Courting Trouble

Hercules entered the tavern looking for Iolaus and found himself in the middle of a major brawl. Someone immediately flung a punch at him, but he ducked aside so that it barely grazed his jaw. He brought his fist over the man's outstretched arm and smashed it into his jaw. The man fell without a sound.

A bottle flew past Hercules' head as he paused to look for his friend. Another man ran at him, holding a chair above his head to use as a weapon. Hercules kicked him in the stomach and, as he doubled over, gave him a rabbit-killer, to the back of the neck. Again he peered around for Iolaus.

Then he spotted him. Actually all he could see was a mop of blond curls. Two hefty men had managed to jam Iolaus into a corner and were hammering at him. He had no room to manoeuvre and couldn't use his fists.

Hercules began to fight his way to his friend's assistance. He had to knock several men down to get across the room. He could no longer see Iolaus, who had gone down under a barrage of smashing blows. The two men were now putting the boot in. Hercules came up behind them and bashed their heads together. When he released them both dropped like stones.

Iolaus lay unmoving, blood running from his nose and from a split lip. Hercules reached down and pulled him upright and then heaved him across his left shoulder. He straightened and then headed for the door, having to punch several attackers en route. Eventually he reached the door and staggered out into the night.

He carried Iolaus along the street away from the fight and then into the inn where they were staying. He placed him on the bed, got some water and began to bathe the blood from his face. He shook him gently, "Iolaus, are you okay?"

Iolaus lay very still. Hercules was getting very worried, when suddenly his the hunter's eyes opened and he grinned. GRINNED! Hercules was beside himself. "What the hell are you playing at? You let me think you were badly hurt and unconscious just so I'd carry you out of there, didn't you?"

"Beats walking after all the exertion I've just had."

"I damn well should have let you get kicked."

"You wouldn't do that to me, Herc."

"I wouldn't count on it. How did you start that fight?"

"Huh? How did you know I started it?"

"I didn't, but I do now. What did you do this time?"

"Nothing much. I was just talking to this girl and some guy objected and made comments about my height so I punched him and then his friends joined in and then everyone got involved." He smiled happily at the memory and added, "It didn't take much effort at all to cause it."

Hercules was looking thoroughly exasperated.

Iolaus decided he'd better change the subject. "Anyway what did you want me for?"

"I'm starting to wonder that myself."

"Aw come on, Herc, you know I'm very grateful to you for saving me." The effect of this was spoiled as he couldn't resist adding in an deliberately audible undertone, "the effort of walking back to our room."

Hercules tried to frown, but Iolaus' cheeky grin was infectious. He smiled suddenly and punched Iolaus none to lightly on the shoulder, making him stagger. "One of these days you'll go too far, Iolaus, and I won't be able to pick up all the pieces someone tears you into."

The happy expression on Iolaus' face didn't alter. There were few things he enjoyed as much as a good fight. "You haven't told me what you wanted me for yet."

"I've had a message from Justin and Marcus. You remember they married two sisters and are settled in a town about ten miles from here. They heard we were in the area and want us to go on a visit. It must be about eight years since we last saw them. It will be great to see them again."

Iolaus was not so excited about the prospect, but seeing Hercules' enthusiasm asked, "When are we leaving?"

"First thing tomorrow, provided you're up to it."

"Course I am."

The next morning it was Hercules turn to grin as a stiff and sore Iolaus stumbled his way out of the inn. "You're getting too old for bar-room brawls, Iolaus."

"No, I must have slept funny. That bed was really lumpy."

"Yeah, I guess that accounts for all those bruises."

Iolaus seemed to find the journey exceptionally strenuous and Hercules thoroughly enjoyed himself at his friend's expense.

They reached their destination about midday. Justin and Marcus were very pleased to see them and made them both welcome. The two had known Hercules all his life, having been born in the same village, although both were about three years older. Of course, they also knew Iolaus well, but they'd always been far closer to Hercules. They took their visitors to a local tavern for a meal and then settled down for a long talk.

After a couple of hours, Iolaus became restless and said he was going to have a look around the town. The other three were so engrossed in their discussion they were hardly aware of his departure. He wandered around for about half an hour finding little of interest and had just decided to rejoin the others when he heard a girl's voice.

"Come back! Come here! Please stop, Poppet."

Iolaus turned at the voice and saw a girl chasing a small, white dog amongst the market stalls. He moved to intercept the pet and swept up the chubby, wriggling body. Far from resenting the check to his escape plans, the dog showed his pleasure at the attention by bestowing several enthusiastic licks to Iolaus' cheek.

"Thank you, I'll take him now," the girl said. "What a naughty darling you've been, Poppet."

As Iolaus handed the dog over, he looked at the owner for the first time. His friendly smile widened as he saw the most beautiful sight he'd seen in years. Blonde hair tumbled in disarray around her shoulders. Large blue eyes smiled their thanks, beneath smoky lashes. As she saw his grin widen, she responded showing pearly teeth between tantalising lips. Both stood transfixed.

"Ariana! What on earth are you doing? Come along at once." A formidably large woman bore down upon the pair. Throwing a protective arm around the girl, she bustled her off, leaving Iolaus staring after her.

He was still wearing a broad grin when he entered the nearby tavern to join Hercules, Justin and Marcus.

"What have you been up to now?" asked his suspicious friend as he observed the smile.

"I've just met the most beautiful girl in all Greece."

"Iolaus, if I had a dinar for every time you've said that I'd be rich."

"THIS time it's true."

"It always is," commented a cynical Hercules.

"You should have seen her, Herc, blonde curls, beautiful blue eyes...."

Hercules interrupted, "Are you sure you haven't been looking in a mirror again?"

The three at the table all laughed, but Justin sobered and said, 'Blonde curls and blue eyes? Iolaus, you wouldn't happen to know the name of this paragon by any chance?"

"Yeah, the big woman, who was with her, called her Ariana."

"I suspected as much. Well, my friend, this is one woman you are going to have to forget."

"Impossible."

"It had better be possible! She is the only daughter of Brennus, the most powerful and wealthy warlord in this area. He's been heard to refer to her as his most precious possession. Any man going near her is in BIG trouble. Why he probably wouldn't think that even Hercules was good enough for her."

Even Hercules! Stung, Iolaus responded sharply, "I don't like the implication in that, Justin."

"Come off it, Iolaus," intervened Marcus, "Justin is only speaking out for your own good. You can't imagine her father would look kindly on a penniless adventurer. When he marries off his daughter..."

Iolaus cut him off, snapping, "Well that's okay then because marriage certainly isn't on my mind. So you can keep out..."

"Iolaus, calm down! That's no way to talk," remonstrated Hercules. "We came here for a peaceful and relaxing visit with our friends and that's what I intend to have."

"You go ahead and do that then, Hercules. Leave me to enjoy myself as I choose." He stalked out.

"He's still got that hot temper he always had," observed Justin, with the ease of long-standing friendship.

"The trouble is," added Marcus, "that Brennus will take one look at him and that'll be it. We all know Iolaus' skills as a warrior and his worth as a man, but Brennus will just see a little guy stepping completely out of line. And when Brennus makes one of his snap judgements that's it, SNAP is the word and woe betide anyone who offends him."

"How likely is it that he'll even get a chance to approach her?" asked Hercules.

"Unfortunately fairly likely. She's got a silly, useless, little dog, like a powder puff on legs, and she's out walking it everyday. Mind you she's always got a chaperone with her. That's the woman Iolaus mentioned. She's probably tough enough to dispose of Iolaus without waiting for father."

"Yeah, actually Marcus has a good point there," added Justin. "It would be difficult to get past her. She sees her job as protecting her charge from all men, no doubt according to Brennus' instructions."

"Well let's hope that she lives up to her reputation on this occasion because I don't think we're going to be able to talk sense into Iolaus. Once he's in this mood, you know there's no reasoning with him," stated Hercules.

"I'll say! Do you remember when we were teenagers and he back-chatted Marcellus that time when Marcellus criticised him for not keeping his guard high enough when practicing sword-play? Marcellus showed him the consequences by breaking through his defence and pricking his throat with his sword. Even then Iolaus stood there and argued that if it was a real fight Marcellus would never have managed it. The rest of us used to shake in our shoes when Marcellus was mad at us, but not Iolaus," Justin reminisced.

"Yeah, I always felt it was because he was so much smaller than the rest of us, that he felt he could never back down, that he always had to prove himself," added Marcus.

"That's probably true," said Justin. "I was at his home once and I overheard his father giving him a real dressing-down He kept saying things like how undersized and useless Iolaus was and how ashamed he was to have such a son. I was embarrassed and didn't know what to say. Iolaus knew I'd heard it all and just said, "Don't worry about it. I'm used to it. Anyway he didn't hit me for once, so just forget it." It must have been terrible to have a childhood like that."

Meanwhile the object of this discussion was biding his time. Later that day, he espied the chaperone alone in the market. He put on his best smile and approached her. "Hello again. I've been thinking about you since this morning. Don't I know you from somewhere?" She turned towards him as he spoke and, even as the question left his lips, he realised with a start that she did look incredibly familiar.

She took it as the ancient pick-up line it was and snapped, " I doubt it! Who are you?"

"Iolaus."

To his amazement, she smiled broadly and he had the odd feeling of recognition again. "You're partly right. I do know you or, at least, I know enough about you to feel I do. My name is Marcia. You know my twin brother Marcellus."

The resemblance was remarkable. Marcellus was a massive man, well over six feet tall and solidly built and his sister would also have cleared that height. "Marcellus! Of course! How is he?"

"He's fine. He's married now and has settled down to a farming life."

The two were soon chatting away like old friends as they discussed mutual acquaintances. Marcia recounted some of her brother's stories about his earlier life as a warrior and Iolaus added to these.

"Marcellus often spoke of you and Hercules and the others, but especially of you."

"Oh oh! That worries me somewhat. I probably won't like the answer, but why especially me?"

"He always said you were the stroppiest young buck he'd ever encountered and that you gave him more trouble than the rest of the boys he was helping to train put together."

"That's not fair! We just got off to a bad start, that's all."

He recalled his first meeting with Marcellus. He and Hercules were boys of 15 and they had joined a group of youths aged 17 or 18 for some military instruction. They knew two of the latter, Marcus and Justin, as they were from their home village, but the others were strangers to them. Marcellus had welcomed each one individually, except for Iolaus. He'd assumed that Iolaus was someone's much younger brother hanging around. Naturally Iolaus had taken exception to being ignored and had finally introduced himself. Marcellus had told him he was too young to be there and he had retorted that if he was too young then so was Hercules as he was a month older than his friend. Marcellus had been very sceptical about this, but Hercules had sworn it was true and had said that if his friend wasn't welcome he would leave too. Well Marcellus wasn't about to lose the opportunity of instructing the son of Zeus so he relented.

So Iolaus stayed and, many times, Marcellus wondered if he'd done the right thing as he found that Iolaus had a knack for attracting trouble, especially as he could never resist giving a cheeky response to anyone. It wasn't all his fault. Several of the older youths tried to push him around and usually received more than they had bargained for. Iolaus moved like quicksilver: punching and kicking and often dancing out of the way of retribution. Occasionally his opponents ganged up on him, but even then they had trouble getting him down. They certainly had no hope if Hercules caught them at it as the two made a formidable pair.

Hercules was much quieter and far more willing to listen to advice and correction, whereas Iolaus was argumentative when roused and would not give in. Even Hercules felt obliged to rebuke him at times for his outspokenness, while Marcellus sometimes gave him the flat of his sword or his belt across his backside. However, Marcellus soon realised that Iolaus did not resent punishments if he felt, when he had calmed down, and he was an honest boy, that he'd been out of line. Also as he observed the development of the boy's fighting skills and his fearlessness, he came to have an admiration for him. He even predicted to his friends, not in Iolaus' hearing of course, that, Hercules apart, Iolaus would probably turn out to be the greatest warrior he'd ever helped to train – provided he learnt to curb his recklessness. Marcellus was one person who always listened to stories of Hercules' later exploits with more interest in the activities of Hercules' inseparable friend.

Iolaus and Marcia had a very pleasant interlude and, when Iolaus proposed that they meet again the following afternoon, she readily agreed as the afternoons were her free time.

Iolaus had realised that she had not connected Marcus and Justin with her brother. Perhaps she had never heard their names or, if she had, had not made the connection as their names were not uncommon. He had deliberately avoided telling her Hercules was in town as well. He still wanted to meet Ariana and did not trust Hercules to keep quiet about this, especially as the latter had expressed his disapproval of the plan. He now elected to avoid all three men and hoped they hadn't observed him with Marcia. In line with this, he pretended to be asleep when Hercules entered their room that night and then rose early the next morning and went out before Hercules awoke.

The meeting the next afternoon also went swimmingly. Marcia had a sense of humour and a fund of amusing stories. Iolaus could not remember when he'd enjoyed a female's company, on a friendly rather than a sexual basis, so much. He did not propose a third meeting, somewhat to her disappointment, as he intended to 'innocently' approach her when she was with Ariana. After all, he had reasoned all along that a friendship with the chaperone should facilitate a warmer relationship with her charge and he could see no reason to abandon the plan just because so far it had worked far more successfully than he could ever have envisaged.

However, the second meeting had reached Hercules' ears. In a small town, gossip moved swiftly and the sight of the small, blond warrior apparently courting the large, respected and somewhat feared chaperone was certainly worthy of remark. Hercules was stunned. Iolaus never ceased to surprise him with his tricks. He was immediately suspicious of his friend's motives. If what he suspected was true, he did not feel it was a very honourable way for Iolaus to behave, to court one lady in order to meet another. He intended to tell Iolaus so, but the latter, hearing that Hercules was looking for him and suspecting the cause, avoided him by moving out of their room at the inn and spending the night in the woods.

The next morning, Iolaus 'accidentally' ran into the two women as they walked in a meadow just outside the town. Marcia, although surprised to see him there, introduced him to her charge. Iolaus treated both women to the benefit of his considerable charm and soon all three were chatting away like old friends. Iolaus was careful to divide his attentions between the two ladies and also to play with Poppet, as he knew this would please Ariana. When the time came for the ladies to depart, all three were regretful.

Iolaus suggested a meeting the following day. Marcia, well aware that Ariana's father would have a fit if the meeting came to his ears, felt obliged to demur, but Ariana pressed her and she weakened and agreed. They decided to meet in a secluded spot by the river.

Well pleased with himself, Iolaus sauntered back towards the town. He was so busy thinking about the pleasant morning he'd had and planning his next move, that he was unaware of Hercules' presence until a large hand grasped him by the shoulder. He jumped, but recovered himself and greeted his friend casually, while trying to shrug off the hand. However, Hercules retained a firm grip.

"Let go, Herc! What are you trying to do? Crush my shoulder?"

The grip relaxed a little, but remained firm. "Just keeping you in one place long enough to get a few answers. Why have you been avoiding me?" Hercules demanded.

"Avoiding you? You don't think I'd do that surely?" Iolaus prevaricated. His voice was so innocent that Hercules' suspicions were heightened further.

"Well where did you get to last night?"

"Oh, I just went out for a bit as it was such a nice evening and it got quite late so I decided I'd better sleep out rather than disturb you."

The expression on Hercules' face was one of complete disbelief. "And just what have you been doing today?" Hercules asked sternly.

"Just walking. You know, looking around, getting a bit of exercise. It's given me quite a thirst. Why don't you let go of my shoulder and we can go to the inn and have a chat over some ale."

"Iolaus, I would appreciate some straight answers."

"Look, Herc, what I've been doing has nothing to do with you."

"I know that, Iolaus, and if you decide to stir up trouble for yourself that's your business, although your trouble has a tendency to spread to involve me as well. You already know I don't agree with you chasing after Brennus' daughter. However, my immediate concern is that there is a certain lady involved in all this who appears to be being used and may be hurt by your actions."

As Hercules had hoped, a look of disquiet, albeit fleeting, passed over the hunter's features. Hercules was a past master at acting as Iolaus' conscience, having had plenty of practise over the years as Iolaus frequently allowed enthusiasm to push good sense well aside. However, Iolaus was always hard to suppress and now he grinned and said, "No she won't. I'll be careful."

"Well be that as it may, I think it's about time that we moved on. I've had enough of relaxing."

"Move on? But, Herc, we've only been here a couple of days. You know you've been enjoying Justin and Marcus' company. It's been ages since you saw them and..."

Hercules interrupted, "I fear we may be about to outstay our welcome."

"Are you STILL getting at me? I've told you I'm being careful. Let's just stay a little longer."

"All right! Just a couple more days then, but it's against my better judgement."

The next day, Iolaus met Ariana and Marcia by the river as planned. They sat in the sun, chatting and playing with Poppet. Unfortunately, Ariana's conversation was very much restricted to Ariana herself. Iolaus was soon aware that chatting to her was not nearly as enjoyable as talking to Marcia alone, but she was certainly easy on the eye and he told himself that this outweighed the disadvantages of her conversation.

At one point, Marcia looked at the other two, sitting side-by-side, and laughed, "With those mops of blond curls you two could be brother and sister, if you were closer in age."

Ariana took up the joke, "Well I could call him 'big brother' except for the fact that I'm taller than he is."

"No, you're not!"

"Am too!"

Iolaus jumped up, grasping Ariana's hand and pulling her with him. "Marcia, tell her I'm right," he appealed.

"Sorry, Iolaus, there's not much in it, but I think she's got the edge on you."

"No she hasn't. She's just got taller hair and I can alter that." He pushed her curls flat, enjoying their silky texture. She protested and grabbed his wrist, but couldn't stop him.

"Help me, Marcia," Ariana pleaded. Marcia moved to grasp his other wrist and a minor tussle began.

All three were laughing and so preoccupied that they did not hear men approaching. Suddenly a group of about ten bandits burst into the clearing. The leader, Sciron, spoke, "Ariana, daughter of Brennus, you are to come with us. We won't hurt you if you obey us."

At first sight, Iolaus has assumed that they were Brennus' men, but the second statement didn't fit with that. Then Marcia confirmed this with, "Who are you? What do you want with my mistress?"

"Let's just say we are men who know the value Brennus puts on his daughter. Now come here, girl"

Iolaus glanced at Marcia. She nodded. Then, to the utter surprise of the bandits, the two launched themselves at them, while shouting to Ariana to run for the village.

The bandits had been surprised to see Iolaus with the women, but it had caused them no concern as he was small and unarmed, so they were caught completely off-guard by the ferocity of his attack. Three of them were on the ground in seconds. What was more, the chaperone seemed equally formidable. Two men went down to her fists and then she snatched up a sword and began to demonstrate that she was no stranger to the weapon.

What the final outcome would be was in doubt, when one of the bandits shouted that he had Ariana and would hurt her unless the two surrendered. Iolaus glanced back and saw the man holding a knife to her throat. He stopped dead. Two men grasped his arms and yanked them viciously behind his back, while another drove his fist into Iolaus' unprotected stomach. He sagged gasping in pain. He saw others tying Marcia's hands.

The man holding Ariana propelled her forward. She was sobbing with fear. "Okay, girl, you're coming with us," Sciron ordered.

Iolaus' mind whirled. What on earth could he do to save her? He suddenly recalled Marcia's laughing comment about the similarity between him and Ariana. "Please leave my sister. If you want to take someone take me."

"SISTER?" Sciron stared at him. "But everyone knows Brennus only has a daughter."

"Only one legitimate daughter," said Iolaus, hastily improvising, "but a bastard son can become appreciated under those circumstances."

"How come I've never heard of you then?"

"Our father only sent for me a few weeks ago when he finally accepted Ariana's mother is too old to give him a son. I've been living in another province, but father always supported mother and me when I was a child."

Sciron looked doubtful, so Iolaus continued, "I'd have thought you'd have suspected our relationship seeing us together. A number of people have commented on my resemblance to my little sister, although she's a lot younger of course."

Sciron turned aside to Ancaius, his chief henchman, "What do you think?"

"It could be true. Look at that hair. Also the fact that he's here with the girl suggests it is true as we all know Brennus won't normally allow any man near her."

"Well, just in case, I think we'd better take them both."

Iolaus was relieved. He would have preferred it if they had only taken him, but at least Ariana would not be alone and he hoped to find a chance to free them both.

"Tie him up." Iolaus' wrists were secured tightly behind him.

"What about the other woman?" Ancaius asked.

"Leave her. She can take a message to Brennus for us." He motioned to one of the men. "You'd better write a new ransom note. I trust you've got parchment with you." The man nodded. Sciron demanded Iolaus' name and Iolaus gave it, reasoning that a false name would be more likely to lead to verbal slip-ups.

He almost instantly regretted this as one of the bandits commented, "Iolaus? I've heard that name before somewhere." Iolaus could not help but think of all the times when people had spoken of Hercules and had forgotten him and now, when he didn't really want to be recognised, he might be. However, the man said no more.

Sciron signalled to one of the men and he gave Marcia a blow across the back of the head. She crumpled to the ground. "Just so as she doesn't deliver the note too swiftly," Sciron commented, dropping the ransom note beside her.

"Let's get out of here."

One of the bandits appeared leading a string of horses. Ariana and Iolaus were forced onto one which was secured by a leading rein. Ariana's hands were left free, but Iolaus had to balance as best he could behind her.

Meanwhile Poppet, frightened by what had happened, had been in hiding. With the bandits' departure, he emerged. Licks failed to awaken Marcia, so he headed for the village. Once there, he began to bark loudly and, for a little animal, he could make a lot of noise. Any other dog would have been kicked for such a racket, but everyone knew his owner and so he was cursed but allowed to continue.

"Why on earth doesn't someone shut that animal up?" Marcus complained, as the noise penetrated to the inn. He strode to the window and peered out. "That explains it."

"What explains what?" Hercules asked.

"The dog being allowed to make that racket. It's Ariana's little mongrel."

"Why isn't she stopping it herself?"

"I can't see her anywhere. It's odd for the dog to be alone."

Warning bells rang in Hercules' head. He didn't know why, but he felt something was wrong. He got up and went out. He scooped up the dog and cuddled it to him. "Where's Ariana, boy?" he asked. As if in answer, the dog began to wriggle to be freed. He placed it down and it took off with Hercules in pursuit. Watching this, Justin and Marcus decided to tag along as well.

A few minutes later, the dog led Hercules to Marcia. She was still unconscious. The flattened grass was testimony to the struggle. Hercules untied her and began to tend her head injury. While he was doing this, she moaned and began to rouse, "Ariana?"

"Just lie still."

"Who are..."

"I'm Hercules, Iolaus' friend."

Meanwhile Justin had picked up the parchment. He gasped and handed it to Marcus.

"What is it?" asked Hercules

"It's a ransom note for Brennus' daughter, Ariana and SON, Iolaus."

"WHAT???"

Marcus handed it over. Hercules shook his head wonderingly. How on earth did Iolaus manage to do these things? Well if Brennus had not heard of Iolaus yet, he certainly was going to do so now. From the sound of the warlord it would be hard enough to give him a ransom note without this addition. The old idea of killing the messenger who brought bad news might well gain new currency.

"Can I see it?" Marcia asked. She read it and then explained how Iolaus had tried to get the bandits to take him instead.

"Well we'd better go and see Brennus," Hercules said. He turned to his friends. "There's no need for you to come as this could get rather nasty and you have your families to consider." They protested, but knew he was right.

Marcia pronounced herself recovered and she and Hercules set off on the walk to the castle. As they walked, she remarked that she was surprised Iolaus had not mentioned Hercules was in town too as he would have known she would wish to meet him. Hercules queried her interest and she explained who she was. Hercules was very pleased to meet her, in spite of the inauspicious circumstances, and could now understand how his devious friend had made such rapid progress into her good books. He informed her that Iolaus had also kept him in the dark about her, but pretended ignorance of Iolaus' motives. "When we see him it will be interesting to learn what he's been playing at. You never know what he'll do next, but he's always got 'interesting' explanations." In spite of the current adverse circumstances, he smiled to himself at the thought of his friend trying to worm his way out of that.

The walk took over twenty minutes. The presence of Marcia afforded easy access to the castle and she sent a page to request a private audience with Brennus as a matter of extreme urgency.

The two were admitted to his presence about ten minutes later. Brennus, a large, muscular man in his late fifties, who still retained the good looks he had bequeathed to his daughter, demanded to know their business.

Marcia explained, "My lord, your daughter has been kidnapped. We were out walking her dog about three-quarters of an hour ago when we were attacked by a gang of bandits. I would have been here sooner, but I was knocked unconscious."

Brennus' face paled and then he began to scowl. "What's that parchment?"

"A-A ransom note."

"Don't muck around, woman. Give it to me at once!"

With some trepidation, Marcia handed it over and waited for the explosion.

Red anger clouded Brennus' vision. He flung the offending parchment to the floor. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" he shouted, "MY DAUGHTER AND SON! WHAT SON? WHO THE HELL IS WITH MY DAUGHTER?"

Quailing slightly before his fury, Marcia muttered, "It's just Iolaus. He was talking to us when the bandits appeared."

"YOU LET A MAN NEAR MY DAUGHTER?"

"It w-wasn't like that. He's...He's a friend of mine."

"We will definitely discuss this later." His voice was menacing. "Why has he suddenly joined my family?"

"We both tried to fight the bandits off, but one got a knife to Ariana's throat and we had to surrender. Iolaus tried to get them to take him instead by pretending to be your bastard son."

"How on earth could he convince them of that?"

Hercules decided it was time to intervene as precious time was being wasted. "When you see Iolaus you'll see the resemblance between the two...."

Brennus cut him off. "When I see him he soon won't resemble anything. Anyway who the hell are you?"

"My name is Hercules."

"What? THE Hercules?"

"Yes."

"What's any of this got to do with you?"

"Iolaus is my best friend. We've been staying in the village for a couple of days. Look, this discussion is wasting vital time when your daughter's well-being is at stake."

"Don't you tell me about Ariana's well-being. I can look after my daughter. And that's just what I'm going to do, look after - HER -."

"Tell me what you intend, I'll help you all I can."

"I haven't decided yet but, if I get a chance, I'll tell the bandits what to do with my so-called son even though it means depriving myself of the pleasure."

The words brought the joke Hercules had made after the tavern fight about Iolaus' probable fate into his mind and he hoped it would not prove prophetic. "Think before you do anything. Your daughter is in a very dangerous situation. If anyone can protect her, it will be Iolaus. If you expose him, she'll be absolutely alone in the midst of your enemies."

Brennus paused. He could recognise the truth in Hercules' words, although he didn't want to acknowledge it.

Hercules seized the advantage. "Come on, we must decide what to do in Ariana's best interests."

After a ride of an hour or so, the bandits reached their temporary hide-out in an ancient, derelict castle, where another fifteen or so members of their gang awaited them. They rode over the drawbridge into the courtyard. One man lifted Ariana down and another grasped Iolaus' vest and pulled him roughly from the horse. He staggered as he landed, but managed to keep on his feet. The man who had lifted Ariana down was still clutching her, while she struggled to pull away.

Iolaus started forward. "Leave her alone!"

The man who had pulled him from the horse moved forward and stood between him and Ariana. "What are you going to do about it?" he jeered. He soon found out. Iolaus crouched slightly, tensed his muscles and launched a flying assault, giving him a boot straight in the face. The bandit dropped like a stone. Iolaus then spun to face the attack that he knew would follow. Heavily out-numbered and with his hands tied, he knew what the end result would be, but still gave it his best shot. Two more men were on the ground before they had him down. One of the bandits planted his boot into Iolaus' ribs and would have repeated the action had Sciron not intervened. "Enough! Take them inside." Iolaus was dragged to his feet and shoved towards the keep and Ariana followed.

In an aside to Ancaius, Sciron muttered, "He might be small, but he's got all his father's fighting skills and then some."

"You believe him then?"

"I'm still not sure."

The two followed the others in. "Put them in the dungeon," Sciron ordered.

"Couldn't we have a bit of fun with them first?" one of the men asked. He gestured towards Ariana. "It seems a pity not to enjoy a tasty piece like her."

"Yeah," Acton, the man Iolaus had kicked, added, "and I'd like the chance to give him a working over after that kick he gave me."

"Maybe later. I want them in reasonable shape in case something goes wrong before we get the money. After that we can all enjoy ourselves. Now take them to the dungeon."

The two were hustled down a narrow staircase by four of the bandits. A couple of the bandits had flaming torches, but that was the only illumination. One placed his torch in a wall sconce. Another flung open a cell door and the two were pushed inside. Three of the bandits followed them in. One was the man Iolaus had kicked. "What Sciron doesn't see won't hurt him," he commented, "but it WILL hurt you."

While Ariana cowered at the back of the cell, the other two men held Iolaus still for Acton to take his revenge. "Make it quick," one muttered. Several vicious blows later, they dropped him to the floor and departed, leaving the single torch.

Iolaus lay gasping in pain on the floor. He could taste blood from a split lip and his ribs felt like they were on fire. He could hear Ariana sobbing, but she made no attempt to assist him. He started struggling to free his hands. "It's all right, Ariana, we'll get out of here. Please don't cry," he begged. However, her sobbing seemed to grow in volume.

Pity it's not Marcia here, he thought, she wouldn't go to pieces like this. He felt a twinge of guilt at the callousness of the thought, remembering her comparative youth. However, he'd always appreciated strong, independent women (a treacherous voice, that he hoped he had suppressed forever, whispered "women like Xena") to the weak, clinging-vine type. He was strong enough in himself not to see strength of body and character in a woman as a threat to his manhood and even to admire it.

However, Ariana was the one present and he had to help her as best he could. He asked her to have a try at untying his bonds. At first she either didn't hear him or chose to ignore him, but when he repeated his request she stifled her sobs and approached him. The knots were tight, but her fingers were nimble and, after a struggle, she succeeded. Rubbing his aching wrists and ribs in turn, he began an inspection of the cell.

The original cell key was long gone and the bandits had used their own padlock. He knew that it would give him no real trouble. The difficulty would be getting past the guards. He felt that on his own he'd have had a fairly good chance as he was contemptuous of the fighting skills, or lack thereof, exhibited by the bandits thus far, but getting a semi-hysterical girl past was another thing. He decided that the best time to make the attempt would be the early hours of the following morning when most of the bandits would presumably be asleep.

Ariana interrupted his thoughts. "What's going to happen to us, Iolaus? Why hasn't my father come for us?"

"I'm sure he'll be looking for us," he comforted. Her father! He'd temporarily forgotten him. Facing Brennus was certainly a treat in store. Still, he thought, I'll worry about that when it happens. He suspected that unless he could get the two of them out of there, it never would.

The night passed slowly. The torch had burnt out. Ariana complained about hunger and then cold. Iolaus advised her to rest and ended up surrendering his vest for her to use as a pillow to forestall further complaints.

Once the hour was sufficiently far advanced that he was sure that their captors had no intention of approaching them again that night, he set to work on the lock, using a sliver of metal he had had concealed in his belt. In a matter of minutes the padlock opened and he carefully removed it. He turned and shook Ariana awake. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"Come on. Hopefully we're getting out of here. Just keep quiet and follow me."

She rose and picked up Iolaus' vest and slipped it on. He was tempted to demand it back, as she was far more warmly clad than he was, but decided it wasn't worth the fuss.

He eased the cell door open and they slipped out. He led the way up the narrow staircase and then, motioning her to be still, pushed the door open a crack. He spied one guard, illuminated by moonlight, sitting on a chair about ten feet away and apparently dozing. If they could get past him, they had a pretty good chance of getting out.

Iolaus pushed the door slowly open and crept towards him. At the last moment, the man sensed his presence and turned. Iolaus was aiming a punch at the man's jaw but, because he moved at that moment, the bandit suffered only a glancing blow. Surprisingly, he did not cry out, but grabbed his sheath knife and lunged for the hunter. Caught off guard by the fact that the man was left-handed, Iolaus flung out his arm to ward off the knife and it sank deeply into his right arm just below the shoulder and ripped down towards the elbow. Ignoring the searing pain, he unleashed a desperate left hook, with all his weight behind it, and the man fell back unconscious.

He turned back and beckoned to Ariana. "Help me get his shirt off," he whispered urgently.

"Why?"

Exasperated, he snapped, "Just do it!"

A spoilt only child is not the best person to whom to give such peremptory commands, especially under trying circumstances. "No! Don't you tell me what to do!"

The incongruity of her response struck him. Trust me to get stuck with such an unreasonable 'damsel in distress', he thought, I'll bet Herc wouldn't have this trouble. However, realising she was overwrought and that, in the dim light, she couldn't see his arm, he whispered, "I need it for a bandage. He stabbed me. I'm bleeding like a stuck pig."

"Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

Together they removed the shirt and Iolaus quickly bandaged his arm as tightly as he could. He slipped the bandit's knife into his empty sheath. Then they crept onwards towards the entrance to the castle.

Fortunately the drawbridge and portcullis had long since ceased to function and so there was no physical barrier to their exit. There was a man on guard duty there, but he was intent on watching for invaders from without and Iolaus was able to knock him unconscious without the bandit knowing what hit him.

Then they were outside and running for the bush. As soon as they reached this they stopped to catch their breath. "I hope you're not intending that we should travel home on foot."

"Not necessarily home. We need to keep out of sight until help arrives."

"Couldn't you get a couple of horses?"

"We got out surprisingly easily. I'm not about to tempt fate by going in again."

"I thought you were supposed to be a warrior."

Iolaus had had enough. "Yeah, a warrior! A warrior and not a bloody servant so stop telling me what to do." He turned and stalked off into the bush.

Ariana was stunned. Nobody had ever spoken to her in that manner. The trouble was at present she couldn't do anything about it, but she would.

Iolaus had only gone a short distance when he realised that she wasn't following him. His first thought was "good", but he realised he couldn't just abandon her. He waited, clutching his aching arm to his chest and shivering in the cold night air. I suppose I'll have to back, he thought, and then giggled as he imagined Hercules' face if he announced that he'd decided to abandon Ariana to her fate after all the trouble he'd taken to meet her. He turned back reluctantly. "Coming?"

She pushed past him obviously in a rage. This afforded him some amusement, but he lost sight of the humour in the situation when she let a branch go and it slashed across his arm. He swore under his breath, but said nothing.

He wondered what else could go wrong, but soon found out. Spots of icy rain began to fall. It was obvious that they would need to find shelter as soon as possible. Iolaus' teeth were chattering with the cold. Ariana's teeth were chattering as well, but with complaints.

Finally they came upon a rocky overhang that offered some shelter from the elements.

Their escape was discovered about an hour after it had been made when the bandits went to change the guard. Sciron was furious, but he was aware nothing could be done until daybreak.

Meanwhile Hercules and Brennus had been discussing the best course of action. The ransom note had stated that details of where the ransom was to be delivered would follow later. Both were aware that any large-scale search might lead the kidnappers into drastic action and so should be avoided. Hercules suggested that he and a few handpicked men should search in different directions and that Brennus should wait for further instructions from the kidnappers.

When Hercules went to set off he found Marcia waiting for him. "I want to go with you. If you find them Ariana may need me and I can't stand just waiting. Besides I'm none to popular with Brennus at present so it's best to make myself scarce."

Hercules hesitated. Marcia persisted, "I can handle myself you know. If that bandit hadn't got his knife to Ariana's throat, Iolaus and I would have been okay."

"Yes and if Iolaus hadn't been up to his tricks, you probably wouldn't have been in such an isolated spot in the first place."

"Please don't blame Iolaus. The kidnappers had obviously planned the kidnapping. It wasn't just a spur of the moment thing. Anyway nothing is to be gained by standing talking, let's get going."

So Hercules found himself with an assistant, if that was the word for a rather domineering helper who tended to take charge.

Iolaus and Ariana had passed a very uncomfortable night, forced by circumstances to huddle together for warmth. Ariana had finally fallen asleep, but a combination of cold and a bleeding, throbbing arm had kept Iolaus awake. By the time day broke, he was feeling quite ill but he knew they would have to get moving as they were dangerously close to the castle. He gently shook Ariana's shoulder. "Ariana, wake up." She merely muttered and ignored him.

He tried again. "Leave me alone! I want to sleep."

"Ariana, it's daylight, we have to get moving. The bandits will be out looking for us."

She reluctantly opened her eyes and glared at him. "Please, Ariana, we're too vulnerable here." She got slowly up, her every move designed to show how put-upon she was and how inconsiderate he was.

"Come on." He began to lead the way up the hillside, hoping that movement would restore some heat to his icy body. He would have liked to have checked his arm for infection, but knew there was nothing he could do for it anyway. He wondered how it could burn so much and yet the rest of him be so cold.

It was a long and steep climb and, about half way up, Ariana slipped and cried out. He spun around and grasped her arm to arrest her fall. For a few moments his injured arm took her full weight. He managed to brace himself and hold her until she regained her footing. He then stood gasping, clutching his arm. His head was spinning. He needed to sit down, but feared that if he did he wouldn't be able to get up again.

He continued the climb, aware that his arm was bleeding again and blood was soaking through the bandage. He tried to tighten it as he walked. He was assailed by another wave of dizziness and fell to his knees.

"Iolaus, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Ariana, I don't...I don't think I can go much f-further. You'll have to go on alone. Just k-keep moving north. Your father w-will have men looking for you."

She looked at him, finally aware of his pale face, lined with pain and strain and running with cold sweat. "Did your arm start bleeding again when you saved me from falling? Let me have a look at it."

"Don't worry about it. You go on. I-I'll just have a rest and retie the bandage and th-then I'll follow you."

"I can't leave you."

"You have to. The bandits mustn't catch you."

"I'm sorry, Iolaus, I was so concerned with myself that I never thought..."

"It's okay, Ariana," he interrupted. "J-just go on. I'll be fine."

"No, you won't." Perhaps for the first time in her life, the pampered girl was beginning to consider someone before herself. "I'll help you. Come on!" She offered him a hand to rise. He grasped it, surprised at her strength. "Lean on me." She pulled his left arm over her shoulders and held his wrist tightly with her left hand, while wrapping her right arm around his waist. They staggered on.

Hercules and Marcia were busy searching. They stopped at every isolated dwelling they found, but either people had seen nothing or were not willing to admit it if they had for fear of retribution. A mention of Brennus' name evoked fear, but this was counterbalanced by fear of the bandits. On a couple of occasions, suspicious that the respondent knew more than he was telling, Marcia was tempted to use force to obtain information but Hercules would not allow that. This lead to some tension between the pair.

"I think we ought to split up. We'd cover more territory," Marcia observed.

"No, I think we're better together in case we encounter trouble."

"I can look after myself."

"Maybe so, but I'm sure your brother wouldn't like me to leave you under these circumstances and I wouldn't feel happy doing it."

"You seem to be a bit too concerned about strangers and not enough about Ariana and Iolaus. I'm sure some of the people we've spoken to could have been made to give us information."

"You're wrong on both counts. I'm very concerned about them both, but I'm also aware that some of those people you suspect may have seen something were probably just afraid to get involved. They are very vulnerable out here and have a right to worry about themselves."

"I suppose so, but..."

"Look let's try it my way for a bit longer."

It was not long after that that they received their first useful suggestion. A very old man said he had not seen any sign of the bandits, but suggested that there was a derelict castle in the hills that might be a possible hide-out for the kidnappers. They turned their mounts in the suggested direction.

Iolaus and Ariana were still staggering up the hillside, when Ariana glanced back and saw some of the bandits riding towards the foot of the hill. "Iolaus, I can see them following us."

"Get down!" They dropped to their hands and knees. "Did they look like they'd seen us?"

"I don't think so."

"T-Trouble is after that rain the ground is soft so they'll probably pick up our tracks. They won't bring the horses up here, but they'll climb a hell of a lot faster than we have."

"What shall we do?"

"You'll have to go on. It's not f-far to the crest. I'll cover your tracks and then I'll head across the hillside. I'll let them see me and h-hopefully I can draw them away from you."

"But, Iolaus, I can't leave you."

"You have to! You can get help. I'd slow you up too much and th-there's no point in us both g-getting caught. Please go on, Ariana."

She realised there was no other option. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "I'm sorry, Iolaus, I haven't treated you very well and you're still trying to help me."

"It's all right, Ariana, j-just go on, please!"

She headed off. Iolaus headed down hill dragging a branch off a bush to remove traces of their tracks and then headed across the hillside. He was having difficulty seeing as things seemed to have gone very hazy and he felt dizzy. However, he was very aware that he had to cover as much ground as he could to lead the bandits away from Ariana. Once they'd spotted him they would hopefully head directly for him and would not go near the place where he and Ariana had parted company.

A few minutes later, a triumphant cry alerted him to the fact that he had been spotted. He quickened his pace. He was moving on willpower alone. He was determined not to stop until forced to do so. More than half an hour passed before they reached him. Half an hour of hell, as he staggered blindly, gasping with pain and exhaustion, occasionally falling and having to force himself upright. It was almost with a sense of relief that he realised he was surrounded and he didn't have to go on. As they closed in, his legs folded beneath him and he crumpled unconscious to the ground.

The four bandits were now faced with a dilemma: to get their prisoner safely back to the castle or to search for the girl. Either way they were going to have to carry Iolaus down the hillside. They decided to take him back as one hostage was better than none and they figured they could get some of the other bandits to assist them in the search now that they knew the correct area.

Sciron saw their approach with mixed emotions. He could see an unconscious Iolaus tied over a horse, but they had obviously not found the girl. He still had not decided whether Iolaus' story was true. They cut Iolaus free and he slid to the ground at Sciron's feet. He ordered the men to return at once to look for Ariana.

He picked up Iolaus, slung him over his shoulder, carried him inside and dumped him on the large table in the keep. The cell guard had told the truth when he'd said he'd managed to knife Iolaus and, from his paleness and the blood-soaked bandage on his arm, he'd clearly lost a lot of blood. Something would have to be done for him, if only to revive him enough to get information about Ariana's whereabouts. He just wished he knew for certain about Iolaus' relationship to the girl as that would determine how rough he could be. If he was Brennus' son, finding the girl wasn't so important, but he might not be.

He started to unwrap Iolaus' arm to check it. It was a messy wound and Sciron decided to cauterise and stitch it. As he pressed the heated knife blade against the wound, Iolaus began to struggle. Sciron put a knee on his chest and one on his wrist to hold his arm steady and applied the blade again. Iolaus cried out in his pain, "HERC!" The word meant nothing to Sciron. He climbed off Iolaus and prepared to stitch the wound. Iolaus was starting to thrash about so he called on a couple of the bandits to hold the hunter down. Iolaus struggled against them, calling out, "Herc? ...Herc? Where are you?" So the word was obviously a name, but it didn't mean anything to Sciron. Sciron stitched the wound, feeling as he did so that there was something in the name Herc that was important.

He had just finished when a second group of bandits arrived back to report that there were no tracks in the direction they had searched. Sciron was on the point of ordering them to join the first group, when he remembered that when they had first captured Iolaus and he had given his name, one of the men had shown some recognition of the name Iolaus. " Casca , you said the name Iolaus was familiar to you. Does it mean anything in connection with the name Herc?"

"Herc? No...I don't think so...Wait a minute, Herc? HERCULES!"

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, now I remember." He gestured at Iolaus. "Blondie is a friend of Hercules. I once saw them in a fight in a tavern. It'd be about five years or so ago." He smiled, pleased with himself. "I KNEW the name was familiar. Yeah, I actually heard him call Hercules "Herc". It sounded odd for a demi-god to have a nickname."

Sciron was still confused. It seemed even less likely that Iolaus was Brennus' son, but it was possible. "Well, do you know anything about Iolaus?"

"He's a bloody good fighter. You should have seen the two of them..."

Sciron interrupted, "I mean about his background."

"No."

One of the other bandits interrupted, "If it's any help, I've heard Hercules has been staying in the town, visiting friends."

Sciron spoke his thoughts aloud, "If his friend was Brennus' son, surely he'd be staying with him rather than in the town. However, if the two had nothing to do with Brennus, what would Iolaus be doing with Brennus' daughter?"

"I can make a few suggestions," one of the bandits smirked and the others laughed.

"No, you know how protective of her Brennus is.... We're just going round in circles. We'll have to try to get some sense out of Iolaus."

It was about that time when Ariana spotted Marcia and a tall, unfamiliar man approaching. "MARCIA! MARCIA!" she cried as she raced down the hillside towards them. Marcia was off her horse in an instant. She threw the reins to a surprised Hercules and ran to meet her. He dismounted and waited. As the two women approached arm in arm, Hercules realised Ariana was wearing Iolaus' vest.

"Hercules, this is Ariana," Marcia exclaimed, full of joy.

"I suspected it might be," he smiled. Then his face sobered. "Where is Iolaus?"

The smile left Ariana's face. "He told me to go on while he led the bandits in another direction. They'll have caught him."

"Iolaus is very hard to catch at any time and in the bush they'd have no chance," said Hercules reassuringly.

"No, he's been hurt. I'd been having to help him climb uphill."

Hercules felt a surge of fear. For Iolaus to admit he needed help, he must be feeling bad. "What happened?"

Tears began to glisten in Ariana's eyes and the words tumbled out, "He's been trying to protect me and some of the bandits beat him. Then when we were escaping, the guard stabbed him in the arm, He's been bleeding a lot and we were out in the rain and it was freezing. Then when we were climbing the hill I fell and he grabbed me and that started his arm bleeding again and....and....and I've been so nasty to him."

Hercules gathered her into his arms and comforted her. "It's all right, Ariana. We'll find him." He hoped his voice didn't show how worried he was.

Sciron was trying to rouse Iolaus. Finally the hunter's eyes opened, but they were glazed and he was obviously not really with it. "Iolaus, where is Ariana?" No response. "Where is Ariana?"

"I-I don't know."

"Where is she?"

"I'm...I'm sorry...I don't know."

"Iolaus, what's your father's name?"

"Father?"

Sciron was getting exasperated. He grasped Iolaus' shoulders and started to shake him. Iolaus raised his left hand and tried to push him away. Sciron forced his hand back and held it above his head. "What's his name?" he demanded.

"Who?"

Sciron lost what little patience he had and slapped the hunter across the face. "Wake up!" No response. Another slap.

"L-Leave me alone."

"I'll leave you alone once you've answered my questions." Iolaus' eyes were closing again. "Pay attention, Iolaus!" Unwittingly, Sciron had hit upon a phrase that Hercules used occasionally.

"H-Herc?"

Sciron seized the opening. "Yes, it's Hercules. Tell me where Ariana is so I can help her."

"She's gone...safe..."

"Gone where?"

"I don't remember."

"Damn! This isn't getting us anywhere."

Hercules, Marcia and Ariana were discussing their best course of action. Hercules suggested, "You two take the horses and head home. I'll go on on foot and find Iolaus. If they've caught him, and this seems likely from what you said, Ariana, they've probably taken him to the castle. I'll check there first."

Marcia was torn. She wanted to help Hercules, but knew it was her duty to get Ariana to safety and it was unthinkable that Ariana should be left to ride home alone. Ariana was also reluctant to leave. Hercules pointed out to Ariana that if she remained, he would be unable to fully concentrate on the task at hand because of the need to protect her. She knew that this was true, so the two women agreed to leave.

They had been riding for about twenty minutes, when they spied an approaching rider. He turned out to be one of Brennus' men, who was involved in the search. Marcia instructed him to escort Ariana home and gave him details of the bandits' location to pass on to Brennus. She then turned and spurred back to rejoin Hercules. She knew he was taking a roundabout route to avoid any bandits searching for Ariana.

Hercules was nearing the castle when he heard hoof-beats. He stepped behind some bushes, but re-emerged when he recognised the rider. She explained what had happened regarding Ariana and that she was going to assist him. She then abandoned the horse and they continued on foot.

Sciron was having another go at Iolaus. Iolaus didn't really know where he was, all he knew was that someone wanted him to say or do something and he didn't understand what it was. The person told him he was Hercules, but that couldn't be true. Herc wouldn't slap or shake him. Surely Hercules would let him sleep. He was so tired....so very tired.

Hercules and Marcia cautiously approached the drawbridge. To their surprise there was nobody on watch. They slipped into the inner ward and began to skirt the inside edge of the exterior wall, expecting to be challenged at any time. Finally they realised that any bandits in the castle must be preoccupied and so decided to take their chances, running across to the central keep. As they neared the open door, which was its only entrance, they heard voices. "You're not going to get any sense out of him, Sciron. We'd be better out searching for the girl with the others."

"You're probably right. It's just so irritating not knowing for sure. Damn him!" He swung around and emphasised his words by back-handing Iolaus across the face. Blood trickled from his nose and his fragile hold on consciousness was lost.

"Well that's settled that for the moment," the first speaker commented.

Hercules had not been able to see what was happening, but at the sound of the blow he could contain himself no longer. He burst into the room. Six bandits swung around to face him. Then he was upon them, with Marcia close behind him.

Hercules fought with a fury he seldom felt. Normally he was careful to contain his strength when dealing with mortals, but the sight of his friend helpless and bleeding, aroused him to intense anger.

Marcia, sword in hand, went straight for Sciron, knowing him to be the outlaws' leader. He had already seen her use a sword against his men but, proud of his prowess, he did not anticipate any difficulty in dealing with her. However, the training she had received, at her insistence, from her brother paid off and Sciron soon found himself forced to give ground.

Marcia was no fool. As Hercules had feared she had developed an affection for the hunter, but she was also a realist and did not expect such an attractive man, more than ten years her junior, would return this. However, at that moment Iolaus' views did not matter, she was going to kill the man who had hurt him. Sciron kept retreating until his back was against the wall. He considered asking for quarter, but could see his death in her eyes. She struck with such force that the blade emerged from his back.

She turned back to help Hercules, but found the rest of the outlaws were down, dead or unconscious. She gestured towards Sciron, "That's their leader. He's finished."

Sciron was trying to speak. His voice was so low that Hercules had to bend down to hear him. "Please tell...tell me....who is Iolaus?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is he Brennus' son."

"No."

"Damn him! I suspected it, but I wasn't...." His voice trailed away as blood began to trickle from his lips.

They hurriedly secured the three surviving bandits in the dungeon and then quickly returned to the ground floor to check on Iolaus.

As he topped the stairs, Hercules heard the hunter groan. He moved swiftly to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Iolaus! Iolaus! Can you hear me?"

"I don't...I don't know where she is."

"It's okay, Iolaus. It's Hercules."

"No....no, it's not!" He flinched, obviously expecting another blow.

"It is me, Iolaus." But Iolaus had drifted off again. Hercules put a gentle hand on his friend's forehead. He was cold and shaking slightly. He unwrapped the rough bandage on the hunter's arm and was surprised to see the stitches and burns, indicating that someone had treated the wound. He stripped a shirt off one of the dead bandits and put it on Iolaus. Marcia managed to locate an old blanket to wrap around him.

A decision had to be made about their next move. They had no idea when the rest of the bandits would give up their search for Ariana and return. Given that Sciron seemed to have ruled the band with a firm hand, the odds were that they would probably continue for some time rather than risk his wrath by returning empty-handed. Of course, there was always the risk that they might send one of their number back for further instructions. Obviously the longer they were away the greater the chances that Brennus' men would be there waiting for them. Hercules was also very aware that if the outlaws were allowed to reoccupy the keep Brennus' men could suffer considerable loss of life trying to get them out. Above all, a few hours rest might make all the difference to Iolaus' ability to travel. He discussed the situation with Marcia and they decided to sit things out. The keep was virtually impregnable provided the heavy oak door held. Hercules barred this and piled the old benches from the table against it. While Hercules did this, Marcia kept watch from the top of the keep.

Having secured the door as well as he could, Hercules turned back to his friend and was gratified to see him stirring. Cerrulean eyes opened and gradually focussed. "Herc? ...Herc, it is you!"

"Who else did you expect?"

"Someone...probably...probably Sciron told me he was you. He wanted me to tell him where...where..." He started as his mind cleared and added with urgency, "Herc, Ariana's out in the bush and the bandits are..."

Hercules interrupted, "It's all right, Iolaus. She's safe."

"What's happening?"

Hercules explained the situation and their intention to wait for Brennus' men, stressing the strategic value of the keep, rather than his concern for Iolaus' condition, as he knew this would avoid arguments.

"Marcia's here?"

"Yes, she insisted on accompanying me."

"She would! She's just like her brother." Hercules was surprised by the admiration and affection in Iolaus' voice. He had found Marcia capable, but somewhat officious and domineering, but Iolaus obviously admired these qualities or had seen a different side of her. Either way he was pleased that Iolaus' cultivation of Marcia did not appear to have been solely a means of getting close to Ariana even if, as he suspected, it may have started with that aim.

"How are you feeling?"

"All right. I'll live. My arm's not hurting so much now, but I feel a bit weak."

"That'll be from loss of blood."

"Yeah, I was starting to get a LITTLE concerned about that, but good old Sciron sewed me up."

"That surprised me."

"He still didn't know if I was a useful hostage and he wanted to know where Ariana was, so I guess he had to do something. Anyway I suppose I'd better get up and get ready just in case we have to fight. This table's not the most comfortable bed I've struck."

"Comfortable or not, I think you'd better rest."

"But I'd like to go up and see Marcia first."

"I'll tell her you're much improved. You can see her later." The hunter opened his mouth to argue, but Hercules cut him off with his best no nonsense voice, "You are going to REST now!"

The hours dragged slowly by. Hercules was pleased that Iolaus did sleep for most of the time. Peace was finally shattered when Marcia rushed downstairs to announce the bandits' distant approach. Hercules shook Iolaus' shoulder gently to rouse him. "Iolaus, the bandits are returning." Then he followed Marcia back to the roof of the keep to check out the situation. There were about eighteen in the approaching group. Normally he and Iolaus would not have hesitated to venture such odds, but he wasn't so confident of Marcia's abilities. He also feared that if it came to a fight Iolaus would get involved. That was the thing he most wanted to avoid, but he knew the hunter would not cooperate on that score.

This was confirmed when he returned to the ground floor. He found Iolaus had struggled to his feet and was standing, pale and unsteady, but with a sword in his left hand. "Lie down before you fall down, Iolaus. Marcia and I not going to fight if we can help it and you are NOT going to fight period."

"I CAN'T just lie there, Herc."

"Yes, you can! It's not going to help matters if I have to pick you up from the floor. At least sit down and stay here so I know where you are. I'm going back upstairs."

From their vantage point on top of the keep, Hercules and Marcia watched the bandits ride into the courtyard. A couple approached the keep, but found the door closed and barred against them. They shouted for admission and, receiving no reply, withdrew to discuss the situation with the others. They then dispersed, regrouping after some of their number returned with a large log to use as a battering ram. They proceeded to try to break the door in, but it held firm.

Then one of them had another idea. They piled all the things they could find that would burn against the door and set fire to them. It was now only a matter of time before they would be inside.

Having observed these activities, Hercules went downstairs and found Iolaus on his feet once more and waiting, sword in hand, for the door to give. "Come on, Iolaus, you'd better join us upstairs."

"No, we can't go up there. They'll trap us and then they can starve us out."

"Brennus' men will be here soon and once the door is destroyed the keep won't be much use to the bandits either. Come on!" He grasped Iolaus' good arm and pulled him towards the stairs. "Do you think you can climb by yourself or do you need a hand?"

"I'll make it."

"Okay, go on, I'll cover our backs."

The old keep was the equivalent of four storeys high, with steep, narrow stairs. These were spiralled as usual to allow sword-arm space for the defenders, while the attackers' sword-arms were against the wall. One man could easily hold off a good number as only one attacker could engage him at a time. For once, Hercules was armed with a sword.

Iolaus found the climb taxing, but manageable and, breathing heavily, eventually joined Marcia on the roof of the keep.

Finally the weakened door was battered in and the bandits forced their way in pushing aside the items of furniture Hercules had stacked behind it. Some went to the dungeons and liberated the three imprisoned there and the others began an assault on the stairs. Hercules was busily occupied fending off one attacker after another. This proved no real challenge to the demi-god and the attackers soon opted to retire and just to occupy the ground floor. As Iolaus had suggested, they reasoned that they had their enemies trapped and it was only a matter of waiting.

Less than an hour had passed, when Marcia spotted the approach of Brennus' men. The outlaws had posted no guards and did not realise what was happening until the attackers were upon them. Hercules went down to join the battle. A breakaway group of about eight bandits managed to get outside the castle grounds and Hercules joined those who were pursuing them.

Meanwhile, Marcia, determined to play a part in the bandits' final defeat, had ventured downstairs and a concerned Iolaus had hurried after her. She managed to get involved in the fighting, but a frustrated hunter, assailed by a wave of dizziness after his rush downstairs, could only lean against the wall and watch.

Having disposed of or secured the last of the bandits within the keep, Halys, the leader of Brennus' men, and a half a dozen of his subordinates approached Marcia and Iolaus menacingly. Halys gestured to Iolaus, "Brennus has ordered us to bring you to him."

Marcia stepped protectively in front of him. "Leave him alone!"

"We've been told to take him one way or another and it's more than my life's worth to disobey Brennus, so I advise you to step aside. If you resist you'll be hurt and it may be a body we take to Brennus."

With no sign of Hercules and with Marcia endangered, Iolaus said, "It's okay, Marcia. Please don't intervene, I don't want you hurt or in more trouble with Brennus." As he spoke, he moved past her. The men closed in around him and one produced a rope.

Marcia protested, "Can't you see he's been hurt. It's not necessary to tie him."

"We're taking no chances on losing him," Halys responded.

Iolaus winced as his arms were pulled behind him and secured, but he made no protest as he didn't want to stir Marcia into an impetuous action.

Halys gave orders that three men were to accompany him and the rest were to remain until the last of the bandits were rounded up and were then to follow with their prisoners. He then ordered his chosen men to stay close as they headed outside to the horses. He walked beside Iolaus, one arm supporting him and the other holding his dagger to the hunter's neck as a precaution against Hercules. However, Hercules and the rest of Halys' men were not in evidence, having pursued the remaining bandits some distance.

He ordered two of the men to lift Iolaus onto a horse. One of the men mounted behind Iolaus, with instructions to use his knife on him if necessary. Then Halys and the other two men mounted and the group set off.

Marcia was in a fever of impatience waiting for Hercules to return. Her first impulse had been to head for home to try to divert Brennus' wrath from Iolaus, although how that could be done she had no idea. However, common sense told her that she should inform Hercules what had happened and see what he could suggest. The fact that he had had contact with Brennus and had had some influence on his actions, a most unusual thing for anyone to achieve, suggested he was Iolaus' best bet for help.

More than half an hour had passed before he appeared, accompanied by the remainder of Brennus' men and a handful of battered prisoners. Marcia rushed out to meet him. "Thank goodness you're finally back. They've taken Iolaus."

"Who has?"

"Halys and some of his men have taken Iolaus to Brennus on his instructions. I would have tried to stop them, but Iolaus wouldn't let me."

"We'd better get after them."

"I've got two horses saddled and waiting."

Halys was in a hurry to get his prisoner safely to Brennus as he had no idea when Hercules would be after them and so the group were travelling at some speed. Every movement of the horse jolted Iolaus back against Brennus' man and this meant that his injured arm was constantly squashed between them. He was feeling sick and faint and knew that he would not be able to keep his seat much longer. He suddenly sagged forward onto the horse's neck The man behind him was able to grasp the collar of his vest and hold him, while pulling the horse to a halt. Halys dismounted and, suspecting a delaying action, grabbed Iolaus' hair to raise him. However, it was clear that Iolaus was unconscious. "Tie him over the horse," he ordered and the men hastened to obey him. Fortunately the hunter remained out to it for the rest of the journey as Halys had no intention of stopping again. The prospect of having to confront an irate demigod was not one that he relished.

Some hours later, Iolaus groaned and gingerly opened his eyes. He had no idea where he was, although it was obviously another dungeon. His chest, ribs and stomach all hurt from the jolting they had received when he was tied across the horse, but he didn't know the cause of the new pain. His head was throbbing with a vicious intensity and his arm was aching. Then he remembered – Brennus! He'd have to face him. There was nothing he could do about it. He wondered where Hercules was. He hoped he was okay. There was nothing he could do about that either. He closed his eyes against his various pains and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

It had been well into the evening when Hercules and Marcia arrived at Brennus' stronghold. Joined by Ariana, who had not been previously informed of Iolaus' return, they had hastened to Brennus to find out what had happened to Iolaus.

"He's in my dungeons. He can spend the night there. It will give him the opportunity to reflect on his activities. I'll speak to him tomorrow."

All three started to protest, but he raised a hand, "I've told you what is happening. Now get out of my sight, I've got captured bandits to dispose of."

The following morning was well advanced when a couple of guards approached Iolaus' cell to inform him Brennus was waiting for him. He was bruised and battered, but felt a little better than he had the previous evening. They escorted him to the great hall of the castle where Brennus was waiting. He saw that Marcia, Ariana and Hercules were standing to one side of the hall. Their concern was mirrored in their eyes.

"Come here!" Brennus ordered.

Iolaus hesitated and then walked slowly forward. Brennus moved to meet him. "So this is my son," he observed harshly. "I don't know how anyone could think I'd sire a little runt like you. Now I want an explanation of how you came to be with my daughter in the first place."

Iolaus swallowed nervously. "I was just chatting to Marcia and Ariana. We'd met by chance."

"By chance was it? I've learnt that it was your third chance meeting with my daughter. I don't know what her chaperone can have been thinking of, but she will regret it."

"No! Please, she isn't responsible for what I did."

"You're taking full responsibility then?"

"Yes!" This was said clearly and firmly.

"Well under normal circumstances that would be one of your last statements on earth, but I seem to be facing some unusual and unwarranted opposition to my plans for you. My daughter has stood up to me on this matter and we've NEVER been at odds before. She seems to feel I should be grateful to you for protecting and freeing her. Even the chaperone has had the temerity to speak up for you. Both are claiming your interest was in the chaperone, which I frankly find impossible to believe. Your friend, Hercules, a man I CAN respect, has also pleaded your case and has also assured me that you will both be leaving town as soon as you are fit to travel. It's against my better judgement, but I have decided to accede to their pleas. I do NOT expect to see you in this area again. You can go."

But to Brennan's surprise, the women's horror and Hercules' exasperation, Iolaus stood his ground. Brennus glared at him. "Didn't you hear me?" he snapped.

"I can't go yet. I need...I need to know what's going to happen to Marcia. I need to know she's going to be okay."

Brennus' mouth dropped open. He couldn't believe the temerity of the warrior standing before him. Most men would have taken the opportunity to get out while still in one piece. Looking at the small, gallant figure before him, Brennus surprised himself with the thought that, when all was considered, he could have done far worse than to have had such a man as a son....or even a son-in-law. He paused and then said, "She will suffer no penalty. If she chooses she may continue as my daughter's chaperone." And, he added to himself, with my daughter's new-found independent streak she may well have her work cut out for her.

"Thank you." The hunter moved forward and held out a hand. Brennus hesitated and then surprised himself again by taking it briefly.

The ordeal over, reaction began to set in. Iolaus turned and started to walk somewhat unsteadily towards Hercules who, observing his pale face, hurried forward and offered him an arm. "Th-Thank you, Herc. I think we'd better go."

"I thought THAT a few days ago."

Two days had passed. Iolaus was lying in bed in the local inn. Hercules had decreed that he get at least three day's rest before they left the town and that he should definitely not receive female visitors. The hunter was feeling much better, but Hercules had absolutely forbidden him to get up without permission, threatening dire but unspecified consequences for disobedience. Until today he hadn't really felt like doing so, not that that had stopped him disputing the edict as a matter of principle. He was just considering getting up anyway, when Hercules entered the room, with a broad smile on his face. "You've got visitors."

Iolaus could only see one person behind Hercules, but his face lit up when he spied Marcia. "Marcia, it's great to see you."

"It's good to see you as well and it will be even better to hear you."

"What do you mean?"

"Hercules and I have been wondering why you kept us both in the dark about each other's presence in town. Hercules assures me you will have an 'interesting' explanation for this."

Iolaus looked daggers at his friend, but was obviously lost for words for once, much to Hercules' amusement.

"And I'm interested in hearing the explanation as well," a deep and well remembered voice boomed, as Iolaus' second visitor entered the room.

The years fell away. Suddenly Iolaus was fifteen again and full of guilt and apprehension. "Marcellus! What...what are you doing here?" he managed to ask.

"A rumour reached me that some fast-talking warrior was fooling with my sister, so I thought I'd better see for myself. I might have known it would be you STILL causing trouble."

Feeling at a disadvantage, Iolaus tried to sit up, but a beefy hand on his chest pushed him back into the bed. "You stay right there, boy, we know where you are and you can't cause more trouble from there."

"Herc, I've suddenly realised you are right, I'm far too ill for visitors." He shrunk down into the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. The three dissolved into laughter. "This isn't fair, Herc, three people ganging up on an invalid."

Marcia took pity on him. "Actually, I've called in to say goodbye. I'm going to stay with my brother for a few days and he's come to escort me to his farm, so I won't be here when you leave. I've enjoyed my time with you."

The invalid made a sudden amazing recovery. He sat up and pulled Marcia down towards him, kissing her with such enthusiasm that Hercules and Marcellus both averted their eyes with embarrassment. Marcellus recovered himself enough to say, "That's enough, boy! Let the lady breathe! " He looked at Hercules and added, "I think it's just as well I arrived when I did. He hasn't improved with age."

The two were finally on their way. As they walked, Hercules turned to his friend and observed, "Well, Iolaus, I'm not sure how you managed to come out of that basically in one piece. It's probably more than you deserve. I feel I need a holiday to recover from this holiday."

In a voice of long-suffering bewilderment, Iolaus asked, "If that's your attitude, Herc, why do you get me involved in these things?"

"I GET YOU INVOLVED???"

"Well it was YOUR idea to come here, wasn't it? I wouldn't have even been here if not for YOU. Ergo it must have been YOUR fault." He grinned and quickly stepped to one side to avoid retribution. That issue apparently settled to his satisfaction, he began to whistle happily as he quickened his pace, blond curls bobbing jauntily.

Hercules was lost for words.

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