Matters of state

"Please comeback soon." Mara's green eyes blink in the soft light of the tent, "Sara here is still afraid she'll be grabbed by the men from the United Armies that are here for the games." There's no chance of that, but Mara continues softly. "We don't want to be auctioned off like prizes brought to Athenapolis in chains. Not naked, not in front of all those men."

"That's not going to happen. You're safe now, you have my word." Although you doubt anyone would dare enter your tent in the middle of your camp, the sisters may feel safer with guards. You send for a pair of female warriors to stand out in front and then turn back to the pair with a polite bow. "Forgive us for leaving so suddenly. I've arranged have two female guards come make sure that you come to no harm." The decision is rewarded with two brilliant smiles.

"Thank you, your Majesty." As you leave Galeon steps to your side.

"Why the guards, Sire?" He asks carefully "Are these two in danger, or are they a threat?"

"Perhaps both, my friend, but it's really more for their peace of mind than anything else." After a moment's thought, you lay your hand on his broad shoulder. "Maybe they're right though. Add more patrols, I don't want anyone creeping about my camp while we're all at the games."

"Ok," the former slave nods somberly, "What about the other envoys what do I tell them if they ask what's happening?"

"The Heliopolis envoy is Lord Minos, Galeon." You see your man's toothy smile when he hears Lord Minos will be arriving. "He will ask about his cousin and your kids, so there should be no problem talking to your cousin-in-law. At the moment you are eager to be alone with Alexia once again, she's given no sign that she is reconsidering your offer, but you are optimistic.

Alexia leads you on a meandering walk that takes you by the camps of both the Athenapolis representatives and the tents from the United Armies. Speaking all the while about possible diplomatic tactics to take with key figures from both sides. You however are a poor student as you are distracted too often by the memory of her soft moans and way her legs wrapped around your hips. Finally, she ends the frustrating tour, in front of her tent and as you were hoping she invites you in to talk in private. If she would just agree to be open about your relationship, you could have come straight here. You're not sure why she is so reluctant. A public relationship would make all this subterfuge unnecessary, besides, in a camp like yours swarming with people, it is impossible to not be noticed by at least some of your troops wherever you go.

"Ok, Alexia. We're alone now, what's on your mind?" By Zeus himself you hope Alexia has brought you here to resume where you left off this morning. Even if she refuses to become your queen, you're not sure you can play this game for much longer without sweeping the beautiful woman into your arms and taking her all over again. Unfortunately, that is not at all why you are alone with her in her tent.

"I've been thinking about what those girls were telling us about Lady Sabella." You are unused to seeing your normally competent spymaster unsure about anything. It could be that since the siege began none of her contacts within the Citadel have been communicating, but it could also be that she is not as unaffected by you as she pretends. "Could the Regent be uncertain enough about holding the Citadel that he spirited his daughter off to safety? I remember reading a report about a Rider wing breaking through the perimeter about a week ago, my guess is that they carried Lady Sabella and one or two other lucky maidens to a safe place to wait out the siege." That is, ironically, exactly what you want to do with this stubborn

"Why would he do that?" You ask something about doesn't pass the smell test. "Surely she'd be safer in the Citadel where he could protect her."

After a pause, Alexia shrugs, sharing with you what little she knows about the Regent's daughter. "She is said to be beautiful; tall, fair-skinned with long blonde hair and lush womanly curves. She is certainly a prize the slavers would be interested in getting their hands on. Even if she weren't the daughter of the Regent."

You clench your fists as you are reminded of the fate of the innocent women of Athenapolis and the villainy of the slaver's guild. For some reason you can't help comparing the princess described by your spymaster to the grimy-faced flat-chested Sandrine with her dark ragged hair. Knowing that both these young women, as different as they are, will face the same fate makes you want to slaughter every single one of the gold-robed bastards and the men who flock to the auctions after the fall of a city eager to buy the thousands of blameless young women captured by the conquering forces.

Remembering the fire in Sandrine's eyes as she stood over the dying mercenary with a bloody gladius in her fist you shake your head again. You almost feel sorry for the poor man who buys that spitfire, and then make a mental note to make sure that no man ever gets that chance.

"I doubt it." You tell Alexia, "It sounded to me that no one, not even the Regent himself knows what happened to this Lady Sabella. My guess is that she ran off with a lover her father did not approve of. Maybe even that minstrel of hers?"

"Let me look into it some more, Bruce." Alexia is not put off by your alternative hypothesis, your gut feelings have been right too often for her to ignore them. "It was too late for them to flee the city, but maybe this lover of hers thinks he can hide her somewhere." She shrugs "Good luck to them, they'll find it's harder to disguise who you really are than how you look, Sire."

You have more important things to worry about than the fate of a missing princess of Athenapolis, even if she is beautiful and the daughter of the most powerful man in the city. You step a little closer to Alexia, not wanting to push her too hard but not wanting to pass up an opportunity like this if you don't have to.