immediately.
She flung her arms around him and kissed him.
After an enchanted moment he drew back. “I am a prince,” he reminded her in his new singsong.
She hardly cared about that; royalty meant little to her. “I will remain with you here in India, if I need to,” she said.
“No, no!” he sang. “You must continue your quest for the Llano! I would not deny you your dream!”
“But I think I have found my dream, in you,” she said. Her heart, so long her own, seemed to be inflamed, but it was a wonderful feeling. She had never known such love before.
“Only part of it, only part,” he demurred. “And that part you can have without sacrificing the other. I will go with you, wherever your quest leads.”
She smiled. “You are truly the most wonderful of men.” Then she kissed him again, savoring the amazing new emotion.
She drew back her head to look at him, struck by something. “Turn your head,” she said abruptly.
He obliged, uncertain of her intent.
“Yes!” she exclaimed. “You are he! That’s why you looked familiar!”
“Who?” he sang.
“The man of my dream! I really
have
found you!”
He shook his head, perplexed. Then she explained about her childhood vision of walking down an aisle on the arm of a man she could never quite see, except for a glimpse of his profile. “You are that man!”
“I should be glad to be in your dreams,” he sang. “But I am not certain how I entered that one!”
“It was a dream of marriage,” she said. “Don’t desert it.”
“I shall try not to,” he agreed.
That night Mym moved into her wagon. The news of their romance had spread across the troupe at a velocity that left light somewhat behind, and Mym’s belongings had traveled here before he knew of it.
They lay together, not making love, just simply holding each other. Mym had, he confessed, known many women in sexual detail; it was expected of a prince, and concubines were a rupee a dozen. But he had never been in love. Orb admitted she had no experience in either love or sex, and had never felt the lack, until now.
“The touch of your hand is melody to me,” he told her.
“That’s just my magic!” she reproved him. He laughed, and they kissed and kissed again.
On other nights they did make love, many times and with abandon, but it was only an affirmation of their love, not an end in itself. She just wanted to be with him as closely as she could.
Meanwhile, the show went on, and the months passed. They traversed India and crossed the Indus River. The end of Orb’s tour with the carnival was approaching, and she had not found the Llano, but she didn’t care; she had found Mym instead.
But at the outskirts of Karachi, disaster came riding on horseback. An officer of Gujarat, Mym’s kingdom, appeared. “Prince, we have come for you!” he called. “The Prince, your brother, is dead. You will return with us.”
Orb came out. “You must go,” she said. “Your Kingdom needs you.”
“Damn my Kingdom!” he sang.
“I will go with you, my love.” She had no need of anyroyal life, only to be with him. She was sure she could handle it.
“No,” the officer said firmly. “The Prince alone must come. He will marry a princess of the Rajah’s choosing.”
Orb felt the clutch of horror on her heart. Was she to be separated from him?
“N-n-n-never!” Mym cried.
“We are instructed to pay the woman an adequate sum,” the officer said. “She will not be in want. But she is not to see the Prince again, by order of the Rajah.”
“An adequate sum!” Orb exclaimed indignantly. How could any monetary payment make up for the outrage and anguish of such a parting?
“It is here,” the officer said, proffering her a small package. Orb was hardly aware of accepting it; she was numbed by the awfulness of the situation.
She looked at Mym. He was standing as if dazed, his eyes staring ahead. A trace of blood showed on his lip.
The officer kneeled before him, proffering
She flung her arms around him and kissed him.
After an enchanted moment he drew back. “I am a prince,” he reminded her in his new singsong.
She hardly cared about that; royalty meant little to her. “I will remain with you here in India, if I need to,” she said.
“No, no!” he sang. “You must continue your quest for the Llano! I would not deny you your dream!”
“But I think I have found my dream, in you,” she said. Her heart, so long her own, seemed to be inflamed, but it was a wonderful feeling. She had never known such love before.
“Only part of it, only part,” he demurred. “And that part you can have without sacrificing the other. I will go with you, wherever your quest leads.”
She smiled. “You are truly the most wonderful of men.” Then she kissed him again, savoring the amazing new emotion.
She drew back her head to look at him, struck by something. “Turn your head,” she said abruptly.
He obliged, uncertain of her intent.
“Yes!” she exclaimed. “You are he! That’s why you looked familiar!”
“Who?” he sang.
“The man of my dream! I really
have
found you!”
He shook his head, perplexed. Then she explained about her childhood vision of walking down an aisle on the arm of a man she could never quite see, except for a glimpse of his profile. “You are that man!”
“I should be glad to be in your dreams,” he sang. “But I am not certain how I entered that one!”
“It was a dream of marriage,” she said. “Don’t desert it.”
“I shall try not to,” he agreed.
That night Mym moved into her wagon. The news of their romance had spread across the troupe at a velocity that left light somewhat behind, and Mym’s belongings had traveled here before he knew of it.
They lay together, not making love, just simply holding each other. Mym had, he confessed, known many women in sexual detail; it was expected of a prince, and concubines were a rupee a dozen. But he had never been in love. Orb admitted she had no experience in either love or sex, and had never felt the lack, until now.
“The touch of your hand is melody to me,” he told her.
“That’s just my magic!” she reproved him. He laughed, and they kissed and kissed again.
On other nights they did make love, many times and with abandon, but it was only an affirmation of their love, not an end in itself. She just wanted to be with him as closely as she could.
Meanwhile, the show went on, and the months passed. They traversed India and crossed the Indus River. The end of Orb’s tour with the carnival was approaching, and she had not found the Llano, but she didn’t care; she had found Mym instead.
But at the outskirts of Karachi, disaster came riding on horseback. An officer of Gujarat, Mym’s kingdom, appeared. “Prince, we have come for you!” he called. “The Prince, your brother, is dead. You will return with us.”
Orb came out. “You must go,” she said. “Your Kingdom needs you.”
“Damn my Kingdom!” he sang.
“I will go with you, my love.” She had no need of anyroyal life, only to be with him. She was sure she could handle it.
“No,” the officer said firmly. “The Prince alone must come. He will marry a princess of the Rajah’s choosing.”
Orb felt the clutch of horror on her heart. Was she to be separated from him?
“N-n-n-never!” Mym cried.
“We are instructed to pay the woman an adequate sum,” the officer said. “She will not be in want. But she is not to see the Prince again, by order of the Rajah.”
“An adequate sum!” Orb exclaimed indignantly. How could any monetary payment make up for the outrage and anguish of such a parting?
“It is here,” the officer said, proffering her a small package. Orb was hardly aware of accepting it; she was numbed by the awfulness of the situation.
She looked at Mym. He was standing as if dazed, his eyes staring ahead. A trace of blood showed on his lip.
The officer kneeled before him, proffering
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