On the edge of your hearing you catch the sound of children laughing. Shaking your head and 
trying not to laugh yourself you pour a glass of wine. You take a moment to admire the colour 
of it, holding the glass in a beam of sunlight, before walking over to the open window. Even 
now, you can't help but beam with pride; everything you see, hill and forest and plain and 
farm, is yours.

Looking down into the courtyard you can see the source of the laughter. A round dozen children 
are playing in the same way that puppies and kittens do; harmless games to shape up skills for 
adult life. True, not all of them are your own, but amongst the noisiest, the ones playing at 
being Guards you recognise two of your sons and one of your daughters. Another son hangs around 
the sidelines with a basket of 'bandages' ready to patch up the fallen, while the youngest girl 
sits in the shade, nose buried in a book.

The door opens and closes softly behind you; the soft swish of her skirts and the heady scent 
of her perfume tells you louder than words who approaches. "Hiding by yourself again, my lord 
and husband?" Beautiful as the midsummer day is long, you still can't believe the lady before 
you accepted your hand so eagerly, but you're still so glad she did. "If you have no business 
that needs attending to, perhaps we can fill your time more interestingly...?"

Playfully she covers your eyes with her hands, laughing her rich, warm laugh. You feel her take 
her hands away, her laughter still echoing in your ears; you open your eyes with a smile, ready 
to play her games, only to find yourself once more in the world you left behind.