I grabbed hold of my little wooden horse. It was beautiful, but then only the best for the prettiest girl in the world. I hated thinking about myself like that, even though it was and still is true. I remember stroking the little horses neck and running my finger up its imaginary mane. I loved horses; even at the age of ten I was already riding them like a professional. I had a few myself which I used to ride everyday. I was a spoilt little girl. My cousin Penelope envied me, but we were still great friends. We used to ride in the fields together, naked on the backs of the brown silky horses.

Penelope is a pretty girl too. She never looked much older than ten until she reached the age of thirteen and even then she was an innocent little girl with a round face. I however, matured with each passing summer. My hair grew longer each year and as I grew up I had many lovers. But I could never really love someone ever again. Not after what happened when I was ten years old. It was horrible.

"Come play with the horses Helen." Asked my cousin Penelope. I nodded but continued to pick flowers and put them in my golden locks.

"Helen! You're doing it again!" Penelope whined. I looked at her, my head on a tilt.

"Doing what?" I asked innocently.

"You know, saying you'll do something when you won't." Penelope replied, smiling as she approached me. "Come on. Please play with the horses. I don't want to go up there alone."

I nodded and this time I did go with her. I loved the horses but I also loved picking flowers.

Penelope took my hand and lead my up the path to the wooden stables where we kept Sunstar and Moonlie, our horses. Sunstar was a little horse, perfect for Penelope. She had a perfect black mane and a white diamond shape on her head. Moonlie however was a chocolate brown which blended into a soft mahogany. I loved to ride her because she was a nice horse who enjoyed my company as I enjoyed hers.

We took them out of their stables started to stoke them and get them used to the midday sun. Suddenly I heard a noise, a horn as if it were trying to warn us of something. My heart lept as I spun my head around. The horn was coming from the beach, it was loud, warning the whole city. From the hill I could see the beach. It was filled with boats.

"Oh god." I whispered. I turned to face Penelope. "We are under attack." Penelope went white.

"Who is it?" she asked me as we watched the beach from our grassy hill. I saw the flags and the head of the boat.

"It's Theseus!" I said, "King of Athens!" From the beach a few heads turned and caught my eye.

"Oh woe, they've seen us. Run Penelope run!" She quickly got atop her horse and turned it to the west.

"Hurry Sunstar," she whispered as she patted the horse's head. I mounted Moonlie and started to gallop beside Penelope.

"Quickly," I cried to her as the wind hit my face. "They are coming up the hill to us!" We rode and rode across the grass, Sunstar and Moonlie cantering underneath us.

"We are we headed for?" Cried my cousin, as she, just a good a rider, galloped next to me.

"The palace," I said, an impulse decision. "Make for the palace."

We rode towards the mighty gates but before we could reach them we stopped.

"Oh no." I said. The palace gates were crowded with Athenians. And now they had seen us.

"Turn, quickly!" said to Penelope and as I spun round I almost fainted. Men had surrounded us. One of which was King Theseus, I knew him by his feathered helmet.

"Pretty ladies." He said. "What are you doing here in such a time of fright? Surely such women should be inside the palace walls." He chuckled. "Unless of course you have valiantly rode out here to meet us and fight?" He smiled to his friends.

"We have done no such thing!" said Penelope. "We are going to the palace now, if you don't mind." She spoke stubbornly. But how could a king such as Theseus, the hero who killed the Minator, be afraid of a ten year old girl with a round face? I however knew that I looked almost fourteen by now. I spoke politely yet surprisingly confident.

"Please King Theseus. Remove your men from around us. We seek the palace, not your company." Theseus laughed.

"Ah Helen! There you are you pretty thing. For this attack is long of you. Come down from your horse, meet me and my men." I looked around cautiously.

"I'd rather not," I replied. Theseus smiled and nodded to his men. Grabbing my arms the pulled me from my horse. They were tall strong men. Perfect warriors, perfectly horrid too.

"Let her go!" Squealed Penelope from Sunstar. Then men looked at her and removed her from her horse too. They let Sunstar and Moonlie gallop off. I stood in between them, circled by a bunch of fierce looking men. I was frightened and I knew that if I didn't leave now I might not be able to leave at all.

"Let us go. Please." I asked him.

Theseus shook his head and instead he began to remove his clothing.