With Irulan's handmaidens banished, there was no one to talk to. She had a bit of wine by herself, almost wishing Margot would join her, even if just to taunt her – anything to break up the monotony – for she was filled with nervous energy – their business was mostly done and there was nothing left to think about except for what she might find when she returned to Giedi Prime. The girls were alive – at least to her – and alive they'd remain – at least in her mind – until she found herself faced with evidence to the contrary. She shifted under her blankets and turned over to her other side. What would he do to them? What would he do to her? These thoughts kept her awake, and before she knew it she had thrown the covers off herself and walked barefoot into the hallway.

The lights were on. They were always on. She found herself craving the darkness of her husband's corridors, which felt more like the twists and turns of her own mind – there was less distraction there, less clutter. And she could get lost in her own thoughts, the faint light of an occasional orb casting shadows like the moon, long and brooding. Electricity humming under the metal flooring. The air somehow alive.

It felt dead here. The colors felt abrasive, like an out of tune piano. She found herself squinting just to block it all out. It didn't used to feel this way here.

Or did it?

Rather than tracing a familiar route, the Princess decided to explore the guest wing. Margot would have retired by now, so it was unlikely their paths would cross, but still, Irulan felt inexplicably pulled in that direction. Perhaps an unfamiliar hall would breathe some life back into her. The lights flickered as she moved through the corridor, glowing swathing the marble floors in warm orange – it looked more like firelight than phosphorus. The scent of wine and incense pulled her toward an open door, and she could hear running water. Across the chamber lay an archway, and Irulan walked toward it.

And there she was.

Margot stood facing away from the princess facing a bath. Her long hair tumbled down her back – when had Irulan last seen it, seen her without the veil? "I wondered when you'd come," said the woman in a soft voice, brushing her tresses over one shoulder, revealing her neck. "Can you help me with my clasp?"

Irulan swallowed and walked forward. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the fastening, and she could feel the heat radiating off of Margot's skin. When she unhooked it, Margot didn't move, and by instinct, Irulan spread the back of the gown off the ends of Margot's shoulders, lingering with her own touch the way she'd once fantasized Vesryn would while undressing her. Margot let the gown fall and stepped out of it, and then walked around to the other side of the basin.

"Go ahead and look," said Lady Fenring. "I know you want to."

Instead of protesting, Irulan let her gaze trail over Margot's form, over her breasts. They were even more perfect than Irulan had anticipated, with pale pink nipples that dotted each peak. The slight sag of them only added to her beauty. Irulan wanted to hold the flesh in her hands, to feel their obvious weight. Margot's belly was flat but soft, her waist tapered. Even the patch of hair on her cleft looked appealing – the delicate curls looked as though they'd been sketched by an artist. The princess brought her eyes back to Margot's face, and where she expected to find a smirk, she saw none.

"Will you join me," said Margot, stepping into the water. It was a statement, not a question, so Irulan didn't answer it. She pulled her dress over her head and moved toward the tub, which looked small to her after the bathing pools of Giedi Prime. At only two meters in diameter, it filled much faster, and Irulan knelt to turn off the faucet before stepping into the water. Why had she been so nervous before? There was no scorn in Margot's eyes – in fact, they seemed to roam over the Princess's own body with appreciation, if not hunger. Irulan stepped into the tub, across from Margot, and lowered herself into the steaming water. Margot held her gaze, and Irulan felt as if she were floating, rather than wading – like a moth to the flame.

And just like that, they stood before each other. Margot's dark blue eyes gleamed in the candlelight. Irulan felt the other woman's hands on her wrists, and she let Margot draw them upwards, placing them on her breasts. Irulan marveled at the feeling of the warm weight in her palms. She cupped the heavy softness, running her thumbs over the stiffened nipples, and Margot smiled at her.

This was nothing like bathing with her handmaidens, whose nakedness Irulan barely registered – whose breasts, though varying in size and shape reminded her of her own. Margot's body, though in some ways familiar – felt as alien as Feyd's. The smoothness of her skin, the soft heaviness of her flesh – it was as new to Irulan as the hardness of her husband's.

And then, Margot's lips were on hers. Irulan savored the gentleness of her kiss. The Princess's hands came up to the other woman's hair, and the feeling of it – of soft and fragrant hair to weave her fingers in was entirely new. It was different than kissing Feyd – which made her heart race and her stomach fold in on itself – no, kissing Margot felt like warmth. She felt safe in the other woman's arms.

"Sit with me," whispered Margot against her mouth – she tasted like jasmine tea – and gently pulled Irulan into the water so they sat against the ledge. Margot kissed her again, but it was quick. Once, twice more, she kissed Irulan as if to say, it's time to stop kissing so we can talk, and Irulan smiled to herself. How different this felt than being with Feyd, with whom every transition felt potentially loaded. How easy it felt with Margot – to switch from kissing to not kissing. She closed her eyes as Margot reached under the water to lace their fingers together. "You're going back tomorrow," she murmured.

"Am I?"

"Yes," said Margot. "It's time."

Irulan closed her eyes, enjoying the heat of the bath and the flickering of light behind her lids.

"Men are easy. Stroke their body, stroke their ego. There's really not more to it."

"I see."

"Have an heir. Perhaps you'll even enjoy yourself. Are you afraid?"

"No," said the Princess, and she could her Margot's smile in her voice.

"He won't hurt you, Irulan. Not if you don't let him."

"How did you do it?" asked the Princess.

"Like this," whispered Margot and lowered her lips to Irulan's neck, making her twitch. "There is more to sex than you know. Let me teach you."

"Margot"

The other woman captured her lower lip and ran her tongue over it.

"Margot, wait," said Irulan, pulling away, "I've been wanting to talk to you for some time now."

"Oh?"

"It's just… well. Perhaps this is a strange question. But what was it like? What was he like?"

"Like the rest of them," purred Margot. "Resistant at first, but then soft. Yielding."

"Like the rest of them," repeated Irulan. "Like me?"

Margot frowned. "No, not like you, Princess. We're in it together, you and I."

"Are we?"

"There is more to sex than you know," murmured Lady Fenring, moving to slide her fingers between Irulan's thighs, "more to love than simply breeding."

I Irulan gasped as Margot's fingers found the spot they sought, and she felt overcome by the desire to put her hand between Margot's own legs to see if she'd find slickness there, despite the water they sat in. She placed her own hand on Margot's navel, as she sought to draw it lower, down Margot's belly, down Margot's flat belly. It wasn't meant to be flat - it was meant to be swollen with child - Irulan recoiled.

"What is it?"

"Margot, we can't," said Irulan, feeling suddenly sick.

"Oh?" murmured Margot with a look of annoyance. "And why not?"

"Because I'm dreaming," said the Irulan and forced her eyes open.