You never told me.”
“Of course I didn't,” Threnody said, angry tears in her eyes. “I'm ashamed of half my parentage. That half.” She glared at Mentia, trying to get to Metria.
'See?' Metria said. 'It's hopeless. She will always hate me.’
“Now we shall have the other view,” Mentia said firmly.
“Back to square one.”
“Do we have to?” Threnody grumped through her angry tears.
“Yes. We made a deal for both views. We shall have them.”
The scene formed again: King Gromden marching down the road, the cloaked and hooded demoness meeting him.
The dialogue played out as before, except that the demoness began to be genuinely impressed with the King's manner and goodness of heart. She lacked soul or conscience, yet was curious about the latter, so what had originally been incidental mischief became something else. She saw how lonely the King was beneath his contented exterior, and resolved to give him some reward for it: one night of the kind of joy only a demoness or a really devoted beautiful woman could give a man. She thought he deserved at least that much.
On the following day he visited her again, so she gave him delight again, for she still respected and liked him, as much as a demoness could. So it continued for some time, in perfect privacy. She was glad at last to have brought joy into his somewhat sterile life. Of course, in time he caught on to her nature, but by then it didn't matter, because he found such delight in her. When, on rare occasion, some mischance threatened to expose their liaisons, she quickly and quietly vanished away, so that there could be no evidence, returning to him only when it was safe. Thus no other person learned of their affair.
But she made one mistake. She forgot about the stork.
Normally a demoness prevented the signal from getting out to find the stork, but she was so taken with the nice King that she never even noticed the escaping signal. When she realized, it was too late. Well, she thought, she would just have to find a suitable home for the baby when it came, because a demoness was no fit mother for a human baby.
For one thing, the baby would probably have a soul, while she didn't.
When the stork actually brought a beautiful baby girl, the demoness was so taken with her that she almost decided to keep her after all. But she knew that would be folly, and she didn't want her daughter to suffer the neglect that was bound to occur in the company of a demoness. So she did the next best thing: She brought the child to her father the King.
She did this, of course, in decent privacy, so as to avoid embarrassing him. “0 King, here is your darling daughter,” she informed him, presenting him with the bundle. “I wish I could keep her myself, but I can't, so I trust you to treat her well and give her all the things a precious child needs.'“
Gromden was amazed. In the typical manner of men, he had assumed that he had gone through the motions but that the summons would not reach the stork. But one look at the baby captivated him, and he was glad to accept her and recognize her as his own. “She will be my heir,” he said, “for I have no children.” This was fond illusion, because only a Magician could be King of Xanth. But her magic talent was as yet unknown, so there was always the chance that she would be a Sorceress. Of course, the kingship was traditionally limited to men, for archaic obsolete reasons, and those were the hardest reasons to refute. And she was half demoness, which would complicate her eligibility further. But Gromden postponed those concerns until later, and meanwhile doted on his daughter.
“I think I must not visit you anymore,” the demoness said to the King. “For demons are known to be bad influences on children, and your daughter must have only the best influences.”
Sadly, the King agreed. So they kissed once more and parted. The demoness lacked true
“Of course I didn't,” Threnody said, angry tears in her eyes. “I'm ashamed of half my parentage. That half.” She glared at Mentia, trying to get to Metria.
'See?' Metria said. 'It's hopeless. She will always hate me.’
“Now we shall have the other view,” Mentia said firmly.
“Back to square one.”
“Do we have to?” Threnody grumped through her angry tears.
“Yes. We made a deal for both views. We shall have them.”
The scene formed again: King Gromden marching down the road, the cloaked and hooded demoness meeting him.
The dialogue played out as before, except that the demoness began to be genuinely impressed with the King's manner and goodness of heart. She lacked soul or conscience, yet was curious about the latter, so what had originally been incidental mischief became something else. She saw how lonely the King was beneath his contented exterior, and resolved to give him some reward for it: one night of the kind of joy only a demoness or a really devoted beautiful woman could give a man. She thought he deserved at least that much.
On the following day he visited her again, so she gave him delight again, for she still respected and liked him, as much as a demoness could. So it continued for some time, in perfect privacy. She was glad at last to have brought joy into his somewhat sterile life. Of course, in time he caught on to her nature, but by then it didn't matter, because he found such delight in her. When, on rare occasion, some mischance threatened to expose their liaisons, she quickly and quietly vanished away, so that there could be no evidence, returning to him only when it was safe. Thus no other person learned of their affair.
But she made one mistake. She forgot about the stork.
Normally a demoness prevented the signal from getting out to find the stork, but she was so taken with the nice King that she never even noticed the escaping signal. When she realized, it was too late. Well, she thought, she would just have to find a suitable home for the baby when it came, because a demoness was no fit mother for a human baby.
For one thing, the baby would probably have a soul, while she didn't.
When the stork actually brought a beautiful baby girl, the demoness was so taken with her that she almost decided to keep her after all. But she knew that would be folly, and she didn't want her daughter to suffer the neglect that was bound to occur in the company of a demoness. So she did the next best thing: She brought the child to her father the King.
She did this, of course, in decent privacy, so as to avoid embarrassing him. “0 King, here is your darling daughter,” she informed him, presenting him with the bundle. “I wish I could keep her myself, but I can't, so I trust you to treat her well and give her all the things a precious child needs.'“
Gromden was amazed. In the typical manner of men, he had assumed that he had gone through the motions but that the summons would not reach the stork. But one look at the baby captivated him, and he was glad to accept her and recognize her as his own. “She will be my heir,” he said, “for I have no children.” This was fond illusion, because only a Magician could be King of Xanth. But her magic talent was as yet unknown, so there was always the chance that she would be a Sorceress. Of course, the kingship was traditionally limited to men, for archaic obsolete reasons, and those were the hardest reasons to refute. And she was half demoness, which would complicate her eligibility further. But Gromden postponed those concerns until later, and meanwhile doted on his daughter.
“I think I must not visit you anymore,” the demoness said to the King. “For demons are known to be bad influences on children, and your daughter must have only the best influences.”
Sadly, the King agreed. So they kissed once more and parted. The demoness lacked true
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