Second Chapter: The King and The Lion-heart
"Taking over this town, they should worry,
But these problems aside I think I taught you well.
That we won't run, and we won't run, and we won't run.
And in the winter night sky ships are sailing,
Looking down on these bright blue city lights.
And they won't wait, and they won't wait, and they won't wait.
We're here to stay, we're here to stay, we're here to stay.
Howling ghost they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear
But you're a king and I'm a lion-heart."
The King and The Lion-heart by Of Monsters and Men
That same evening, princess Megara's maid Andromeda was as usually helping her Highness to get ready for the night. However, she did notice that her lady was more distant and deep in her thought: more so, than she usually was. She had already helped the princess out her gown and now the princess was seated before her dresser as Andromeda combed her long auburn hair.
She gathered her courage and then asked her: "Is something troubling you, milady?"
The princess seemed surprised by her question as she was shook out of her reverie.
"Ah well, not really… I was just wondering…" The princess stammered, a rosy color rising to her cheeks. Andromeda was now even more curious. Truly, it was not her like her Highness to act this way.
"Wondering about what, your Highness?" she then replied her, gently pulling the comb through her hair.
"Do you know anything about that young hero my father had invited to the party tonight? I mean Hercules?" Megara tried to keep her voice as stable as possible. Andromeda forced to keep herself from smiling: now this made more sense.
"Oh yes, I heard that he is the son of Zeus himself, turned into a mortal when he was a mere child. From what I have heard, he is both courageous and stronger then any mortal man as he still has his god-like strength. Even though all that, he is said to have a true and gentle heart, a hero in the truest meaning of that word," Andromeda recounted aloud all that she had heard about this young hero to her lady.
Megara seemed to consider all that her maid, her confident, had told her.
"So you find him trustworthy, this Hercules?" Megara then asked her.
"Why yes, if any man could be called that, I would think it should be him," Andromeda replied her, finishing up with her hair.
"You need me with anything else, your Highness?" Andromeda then made sure, but Megara shook her head.
"No, you have done more than enough. Goodnight, Andromeda and thank you," she shot a kind smile at her maid.
"Of course, your Highness. Have a goodnight," Andromeda curtsied and left Megara, who was still seated in front of her mirror, looking pensive.
Few weeks had passed since their last visit to the royal palace and now king Creon had called for Hercules' aid once again, even if he still had nothing to report back at him. As they were flying over to the palace, Phil tried his best to prep his student for the meeting. Emphasis on the word TRIED as it seemed that the kid hadn't heard a word he had told him for the last few minutes.
Phil sighed. Even though Hercules was often caught up in his own world, he had been exceptionally absent-minded lately.
"Kid? Have you heard even a word of what I said?" Phil tried, but suddenly Hercules blurted out: "Did you know that king Creon wants to marry his daughter to man more than twice her age?"
Phil sighed. He had found his pupil with this young woman (lovely though she was), but he hadn't really thought that this could really still be about her.
"So? He's the king, he can do what he wants," Phil replied, but instantly regret hit him as he saw the kid's face.
"How can you say that! She hasn't even met him, it's not right!" Hercules replied angrily.
"Kid, this is about politics, it not our place to meddle with them," Phil replied more gently than before.
"Just try to get along with him, okay? He's the king, after all," Phil tried to reason with his petulant-looking student once again.
"Okay, I try," Hercules replied begrudgingly.
King Creon truly seemed worried for the safety of his city-state. It turned out that the king had wanted his help with training his special military unit, who would patrol more frequently on the streets of Thebes.
At first Hercules thought that it was strange for the king to ask his help in such matter (it really wasn't something he really knew anything about), but then again, that would give him a reason to come to the royal palace again. And for whatever reason, Hercules really wanted a reason to visit the royal palace.
As the king and Phil had a heated conversation on how much such a training should be paid for (Hercules really didn't care, he had more money than he needed anyway), he quietly decided to sneak away, passing to the gardens.
And after wandering for a moment, he came across what he had more or less actively been looking for: the princess, Megara. She had a scroll in her hand, sitting on a marble bench, concentrating on whatever she was reading. She was even lovelier than he had remembered.
As she lifted her gaze, she didn't seem surprised at all seeing him there.
Suddenly Hercules felt that he's ability to speak (or think) had left him and all he could muster out was a simple: "Hi."
"Hi yourself," she replied, placing her scroll on the bench as she got up.
"Walk with me?" She simply asked with a small smile.
"Sure," he replied, returning her smile. He found himself more than relieved to discover that she still welcomed his presence: somehow he had the feeling that the princess was a person who usually guarded her privacy and personal space keenly.
The sun was already high on the sky as Apollo guided his wagon on its journey through the sky. The heat wasn't as bad as it was outside the palace, in the streets of Thebes: the garden and its greenery provided some welcomed shade. The garden was truly beautiful, filled with plants and vegetation Hercules had never seen before.
"It's beautiful in here," he remarked for the princess.
"Yes, it's the only place I have some sense of freedom," the princess replied, smiling sadly.
"What do you mean?" Hercules frowned, considering her words.
"Well, it's not like I can leave this place, is it? A cage is always a cage, even if it is made of gold," she than replied. For a moment, Hercules thought of her words. She felt trapped, and why wouldn't she? She couldn't decide anything for herself, not even the man she would marry. Heck, she couldn't even leave this place!
"That's really horrible, not being able to go where you want," Hercules wondered aloud.
"Yes, well it's all about being a royal. People admire you and think they want to be you, but really, they wouldn't. Not being able to decide anything for yourself really sucks. Like big time. My father would have my head for speaking like this, for speaking like a peasant, he already thinks I spend too much time with our servants" the princess momentarily grinned at him. He smiled back at her and once again he found himself lost in her beauty.
"So what did you say about my father's offer?" she suddenly changed the topic.
"You know about that?" Hercules was taken by surprise.
"Who do you think gave him the idea in the first place?" the princess then quipped back, giving him a sideways glance.
"It was your idea?" Hercules was even more surprised than before.
"Yes, well, I take you as a person who really wants to help the people more than anything else. So I was thinking if there were more trained soldiers patrolling on the streets regularly, you wouldn't have to take care of the every little thing, you know? You could concentrate your focus on bigger threats," the princess than elaborated her idea. Hercules was once again taken aback. She was as smart as she was beautiful.
"That's brilliant! How did you sell your idea to the king?"
"Oh, I didn't. I told him it was your idea, that you came up with it and that was what we discussed here in the gardens," the princess gave him a devious smile.
"Amazing. That's so smart. You're really smart," Hercules looked at her with awe.
"Thanks. It's nice to get compliments for my wits, usually people compliment me solely for my looks as if I was some pretty statue to be looked at," she smiled back at him and for the first time, he saw her smile genuinely. Her smile was so radiant that the sun itself paled in the comparison.
"But you are really smart, your Highness," Hercules replied her.
"Meg. Just call me Meg, please?" the princess, Meg, pleaded him.
"Alright, Meg," Hercules did like how that name rolled off of his tongue.
"See? That wasn't so hard," the princess teased him.
"So, is it true what they say? That you're the son of Zeus himself?" Meg suddenly changed the topic, picking up a flower. Hercules was more than little startled by the sudden change in topic.
"Umm, yeah. It is. I was stolen as a child and turned into a mortal," Hercules nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he told the mythical tale of his childhood. Telling that tale never seized to feel awkward to him.
"Wow, that is one heck of a story. Works like a charm as a conversation icebreaker?" Meg mused with awe.
"Yeah, well, people don't believe it most of the time," Hercules confessed with a laugh.
"Well, their loss. I heard a rumor that you want to become a God once again?" Meg then asked in more serious manner.
"I do. But mostly just because I want rejoin my family. Since my early childhood, I've always felt that I'm in a wrong place," Hercules then confessed.
"I certainly know how that feels. It's not like enjoy living in the palace, even if I was born here," Meg sighed.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could help you," Hercules frowned, sensing her inner conflict.
"But I'm happy I met you here in the palace," he confessed.
"I'm happy you have been here too, if that counts. You seem like a genuinely good person and you have helped my people a great deal. I hope you succeed in finding your place," Meg offered him a timid smile.
Hercules smiled back at her, thankful for her kind words. As he was about to reply something back at her, a servant came up, requiring the princess to come meet her father at once.
As she left, her eyes lingering on him for a moment before following the servant. She smiled timidly at him and he smiled back.
For a moment, he was left standing there, pondering their conversation, before he left to find Phil.
Little did he know, that someone had been witnessing his exchange with the princess.
-A/N: I'm on a roll today. Yay! So I think that if Meg would have to live in the royal palace, she would probably sneak around the servants' quarters to learn about the life outside the palace. She would also have much more opinions about things connected to politics than the female royalty in ancient Greece were usually allowed to have. Also in this arc, there's no 'ex-boyfriend' episode what-so-ever: this means that Meg is kind of reserved, but not quite as bitter and guarded as she was in the original movie. Does that make any sense? Anyway, thank you for reading, reviewing or showing your support in anyway!