Duty

Duty (v0.1, half done)

A Lord is holding court with several subjects who have come to see him.

In matching throne to his side, the Lady ruminates on their differences. She's a decade older than him- thirty when they married, and that was several years back. The marriage was political, but they respect each other and the relationship isn't without intimacy. He's even been satisfactory in bed- it doesn't hurt that the man is borderline statuesque.

She makes herself focus- it's another couple whose future is at stake right now. The Lady informs her Lord that before next delegation, she's scheduled time for another brief matter warranting his attention. He nods assent, and she bids the young peasant woman to enter.

The young woman explains that immediately after their marriage, her husband was drafted into militias that fought in the recent border conflicts. He returned with sound mind & body, but for an injury which has left him unable to father children. Their union remains a strong and happy one, but it is undeniably fruitless.

Here the peasant woman hesitates, blushing furiously. The Lady smoothly takes over the explanation: Thus, the two of them have asked that this young woman be allowed to lie with another man, for the purpose of bearing a child for her lawfully wedded husband. A suitable partner has already been found- a man of good standing, with no other association to this woman. His wife has already given her approval; the woman is sympathetic to the young couple's plight and has offered her assistance in ensuring discretion.

The Lord is considering the matter. He verifies that there will continue to be no other association between peasant woman & partner, beyond that for the express purpose of procreation. That settled, he declares the arrangement satisfactory, drafting an official writ of approval declaring that any child borne of the pairing will legally be considered that of the peasant woman and her husband. The peasant woman stutters heartfelt thanks, and the Lady kindly ushers her away.

Throughout the remaining affairs of this evening, she reflects on the sensitive nature of peasant woman's problem. Unlike the Lady's homeland, this culture is terribly uptight about sex. Her own husband once seemed the most conservative prude out of all of them, but she soon realized his decisions could be pragmatic or downright progressive. Her Llrd husband is simply the type who always puts his duties before his desires, much to his people's benefit.

As such, framing the bedroom as a matter of marital duties resulted in him being quite attentive to his lady wife's needs. As they retire to their quarters, hand in hand, the Lady privately admits that what irks her is how difficult it's been to inspire any kind of need on *his* part. The man is selfless to a fault; his principles always trump any kind of personal temptation. She's given up on corrupting him.

/So now/, she muses with a smile, /we must see if those principles can lead him to corrupt himself/. Dutiful as ever, her husband steps forward to open the bedchamber door for her- then stops in midstep, one hand still clasping her own. Before him is the young peasant woman from this afternoon, face now an even deeper shade of scarlet.