Chapter Thirteen

Summary

• The chapter begins with the main characters, in disguise to avoid recognition, spending their days exploring the island they are on, taking meals in secluded corners and seeking relief from the intense sunlight.
• They discover a deserted beach, which Achilles finds ideal for his physical training. He runs there, letting go of his disguise and delighting in his regained freedom of movement.
• In the evening, they must return to the palace, where Achilles has to wear his disguise again. They participate in big, formal dinners in order to maintain the image of Achilles being a woman. The dinners are mostly silent, with Deidameia making unsuccessful attempts to engage Achilles.
• During the day, Achilles practices with spears secretly, and sometimes visits his mother by the sea. One morning, when Achilles is not around, guards come to summon the narrator to meet Deidameia (the princess).
• Deidameia confronts the narrator, expressing her anger and sadness over Achilles's indifference towards her.
• Despite being pregnant and officially Achilles's wife, she feels neglected and unloved. She confirms she will leave for her confinement the next day to hide her pregnancy from the public eye, which she perceives as a form of isolation and punishment.
• Deidameia blames the narrator for Achilles's indifference and reveals that their sexual encounters were not restricted to one incidences, trying to instigate feelings of jealousy.
• Deidameia aggressively seduces the narrator, forcing him into a sexual situation. The narrator describes the experience as driven by pity and the need to console than by arousal.
• Post the encounter, she expresses a wary distance and requests the narrator to convey her goodbye to Achilles.
• The narrator, upon finding Achilles, rejoices in leaving behind Deidameia's sadness and hurt.