Tyranny of Steel

Berengar sat in the middle of a room, closed off by translucent silk curtains; sitting atop his lap was a lovely maiden who was a few years older than himself. She was dressed in a skimpy belly dancer ’s outfit and wore a gossamer face veil.

Through some difficulty, he could make out the delicate features of her gorgeous face as her shining amber eyes stared into his own. She had just asked him a question that put him in a rather tricky position. Quite obviously, this was a trap set by Hasan to force Berengar ’s hand into marrying his sister, and if he did not play his cards right, he would undoubtedly be bringing another bride home from this war.

While such a thing did not frighten Berengar, after all, he was the man of his house and by law was allowed up to five wives; the fact of the matter was he did not like the idea of falling into Hasan ’s trap. If he were to marry Yasmin, it would be under his terms, not someone else ’s.

Ultimately he came to the logical conclusion to control his urges and not submit to his friend ’s will. Thus despite every instinct of his body telling him to indulge in the foreign beauty sitting atop his lap, after careful consideration, Berengar sighed and pushed Yasmin aside, where he began to decline her offer.

”Though nothing would help me take my mind off my current troubles more than sleeping with a beautiful woman like yourself, I fear that if I were to fall prey to such a trap that your brother has set for me, then it would only invite future turmoil. ”

Yasmin was greatly surprised by Berengar ’s actions. She had never expected that the Austrian King would be able to resist her charms, especially after considering how erect he was. She gave Berengar a curious gaze as she asked the question on her mind.

”You will not lie with me? ”