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a mutual need to experience the richness of
their shared want for each other.
    Finally, the girl pulled away to fix Sigourd
with her golden eyes, ‘you looked terribly angry when you left the
throne room. What happened?’
    ‘ I fear my father knows
about us. Or at least suspects something.’ He swallowed hard before
continuing, ‘He is demanding that I give you up in favor of a bride
from one of the other houses.’
    The girl moved into the room, closing the
heavy door behind her. It was a long moment before she was able to
speak, and when she did so she could not bring her eyes up from the
floor for fear that Sigourd might see the tears forming there.
    ‘ We knew this day would
come,’ she said finally, trying to muster as much bravery as she
could in the face of her heartache.
    Sigourd crossed over to her and took the
girl in his arms once more, ‘Isolde, know that I love you like I
have never loved another, and will never love another. You are my
sun and moon. But I am torn between my feelings for you and my duty
to my family.’
    ‘ And I would never ask you
to choose between myself and your obligations to your family. We
knew from the start that the son of The Regent might take a lowly
serving girl as his lover, but never as his wife. All that I ask is
that you follow the truth written in your heart, that is the path
that will lead you to the answers you seek.’ She reached up to
stroke his face tenderly, the torment in her lover’s eyes bringing
her great sadness to see.
    ‘ Know that whatever you
decide, my love for you will out last eternity. If we had but a
fraction of that time I would be content. Alas, all we have is
tonight,’ and with that she kissed him gently upon the lips once
more, and led him to bed.
     

CHAPTER 3
     
    Inferno...
     
    The hand maidens were gathered quietly in a
neat semi circle in front of the crackling hearth fire, ministering
diligently to their needlework. The only sound was the low
crackling of the fire as it hungrily consumed the wood pile that
fed it, and the conspicuous giggling of two hand maidens who were
trying hard not to make too obvious the subject of their
conversation.
    Veronique had decided to call an early end
to the celebrations in the throne room. The departure of her son
and husband had rendered the whole thing pointless, and besides
that, Veronique had more pressing concerns to trouble her.
    Try as she might she was unable to focus
entirely on her embroidery, a past time in which she usually found
great solace. The crude yet familiar face of that well dressed
dignitary kept floating to the surface of her mind. She would push
it back down, and it would return soon after, insistent and
unremitting. Finally, she could stand it no longer, and searching
for a suitable target upon which to vent at least a measure of her
frustrations she spoke out suddenly, snapping at the two maidens
who continued to giggle quietly in a most irritating fashion,
‘ladies, what is so amusing that it must keep the rest of us from
concentrating on the task at hand?’
    The two girls looked up guiltily, the closer
of the two, a pretty girl named Tumi, with too much stock in her
own appeal to the hearts of the men of the realm, was the first to
answer Veronique, ‘forgive us my lady, we were merely wondering
which of the young ladies lord Sigourd might have taken a fancy
to.’
    The other girl was quick to chime in with
her own appraisal of the situation, ‘I think that the Lady Magritte
would make a fine pairing with our young lord. Or perhaps the lady
Survela. She has a very pretty smile.’
    ‘ Yes, she does at that,’
offered Tumi, ‘but I fear she’s not low born enough for our
lord.’
    Veronique flashed a warning glance at Tumi,
who looked away, suddenly finding herself intently interested in
the half finished embroidery in her lap.
    But the girl was right of course, mused
Veronique. Sigourd had taken far too much interest in a mere
serving girl, and there was no doubt