A few hours journey from the Vinolian capital laid an estate of reasonable size. Said estate belonged to a widow, a lady of the reptilian races, by the name of Maja. She lived there with her son, Felix, his tutor and a few servants.
Maja had inherited the estate from her husband Manfred, whom she had met during a visit to one of the capital's bookshops.While there, she had spotted a title she did not recognized by one of her favorite authors. Just as she reached out to grab it, another hand did the same. Maja had turned her head and her eyes had met those of a handsome male of the same species. The Two of them had stuttered a few excuses and had presented at each other. Shortly thereafter, they had left the bookshop together, promising to see each other again. Some months later, their wedding was held and a year afterwards, Felix was born.
Now, it happened that because his parents had died when he was but a child, Manfred had been raised by an uncle, his father's brother. Said uncle was an official at court and he had taken his nephew on as an assistant, an position which Manfred did not relinquish even after he had come of age and even had a family of his own. As a result of this, the young husband and father spent a not inconsiderable amount of time in the capital, away from his home and family.
Did Manfred have any so-called "adventures" while away? Of this, we can only speculate and at any rate, Maja herself did not. She, who had once been a favorite among the capital's ladies, found that she was happy in the country. Her husband left the management of the estate, as well as the raising of their son entirely up to her and whenever he came home, he showered them both with affection.
There were no dark clouds on Maja's sky and the young woman was not about to bring any into existence.
Then, one day, on the sixth year of their marriage, Maja recieved a letter from her other half. It read as followed:
My Darling. I bring you the most interesting news.
You will remember that last time I was at home, I told you that His Majesty has entrusted his daughter with an important diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Guanaca and that my uncle had been chosen to be a part of the Princess's entourage on this mission.
Unfortunately, uncle met with an accident and, as a consequence, is unable to embark on the voyage. Now, this is where the interesting part comes in: A messenger from the palace arrived at uncle's home and told me that I was being summoned to the palace. I quickly changed into my best outfit and headed there. Upon arriving at the palace, I was escorted to a room, whose chief furniture was a desk and two chairs.
It was not long before the door opened and the Princess herself appeared. She thanked me for coming and bade me sit down. She herself took up her position behind the desk. When she were both seated, the Princess asked after my uncle, how he fared after his accident and so-on. I answered her that he was doing fine under the circumstances. Her Highness then changed the topic of the conversation to be about me.
It was evident, she told me, that I was a very capable man and that my uncle put a lot of trust in me. Its silly, but receiving such praise from such an exalted person made me blush like a schoolboy.
The Princess then asked me if I would like to take my uncle's place. I must confess that I was on the verge of answering "Yes" immediately. I realized that this would help my career, not to mention that you know that I love to travel. Then, I thought about you and about Felix - the two people I love the most in this world. Its true that my work keeps me away from you, but the capital is not far away and
I come home whenever I'm able. Guanaca is quite far away though and I don't know when I'll be back. It doesn't feel fair to you if I just head off on some voyage overseas and so, I told the Princess that I was flattered, but that I would like to discuss things with my wife first. Her Highness said she understood and graciously gave me a day off, in order for me to accomplish this purpose.
"However" she told me, "I shall need your answer before the end of the week."
I thanked her and promised that she would have it. It was at that moment that I recalled hearing that before we began seeing each other, you and the Princess had been friends. With that in mind, I decided to mention your name. Upon hearing it, the Princess frowned, as though she was trying to remember some long-forgotten acquaintance and I thought that perhaps I had been mistaken, but then she nodded to herself.
"Yes" she said, staring into the distance. "I do remember someone with that name."
I was not sure what to say and shortly thereafter, the audience came to an end. I kissed the hand the Princess extended to me and assured her that she would have my answer when I returned to the capital and that regardless of what that answer might be, I was deeply honored to even be considered for such an important job.
I shall see you both tomorrow. I count the hours until then.
Your Husband, Manfred.
******
The Next day, Manfred returned home as he had promised. He was greeted in the door by Felix, who threw himself into his father's outstretched arms.
"Have you been a good boy?" Manfred asked and Felix nodded.
"Do you have any presents for me?" He asked and a look of disappointment passed briefly over his face when Manfred shook his head.
"Oh, well" the boy said and shrugged his shoulders.
Manfred then put Felix down and embraced his wife, kissing on her the cheek. A tug on his sleeve caused him to look down.
"Dad, will you play with me?" Felix asked.
"In a moment, son" Manfred replied. "I have to talk to your mother first."
Felix accepted this and went out to play by himself in the garden. His parents,for their part, went into the living room and sat down in two armchairs. Almost immediately, the maid; one of two servants living in the house, appeared and Maja told her to serve them some coffee.
The Coffee arrived shortly thereafter, along with a few biscuits that had been found in a cupboard. As they sampled the coffee and the biscuits, the young couple talked about various things: Manfred asked his wife how things had been at home during his absence and he, in his turn, told her the latest news from the capital. Eventually, the conversation arrived at Manfred's letter.
"Its up to you" he said, as he put his cup down on its saucer. "If you don't want me to go, then I'll stay."
Maja closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, it was with a serious look on her face.
"To be honest" she said. "When I first read your letter, there was a part of me that really wanted to say no and I'm glad that you gave me the opportunity to do so, but I do not intend to exercise it."
Maja paused, taking in the sheer look of earnest relief that washed over her spouse's features. Then, she continued:
"I realize that this is a great opportunity for you and as your wife, I made a vow to support you. I just want you to promise me one thing."
"Whatever you want."
Maja leaned over the low glass table, lowering her eyelids seductively.
"Promise that you won't let any of the Guanacan women seduce you. I bet men as handsome as you are in short supply over there."
"I promise, there's no girl who can compete with you any way."
They both leaned forward and soon, their lips touched each other.
"We should tell Felix about this" Maja said, after they were finished. "I just hope he takes it well."
Felix did not take it well.
"Why do you have to leave?" The Boy asked his father, the corner of his lower lip quivering as he posed the question. "I don't want you to leave!" He shouted angrily, stomping his tiny foot and clutching his little fists. Then, he got an idea:
"Take me with you" Felix demanded, his face lit up by the sheer genius of this notion. "Please, father" he begged, getting down on his knees, "I promise I won't cause any trouble."
"Out of the question" Maja said in a firm tone.
Felix looked at his mother with reproach, then turned to his other parent for support.
"Your mother is right, Felix" Manfred agreed, nodding sagely. "You're far too young to undertake such a long journey".
Seeing that his son looked as if he was about to throw a tantrum, Manfred got down on one knee and caught Felix in a bear hug.
"Listen, son" he said. "If you promise to be good, I'll bring back something for you from Guanaca and when I get home, I'll take a long vacation. I'll spend so much time with you that you'll be sick at the sight of me. Do we have a deal?"
Felix nodded. He still would have liked to come with his father. After all, he was five years old and not a little kid anymore. He realized however that this was the best offer he would get and that pushing it further might lead to his mother grounding him. Last time, he had been confined to his room for three days and had almost died of boredom. Felix had no desire to go through that again and so, he decided to back down.
The Rest of the day went by in an idyllic fashion: Manfred spent it playing with his son, enjoying dinner in the company of his family and finally, fell into a deep sleep having made love to Maja.
The Next morning, after having breakfast, he embraced the two people he cherished the most and stepped into the carriage which would take him to the capital. Maja and Felix stood on the veranda, watching the carriage and with it, the head of the family, disappear in a cloud of dust.
*****
Days went by, then turned to weeks and before mother and son knew it, two months passed. Two months without them hearing anything from Manfred. Maja was beginning to fear that something had happened to him- She kept her concerns to herself though, not wishing to cause her son any worry.
Then, one day, while Maja was enjoying a book in the library, Felix burst in.
"Mom! Mom!" He called out to her, his face flushed with excitement. "Look what came in the mail coach today!"
With trembling hands, he produced a thick envelope which he handed over to his mother. As she gazed at the envelope, Maja recognized her husband's handwriting and, breathing a sigh of relief, touched the envelope with her lips.
"Open it mom!" Felix insisted. "Hurry! I want to know what dad writes!"
Seeing her son's eagerness, Maja smiled fondly at him. She sat down and Felix took his place on her lap. Once they were both seated comfortably, Maja opened the envelope and took out a letter, which consisted of several pages. She unfolded the first page and began to read:
My Beloved Family.
It is my fervent hope that when this letter reaches you, it finds you both in good health. I am writing this from my room in the palace of King Suluf of Guanaca. My room overlooks a square with a fountain filled with blue water. As I write this letter, servant-girls of all species are busy washing linen in it, the sounds of the cicada's providing the background music....
Maja's reading was abruptly interrupted by Felix yawning loudly.
"This is boring" the boy complained. "Who cares about linen or cicadas? Doesn't the letter say anything interesting?"
"Well, if you just remain quiet and listen, I'm sure we'll arrive at something you'll find interesting, eventually" Maja replied, annoyed at the interruption. "Or perhaps you'd rather go outside and play while I read your father's letter alone."
Felix hurriedly shook his head and promised to be quiet. Satisfied, Maja cleared her throat and resumed her reading:
...Enough about that though, I better write something about our journey to get here. We first left Vinoli in a ship, flying diplomatic colors. This first stage on our journey was quite tedious, the most dramatic thing that happened to me was that I got sea-sick. Thankfully, after only a day's rest I was back on my feet. After four days on the sea, we reached land. Here, we were greeted by a delegation from Suluf, who were to escort us all the way to the gates to his kingdom.
Thus, we set off; travelling through an arid desert landscape, a hostile sun glaring down at us. We had been provided with clothes that shielded us from the sun and our escorts knew where the oases were located, so we did not lack for water. Nonetheless, the heat was perfectly unbearable! There were times when I thought it would fry my brain like an egg
I was not alone in being bothered by the heat though. In fact, among us, only Her Highness seemed not troubled by it in the slightest. My guess is that her being a dragon might have something to do with it. After all, it seems logical that a race who can breathe fire would be very tolerant towards higher temperatures.
After three days of this, we came to the end journey. My dears, if my writing skills were better I could describe more aptly the sheer joy we felt at staring up at the high white walls surrounding King Suluf's capital. Upon entering the city, we were immediately escorted to the palace and soon found ourselves standing in the large, open throne room.
As is the custom, we approached the throne with our eyes downcast. Once we had taken twenty steps, we knelt down and pressed our foreheads to the floor. While in that position, I could hear the King and our Princess exchanged greetings. King Shuluf then gave us leave to rise and so, I got my first glimpse of Guanaca's sovereign.
He is a panther, tall and athletically built. His fur is mostly black, with the occasional streaks of silver here and there and his eyes are green. Seated next to the King, on a smaller and lower throne was his Queen, a fennec whose fur is the color of the sun. I must admit that, I found her fairly attractive. Though, naturally, she can't compare to you.
The Princess then presented the King and Queen with the gifts we had brought with us. After the royal couple had expressed their gratitude. Shortly thereafter, the audience came to an end and we were shown to our quarters. I was grateful for an opportunity to rest after the long journey and to change out of my travelling clothes. Once I had done that, I decided to sit down and compose this letter.
All that's left for me now is to find someone who is heading for Vinoli and is willing to take it with them. This letter, the first I write from Guanaca, will also be the last one. My further experiences in this country, I shall recount to you both in person.
With all my love, Manfred.
*****
Maja stood in her study, gazing out the window. Outside the rain poured down in torrents, hammering on the roof and windows, like an invading force trying to break in.
What a depressing sight, Maja thought.
Oh, well, it won't last forever.
Sighing resignedly, she sat down behind the desk and from its drawer took out a black book, which she opened. It was in this book that Maja noted down everything that needed to be done in the house for the coming month, along with eventual expenses.
A gentle, but audible knock on the door, Maja look up from her writing.
"Enter" she said.
"Excuse me, ma'm" Joanna the maid said, as she stood in the doorway, "but there's a person here to see you."
"To see me?" Maja asked, surprised. "It must be important if they came to see me in this beastly weather. Where are they now?"
Joanna informed her mistress that the visitor was waiting in the kitchen. Maja went there and stood for a moment in the kitchen door, looking at the scene before her: Standing by the fire was an ermine, dressed in a wide-brimmed hat and a travelling cloak. Aside from him, the only other person in the kitchen was the muskrat cook, who was enjoying his siesta; dead to the world around him.
Maja entered the kitchen and upon hearing her footsteps, the visitor turned around.
"Lady Maja" he said, bowing to her, while clutching the brim of his hat. "Thank you for seeing me."
"It is nothing" Maja replied. "And please, Maja will do just fine. I do not have a title."
The Ermine seemed to ponder this for a second, then shrugged.
"As you wish" he said. "Though in confidence I can say that I've met actual ladies who were less ladylike than you, madame."
"You have traveled far" Maja observed, noticing the mud-stains on the visitor's boots and the dust from the road that clung to his white fur.
"Farther than you know, madame" the visitor replied. "I have traveled across the sea to give you this."
Reaching into the fold of his cloak, the visitor produced an envelope, which he handed to his host.
"You said you traveled across the sea" Maja began and despite her best efforts to remain calm, her voice quivered nervously. "Can I assume than, that you were part of the diplomatic mission to Guanaca"
"You assume correct, madame."
Despite the warmth from the fire, Maja felt a chill run down her spine.
"Tell me" she said, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. "Has something happened to my husband?"
"Its all in the letter I gave you" the ermine replied, pointing at the envelope in Maja's hand. "The Princess herself wrote it."
For the first time, Maja took a closer look at the envelope and doing so, she noticed that it bore the seal of the Royal family. Her hands trembled.
"I know it must be done, but I dread opening this letter and reading the words. May I ask you to do it in my stead?"
The Ermine nodded and Maja handed him the envelope. With his claws, he broke the seal, took out the letter and began to read out-loud...
****
Upstairs in his room, Felix was busy amusing himself playing with his toys, when a loud shriek pierced his ears. He immediately recognized his mother's voice and, being the dutiful son that he was, put his toys down and rushed to her aid. Upon arriving at the kitchen, he found his mother lying in a pile on the floor, with the cook, the maid and a third person he did not recognize, knelt beside her.
"Mom!" Felix exclaimed. "What's happened? Who are you?" He added, looking suspiciously at the stranger.
"Do not fret, lad" said the ermine, holding his paws up in the universal gesture for peace. "I am merely a messenger."
"Felix is that you?" Maja asked, her voice faint.
"Yes, mom" Felix replied. "Its me. Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself somewhere?"
Maja lifted her head and looked at her son with tears streaming down her face. Then, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"Mom, what is it?" Felix asked, as he was pressed against his mother's breast. "Did something happen?" He asked the question with fear in his voice.
Maja relaxed her grip and put one hand on Felix's shoulder, while its twin caressed his cheek.
"Felix" she began. "It's your father. He...." She paused, mentally gathering the strength required to say what she had to. "He is dead" she finished and on that final word, her voice broke into a sob.
Dead. It was the first time in his life that Felix heard that word and yet, just from the sound of it and the heavy silence that reigned in the kitchen, that it signified something important. Important and awful.
"Does this mean that dad is not coming home?" He asked and his mother nodded.
Felix could not believe it. It seemed unreal to him that his father was gone and would never come back. Suddenly, he felt a curious pain in his chest, such as he had never felt before and tears welled up in his eyes.
*****
A month after the news of Manfred's demise had reached his family, the diplomatic expedition returned home. Their mission had been a success and a friendly relationship had been established between the two kingdoms. As for Manfred, they had not been able to bring his body back with them and so, he was buried there; far from home. Nonetheless, a funeral was held by his widow, so that those who had been close to Manfred could say their good-byes.
The Funeral was attended by a fairly large group of people, including the servants and a few people from court. They had been part of the mission and had come to offer their deceased colleague's widow their condolences. Later on, a few of them would try to replace Manfred in Maja's heart, but to no avail.
From the crown, Maja received a widow's pension, which together with her income from the estate, allowed for her and Felix to live a comfortable life, free of any economic struggles and when the harvest went wrong one year and it looked like the tenants would not be able to pay the rent, Maja gave them a reprieve until times were better and handed out grain that had been stored, so that they and their families wouldn't starve when winter came.
Two years later, on a warm summer's day, Felix was playing in the garden and Maja, having nothing do to, decided to relax by sunbathing on the veranda. Reclining in a sun-chair, she closed her eyes and was just about to drift off to sleep, when a voice whispered in her ear:
"Guess who?"
Maja fell out of her chair in surprise. Picking herself up, her heart doing somersaults in her chest, she stared with saucer-eyes at the person before her, not knowing what to say or do. Just then, Felix came running up to the veranda, his face flush with excitement.
"Mom, mom! Look who's here!" He said, practically bouncing up and down. "Its the Crown Princess!" He added helpfully, in case his mother was not aware of this.
So I see, Maja thought.
She picked herself up off of the ground and turned to the surprise-visitor.
"Your Highness" she said, curtsying. "This is certainly a surprise. Forgive my attire, but I was not expecting company. Especially such exalted company as this."
"Your son wanted to go ahead and announce my arrival, but I convinced him that this would be much more amusing" the Princess replied, while casually twirling the umbrella she used to shield herself from the sun. "And I was right, wasn't I?" She said, turning to Felix.
Felix nodded eagerly, his tiny hands covering his mouth.
"You should have seen your face, mom!" He hollered. "It looked like this!"
He proceeded to contort his face into a series of comically exaggerated expressions.
"Oh, bravo!" The Princess exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Your son really has a gift for mimicry, dear Maja."
Very amusing, Maja thought sarcastically.
She wondered what sort of expression her son would make if she was to announce to him that he was grounded for the next two weeks. Not that she would do that to him. Not for such a petty reason any way, but the mental image cheered her up a bit.
"Your Highness, permit me to go inside and change into a more appropriate attire."
"Well, you can hardly slip into something more comfortable" the Princess replied with a wry grin.
"Go ahead, I'll have young Felix entertain me until you come back. You don't mind do you, Felix?"
Felix shook his head eagerly, flattered by the attention.
Once she was back inside, Maja leaned against the door and took a few deep breaths, in order to calm her nerves. She passed her hand over her face and as she did, the same question as before, kept repeating in her head:
What was Argath doing here? They hadn't spoken to each other in years, not since before she was married.
Maja's mind drifted back to the last time the two of them had talked to each other. Said conversation had taken place in Argath's bedroom, with Maja sitting on the side of the bed, sensing the Princess' gaze on her bare back.
"There is something I need to tell you" she said, as she reached down for her clothes.
"You intend to marry that fellow you've been seing" Argath had replied in a dispassionate voice. "Manuel, something?"
Maja turned around and looked at her lover with eyes that had grown slightly in size.
"It's Manfred and how did you know?"
Argath let out a deep chuckle. She smiled, showing her teeth.
"It is not much that goes on in this city that I do not know about" she said.
Maja felt herself relax.
"To be honest, I am glad that you already knew; I wasn't sure how to tell you."
"Why? Were you perhaps worried that I would be opposed to you tying the knot."
After a moment's hesitation, Maja gave a small, timid nod.
"Silly girl" Argath said.
She edged closer to Maja and wrapped her arms around her, resting her head on the younger woman's bare shoulders.
"You are not my slave, not that we have slaves here in Vinoli. You are free to do as you wish. Besides, there is no reason why our relationship should change, is there?"
Once again, Maja felt her entire being tense up. Something told her that Argath would not take what she was about to hear next as well as she had taken news of the upcoming marriage. And yet, it had to be told. She took a deep breath...
"Argath, you know that I care about you."
"You've never given me cause to doubt that. At least, not until now."
"I will always consider you a friend and treasure these moments we've had together" Maja went on. The Words came slowly out of her mouth, as if she had to force herself to say them. For the first time, she wished that Argath's hands would not touch her, but for some reason, she dared not tell the female dragon to remove them.
"However, once Manfred I are wed, I intend to honor my vows to him. All of this, it will be a thing of the past."
There, she thought.
Now it has been said, all I can do now is wait for her reaction.
"A commendable stance" Argath replied. Her voice remained calm, almost aloof. "Still, I ask you to reconsider. Talk it over with your husband; tell him that such an arrangement would benefit him as well, for he would have my eternal gratitude and that, my pet, is worth more than gold."
A part of Maja had to admit that she was tempted by Argath's proposition and yet she knew that she could not agree to it. Even if Manfred did, Maja knew that she would still feel as though she was betraying him and her feelings of guilt would cast a shadow both over her relationship with both him and the Princess.
"I am sorry, Argath", she said and was surprised by the firmness in her voice. "But my decision is made."
Barely had she uttered these words, before a sharp pain in her shoulders caused her to cry out:
"Argath, you are hurting me!" She protested.
"Am I? You must forgive me, I had not noticed."
Argath released her grip and Maja quickly rose from the bed. She glanced at her shoulders, tiny marks had been made in her skin. In the past, she had heard rumors that the Princess had a cruel streak that sometimes revealed itself. However, Maja had never seen any proof of this. On the contrary, she had always known Argath to be the kindest and most attentive of lovers, which was one reason why she had put off telling her about the marriage. As such, Maja had never put any stock in this rumor, until now.
"I should leave" she said, dressing herself as quickly as she could.
"Yes" Argath said, in a voice that cut like a knife. "You should."
Putting on her shoes, Maja opened the door to the bedchamber and stepped out. She walked through the rooms in which she had spent many an enjoyable moment and realized that she would probably never see these rooms again. The Thought filled her with sadness. Sadness, but also anger.
She could not understand why the Princess had reacted this way. After all, Argath had been alive for almost a century. She had had plenty of lovers before Maja and doubtlessly, some of them had ended up marrying, whether it was men or other women. Besides, there were the servant-girls that made up Argath's personal staff. It was common knowledge that the Princess treated them as her harem and did so, even when she happened to be in a relationship.
So, why did she become so upset when I told her that in the future we could only be friends? Maja wondered.
It couldn't be that she...
Her musings were suddenly interrupted by a faint sound emerging from the inner parts of the apartment. It sounded like a wail or a sob. For a moment, Maja felt a twinge of regret and then, she steeled herself and walked out the front door.
She and Argath had not talked to each other since that day. Despite this, Maja had sent a wedding invitation to the Princess. It had been returned, unopened.
Taking this into account, it was no wonder that her husband's letter in which he told her that he had been chosen by Argath to accompany her to Guanaca, had taken Maja by surprise. It had also given her cause to hope that some reconciliation would be possible between them.
Then the tragic news of Manfred's demise had come and just from the reading the letter, Maja could tell that she had been too optimistic. True, the letter was written by Argath, but its contents were strict and formal, offering the customary condolences, but nothing more.
While she had been recalling all this, Maja had headed upstairs to the master bedroom. There, she opened her closet and took out her finest blue dress, she then sat down in front of her mirror and began applying her make-up. When this was done, she headed back downstairs.
Upon coming out on the veranda, Maja was surprised to find that her guest was alone there.
"Your son's tutor came and took him away" Argath said, answering Maja's question before she had had time to say it. She smiled, showing a row of sharp teeth.
"I'm afraid that seeing me talking to his pupil gave the fellow quite a start."
I can imagine, Miranda thought. "Would Your Highness like to come in?" She asked out-loud.
Her Highness did and with a bow, Maja opened the door, allowing Argath to step into the hallway.
****
Maja took the Princess on the same tour that she gave all her guests: Showing her the rooms on the manor's ground-floor; the library with its rich selection of literature, the sitting room and so-on. As they passed through each room, Argath would pause to compliment the decor, or admire a piece of art, which she knew her hostess had picked out personally.
Maja could not help but feel flattered by all this praise, she had forgotten how charming Argath could be when she wanted to. What really made her happy though, was the Princess' remark about her son:
"Felix is a bright young boy. You've done an excellent job raising him"
"Thank you" Maja replied, her heart swelling with satisfaction. "He is my pride and joy."
It then occurred to Maja that her guest might be thirsty and so, she asked if the Princess would like something to drink.
"Well, I am rather parched" Argath replied, massaging her throat for emphasis. "A glass of water would be appreciated. Although..."
This time it was Maja who anticipated what her guest was about to say:
"We do have a wine-cellar" she said with a smile."If Your Highness would go back to the salon and wait there a moment?"
Having spent her life in the corridors of the Royal Palace, Argath had no problem finding her way in the comparatively smaller manor. She had soon reached the salon and made herself comfortable on a red sofa. Soon, Maja returned carrying with her a bottle and two glasses.
"This used to be Your Highness' favorite" she said, showing the label to Argath. "I just remembered that we had a bottle left."
She uncorked the bottle and filled the glasses.
"Here's to our reunion" Maja said as she raised her glass. The Princess did the same, the shadow of a smile on her features.
"To our reunion" she echoed, as their glasses clinked together.
The Wine was excellent,and the two women commented approvingly on its rich taste. Before Maja knew it she had finished her glass and almost immediately, Argath re-filled it for her.
"Your Highness is my guest" Maja protested. "I should be the one serving you."
"I still have some left" Argath said, taking another sip of wine. "By the way, ever since I came here, you've been calling me 'Your Highness'. We used to be on first-name basis, remember?"
Maja nodded.
"Considering our last meeting, I didn't think that we still were."
Argath smiled, her fingers brushed against Maja's knuckles.
"I want us to be. Say my name, like you used to."
Maja smiled back.
"Your wish is my command...Argath."
As the content of the wine bottle dwindled, the atmosphere between Maja and her guest became less and less formal and soon, Manfred's widow found herself stretched out on the couch, resting her head in her former lover's lap. A silence filled the room, then the female dragon spoke:
"Maja?"
"Yes, Argath?"
"Manfred's death, do you blame me for it?"
"I did, at first, I'm sorry to say. Then, I realized that I was being unfair: What happened to Manfred was no-one's fault. It was a tragic accident, nothing more. "I wish you had come to the funeral though, it would have meant a lot."
"I know I should have come and offered you my support, but I wasn't able to. I am sorry, Maja. Truly, I am."
Sitting up, Maja moved herself closer to her guest.
"Its fine" she said. "I forgive you."
"Do you, really?"
Maja nodded.
"If you do, then kiss me."
After a moment's hesitation, Maja reached out and gave Argath a peck on the cheek. The Princess shook her head.
"Come now, Maja" she said. "You know that is not what I meant. Here, let me show you."
With those words, Argath wrapped her arms around Maja and kissed her on the lips. It was deep kiss, of the kind that the two had shared in the pas and it took a few seconds for Maja's brain to register what was happening. As soon as it did, though, she put her hands on Argath's chest and pushed her away.
"W-we shouldn't" she muttered, a hue of red coloring her cheeks.
"Oh? Argath asked, an expression of wry amusement on her face. "And why is that?"
"Argath!" Maja gasped, shocked. "My son is in the house!"
"He is busy with his lessons. I know you want this, don't try do deny it."
"It's just...." Maja began, looking down at her feet. "What if Manfred is watching over me from the afterlife?"
Argath rolled her eyes surreptitiously. Somehow, it had slipped her mind that Maja believed in that sort of thing.
"I'm sure he does" she said in a reassuring voice "and do you know what I believe that he's thinking?"
Maja shook her head.
"I bet that in this moment, Manfred is thinking to himself: How fortunate that my beloved Maja has found someone who will be there for her now that I am no longer able to. Someone who treasures her as much as I do. Someone who will serve her every needs and be there for her and Felix."
"You really think so?"
"I do. After all, you are no more than thirty years old. I doubt your husband wanted you to be alone for the rest of your life."
Maja closed her eyes. A vision appeared in her mind. In it, she stood at a crossroads with both her paths blocked by a naked figure. Standing on the path leading west was Manfred, smiling at her, his cock standing at full attention. On the eastern path, Argath spread her legs and with a crooked finger, beckoned Maja to join her. Between the two of them, they caused Maja's heart to beat faster. How could she choose between them?
Maja then realized that she had been at this crossroads before. That time, she had chosen Manfred. She had never regretted that choice, but Manfred was gone and although Maja hoped that she would eventually see him again in the after-life, she was not in any hurry to leave this world behind and until that day came, why should she not renew her relationship with the other person she had loved. She opened her eyes and looked at Argath.
"I'm not going to marry you" she said. "I promised myself that after Manfred, I wouldn't remarry."
The Princess' eyes widened in surprise.
"Who said anything about marriage?" She said with an amused look on her face. "No, my dear; as much as I would love to take you to the altar, I am well aware that as heir to the throne, I shall one day have to wed some male in order to produce an heir of my own."
"Well, you could always adopt a child."
"Oh, did you have any in mind? Your own son, perhaps? I'm sorry Maja, for all his undoubted qualities, I'm afraid Felix lacks the most essential requirement for becoming King over Vinoli."
"By essential requirement, you mean being a dragon, am I correct?"
"That is so." The Tone in Argath's voice was almost apologetic. "There must always be a dragon on Vinoli's throne. Of course, I'm sure that Felix will have a seat on the Council when he gets older, but enough talk about the future. Why don't you show me the rest of the house? I know that there's at least one room that I have not seen yet."
Maja rose from her seat and offered Argath her hand.
"My bedroom is upstairs" she said, a warm sensation welling up in her, as she could feel the Princess' hand in her own.
