Chapter 16

Tamara had always been a headstrong little girl the king explained. Even as a child she had wild plans of herself traveling and exploring other places and continents. They had listened to her patiently, well knowing that most young ones grew up from such dreams. Their society was a matriarchal one in where she was destined to be their new Queen and the bloodline she counted herself too went back over sixteen generations. The firstborn Girl in each marriage was made the proper queen and never had that lineage been broken, until now, until Tamara that is. She had different dreams, to travel, to be free.

And now she hoped that by marrying early she would be able to create a situation in which she, by begetting a girl, would be allowed to abdicate and replace herself with her daughter to be instead. 'Yes, ' the king said. 'Its hard for me to refuse her wish, if she want to try go through with this scheme I will try to support her. Hopefully she will regain her senses along the way.' He studied me for a while. 'Any idea why she choose you?' I told him the exact circumstances of our meeting, holding nothing back.

He listened in a quiet and collected manner, now and then asking me to clarify some detail. He seemed quite impressed when he found out who my wives were. 'Mistress Dawn and our sweet Alair too.' He gave me a sharp look. 'There's more than what shows on the surface here boy.' He rubbed his brow thoughtfully. 'Can't be your bravery though, hey lad.' And here he gave me a friendly shove. Now I heard the girls coming back to the garden. 'Oh he's so sweet Mamma, wait until you see him. Carl we're back. Caarl?' the king made a hushing sound and waved me out through the door.

I nodded and opened it. 'Ah there you are.' Said Tamara. 'Let me introduce you. Carl this is my Mother, Mother this is Carl.' I bowed and kissed her outstretched hand. 'It's a honor to meet such a beautiful Lady.' I said while smiling into her eyes. She studied me in much the same manner that her daughter had done that first fateful day. Thank God that she didn't carry any riding crop I thought. She was younger than her husband, somewhere in her forties I guessed, and she had the same long brown hair as her daughter.

'So you are Carl.' she said as she inspected me. 'Are you in love with my daughter yet, Carl?' she waited coolly for my answer. I looked at Tamara, normally so cocky, she now almost seemed to cower as she stood waiting for my answer. 'Yes Ma'am. I do love her.' I said. 'Not as well as I should and not as good as I will when we've got to know each other. But she is my brave loveable little firebrand.' Tamara straightened herself and smiled at me and her Mother seemed slightly taken aback by surprise. 'Good.' She said sounding as if she really meant the opposite.