Liberty wandered around the palace, memorizing the important details, and soon found herself in what she assumed was the throne room. Benches lined the sides of the long hall with statues of various gods and goddesses behind them. There was a large throne at the head of the room with a statue of Apollo behind it and two smaller thrones, one on each side. In the center of the room, a reflecting pool divided the lines of benches. She sat on the smaller throne to the left and looked around.

"Hello, my beautiful, wandering girl," a voice echoed through the hall. King Priam emerged from behind the small throne on the right and smiled at her. Liberty rose to her feet and walked over to be embraced by the elderly monarch. "My sons have been talking about you all day. I assume you wish to speak with me."

Liberty nodded, her heart immediately going out to this old man in long, regal, robes. She sat back down in the left throne while he took the one in the center. "Sire, you must know by now that Agamemnon has sent a thousand ships here to declare war on your people."

Priam looked at the girl with kind, ice-blue eyes. "I suspected as much, yes. Agamemnon is using Menelaus' humiliation as an excuse to try and take over Troy."

Liberty laid her hand across the king's arm. "How can you sit back and let them come? Aren't you going to prepare for the war?"

Priam was stone-faced. "Troy's walls have never fallen to an enemy. It won't happen now."

Liberty was furious. This old man's pride was getting in the way. He was definitely not the way to stop the war. As he left, her head spun. Did she want to stop this war? This would mean changing history. Her head throbbed as she battled herself over changing history or saving the people she'd grown to love.

"How can I sit around and let Hector die? How can I let Troy fall to the Greeks?" she shouted at the statues. "You can't ask me to change history! This needs to happen! We name part of our bodies after Achilles after this! You made me fall in love with this place and these people! You gave them faces and personalities! You knew that knowing them would make me want to save them." She moved to the edge of the reflecting pool and stared at herself in it. "How can I risk changing the future by trying to save them? How can I risk my past for Hector's future?"

Small circles broke the mirror-like surface as Liberty's tears fell.

"Lady?" a soft voice cooed behind her.

Liberty turned to see Charis standing in the doorway to the throne.

"Is this true?" Charis asked, fear reflecting in her wide eyes. "You are sent from the future because Troy is going to fall?"

Liberty quickly brushed the remaining tears out of her eyes and looked at her new friend. "Not if I can help it." She got up and grabbed the girl's hands. "How much do you love Paris?" Her eyes searched Charis'.

Charis dropped her gaze quickly. "About as much as you love Hector, I'd wager." Her face fell. "And neither of us will have them because they are both in love with someone else."

Liberty shook her head. "Hector is married, so I'm screwed, but in your case, again, not if I can help it. If you love Paris, you should be with Paris. Trust me, Helen is not the woman for him, as much as he thinks she is."

Charis looked up at Liberty, "I know this...but what can I, a lowly servant do? Charis sank to her knees, "I've loved Paris for many years...yet my shyness has prevented me from doing anything...and every time I have gathered up enough nerve to confront him with my feelings...he always has another woman on his arm." She paused for a moment to sigh and two small, barely noticeable tears rolled down her cheeks. "I do not want my lord Paris to die because of this Helen. But what can I do my lady?"

Charis looked up and saw Liberty pacing back and forth with her arms folded behind her back obviously in deep thought, "We have to get Paris to see the beauty that's been by his side and in front of his eyes instead of being infatuated with Helen."

Charis rose to her feet and wiped her cheeks with the back of her left hand, "How do we do that?"

Liberty suddenly stopped in mid-stride, "I'm not sure actually."

"Well whatever we come up with my lady, I will help you as much as I can."

Liberty sat down again, deep in thought. "Pretty much all royalty never looks at a servant when it comes to love. We'll have to play a slight trick to get Paris to notice you... as a woman, not a servant."

Charis looked at her nervously. "What do I have to do?"

Liberty grinned.

Liberty sat down to dinner beside Hector, with Paris one seat down on her right and Helen next to him. Andromache sat on the other side of Hector, looking at Liberty warily. A few moments into the meal, Liberty itched the back of her head and Charis appeared in the doorway.

All eyes were on the beautiful brown-haired girl that slowly made her way across the room and nervously sat between Liberty and Paris.

"I should not be doing this. We could both get in incredible trouble. Servants do not eat with royalty," Charis whispered in Liberty's ear.

Liberty smiled. "No one knows who you are, trust me."

Paris leaned forward and looked at Liberty. "Lady, pray introduce us to your beautiful friend."

Helen shot a scathing look at both girls as Liberty stood and Charis beside her. "This is my new friend... Amalthea."

Charis curtsied lightly and both sat back down. Liberty smiled with satisfaction and she noted all the men staring at her and Charis. Both girls were wearing Liberty's red lip gloss and had their hair done in cascading curls. Charis wore a lavender-colored dress with long ties flowing from the shoulders. Liberty wore a white gown with light blue trim and a silver necklace.

"No one will take you as a servant tonight," Liberty whispered to her friend. "You are a beautiful woman and Helen is obviously jealous." Both caught glances at Helen pinching Paris as he stared at Charis.

"Amalthea," Hector said, leaning forward. "Welcome to our table."

"Here, here!" the table echoed.

After a few moments, Andromache got up, looking irritated, and quickly left the table. Liberty looked at Hector. He smiled apologetically and took off after his wife. Helen left soon after, but Paris stayed, talking with Charis, not knowing whom she was. Charis nervously bit her lower lip as she saw Helen get up and leave as she continued to make polite conversation with Paris.

Paris inched closer to Charis with that dashing smile of his, "So tell me, Amalthea..."

Paris's voice broke Charis out of her staring at the dimples in his cheeks that appeared when he smiled, "Y-yes P-prince?"

"How have I never noticed you before?" He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "A beauty like you can hardly go unnoticed, especially here."

Charis blushed, "Oh...well...let us just say that I've always been here just not noticed." She then looked down at her hands and began wringing her hands together to try to rid them of sweat.

Paris inched closer to Charis, "Oh?"

Charis looked up and nodded, "Oh...yes...let's just say that I've just been a part of the scenery." She blushed and inched a bit away from Paris. She looked up and instantly got lost in his big brown puppy dog eyes as he leaned over and wrapped his arm around of her waist. Charis could feel the blush grow on her cheeks. "One thing Prince...Paris."

He nodded, "Yes Amalthea?"

Charis took a deep breath and put her hand on his cheek, "See me for me."

The young prince blinked in obvious confusion and as he goes to say something, Charis puts the fingers of her right hands over his lips to silence him and repeats what she said. She then blinks away tears obviously becoming nervous at the closeness between her and Paris and slips out of his arm and runs out of the room. Paris sits there confused as everything sinks in as a chiding voice breaks him out of his thought.

"Go after her you fool!" His mind yells at him. "You've never felt anything like this before. This is different, not as when you saw Helen and wanted her...you know that this is what love really feels like. Follow her! Don't let her go!"

Paris jumps out of his seat and chases after her, "Amalthea! Wait!" Paris squinted his eyes trying to see which way she went down the dark hall as he runs and rounds a corner and collides with Charis, both ending up a heap on the floor.

"Oh goodness! My lord Paris! Are you alright?" Charis jumps to her feet and quickly helps the young prince up.

Paris nods as he rubs his rear as Charis goes back into Liberty's chamber and comes back out with a small lit torch, "I'm alright Charis. Are you hurt?"

Charis shakes her head, "No no I'm alright my lord."

Paris smiles, "Good." He stops and studies Charis for a moment, "There is something different about you. Your lips...they look shiny."

"Oh! Goodness! Well I was um...in the Lady's bag was this thing she called, gloss of lips...and I was trying it on...I must have forgotten to remove it from my lips." She then wiped the lip gloss off on the sleeve of her tattered servant dress.

"Oh I see. Say Charis...you haven't seen a young woman come this way have you? Long brown hair in curls and clothed in a pale lavender gown. She was a vision of beauty, like Aphrodite descended to Earth." Paris suddenly put his hand over his mouth shocked at what had just come out of his mouth, why would he be saying such things when he had Helen?

Charis' eyes went wide at the words Paris had just spoken, "N-no my lord I have seen no one except for you."

Paris sighed, obviously disappointed in loosing sight of Amalthea, "I see...well thank you Charis."

"You are welcome my lord...is there anything I can do for you?" Charis reached out and took hold of his hand gently.

Paris blinked down at the sudden, yet gentle touch of Charis' hand as he shook his head, "No no but if I do need you I will summon you. Thank you." He smiled before slipping his hand out of Charis' and departing back down the hallway. Charis sighed as she watched him go in the faint torch light before he disappeared in the dark where the light couldn't reach.

Liberty appeared soon after, pulling her hair out of the curls. "Well, it's a step. He's still blind to your being a servant." She looked at the heartbroken girl. "Oh dear." She pulled Charis into a hug. "Everything will work out, Charis. I promise. Helen is spoiled and selfish. You are selfless and kind. He will see you."

She opened the door to her room and disappeared inside. "Best get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

Charis blinked. "Why?"

Liberty looked grave. "The Greeks land on the beach tomorrow."