Helania walked through the long hallways of the Stronghold, nodding her head to the occasional maid or worker as she walked past them. Seeing everyone working so hard to maintain the building their Master created made her feel happy. In this entire world, the Stronghold was all she cared about. Whenever she walked around, Helania felt the presence of her Master as if He was always sheltering her and keeping her safe. Though she didn't need for Him to protect her, just knowing that she was cherished by Him made her feel loved.

Reaching the door to the throne room, Helania pushed open the doors and enjoyed seeing the majestic area. Though she had seen this place numerous times, the sight was still breathtaking just as it was the first time. There were statues on either side of the hallway leading up to the central area, demonstrating the beauty of her Master's power.

In front of her was her Master, sitting on top of His throne looking majestic. Though she knew that He didn't see himself as above everyone in this world, Helania knew that this was indeed the case. Just like the residents living inside of the city He created, He should be standing above everyone. They should come to Him and embrace His presence as she did.

Her Master appeared to be deep in thought about something, to not disturb His thought she got on one knee in front of His throne. On one knee with her head down, Helania tried to think about what her Master had called to see her about. Though her job wasn't to look after the city, Helania was happy to make sure that His city prospered in this desert. She would walk through the city to make sure all the residents were happy and had their needs taken care of. This led to many of the people think she was compassionate, but all that went through her mind was making sure that the city reflected positively on Him.

Her thoughts were also on the other guardians. She had noticed that they had begun to develop into their own, which may not be a bad thing but a matter to be concerned about. Helania felt that she was the only one that stuck to what she was when He first created her. Knowing her Master, He needed those that would be supportive of his wishes. He held so much pain inside of him, not wanting to let them see his perceived weaknesses of himself. This brought her much pain, seeing him suffer and unable to find a way to help him. With the authority, He had given her, Helania vowed that she would do whatever was necessary to heal the wounds inside Him.

"Helania, as always, I am happy that you are here." He smiled at her, with that sad smile.

"You merely need to wish it, and I will be at your side, Master," Helania answered, hoping to provide him with reassurance.

"Though I do not say this to the others, but with you I feel like I can be more honest. I often wonder if you are eager to be by my side because I created you or if these are your genuine feelings?" He sighed, holding a hand to his forehead. He looked to be suffering so much that she wanted to rush to His side and embrace him. "Would any of you be here next to me if not for my abilities?"

"Master! I am here not just because you are my creator, but because I truly do not think there is anywhere else I would want to be. Being by your side is my only desire, so please do not show such sadness in your eyes!" She stated.

"I often dream of her, though I know that I have removed most of her from my heart. Though she was not my first, I still find that she had the most impact on me. Is this feeling in me due to my own self-interests of wanting to feel like a man or did I truly care about her? How often do men feel like they need to defend their masculinity, and have feelings like these just because they do not want to think about how they were not up to par for the woman?" His voice was quiet as he asked her, though she thought that he was asking himself these questions.

"Even if I am unaware of this person who has hurt You, I know that my feelings are real. Please, do not think that you creating me has any bearing on who you are to me!" She pleaded with Him, trying to reach his heart which was buried behind so much suffering.

"Come to me, Helania. Though it may seem childish, I just need to feel something right now." He called to her, His voice was filled with grief.

Gracefully rising up, she walked towards Him. Each of her footsteps caused her heart to beat a little faster while also causing her soul to break, seeing how alone He looked to her. Though her Master had such powers and abilities, it did not help take away his pain. Raising her arms, Helania reached out towards His head and gently caressed His hair. With smooth agility, Helania placed herself on top of his lap, allowing her to bring his head to her bosom. She felt His hot breath on her skin, causing her to embrace him more.

They stayed like that, with His head snuggled against her chest. Thoughts of staying like that went through her mind. The world was cruel to her Master, so why should she make Him face such horrific things. Instead, Helania only wanted Him to stay in her embrace. Everything seemed to be right in the world. Unlike humans, who needed to constantly impress one another, she only wanted Him to be happy. If He asked for this world on a silver plate, she would lead the guardians and lay waste to the world. There would be nothing she would not do for him.

"Helania, though I wish we could be like this, I have a need of you. I know that you will accomplish my will, so I can only count on you for this task." He said to her, His voice letting her know that this was not an easy thing for Him to ask her.

"Master, I only exist for you. There is nothing that could stand in my way if it meant I would be able to see your will be done." She whispered into his hair, breathing in his scent to memorize it. Helania knew that her Master was about to ask her to leave his side, so she wanted to memorize how He smelled until she would be able to return to his side.

"Though many may call me a liar, I do feel your love and desire to do all that I ask for," He sighed into her chest, making her skin tingle. "I sense that someone is acting against me, or at least this world. I want you to find out who dares to challenge me and learn as much as possible. It pains me to have you leave, and I hope you will forgive me for asking you to go on your own."

"There is no reason to think such things. I only hope that I will be able to return to you as soon as possible. Being by your side is all I want, though I am also happy that you would be able to rely on me with such a task." Helania kissed him on his head, smiling at how He was able to depend on her.

"To help you out, I will be giving you the ability to transform into any form, in addition to a dragon. This will allow you to infiltrate them, wherever they may be." He informed her.

"When would you like for me to leave?" Helania already knew the answer, though she hoped that they could stay like they were for a bit longer.

"I would like for you to do this for me as soon as possible." He requested from her.

Kissing him on the head for the last time until she returned, Helania careful removed herself from his lap. She was happy that this caused Him to sigh in regret, letting her know that He enjoyed being with her. Even though she knew that He loved her, hearing His sigh made her think this trip away from Him would be worth it. She would come back to him, and He would embrace her with love and longing.

Turning around to him, she said, "I will be taking my leave, Master. Please let me know if you need me to return, and I will be back at your side in an instant." As she transported herself, Helania watched him smile, a smile that didn't reach his sad eyes.

--------

Helania looked turned her head back and forth, watching the city she arrived in. "This Kingdom's capital will be the best place to start, in trying to find those who plot against my Master," Helania told herself. She looked at the busy street, from the alleyway she transported herself to. With her skills, she was able to make herself appear without letting someone notice her sudden appearance.

As she stayed inside of the alleyway, Helania thought it was wise to change her appearance. Though there were not many who knew what she looked like, her image was well distributed inside of Felicitas. There were many merchants that came into the city, to trade their wares with those living in the city. Since merchants were unable to sell their wares, considering the lack of money used in the city, many merchants have begun to use Felicitas as a way to determine the quality of their wares. If the residents of the city show interest then merchants know that they will do well in other cities. The free education also helps them to learn new techniques that they hadn't learned before. It contributed to transforming Felicitas as a pilgrimage destination for them.

Pulling out a mirror from a storage dimension, Helania looked at herself as she thought about how she would change her appearance. The first thing she did was to alter her face to give it a more mature look. Next, her hair was changed from a dark brown to a reddish color. She also felt her body change, as she made herself proportionately taller. Looking herself up and down, Helania was satisfied that she had changed enough of herself to fool anyone, aside from her Master.

Taking out new clothes, Helania changed into something more regal. If she were going to find a shadowy organization, it would be helpful for her to look as if she belongs to someone with wealth and power. Judging from what she has seen of this world, they have likely not seen the rest of this world. This will make it easier for her to claim that she represents a foreign power.

"Come to me, your Mistress summons you," Helania whispered into the air.

In front of her, five women appeared dressed in outfits that appeared modest but drew the eyes towards key areas. They were on their knee, stating, "Mistress, as you have summoned us, we have obeyed."

"You five are my loyal servants, given to me by our Master, who rules all before him. We have a great opportunity to demonstrate our loyalty in fulfilling a mission he has bestowed upon me." Helania said to the five, who still had their heads down.

"There is an organization that is plotting against Him. He has sensed their plot to move against Him," Helania heard the five in front of her hiss in anger. "He asked me to find this organization and find out more about it. Though He has only limited the mission to this, I feel that this is not enough. I wish to infiltrate this organization and let them know how foolish they are to try and move against my beloved Master."

Seeing them angered by the existence of people that would try to move against someone they held dear to their hearts, one of the women asked, "Mistress, please let us know how we may assist you on such a divine mission."

"I will be acting as a messenger from a faraway kingdom. You, five, will be my servants, acting as human attendants would act. Knowing how important this mission is, I hope you will not disappoint." Helania stated, with a slight edge to her voice.

"We exist to serve!" The five women all shouted in unison.

-----

Fredrick looked out at the surrounding city, enjoying the sight of people walking around living their common lives. They would go to the market and haggle for every extra coin, never knowing the luxuries that existed in the world. It always put him in a better mood seeing them scurry down there. Though the Kingdom was ruled by the King, Fredrick knew that he was the real power. With the King having fallen ill, Fredrick was the one that was running the Kingdom. With the influence he carried, the princes and princesses were unable to stand in his way.

"Sire, I apologize for interrupting your relaxation, but there is something quite odd at the front gate." A nervous sounding attendant stated.

Being interrupted while he was enjoying his peace was not something he enjoyed, making him wonder if he should punish the attendant. Ignoring the man as he was looking worried about what would happen to him, Fredrick walked out of his day room. It was odd to hear that there was something going on outside of the castle. Usually, they already knew about someone arriving, instead of being surprised.

His boots echoed off the stone floors as he walked down all the stairs and hallways, on his way to the entrance, Fredrick began to become annoyed by the person who ruined his day. As he passed by, soldiers would come to attention and salute to him. Even though he was a noble, his title was a non-hereditary one making him below all the other nobles. He remembered how he used to have to keep to himself in fear of offending someone, but now he was the one that caused others to be afraid.

Walking out of the inner castle seemed a lot warmer, compared to his day room. The heat was something he didn't enjoy, causing a scowl on his face to appear. Heading down the path that led to the entrance, he noticed that there was a quite a number of guards around. Normally, there were only a few guards to make sure that nobody just walked in. It was another strange thing in addition to someone being at the gate, enough to cause an attendant to interrupt him.

"What is going on here?!" He called out to the guards, who jumped after hearing his voice. They could tell that he wasn't in a mood to play games.

One of the guards turned towards him and said, "My Lord, there is a woman, along with several servants, at the entrance. We didn't know what we should do with her."

"What do you mean, you didn't know what to do with her? Just toss her out and tell her not to come back! Does this place look like a charity house?" His tone indicating that this was a rhetorical question.

"But, My Lord! She claims to be a messenger from a distant kingdom, located across the ocean!" The guard hastily tried to explain.

Intrigued by the news that she came from another land, Fredrick walked closer and began to see why there were so many guards around. Fredrick felt his breath catch, as he witnessed the sheer beauty that radiated off of the woman. Her reddish hair seemed to catch the light from the sun, making it sparkle like a ruby. When he saw her face, Fredrick actually believed that there was no woman that was more beautiful than her. Though her age appeared older, this only seemed to enhance her mature beauty.

The guards moved out of his way as his feet seemed to act with a mind of their own towards the goddess of a woman. When she noticed him and her eyes met his, it felt as if his soul had been shaken. Looking away from her gaze, like some school boy, his eyes fell to where the top of her outfit opened to reveal her plentiful breasts.

"And who do I have the honor of meeting?" a voice that encompassed the gentle breeze blowing through an open field asked him.

Blushing from being distracted by her voluptuous beauty, Fredrick looked up and met the woman's eyes. "I-I am Fredrick, my Lady. I am the direct aid to the King in this Kingdom. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He bowed to her.

"I am happy to meet you, too. I am a simple messenger from my kingdom. You may call me, Victoria. These are my servants who journeyed with me." She smiled at him.

Just seeing her smile gave him a pause, as if such a moment was too perfect for this world. Realizing that they were standing at the entrance of the castle, in the heat, Fredrick looked back at one of the guards and barked, "prepare a place for the Lady and her servants!"

One of the guards quickly ran back to the castle to alert the staff to prepare several rooms. The chefs would also be alerted to have some time of beverage and snack prepared for her. Seeing one of the guards running back into the castle cause many to whisper, wondering what was going on.

"I apologize for keeping you here, at the entrance, instead of inviting you in where it is cooler. We are not normally so rude to such esteemed guests." Fredrick tried to make up to Victoria.

Victoria lifted up her hand towards Fredrick, who gently held it and placed it on top of his arm, escorting her towards the castle.

"There is no need to concern yourself. We are from a humble kingdom, and when my King asked for me to journey out, I was happy to obey. We have stayed in various inns, inside this wonderful kingdom of yours." Victoria smiled at him.

Resting a hand on top of hers, Fredrick could feel how smooth and delicate they were. It was as if she was made from milk and cream, making him never want to let go of her. Occasionally, he would feel her hip rub up against him as they walked, igniting feelings inside of him. If it were another women, he would have assumed that they were forward, but with her, Fredrick only saw it as an innocent act. She didn't appear to be someone who used their sexuality to tempt men to them. With her natural beauty, men would be willing to leap off cliffs if she were to request it.

Occasionally, Fredrick tried to move his eyes so he could glance at her shapely breasts. The way they occasionally moved from her gait made him swallow the saliva in his mouth. A part of him wished that he was able to view them and fantasized about her embracing him and the two of them making passionate love at night.

"To be granted an escort from the King's aid, I consider this a great honor, my Lord." Victoria warmly spoke, jarring him out of his dreams. "We were hoping to receive time from someone but expected to meet a lower level official. Though I am a royal messenger, I could not assume a kingdom across the ocean to have heard about us and provide us with special privileges."

Fredrick patted her hand, "My Lady, what kind of gentleman would I be if I were to allow a lady of your standing to wait outside and then meet some official? I do hope you do not think of us so lowly a kingdom?"

"Do forgive me; I hope I did not give offense?" Victoria's voice was startled and embarrassed at possibly insulting him.

He chuckled while shaking his head. "I merely jest. I must confess that I was slightly annoyed by having to come down here, but I am happy that I did. What would my life be like, if I were to miss seeing a lady of your quality?" Fredrick gently lifted up her hand and kissed the back of her hand.

"Oh, my. You flatter me. I am not as young as other women and have already accepted the damage that time does unto all. Though I can not say that your words are the truth, it is always a warm welcome to hear a gentleman say such kind words." Her voice filled with longing, "no longer am I the target of affection of men, but this is something that happens to all us ladies. Though we may be able to push back the effects of time, we are powerless to stop it."

"I hope you did not mistake my words as mere flattery, my lady! Though time continues to steal from us our youth, I do not believe there is a woman in this world that could rival your beauty! If you think that my words are empty, then I would ask that you end this life of mine for I have seen art in living flesh and have no other wishes in this world." Fredrick vehemently denied her attempt at belittling her looks. If Victoria was not the most desired in this world, then could any woman look at herself in the mirror?

Like a soothing stream, her chuckle made him feel relaxed and happy to have her by his side. "My Lord, your words are a kindness to my heart. I am glad that my King had sent me on this journey, for I would never have met such a warm gentleman, such as yourself." She lightly squeezed his arm in affection.

"To show you that my words were genuine, I would like to invite you to stay in this castle for as long as you need. I do hope that you will see that my eyes are not false. If you will allow, I do hope to be able to escort you around the palace grounds. I must say that your presence is more than a comfort." Fredrick felt nervous, fearful that she would gently reject him.

Victoria turned her head and looked into his eyes, her smile was gentle and wide. "It would be an honor. I feel as if we were destined to meet and our time linked to a grander design."

Feeling himself drown in the depths of Victoria's eyes, he didn't have a chance to see the five servants staring straight at him with a slight smile on their faces.