Milenka stood at the window overlooking the road as the army gradually began filling up the meadow. She wondered why they were going to stop here again. The king and his entourage galloped into the inn yard, and got off their horses. She hoped that the servants were secure in their attic space.
A knock on her door brought her back to the reality of the army occupying the inn. She opened the door and met the king. "May I come in Gracious lady?"
She nodded, and the king came into the room and shut the door. He came across the room to the bench and sat down. She remained standing. He addressed her in Grenoulian. "I have some bad news, Razvetchick is dead. He died a heros death, and you should be proud of him."
She nodded. She thought "What now? " A single woman was open to all kinds of insult.
He watched her. "No hysterics? No cries for your demon lover? You just going to nod your head as if I had told you that the weather is pleasant?"
"I am shocked and dismayed. I will shed tears later."
"I don't believe you will. I did. But you? No, I imagine you feel relieved."
"How can you say that? He was very good to me. I respected him."
"That may be so, but I know his tastes and you know mine are identical. I am debating what to do with you. I really don't believe in senseless butchery for its own sake, but leaving gossipy women who can with a word out of turn cause me incredible grief out there unsupervised."
"I will be silent."
"Will you now? I don't think so. A woman with hot gossip like this on her tongue will let it tear at her breast untold? Such a woman would die. And perhaps she needs to die first."
"I have kept secrets before. I will keep others"
"What secrets have you kept?"
"That is a secret. "
The king laughed. "You can be witty when I am telling you that you are this close to death? Such bravery should be rewarded. "
"No one knew of Rasvetchick's proclivities from me."
The King stared at her for a while. "You know I need to be married sometime soon. And having a woman to know my tastes is suicide. You kept Rasvetchick's taste a secret?"
"Not really. The man was notorious. But I never mentioned them."
The king was silent again. "You married knowing Rasvetchick's taste, maybe you can marry me for the same reason. " Milenka was silent. "Would you have an objection to that?"
"Why would you marry a Grenoulian commoner?"
The king smiled. "Your good looks bewitched me. I took one look at you and I was enraptured."
"And don't forget that I am a widow, and that you took my husband with you and he was killed in the battle for your crown."
"Now that would actually be a good bit of sinning. The church would be upset, but the common people might enjoy this story. It is right out of the holy book, the king has the husband of the woman who bewitched him killed in battle. "
Milenka worried that marriage to him would be incest. She thought franticly for another excuse to his proposal. "Rasvetchick never slept with me. He promised to find me a discret lover and he never did."
"Ah, yes. I promise to find a lover for you exactly for your specifications. Tell me who you would like, and I will provide him."
"So, you are asking me to marry you under the same conditions as I did for Rasvetchick?"
"Well, not the exact same conditions. You would have to be discrete of course, and you would of course be living in the palace. You would be watched for gossiping. That would't be permitted."
She looked disdainfully at him. " Of course not. That would be stupid. I am not a fool."
"You are a woman."
She placed her hands on her hips. "To be female is not to be stupid. To be stupid and male is identical, but not stupid and female."
The king patted the air "So noted. Do you accept?"
"What becomes of my widow's portion? I don't want to be beholden to you and suddenly dropped."
"You of course would have property deeded to you. That much is obligatory. "
"Agreed then. Would I stay here to the wedding?"
"Of course not! You would be in the palace immediately."
She thought about her brother and sister. They would stay here of course. There was to much frightening if he realized that this grenoulian refugee had a sister and brother exactly like the ones on the wanted posters. "I need to pack. We leave when?"
"In ten minutes. What do you need to pack?"
My wedding dress. I like it. I also have some other dresses. I will be quick. Let us go in eight minutes.