This is the next letter in the series, written from Pollux to his sister, Helen. (To read the first letter, go here!)

Technically speaking, it's unlikely that Helen and Pollux would have ever been exchanging letters in Homeric Greece. The only evidence we have of written language from that time are the Linear B tablets of the Mycenaeans, and mostly these tablets gave us information on inventories of goods disbursed. From the tablets we can extrapolate that Mycenae had some kind of overarching administration, and it's suggested that the script was only known to a small group of people, high up. It would not have been used by any common folk.

Helen, as a princess of Lacedaemon might have known that such records were kept, but it is highly unlikely she would have been taught to write. Further, Linear B is only found on clay tablets. Obviously this does not mean that writing on any other medium was impossible, because the tablets were preserved through the destruction of the palaces by fire which would have destroyed anything like skins or papyrus, but if they were only writing in Linear B on clay, it would make for an awkward letter.

Helen,

You worry overmuch, sister. Who in their right mind would steal you from us? We would raze the known world to find you! You are safe in our father's house, and protected again by our greater father, Zeus. He would not let harm befall you, Helen, even if it were beyond my strength to stop it.

These dreams are born only of our mother's fear. I do not know why she cannot realize that her beauty was a blessing! She was honored to have known Zeus! To bear his children! Honored by his love for her! You must not let her frighten you. Your beauty will bring all of us great fortune and alliance when you are wed. Be at peace, sister. Do not let these dreams trouble you any further. You are safe, I promise it. But if it would reassure you, I will speak to our father, Tyndareus, and have an extra guard posted to watch the women's quarters.

You ask me to let you go if you are ever stolen so terribly, but you are my most beloved sister, Helen, and I can not dream of allowing such a crime to go unpunished. I promise you that any such insult would be revenged two-fold on the responsible parties. If you see fire, it is only the fire of our love and adoration for you as our sister. A symbol of the fierceness with which you will always be protected by Castor and me. And I say this: if any dare such a thing as this, we will see them burn with joy.

Your Loving Brother,
Pollux


These letters helped me to outline a general tension for my novel. How did you prepare for NaNoWriMo? And if you made an outline, have you found yourself veering off from it? Have your characters hijacked your plot, or discovered some extra source of conflict to keep you writing? Don't worry if your plans have been sidetracked! Just keep writing! Sometimes it's the stories you don't plan for that are the most interesting to explore.

Keep watching for more letters! In the next not-yet-of Troy post, we'll be meeting Theseus, King of Athens, and Helen's other father Tyndareus, King of Lacedaemon.