DISCLAIMER: All the characters mentioned in this story belong to MCA/Universal and Renaissance pictures. They are making me absolutely no money at all, this just ABSOLUTELY for the fun of it, and as I am only borrowing them, I will return them, quite safe and sound once this little tale is concluded!

For the first story in this two-part series of stories about Orestes, go to  ANOTHER ME.

ANOTHER STEP

BY MAGGIE

Chapter One.

His head was swimming and his insides still felt raw from the effects of the poison, but Orestes was determined to get through this without showing any undue weakness to Niobe. Making an effort to forge even the smallest amount of courage and fortitude which his cousin, Iolaus had displayed, Orestes, forced himself up from the throne, and fighting to keep the trembling from his legs, made his way slowly over to the window.

What he saw only served to make his new resolve - to be the best king he could be, and to make his relationship with Niobe work - all the harder to enforce.

Even from his place at the window, Orestes could feel the tension and sadness emanating from the pair down near the gate as they walked out into the city beyond the palace. Orestes was no fool; he knew there could only be one reason for that, and his heart turned to water, as he found the vision of his future which stretched out before him now, to be almost intolerable.

Whilst imprisoned and poisoned by Archaeus, he had had no thought but of wanting to be anywhere other than there, and had vowed, should he ever escape or be rescued, that he would put his days of mindless indulgence behind him, and try to rule Attica in such a way as to make Niobe, and his people, at least respect him. Nevertheless, when Iolaus had turned up and rescued him, and Orestes found hope again that he might actually survive, at the back of his mind his thoughts had begun to gather around the wish that his Queen might even love him, or at least learn to.

Any such hope was gone now, squashed forever like a bug in the dirt. Niobe and Iolaus had given each other only the most fleeting of glimpses as they left the courtyard, obviously not wanting to risk, any more than necessary, giving anything of their feelings for each other away, but even only a glimpse had been enough to tell Orestes the last thing in the world that he wanted to know. They had walked apart, seeming careless of anything, but the searing heat in their eyes was as loud a pronouncement of their love for each other as a trumpet call.

His vision blurring, Orestes turned away from the window, in the grip of a sadness so strong that it filled him like a demon, leaching what little strength that he had away. The wall was at his back, almost an old friend - how many times in his life had he ridden out hurt until he was alone and could vent his grief away from prying eyes? How many times had he sought out a wall to lean on, to slide down, to hide behind, it being the only shoulder for his tears? Having rid himself now of every anchor he had formerly clung to, the temptation to do just that now was nearly overwhelming, but what good would that do him in the long run? Niobe would return and find him this way, and no doubt, he would be able to pass it off as a momentary weakness due to his still unrecovered health, and she would think nothing of it, and would help him back to his rooms, concerned and all attention.

'That's not going to make me the king I need to be, the king I've got to be,' he realised now, all too well. Whether he liked it or not, he had an example to live up to now; Iolaus. Much as he envied his cousin the possession of Niobe's heart, Orestes couldn't bring himself to hate Iolaus for that, nor even to think badly of him. He was a noble warrior who was five times the man Orestes would ever be, so how could Niobe not love him?

Somehow, such thoughts strengthened the resolve in his heart once more, and Orestes, taking a deep breath and dashing the tears from his eyes, pulled himself up straight and pushed away from the wall. When Niobe finally returned to the throne room, he appeared as she had left him, seated calmly, waiting for her. If anything, it was Niobe who was showing signs of disquiet; although her demeanor and her voice betrayed nothing of it, her eyes could not quite look at him, constantly gliding away from his gaze. To cover for her inability to completely hide her feelings, she fussed around him. Was he tired, cold or hungry? Did he need some more medicine or anything to drink?

Quite unexpectedly, his heart went out to her, appreciating only too well suddenly, the position she was in. Had he not been there himself a thousand times before? There had been people in his life that he would have loved if they had but given him half a chance and accepted him for himself, instead of seeing only their own disappointment in him. His father, his brother, even his mother had thought little of him; there had been so many times he had naively gone to them with love only to have it rejected out of hand because he was unable to live up to their expectations of him. Gradually he had learned to hide what he felt, and eventually, unable to live with the weight of unexpressed feelings, he had ruthlessly buried them, the emptiness left by their abscence filled with any excess which would help him to forget.

Now, admittedly for other reasons, Niobe was in that same position, having to hide her true feelings, and he knew that she would not deal with it in the same easy way that he had. Orestes found that he could not let her live with that. He had to find some way to let her know that he knew her situation and that he at least understood and would not condemn her for it. Swallowing the hurt and knowing now that her loyalty and maybe one day, even respect, would be the only things she could offer him, he decided that that would have to be enough. As one of his subjects, technically speaking, he had to have her best interests at heart, and should find some way to put her out of her misery.

He would tackle the situation immediately, though not here, where someone might overhear them. Indicating that he was a little tired and that he wished to return to his own rooms, he allowed Niobe to offer him the support of her arm. He could sense the confusion of emotions still raging inside her as they walked; he could hear it in her sudden silence. So he began to ask her questions about her life up till that point; what were her interests now, had she travelled much? What were her views on how the kingdom should be run? This last he asked, not just because he thought it might be the most successful at temporarily relieving her distress, but also because he genuinely wanted her opinions. He could tell by the little hug she gave his arm and the ease in her voice that his ruse was working. Orestes smiled a little as she talked. Maybe a life with Niobe would be happier than he had thought.

Niobe saw him settled and comfortable in what he swore was the one comfortable chair in the palace, which he had had placed in front of the window giving him a clear view of the countryside surrounding the city, and then made to leave him.

"Niobe ..."

She turned back to him, seeming a little apprehensive suddenly. "Y-yes, Orestes?"

He noticed her sudden hesitation and realised belatedly that Niobe must be wanting some time alone now and decided to put off talking with her about Iolaus for a few hours. He would have given her more time, but he knew that the longer he left it the harder it would be for him to deal with whatever her reaction might be. Instead he said to her,

"I only wanted to ask you, if you wouldn't mind coming back a bit later in the day. There is something I need to discuss with you."

He kept his tone quite light; there was no point in letting her know that the subject for discussion would be anything awkward or unpleasant. She would worry unduly and he wanted to spare her that. He himself had known such fear and doubt all too often when, due to affairs of state, his father had been unable to *discuss* things with his inconvenient son, at the time, but nevertheless, Orestes had been made to know that when he was summoned, he wouldn't have a pleasant time of it. He had always spent the intervening time, pacing in his quarters or roaming from room to room, searching in vain for something to take his mind off the coming *appointment*. Before he had been old enough to go looking for more adult amusements, being left alone with such worry had, on more than one occasion, left him unable to eat anything, and when his mistakes were serious and frequent, he had become almost painfully thin. He had never known it, but at such times, Hector had worried right along with him, and several times had tried to intervene with the king on Orestes behalf.

Clearly though, his attempt to remove any cause for worry from her mind, as the doubt left her features and smiling, she assured him that she would return, once he had had a chance to rest. Then she left him.

Casting his gaze out over the sunlit fields and woodland which he could see from his window, Orestes tried to calm his mind enough to think about what he would say to Niobe when she returned. After rehearsing and then rejecting several speeches, all of which sounded either patronising or whining when he tried them out, he finally gave up. Either he said the right thing at the time or he didn't.

Exhausted by the events of the day so far, Orestes, losing himself in the view from his window, was soon asleep.

Chapter Two.

Later that afternoon, feeling rested and refreshed, Orestes had once again plucked up courage to talk to Niobe about her feelings for his cousin, and sent word that he would like to see her. She came at once, and seemed calmer and more confidant than she had a few hours ago.

'I just hope I don't say anything to ruin that,' me mused ruefully, hoping that he could find the words he needed to settle the matter without embarrassing or hurting her.

Niobe had changed into a dress of the most stunning shade of blue and as she swept into his room with a light step, his breath caught in his throat and for a long moment he was utterly speechless. A small smile lit her face as she caught his reaction, but she did nothing more to encourage him.

For a moment, Orestes almost ducked out of telling her the real reason he wanted to speak with her, feeling that the task would be too hard for him; but he steeled himself and reminding himself that there was no going back now, he ushered her forward to another chair, on the opposite side of the window.

As she sat down, arranging her skirts around her with a simple grace which Orestes could not help but admire - he had always considered himself to be something of an awkward person - he very nearly told her that she looked beautiful. He restrained himself at the last moment, telling himself that, in light of what he wanted to say to her, such a comment might be considered unfair at the moment. He sat in silence, searching for the first words.

"What is it, Orestes," she asked him kindly, her eyes giving him her undivided attention.

It wasn't something he was used to, and he was grateful for such an approach from her. Suddenly he knew what he had to say to her.

"Niobe ... What I have to say to you, is something that you may not, no, will not want to hear. I ask you to bear with me, and hear me out, and please understand that in no way do I wish to hurt you."

Her face fell into seriousness and there was a certain air of tension between them now, but she said nothing, merely waited for him to continue.

Taking a deep breath, Orestes cut to the heart of the matter without any further preamble. "I know of your feelings for Iolaus, but know that I also understand them, and that I cannot, in any way, condemn you for them. As far as you knew, you had nothing to look forward to but the unfulfilled and hateful life of a woman bound to someone whom you were convinced - and with good enough reason - disliked you in every way."

Niobe was a statue cut from stillness as his words dropped into the silence between them. Every emotion Orestes could think of were warring behind her eyes and his heart sank under a weight of guilt as he began to think he had done the wrong thing by airing the subject. However, it wasn't long before the conflict he could see in her seemed to resolve itself, at least to a point where she could sit and hear him out without anger or fear.

Taking heart from this, Orestes continued. "Iolaus is everything that I am not," he admitted to her, managing to keep any bitterness he still felt, hidden. "In fact, he is a better man than any other I have ever known," and Orestes surprised himself with the genuine awe which he heard in his own voice as he said this. "How could you not want such a man, in light of what you had thought to have?"

There was a faint sheen of tears in his queen's eyes now, and taking a shaky breath, she leaned over and placed her hand over one of his. "Oh, Orestes, I am so sorry; I never meant for you to know of this. I certainly never expected that you would understand in this way. Just by saying this you have proven to me, that you are a better man than I had thought, and I want you to know that I will try not to judge you anymore. I think that deciding to change your ways and be responsible for your people is the first step to becoming a good king. The understanding you have shown me now, is another step. I am sorry that this has come between us."

Grasping both his hands for a moment, Niobe gazed earnestly into his eyes, and then, needing to break the contact, she released him and stood to wander over to a tapestry on the far wall. It depicted a hunting scene, one which Orestes had always been fond of, which told a story from the days of Orestes' grandfather, King Agrophobius, when he and a group of his courtiers had been out hunting. He had come upon a stag of full nine antlers and been about to take him down when the deer fell to another arrow shooting out of cover near him. It fell out that the owner of the arrow was a the son of a poor woodsman who had had a hard winter with very little food. By law, at that time, anyone not part of a royal hunt had to surrender any kill taken in the same area at the same time as a royal hunt, but the king was so mindful and considerate of the man's condition that he let the fellow have the stag and said no more about it.

Niobe leaned in to look closer at the royal personage depicted on the dusty material. "I will not be surprised at all, to find that you turn out to be as kind and good a king as your grandfather, Orestes."

Orestes felt a little spark of happiness blossom inside him at her words and a wide smile graced his pale features. It was a smile that would never rival the almost blinding sunshine of Iolaus' smile, but it held warmth and a certain light, and it was genuine. Niobe, returning to his side, replied with a kindly smile of her own.

Orestes almost wished that he could leave the matter there; it was such a positive note to end on. It wasn't possible however; there was one more thing he had to deal with, and in a way it was the worst of it.

"Niobe ... You must forgive me if I tell you something else."

There was a frisson of doubt in her face, but then it was ruthlessly crushed, and seating herself, she sat patiently, determined to hear him out. She nodded to let him know that she was willing to hear him.

"I know that you harbour no such feelings towards me, as you have towards my cousin, but it possibly may come to be ... in time ... that you might ... eventually ..."

Orestes couldn't look at her. He was fighting an uphill battle and felt that all about this point was already lost. Staring down at his hands, he forced himself to continue. "It's ... not just the matter of ... the succession, I do ... I have ..."

Her hands forcefully on his pressed him into silence. "Orestes, please ... don't ... don't let's talk anymore about this, not right now. I can't even think about that right now; please?"

Orestes, slumped back in the chair, eyes closed against what he would surely see in her face, her eyes, if he dared to look. So far, they had only talked of what she and Iolaus already had, would probably always have; their love for each other, which would always be, whether they were together or apart. But with that last request he had trodden on territory too sensitive, too hungry, especially since the two had had to part only hours before this - their unrequited longing for each other. How could he ask her to even consider at any time, giving him, what she and Iolaus had had to deny themselves?

He wanted desperately to disappear right then into whichever corner of Tartarus Hades must surely at that very minute, be setting aside for him, or run and hide somewhere he would never be found again, or even just put his head in his hands, so that he didn't have to look at her.

Orestes did none of these. Instead, he opened his eyes and confronted Niobe's pleading eyes and felt his heart clench painfully as he saw that yes, he had indeed hurt her with his thoughtless words. Disentangling his hands from hers, he took her right hand and, clasping it gently, in both of his, prepared to try and atone for his mistake.

"Niobe, I am sorry; I didn't think about what I was asking you. This has been hard on both of us, all of us," he amended, thinking of Iolaus, and how he must be feeling, having walked away with less than he arrived with - he had lost his heart. Niobe would at least have the Attica she believed and had fought for, and Orestes would have someone finally who would be willing to help him and take him seriously. "Let's leave things as they are; we won't discuss it again, until ... well, until you are ready to. I'm sorry," he finished, and wished more than anything in the world that he could just take her in his arms and hold her, comfort her.

'Comfort her with what?' Orestes realised, bitterly. 'Maybe someday, but right now, all she's going to do is freeze up if you try anything like that.' He couldn't atone for what he'd said; not really. That was the hardest thing of all to accept and it cut him like a heated knife. So the only thing left to do was bury it for now; well, he knew how to do that, didn't he?

Just then and in time to save him from anymore faux pas, there was a knock on the door to his room. Niobe wiped hurriedly at her eyes and fixed a smile on her face ready to do business with the duties of a queen again. Orestes did likewise, and called for whoever it was, to enter.

The door entered and Hector entered. "Your Majesties? Supper is ready."

"Oh, alright, thank you, Hector," Orestes replied, as Niobe got up and walked over to the door. There, she turned and looked back at him.

"Orestes? Do you feel well enough to come down, or shall I have the meal brought up here?"

Was he ready to face his courtiers again? He could tell by Niobe's encouraging smile, that she would like him to at least try, so he nodded an affirmative. "Yes, I'll come down," he told her. "Would you wait for me, Niobe, please, I want a few words with Hector."

"Of course I will," she told him courteously, "I will change and then come back. We'll go down together?" she asked him, and Orestes recognised the gesture as one of graciously offered compliance with his wishes in light of how he felt about her, and not just because it was expected of the royal couple.

Orestes took the gesture and returned it with his sweetest smile. "Thank you, Niobe; yes, of course we'll go down together."

After she had left, Orestes offered Hector the chair that Niobe had just vacated, but the old soldier refused to sit. "Not before my king," he said firmly, and was surprised when Orestes clapped him on the shoulder as if it was the good old days - or at least as close to 'good, old, days', as Orestes had ever had in his life.

"Just sit down, Hector; don't worry, I'm going to sit down too. I need to talk to you."

Reluctantly, Hector occupied the chair and leaned forward, all attention to his king.

Removing his crown for a moment, Orestes laid it on the arm of his chair and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Hector; what do you know about women?" he began without preamble. "It seems that, no matter how good my intentions are, I'm always going to end up doing something wrong."

"Don't worry, Sire;" Hector answered him with something of a dry smile playing around his lips. "That's a trait shared by every man on Earth; in that you are no different to anyone else. The main thing is to give yourself and Niobe time to get to know each other a little better. You'll find that the mistakes will get less with time."

Orestes took this to heart, and was glad that he seemed to have at least something in common, where mistakes were concerned, with every other male in the world. 'Does Iolaus make mistakes with women ... ever?' he wondered ruefully. He certainly hadn't made any with Niobe, except for maybe every noble thing he did, said and just plain was that made Niobe fall in love with him in the first place. Or had he gone into that with the idea that he was putting in a good word for Orestes?

He thought back to the sunshine that Iolaus had brought into the throne room with his smile, when he had gone in to say goodbye to his cousin, and thought that perhaps Iolaus had tried to do just that for him, alongside of saving his kingdom from the tyranny of Archaeus and Menos, and Orestes' life and freedom into the bargain.

"You know, Hector, when Iolaus first appeared, that day in the forest, I had the wildest idea in my head for awhile."

"What was that, Sire?"

Orestes smiled as he recalled that day, the wildly mis-aimed arrow, the amazement at the incredible likeness between the two men, the seed of a thought, which would have burgeoned into a full-blown scheme had Orestes not been captured by Archaeus that night.

"Well, for a long time I had been dreading having to take on the responsibilities of kingship when I didn't feel up to them, and was even less enamoured of the idea of marrying Niobe. When I first saw Iolaus, I had the thought in my mind of asking him to trade places with me for awhile so that I could just ... oh, I don't know, disappear; go off and do whatever I wanted to instead of everything I dreaded the thought of. But do you know what? I'm glad I didn't. If I had I would have wasted the rest of my life, Iolaus might have been captured and poisoned instead of me ... and then where would everything be?"

Hector could see there was more, in fact had been expecting something like this from Orestes eventually. Enduring what he had at the hands of Archaeus would not have been easy by any means, especially for someone like Orestes who had been divorced from any means of building strength inside himself from an early age. He waited in silence for the rest.

"I was terrified, being imprisoned by Archaeus," Orestes continued, a haunted look returning to flicker in the depths of his eyes. "And when he started pouring that stuff down my throat, I was ready to beg for my life, anything. I would have done anything, not to die like that. But somehow, something just kept me from doing it. I think it was the last straw, you know?"

Hector nodded slowly, acknowledging the birthplace of Orestes redemption. Still he kept silent.

"I think you can only be afraid for so long, Hector, before you start to get angry over all the injustices. I just couldn't let him see me grovel. I know he wanted it, but what else could he do to me? I was dying, anyway. I think somehow, going through that made me ... I don't know, less selfish, maybe?" Hector stood and then knelt before Orestes, this final acknowledgement of Kingship, conveying more than even his words could. He said them anyway. "A better man, a better king than Attica could have hoped for. A better king than Menos could ever have made. You have come far away from the man you once were, Sire, step by step, and that's the way to go with Niobe, if you'll allow me to say so. Step by step."

At that moment, someone appeared at the door, waiting just outside it. It was Niobe.

If she had looked stunning in the blue dress, the forest green she wore now, made her even more breathtaking in appearance. Orestes shook his head, and had to throw caution to the wind, this time, he could not keep his truth from her in the face of her loveliness. "Niobe ... you look ... beautiful. I don't deserve even as much as you are willing to give me!"

She went over to him and took his arm, ready to walk down to supper with him, knowing that he would barely eat, because he wasn't really well enough yet, and that he would not stay til the end because his strength had not yet returned to him, but her bright smile hailed him as victor in his battle for having survived this far, for having turned himself inside out for her sake, the sake of the kingdom, and even for his own sake.

"Orestes, my king, you will always be worthy of what I am willing to give. And today is not forever," she whispered finally. "Maybe, when we have both had time to heal, we will talk again."

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her so badly, and almost thought that this time, she might have allowed it, but he did not. Instead, he walked out of the room, head held high, with the most beautiful woman in the world on his arm, and went down to greet his courtiers.

The End

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