You are victorious.

The second you give the Beathan the nod, she flips the hourglass, then lunges towards you. Panicking as you get a good facsimile of what Sir Wayne would've seen this morning, plus the added distraction of Kara not wearing a stitch of clothing, you throw yourself back, grabbing for the support of one of the bedposts with your good arm.

"Nod a bad idea!" Kara hisses, as she brings her naked body up against yours, begins grappling with you. "Think you can last, though?"

You cling to the wooden pole as if a man wrecked at sea, as Kara does her very best to wrench you away to the depths. Your knuckles whiten, pain flares, then begins to build as the seconds, and the sand, slowly pass away.

You feel your strength flagging, and one look at the princess' face tells you hers is far from gone. Given your predilection towards other vices, and occasional difficulty swallowing food, you're also a little underweight, negating even the size advantage Sir Wayne had on the Beathan. Kara for her part is a little taller than is average for a woman, compared to the ladies of Itheria, noticeably so. On the ride south, Donald had regaled you with questionable myths that their line had a half-giant of their own, some ten generations back.

With the almost magical strength Kara was leveraging against you presently, you were willing to believe it.

As the last remnants of the sand began to descend, you knew you had to change tack if you desired any hope of victory. Your arm was about to give out, and that support gone, Kara would likely as not have you on the floor in seconds.

Voluntarily releasing your hold on the bedpost, you throw your weight towards Kara, pinning her under your torso, your bad arm, your awkward leg.

Surprise turns to delight in the young princess' eyes. She's clearly pleased by your bold show of strength. She locks her gaze with yours, hesitates for only a fraction of a second, then bucks you off her.

You hit the rug laid out on the earth below with a bump. It's far from the worst fall you've taken in the past few days, but as a King, you're quite unaccustomed to being thrown out of a bed.

"That was a fine start, Edward." Kara beams, leaning over you. "I knew you were a fighter!"

Reaching over to your writing desk, Kara lifts the hourglass, showing you it long drained of sand.

"A very fine start." the princess smiles. "I believe I owe you a cousin, don't I Edward?"

As you push yourself up to your feet, you can't help but feel a twinge of anticipation as Kara dresses, promising to return with Rhona in tow.