A more complete slave he had never had before, nor since, and he had owned many.A more complete slave he had never had before, nor since, and he had owned many. Could it be possible that she did indeed love him as she protested so often? More disturbing was the thought that he might actually be growing fond of her. The Dark Lord's hand clamped down hard on the arm of his chair that it had been stroking. Love--such an empty word. The bards had exhausted it in their songs, using it to explain an emotion that enthralled whole populations. True, he did care for Rhea, just as he cared for his hounds or other animals, but love was unthinkable, even intolerable. Love was an emotion, and emotions promoted feelings. Feelings could complicate or poison his thoughts. His precision, perception and intuition were all that kept him one step ahead of his enemies: alive and seated on his throne. |