Zebra came to put a reassuring arm around the old woman's shoulders.
"Is everything alright, Marlena?" She tried searching her clouded eyes for some sort of clue to decipher her obvious distress.
"Nothing to concern yourselves over."
Zebra braced the servant's drooping shoulders, forcing her to look directly into her eyes.
"We are your friends, Marlena. You should never be afraid to express your troubles to us. You can trust that whatever you have to say will be kept in confidence between the lot of us. Nothing will leave this room."
Meg nodded her compliance, adding her support.
They led her to the couches, where they could talk in comfort.
When she got settled, Marlena reluctantly began to speak of her troubles.
"It's my fault, really. When the message arrived a couple moons ago, I knew its contents were of great importance."
"Yeah. A forbearing of our current obnoxious predicament", Meg scoffed.
Zebra shot her a look, saying that her comment was not helping matters in the least.
Meg threw up her hands and backed away.
"I should have been more insistent that Sir Hercules take the time to view it", continued Marlena, guiltily playing with her wrinkled fingers.
"What does it matter?" Again, Meg intercepted. "The spoiled debutante's here now in all her glory. Lucky us." She grumbled with contempt.
"Meg!" Zebra hissed sternly. "Don't speak unless you have something useful to say beside your snide remarks. Go on Marlena."
She nodded. "Well, it seems that the princess has developed quite the reputation for herself. While shopping the other day at the Agora, I overheard the villagers gossiping about King Crecrops's daughter, the crown princess. Some had even claimed to be former palace hands in the Athenian Court. They stated that they had been banished from the City-State for displeasing her highness. Even for something so trivial as allowing her bath water to grow cold."
"How awful", Zebra sympathized.
"Yes. She is the sole child of King Crecrops and Queen Hellenes. And since the Queen is now physically unable to bear more children, the Princess is granted whatever her heart's desire."
"Why doesn't this Crecrops dude just find himself another wife or concubine?" Meg pondered out loud. "Surely such is not unheard of in these ti…..uhh…parts."
"It was considered", Marlena confirmed. "But would you agree to be the step-mother, or share the same dwellings, with such an unpleasant young woman?"
Meg accepted this without argument. "Point taken,"
"So you must understand my fears. Though Sir Hercules accepted full responsibility on being ill prepared to receive the princess, I know she reserves the blame exclusively for me."
The lady's voice began to tremble and break with genuine fear.
"One her order, I could easily be thrown into the streets!"
"Hercules would never allow that to happen", Zebra noted with conviction.
Meg nodded. "I agree. The guy does have his principles." 'Even for a man.'
Marlena was silent, knowing what they said was true, but anxious just the same.
"I hold great respect for the honorable hero, for he also rescued me when I required aid."
Meg and Zebra were shocked, but very intrigued by her statement. They were about to hear the story about how Marlena came to be in Hercules' services;
She read the expectation on the young girls faces and smiled. "It was not in the traditional rescue of a damsel that he saved me, mind you. But in in doing so, he gave me new purpose.
Several years ago, during the great war with Persia, all able men were recruited to defend Greece and her people against King Darius. My husband was one of the many men carried off to battle."
Her eyes clouded with overflowing tears, pricked by the memories, threatening to release her emotions.
Zebra took her worn hand and squeezed gently, encouraging her to continue.
Marlena swallowed and went on.
"A great number of lives were lost…..including my brave husband." She closed her eyes tightly, fending off the moisture for as long as she could hold them. In the end, her body won out and she cried freely.
"We never had children, so I was left alone without the means to support myself. I sold our home for whatever food it would suffice. As you could imagine, my provisions didn't last for long. I became a beggar, no better than the rats and other vermin that scavenge for whatever they can get.
The only thing I had to look forward to was the agonizing impulse of my gnawing stomach. "
The old woman's eyes suddenly started to shine with life.
"It was then that I met the famous Hero" Her voice rang with immense respect. "Incidentally, he was dodging an assembled teenage mob.
I was holed up in a shanty alleyway, devoid from the people around me.
Seeking self-preservation, he skirted down my alleyway. Spotting me, he begged for my help to discourage the girls.
I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would ever meet the mighty Hero, who's legendary reputation proceeded him, let alone speak to him.
Needless to say, I was honored to be of service in any way I could. It had been a long time since I had been of use to anyone. So I exited to the streets and confronted the rambunctious crowd. Upon seeing my ragged appearance, they passed right on by, disgusted.
Relieved, he began to thank me, when he too assessed my lifestyle. I didn't want to trouble him, he deals with his fair share of affliction everyday. He inquired of my situation.
With a heart as big as his muscles, he offered me shelter. And being the proud woman that I obviously am, I politely declined.
Not to be defeated, he, instead, offered me employment.
I truly believe he saved my life that day, just as he has saved countless lives on his journey to find himself."
"But he made you a servant", Meg countered. Her independent nature couldn't find the optimism in this epic tale.
"No, child. I would have accepted no less", she explained gently. "I firmly believe in earning my keep.
Even to this day Sir Hercules offers to house me without service, and I faithfully refuse."
"That's wonderful", Zebra expressed admirably.
Marlena nodded in accord
Meg had to admit, if only to herself, that was pretty admirable of the big lug.
"I only hope that his authority supersedes the Princess's within his own household."
The girls had to constantly remind themselves that the world was an entirely different place compared to the time they'd come from.
Still, there were a number of things that hadn't changed; class and discrimination still divided society like a double-bladed sword, wealth and power were highly sought for through wars and carnage.
But there were still good people. Inspiring people. And both Meg and Zebra believed that there were no better people than the ones they kept in their company. Well, that is, except for the newest member.
Though Meg hardly considered her a member of the group.
Besides from being the usual obnoxious, spoiled, cheerleader type Princess, there was just something else about her that she disliked. It wasn't abundantly clear upon their, look up to- look down upon, meeting what that something was. But she had a gut feeling that they would be enemies.