"You like her".

Lucas's straightforward comment broke the silence as they left the Amarn, sitting in close quarters with one another. Peter turned to glare at his attendant.

"Ah, forgive me, your majesty," Lucas bowed his head respectfully, "You seem to have an interest in the Caramort woman".

Peter scoffed, "Lucas, if you have nothing productive to say, don't say anything at all".

"I shall take that into consideration, your majesty," Lucas stated.

Isiah smirked from behind his brother, "You can either talk about it with us, or we'll talk about it behind your back. Up to you".

Peter sighed, "What would you like me to say, brother? Would you like me to admit that I believe she is a very attractive woman? Because I'm positive that all of you would say that was a given".

There was no disagreement in the boat.

"Or perhaps you want me to say that I think she would be a great member of the Harem? Again, I would say that is a given," Peter continued, "However, she clearly wants no place there, and despite holding her brother and father in my hands, she clearly doesn't find my offer attractive".

"She can't expect you to give up the Harem for her, does she?" asked Isiah with disgust in his tone.

"I think she's more than aware that she cannot ask for such a thing," Peter stated, "Hence why she is asking anyone else. Though she clearly does not relish it".

"She seemed more disgusted over the fact that the Harem Members are confined than anything else. Is it really so bad? It is not as if those women are left wanting for anything," Lucas added.

"I think we should presume not to know the minds of the Eastern Peoples," Peter stated, "Nor should we ever presume to think that Saorise Caramort will become a member of my Harem. This matter is closed".

The boat lapsed into silence once more, Peter's darkening tone warning the other occupants that they were in the presence of their King and they should not joke so carelessly around him.

"The point about the birth of heirs, your majesty," Lucas spoke after a moment, "Will you truly consider changing the rewards? A female heir receiving the same attention and praise as a male heir would be-"

"I will think on it, Lucas," said Peter, "After all, we have seen in the Eastern Peoples that males and females can be treated equally. If we are to suppress one half of our people because we believe them lesser, we halve our chances of reaching our goals".

"Your Majesty..."

Peter sighed, "I sense that woman will become rather influential no matter her future role. If not as a member of the Harem, then likely as something else".

"You think they will elect her as the Eastern Representative?" asked Isiah.

"It seems most likely that they will elect one of the Caramorts. Nathan will likely think of his sons as too impulsive. It will come down to himself and his daughter no doubt," said Peter, "I will be surprised if their representative does not hold the name Caramort".

***

Saorise sighed deeply as she lay down on her bed. She had written a generalised letter, then passed it on to several servants to copy down. She'd then spent an hour signing them and passing them back to the servants to seal then send off. It had been a long process, but finally she had a moment to rest her eyes.

It did not sit well with her that she had to condemn her own people to such a fate, but she could see no other alternative. Besides, if what Peter and the Attendant had said about the Wendolan Harem was true, it was likely that they would be able to influence society in Wendolan to take more lenient stances towards the eastern peoples, if not more easily accept them. It would be a long process, but the possibility remained.

Despite the fate of her people weighing heavily on her mind, Saorise quickly slipped into a deep and restful sleep. A sleep that was filled with strange dreams.

She sat beside a terrified boy in a cave. A boy with amber eyes which darted this way and that. Amber eyes so familiar to her.

The cave was dark. So dark that his barely flickering torch lit only a few metres around him. He hugged his knees close to his chest, shivering in the darkness. She felt sorry for him, he appeared barely older than five. Saorise reached out to reassure him, to touch his shoulder and tell him that it was okay, but she felt a deep chill within her being before she could reach him.

She spun to look into the darkness just as the boy's own eyes snapped up, his breathing ragged.

"Weak".

A hissing voice echoed in the dark. There was no way to tell where it came from in the dark, but the voice held a deep power. A vast power that could not be denied.

"Weak," it repeated, "Just like all the others".

The boy with amber eyes was clearly still terrified, but he frowned at the words, standing up on shaky legs and pushing away from the wall, "I am not weak! I am the Crown Prince of Wendolan. I was born to never be weak!"

The voice chuckled as if amused, then a wave of air seemed to pass through the cave, and a series of large torches lit up in great whooshes of flame.

"Prince? Wendolan? These mean nothing. Terms that are as fleeting as your pitiful life. Strength, Power, comes from the ability to conquer such things. To make the terms indisputable," said the dark voice.

Saorise's eyes widened at the words. So cold and cruel were they, but also absolute. This voice, just who was it?

Saorise's eyes went to where the boy stood, clutching the heavy torch with both hands.

"I will conquer them," said the boy, "Just as one conquers darkness with light, I will find a way to conquer that which is fleeting".

The voice laughed this time, the noise loud and clear and all too chilling.

Saorise froze, ready to move to the boy and protect him from what was coming, but it was the boy that stepped forward first. The fear still filled him, but he moved passed it, throwing his torch to the side as he walked across the cave to the far side where a large glass-like rock stood, a long sword sealed within it.

The laughter died, and the voice shook the cave once more as the boy came to stop before the rock.

"You are courageous, but stupid. If you take that sword it will burn you alive. It will fill your nights with terror and your days with misfortune. You are weak, and the power within it will break you".

"I am not weak".

The boy put his hand on the rock.

Saorise woke, those amber eyes so burning and strong in her memory.

"Peter?" she whispered. But why would she dream of the Wendolan King? And as a boy at that? It was so random...but she could still feel the chilling voice in that cave as if she had been there herself.