Yes!

In some distant, purely rational corner of your mind, perhaps there is a fleeting thought that even though time is short, it is best to give Liesel what she wants so that she will willingly do her part. Such a cold though barely has time to form, however, before it is drowned by the rush of desire she inspires. The day has been a nearly constant barrage of tensions, and even making love to her for the first time in the woods, you felt it impossible to give in to her completely and forget that you might be ambushed at any moment. Now, she is in your bedchamber... and though you have only a moment to be alone together, it is a moment in which you can put your troubles and cares aside and simply revel in this beautiful woman.

She steps back so that she might let her gown fall from her shoulders, revealing alabaster breasts with pale pink tips that harden invitingly. When you look up from them, she smiles softly.

"Why does it excite me so when you stare at me with such hunger?" she asks. "From any other man, such a gaze would feel invasive, unwelcome... but your eyes make me feel beautiful and desirable. I felt it also when I shed my tunic by the fire, among the Druid's stones. Though you did your best to look only into my eyes, I saw that they lowered to see my body from time to time, and even in that tense moment I felt the thrill I do now! I wonder if this would entice you even more?"

Liesel retreats back to the bed and opens her legs wide, giving you a view of her swollen sex... and her breathing quickens as she becomes more excited by her own daring, and as she sees the effect her display has upon you.

"You are rising before my very eyes," she whispers, "and I am doing this to you! Oh, I want you inside me now!"

It was only a few hours ago that you last felt Liesel's body beneath you and gave her your essence, but she makes you feel as ready as a man who has been denied for weeks on end. She reclines as you approach, accepting you into her embrace, and the tip of your fully-hardened shaft finds her opening as if guided there. Through the fog of lust, you remember that she was a still a virgin when she awakened upon this very day, and so you penetrate her slowly, not wanting to cause her hurt.

"Oh, Almighty God!" she exclaims as you enter her. "How... how can it feel even better than before?"

"Because you no longer feel any fear," you are able to say, "neither that it will hurt, nor of your own desires."

"My desires are for you!" Liesel arches her back and pulls you deeper into her, moaning as she does. "Mmm... I want you to show me all the ways I can feel this pleasure... but now, please, give to me again the feeling you gave me under the trees!"

You begin to move in and out of her, slowly at first, then more vigorously as she shows that she can take you all the way into her without pain. Her legs wrap around you and pull you tighter with each thrust, until finally she holds you to her with such **** that you can no longer withdraw... but you have done enough to make her climax, and your own release comes at the same moment.

It is several minutes before either of you can speak.

"I never knew I was dying of thirst until I tasted this wine," Liesel whispers at last. "And now, I want to become drunk upon it every night."

Every night, you think to yourself... and then suddenly, you can see a future in which you may give her exactly that, because Liesel wears the crown of a Queen - not of Bavaria, but of Elyssia. And why not? She is a princess, by name and birthright, and no one could argue with her worthiness to be the bride of a King. And, though you have known her only a little more than a day, you can already feel the stirring of feelings for her which you have felt for no one else. But, is it something you have any right to ask of her? Certainly, this is not the time!

"Yes, what little time we had is gone," she sighs, misinterpreting the look upon your face. "But, you have given me the courage I sought... I feel now that I could conquer the Warlord's entire army with only my bow and a single quiver. Oh, Xavier... someday, perhaps we will make love and then hold each other through the night!"

"We will forgo the formalities," you say as you enter the council chamber, where your advisors are gathered. Liesel comes in beside you, and Captain Navarre gallantly gives up his seat for her. "General, please speak."

"Sire, the runners returned moments ago and gave their report," General Ferdinand says. "The encampment is indeed there, at the top of the canyon. Our spies did not dare approach too closely, but they saw horses which were too tranquil to be wild beasts, and one of them caught a glimpse of a man in black armor. I am confident that they did find what they sought."

"The camp was calm, then?"

"Yes, Sire. As of yet, it seems they have raised no alarm. It took the runners over an hour to return, however; the situation may have changed. But the Sun is already too low to illuminate any part of the canyon, and in another hour it will be too dark for one unfamiliar with the path to safely navigate. With luck, the Warlord heard of our actions in Katyana's camp too late to send word to his people in the canyon, or go there himself."

"Can we count upon that?" Duncan asks.

"We have little choice," Ferdinand says. "We cannot hope to make it up the canyon in the dark either, certainly not in stealth. We must wait until the predawn twilight. In darkness, even with the Moon full, our best scouts could not lead a party up the migratory path without torches to guide them."

"Our best scout sits at this table," you say, gesturing to your left. "Liesel is prepared to offer her expertise in woodcraft and her intimate knowledge of the canyon to help us reach our goal."

"The Princess?" Captain Navarre exclaims, taken aback.

"The Vixen," Liesel corrects him. "And I know those woods better than anyone here knows their own bedchamber. I can make my way by moonlight alone, and I could guide a small party, not upon the migratory path but along a different route. But no more than five; any more, and we are sure to be heard no matter how carefully we go."

"I will give you five of my best," Bwana M'Kubwa says.

"That is generous, Bwana, but we cannot let your people assume the entire risk," you tell him. "Two of your people will go; please select those who know our tongue so that there is no trouble communicating."

"Five will not be sufficient," Ferdinand says, shaking his head. "If we could be sure that Velimir himself will not be there, then perhaps - but we cannot be sure, and so we must expect that we will face him and his entire remaining ****. By my estimation, that could be at least forty men, and they will also be skilled in woodcraft. Our people will necessarily be lightly armed and armored, so that they may penetrate the woods without making a sound. Even with the element of surprise, and the Vixen's bow, we could not hope to win such a fight. I have been thinking hard upon this since we first learned that Velimir had men in the canyon, and I can conceive of only one plan which may bring us success... but it may be impossible.

"We must send two forces," Ferdinand continues, standing up and walking slowly around the table, as he often does when explaining strategy. "The first, guided by Princess Liesel, will go over the foothills and into the canyon from the side, unseen and unheard. It will be an arduous trip, difficult by moonlight even for one with Her Highness' skills, and the party must move in silence. Therefore, they must leave in no more than one hour to be certain of arriving at their goal by daybreak." You glance at Liesel, who nods her head slightly. "The second group will consist of twenty mounted knights; our very best fighters, fully armed and armored, led by Captain Navarre. They will undoubtedly be seen, whereupon Velimir's men will prepare an ambush, but that will take time and they will need to wait until sunrise to attack so that his archers can see their targets."

"Why so few?" Navarre asks. "The path is narrow, but fifty men could be led up the canyon as easily as twenty."

"Their commander must be led to believe that he will be victorious with minimal losses," Ferdinand says. "If we send too many, Velimir's men will simply retreat. Ideally, our cavalry **** would be smaller, but if we are too few then we will lose the battle."

"It sounds like a valid plan," you say to Ferdinand. "What, then, is the trouble?"

"There are two problems, and both are a matter of timing," Ferdinand says. "Neither party can succeed without the other. The Vixen's party will be too small to do more than take down a few of Velimir's men before they are captured or killed. The larger **** will be **** in the canyon as they approach; they will depend on confusion at the camp to keep Velimir's men occupied. The advance **** must not attack so soon that they are defeated before the mounted soldiers arrive, but if they wait too long... there is the Sun."

Most of the faces at the table look confused, but not Duncan, who nods understandingly. "Yes," he says, "upon the morrow is the Summer's Eve itself, the twentieth of June. The canyon, of course, is so named because on that day, the rising Sun illuminates the entire upper part of the canyon at once; tomorrow and the two following days are the only days of the year when this happens. The cavalry must wait until there is enough light to navigate the path, but that means they cannot reach the end before sunrise. If they are caught on the path at that time, facing into the Sun, they will be defenseless."

"Yesterday, this would not have been a problem," Ferdinand says, shaking his head. "Two days hence, we could also avoid the Sun. But, here we are. And even if the very heavens were not plotting against us, there is still the matter of timing the attacks so precisely when they will not even be able to see each other. How can the Vixen's party know when to strike? If they wait until they see the cavalry approaching, it will be too late. And if they attack too soon, they will be killed, and then so will the mounted soldiers when they arrive with no one to distract Velimir's forces."

There is silence around the table for a long moment.

"Perhaps..." Bwana begins, and then shakes his head.

"Please, Bwana," you tell him, "if you have anything to offer, let us hear it."

"It is not a solution, it is merely a different way to see the problem," Bwana says. "Earlier today, I met with Kuranoma Kuma-san so that we could exchange the items we had wagered on my granddaughter's match. While I was in his camp, I saw two of his men sparring with each other in unarmed combat. They used a technique unfamiliar to me, and I asked about it. His translator said that it was called 'Judo.' The idea is that one moves so that an opponent's weight and strength is used against him. If he charges at you, you try to redirect him so that his momentum sends him into the ground; his attack is turned upon himself. It made me think about how one may sometimes use a problem as a solution."

"The Sun," Liesel says.

"Yes, the Sun!" Ferdinand exclaims, snapping his fingers. "The Sun itself will time our attacks. It will rise and illuminate both the camp and the path at the same moment; and at that moment, the advance party will attack, and the cavalry will charge."

"The success of this will depend upon both groups being in exactly the right places at sunrise," Duncan says, lifting a finger to indicate caution.

"Then, that is what must decide us," you say, standing up. "Captain Navarre: Can your men make their way up the canyon by pre-dawn light, and arrive at the proper place and time, without fail?"

"It will be difficult," Navarre says. "I cannot guarantee we can be so precise. But we ride for Elyssia; we will offer only the best we have, and we will prevail. Yes, Sire... we can do this!"

"Liesel, can you do the same?" you ask the woman with whom you shared a moment of passion not half an hour before. "Can you lead a party from this castle at nightfall, and bring them all the way to the top of the canyon before daybreak, without making a sound? I know that the Vixen could accomplish this; the question is, can you lead others to the same goal?"

Liesel looks into your eyes for support or encouragement, but you can give her none; the answer must come from her own heart, not from yours. She takes a deep breath, and then speaks. "I have never been a leader of others," she says quietly. "I wish I could give you another answer... but the truth of the matter is, I cannot speak with the certainty of Captain Navarre. I do not know."