It is sometime after the war. Neither Grobian or Asterion has been born. As she walks through the palace, Mercury comes across King Neptune leaving Titania's apartments. He is accompanied by a pair of Y'Nobean guards and four Ebony guards. There was no word or rumor of his visit - apparently this was an impromptu meeting between the Queen and the King.)

"Ah! Excellent!" Neptune bellows as he sees Mercury. "You there, girl! Fetch us more of that...what was it? Wine! Yes...fetch us more wine, and stay close to us! We may have other uses for you after we've finished with your Queen."

His meaning is quite clear. The Y'Nobean soldiers stand by impassively. The Ebony soldiers cringe and cast worried looks Mercury's way.

"Of course, your Majesty," the young woman replies, giving a low curtsey that shows off more than a little cleavage. Turning on her heel she scurries off quickly to the kitchen. Mercury procures several bottles of good wine and several doses of sleeping draught before returning. She has her sketch pad hidden as well.

Mercury returns in a short time with the wine and mugs for the King and his guards.

When she returns, she finds the Ebony guards posted outside of a small side chamber, a sitting room that was a favorite of Cymneo's. They look sidelong at the Princess, but forego the usual courtesies, having read Mercury's desire for anonymity. One of them nods his head towards the door.

Inside, the two Y'Nobean guards stand bracing the door. Neptune reclines on a small divan near a cold hearth.

"Ah, there she is!" Neptune says jovially. He waves his hand at a sideboard nearby. "You're in luck, my dear! It seems that your Majesty is done for the night." he winks broadly. "My Majesty still has some spirit, though! Pour us a mug and join me here."

He pats his hand on the cushion beside him.

Mercury lets out a giggle and sashays over to the sideboard. There she leaves two of the bottles. While her body blocks the Y'Nobians' view, she dumps a dose of the sleeping draught into the mug and removes the cork from the third bottle with a low squeak of delight. She turns and pours a full measure of the deep red wine into the mug.

She hands the King the mug and plops down by his side, theigh to theigh, placing the bottle on a small table. Glowing up at him, Cymneo's daughter whispers "I've heard tales of your Majesty's prowess, but to witness it first hand." She allows her voice to trail off as she strokes his massive bicep appreciatively. Mercury exclaims rapturously, "You must have incredible stories about your conquests."

Neptune finished off the first bottle with no sign of impairment. As far as Mercury could tell, the sleeping draught was having no effect on the King at all, although he did mention, "your potion is far more potent than your Queen's, sweetling..."

By the second bottle, Neptune was getting frisky. Whatever commerce Y'Nobeans have with the fish in the sea, it was clear that Neptune learned his romancing from an octopus. His hands were everywhere. Not aggressive...but assertive...and persistent. Mercury managed to keep her scar concealed, but did indeed end up showing off "more interesting things" to distract his attention.

He finished off the second bottle of wine, drugged by Mercury, and was finally beginning to slow down a little. Unfortunately, this only seemed to make him more interested in Mercury's company. He pulled Mercury close and seemed about to kiss her when he paused. He disentangled his arm from about her waist, and held up Mercury's sketchpad, discovered in his exploration of...more interesting things.

"Ah...what have we here? A wanton and an artist?"

Mercury blushed demurely, "your Majesty flatters me, I sketch a little, but it was my father who was the real artist."

As if the thought had just occurred to her, the young woman suggested, "I could draw a sketch of you your majesty, although my poor talents are unlikely to do justice to your splendid vissage."

"I have no doubt that your talents are up to the needs of a King, my dear. A picture of King Neptune to grace your book?" Neptune laughed, still holding the sketchbook. "Why not? But, if I sit for you, you must sit for me.

He shifted away from Mercury, exposing himself obscenely in the process and not bothering to cover up his obvious state of arousal.

"You can draw from my lap, girl..."

Mercury was not an overly modest or chaste woman. She enjoyed physical acts for their own sake, without requiring -- as did some women at Court -- love to be a prerequisite. One thing Titania's daughter did not do was use such acts to further her own career or gain the support of others, for she might have been many things but whore was not one of them.

Lying with her mother's lover and father's killer for the purpose of acquiring a means to avenge her father seemed to be stretching the line a bit, but sometimes you simply have to do what you have to do. From the moment the King addressed her and the plan formed in her head, Mercury knew that it might come to this, and she was prepared for that eventuality.

Without hesitation, the princess delightedly exclaimed, "you doubly honor me your Majesty," before hiking up her skirts and doing her best to satisfy both the King's short-term needs and her long-term ones.

As the young princess slipped out of the room with her hard-won trump, she stopped out of sight of those inside and whispered to the guards, "within the next six months, each of you will receive a service bonus of a year's salary. My gift to you in return for your discretion." Her pleasant visage turned colder as she proceeded, "however, if any of you ever breathe a word of what went on here tonight -- to a lover, friend, or even each other -- my wrath against you all will be terrible." Mercury's eyes flickered dangerously before a warm smile returned to her features and she strode off down the hall.

When she reached her rooms, the young Princess drew a hot bath and soaked for a long time. However, when she got out of the tub she did not feel any cleaner.