A skip in time.

You are Mark Lenkovar, the son of the great duchess Eleana. Your mother was an amazing warrior who marked her time. She has fought alongside Queen Lydia VII when they were both teenagers. She was admired by many Esteran girls who wanted to grow up to be like her and was considered a symbol of Esteran ideals.

Her disappearance from public life 18 years ago came as a surprise. She'd given up a promising carrier in the court when most people believed she would become the next right hand of the Queen once Lydia came unto the thrown.

Now you come back to the capital of Falkirk as her representative and only heir. You will live inside the royal castle for a few days, the time to take care of some paper work. Documents only the heir of Eleana can sign.

You will have to watch your steps though. Your status as a noble and the friendship your mother had with the Queen is the only reason you are tolerated here.

The city is much different than where you grew up. As you ride through the streets toward the castle, you enjoy seeing the activity all around, smelling the odors coming from the food vendors, watching the street performers... You notice a very talented female dancer. The expert movements of her hips and the undulations of her belly are very enticing. Her see through veils and undergarments only cover the bare minimum of her curvy form, and show a lot of her smooth ochre colored skin.

Of course, the surprising thing with this picture is the fact that there is almost no men around. For example, instead of the swarm of men or ogling teenager boys you'd expect to see surrounding the dancer, there is a few Esteran women, mostly soldiers, looking appreciatively at the exotic belly dancer, wolf whistling and throwing some money at a bowl at her feet.

You traveled a lot during your childhood, and actually didn't spent too much time in the kingdom's biggest cities. You went to faraway lands or lived in the Esteran's countryside far from the regime's influence with only two or three visits per year from the Queen's representative.

Hearing those women looking hungrily at, or catcalling the belly dancer, you remember that lesbianism is the norm in Estera, and the promoted type of romantic relationship.

You hesitate. You could take some time to wait until the dancer is finished, and then go talk to her. You've been horse riding for days and getting to know such a beautiful woman better would be a nice distraction.