Yes

"Sire, I do not make a habit of questioning your decisions, but this seems... unwise."

"I understand your concerns, Duncan," you say. "But this is not a stranger we're talking about. This is Arethousa. She has never been anything but entirely trustworthy and supportive to the crown. I consider her a personal friend, as well. I believe she has more than earned the benefit of the doubt. I will meet her alone."

"As you wish," Duncan says with a sigh.

"And, I hope you never stop questioning my decisions, Duncan," you continue. "Someone has to, after all. I am not always right. But on this matter, I feel strongly that I am."

"You will allow Captain Navarre to accompany you as far as the bathing pools, Sire?" Duncan asks.

"Of course. Don't worry, Duncan, I'm not about to walk around in the city at night alone during the festival. And although my sword is ceremonial, it is still sharp."

You buckle the sword to your belt as you speak. It is not as ornate and fancy as the sword worn by most kings, but you prize it very highly nonetheless, as it was a gift from your former blacksmith master - the last sword he completed before his untimely passing. The hilt is unique in all the world; it is forged from the iron of a stone which fell from the sky, the grip wound with silver and gold threads, and a single polished sapphire decorates the pommel. The blade has never tasted blood, a fact which has been spoken of before as a testament to the peace of Elyssia under your rule. While you are not in the league of the professional fighters on your Kingsguard, you have been taught how to use it well should the need ever arise.

The rest of your clothing choices for the evening are simple, as you would just as soon not be recognized and interrupted. Usually the city is quiet at night, as the mountain air is chill after sunset, but during this time of celebration you can expect to see revelers in the streets at all hours. Captain Navarre wears a plain brown cloak over his armor, so that he will not draw attention either.

You and the Captain leave the castle by the servant's gate, walking rather than riding. It takes about twenty minutes to reach the gate to the bathing pools, and while the streets are indeed much more occupied than usual, you don't run into any trouble. The light from bonfires within the walls of the pool illuminates the smoke and steam rising from within, giving it an otherworldly appearance which would be almost frightening were it not for the sounds of laughter and general merriment also rising over the wall.

One of Arethousa's handmaidens meets you at the door to her private rooms. Captain Navarre takes his position outside the door, and you slip inside and let it close. The handmaiden says not a word, but simply bows her head and exits to the pool area. The only light in the room is a line of dim torches going up the stairs to Arethousa's parlor. Although you meant it when you said to Duncan that you consider her nothing but trustworthy, you can't help but feel a slight sense of foreboding in the dim torchlight and softly swaying shadows. But you are a King, and a King shows courage. You therefore climb the stairs with only the slightest hesitation.

Her parlor is also only dimly lit, more from the moonlight coming in through the open balcony than from the oil lamps on the wall. Her bedroom door is slightly ajar, and there is light within. You have never set foot in that room before.

"Arethousa?" you call out, softly.

"I am here," she says from the bedroom. "Please enter, Sire."

Taking a deep breath, you walk inside...

"Thank you for coming to see me tonight, Xavier," Arethousa says.

She reclines on a chair, looking as lovely as you have ever seen her in the golden glow of the oil lamps. Most of her dress from the evening has been discarded, leaving her only in an ornate corset, headdress and gold chains. Her large, full breasts would be fully exposed but for her arm draped across them... and you have seen her breasts often enough in the bathing pools, but somehow it is even more alluring to see her like this.

"Arethousa," you say by way of greeting when you find you voice. It suddenly occurs to you that she called you only by your first name - something she has not done since you became King. "You look... enchanting."

"I would collect the debt you owe me," she says.

"It seems to me that whatever you have in mind, it will leave me feeling only more indebted."

She smiles at that. "Perhaps. But my intentions are more than what may appear... King Xavier, First of that Name, Ruler of Elyssia. It is said that after ten years of ruling in solitude, you seek a Queen."

You feel your stomach drop a bit. "Arethousa, I am grateful to you, and indebted for your service... and I have always found you ultimately desirable and exquisitely beautiful. But you must understand, I cannot choose my queen based only upon my own feelings, or a debt of gratitude. I have a responsibility to Elyssia which is more important than my personal honor."

"If you had responded otherwise, you would not be the man or the king I have come to know," she says calmly. "I do not insist upon being made Queen to satisfy a trifling obligation. My only request to you, as payment in full of whatever you may owe me, is that you consider the possibility of taking me as your queen. That is all, and it is enough, for I believe that when you think on the matter carefully, and listen to your heart and your mind, you will find me worthy.

"I am Arethousa," she says, standing up and looking you in the eyes. "I am the daughter of one hundred priestesses of the ancient Temple of Aphrodite. In my veins runs the blood of both that noble ancestry, and that of all the peoples of the world; you yourself have said that in this way, I represent the spirit of Elyssia. You have seen me wield power with a gentle hand, and you know that I would rule as you do, without cruelty or malice, but with compassion and love. You have sought my counsel in the past and never found it wanting. I am beloved by the people, both the common folk and the nobility.

"I am among the most beautiful women in all Elyssia and beyond - it would be false modesty to deny it. I know the arts and ways of love-making as a master smith knows the forge. If you wish to keep your mistress when I am Queen, I will have no objection... Valerie is a dear friend, and it would please me to share our bed with her. I have no children because I know the secret ways of my ancestors to prevent conception, but I can and will give you heirs when the time comes.

"I want nothing more than to be Queen in Eyssia, Xavier... not because I crave the power or the glory, but because I love Elyssia, the kingdom and its people. I will tell you no falsehoods; I do not yet love you as a woman should love her husband. But I know you well enough to know that I could, and that I will... if you will have me. For the moment, though... I ask only that you will have me here, tonight."