Where Is The Love

[Isolde]

Aphrodite

She pouted when her love put her down. Come to think of it, she really did need to know his name. She made a mental note to ask him when she got the chance. It wasnt like she cared about his name but it would seem rather impolite not to know who you lover was.

Moving over to a rocky protrusion, she sat down on it begin arranging her hair and humming to herself, every now and again looking up to pucker her lips up and blow her lover a kiss. One shapely leg was place over the other and the gown clung to her leg and rode up when she moved though she didnt make any effort for modesty.

She impatiently wondered when the men were going to be done speaking. She had business with the tall, handsome one as soon as he sent the other one away.

Suddenly she stopped doing up her hair and looked over at Sweetcheeks and the little guy.

"Hey," She said as if it had just occured to her,"Does anyone know my name. Strange but I have, like, totally tuned it out. I think that bath did more than just change my dressing fashion."

 

[Teague]

Iolaus

Iolaus slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Do I think there is something strange about that? Now why would there be anything strange about it? It happens every day. As normal as...oh...say the sky being pink.

"Iolaus to Herc! Are you reading me here? Something strange is going on and I am betting the gods have something to do with it. What am I saying? Of course the gods have everything to do with this."

Taking a deep breath, Iolaus steels himself for Hercules' reaction to what he is about to do.

"I hate to do this but I have got to bring you to your senses. Herc, what you are feeling for Aphrodite is not love. You have felt love before...remember? Her name was Deianeira. Remember her? The woman who stood by you through thick and thin and had three kids with you? The woman who, along with those kids, got fried by Hera because they dared to be brave enough to love you? That, buddy boy, is true love."

Iolaus' heart was pounding as he spoke. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground but somehow he had to get him to listen.

"Their in here somewhere, buddy boy. You might want to go and ask them what real love is. And then you can see this infatuation with Aphrodite for what it is. Do you remember now, Hec? Remember how you had to stand by and watch the house that held your loved ones in it burn? Remember how it tore your heart apart to know there was nothing you could do to save them? Remember.

He wondered if he had pushed the point too much as he felt himself being lifted by his shirt front in a very powerful grip, his feet inches above the ground.

"Apparently you do," He said bracing himself for what was going to come next.

 

[Neale]

Hercules

Hercules could not believe his ears. Now that he had finally found his one, true love, his so-called best friend was trying to say that there was something very wrong with it all. However, when Iolaus started talking about Hercules' slain first wife and children, it was all Hercules could do to keep from smashing his face in. He picked up Iolaus, intending to do just that. "You dare throw Deianeira in my face now?! I loved her! Now, I love Aphrodite!" Suddenly all the strength left Hercules' body. He dropped Iolaus and gripped his head, shaking it. "No. What am I doing? Iolaus, I nearly killed you! Just for pointing out the simple truth. You're absolutely right, Iolaus... We've been enchanted. There is no other explanation for it. Maybe some of Aphrodite's power flared up when she drank the water from Lethe... I don't know."

Hercules looked over to where Aphrodite sat, tapping her foot impatiently. "Iolaus, you've got to help me. I look at her, and my blood boils... I've never felt this way before, even about Deianeira! Even knowing that it's wrong, the result of magic, it is all I can do to stop myself from running to her, taking her in my arms..." Hercules, a dazed look on his face, stepped toward the amnesiac goddess. Iolaus reached out and spun him around. "See?!! What are we going to do?"

 

[Neale]

bump

OOC: Just making it a little easier to find

 

[Teague]

Iolaus

OOC: Okay, okay...I get the hint! Post already.

IC: Iolaus took in a steadying breath as Hercules dropped him. For a moment there he was afraid that the big guy was going to lose it. If that had happened Iolaus was pretty sure even Hades would have had a hard time finding enough of him to keep down here.

When Herc got that glazed look in his eyes and begin to walk towards Aphrodite again, Iolaus took advantage of his friend's distraction to spin him around facing him.

"Look, Herc ole buddy, there has got to be a way to do this. As soon as Aphrodite gets her powers back you know no power on earth is going to keep her earth bound. I am betting her memory comes back along with her powers too and she would be the first to tell you that this 'does not have good vibes'."

Looking over at Aphrodite and then back at Hercules, he said,"Lets take this one step at a time. We have to keep you two from getting too close. Why dont you scout ahead and I will accompany the lady behind you. I think I can keep her hanging back just enough to not distract you too much. Maybe we will get lucky and whatever it is will wear off quickly. I dont know."

"I do know that, with all the dangers the underworld possesses, a distracted Hercules is not a mark in our favor."

 

[Isolde]

Aphrodite

She had finished with rearranging her hair and was sitting watching the exchange between the two men. Boring! This was a definate waste of time. She could be pitching some serious woo with her SweetCheeks if the other one would just shut up and go away.

She thought for a minute that it was going to turn grisely but not so boring there for a minute but the stud had put down the kid and so that moment of entertainment had past.

"Hey, guys, remember me?," She said, waving her arms to get their attention,"You know, the gal with absolutely no memory but with a great bod? I dont know who I used to be but from the way you two are fussing I would say I was hot. And, hey, I would like a chance to prove there is some things I havent lost. So lets get down to business. I say we ditch this dismal pad and me and SweetCheeks find someplace that has some action and maybe a girlfriend for our little chaperone here and we all have some fun. Does that sound like a groovy plan or what?"

 

[Neale]

Hercules

Hercules' famous seven labours were a cakewalk compared to the effort it was now taking him to not sweep Aphrodite into his arms, and carry her off for a lifetime of love. Still, he was not reknowned as Greek's greatest hero for weakness of will and character. He would not succumb to this magically-induced desire.

"Aphrodite, I'm... I'm going to move on ahead and scout. We... We can't be together like you... like we want. It isn't right; it isn't real. I've... I've..." his hand moved towards her, seemingly of its own volition. "I've got to move on ahead."

Visibly sweating with the effort, Hercules tore his eyes from Aphrodite's body, and made his way up the path, scouting ahead.

 

[Isolde]

Aphrodite

She watched him leave, disbelief plain on her face. He was going? All this to offer him and he was going? Her intended must not have brains to match his brawn.

She considered pouting as it seemed to come naturally to her but decided that something like that is very ineffective when directed at someone's back.

"As if," She said, hands clenched and stiff at her sides,"This is not even happening. If he thinks he can just walk away from....." Here she paused. There seemed to be something important that should follow that statement but she couldnt for the life of her remember what.

"Well, anyway, he is totally clueless if he thinks he can just up and leave just like that. No one leaves........oh! Why cant I remember who I am supposed to be? I mean, with these threads and this bod, it has to be someone important! Right?"

She looked over at the little guy and repeated,"Well, Right?"

 

[Guest]

Iolaus

Iolaus had stepped in front of Aphrodite as Hercules left and just before she begin her rant. He sighed and simply listened to it until he was included in it.

"Right! Oh, yeah right!," He said with a look of false sincerity on his face,"Very important, which is why Hercules has to scout up ahead and make sure the way is clear so that nothing happens to your royal personage." He had ment the last as a sarcastic remark but a thought hit him and a smile slowly spread across his face.

"Royal personage?," Aphrodite said only a small amout of disbelief in her voice.

"Yup," He replied getting into this whole thing with maybe a little too much enthusiasm. Leaning in and speaking in a low, conspiritorial tone so that Hercules couldnt hear him, he begin his tale.

"I guess you have lost your memory from that dunk in the river but you are really Sherafin, proud noble daughter of a king whose kingdom is small but very, very important. In trade...yes, your kingdom is small but an important source of trade in....salt. Lots of salt mines."

He could hardly keep a straight face as he continued but he had an idea of how to keep Herc and Aphrodite in line. All he had to do was play on her vanity...one thing that seemed not to have been changed by her dunk in the river.

"And you are engaged to be married to a very important and handsome prince whose kingdom is important miliarily. With this marriage you have the ablity to make sure that your kingdom is protected from those bigger kingdoms that would crush yours and enslave your people in those very mines which is now their livlihood."

He forced a solemn look to appear upon his face and continued. "It was a brave and noble sacrifice you have made, especially since you have fallen madly in love with your brave and noble bodyguard, Hercules." Iolaus let his eyes shift towards the demi god's disappearing form. "And he with you. But you both decided to put aside your own happiness for the betterment of your kingdom and the wedding date was set."

"Sadly, your beloved father suddenly fell ill two nights before the set date of the wedding and you refused to go through with it without him by your side. Calling the wisest men of your kingdom together, you demanded to know why this had happened and they determined that an enemy had cursed your father through you and that the only cure was a mysterious substance called 'necter'," Her loss of memory should prevent her from knowing exactly what the necter was and so she shouldnt be suspicious of that,"And because the curse was through you, yourself, it must be you that goes on the quest and retrieves this substance and eats it, thus curing both of you so you can return and marry the prince and save your kingdom."

And now for the grand finish, Iolaus thought as he added,"Your loyal bodyguard of course insisted on accompaning you on this quest. He would never let anythin happen to you. But you both know that you must not give into your feelings for each other or the prince will call off the marriage and your kingdom will be ripe for the picking by the very person who cursed you and your father."

"Oh, and I am a friend of Hercules. I volunteered to help him. And my name is Ioluas and you are going under the name of 'Aphrodite' to throw off anyone who would know your true purpose. We cannot let anyone know who you are or why you are on this quest. We dont want your enemy finding you and stopping you before you have finished it."

 

[Teague]

Thats Me Guys

 

[Guest]

Aphrodite

A look of growing disbelief turned to thoughtfulness as the little man spun his tale. When he was done, she mulled it over for a bit before answering.

"Nah...that cant be true...can it?," She said as she thought about it a bit more. "Well, not that it couldnt be true. I mean I do have the taste in clothing and the attitude. And I suppose I could be noble enough to make the sacrifice. And having people serve me does seem to ring a bell. But that name! Sherafin? What were my parents thinking of? Aphrodite sounds way cooler, like a name I would actually tell people about. I wonder if I can have it legally changed once I get this over with."

Looking over the way that SweetCheeks, now known as Hercules, went she sighed.

"What a bummer. Complete waste of manhood not to be with me. Although...well, you did say that I only had to last til after the wedding. I am sure that the prince will go off on business trips leaving me to be comforted by SweetCheeks there. Hummm. You know I might be able to pull the best of both worlds from this situation after all."

Looking at the bonde haired storyteller, she said," Though we will have to help him control himself, I mean he is totally in love with me...and who can blame him? I mean, look at me! That combined with how totally unselfish I am has had to fell more that one guy."

"Okay, even though this is so totally unfair I will go along with it. But I am not about to give up on this. There has to be a way for Hunkules and I to be together on a forever basis and I intend to think of one. I wonder how much a military kingdom cost these days. With my clothes sense and his to-die-for bod I could definately see him on a throne next to your's truly."

With those thoughts in mind, Aphrodite begin to follow the path taken by Hercules.

 

[Teague]

Iolaus

Iolaus chuckled as he followed Aphrodite in search of Hercules. He had at least bought them some time and figured out a way to have Aphrodite herself keep Herc at a distance. Though he wasnt betting on it lasting the whole journey. The powerless goddess was bound to find a loophole sooner or later but , hopefully, by then they would be out of the underworld and near a large supply of water so that he could douse the "lovers" as needed.

"Iolaus, lad, you are going to pay for this once she regains her powers, you know that dont you?," He muttered to himself but even that thought didnt wipe the smile from his face as he hurried to catch up.

 

[Neale]

Hercules

Every step away from Aphrodite was sheer torture. He knew it wasn't real, but the power of Cupid's arrow was making his very blood boil with passion for her. Turning a corner, he espied something that suprised him.

The very same giant frog that he had fought not so long ago, or its twin, was sitting in a swampy pond below him. Something was very fishy here... besides the stench from its pool. The monstrous amphibian looked up and focused its dead eyes on Hercules. "Nice, froggie... I ripped out your tongue once already today, let's not go for twice, okay?" It croaked once, in a contra-basso tone, and was responded to by a higher pitched croak. "What the?" A second frog's head, nearly as large as the first, broke the murky water's surface. "Oh, shit!" With that amazing speed he remembered from his first battle with just the one, BOTH frogs shot out their tongues to grapple the demigod.

 

[Isolde]

Aphrodite walked quickly down the path she had seen Hercules take. She was not about to lose sight of her beloved. Maybe they could streatch this thing out a bit so that they could be together longer. Oafus or whatever his name was hadnt said daddy dear was in mortal danger, had he? And she was making the supreme sacrifice in marrying this prince dude. A few more days spent looking for this nector couldnt hurt.

Suddenly she paused as she felt a drop of rain on her. Looking around with a puzzled expression, she wondered why it would be raining in a cavern. Which is where they looked to be. At that moment the thought struck her that she must ask what they were doing in a cavern in the first place. Not only were they hot and dusty but they were drab and uncolorful. Not a place she felt she normally visited.

When several more drops hit her arms, she looked down at them as they begin to run down her flesh. Something about them didnt seem right and, taking one finger, she touched the drop and watched with revulsion as it clung to her finger as well as her arm making a slimy string connecting them. This was no rain. And, looking around, she saw the source of the slime.

Right in front of her, her own muscle man was in the process of fighting two slimy, disgusting frog things and her revulsion turned to horror. Horror at first that her love might be hurt and, after calming her instincts to run and help her beloved, she grabbed ahold of some sanity and figured that since he was the bodyguard and she was the princess, he was the one with the rescue knowhow and she would simply do what princesses did in situations like this..whatever that was.

Figuring that sitting on the sidelines and encouraging her love was the princessly thing to do, she stepped back where she was sure she would be safe and begin to cheer him on.

"You go, Herc, babe!," She called to him with full knowledge that her voice would drive him to victory,"Show those monsters they cant get in the way of my royal personage!" There that ought to do it.

It did it alright. For some reason her protector lost his concentration and got hit with one of the tongues that had unwrapped and then flailed out at him....making him jerk in the hold of the other one before the second wrapped around him again, pulling him closer and closer to the pond.

"Um, Sweetie, that is not the way to impress me," She called to him just before getting hit with more dropplets of goo...lots more droplets of goo,"Ewww...and neither is that."

 

[Teague]

Iolaus

Iolaus groaned as he saw the site before him. Herc was getting beat up an Aphrodite was not helping the situation. Looking for something to aide hiim as he had not brought his bow and arrow, he found a large and very sharp rock and grabbed it before running toward his friend.

"Hold on, Herc, I'm coming," He called as he raised the sharp rock like a knife. Bringing it down with as much force as he could on the tounge of the smaller creature where it stretched from the wide mouth to Hercules, Iolaus managed to drive it into the soft, springy flesh there and bury it just before the tongue was retracted. This was accompanied by a bellow of pain and rage and Iolaus found himself knocked off his feet as the frog creature lashed out at him, only to retract the tongue once more because the rock embedded there was causing a wave of pain with each movement.

Stumbling to his feet, Iolaus felt certain that that particular creature was out of commission for awhile only to be proven wrong as it begin to leave the pond and come straight for him, swinging its webbed feet when it got near, trying either to knock him down again or crush him beneath it. Either choice not being very appealing to him.

Using all his skill in acrobatics, Iolaus managed to avoid each swipe....barely but he was becoming very tired very quick.

"Herc!," He called to the son of Zeus,"Get your head out of the clouds and back to Hades where it belongs! I need you, buddy!"

 

[Neale]

Hercules

"It's real hard to have your head in the clouds around here, Iolaus!" Hercules replied, testily. "Alright, you refugee from a frog-leg platter!" With a mighty heave, Hercules swung the monster by its own tongue, slamming it into its mate, stunning them both. "I really don't feel like fighting them to the death, so let's just RUN!"

Scooping up Aphrodite on the way, the hero ran down the twisting tunnel, Iolaus hot on his heels. Some distance away, through tunnels too narrow for the giant frogs to pass, they paused to catch their breath. The magic of Cupid's arrow was still affecting them, but not even that would make Aphrodite remain in Hercules' arms. The stench from his battle clung to him, and he reeked of giant frog slime.

As Aphrodite turned up her nose and stepped away, Hercules turned to Iolaus. "Doesn't this seem just a little strange to you, Iolaus? I swear that was the SAME frog whose tongue I ripped out this morning. Somebody is out to get us, but who?" The heroes locked eyes, grimaced, and said as one, "Ares!"

 

[Neale]

Ares

A baritone voice echoed in the chamber, "Awww... how'd ya guess, little bro?" and a very familiar, and loathed, form appeared. Ares, god of war, had finally shown his face. "What's the matter, Herc? You don't look happy to see your big brother? Been enjoying yourself down here? Nice frogs, huh? I tell you, it is so much fun to watch you do that whole 'hero' thing. You really should thank me for giving you so many chances, you know?"

Hercules, his anger rising, stalked over to the god, who waved his hand in front of his nose, wrinkled in disgust. "What do you want, Ares? Did you bring that frog down here?" Ares chuckled, "Never were very quick on the uptake, were you, Herc? I borrowed Frogzilla in there to fight you earlier. After your battle, I just returned him home. Fed him a few giant flies, and he was good as new! Too bad about Aphrodite, isn't it? Daddy's favorite little girl really stepped in it this time!" He laughed as Hercules' hand shot out to grab him by the vest.

"Temper, temper, little bro... You know Zeus doesn't want us fighting anymore..." Ares grinned evilly, "He won't let any of us help poor sis, either. Still, he didn't specifically include you, so I guess he realizes the ditz couldn't possibly handle it herself. ESPECIALLY not now, when she doesn't even know who herself is!"

Hercules spoke, his voice burning with anger, "If you hurt her in any way, Zeus or no, I'll make you regret it!"

Ares feigned a look of astonishment, "ME? Hurt my lovely, sexy sister? Not a chance, bro! Hey, she sure is a sight for sore eyes, isn't she? Oh? I see you've noticed already... Some hero you are, just dying to get your... hands... on her! Not to worry little bro, incest is all the rage amongst the gods, after all. Bet you've been itching to do her for years, haven't you? I know I have!"

Hercules' temper snapped at that point, and he drove a fist backed with all his Zeus-granted strength into Ares' face, hurling him across the cavern to crash into the far wall. Ares stood up, his nose bleeding, "Brother, you WILL pay for that one. But not now... Guess what? Zeus has decreed that if Aphrodite doesn't get her powers back by midnight tomorrow night, she is mortal forever. You'll never get the ambrosia in time, Herc... Not without my help. Think about it. I'll be in touch." With a final sneer, Ares vanished from sight.

 

[Isolde]

Aphrodite

Aphrodite squealed and kicked as Hercules scooped her up and ran with her.

At first it was fun having an excuse to be in her love's arms and then she noticed the smell and slime. As soon as her hero stopped, she wiggled from his arms and stepped back as far as she could from him even though she realized that some of it had gotten on her too.

Before she could speak another stranger appeared in the cavern. He was tall, dark and good looking but he didnt make her heart beat faster when she looked at him like her bronze boy did.

The newcomer and Hercules got into it right away and they seemed to be talking about their sister.

"Humm, SugarLips and Darkness must be related. Well, thats interesting and all but totally boring and not my concern," She said mainly to herself.

"They are also majorly holding up progress here and, since the only way to get out of this dark, damp and totally aweful pad is to keep going, well...I'm out of here."

And while the men were busy, she started off down the path that they were currently on. Whenever she came to a choice of passages, she would close her eyes, spin around and pick one. Not exactly an exact science but she got somewhere with it...lost.

 

[Teague]

Iolaus

As Ares disappeared, Iolaus shook his head.

"Oh great," He said in disgust,"Not only do we have to pull this impossible task off but now we have a very tight time frame. What else can go wrong?"

Looking around, he answered his own question.

"Well, Aphrodite could disappear," He said, sarcasm and frustration dripping from his tone. Hitting a balled up fist against his leg, he added,"Sorry, Herc. I should have been watching more closely."

 

[Neale]

Hercules

Hercules' eyes shot wide open. "Aphrodite!" he yelled. Iolaus' hand shot out and grabbed his arm. "Quiet, Herc! We don't want to bring Hades down on us, remember?"

Hercules visibly took control of himself. "You're right, Iolaus, but we have to find her! She could be anywhere down here, hurt... or worse."

The heroes jogged down the tunnel, until it split. "You go right, I'll go left. We'll meet at the place where Tantalus is being tormented."

Hercules jogged off down the tunnel, his mind awash with concern over his sister and true (albeit magically-induced) love. A roaming demon confronted him, and Hercules knocked the creature through a nearby wall with one, absentminded blow.

 

[Teague]

Iolaus

"Right," Ioalus said and ran down the tunnel that Herc had pointed to, using his natural and trained agility to jump over rocks and pitfalls as his gaze darted about and he searched for the missing goddess.

Of all the times for him to take his eyes off of her. Of all the times for her to disappear.

The thought of an earthbound Aphrodite shook him more than the thought of what she would do to him once she found out the line he had fed her was so deep you had to shovel it.

"Come on, Aphrodite," He said as he jogged along the passageway,"We dont have much time and that is a really big understatement!"

Then he stopped suddenly and leaned against the wall, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand.

He and Hercules were looking for Aphrodite alone. What in the name of Hades was going to happen if Herc found her before he did? With no interference they might loose more time than they already were by her dissapearence.

The very thought spurred him on and he ran down the passageway faster than before, hoping to Zeus that he was the one to find her.

 

[Guest]

Aphrodite

Aphrodite suddenly found herself in a large open area with much activity. As she stood there, she saw people rolling a rock, people having no clothes to keep them warm as they stood in freezing weather, people trying to fill a bucket with a sieve...and just to her right was a woman sitting on a large chair with a blank look on her face.

"Woah," She said as she looked around,"This place is definately not Fun Central. Whoever runs this little park needs a few lessons on how to party. However, this princess has not time for that. Someone here must know about this nector business lets start with the airhead."

Moving over to the woman on the chair, she said,"Excuse me, honey, but have you seen anything called nector floating around her. Not that it floats, mind you. Actually it...." She stopped and thought a minute,"Well, come to think about it, I dont know exactly what it looks like but someone around here has to."

At this point, it occured to Aphrodite that the woman wasnt responding to her questions but continued to sit there and look out into space.

"Hey, Space Case," She said a bit louder,"Dont you know enough to listen to a person when their talking to you? I mean, how rude can you get? I bet you are just the life of the party...not!"

Still the woman didnt respond and Aphrodite took a better look at her.

"Man, are you pale," She said to her,"What you need is a tan...not to mention a hairdresser. Well, never let it be said that this royal person does nothing for the peasants. Come on, honey, you can come with me and I will personally have the royal hairdresser pamper you once we get out of here."

Grabbing the woman's hand and pulling, she paused for a minute to smile and say,"Hey, there I go again being all unselfish and everything. Am I great or what?"

A very loud noise was heard echoing through the cavern and a large shadow fell across Aphrodite and the woman.

"Hey, back off," Aphrodite said without looking up,"Like she needs any more blockage of light. A few months in the sun more like it."

 

[Guest]

grrrr^

 

[Neale]

Hercules

As Hercules rounded the corner, he saw a sight to make his heart freeze... Looming over his sister, and magically-induced true love, was a hydra. The huge, seven-headed creature had one of its heads poised over her, its mouth open, poised ready to snap her currently mortal body in half with one bite.

Astonishingly, her self-absorpment was so great that she hadn't even noticed the creature! Hercules leaped across the cavern, slamming his body into the threatening head, smashing it aside from its intended snack. "Aphrodite, get back!" She whipped her head around at the sound of his voice, then noticed why he was yelling at her again. Aphrodite squealed in terror, and scrambled away from the battle.

Unlike the giant frogs, this creature was a total carnivore, canny, and willing to battle to the death for its meal. Hercules had faced a hydra before, one that was enchanted, and regrew each head as it was lopped off. Hercules hoped fervently that this was not going to be a replay of that earlier battle.

The struggle was titanic, Hercules' divine strength and honed battle skills being stretched to the limit by the tremendous monster. For once, he had no quips ready. They fought viciously, and soon each combatant was covered in blood. It seemed that they were evenly balanced, and the fight would ultimately end in both their deaths.

Fortunately for Hercules, whenever the need was dire, he could always count on his best friend, Iolaus, to tip the odds in his favour. Drawn by the clashing sound of battle, Iolaus arrived at a dead run.

 

[Isolde]

Aphrodite

Aphrodite's heart lurched at the sound of her true love's voice and, when she turned around, her heart did flip flops. But it was due more to the the monster her handsome bronze protector was fighting than his rippling muscles.

A scream was ripped from her lips and her feet quickly found a place outside the fighting area where she could do what she did best. Cheer on those fighting for her.

She never would have admited it out loud but this fighting over her was getting old fast. I mean, sure, it was flattering that she was wanted by everyone but there was a point where popularity became a burden. A profound thought to be sure and one she would have to remember for her next royal speech when she related to her people how she had unselfishly placed herself in danger to help one beneath her station. It almost brought a tear to her eye.

A shout from a passage beside her brought her around from her thoughts and her attention was again drawn to the fight between the monster and her beloved. It wasnt looking good.