dark curls carefully pinned with pearls away from her face, revealing her high cheekbones and keen, intelligent eyes. She tilts her goblet just enough to hide her mouth as she overhears a crude jest from one of the nearby lords. Her lips curl against the rim of the bronze, attempting to hide her smile, mindful of her father’s stern presence at her side.  

Continue Reading Here!!