"What have you to say for yourself?" Tyr lowered his voice, almost
whispering the question to the trembling woman.
"I had intended to keep my promise to your wife." Goneril whispered in return. "You must believe that, my Lord."
"Why must I believe that?" Tyr used his index finger to raise the woman's head so he could gaze into her eyes.
"Because I am ambitious beyond my station. It was mere luck that he attended that displaying competition with you. I would not wittingly undermine such an opportunity." She returned his gaze forthrightly.
"Then why did you do it?" Tyr barely contained his exasperation.
"Two of my sisters are being held hostage. The kidnappers said that the only way they would be released unharmed is if I seduced Tamerlane before the full moon."
"Your matriarch did not mention the situation to me." Tyr growled.
"She doesn't know. The girls were on their way to stay with me here in the palace, when their shuttle was hijacked."
Now that her secret was out, her eyes overflowed with tears. She began to tremble and gasp for breath. Her knees buckled, but Tyr caught her before she hit the floor.
"The kidnappers said that if I told anyone the girls would die." Goneril began to hiccough.
"Harper."
Seamus noted that Tamerlane called him by his last name for the first time. The boy was becoming a man. He tilted his head and waited.
Tamerlane twirled, his arm outstretched, "So this is nothing more than regular sex and DNA trading?" His gesture took in the chaos that surrounded them.
In the corner six little girls played hopscotch. Two of his wives folded laundry, chatting all the while on a bench near a fountain that babbled. Dogs barked, chased be shrieking children. Babes suckled at their mothers' breasts, while the women gossiped. Two children had attached themselves to his legs. Harper carried one on his hip that to attract his attention kept dragging on his father's T-shirt, crying "Daddy."
"Is something missing?" The answer would tell much about the emerging man, thought Harper.
"Passion."
As Tamerlane detached the little girls from his legs, a ten-year old beauty with her father's smile and her mother's red-hair came to his rescue.
"I'm Macha Mong Ruad, out of Trance by Seamus of the Kodiak Pride." She grasped the hands of her sisters, pulling them away from Tamerlane. "Remember my name. One day you will sire my children."
"You were saying something about missing passion?"
"I had intended to keep my promise to your wife." Goneril whispered in return. "You must believe that, my Lord."
"Why must I believe that?" Tyr used his index finger to raise the woman's head so he could gaze into her eyes.
"Because I am ambitious beyond my station. It was mere luck that he attended that displaying competition with you. I would not wittingly undermine such an opportunity." She returned his gaze forthrightly.
"Then why did you do it?" Tyr barely contained his exasperation.
"Two of my sisters are being held hostage. The kidnappers said that the only way they would be released unharmed is if I seduced Tamerlane before the full moon."
"Your matriarch did not mention the situation to me." Tyr growled.
"She doesn't know. The girls were on their way to stay with me here in the palace, when their shuttle was hijacked."
Now that her secret was out, her eyes overflowed with tears. She began to tremble and gasp for breath. Her knees buckled, but Tyr caught her before she hit the floor.
"The kidnappers said that if I told anyone the girls would die." Goneril began to hiccough.
"Harper."
Seamus noted that Tamerlane called him by his last name for the first time. The boy was becoming a man. He tilted his head and waited.
Tamerlane twirled, his arm outstretched, "So this is nothing more than regular sex and DNA trading?" His gesture took in the chaos that surrounded them.
In the corner six little girls played hopscotch. Two of his wives folded laundry, chatting all the while on a bench near a fountain that babbled. Dogs barked, chased be shrieking children. Babes suckled at their mothers' breasts, while the women gossiped. Two children had attached themselves to his legs. Harper carried one on his hip that to attract his attention kept dragging on his father's T-shirt, crying "Daddy."
"Is something missing?" The answer would tell much about the emerging man, thought Harper.
"Passion."
As Tamerlane detached the little girls from his legs, a ten-year old beauty with her father's smile and her mother's red-hair came to his rescue.
"I'm Macha Mong Ruad, out of Trance by Seamus of the Kodiak Pride." She grasped the hands of her sisters, pulling them away from Tamerlane. "Remember my name. One day you will sire my children."
"You were saying something about missing passion?"