No man could intimidate him. No woman could resist him. Every man secretly wished to be him, and every woman secretly feared him. But none of that was of any concern to Helyah. The warrior king of Ledion's sole focus was to conquer. Conquer all neighboring territories so that his beloved Ledion could be ensured longevity as a powerful kingdom. The latter had been Helyah's sole obsession, consuming his mind, body and soul.
That is, until he set eyes on Jezmen, the daughter of the owner of the king's favorite tavern. He had seen her countless times during her childhood, but had paid little attention to her then. Now, nearly a long eighteen years later, all that occupied his mind was Jezmen's long golden mane, her delicate hands, her plump, rose-colored lips. Helyah had been to the tavern on a daily basis since he'd returned from the battle of Menil, in order to catch a glimpse of the fair-haired maiden. But it seemed that Jezmen's father had been afraid that his daughter would be approached by the king, and so had managed to keep her distant from Helyah.
Finally, on a blustery morning, the king cornered Jezmen outside by the water well as she refilled the tavern's supply.
"You are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes upon." Helyah confessed. He did not want to miss the rare opportunity to speak to the gorgeous maiden. "I know your father is concerned about any man approaching you, but my intentions are most chivalrous. Will you at least speak my name? I have been dreaming of hearing your sweet voice."
Jezmen spoke very softly, almost in a whisper, "Your majesty, my father is very concerned for my well-being, but I am certain that he would have no objection to our conversing about the sudden chill in the wind, or about the frost that will most surely approach by nightfall." Her words were meant to be spoken in a steadfast manner, so as not to appear intimidated, but her trembling betrayed her emotions.
Helyah felt very confident all of a sudden-as if Jezmen were another territory to win in a battle. A territory with weak defenses. He wanted to stay true to his earlier promise of chivalry, but could not control his desire to kiss her sweet lips. He gently grasped her arm, and turned her around to face him. She did not resist. He brought her closer to him, until he could feel her breath on his face. The desire to kiss was so strong for both of them that it was like sweet agony to resist.
When their lips finally did meet, it felt as if an explosion had taken place inside of Helyah. They remained intertwined in the passionate kiss until Jezmen's father interrupted them with a loud gasp.
Helyah released Jezmen, and turned to face the tavern owner. The king's demeanor was not apologetic, but it was somewhat sympathetic. He knew full well that Jezmen's father would not-could not-deny him Jezmen. However, the marriage of a king to a peasant would not be in the best interest of the throne.
All of these thoughts raced through Helyah's mind as he tried to decide the most civilized manner in which to inform the tavern owner that the king intended full well to take Jezmen with him before he left the tavern on this day.
"I will offer you a handsome dowry for your daughter, good man." Helyha stated, pleased with himself. "Enough gold so that you live comfortably from here on."