To Pay the Ferryman

With a BIG than you to Kendaa and Lessa for their helpful comments and suggestions.

As the blond, tousle-haired warrior walked along the cliff path, high above the water below, he could hear shouts for help. It sounded like a young boy somewhere just below him. It was a long way down to the rocks below he carefully, and quickly, made his way to the edge to see who, or what, was crying out. Past-experience had taught him that it could be a trap, but he could not just walk past – someone might really be in trouble.

As he got near the edge, he could see that it appeared to be a dark-haired boy, about fourteen years of age. The lad was lying on a small ledge about 15 feet from where the lithe hunter was standing. One of his legs was at such an awkward angle that it had to be badly broken and the boy’s face was white with pain. It did not look like he was going to stay conscious for much longer.

"Hang on. I’m coming down to get you", the warrior called as he examined the terrain in front of him. Getting down would not be a problem. There were some tree-roots and vines on the cliff that would provide hand and foot holds. The difficulty would be to the boy back up the cliff. The lad was too big to be easily carried on the warrior’s back. (If he were Hercules he might have managed it but he wasn’t.) Moreover, today he had no rope with him to pull the boy up. Oh well, he would just have to manage without one, he thought.

"Please hurry I don’t know how much longer this ledge is going to hold,’ the injured boy called.

"Great!" muttered the blond warrior under his breath. "Just what I needed … why can’t rescues ever be easy?"

Carefully edging himself over the cliff the lithe warrior made his way down to the boy. He could see that the ledge would not take any extra weight so he stopped just inches above it. "Hi," he said smiling to give some reassurance to the injured youngster. "You’ve got yourself into a bit of difficulty here, haven’t you."

The boy’s grey eyes looked up into the hunter’s blue ones and nodded. "I was looking over the edge for some terns’ eggs when I fell. My father is not going to be pleased.

"Let’s see what I can do about getting you up to the top. I’m sorry I don’t have any rope with me. That means you are going to have to help more than I would like." The hunter was concerned that the pain of moving the broken leg was going to make the situation worse but did not voice his thoughts. He did not want to frighten the boy any more than he already was. "My name’s Iolaus, by the way," he said as he looked down.

"I’m Polynices."

"Well Polynices, can you reach up your hand and grab hold of mine?"

"I think so," said the boy as he did what he was asked.

Iolaus eased himself into a position so he was able to help Polynices stand. "OK. Now what we are going to do is we are both going to go up together. I know you can’t use your leg so I’m going to be both pulling and pushing you. Don’t worry I won’t let fall."

The young boy nodded again and the blond warrior could see the boy was biting his lip. His grey eyes were also beginning to be a little glazed. "Polynices, you use your arms as much as you can and I’ll do the rest."

"I’ll try," the boy said as he prepared himself for the difficult assent.

Iolaus manoeuvred his lithe body so that Polynices was between himself and the cliff wall. He was using himself as a shield to stop the by slipping as they inched their way to the top.

Both climbers were surprised when strong hands reach down to pull them up the last few feet and onto the grass at the top. Iolaus’ warrior instincts were on alert when he saw that this assistance had come from a small detachment of soldiers. However, he soon relaxed when he noticed an elderly soldier, obviously their leader, hugging the boy and issuing orders to get the broken leg splinted.

One of the soldiers approached the blond hero and bowed. "His majesty King Aristides wishes to thank you for rescuing his youngest son." Iolaus azure eyes opened widely as he realised Polynices was a prince. As he absorbed this information, the king approached and Iolaus was introduced "Your majesty, Prince Polynices’ rescuer".

The blond warrior, familiar enough with royal protocol not to be overawed, said, "I was just glad I could help, Your Majesty."

"Thank you, Iolaus. I owe you a debt I’m not sure I can repay. Polynices told me your name and I am glad that such a hero as yourself was passing by when needed. I would like to invite you to break your journey and stay with us overnight in my castle.

"I’d be honoured your majesty," Iolaus said smiling at the thought of a comfortable bed.

"How long could you stay? I mean were you just passing through, or going some somewhere near here? Because I’m sure my son would like to be able to thank you properly when he is able to be up and around."

"I’m on my was to meet a friend at the cross-roads the other side of Pylos, Your Majesty. From there we are going home to Corinth."

"I was hoping you could stay a few days. Could I send someone with a message to your friend to meet you here?"

"I’m really sorry, Your Majesty. It’s my mother’s birthday and promised her I would be there for it this year."

The king nodded and smiled. "Well at least we can entertain you tonight." At this point an attendant came forward, knelt, and bowed.

"Yes?"

"Master, the healer wishes to report Prince Polynices is in your carriage and ready to travel."

Ignoring his servant, the king looked at the blond warrior. "Time to go, Iolaus, come ride with me." Something about this interaction had puzzled Iolaus but he could not identify what.

During the short journey to the castle he ran the scene over in his mind, but before he could solve this niggle he was being escorted to guest quarters normally reserved for visiting royalty. Bemused, but never one to refuse a sumptuous meal, he had also accepted an invitation to dine with the king.

Iolaus barely had time to wash up before there was a knock on the door to his quarters. His unexpected visitor was King Aristides, accompanied by a beautiful young woman who was obviously a servant.

"Your Majesty, this is an unexpected honour. How may I help you?" the blond warrior asked as the king entered the suite’s outer-chamber.

King Aristides smiled warmly. "No my friend. This time I have something for you. A small thank you gift. It isn’t much and I plan to repay you in many other ways, but it will do as a start."

"Please Your Majesty, you owe me nothing."

"No, Iolaus, I insist," the king said making a small sign to the young woman who promptly came forward, kneeled and placed her forehead on the ground at the blond warrior’s feet. "This slave is now yours – she will serve you well."

Stunned, the hero realised what had been niggling at him since the incident on the cliff – this kingdom permitted slavery.

The king’s gift put Iolaus in a dilemma. He had always fought against slavery if given the opportunity and firmly believed the system was evil. However, if he refused to accept, the girl would still be a slave. At least he could guarantee she would be free if he accepted. After mentally breathing deeply, the hunter replied "Thank you Your Majesty, I have never been given anything like her before". The girl rose and went to a position a little behind her new master, while Iolaus was speaking. "However in honour of Prince Polynices’ rescue I wish to give this girl her freedom."

A look of horror passed across the king’s face as he whispered, "You wish to free her?"

Looking from the king to the girl, Iolaus was concerned to see she was on her knees, her face white with fear. "What’s going on? Don’t you want to be free?" he asked her gently.

Opening her eyes, the slave looked quickly into his face before she turned her gaze to the floor. "Master, your slave begs to serve and please you."

"You do free slaves here don’t you, Your Majesty?" the hunter asked trying to make sense of what was happening. The girl was obviously terrified of being freed.

The king nodded, "It’s usually when they are sick or old. But she is your property, you can do with her what you like."

"So how do I free her so it’s legal here?"

"Anyway you like, Iolaus. You can slit her throat, strangle her, or use poison if you want. It’s up to you."

"I’m talking about freeing her not killing her!!" Iolaus almost shouted in horrified shock.

"It’s the same thing here in Tanasis. Our law states that the only freedom a branded slave may have is in death."

"And this slave is branded?"

"Of course! The majority of them are", the said pointing to a small scar on the girl’s neck. "In fact is rare to find an unbranded one."

"Well I have no intention of killing her! You’re the king, can’t you free her? I mean and keep her alive at the same time?"

The king smiled sadly and shook his head. "In this case I wish I could – for you, Iolaus, but in Tanasis, as the king, I can declare war or peace and negotiate treaties but I don’t make our laws. The council of elders does that and I, like everyone else, can not change their rulings and must abide by them. Besides you don’t ‘free’ animals and my slaves are legally less important than my horses or my dogs.

Iolaus could not believe his ears. "A slave is a human being, Your Majesty – whether they have their freedom or not!"

Again, the king shook his head. "Not under Tanasian law, Iolaus – a slave is clearly defined as an animal. If you kill a man’s horse or dog the fine is 100 dinars – kill a man’s slave the fine is 75.

Such apparent disregard for human life churned the compassionate hunter’s stomach. He was determined that if he did nothing else he was going to take this young woman away from the jurisdiction of Tanasian law and ensure her freedom. He knew it would be counterproductive to ‘fist’ the king – as much as he really wanted to, so he tried to hold his temper.

Throughout the discussion, the young woman had neither moved nor made a sound. The only sign that she was aware of the exchange was that a little colour had returned to her.

"Well Iolaus, now you have decided to keep her, I’ll leave you to relax and will see you at dinner tonight. Your slave will be able to show you the way," King Aristides said as he opened the door and left.

The young woman was still on her knees when Iolaus turned after closing the door. Owning a slave was a completely new experience and he was unsure how to proceed. It was obvious that freeing her was not going to be simple. Not only did he have to get her away from Tanasis and its law, he realised he was also going to have to teach her how to be free as well.

Finding out who she was would be a good start so he walked over to the young woman, held out his hand to help her rise and asked gently, "What is your name?"

"Name, Master?" she replied without raising her eyes.

"Yes, name. What are you called?"

"Master, your slave has never been called by a name".

Shaking his head in chagrin, the hunter persisted. "What did your previous master or mistress call you if they wanted you?"

"Slave, Master".

Trying another approach to discover what he wanted to know, Iolaus persisted, "What do you call yourself – I mean what did your mother call you?"

"Your slave does not remember the one who bore her, Master. This one is ‘Slave’. She is no different from other slaves."

Iolaus began to understand this was going to be more difficult that he ever anticipated. The girl had not looked at him, since that once, and she had never once referred to herself as anything but a slave. He would almost prefer to fight a hydra than deal with this. He was convinced it would be easier than what he was up against here. First things first, the girl needed a name.

"Well I don’t want to call you ‘Slave’. What name would you like?"

"Whatever pleases my master."

"No, I want it to please you. I want you to choose it." As he watched the girl, he realised she was trembling with fear – she did not know what to say to please him. "It’s all right," Iolaus said gently. "I have a way that you can choose a name that will please me."

Earlier he had seen a quill and parchment on a table in the corner. He went over, tore a piece into twenty pieces, and wrote twenty names – twenty of the prettiest names he could think of. He then placed them face down on the table and asked the girl to choose one.

Again, she took a lightning quick look at her new master’s face, trying to read what he was thinking, before she reached out to take one. Immediately after choosing, she handed the piece to the hunter without looking at it or him went to her knees and bowed to him.

"You don’t have to kneel to me," Iolaus said as he bent down to her and helped her rise.

"Master." The girl nodded once to show she understood his wishes.

"Can you read? Could you understand the name written here?"

"Yes, Master, your slave has been taught to read."

The blond warrior handed her the paper back to her. He had not looked at it, as he wanted her to be the first to know who she was. "Well, what is your name?" he asked smiling.

The young woman looked down at the paper in her hand hesitantly. She did not understand her new master. He wanted her to be free, not dead – free – and he wanted her to have a name. It did not make sense. She was a slave not a human. Perhaps he wanted her as a pet, but somehow that didn’t seem right either. However, her master was still waiting for her to do as he asked and she thought he must have been getting angry, although he had so far given no sign of it.

"Well?" Iolaus prompted gently.

Fearful she had annoyed him; the girl quickly opened the paper and read aloud what was written there.

"It says ‘Arael’, Master", she said quietly.

This surprised Iolaus, as he didn’t remember writing that name. Why would he have written a name so closely related to that of the goddess of destruction and revenge, Ara? His slave was handing him the paper again and this time he did read it – ‘Arael’ was written there. Somehow, he didn’t think the girl had anything to do with the switch. Whoever, or whatever, wanted her named this way would make their appearance soon enough. The Olympian gods were that predictable at least … he hoped.

"Arael. I guess that is your name," the tousle-haired hunter smiled.

"Yes, Master. Thank you, Master."

"No need to thank me. It’s your name, you chose it." In addition, someone pretty powerful wants you to have it, Iolaus thought.

‘Your slave shall be Arael as long as you wish, Master."

"If I have any say in it, it will be for as long as you wish." Iolaus thought but did not voice.

The newly named Arael had not moved from where she had been standing and Iolaus was not sure what he should do now.

"Sit down Arael. Tell me about yourself", he continued as he moved to one of the couches in the room. The slave-girl came to kneel at his feet and he realised he had to tell her that he wanted her to sit on one of the chairs. "Was King Aristides your master?"

"Yes Master, this slave served the king as one of his attendants and as a body-slave for a guest occasionally, if required."

Iolaus was watching the young woman as she spoke. She on the other-hand never raised her eyes as she focused on the floor. The blond hunter went over to her and knelt in front of her, so that he could look up into her face. "I know you don’t understand this, but I promise you as soon as I can get you away from here, you are going to be able to live a free life – do whatever you want."

The handsome warrior waited for Arael to say something and was puzzled when she stayed silent. Her brown eyes, though, said she wanted to speak. "What is it Arael? What do you want to say? Why won’t you talk to me?"

"Master, a slave may not ever speak unless directed to", she said as she began to understand her new master was not familiar with owning or commanding slaves. No free person in Tanasis would ever be on their knees talking to a seated slave.

"You are to say whatever you like, whenever you like, Arael. That is my command." The frustration was palpable in her master’s voice. "Do you understand?"

Despite the fact her dark brown eyes were questioning, Arael nodded. "Yes, Master."

"And for the gods’ sake, please call me Iolaus, not ‘Master’."

"Master, your slave would be killed if she did that. It is the law here. Please may Arael call you ‘Master’?"

"Killed?"

Arael simply nodded.

"Damn this place and its laws to Tartarus! I wish we could leave immediately but I promised to attend this dinner with the king."

"Master?" Arael said very tentatively. She believed the blond warrior had meant what he said about talking but the idea frightened her. Never before had any of her owners permitted this.

"Yes Arael?" Iolaus answered gently, recognising a minor breakthrough when he saw one.

"How do you wish your slave to serve you? What will Arael’s duties be?"

These questions threw Iolaus momentarily. He had not even considered that she would expect to be doing something. He had been so intent on freeing her, then finding out about her, this aspect of owning a slave had slipped his mind, yet it was now clear to him that, while in Tanasis, Arael was a slave and would be expected to behave like one. He suspected that it could cost her life if she didn’t.

"Um … I don’t know, Arael," he said smiling as he stood and started to pace around the room. "What would a slave normally do?"

Arael smiled shyly. This tentative expression was the first time, since she entered the room that the young woman seemed to relax slightly. Iolaus was pleased it had finally begun to happen.

"Your slave could serve as her master’s body-slave, care for your clothes, serve your food and entertain you with her body whenever you wish. Arael has been trained to do all these things."

It was Iolaus’ turn to open his eyes wide. This beautiful young woman was offering herself to him – offering to fulfil every fantasy he had ever dreamed. A look of chagrin crossed his face as he realised his own sense of honour was the reason he was going to refuse what her words implied.

"Well tonight you can attend me at the king’s dinner and serve my wine or something. I think that will do to convince everyone that you are still a slave. Other than that you can relax and continue telling me about yourself while we wait until it is time to eat."

In the intervening hours, Iolaus learned that Arael had served only two owners that she remembered. The first was a mistress, Lady Cassandra (the king’s aunt), who had apparently bought her as a very young child from a soldier on his way back from a war. She had served as Lady Cassandra’s personal attendant until she died, when Arael was about 18. Then the king inherited her and she had become one of the king’s many attendants and had served occasionally in his bedchamber as well as entertained his guests. It had taken a great deal of patient questioning to get this, as Arael seemed almost incapable of volunteering information unasked – so strong was her conditioning as a slave.

When it was time, Iolaus had let her guide him into the Great Hall to a seat at the long table at the top of the room. In fact he had been given the seat of honour and was seated next to the king. On his left was an elderly woman who introduced herself as the Lady Darran, the wife of the king’s treasurer. The hunter noticed that Arael was standing a little behind his seat ready to serve, like the other attendants who, he now realised, were also slaves. She smiled at him shyly.

Aristides had greeted Iolaus warmly and was loudly telling those assembled how his heroic guest had risked life and limb to get his youngest son up the cliff, when there was a disturbance at the doors to the banquet hall. Apparently Crown Prince Paterkolos had arrived at the castle, unexpectedly, from his home in the north of the kingdom.

"Paterkolos, is there something wrong? I didn’t expect you for another three weeks," the king asked after the young man had entered.

"No, Your Majesty. I just thought I’d bring my visit forward. I missed being here and the delights your court offers."

King Aristides frowned at this last statement but did not comment on it. "Come join us and have something to eat. You must be hungry after your journey."

"Thank you father," the Crown Prince said bowing. As he took his seat, he saw Iolaus and Arael, who was at that moment pouring the hunter some wine. "You have guest?"

"Ah yes. Iolaus, this is my eldest son and heir, Paterkolos. Iolaus rescued Polynices from almost certain death today and this feast is in his honour."

Prince Paterkolos laughed. "So Polynices needed rescuing, did he? Somehow I am not surprised, that boy is so careless at times. It’s amazing he hasn’t had a serious accident before this." With this he pointed a finger at Arael saying, "You, slave. Serve me wine."

Iolaus looked across at Arael, to see what she would do and was disturbed to see her face was as white as when she had thought she was to be killed. She seemed almost frozen with fear and was looking to Iolaus to see if he wished her to obey the command. Quickly the blond hunter said, "Stay here, Arael. I’ll handle this." As he faced the prince he continued, "I’m sorry Your Royal Highness, Arael is serving me. You will have to find another to serve your wine."

"Since when have you named your slaves, father?" the crown prince asked the king. "Slave, serve me NOW or you will be punished", he persisted, his annoyance showing in his voice.

Arael began to move but Iolaus stood, placed his hand on her arm, and shook his head. As he was about to explain a few facts to the arrogant young man in front of him, the king forestalled him. "Paterkolos, apologise to my guest for your rudeness. Find another slave to serve you, I have given that one to Iolaus as a present and he has every right to keep her for himself."

"You gave her away? You knew I wanted that one and you gave her away?" The Prince was shouting, not caring that everyone in the room was watching. "Well, Iolaus, how much do you want for her? I’ll give you a fair price."

Iolaus could feel Arael trembling beside him. Her face however, except for its loss of colour, showed nothing of the emotions she was experiencing. "Arael is not for sale at any price, Your Royal Highness," the warrior said firmly, "she stays with me".

The prince looked as if he were about to argue, but something in Iolaus’ blue eyes told him it was pointless. Shrugging he laughed and sat down. "Oh well my wife will just have to get another. There are enough slaves around, we’ll find something to suit her, I’m sure."

As the tension between the two men appeared to ease the noise in the hall returned to normal. Iolaus’ sixth sense, however, told him that there was more to whatever had just happened. This was supported by the fact that Paterkolos continued to watch Arael whenever he thought Iolaus, or the king, were not looking. The blond hunter did not like the predatory expression of the prince nor the fact that his smile never quite reached his eyes.

Throughout the dinner Arael continued to serve her new master, like the dutiful slave she was. Iolaus, however, knew she was still very tense over the presence of the prince. One time, as she poured his wine, the hunter quietly said to her as reassuringly as he could, "Don’t worry, I’ll protect you". He was rewarded with another of her timid smiles.

Iolaus felt a pressing need to get Arael away from the prince’s presence, and he left the banqueting earlier than he might otherwise have done. The fact that the king ordered one of his soldiers to act as a guard of honour for the short walk to the royal guest quarters put him on alert for trouble which did not come.

Arael, of course, said nothing as they walked back – in fact, he would have been surprised now if she did. Immediately they were alone however she turned to face him and approached. For the first time, she looked steadily into his eyes and she sank to her knees and slowly and very deliberately reached out and took his hands in her own. Uncertain that he could accept what she was offering, he started to shake his head and began gently to pull his hands away.

"Master, please", the young woman said as she continued to look up with entreaty in her eyes.

Trying to relax, the blond warrior allowed Arael to place his hands on the top of her head, which she promptly bowed and then she spoke "Arael vows to pay the Ferryman for you, Master".

Iolaus did not know what to make of what Arael had said but, just as he was going to ask, he realised they were not alone. The king had quietly entered and was smiling widely. "You are an amazing man, Iolaus. In one day you rescue my son and then are the recipient of a gift I have only ever heard about. How do you do this?"

"I’m sorry Your Majesty, you have lost me." Iolaus said as he invited his unexpected guest to be seated. "What just happened? And if you’ll forgive me being blunt, why are you here at this late hour?"

"I came to apologise for the rudeness of my son. But what just happened was your slave, of her own free will, has vowed to die for you if the need should ever arise!"

Of the surprises, he had received so far that day, this was the biggest. Why had Arael done that? He looked over to where she was now standing at the side of the room, ready to serve if he required. "Why?"

"I think I may be able to give you some background that might help you answer that Iolaus," Aristides said, also looking at the young woman. Arael responded to a gesture by the king and approached as he seated himself comfortably on a couch. Kneeling at his feet, she rested on her heels, head bowed. The blond hunter went and positioned himself opposite them. "I wasn’t one hundred percent honest with you earlier, Iolaus. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to reward you and intended to give you a slave-girl, but I chose this one for reasons that had nothing to do with you. It was a good way for me to prevent my eldest son being more stupid than he has already been."

"What do you mean, Your Majesty? Why does Paterkolos want Arael?" As Iolaus asked he was trying to see Arael’s face, but her bowed head had hidden it behind her long hair.

"You are right," the king said sadly. "My son does not want this one to serve his wife. He wants her for some kind of sick pleasure of his own. For some reason I don’t understand, he has recently become fixated on this slave and, when he has her in his possession, becomes a different person to the one I raised. If I thought that this slave was to blame I’d have had her killed immediately but I know she is not and I won’t blame a slave or any animal because of a fault in a master. I chose this one for you so that what my son did last time would NEVER happen again. Anyway, however you did it, you now have a coin-slave"

"Coin-slave?"

"It’s what we call one who will pay the Ferryman for you. I have not heard of another currently alive – they are almost legendary. You have done the impossible, in record time."

"But you still haven’t told me what Paterkolos actually did, Your Majesty."

"I will leave that to your slave after I leave. She has my permission to speak", the king said as he stood to leave. "I had forbidden her to ever talk about it," he further explained, "but for you I will make an exception".

After the king had left, Iolaus returned to where Arael was still kneeling. "Arael, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to," he said gently. What ever happened obviously had been traumatic and he did not think it fair to push the young woman into retelling.

"Master, King Aristides wants you to know. Arael will tell you," the young woman said quietly, still looking at the floor. Refusing to rush her, Iolaus sat himself where the king had been and waited for her to begin when she was ready.

Without looking up, Arael began. "The last time Prince Paterkolos visited here he came, like now, without his wife, Princess Minosa. This slave was summoned to serve in his bedchamber that night, as she had before, but this time was different. When Arael arrived in his quarters, she was commanded to disobey every command she was given until the morning."

"But that means you would be punished no matter what you did doesn’t it?" Iolaus asked softly, with the sinking sensation he knew at least some of what happened.

Arael nodded slowly, "Yes, Master," as she remembered the punishment inflicted that night. It was a few minutes before she could continue.

Iolaus could see that Arael was trembling, as she relived the memory of her ordeal, and tears were beginning to fall from her closed eyes. Gently and carefully he leaned down and guided her to a seat beside him on the couch. As he put his arm around her shoulder, he said quietly, "You’re safe now, Arael, it’s ok. I won’t let Paterkolos hurt you any more. If he tries anything, I’m here to stop him."

Arael had never been the recipient of such gentleness or compassion before, and somehow it gave her the strength to continue. "He … he told Arael to … approach and please him as she had before. When she tried to do so, he hit her … so hard your slave fell … When she tried to move away, he grabbed her and tied her hands behind her … Your slave did not resist him after this, but begged to be allowed to please him. This only angered him more and he used his riding whip on Arael because she had disobeyed him. This one was hit … over and over … she does not how many times … he wouldn’t stop. When he finally did, he dragged Arael to his bed and chained her there, saying that unless she resisted him he would cut her throat. He then started to take her and, every time Arael struggled, he would just hold her tighter and force himself on her. This one does not remember much of what happened after that but was told that, when he had finished, he ordered her unconscious body to be removed."

"That bastard set it up so he could violently rape you?" The hunter’s blue eyes were flashing with anger at what the Crown Prince had done so deliberately and callously. He could see his reaction was beginning to frighten Arael, and as he didn’t want to upset her any more than she was, he consciously reigned in his anger. "What did the king do when he found out?" he asked softly.

"A slave can not be ‘raped’, Master. We must always obey. Prince Paterkolos told the king this one was ‘only punished as she deserved’, and was lucky it had not been worse. His Majesty then ordered this one to be sent to the slave-healer, and by the time that Arael was able to return to her duties, the prince had returned home. Your slave does not know what the king said to the prince."

"We are leaving here in the morning, Arael. I want you as far away from His Royal Highness as we can get you, and as quickly as possible", the handsome, blond hunter said determinedly, still with his arm around Arael. His anger gave the lithe warrior’s voice a razor-sharp edge.

Now that she had finished describing her ordeal, the tension that had been so visible in Arael’s body and eyes began to ease. "Master?" she said softly, turning to face her handsome owner.

"Yes?"

"May your slave please you tonight?" she murmured as she lifted his free hand and began to caress it with her lips.

Startled, Iolaus looked across at the beautiful young woman who was in his arms offering herself to him for a night of pleasure. Mustering every ounce of will power he possessed, (and trying to imagine the coldest lake he could think of) he gently took his hand away from her and used it to brush the side of her cheek. "No Arael. It wouldn’t be fair."

"Fair, Master?" she asked tipping her head to one-side, looking slightly puzzled.

"You are a beautiful and very desirable young woman, but as my slave you can not say ‘no’ to me. I don’t want to take advantage of you. When you are free, and if you choose to ask me again, my answer might be different. But till then, no." Iolaus smiled and kissed his slave on the forehead. "It’s very late now, and I want us to get an early start in the morning. We had better get some sleep. Luckily these quarters have more than one bed", he continued as he reclaimed his arm and stood.

"You wish Arael to sleep in a bed, Master?"

"Yes of course, why? Where would you normally sleep?" Iolaus asked curiously forgetting that life was very different for slaves here.

"When your slave is not kennelled in slave-quarters, she sleeps on the floor, at the foot of her master’s bed", Arael said as she stood to be beside him.

"Oh," the hunter said, his eyebrows raised to the ceiling. "Well, when you’re with me, and a bed exists, you get to sleep in it", he continued smiling. "One of the pleasures of freedom I think you might like", indicating that she should enter the sleeping quarters ahead of him.

Before Arael fell asleep in the unaccustomed bed, she lay silently trying to understand her new master. She knew that she was more than prepared to die to keep him alive, but she did not understand why he would be so kind to her. It did not make any sense in the world of her masters, as she knew it.

Iolaus on the other hand, to keep his mind off the necessity of finding a nearby lake, focused his thoughts on the morning and his leave taking of the king.

Waking early the next morning, Iolaus was not surprised that Arael had risen before him. He could hear her moving quietly about the outer room. On entering, he saw she had laid out breakfast for him but not for herself. "Have you eaten yet, Arael?"

"No, Master."

"Well join me … you must eat. It’s a long walk today, you’ll need your strength", the hunter said as he waved to a chair indicating that he would like her to keep him company.

"Master, you wish your slave to eat from this food?" Arael asked, her face showing that this was not something she did usually.

"Yes, sure. Why not?" Two dents appeared in the handsome warrior’s brow as he frowned slightly.

"It’s yours, Master. The food of the master’s is not usually permitted for slaves", the young woman replied looking at the floor.

The principles of slavery had always angered him, but this reality only fuelled his determination to fight it, and to free Arael from its clutches. "The moment we leave here you will be free Arael. Please eat." As he could think of no other way to convince her with out sounding like the masters he despised, he compromised and continued, "It would make me happy."

Arael nodded slowly, and after brushing the fingers of one hand on the brand on her neck, reached out and took a piece of fresh bread. Carefully and slowly, she began to eat.

Iolaus realised they were not just going to be able to slip out of the castle without saying goodbye. While they ate, he told Arael about his plans to meet Hercules at the Pylos crossroads, which were just under a four days walk. From there, he suggested that the three of them could go to on to his mother’s house. While there, he thought that Arael could decide what she wanted to do – where she wanted to go. As Iolaus talked, Arael said nothing, but he could see that she was struggling to understand how what was he was saying was going to be possible. "Don’t worry, you will get used to the idea. I know you need to adjust. I won’t rush you."

Their departure was even more time consuming than Iolaus had anticipated. The hunter had left Arael in the guest quarters so she would not have to encounter Prince Paterkolos if he appeared that day. Polynices had been propped up in his bed and his face had shown his severe disappointment when his heroic rescuer had said that he was not staying longer. Aristides then insisted on providing a horse, supplies, and two members of his royal guard to act as escort to the border. The monarch would simply not take ‘no’ for an answer.

The Crown Prince had been conspicuous by his absence during the morning, and when Iolaus asked, he was told he had left early to go hunting. He was not expected back until late that night. Finally, after Aristides had made his third speech of gratitude and extracted a promise that, some day, Iolaus would return and stay longer, they were able to leave. Even though the lithe hunter did not often ride, he was familiar enough on a horse to appreciate the luxury. He assisted Arael to a position behind him and showed her how to hold on around his waist so that she would not fall off.

During their ride to the border, Iolaus could not shake the feeling that they were being watched. He could not see any trace of this watcher but his hunter’s senses were sure there was someone trailing them. Despite this, the journey was uneventful, but the presence of the two soldiers delayed his plans to hasten Arael’s progress to complete freedom. He was very thankful that the extra speed provided by the horses meant they would have two full days camping by themselves at the crossroads before Hercules arrived.

As they travelled, Iolaus kept everyone entertained with stories of how Hercules and he had fought hydras, sea serpents, and other monsters. He even told them the one about the time Hercules had rescued Oi-Lan and Cyrus; and how their children now called them Uncle Hercules and Uncle Iolaus.

When they reached the border the two soldiers said their goodbyes; and Arael and Iolaus continued on. The feeling that they were being watched had stopped soon after they crossed the invisible border and Iolaus finally began to relax. It had only taken a day and a bit to get to near the agreed campsite. There being no hurry, Iolaus decided to walk the last section and slipped off the horse. "I feel like stretching my legs for a while. Do you want to walk or ride Arael?"

"Master – whatever pleases you."

Determined that, now they were away from the laws of Tanasis, Arael would truly be free Iolaus shook his head. "No, you’re free Arael, it’s not what I want that’s important, you can do what you want. And please, it’s time for you to stop calling me Master".

"Free, Master?" The uncertainty in her voice made it quiver slightly.

"Yes free … we are no longer in the kingdom of Tanasis. I can legally free you here … so ... You are FREE!" As he said this, the golden haired warrior lifted her down from her seat on the horse. "If you want to call me something you can use my name, or you can even call me ‘sweet-cheeks’ if you must, just not ‘Master’." Iolaus was smiling broadly and it lit up his whole face.

The idea of calling her master ‘sweet cheeks’ caused Arael’s eyes to open wide and before she could stop it, she giggled as she shook her head. Suddenly realising what she had done, she stopped fearfully, and glanced quickly at the face of the man she still thought of as her master. Not only was he still smiling; he was beginning to giggle himself.

Arael smiled at Iolaus shyly again and slowly began to relax. "Arael would like to walk with you Mast … Iolaus." She had not though it possible that his smile could get bigger but it did. As they walked the last few kilometres Arael seriously tried to avoid calling him anything but Iolaus – she really liked to see him smile, which he did every time she remembered.

Once they reached the clearing, where the two heroes regularly used to meet when they were in this part of Greece, Iolaus began to unpack and tether the horse. "Why don’t you collect some dry wood while I do this, then we’ll get some dinner," he suggested.

That night Iolaus used his hunting skills to supplement the supplies that King Aristides had given them. At the furthest point of the excursion, he showed Arael a bush of berries that were good to eat and commented that they would be ripe for picking tomorrow. Away from the pressure of the castle and the soldiers, the young woman began, very slowly, to smile more often and once even laughed delightedly when Iolaus showed her a baby deer. The hunter had been so pleased to hear her joy, had hugged her as he swung her around. Arael had been startled but she continued to smile as the handsome hunter put her down.

After their return to the camp, the rest of the evening was spent with Iolaus telling more stories about Hercules’ adventures. He wanted Arael to be relaxed around the demi-god when they met and felt the best way to do this was for her to know a bit about him. The depth of his friendship with the son of Zeus was evident in his voice and Arael began to be curious about the man who could get such enthusiasm from the handsome, blue-eyed hunter.

Arael spent the first half of the following day watching Iolaus fish in the small stream that ran close to the clearing. Occasionally she would dare to ask a question and was rewarded with a smile and a sparkle in the hunter’s blue eyes, as he answered. She began to try to think of questions – just so that she could see that smile.

That afternoon, after they had both been for a swim, Iolaus began to tell the young woman about his mother. How he had not seen her for much of his life, how he was looking forward to being there for her birthday this year and how much he though she would enjoy meeting Arael.

As Iolaus began to light the fire for the evening, Arael suggested that the berries they had seen earlier might go well with the fish he had caught. "Would it be all right if Arael went and got them?" she asked.

Knowing that the woodland around the bush was safe from predators, he nodded. "Sure, I’ll do the cooking while you’re gone." Iolaus was happy that his former slave finally felt confident enough to make the suggestion. Perhaps he could work on her using the word ‘I’ when she came back.

The young woman had not been gone long when the hunter heard a noise in the bush behind him. As it was unlikely to be Hercules, or Arael, Iolaus stood prepared to do battle if necessary.

With a sinking sensation the blond warrior realised he may be in trouble. Prince Paterkolos was standing in front of him with twenty battle-hardened soldiers. "Well, Iolaus, we meet again."

"Indeed, Your Highness", Iolaus said as he tried to assess his options if Paterkolos decided to be difficult. If he could get to the trees behind him, he would have a chance.

"I’ve come to see if you will change your mind and sell me your slave. Where is she by the way?"

"I can’t sell her to you, she’s not with me any more", Iolaus lied. "She left me after we crossed the border."

"I know that isn’t true. I had you followed. Nice try", the prince laughed. "Now where is she?"

Iolaus saw that one of the soldiers had trained a bow on him and that the others were moving to block his escape. Not prepared to let Paterkolos know where Arael was, and sending a prayer to the gods that she took her time collecting the berries, he shook his head. With a suddenness designed to catch everyone off guard, the blond warrior turned and hit the soldier nearest him with his fist. The blow was true and the man sank to the ground while Iolaus sprinted towards the edge of the clearing. An arrow nearly hit him and as he swerved to avoid it, he failed to see that one of the prince’s soldiers had managed to get close behind him. The hunter sensed the blow just before it impacted and, even though he had tried to side step, his world dissolved first into fiery-red pain and then quickly on into the blackness of oblivion.

The hunter regained consciousness quickly as the prince had ordered a pitcher of water to be poured over him. He had been tied to a tree, with his arms stretched behind around the trunk. "You will tell me where the slave is you know", Paterkolos said calmly as he nodded to the soldier standing to one side.

Pain coursed through Iolaus’ side as he was hit violently by the soldiers’ closed fist.

"Now, where is she? I would have paid you for her. This way you will suffer and it is really so unnecessary."

"Go to Tartarus, Paterkolos. I’m not going to tell you – ever", the hunter snarled through his pain as he tried not to let his worry that Arael would walk, unsuspecting, into the camp dominate his thoughts.

"Well she can’t be too far away. When she hears you scream, my guess is she will come running." The prince nodded again. This time the soldier had a blacksmith’s hammer in his hand and promptly used it on Iolaus’ outstretched arm.

Agony followed by numbness told the hunter that the bone was broken. It had taken every ounce of self-control that he had not to cry out, but he was not going to betray Arael to this monster if he could help it.

"Very brave but also very foolish, Iolaus. Now I definitely know the slave is near. You would have allowed yourself to scream otherwise."

The Crown Prince of Tanasis turned from Iolaus and called at the top of his voice, "Slave, I have your master. You can save Iolaus a lot of agony if you come to me."

Hearing this, Iolaus immediately also shouted as loud as he could through his pain, "Arael, HIDE! Don’t come back to the camp". His desperation gave a power to his voice that it did not normally have. A red haze crossed the blond hunter’s vision, as his head slammed into the tree-trunk behind, from another punch from the prince’s soldier.

Paterkolos pulled a long thin knife from his belt, walked up to Iolaus, and held the knife to his neck. "Call her in."

Blood was running down the handsome warrior’s face, where he had been hit and from a split in his head, where he had connected with a small broken branch on the tree. "No", he whispered before spitting in the prince’s face.

This time the pain shot up his side as a punch hit almost through to his kidneys.

"Time to die, Iolaus", the prince said as he lifted the knife again to the blond warrior’s throat.

The pain in Iolaus’ side indicated that if of one of his ribs was not broken it was badly cracked. Experience had taught him that a bruised rib did not hurt as much as this did. "You’ll pay for this Paterkolos. Hercules will find you and you will pay … that I guarantee," the warrior whispered as he closed his eyes and prepared to meet Charon and Hades again. At least the pain would stop and he knew his best friend would look after Arael.

A new wave of red agony flowed through the hunter’s body and just before the blackness overwhelmed him, he was dismayed to hear Arael’s voice scream, "Master! Please, NO! Please don’t kill him."

Hercules was aware he would be a little early to the clearing where he was to meet his best friend. His visit to the island of Sphacteria had taken less time than he expected and he hoped that the hunter would not be delayed. They were both looking forward to seeing Erythia and Pandion, and a good home cooked meal.

Coming suddenly on the campsite, he was horrified to see Iolaus’ unmoving and bleeding body slumped over the rope that held him against the tree. Fear for his friend lent speed to the demi-gods movements, while the words "Not dead, please let him not be dead", were running like a mantra through his thoughts.

The son of Zeus’ semi-divine senses told him that who ever had done this was long gone and as he tentatively reached out to touch Iolaus’ shoulder, he was relieved to feel the warmth of his skin. Once he knew his best friend was alive, and he could think a little more clearly, he rapidly proceeded to untie him and carry his friend’s unconscious body to beside the fire that was still burning.

The demi-god checked Iolaus to see exactly what had been done to him. After the bleeding from the broken skin on his head, the most obvious of the hunter’s injuries was his broken arm. The bone was almost sticking out of the skin and Hercules was determined to set it while his friend was still out. He could also see the bruising to Iolaus’ ribs and diaphragm and realised his best friend had been severely beaten and left tied up to die.

Hercules was careful not to take his anger out on the splints he was making. Kindling would be no use and would only delay him caring for his friend. Iolaus moaned as the tall hero moved the bones gently into their correct position and then again as his arm was strapped against the wooden splits.

The demi-god then got clean water, washed the blood from Iolaus’ wounds, and was very relieved to see that they were not as serious as he first thought, but like all head-wounds had bled profusely. The hunter would have a severe headache when he woke but at least he did not require stitches.

Once he was sure he had done all he could, Hercules sat himself down beside his best friend and prepared to watch and wait for him to regain consciousness. "What happened to you my impetuous friend. Who wanted to hurt you like this? What did they want?"

The demi-god was stoking the fire when he heard Iolaus groan in a way that told him the hunter was regaining consciousness. He quickly moved over to him and gently murmured "Lie still, Iolaus. It’s OK, I’m here now." He knew it was important for his friend to move as little as possible.

"Herc? Is it really you?" the severely wounded warrior asked shakily, as he tried to focus on the shape in front of him.

"Yes, buddy, it’s me. Welcome back." the demi-god smiled as he felt relief flow through him. "Now lie still."

Nevertheless, Iolaus was becoming agitated. "Arael? Where’s Arael? Did he take her?"

"There was no-one else here when I arrived Iolaus. Just you! Who is Arael? And who might have her?"

"Herc, I called out to her to hide. If she heard me, she could still be out there. You have to have a look."

"Iolaus it’s dark and well past midnight. I wouldn’t find her – it can wait till the sun is up."

"Please, Herc. Call her. Tell her your name; she knows who you are. Tell her it’s safe to return … Please."

The handsome demi-god could tell that Iolaus’ agitation was not going to go away unless he did what was asked. To keep his stubborn friend from getting up he went a little way into the wood at the edge of the clearing where Iolaus had indicated and called, "Arael, this is Hercules. Can you hear me? It’s safe now; Iolaus is here and wants to see you. Arael, you don’t have to hide any more."

His deep voice echoed through the stillness of the night, but as he expected, nothing happened. After calling twice more into the dark wood, just to be sure, he returned to the fire and his injured companion. "Arael could be asleep or afraid to move in the dark, Iolaus," Hercules said gently when he noticed the profound sadness in Iolaus’ face. "I’ll look for her in the morning."

The blond hunter closed his blue eyes and shook his head slightly. (His headache would not let him do more.) "You can try, Hercules, but you won’t find her. If she were here, Arael would have heard you and would have come in. I had hoped it was my imagination, but before I passed out I thought I heard her voice."

"You mean a woman led you into this? When will you learn, my friend?" The demi-god spoke gently but Iolaus could hear the very real anger at Arael in his voice.

"No, Herc, you’ve got it all wrong. Paterkolos was just about to send me to Hades when Arael cried out. I think she may have saved my life, but at great cost. Now he’s got what he wanted; he’s got his slave." Iolaus was starting to force himself into sitting up, ignoring the pain in his side that was turning his face a ghostly grey. "We have got to get her back. I can’t leave her with that monster."

There was a look in his friend’s blue eyes that alarmed Hercules – a great deal more than the fact that Iolaus was injured. It was not the warrior’s usual look of determination. If he didn’t know better he would have sworn that hatred and revenge were driving Iolaus. "Think for a minute will you, Iolaus. It’s dark and you’re hurt. At least wait until the morning; that way you will have a chance of following their trail. It is important that you rest now – you won’t help Arael if you make you make yourself worse by tripping over something or missing their tracks completely. Please lie back and rest … tomorrow we will both look for Arael and this Paterkolos," (whoever they are) he added silently.

Iolaus looked up at the son of Zeus for a few seconds before he nodded, then he lay back down and closed his eyes. "You are right, of course, Hercules. But I am going to get that bastard if it’s the last thing I do."

Now doubly concerned about his friend’s state of mind, Hercules sat watching the fire until he too fell asleep.

Hercules woke soon after sunrise, but he was careful not to wake his injured his friend. He knew that once Iolaus was awake nothing was going to stop him going after Arael – who ever she was, she was obviously important to him. Using some of the tracking skills that his best friend had taught him over the years, and his own experience, he looked around the area to see what might have happened to her.

What he found was not going to please Iolaus. Someone had been on their knees in the dirt and then been dragged towards where a couple of horses had been tethered. From what the hunter had said, that must have been Arael. After that the tracks were too confused to say what happened to her. Whoever took her had thankfully left a clear trail to follow. Satisfied he had seen all he could without leaving the camp, he returned to sit beside his sleeping friend and waited.

It was sometime before Iolaus finally woke. Hercules looked across at his closest friend as he quietly groaned, "I was hoping that it was a bad dream – but I guess it wasn’t. Paterkolos got Arael didn’t he?"

"It looks that way – yes." Hercules was not happy to see that same vengeful look enter the hunter’s eyes as he began to stand. "Here, let me help you", he said gently as he put his arm out to steady his friend.

"I’ll be ok, Herc," Iolaus smiled as he over-rode the pain in both his arm and chest. "You make us breakfast. I want to look around", he continued.

Amazed that Iolaus was able to remain upright, let alone move, Hercules nodded and looked around for his pack. While he was doing this, the demi-god watched his friend from the corner of his eye. After seeing the blond hunter walk into the woods, and not reappear immediately, the tall hero debated with himself if he should follow. Just as he was about to go in search, the hunter reappeared carrying a small container of berries. It became clear he had been following a trail when he stopped at the spot Hercules had sighted earlier. As he looked at the ground in front of him, he bowed his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them again Hercules could see he was fighting back the tears.

Hercules waited for the hunter to come over to him. He knew Iolaus would open up when he was ready. If not now it would be as they followed the trail of Paterkolos. The injured hunter carefully sat down and put his uninjured hand to his eyes taking a moment to collect his thoughts.

After pointing to the berries in the bowl, the hunter began, "She had gone to collect these … she must have heard me, Hercules. She’d hidden herself – it was a good spot too – he would never have found her. She must have left the berries there, when she came out … She had a pretty good idea of what would happen to her … yet she still did it … to save my life … I didn’t want her to pay the Ferryman for me. Not ever! … Especially not this way".

Hercules could follow most of what Iolaus had said but this last puzzled him; but now was not the time to push. "We will find her, Iolaus"; he said putting his arm around his best friend’s shoulder.

"Or what’s left of her", Iolaus said bitterly. "I want to kill Paterkolos, Hercules." The quiet hatred in Iolaus’ voice frightened the demi-god. He had never thought to hear it from his friend, who was closer to him than a brother.

Before he could say anything though, the blond warrior had risen and was packing the few things he would need to take with him while he tracked Paterkolos and Arael. Recognising that anything he would say would be futile while the hunter was feeling like this, Hercules also packed a few things.

Without looking back, Iolaus left the clearing resting his sword on his good arm. Hercules walked silently at his side quite prepared to catch him if he collapsed from the beating he had been given.

Iolaus’ need to find Arael, however, over-rode any pain or exhaustion he felt and it was not until Hercules had threatened to tie him up that he stopped to eat some lunch. The only signs that the hunter was in pain were his white face and his expressed wish that Paterkolos could have left him the horse.

The trail was easy to follow and did not tax the hunter’s strength too much as they continued through the afternoon. Both heroes agreed that Paterkolos had not expected to be followed quite so soon. He would not have made it quite so easy if he had.

The tall demi-god felt that now was the time to find out what had led up to the attack on Iolaus. He was not sure how his friend would react to his gently probing questions, as he had not volunteered the information. However, he could not ignore the necessity of knowing what they would be up against. Much to his surprise the blond hunter, was ready to talk. He told of Polynices’ rescue, Aristides gift to him of a slave, and what Paterkolos had done to Arael. As he began to understand Iolaus’ hatred toward the Crown Prince, he also wondered if perhaps this young woman, Arael, had found a special place in his friend’s heart.

As evening approached, Hercules again had to force his friend to stop and rest. It became clear that had he not, Iolaus would have continued until he was overwhelmed by exhaustion. Within minutes of having eaten, the hunter was asleep and did not stir again until well after dawn.

During the following days of their journey, the blond hero continued to be as driven as he had been at its beginning. He was beginning to lose weight and only rarely smiled, although his wounds and broken bones appeared to be healing.

At the end of the fourth day, the trail brought them to a very large house at the edge of small wood. "This cannot be where Paterkolos lives with his wife," Iolaus said as both heroes watched from a nearby hill. "I know he lives in a castle somewhere near here. Now we are back in Tanasis, Arael is a slave again", he muttered bitterly. "If he has hurt her once more, Hercules, I WILL kill him."

"I know you feel want to, Iolaus, but I also know you. You don’t kill in cold blood." Hercules said quietly.

"I may make an exception this time", the handsome warrior chillingly replied. "But before it comes to that we have to get in, find Arael, and get her out."

"Well, with that broken arm of yours, scaling the walls is out. That leaves a secret tunnel or the front door." The tall demi-god smiled. He was going to be beside his best friend all the way. "We could use the same trick, we used in Corinth that time with Jason."

Iolaus nodded slowly. "That worked because the guards didn’t know me. Any of the soldiers, with Paterkolos the other day, would recognise me. You know, I’d really like to be sure Arael is in there before we go charging in, though I don’t know where else she would be – no one seems to have left."

"Does that answer your question?" Hercules pointed.

From their vantage-point, the two heroes could see into over the high wall that surrounded the house. Two women and a man had come into the garden. The man was obviously a guard and one of the women was heavily pregnant. It was the second woman who held Iolaus’ attention. It was Arael and she was limping.

"Thank the gods, she’s alive. Now, where is that bastard, Paterkolos?" Iolaus hissed.

As if in response to the hunter’s wishes, the prince emerged from around the back of the house. As they watched, they saw Arael immediately kneel and the woman bow her head. Apparently, the slave had not been quick enough, as she was struck across the face, hard enough to knock her sprawling into the dirt, as soon as Paterkolos reached her. He then turned on the other woman, slapped her too, and pointed inside. Both women then followed him indoors.

The demi-god quickly placed his hand on his best friend’s shoulder as he felt Iolaus tense beside him. "Not yet, Iolaus. We’ll go in when it’s dark – after they are asleep." Hercules heard the hunter breathe deeply before nodding his agreement.

The two heroes took turns watching the house, but saw no one but Paterkolos and an occasional guard. When Iolaus was not on watch, he chose to spend his time honing the edges of both his sword and the large knife he usually carried in belt. His attention was not however focused on what, to the warrior, was a routine task.

Hercules was sure that his friend’s mind was on the young woman inside the house. His own thoughts had been running through what Iolaus has told him about the girl. One thing still did not make sense to him. Turning to face his partner, he decided to broach the subject. "Iolaus, before we go in there tonight, we have to talk."

The hunter raised his blue eyes. Whatever he had been thinking had given them a hardness that was foreign to them. "What about?" he asked warily, convinced that his partner was going to try to talk him out of killing Paterkolos.

"Arael’s name and how she got it".

This topic was so unexpected the hunter almost laughed. "Yes?"

"Have you considered who might have done the switch and why?"

After a moment’s silence Iolaus answered, "I thought it must have been one of the gods; but I still don’t know which one. Whoever it was left us alone, so I stopped worrying about it. After Paterkolos’ attack, I forgot all about it. Is it that important?"

"It just may be, my friend. I think it was Ara herself and, if that’s so, there is more going on here than meets the eye."

"You are not trying to tell me Arael is Ara, are you?" Iolaus’ opinion of this idea was clear from the tone of his voice. "You saw how he hit her! I can’t see any goddess taking that."

"No, that’s not what I mean; but I do think Ara has a special interest in Arael for a reason. Think about it, will you. Ara is the goddess of revenge and destruction and, the way you’re acting, the moment we get in there that is exactly what is going to happen."

"So you’re saying Ara has manipulated how I feel?"

"All I’m saying is, it is a possibility you should consider."

Iolaus’ eyes narrowed as he tried to analyse if his emotions were being controlled. "I don’t think I’m being manipulated, but I also don’t know how I would know if I were."

"I have the feeling that you would know, so I guess I was wrong. Nevertheless will you promise me one thing?"

"I won’t promise not to kill Paterkolos, Hercules", Iolaus said, wary again.

"I know you can’t promise me that, my friend. What I do want you to promise is, that if it comes to it, you will think twice before you kill him in cold blood. Make sure you are the one who wants to do it – that it’s not Ara."

The blond hunter never took his promises lightly, especially to his best friend, so he did not answer immediately.

"Well?" Hercules prompted. "Will you promise?" The demi-god breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the blond head nod.

"I promise to try and think twice, Herc. That’s the best I can do."

"Thanks, Iolaus. I know I can trust you to do the right thing. It’s Ara I don’t trust."

"I should probably be offended by that Hercules, but actually I find it rather flattering," said a sultry female voice.

Both warriors spun around, Iolaus had his sword up, ready for an attack.

The owner of the voice was a tall, thin, beautiful woman with long black hair that fell, with no curl, to her waist. Her eyes were so dark that they may even have been black. Her long dress was also black and highlighted the extreme whiteness of her skin.

"Ara! What are you doing here?" Hercules asked. Like Hecate, Ara was not really part of the Olympian family, but the other gods always treated her with respect.

"I came to ask your help, actually."

"My help?"

"Yours…and Iolaus’".

"To do what?"

"Protect the baby down there."

"That woman, Herc. She was very pregnant," Iolaus whispered.

The dark goddess nodded. "She gives birth, even as we speak. The child has a destiny to fulfil as my priestess, but her father is just a little unpredictable at the moment. I know you are going in there tonight, I just want you to ensure that the child is not harmed."

"Are you saying that Paterkolos would kill his own daughter?" Iolaus asked, horrified by the mere thought.

"I am aware of many possibilities arising out of tonight’s events. That is one, yes. But I would really prefer it didn’t happen, which is why I am here."

Hercules nodded, "We will try to protect the baby, Ara. But what does Arael have to do with this? Who gave her her name?"

"I did." The dark goddess smiled enigmatically. "Actually it is the name her mother gave her. The woman was one of my priestesses before she was killed. I thought that since Iolaus, here, was being so generous it would be nice if she was actually given her true name. I owed her mother’s faithful service that much. As for the rest; the Fates have almost as warped a sense of irony as I do."

"So what do you get out of all of this?" Hercules asked, suspicious of her motives.

"The same as every other event", the goddess of revenge laughed. "The possibilities are endless. Just like to watch them develop, and yes Hercules, I know you do not approve. I don’t usually cause the problems, but I do love to watch people’s solutions. They are so much nastier than I could ever dream up. Anyway, I have to run. There is a lovely royal feud developing in Mycenae and I do so want to catch up on who is doing what to whom. Keep my baby priestess safe and I will definitely owe you both one."

Ara vanished as suddenly as she had appeared.

"What did you make of that?" Iolaus asked his semi-divine partner.

"I don’t know Iolaus. She may be telling the truth, but I trust Ara less than I trust Hera or Ares. With her, you just never know." Hercules was grateful to the dark goddess for one thing, however. He was now sure that Iolaus would think twice before cold-bloodedly killing Paterkolos – no matter what he had done to Arael. He just hoped his friend would decide that revenge wasn’t worth it.

The demi-god insisted that Iolaus get some rest before they went in after Arael. His friend’s ribs had not yet healed and there was a high likelihood the pair would have to fight their way out – if not in. Hercules wished they could wait until Iolaus was fully recovered but he knew that was not possible.

Hercules waited until the north-star had begun its downward journey before he woke Iolaus. They had agreed that this hour would give them the best chance of getting in with a minimum of fuss. The only real disadvantage that worried Hercules was that Arael might be kept in Paterkolos’ sleeping chamber. He realised that keeping the hunter away from the prince was probably impossible but if the young woman were there it could result in his best friend doing something impulsive that he may later regret.

High clouds were drifting lazily across the face of the moon occasionally dimming its brightness. This allowed the two warriors to approach the surrounding wall unobserved. Luckily, there were only two guards on the main gate and one patrolling the gardens. Hercules indicated that, as soon as the patrolling guard had gone around the back, he would take the guard on the left. Iolaus nodded his agreement and prepared to take out the other one.

Leaving the two unconscious guards in the shadows, they waited silently for the third to return. A quick punch from Hercules and he was soon lying beside his fellow soldiers, unlikely to be any trouble for some time.

Hercules and Iolaus had no trouble slipping in the front door of the house, as there were no guards posted inside. A quick check of the ground floor showed that the rest of the soldiers were sleeping down in a room off the cellar. Off to the other side of the cellar, a couple of male slaves were also asleep. It seemed most unlikely they would cause problems. Even asleep, they looked exhausted.

Hercules kept watch while his partner searched the ground floor rooms. It did not take Iolaus long to ascertain that Arael was not being kept in this lower part of the house. That only left the upstairs bedrooms.

The heroes quietly slipped up the staircase into the corridor that ran the length of the house. All their warrior instincts were alert to any sound or movement. Their search of this section of the house was made a little easier by the fact that all but three doors were wide open and obviously uninhabited.

One of the doors was bared from the outside and as Iolaus approached, he could hear a woman softly weeping. His blue eyes flashed with anger as he whispered "I think we’ve found her."

Stepping aside to let Hercules lift the wooden bar that was locking the door, the hunter steeled himself against what he would see once he was inside. To his surprise, it was not Arael; it was the other young woman they had seen in the garden. She was nursing a baby and chained to the bed, by a metal neck-collar.

Hercules realised that if she screamed the woman would wake the whole house and they would definitely have to fight. However, she didn’t. She was obviously very frightened but she did not scream. She just watched them, fear in her eyes.

As Iolaus quietly shut the door, Hercules went over to her. "We’re not here to hurt you. We want to help. I’m Hercules; this is my friend Iolaus. Who are you? Why has Paterkolos done this to you?" he asked gently.

"You’re Hercules?" the young woman said with a little awe in her voice.

After nodding, the demi-god looked across at his partner and raised his blue eyes. Iolaus smiled and gave a slight shrug but said nothing. Hercules could see, however, that the discovery of another mistreated young woman had only fuelled is determination to do something about the prince.

"I’m Minosa," the woman said quietly.

Before she could continue, Iolaus interrupted. "Princess Minosa? His wife?"

Minosa nodded and looked down and the baby resting in her arms. "The mother of his daughter," she whispered.

"Here let me take this off you," Hercules said as he used his strength to snap the lock on metal collar that was around her neck. "Why did he do this?"

"Why does he do anything any more? I displeased him earlier by taking his new slave with me for a walk this morning and after the baby was born, who was not the boy he wanted, he was furious. He said it was my fault the child was not male and I would pay for defying his wishes. I do not know what else he plans for me, but I was to be kept as you found me until he thought I had leaned my lesson. Could you help me get away? If I can to get to King Aristides, or to my parents at his court, they will help me. I’m really afraid he will kill me or my baby."

"When we leave, you can come with us. However, we came to find a young woman – the one who was with you in the garden this morning. Do you know where she is? Is she with Paterkolos?" Hercules queried gently.

"The slave? I am not sure. She was here when the baby was born and acted as the midwife but I do not know where she was sent after that. One of the other slaves brought my food. I’m sorry I can’t help more than that."

"Was Arael all right, when you saw her? She was limping. Do you know what happened?" Iolaus’ need to know shone in his eyes.

"Arael?"

"The slave girl you were talking about." the demi-god said, looking sympathetically across at the blond warrior.

"Oh, was she originally yours?"

Iolaus simply closed his eyes, nodded and said, "Paterkolos stole her", realising that Minosa would not understand any other answer.

"Stole her?"

"Yes and I want her back. Was she badly hurt?"

The princess looked at the blond warrior in front of her and saw he cared deeply for the slave girl. I am sorry; she was limping because one of her legs was badly bruised. I saw that in the garden. I was using her for support when I took my walk in the garden, but Paterkolos does not like me using his things and was furious. The baby started to arrive as soon as we got inside. Like I said after my baby was born I didn’t see her again, but I do know that Paterkolos kept her in his room last night – it’s the one on the right."

Iolaus started to move to the door when he felt Hercules’ hand on his shoulder. He was very tempted to just shrug it off and keep going but he paused, "I’m going to find her, Hercules, now". As he left the room, the blond warrior unsheathed his sword, thankful that he had learned to use it in either hand.

Before Hercules followed, he turned to Minosa and said quickly, "We will probably be leaving in a hurry. You and the baby will need to be ready."

Iolaus had chosen to check out the prince’s room first and was just about to open the door when Hercules joined him. So far, their luck had held and the rest of the household was still asleep. As the blond hunter looked into the room, the demi-god heard him murmur, "Arael" just before he hurried through the door.

I took a second before Hercules realised they had found the missing woman. She was curled asleep on the floor at the foot of the bed, with her hands tied.

From the doorway, Hercules could see that Paterkolos was asleep in the bed and watched as Iolaus gently but firmly placed his hand over Arael’s mouth as he whispered something in her ear.

The young woman’s eyes flew open as she woke with a start. It was obvious in the moonlight that she was frightened, but when she realised who was holding her, Iolaus felt her tremble. Sure now she would remain quiet, he removed his hand and began to untie her hands. As soon as he has released her, the blond hunter gave her a quick hug and pointed to the door. Arael rubbed her wrists as she nodded to show she understood what Iolaus wanted her to do.

Hercules realised, once they were both in the corridor and the door was again shut, that he had been holding his breath. As it was still not safe to talk, Hercules tapped his partner on the shoulder and pointed to Minosa’s room. Arael again nodded as she had seen what the tall man, who she realised must be Hercules, wanted from her.

Both the demi-god and the young woman silently headed down the corridor. Not until the reached the princess’ door, did Hercules realised that his friend was not with them. As he let Arael into Minosa’s room, he sent his thoughts down the corridor "Don’t do it, Iolaus, please don’t do it." For the second time that night, the son of Zeus held his breath as he saw the blond hunter reach out to open the door in front of him.

Before he touched the door-handle, Iolaus took a quick look up the corridor to where he knew Hercules and Arael were waiting for him. What he saw there quickly changed his mind.

"Hercules, look out! Behind you!"

The son of Zeus swung around in time to see four soldiers coming up the stairs. He just had time to close the door before they were on him.

The first soldier seriously underestimated his opponent and was sent sprawling by Hercules’ right hook.

Iolaus had hurried up the corridor and saw that one of the soldiers was the man who had hit him when he had been tied up. The surprise on the soldier’s face would have been comical in other circumstances. "Better people have tried to kill me and failed you know," Iolaus said and laughed. "Come on, now the odds are a little more even, let’s see what you can do."

The soldier looked for support from his companions, but they were busy flying backward through the air. "This one’s mine, Herc", Iolaus said without taking his eyes off the man in front of him.

"That’s ok. I’ll deal with the rest of his friends, they are coming up the stairs." With this Hercules picked up the first soldier and used his body to push against the men coming towards him. Their backward momentum caused them to act like falling dominoes as they tumbled down the stairs into their comrades.

The demi-god turned in time to see his partner use his legs to bring his opponent crashing to the floor and then use his unbroken arm to knock him out with one punch.

Ten of the more dedicated (or stupid) of the soldiers were coming back up the stairs. Hercules prepared to meet them when he saw someone emerge carrying a sword, from the prince’s room. "Iolaus. Paterkolos," he warned as he turned his attention to the stairs.

The blond hunter picked up his sword, from where he had dropped it during the fight, and prepared to deal with the prince.

As Paterkolos passed Minosa’s door, he stopped and opened it. "Slave, this time you watch him die; but before I do, you Minosa, you will pay dearly for this. Your child dies."

Iolaus, sword ready walked up to the prince, his face showing the contempt and the cold rage he felt. "No, Paterkolos. It is time for you to pay. Pay for what you did to Arael, to Minosa, to me and to anyone else you have had your lousy hands on."

Paterkolos swung his sword at Iolaus. The two men were fairly evenly matched. Normally Iolaus would have had no trouble defeating him, as he was the most skilled, but his broken rib and arm were a liability that could be lethal for him if the contest went on too long.

Hercules was busy at the other end of the corridor and failed to notice the soldier that Iolaus had fought had regained consciousness and had drawn a knife.

As he fought Paterkolos, Iolaus noticed out of the corner of his eye that Arael had left the safety of the doorway and quickly crossed the corridor behind him. His attention was focused on his opponent and did not realise the significance of her action until he heard Minosa call out. "NO!"

Pushing the Paterkolos away from him with extra force, to give himself time to look, Iolaus was horrified to see Arael sprawled face down on the floor with the a soldier’s knife in her back. The prince took full advantage of Iolaus’ inattention and raised his sword for a lethal thrust.

Hercules saw Paterkolos raise his arm and shouted a panicked warning to his best friend who immediately reacted and rolled away from the blow. The prince looked down at his side and then crumpled silently to the floor unmoving.

The demi-god quickly ran to the Prince and it was obvious he was dead. There was an arrow lodged in his side that must have gone right through to his heart. Minosa was standing by the door of her room. In her hand was a bow that one of the soldiers had dropped. She looked at Hercules, a little stunned by what she had done. "I had to stop him."

Hercules nodded, and realised that the princess was probably right. Paterkolos did need to be stopped. He just wished it had not been this way.

Looking across at Iolaus, the tall demi-god saw his friend kneeling with Arael cradled in his arms. Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks as he looked at the face of the woman who had twice saved his life. Despite the pain she was in, Arael was smiling up at him.

Arael knew she was dying and gently reached out her hand to the handsome hunter and wiped away one of his tears. "Please, Iolaus. Don’t be sad. You freed Arael while she was alive. You allowed her to choose what she wanted to do with her life – and she chose."

"Chose to pay the Ferryman", the hunter whispered.

Arael closed her eyes and murmured "I chose …" so softly that only her former master could hear.

Iolaus knew that Arael had slipped quietly to the Otherside but could not yet bring himself to say goodbye. His mind was too numb. He just sat holding her close to his heart.

After a few minutes, the son of Zeus reached out and said gently, "She’s gone, my friend". Iolaus looked up at him, tears still flowing from his blue eyes and nodded. He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Goodbye, Arael. I will miss you." He then placed her body gently on the ground and stood.

Slowly he walked over to the body of the Crown Prince and looked down.

"I want to bury Arael in the woods near the clearing. She was happy there."

Turning to away from the cause of so much pain, he look up at Minosa, and the one who was his brother, "It’s time to go home."

Epilogue

As the sun set, Hercules stood watching as Iolaus placed the last stone on the cairn. They had buried Arael in the Pylos wood, near the stream where she had seen the baby deer and the blond warrior was kneeling by her grave and said his final silent goodbyes.

As the light finally failed he placed two silver coins under one of the stones and whispered "For Charon".

The End.

©1998 by Klio

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