“I
cannot accept your love,” said the prince, “for doing so means betraying my
own. If I must die to stay loyal to my betrothed, then that is what I am going
to do.”
“You are a fool,” Lizana said. “You
will have a chance to see your betrothed again if you do as I say. I love you,
and because I love you I am willing to let you go your own way. But this is
only if you are willing to accept my feelings for you. If you do not accept,
the venom from the sting will take hold, and you will die. Your betrothed will
mourn you. Is that what you wish?”
“Oh, no,” said the prince, “that is
not what I wish at all! I will accept your feelings for me if it means you will
set me free!”
“Very well,” Lizana said. “First,
you must tell me that you love me and that you accept my love for you.”
The prince said, “I, Prince Ephraim, accept the love of Lizana the Desert
Queen, and I fully return the feelings she has for me.”
Lizana’s eyes brightened like
turquoise stones catching the light. “Do you mean it?” she asked.
Of
course I don’t mean it, the prince thought, to set his mind at peace. I could never say those words to any other
than my love, the beautiful Princess Clara of Alingrad. But if I am ever to see
her again, I must make sure the desert queen does not know that! “I do,” he
told Lizana. “I mean every word of it.”
“Then kiss me,” said the desert
queen.
Prince Ephraim began to feel sick to
his stomach. “But, my lady…”
“Don’t you call me ‘my lady.’ Call
me ‘my love.’”
“My…my love,” the prince stammered,
“we have already shared a kiss. Is that not enough?”
“It is not enough,” said Lizana. “I
kissed you then. I want you to kiss me.”
“Well…very well, then,” said Prince
Ephraim. “Come closer.”
“Can’t you pull me closer?” asked
Lizana. “Are you so afraid to touch me?”
This
isn’t right, thought the prince. This
isn’t right at all. But if I were to die, what would become of my princess? Shakily,
he reached for the queen’s shoulders. He touched one shoulder, then the other.
He began to pull her in. Her eyes were glistening like the gems in the moat
around the shimmering white palace, and he could see the anticipation in them.
He had to think about his hands to stop them from shaking. He had to think
about each of his actions or else he’d never be able to do it…Pull her in, lean in close, press your lips
to hers…
He kissed her, and was left with the taste
of the cinnabar-colored makeup on her lips.
The queen pulled back and stared
into his eyes for a few moments before she said, “Would you like the remedy
now?”
“I would, if you please,” said
Prince Ephraim. “The sting grows more and more painful by the minute, and I
think I can feel the venom setting in—it is making me feel quite tired and
nauseous!”
“Come with me to my palace,” said
the queen, “and I will give you the remedy. But you must let me hold your hand
while we walk.”
“Very well,” said Prince Ephraim. He
held out his hand for her, and she took it. Her hand was so warm that it kept
his own from shaking, though the rest of his body trembled until he thought it
might fly apart before they reached the palace.
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