It was a story they would all tell themselves over flagons of ale for generations to come. Until the tale reached truly epic proportions; with a troop of fairy princesses being pursued pell-mell through the sleeping hamlet by a posse of outriders from Hell – on their way to who knows where? To do who knows what?

A mile beyond the hamlet and it was obvious the countess was going no further. Her mouth gulped slackly for air and her eyeballs rolled drunkenly as her head lolled first forward then back. Her faltering gait now hopelessly erratic, her pounding body swaying from side-to-side, as her exhausted muscles began to collapse one-by-one.

Vulkan powered up to the front and pointed off to the side where the brilliant moonlight reflected on the surface of a small lake.

"Pull up over there," he commanded.

As soon as the carriage drew to a halt, the countess collapsed into the dirt, her dust covered body steaming faintly with perspiration in the chill night air. The prince stooped low, slashing carelessly at her bindings with his razor sharp dirk, nicking her skin here and there as he cut away the heavy chest that had so helped to sap her energy.

Next, he stripped off his own garments and picking her up, walked with the unconscious gentlewoman in his arms into the lake and when the icy, black water was up to his middle he plunged her under the surface.

It took only a split second for the unexpected shock to revive the weary countess, who leapt up on to her tip-toes, arms held high: the water cascading out of her hair and off her breasts, her breath coming in whooping spasms as the freezing liquid sucked the heat out of her body.

Vulkan laughed uproariously, plunging her under the surface time and time again as she struggled and spluttered ineffectually against his far superior strength. Eventually he took hold of her hips and threw her with all of his might out into the depths, bellowing with delight as she panicked and floundered about in a great splashing explosion of spume, yelling, "I can't swim! I can't swim! help meeeeurghhhh!…"