．Cyclopskowtowedandsaid，

    "Iamwillingtotakemypunishment，yourMajesty，butpleasedonotbanishme．IhavelivedinthesemountainsforaslongasIremember，andknowofnootherhome．Idonotwanttoleave.”Whathedidnotsaywas,hewaobenearMedusa，tobeabletocatchaglimpseofhereverynowandthen．Hecouldnetherbeautyandhergracefulnessassheflewinthesky．

    "Sobeit,”saidDimitriandwavedhishandforhimtobetakenaway．ThecastrationdidnotbotherCyclopsverymuchashisbodyhadtheextraordinaryfunofhealinganywoundwithinminutes.Afterthat,hewentbacktohisoldlifeintheGiantMountainsandhissexualanswhichhadbeencastratedgrewbackagainwhichwouldterwreakhavotheKingdom.Bythen，thegoldwhichIleenhadboughtfromalroundtheworldhadbeguntoarriveandadockwasbuiltatthefootofthemountain．Cyclopswasgiveaskofcarryihetop．Walkingbackwards,hebegantoworkatdaybreakaedatsu,bslowlyonuntilthisHerculeantaskwasdone．Heneverrevoltedagain．

    AfterCyclopshadbeentakenaway，KingDimitriorderedIleenthtin．Themagisterialvoicesofthepaceguardsrepeatingtheorderechoedthroughthehall，

    "Bringiraitoress,Ileen!"Dirt-smeared,hairindisarray,Ileenwalkedin．Herbeautyshoinspiteofallshehadbeenthrough．SeeingKingDimitri’sdignifieddemeanorfromafar,shewassmotewithasenseofshame,sowhenshecamebeforethethrone,shekdown,headbowed．

    "Raiseyourheadandlookatme!"Dimitrianded．IleenlookedupandsawKingDimitri’ssternfacecoldasfrost,withnotraceofhisusualeasy-goinghumorandaffe．Hereyesturhebdwhitebeautiesbehindhimandagreenfireofjealedinherheart．

    "Whathaveyoutosay,Ileen?Whydidyoubetraymeagainandagain?Ifyougivemeonegoodreasonforyourcourseofa,Iwillpardonyou.”Ileenlookedbackathimantagonistically．Defiandangerobliteratedanyforherownlife．Loveisastrahing．Itbesweetashoneyorasbitteraspoison．

    "Iwasbornarebel．There’snorhymeorreasonformyas.”

    13

    "YoufullydeservedtheexecutionIorderedMedusatocarryout．Outofthekindnessofmyheart，Iresurrectedyou，butnotonlywereyouungratefulforyoursedceatlife，youbetrayedmeagainbybringingintheRomansoldiers．NowyoubetraymeyetagainbyspiringwithCyclopsandMr．KaffeeandraisethewindssohighthatyoucouldupturnmyKingdomandhavemekilled．Yourtreacherousasareviperishandinexcusable.”Cyclops’spermwriggledinherwomb,impatientasamothstrugglingtoburstforthfromitsco．IleenhadthoughtofusingpregnancyasanexcuseandworkonKingDimitri’sgenerosityforapardon．Buthiswordsbroughtbackthepainandhatredoftwoinationssovividlythatitwouldnotallowhertoaskforpardonfromthisman．Sheonlywishedforaquickdeath．Knowinghimsowell,shewassurethatafterprovokinghimintoexegherathirdtime，hewouldliveforeverinself-nationandtritionwhenhediscoveredhehadkilledapregnantwoman．Thatwastobeherultimateretaliation．Raisingherhead,hereyesfullofhate,shetauntedhimsaying，

    "Saynomore．TwiceIhavebeenkilledbyyou．Killmenowforthethirdtime.”KingDimitriwasedbyhernoandinamomentofangerorderedhertobechoppedintwofromthewaist,tobeexecutedbyMedusa,justlikethefirsttime．

    Dimitrididnotwanttowithetragie,sohehurriedlylefttheKingdom．Thebeautieshadallmovedtotheadministrativebuildingbecauseofthebattle,sotheywerenotevenaware

．Cyclopskowtowedandsaid，

    "Iamwillingtotakemypunishment，yourMajesty，butpleasedonotbanishme．IhavelivedinthesemountainsforaslongasIremember，andknowofnootherhome．Idonotwanttoleave.”Whathedidnotsaywas,hewaobenearMedusa，tobeabletocatchaglimpseofhereverynowandthen．Hecouldnetherbeautyandhergracefulnessassheflewinthesky．

    "Sobeit,”saidDimitriandwavedhishandforhimtobetakenaway．ThecastrationdidnotbotherCyclopsverymuchashisbodyhadtheextraordinaryfunofhealinganywoundwithinminutes.Afterthat,hewentbacktohisoldlifeintheGiantMountainsandhissexualanswhichhadbeencastratedgrewbackagainwhichwouldterwreakhavotheKingdom.Bythen，thegoldwhichIleenhadboughtfromalroundtheworldhadbeguntoarriveandadockwasbuiltatthefootofthemountain．Cyclopswasgiveaskofcarryihetop．Walkingbackwards,hebegantoworkatdaybreakaedatsu,bslowlyonuntilthisHerculeantaskwasdone．Heneverrevoltedagain．

    AfterCyclopshadbeentakenaway，KingDimitriorderedIleenthtin．Themagisterialvoicesofthepaceguardsrepeatingtheorderechoedthroughthehall，

    "Bringiraitoress,Ileen!"Dirt-smeared,hairindisarray,Ileenwalkedin．Herbeautyshoinspiteofallshehadbeenthrough．SeeingKingDimitri’sdignifieddemeanorfromafar,shewassmotewithasenseofshame,sowhenshecamebeforethethrone,shekdown,headbowed．

    "Raiseyourheadandlookatme!"Dimitrianded．IleenlookedupandsawKingDimitri’ssternfacecoldasfrost,withnotraceofhisusualeasy-goinghumorandaffe．Hereyesturhebdwhitebeautiesbehindhimandagreenfireofjealedinherheart．

    "Whathaveyoutosay,Ileen?Whydidyoubetraymeagainandagain?Ifyougivemeonegoodreasonforyourcourseofa,Iwillpardonyou.”Ileenlookedbackathimantagonistically．Defiandangerobliteratedanyforherownlife．Loveisastrahing．Itbesweetashoneyorasbitteraspoison．

    "Iwasbornarebel．There’snorhymeorreasonformyas.”

    13

    "YoufullydeservedtheexecutionIorderedMedusatocarryout．Outofthekindnessofmyheart，Iresurrectedyou，butnotonlywereyouungratefulforyoursedceatlife，youbetrayedmeagainbybringingintheRomansoldiers．NowyoubetraymeyetagainbyspiringwithCyclopsandMr．KaffeeandraisethewindssohighthatyoucouldupturnmyKingdomandhavemekilled．Yourtreacherousasareviperishandinexcusable.”Cyclops’spermwriggledinherwomb,impatientasamothstrugglingtoburstforthfromitsco．IleenhadthoughtofusingpregnancyasanexcuseandworkonKingDimitri’sgenerosityforapardon．Buthiswordsbroughtbackthepainandhatredoftwoinationssovividlythatitwouldnotallowhertoaskforpardonfromthisman．Sheonlywishedforaquickdeath．Knowinghimsowell,shewassurethatafterprovokinghimintoexegherathirdtime，hewouldliveforeverinself-nationandtritionwhenhediscoveredhehadkilledapregnantwoman．Thatwastobeherultimateretaliation．Raisingherhead,hereyesfullofhate,shetauntedhimsaying，

    "Saynomore．TwiceIhavebeenkilledbyyou．Killmenowforthethirdtime.”KingDimitriwasedbyhernoandinamomentofangerorderedhertobechoppedintwofromthewaist,tobeexecutedbyMedusa,justlikethefirsttime．

    Dimitrididnotwanttowithetragie,sohehurriedlylefttheKingdom．Thebeautieshadallmovedtotheadministrativebuildingbecauseofthebattle,sotheywerenotevenaware