The absence of Achilles and his Myrmidons from the battlefield had initially gone unnoticed by both sides. For the first few days, the Trojans assumed the formidable warriors were taking a much-deserved respite. After all, even though Achilles himself rarely engaged directly in the fray, his army—led by the stalwart Patroclus—had been wreaking havoc upon Trojan forces. Their relentless precision and sheer brutality had set them apart, tallying more kills than any other Greek contingent.
But as a week passed and the battlefield remained devoid of the Myrmidons' presence, rumors began to swirl. Whispers reached Trojan ears: Achilles had withdrawn entirely from the war. It seemed the storied Trojan War, the clash that had drawn armies and heroes from across the Aegean, had lost its most formidable warrior.
