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The summons we received from the palace contained with it no explanation or motive, only that we were to be present that evening; at the request of the royal household. I took it lightly, for we had been on good terms with him ever since I had first worked my little miracle with his daughter, and then the subsequent heroics on my part that had saved his life.

Tica, or as I was dutybound to call her, Lady Salacit, gathered our firstborn and a small change of clothing.

"What makes you think we will be staying?" I asked with curiosity. Her intuition was rarely wrong on most matters.

"The king calls for us in the afternoon. Consequently, I find that he desires us to be at the palace in the morning at the very least for some important event."

I rolled my eyes.

"There is nothing happening tomorrow, or I'm sure we would have known about it already."

"Maybe you did and you forgot."

"I don't think so. Oh, there's no use arguing about it. We'll know soon enough."

She grabbed a few more things and we headed out the door only to be greeted by the king's personal carriage. I raised a brow at that, for the king was rarely formal. An invitation to the palace was often a matter of a discreet letter sent without the usual pomp and circumstance.

This had all the signs of something official.

The ride was pleasant, and little Tica was delighted as the carriage rattled and swayed. People stared, but the windows were covered in light silks, allowing in light and a veiled view of the outside but obscuring the interior. Of course, those who lived near me would know, but since I was technically part of the king's council, it wouldn't come as a complete shock.

The gates went wide as we approached, and closed again once we were through. It seemed we were the only ones arriving, unless there was some threat I had yet to be told of. That made me just a little nervous. Then I calmed myself. There were no outward signs of trouble. The king was just getting us to the castle early to avoid the press of people that would be there tomorrow.

Yeah.

But why?

Roland and Seraci were standing on the steps, both looking pleasantly happy. That forestalled my fears of anything being wrong. The princess had grown since I had seen her last, and was some finger's breadth taller than I recalled her being back then. She looked regal, and certainly more mature after her stint away from home. She was growing up.

The staff assisted us out of the carriage and took our meagre belongings inside. Roland slapped my back with a hearty chuckle and the princess smiled at me, gave a little curtsy, and went to talk with my wife. As we entered the castle, I looked back only to see them grinning with a look of conspiracy about them. I had a feeling my wife knew why we were here, and I was the dull male who had allowed his memory to lapse.

Time would reveal whatever secrets existed. It always did.

We were shown to our former quarters, which brought back all kinds of memories, though in fact they weren't all that far in the past. It had been three and a half years since I had rendered Seraci from a paralyzed cripple to the stunning woman she now was. She was taller than I thought she might achieve, considering the severity of her disease, and her skin was pale but blushed, and offset by her rich, full head of dark hair.

We were told nothing until supper, and even then, the conversation seemed to be directed about our lives, even though I knew the king was aware of much that went on in my household. Our little collaboration had created an enduring "eye" into my household.

After supper we were up late talking and sipping wine, and my wife finally decided to put little Tica to sleep. A cradle had been moved into our room, complete with a royally embroidered blanket. The princess went with her, as she had a soft spot for children.

The king watched them go.

"You know Petro, I somewhat envy you. I also pity you."

"Why would you say that?"

"Does it matter?"

The look I gave him said that it did.

"I suppose it does. You have as a wife the loveliest woman in all the kingdoms. I would put down a thousand gold pieces that there is none who can surpass her in looks. And perhaps none, male or female, who can compare to her intelligence. She sees more than I can with my little balls of vapor. She may not have the typical wisdom, but she has an innate sense of her surroundings."

"Is that the envy part, or the pity part?"

"The former. I miss my own wife very much, so I envy anyone who still has their love at their side."

"And the pity?"

"Ah yes. The pity. Well, that comes on the heels of..."

The ladies re-entered the room and Roland fell silent.

The princess seated herself, looked at me and then to her father.

"Did you tell him?"

"I was going to, but I think that since this involves you, the news should come from your mouth, not mine."

I put up my hands in a "I-give" sort of motion.

"News?"

Seraci stood.

"As of one second past midnight this night, I will reach my majority. I was born on the eight day of the eighth month, which is tomorrow. I will be sixteen years old and officially considered a queen."

Her tone was a mix of proudness and imperiousness.

I stood and applauded.

"Congratulations! You'll make an excellent queen."

"I believe that I will, thanks in no small part to you."

She pointed to an ornate gold clock on the mantle of the marble fireplace.

"It is one minute until the stroke of midnight. That is all the separates a child from an adult."

I wasn't certain that was realistically true, but in regards to royalty, I felt her statement was technically correct.

"You hardly look like a child anymore."

A blush came to her cheeks and she stammered her next words out.

"I...I'm glad you think so."

"You have become a truly beautiful lady."

My wife raised her glass and cried,

"Here, here!"

The clock chimed, and the princess got up, went to a desk to one side and removed a scroll. She gathered a quill pen and an ink bottle and brought them back to the table. He father eyed her as if questioning her designs. She nodded to him and the two exchanged no words. Something had been hashed out long ago. What is was, remained a mystery to me.

For about fifteen seconds.

She put the quill in the ink and with a flourish signed the paper and blotted it dry.

"There," she said with satisfaction. "It's official."

"What is?"

She smiled enigmatically.

"My first official act as a queen."

"Uh, ok. Why do it at such a late hour. Aren't those things normally done with court recorders and such?"

"Normally, yes. This one is special."

"And why do I get the feeling this has something to do with me?"

"Because it does."

"Might I request the contents of said document?"

"You will know soon enough. Do you recall your promise to me?"

I froze. I wasn't sure what promise that was."

"You may need to remind me."

For some reason my wife was grinning like a fool.

The princess stood and pulled a piece of crumbled paper from her pocket.

"I asked you once if you could make me beautiful; and you said that if I still wanted your services they would be mine come my sixteenth birthday? Do you recall saying that?"

I relaxed. What could she want? She had plenty of her own natural beauty.

"I do, and I stand by my words."

"Good. I have use of your services."

"In what manner? You look perfectly fine!"

"Do I?"

"Yes. Any man in his right mind would consider you as lovely as..."

I recalled who I was married to. I needed to choose my words wisely.

"...any man dare feel worthy of."

My wife smiled at my measured compliment.

I was unsure why.

The princess continued.

"Are you in your right mind?"

"Yes!"

"Then you stand by all of your statements, past and present?"

"I do!"

The king just shook his head in resignation. That made me even more wary.

"What is all this about?"

My tone had an edge to it.

Seraci motioned for me to come closer. I did as I was bidden.

"This is a proclamation making you the first consort to the queen. That, buy the way, would be me."

I stumbled back, holding tightly onto a chair.

"I can't be king!"

She smiled.

"No, you cannot. No one can. I am queen after my father transfers power. That may be a while and that is no bad thing. But the queen must have a consort, and I have chosen you."

"That's what I mean! You know I'm already married!"

"I do. I have had consultations upon the matter."

"Then you know I can't do it, not in good conscience. That's assuming that I even have that desire."

There was going to be an argument, but a delicate throat being cleared paused it.

"Princess, might I have a word with him? I told you this was going to happen."

It was my wife. She didn't sound upset. That rather irritated me.

"As you wish."

The woman I married turned to me.

"Please, before this turns ugly, can you follow me to our room? There are matters you should know about."

"You're damn right there are things I need to know about!"

I wasn't as much upset as I was confused. Something had been going on behind my back and I wanted to know what it was. I felt like a pawn being moved by both sides of the board.

She closed the door and before I could shout, she pointed to the toddler. She put her finger to her lips indicating I needed to keep it down.

"What the hell was all that?"

"Just what it appeared to be. Seraci has made you her first royal consort."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No!"

"She's in love with you."

Those were not words I wished to hear.

"She can't be."

"Why not?"

"Because I love you."

She kissed me sweetly.

"I know you do. And I love you. And she loves you. Has there ever been any sense in the world, much less with love?"

I sat down on the bed.

"But I'm married to you! I can't throw you over just because she thinks she can force me into something I don't want!"

"She would never force you. But you'll hurt her feelings terribly if you don't go through with it. There is much at stake here that you cannot see, and yes, I know it is because no one told you. There was no way around it until this last moment."

"Convince me," I said with cold stoniness.

"I think I will. You do recall that her father offered a great sum of money to anyone who could restore her?"

"Of course."

"You refused. She herself had a gift for you, but she knew you would not accept it. So she saved it until a time she believed that you might."

"She did? What is it?"

"Herself."

"What?"

"She told me back then that she promised herself she was going to marry anyone who could fix her broken form. In the end that was you. But you were already married and one look at me told her she had no chance. It nearly broke her heart."

"I didn't know. But why would she say a thing like that?"

"Because she was desperate. And in you, not only did she find her knight in shining armor, as the old tales say, she found a good man beneath that dazzling coat. And that has created a difficulty she cannot surmount."

"I don't see how."

"I know you don't and that's wherein lies the problem."

"You speak in riddles."

"Not really. You are a good and honorable man, the kind of man someone of her station thinks she deserves."

"Every woman deserves as much!"

"See. You make it so difficult on her. She will never find another like you Petro, because they are few and far between. She will find a prince, or a lordlet, or some other young man of her station, but he will never be you. She is asking you for your services; not the ones you meant but you did not fully specify at the time; and she is only requiring for them on this one day. Besides, you always keep your promises."

"That's low and dirty you know."

"You do like her don't you?"

"Dammit wife, this isn't funny."

"You are right. The confidence of a young girl is at stake, for how can you tell her she is lovely and then not carry through in a manner which proves it?"

"Am I to hold my tongue from now on to keep myself from uttering words that need nothing more to back them than my reputation?"

"Husband. You will always be that to me no matter what. Can you not find it in your heart to do this for her?"

"I'm not sure. I feel like I will be a thief, stealing that which is not rightfully mine."

"She wants you to have it; isn't that obvious?"

"It doesn't feel right."

"Let go of your feelings for me for now. Is she not worthy of the best?"

"Certainly."

"Then come to grips with the fact that you are it. She can't have you for her lifetime, but she has been given the chance to have you for at least one day. Will you deny her that?"

I found this situation unbearable. I was being asked to cheat on my wife; who I might add was promoting it like it was no significant matter; and I was being requested to bed the princess and yet, not carry through wholesomely as the act demanded. I would be sullying her, even if that was what she wanted of me. This was beyond the likes of me.

"You place me in an indelicate position. You knew ahead of time, didn't you?

"As I said. If you had known earlier, you would have worried yourself to a fray over it. I approve. Roland...accepts it. Seraci craves it. Can't you find it in your heart to acquiesce for one day?"

She held my head in her soft hands and kissed my forehead.

"I won't enjoy it," I said sullenly.

"But you must! You must put aside everything you presently are, and everything you know, and you must be a new person just for her. The same, but without baggage."

"You ask too much."

"Maybe I do. If you'll not do it for her, will you do it for me?"

I sat and mused; rather I fumed and I raged in silent perplexation. I was arguing against it, because she was ultimately correct. I did like the princess, and in that way, but I had already established my boundaries and I was unwilling to circumvent them. I wasn't going to throw away all I had built on the whim of a girl.

Love.

Wouldn't this just make it worse?

As I sat in quiet pondering, my wife went to the closet and withdrew something.

A suit.

In white.

I knew it was going to fit me perfectly.

I sighed.

"Only for this one day."

She leapt for joy.

"That is all she has expects of you."

I was dressed in the matter of fifteen minutes, and my wife kindly smoothed out the wrinkles, combed my hair and stood back, making a proper assessment.

"It suits you. Maybe I'll request that you keep it. I could use sweeping off of my feet from time to time.

I stood in front of a mirror. I did look the part, even if I didn't feel it inside. I wondered if the king ever felt this way; having to show one thing to the world, while being something totally opposite the rest of the time?

"Then I guess I should quit wasting her time. Are you coming?"

"I think I will remain behind. She has no delusions, but I find that if I were in her place, seeing you alone will ease her spirit, and make her upcoming experience all the more memorable."

"Then I will do my best to make both of you happy."

"You already have love, you already have."

I stepped out into the hallway. The chamber we had been placed in was not far for where we had dined, as I assume you construed. I stopped at the doors, gathered my head about me, and stopped once more. I had a sudden thought that made me smile. I nerved myself again and turned the handle, pulling back the door and stepping inside.

Her eyes lit up like wildfire.

Roland nodded, a sign he approved, though I felt it was of my appearance as opposed to what would be happening later. If I were her father, I know how I would feel about that.

"Queen Seraci. Your consort awaits."

She stood, grabbed the chair for support and stared at me.

"Petro. You look...regal."

"And you are the loveliest queen I have ever laid eyes upon."

It wasn't a lie. She was the only queen I had ever laid eyes upon, and she _was_beautiful. An artful dodging I suppose, but I was playing this carefully.

"Thank you. You are too kind."

Roland stood up.

"I find it germane to this situation that I leave, and it is getting late. I will allow you two your time together."

Seraci took my hand as he stepped up to us. He said nothing more, but kissed her on the cheek, shook my hand, and silently strode out the way I had come in.

I watched him leave. I had a thousand questions, but a quiet thought in my head told me to stifle each and every one of them. I was part of this and an important part, but for now, I had to assume a role that was not me. I had to be a lover. I could do that. I knew I could. But could I do it without messing it up? That was the real question.

I held her hands and pulled her around so that I could stare into her eyes. I knew those eyes, back when they were full of hope. They still were, but the reasons had changed. She was not a fool, and yet, love made one do foolish things.

For example, look at me.

"Would my queen care for a walk in the garden?"

"Your queen favors the idea, thought she feels you have wasted precious time already in making your decision."

"You point is valid. A day has in it twenty-four hours. Shall we say that this day starts now and ends in that precise amount of time?"

She nodded pleasantly.

"Your proposal is perfectly agreeable."

I let go of her and gave her my elbow, into which she slipped her arm. I hate to tell you how natural it felt. My mind immediately slipped back to my wife, but I relaxed and remembered my present position. I was consort to the queen.

We sat down in the alcove I remembered so well. I cudgeled my brain for the right things to say. I finally fell back on the subject matter which had never failed me.

The truth.

"My queen looks ravishing."

"You're just saying that because...'

I squeezed her hand.

"I am not prone to untruths. You are a lovely sight in your own right, and the fairest flower among all of them here in the garden."

In the light of the lamps I could she her blush, and a tear form in her eye.

"You speak as though you mean it."

"I do mean it."

"But..."

"But nothing. I offered my services without being precise in their nature, for I never knew you might have designs on me. But this is not about that, nor you making me a consort."

"Then what? What keeps you here?!"

"Nothing I care to admit to. I was asked if I liked you. I do. I like you well enough that I would never wish to cause you pain. I feel our presence together is ill advised, and yet here I am. Why? I wrestled with that dilemma. Because it would make you happy? Would you wish that at the price of my own happiness?"

She started to reply but I hushed her.

"I already know the answer. You thought I would refuse. But I cannot. I could not refuse someone I care about as much as I care for you. I made you whole; if I can add to your happiness, then that will please me to be part of such a wonderful, extraordinary, and supremely treasured moment."

Her tone was hushed.

"I would say your speech was rehearsed, but I know better. You mean what you say."

"I do. A gentleman may have feelings that he shows not to the world. Your father is my friend, and you are my friend, and...you know the other portion of this. I have always tried to be respectful of who you are."

"I am royalty..."

"You are just you. As your father showed me, we are all the same when it comes to our bodies, regards of our looks. What makes us special is what is inside, not the station to which we are born, or by some title thrust upon us."

"You do like me for who I am?"

"Yes. I found you remarkably adaptive, reading when you could no longer run and play. You honed yourself even if you failed to see it. You did not give that up when you could walk again. Your mind is sharp, your wit is clever, and you will make a fine ruler for this kingdom when the time comes."

"I would have given myself to you then, back when we first met."

"I would have refused outright."

"I know. You are noble. Almost too noble."

"Can a man be too noble?"

"The tales say no. I say otherwise."

I smiled and held her hand.

"I am no such thing. I am here tonight because I find that I need to be here. You invited me to be part of this and I know that I wanted to be right here for you. I have no right to it outside of your proposal, and while I wanted to feel outraged over it, it was only because I knew I deserved it not; yet I yearned for the chance."

"You would give over to your lusts?"

"No. I would give over to the love that holds sway over me."

Her fingers dug into mine.

"Petro..."

I squeezed back a little harder.

"Only this one day, you know that. We must make the best of it."

She moved so fast that I nearly was thrown off balance. She was heading up the walk back to the castle proper with me in tow.

"Then we are wasting time talking. We can talk anytime!"

We pelted up the stones to the door, into the foyer, up the stairs and through the room we had been seated in before. Her room was off to the other side, and she nearly caused me to fall she was moving so quickly. I felt giddy and joyous and I knew I had no right to those feelings but I didn't care. She felt the same way and for the span of a day, we could explore them before we each went back to our lives. Good lives, but lives where this should never happen again.

The door leading from the other hallway opened slowly as the echoes of the other faded. Roland stepped through followed by my wife just behind him. He was shaking his head as he talked.

"I never thought it would happen. Do you think it will work out for the best?"

"I have faith. Faith is what drives me."

"I will admit I did not, so you must have made up for my doubt."

"He is a good man. She is a good woman. Can I begrudge them one day together?"

"She will never find another like him."

"The world will never find another like him."

The king put his arm around her shoulder.

"Nor like you madam. I named you the Lady Salacit for a reason. It is not your looks, which I know to be fabricated; it was because you have a pure heart. If there were a goddess, I would like to think she would be like you."

She turned beet red.

"Your majesty!"

"Roland... I mean it. Considering all the horrid people I must allow to live in my city, you two...you three...are the gems in my crown. I would trade all my gold to have a city full of people like you. If everyone helped as willing as you do, I could see this place being the star of the ten kingdoms."

"Are you referring to today?"

"I am referring to every day. You forget I see beyond my walls."

"I do not forget."

"I look around when I travel as well. This city is old and yet, the signs of decay vanish under my nose. There can only be one reason for that. I do not think he is even aware that when he brushes his hand along a wall that the cracks seal up as though they never existed. And now, once more, he embarks on a voyage to restore my little girl, in a way he does not fathom."

She nodded.

"He may have come to understand that. Promises must be kept. They must come to terms with each other."

"Indeed, they must."

The king turned to face her.

"Would it be an impropriety to ask how he is?"

"Is, my lord?"

"In that way."

She wrinkled up her nose at him.

"I will only say this. She will be sore at the end of their time."

"You sound quite sure of that."

"I was after our first time together, though he knew it not. But then, parts seeing their proper use for the first time can be expected to feel...abused."

The king nodded in remembrance.

"My wife, rest her soul, said something akin to that. She told me that never after a day of riding horseback had she felt so bruised."

Tica snorted.

"He is no horse milord,"

The king roared with fits of laughter.

"Good lord, I should hope not or all the castle will know what is happening."

She put her finger to her lips.

"Shhhh! And you must contain your merriment or they will hear you!"

"Agreed, you good, kind lady. I will see you in the morn. I have arranged for the couple to receive their nourishment in her chambers. Her ladies know what is happening, but that is all. I would not call it a scandal, but I wish there to be no word of this outside of these walls. In the future, she will need to choose a husband and I wish for there to be no shadow overseeing that eventuality. It will be a hurdle just getting her to look at any, much less decide upon one."

"She will do what is necessary. And life has shown that love can spring up where you least expect it."

"We are witness to that. May that it finds her again."

"Amen milord. Amen."

This conversation was privy to those two only. The queen and her consort (that being me) were secreted in her chambers. She had locked the door and tossed the key on the nearby table.

Her face was flushed and her eyes glittered with a light that seemed to rise from within.

"I will require your services prior to utilizing them."

I made a bow.

"I am at your disposal."

"This gown. I can normally dress myself, but this one requires someone from behind to undo the buttons."

"As the lady wishes. I will undo you tonight, but I promise that I will make it right in the end."

"Funny man!" she chortled with light humor. "Just unhook each clasp until you get to my waist and then I can slip it off."

I unfastened the top one, running my fingers through her hair before moving to the next one. She sighed and shivered at my touch. I undid the next three, and pulling the material apart, I idly ran a finger over the expose skin.

She shivered again. This was faintly reminiscent of my wife, who I could not get out of my head despite my best efforts. There was something more raw and untamed here; a sense that her sexual energy was being scarcely contained. The woman I married was loving and caring and I could never have a single complaint against her, but Seraci was a coiled spring ready to burst forth from barely-restrained passion. They were two different women and I hated myself for loving both of them.

Life was freakishly unfair.

I worked the buttons down to the small of her back, but instead of allowing her to step out of it, I slid one shoulder down her arm, then the other, leaving it hanging there loosely. I leaned down and kissed her neck and brought my arms around to the front of her. I was hardly shocked to find her nipples stiff and sharp. She moaned and fell back against me. I caressed her front, remembering how undeveloped it was just three and a half short years ago. I could not imagine taking advantage of her back then. She had been a mere youngster.

She was no longer a child.

"Don't stop..."

"I've barely begun..."

I kissed her neck, from the nape across both shoulders, all the while rolling her nipples between my fingers. She arched back against me, consumed in my lover's embrace. The urge to finish removing the dress and throw her onto the bed was strong, but so was my desire to make this the best honeymoon there could ever be. I knew that I might be overreaching with that thought, but this was, essentially, what it was. A one day marriage of convenience that ended on the stroke of midnight. Or, in this case, at one twenty-six in the morning.

The clock was running but time stood still.

I ran my kisses down the middle of her back.

She nearly swooned.

I ran my hands down and slid the waist of her dress over the curve of her hips to allow it to hit the floor. She shook, not at my touch, but to facilitate its removal. I let go as she stepped free of it and turned to me.

The flat-chested, sickly, waifish little girl I first knew was no longer anything like her former self. She was statuesque, holding her body with pride, and what a body it was. Her pale skin was as sculpted over her frame as was Tica's, only I had little to do with it. She had grown into her womanhood all on her own. I had stepped in when nature had forsaken her and set her back on track.

"My love..." she said with a barely spoken whisper.

"...is yours" I replied, not knowing if that was a suitable response or not.

"My love is yours, and yours is mine. What that my bidding for this could be to make it for a lifetime."

"A sweet wish if there ever was one. We have today to act as lovers but our love will remain steadfast for the duration of our lives."

She pulled me close, her nimble fingers returning the favor by undoing the buttons on my shirt. One by one they fell to her agile hands until she reached my waistline. She tugged the shirt up, undid the remaining obstacles and moved behind me. With an adroit move perhaps practiced with the help of the valet, she pulled shirt and jacket off as one. I looked behind me to see her reaction,

She was admiringly me like a student of the arts might examine a finely chiseled figurine.

I turned and she twisted up her lip in expectation. She then got down on her knees to loosen the clasps on the trousers. She had them free in less time than it should, leading me to think there was a lot of preparation going into this day.

I would have had them off but we had rather forgotten the boots. For that matter, she had yet to kick off her shoes. We laughed at our nervous idiosyncrasies and got them off, and I finished by removing the pants and standing there, much as she had. We had nothing to hide from each other today.

"Am I what you pictured?"

"I believe you are, though now that I see you, I can't remember what my fantasies were like. You have driven out girlish dreams with masculine reality."

"Must you talk like that?"

She laughed.

"I'm not what I was once and you should know that. I have always had a propensity for learning. Will you teach me more?"

She drew back the coverlet to reveal white silk sheets. I knew she was queen and all, but it seemed a shame to ruin such finery. From under her pillow she removed a thick cotton pad. She winked as she laid in on the bed.

"I know you well enough to recognize that your pragmatic side would hate destroying such lovely fabric. Malinda was a dear and made this just for us."

"Am I that predictable?"

"In some matters, yes. In others; well that remains to be seen."

She climbed in with all the deftness of a practiced seductress. My wife was very good at those moves and they were eerily similar. In the back of my mind I recalled their close-knit discussion upon our arrival and the princess' subsequent disappearance with my wife and child. Someone had been teaching her in the ways of love-making and perhaps had been giving a few last-minute pointers.

She was an exceptionally gifted student with an equally talented teacher.

It was obvious that I was attracted to her, for my raging member had been at attention for some time. She handed me the pad and lifted her butt off the mattress while I slid it underneath. Such precautions had been unnecessary with Tica, for we had nature to conceal of the evidence for us. This was a situation that fell into a whole other realm.

Quite literally a realm.

She was going to be ruler one day.

She spread her legs in welcome and I positioned myself on top, propped up on my hands, looking down into her radiant countenance. Our lips met and danced in time to our heartbeats, which were picking up the tempo as we fell into love's embrace. Passion overflowed until neither of us could hold back.

"Are you ready my queen?"

"I have been for far too long."

With gentle force, I drove my member into her maidenhead. It was taut and unyielding, but only for a moment. She pulled me tightly and finished the job. I tore into her and she cried out, biting my shoulder and sinking her nails into my flesh as the pain rose, then ebbed. I knew blood would be flowing and that she was no longer the little girl I knew.

She had come to one of the milestones of being a woman.

I had a thousand words ready and none of them seemed suitable. I had learned that silence at the right times spoke greater volumes than ill-advised words. She wanted action and that was why I was here.

I lay on top of her for a moment, resting my weight on my elbows as I kissed her and kissed her and loved her. Her arms locked around my neck and she furiously; passionately, longingly tried to merge our bodies into one. I went to work, driving in and pulling out slowly at first, allowing her the chance to acclimate to the sudden intrusion into her most private of areas.

She tensed momentarily, holding more tightly, and kissing me with fierce longing, forcing herself to endure the discomfort. As the minutes passed, she relaxed, eventually falling back against the pillow and opening her eyes.

Her face was filled with contentment.

"I was told to expect that. I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart that you ignored my advances back then."

"To be honest, I was never sure what to make of them."

"Little girl crush on her older savior?"

"I suppose that sums it up. And I liked you very much, but was it because you were small and helpless?"

She kissed me.

"I don't know. I made a promise to give myself to whomever saved me from my condition. I didn't think it though very well and some of the men who tried fixing it were far too old and far too ugly."

"I am older than you."

"As is supposed to be. Though you are no older than my father was when he married mother."

"You are speaking of marriage..."

She kissed me again.

"I am speaking of others. I am no fool. I could no more take you from your wife than I could take sweets from a child. She is the kindest lady I know; and you are equally kind and that was my downfall. I truly thought I was never going to be saved, so my offer was never meant to be granted. Then you came along. Father had been following your progress, but was wary. Too many charlatans have passed through the gates. When his horse stumbled, and broke its leg, he felt he had no choice but to put it down. But he remembered you. What better time to find out if you were for real? After all, you had no cloak declaring you to be a wizard."

"I refused it as did your father, though I see we did it for different reasons."

"Yes. He knew he had nothing to lose. When you succeeded, I think his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He loves that horse, but he loves me infinitely more. He was not kidding about showering you with gold."

I took a moment to silence her with a kiss of my own.

"I accept payment when and where I feel it is deserved and can be afforded."

"But wasn't I deserving?"

I shove my hips into her, causing her to moan.

And to shut up.

"I was referring to me. I help all who are deserving. Taking money to do a thing that is decent and moral denigrates the act."

She sucked in a breath.

"You cheat."

"You talk too much."

"Hardly the words of an honorable man."

"They are the words, my sweet, of an honest man. We can talk later. You said as much."

"By then you will have driven every thought from my head."

"Good."

She tried to look offended, but I erased the look with action, driving her mind clear and my member deep inside. Truly, she felt only marginally snugger than Tica had before the birth of our child but I dwelt not upon that, but upon the fine soul with resided inside. Queen she might be, and myself nothing more than a common orphan, but in this moment we were merely lovers, entangled by fate and making the best of what life had given us.

We rested in each other's arms, she with her head on my chest, me with my arms engulfing her and holding her close.

"Thank you," she whispered to me.

"I would say you are welcome if I knew what I was being thanked for."

"For everything. For making me whole and tearing me asunder..."

She trailed off purposefully.

"Then no thanks are in order, for it was my pleasure to be there when you needed me."

She quite literally purred.

"I'm glad. Father said I was imposing on your good will."

"I had little chance to contemplate the repercussions. Love isn't about thinking though; it's about succumbing to emotion. I have had feelings for you for a long time."

She ran her hairs through my chest hairs.

"This is nice. Do you think I will ever feel this way again?"

"I hope so. You have every right to be happy."

"Hmmmmm. Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, I however, will decide if I'm going to answer it."

"Fair enough. We are both a mess, and I know this without looking. How did you and your wife deal with that?"

"We first made love during a torrential storm. Our bed was moss and our sheets were the driving rain."

"Ooooh, how romantic."

"It sounds that way now. I was never too keen on sleeping out-of-doors."

"But you weren't sleeping..."

"Good point. That one time I hardly noticed the inclemency of the weather."

She kissed my chest and pulled away.

"I believe that a cleanup is in order. We have no rain to make us unsoiled."

I watched her step gingerly to the floor, noting that she was; shall we say, showing evidence of our tryst. I knew that I was sporting just as much. She was still adorably erotic in the way she walked. I studied her stride, still finding it a miracle she could manage it even after the work I had accomplished.

Even now I still felt amazed at what I had wrought.

"Petro?"

I jerked my eyes upwards to her face as she turned. We locked eyes and I thought maybe she was going to be perturbed with my examination of her body.

"Malinda will not be with us until daylight, and I am at loss without my maid. Would you be a dear and help me to wash?"

"Cold water?"

She pointed to a kettle-like contraption by the fireplace.

"The water will still be warm. And I just need to feel freshened up after that wonderful...expression of love you gave me."

I rose and put a hand on the iron. It was lukewarm, doable if one worked quickly. A sponge and a towel lay on the stand nearby and soaking the former, I gently washed away the crimson stain that coated her midsection. She reveled in the feel as I took my time between her legs, until she nearly collapsed from the sensation. I finished by planting a kiss on each breast and handing her the freshly rinsed sponge.

With weak knees, she took the sponge from me, and with a naughty glance, got down on her knees and washed my privates, lingering over them for a long time. She rinsed and returned, carefully getting every possible hiding place there might have been. I knew what she was doing. This was her first experience with a man and she wanted to know what I had below the belt.

I would never have shown her had she not blossomed into this wonderful creature. She was young, younger than I was for my first time, but she had everything she needed to be called an adult. She lingered over her duty, and all the while I was feeling the blood rise in that region. If that was what she had planned on, then it was working out well.

"Might I touch it?' came the quiet voice.

"I believe you are."

"No, not like that. I mean, can I feel what it's like?"

"I believe you have."

My tone was bland but my irony was not lost.

"Not like this or like that," she answered back, saucily.

"I would be honored."

What I ended up being was surprised, shocked, and totally taken aback. She rubbed her fingers across my shaft, which was back in fighting form, and caressed it with upmost care. That was hardly different than the gentle hands of my wife. It was when she slipped it a kiss that was followed by her sucking it in that I was...well alarmed is not the right word...but I was amazed that she would do such a thing.

I liked it. But where did she learn such scandalous behavior?

Her oral ministrations last only a short while. She got to her feet, a sly look on her face.

"Did you like it?"

"Yes. But how comes a princess into knowing of such a thing?"

She went to the bed, removed the evidence of her ruptured hymen and tossed the pillows up against the headboard.

"Get up here darling. I have something to show you."

The shock of the first surprise was wearing off. I could hardly guess what this one was going to be.

She went to her desk, rolled opened the top and pulled out a book. I was not surprised that she would have reading material, but what sort of tome would contain information on sex? At school we had books covering anatomy, but the details surrounding the reproductive system were sparse. As one master said it, "prudery still reigns in this age of enlightenment."

The one she brought to the bed was bound in faded red leather. The decoration on the outside depicted two lovers entwined as one. The title was not immediately legible, but I knew the script when I saw it. I rather doubted Seraci was versed in Caprese.

She climbed in next to me, turning up the bedside lamp as she did. The flickering glow became brighter. She flipped open the pages and stopped on one that had an illustration.

It showed a man standing and a woman on her knees, doing just what the queen had done.

"See. I have this book. Malinda knew about it in the castle library. She stole it for me."

"Surely the queen need only ask?"

"For this? Father would have killed me. But I cannot understand it. I have to go by the drawings."

"This is called Flollel's Compendium of Sexual Arts."

"You can read it?"

"Some of the spell books are in Caprese, so I had to learn it."

"Will you read some of it to me?"

"Why?"

"Because some of the diagrams in it look fascinating. And to be honest, I want to know what I like and don't like before I have to settle on second best."

She leaned into me. I flipped through the pages, trying not to feel shamed at some of the graphic images.

"There is a lot in this. We could use up the rest of our time just going over it from the beginning. Maybe you have something in mind?"

She suddenly looked timid.

"There is one thing I have found to be...unusual. I talked to Malinda about, forcing her to complete secrecy. It's on page two hundred and thirty-four."

I rummaged through the pages until I arrived at that one. I looked at the illustration, then looked a little more intently. I silently read the first paragraph before reading it aloud.

"For the daring couple or those wishing to preserve a woman's sanctity, there are other methods one can try. Whether she be on her back, with her legs pointing to heaven, or on her side, as mentioned before, or prostrate upon her belly, all positions are compatible with performing anal penetration."

She was blushing. It didn't keep her from talking though.

"Is such a thing possible?"

"Possible? Yes. But why?"

Her head scrunched down into her shoulders.

"I don't know. For some reason that makes me...wet inside. Like thinking about you. And thinking about you doing me like this is almost too much."

"Sounds like it might be uncomfortable."

"Malinda says she heard that using cholla oil makes it much easier."

I twisted up my mouth with mild amusement.

"And does Malinda know firsthand?"

Seraci snuggled down closer to me.

"She tried it just for me."

"And."

"She said that oil is the only way to go. She said the first time was horrid, but that they have perfected it now."

"They? Wait, I don't really want to know. But it works?"

"Yes."

"Then as my queen wishes to experiment, who am I to deny her? Uh, do you have the oil as the book prescribes?"

She was out of the bed in a shot, back to her desk. She pulled open a drawer and pulled out a small bottle and returned to her place beside me.

"Lavender scented. Malinda purchased it for me from the herbalist on Cather Alley. She told him it was for massaging sore muscles."

I held the bottle, removed the cork and applied it under my nose, much like a sommelier. I had been new to such things three years ago."

"Pleasant..."

I tipped the bottle to put some on a finger. I rolled it and my thumb together.

"...and slippery."

"So can we?"

"I would think you'll be taking the brunt of it. Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm not sure. But if I'm ever going to try it, I could trust no one to do it right except for you."

"Intriguing proposal. I had never considered anything this exotic with my wife."

"You'll do it then?"

"As you wish."

"How should I be?" she asked, wondering which position to assume.

"Why just one?"

Her eyes went wide.

"Could we really do them all?"

"I don't see why not. Start on your stomach perhaps?"

She rolled like a wave on the shoreline. My manhood had withered not an inch during all of this. In fact, it may very well have gotten harder.

I assumed a position on top of her legs, poured some of the bottle's contents into my hands and started at her shoulders. She groaned in disappointment for a moment until my hands kneaded her muscles and worked the oil into her skin. She relaxed as I massage her all the way to those perfect, pale buttocks. I emptied a little more into my hands and ran them over those superbly sculpted mounds, working in the oil with care. I would sporadically allow my fingers to slip down into the space between them and see what kind of reaction it elicited.

She moaned lightly as I ran my finger over her firmly puckered hole. This was as novel for me as it was for her. I decanted a bit of the oil onto the small of her back and worked a dab onto my thumb. Running it down to my intended target, I swirled it around, lubricating it and hopefully relaxing it.

I had read that in the manual, though I said nothing to her about it. Everything I had gleaned made sense, except the act itself. I was nothing if I not a dutiful lover, and what the lady requested, the lady received.

I positioned myself with my member resting in the space between her buttocks and I dribbled more oil over it in suitable quantities. I corked the bottle solidly and placed it under a pillow for safe keeping. Placing my hands on her shoulder blades, I moved a little, and then placed them next to her on the mattress. With a slow, steady motion, I slid myself up and down, allowing the oil to do its work. After a moment of this, I sat up a little, guided the head to her hole and pushed.

She jumped just a little as I drove it in. I didn't blame her. I was ready to retreat if she cried out. Whether from sheer determination or actual acceptance, she remained quiet. I lowered myself down upon her, propped a little on my arms, and whispered in her ear,

"Well?"

I could feel her muscles tighten up around my shaft.

"Let's find out. Gently please...."

I moved my hips, finding the tautness of the hole to be very different from the other. This was something I was going to like, but not at the cost of pain to her. I slid my entire body upwards, sliding back down, the oil still slick enough on her skin to ease the movement. Her buttocks were firm mounds that felt incredibly erotic, and I had my nose buried in her hair, which was fragment enough to nearly mask the lavender aroma from the oil.

I grew more intrepid, pushing in deeper and deeper with each pass until I knew I was stretching her wider than she had ever been before. I nearly unloaded my loins early on, but as before, I was determined to make this last.

She dug her fingers into the sheets, her head pressed into the pillow. Since I was receiving no indication to stop, I carried on, more than happy to learn a new technique. I knew I was enjoying this, and I figured after a little while I would have her shift and we would carry on from a different position.

She was clenching up, making my rod feel even better. I hoped that if this was getting to be too much, she would let me know.

Her cries startled me into nearly pulling out.

She managed to spit out the words, "Don't. Don't stop!" just in time.

I hadn't realized she was engulfed in an orgasm. I found it difficult to believe that stimulating the anus could produce such results, but for her it obviously did. I slammed it back in and pumped away while her muted cries echoed around the room. It took all of my willpower not to join her in her ecstasy.

As she rode the downhill side of her climax, I slowed down my thrusts, until she finally quit shaking and was left gasping for air.

"Ready to change positions?"

She sucked in air before answering.

"Can you do it without slipping out?"

"Maybe."

I moved one of her legs to the side, straddled the other, and helped her to roll a bit. She was in a semi-fetal position, with one leg down and the other bent.

And I was still inside.

"Ready?"

She stuffed a bit of pillow in her mouth and nodded.

That was hardly reassuring.

As before, I started slowly, working up to longer and deeper strokes. This novel method intrigued me, and I was having thoughts already of trying this with someone else. I drove that from my mind to fully concentrate on the love at hand.

She didn't last five minutes before she was over the top again.

As before, I allowed her to regain her senses. I was still as stiff as an oak, and the barrage of contractions was making it difficult for me not to blow.

"The third?"

"If I die, I will die happy."

This time I had to pull out, which I did very slowly. Her hole was still confused by what was happening to it, and convulsing spasmodically. She groaned and yipped, but dutifully rolled onto her back.

She was quite the sight. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was in disarray, and her eyes were partially glazed over, but still capable of seeing. Still there was a decided stare to them. I picked her up by her ankles, pushed her legs forward, and positioned myself again.

With a sharp push, I was in. Her eyes went wide and she arched her back before settling down to rest on the mattress. I pushed her legs forward in a manner, which coming to me as a flashback, I knew she could never have tolerated three and a half years ago. Not that I would have even thought of doing this back then, but still. I was amazed at the transformation that she had undergone; from the recovery from her affliction to what time did naturally.

There was something a little tantalizing about doing it this way. I felt as though I had control over her, grasping her legs the way I was. It was kinky, and it was naughty, and I hoped I would last it out, because I was teetering on the brink of blowing. This was just more than I had hoped for, or could have even imagined just the day before.

I drove it home, pounding her until her eyes clenched shut, and then in a full reversal came open as wide as they would go. I allowed myself more leeway than I meant and cut loose on her with a fury of fierce pumping as my body refused to obey my mind any longer. I filled her up in a place where my fluids should never have been and I found it absolutely wonderful.

Her cries were comingled with my groans and we fell together in a heap.

That lasted barely a moment when she pulled against me. I thought she was in distress and pushed up and off her. She sprung up, grabbed me, and threw me down on the bed, to occupy the spot she had just vacated. Her eyes were a bit wild and her mouth was twitching.

"Seraci?"

"The book showed three. I can think of a fourth."

Without detailing what she meant, she mounted me, and while my member was slightly losing rigidity, she grabbed it, lined it up and pushed herself down over it. She sucked in a breath as she did and sank down until she rested against me.

I could feel the blood reversing course and entering my organ again.

She leaned down and planted her mouth on mine. She kissed me with such aggressive force that I felt as though she were trying to suck the life out of me. I responded in kind until I thought our mouths were going to merge together. Her legs lifted her bottom up and slammed it back down far more violently that anything I had done.

I slipped my hands free and brought them over her belly, moving when I could, until they reached her crotch. There was a little spot there that my loving wife loved me to work over, and I was wondering what would happen if I rubbed it for Seraci.

It unleashed a wildcat, that's what it did.

She sat up and rocked like a mountain in the throes of an earth-tremor. She placed her hands over mine and pressed them down with a strength I would ever have guessed those arms could produce. I rubbed that nub until I thought that I was going to cause a blister.

With a scream that had to have woken the entire castle staff, she had one more orgasm that sent her over the edge of sanity and into a realm not previously explored by the likes of her. She fell on top of me and clawed fitfully at the sheets. I came undone from her and that was alright, for I wasn't sure I had much left to give. Even if I did, I was aware that she might not be in a state to deal with any additional stimulation.

She was a twitching, jittery mess. Her lungs gasped air in fitful bursts and her throat was making sounds that were akin to sobs. But damned if she didn't move herself to put me back in, this time going for the proper hole. I wasn't sure that was wise, but I didn't stop her.

She didn't do much more than that, so I brought up my knees, pushed her forward a little, and went back to taking an active lead in our tryst. She clung to me for dear life as I plowed into her yet again, this time not stopping until I came for the third time.

And that was it.

We fell fast asleep.

I awoke to a few things. The first was bright sunlight in my eyes. Secondly, black hair flowed across my chest and was tickling my nose. That made my stomach tighten for a moment because I was used to red hair. Then I remembered my present location.

The palace and the bed of the queen.

I stretched a little, finding that a few of my muscle groups were complaining about the strenuous activity I had just put them through. The shifting was enough to wake Seraci, who clawed lightly at my skin and purred.

"It wasn't a dream then."

"Dream? My dreams could never be so vivid!"

A third voice chimed in.

"Good morning my lady. My lord."

I sat up with preternatural speed.

It was the maid. She did a little curtsey and a bow. That gave me time to gather my disarranged wits and cover my exposed bits.

"My title is master Malinda."

"I'm very sorry sir, but yesterday I could call you master, and tomorrow I can call you master, but for today you are to be called lord."

Seraci sat up, unabashed by her nakedness or her dishabille.

"She is correct and as a member of the palace staff, she knows about your present title. You will accept it for this day, whether you like it or not."

Malinda was gazing at her mistress with open curiosity.

"Was he everything you hoped for my lady?"

"All of it and more."

The maid eyed me. I think she was trying to ascertain what I had hidden under the covers.

"Even the..."

"Even that."

"I see."

I wondered if she did. But since she brought food and refreshments, I found little ill will towards her nosiness. I suppose she and the queen had been confidents for years, and what business was it of mine what they discussed? Then again, I was what they would be discussing, so maybe I had a personal stake in it.

"Do you?" I asked.

"Begging your pardon my lord, but I do. If I may speak freely?"

"You may."

"You see my lord, my little princess is all grown up as of today. I've been with her since she was a wee infant, and I love her like my own child. When the disease took her mother and nearly did the same for her, I was devastated. During those times when her father had physicians and mages look in on her, I was there by her side. Only with you was I not there, for the king felt that my dear needed to meet you alone. I felt I was letting her down. Thank you for proving me wrong."

"You are welcome. It was the least I could do."

"You are a good man my lord. Maybe not good enough for my little Seraci, but a good man nonetheless."

"Is that so? Pray tell, why might I not be good enough?"

"Because my lord, you are already spoken for. I tried to tell her that."

The queen spoke up in her own defense.

"I knew that! How could I not? But I had made a promise to give myself to the man who healed me. And I have now fulfilled that promise."

"But my lady..."

"Malinda..." came the queen's warning tone.

"My lady, I fault you not on your choice, but we all know that nothing can come by this. When the time comes you will have to choose a husband of royal lineage. And Master Petro...Lord Petro does not qualify. Your children must be of royal blood."

The queen was not as perturbed as I thought she might prove to be.

"I am of royal blood, so if I were to have any children they would be so automatically. Promises were made. Promises will be kept. Now, go! I have far too few precious hours left of this day and I will not banter words with you over my morality, or your view that I lack it. Be gone!"

The maid turned and did as she was bidden.

"She loves you..." I said softly.

"She does. Maybe too much. She took over as my mother, and she sees what I am doing as something...unfit for my station."

"She may be right. I did not have time to think of the possibility of us having a child from this."

"I am aware of my responsibilities. I am aware I made a promise to myself and I am fulfilling it this day. I am not a love-struck fool Petro. I am a fool, and I am love-struck, but I understand where I am in that mess. As it is, I am past my present cycle. There is no danger of pregnancy."

"And where am I in all of this? I have had feelings for you since I met you, though back then I kept them as subdued as possible."

"Yes, with you married and all to the most ravishing lady this kingdom has ever seen!"

I fell silent.

She did not.

"You are a rarity my dear, dear lover. You love another who is far superior to me in every way. Why do you waste your emotions on the likes of me?"

"Waste them? Love is never wasted!"

"Oh, I think it can be. Look at us, what fools we are. I fell for you because I had to. Then I wanted to. And then I just knew I was in love. And you; you seemed to like me too. I would have given you all this then, though I knew not what that would have meant. It was far better waiting. I grew up, I filled out and I became ready to accept what a man has to give. I have yet to regret a moment of the time I have spent with you this day."

I kissed her cheek.

"Nor I."

"And yet, like all good things, it will end too soon."

"Yes, it will. But we both know that it is for the best."

"The best? I would prefer to argue with you on that point, but I have thought it over and over in my head and I can only come to the same conclusion. I will never again be as happy as I am on this day. You took my heart and therefore, it seemed only fitting that you have the trappings that go with it."

"And what of me? I was told long ago that you could only love one person."

She smiled warmly.

"As was I. And yet I know you love your wife, and you love your child, and you love my father, for he lives because of your love for him. And so then, you can love me as well. Is it really all that outlandish?"

"Yes. Why is life this way?"

She snuggled down close.

"Ours is not to wonder why, ours is to live and die, and in the tender moments we verily share, knowing of love, heartache, joy and care; and when we reach the end of days, when all the words have been duly spoken, we clutch to each other in one last stand, and in defiance say; Death will come and I will say, you may take me on this day, and still I shall find a way, for my love will forever stay!"

I nodded, knowing the passage by heart, as apparently, she did as well.

"From Varracci's Compella."

"Yes! I don't think that will ever apply to me. To you however light may shine brightly on your life."

"It already has. Could another man be so fated as to love two more extraordinary women as I do?"

"You know Petro, you are too damnably noble for words."

"Not too noble."

"Hmmm. Maybe not. You are here, dallying with another woman while your wife and babe wait in the sidelines."

That stung a little too sharply.

"Then why did you force this onto me?"

"Would you believe me if I said I had been willing to let it go?"

"I don't follow you."

"I am an honorable lady Petro. I would never attempt to take that which I have no right to. I have no right to you, not even for this one day. You saved my life and yet I wanted more from you. Someone seems to have noticed, even if you acted like you never did."

"Tica?"

"The Lady Salacit. Yes. She is a very unusual person with unusually perceptive notions, worthy of a woman you made to look like the of the Goddess of Life."

"I have noticed."

"She seemed to understand how I felt. She also understood how you felt. So I asked her how she felt."

"And?"

"She did not give me the answer I was expecting. That is all I will say."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you married her and you know her ways better than anyone else. No one will ever fault you for how you transformed her, for it seems that it was driven from within. She could have taken up with anyone she wanted. And she did. She loves you beyond the mere, bland words of poets."

There was the briefest of pauses before she spoke again.

"As do I."

"And what am I to do?"

"You are doing it. You are giving over to a little girl's wish to give herself to her hero. You are being the best consort a queen could ask for, even if that can only be for one day. You listen and you care and..." she grew weepy, "...if I keep talking I am going to cry and I don't want to spoil this for any reason."

I held onto her and hugged her until our stomachs growled, when we gave over to other earthly delights.

I could go into detail for the rest of the day's activities, and I am sure you would find it entertaining, though not as much as we did. Explorations were made into her book of sensual pleasures, and as I could read and decipher it, she was acutely interested in trying some of the many positions for their "aesthetic" value. I snorted and gave in, knowing that any art to be derived from it were within the illustrations alone.

What she wanted was action.

And it does not go well when one stymies the designs of a queen. Needless to say, we were contorted, entwined and largely oblivious to the outside world for the remainder of the day. Come nightfall again, we were exhausted to the point of insensibility. Wrapped up in each other's arms, we talked and touched and sighed, knowing that soon it would be over.

As a final gesture, I opened the oil and I massage her body, starting from the neck and making my way down her back to her buttocks. She sighed as I worked over the muscles in much the same manner as when I had first cured her. This was far different and yet, I suppose, it was much the same. We had both grown, though the physical difference was far more evident in her.

Once I finished her back side, I woke her from her slumber to have her roll over. I again started at the top, and as I caressed and massaged those lovely breasts, easing my way ever lower, I kissed her one last time. She responded dreamily.

"I love you."

"I love you too. After this wonderful day, I don't think you'll ever be the way you were before we started."

"That is no bad thing."

"No, I suppose not. Still, I think you deserve more."

"Deserve? I don't know if I could take more."

"Then I will leave you with a token of my affection."

I worked the oil in, moving down the that patch of fine black hair. With practiced care, I wove my fingers through it, and then to that bit of flesh that lay hidden beneath. I worked over that pink protuberance until she cried out and fell back in the bed with a faint. I worked a little while longer, completing my mission and tucking her in for the rest of the night.

I gathered my clothes and slipped out, a thief leaving the scene of his crime, and returning to my own wife, where I knew I belonged. It had been a day I would never have dreamt of occurring, not even in my wildest imaginings.

My lady was awake, knowing that, running true to the letter of the decree, I would return after my duties were over. She said nothing, and I was unclear what I could say that would be pertinent. She lay her head on my shoulder, one arm behind me, and she hummed a little song that was sweet and yet haunting.

I draped an arm over her shoulder, and leaned in to give her a kiss. And we fell asleep sitting upright until the morning birds woke us with an entirely different song,

Even then, there was little say. I had a feeling there would be long words at home, but under the roof of the king, we remained civil. I loved her...

...I just wasn't certain how I was feeling about that specific emotion right now.

As sunrise was illuminating the east side of the castle, we wandered to the hall early on, only to discover the king already seated, drinking tea, and looking as if he were expecting great news. I wasn't going to say a word about what happened the night before, and certainly not to the king. If Seraci decided to open her mouth, then that was her business.

He seemed to understand the complexity of the situation, and waved us to be seated.

"May the blessing of this morning be with you."

"And to you...Roland."

"Thank you. I was surprised to see you up this early. Nothing is happening until this afternoon."

A servant poured tea for us.

"Afternoon? What happens this afternoon?"

I receive a bump against my elbow before she spoke.

"The queen is presented to her people. She is no longer a princess, but in line to be the rightful ruler of the kingdom."

The king nodded sagely.

"As she says. My daughter will follow in my footsteps when the time comes. I only hope she can find a man that she can love as much as she does you and...."

We were distracted by a commotion in the hallway, on the other side of the doorway. The voice sounded distinctly like that of Malinda, and she both shouting and pleading at the same time. The doors burst open to reveal Seraci, followed by a very distressed maid.

The queen looked very...unqueenly.

She carried a roll of cloth, and from the look on her face, a very formidable grudge.

"You!"

I sipped my tea slowly. I didn't think it would have come so quickly on the heels of our dalliance, but it was going to come eventually. It was a storm that required a need to weather through it regardless of when it appeared on the horizon.

"Good morning Queen Seraci." I said blandly

"Don't you good morning me! You...you...you...you man you! You awful, horrid thing!"

She punctuated her ire with a foot stamp and a screech.

The king had stood up and was staring in dismay at his daughter. While her behavior was obviously part of this, the fact that the robe she had on opened to the front and it was not secured was likely the latter part of it. As she raged and fumed, her body was on display for all present to see.

I liked it.

"Daughter! Get a hold of yourself. And for the sake of modesty, close up your gown!"

Malinda was feverishly trying to do just that.

"Never mind that!" she spat at the king and her maid. She turned to me.

"Oh, you think you're so clever, don't you?"

"Have I failed to deliver on a promise?"

"No...you...did...not."

Her tone went from hot to icy. The room even felt like it dropped a few degrees.

"Then why, pray tell, are you angry with me?"

"You know damned well why I'm angry."

"I do not. If I have kept all of the promises I have made, then you should be happy with the services I have provided."

"You...charlatan! You said that you loved me..."

"And I do. Did I show you otherwise? Have I shown you disrespect?"

Her body was less tense, showing that a little well thought logic was working. I only wished to defuse what I knew was going to be a touchy subject.

"Yes you did!"

"How?"

She flung the roll of material at me. I knew what it was. I left it unfurled lest the matter fall further into a distasteful display.

"You did this and then you took it back!"

Everyone but the two of us looked confused. My wife was the first to ask.

"He took what from you?"

"The experience. He ruined it!"

I knew of what she spoke, and I had rather wished she hadn't found out so quickly. I can only imagine what she had done to discover it.

Tica turned to me.

"Do you know what she is livid about?"

"Nothing that deserves so much drama. I told you I felt like a thief. This thief stole that which he felt he had no right to, and when he was finished, he put it back."

My wife's eyes went huge.

"Tell me you didn't!"

Seraci's nose flared.

"He did!"

The king was still confused.

"He put what back?"

"My maidenhead. He is such a noble man that he put it back!"

All eyes were on me.

"I said as much before we started. Maybe I meant it differently than she thought I did. I seem to recall something about offering my services. I believe I meant in changing her face, but it was taken more broadly. So, in the end, I would say we are even."

She started to turn red on the face and before she could storm out, I maneuvered to block the doors.

"Will my queen walk with me so that we may have a civil discourse, far from prying eyes and ears?"

Her nostrils were still flaring as she heaved in breath after breath.

"I hate you," she said coldly.

"I very much doubt that. Shall we retire to your room and discuss this like adults?"

"We shall do no such thing..."

She caught the glimmer in my eye.

"Fine! You had better prove to me that you are most contrite!"

Tea was stone cold when we returned. However, Seraci was dressed and furthermore, she was pleasant and apologetic about her earlier outburst, her cheeks red and her look nearly sheepish..

I took a seat next to my wife again, and she put a hand on my knee.

"Whatever did you say to her?"

"What she needed to hear."

"I see. Then it's to remain a mystery?".

"I think it is best. I have a thousand questions as it is, and I know you'll not answer most of them."

"Regardless, I am glad that you have come to an understanding."

She sniffed the air for a moment as the servants brought in food. I smelled sweet meats, bread and fruits and an assortment of delicacies. It was a sumptuous feast and one to be fully enjoyed. I said as much.

My wife? All she could find to say was;

"Why do I suddenly smell lavender again?"