Despite the allure of the pillow that beckoned me back to sleep, I forced myself to rise, my body stiff and aching from the rigors of the what just transpired.
But there was no time for rest, no room for indulgence in the luxury of sleep.
This was no ordinary seduction, no fleeting tryst with a young noblewoman or a dalliance with a courtier.
This was the princess, the very embodiment of the kingdom itself, and the consequences of our actions was risky enough as it was.
Better to play it safe," I thought, "to increase the risks now would be to tempt fate itself."
The princess, her body heavy with the weight of sleep and the languorous satiation of our lovemaking, lay beside me, her breathing deep and even as she slumbered.
With a final kiss to her forehead, I quietly slipped from the bed.
