way to rescue Pleisthenes and return the young prince to his father before Troy is destroyed. Characters Anaxandra - The main character, described as having flowing red hair and pious towards her guardian goddess. She steals the birthright of Princess Callisto of Siphnos to survive, but finds herself the target of Queen Helen's animosity. She accompanies Helen to Troy in the place of Helen's daughter Hermione and becomes the sole protector of Helen's infant son, Pleisthenes. Menelaus - The king of Sparta and brother to King Agamemnon, who married Helen's sister Clytemnestra. He loves his children dearly and cares for Anaxandra as his own, which further increases Helen's discontent with Anaxandra's presence and Menelaus's lack of attention toward her. He is a generous to a fault and does not appear to be swayed by his wife's beauty. Helen - The queen of Sparta, the wife of Menelaus, said to be born from Zeus when he took the form of a swan to seduce Helen's mother. She is cruel and coldhearted except when she is openly adored, thus her unhappiness when Menelaus does not appear to be in thrall of her beauty. She falls in love with Paris, a prince of Troy, and revels in the war that will be waged for her sake. Though she takes her infant son Pleisthenes to Troy, she quickly forgets about him, leaving Anaxandra as the infant's only protector. Paris - A prince of Troy, the younger brother of Prince Hector and Princess Cassandra. He is cruel and ruthless, not caring for anyone but himself or Helen and not hesitating to perform dishonourable deeds as it suits him. Anaxandra does not trust him, knowing that he wishes to kill Helen's son Pleisthenes. Hector - The eldest son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy, thus Priam's heir. He is honourable and kindhearted, possessing more foresight than Paris. Andromache - The bride of Hector, a kind young woman of noble birth who befriends Anaxandra. She pities Cassandra and treats her kindly. Cassandra - A princess of Troy, said to be as beautiful as Helen. Though she is capable of seeing the future, she is cursed to never be believed, thus everyone in Troy believes her to be insane and she is left confined in a tower. She immediately knows that Anaxandra is not Callisto, but does not expose her and a friendship develops between them.