Gryn leaned back slightly, the Valyrian steel scale armor beneath his robe making a faint, cold, hard sound as it struck the chair back.
His fingertips tapped lightly against the armrest. After meeting her gaze for several seconds, he said, "Lady Melisandre, since you have appeared here, may I take it that you have chosen to serve me?"
Melisandre's voice, still carrying the accent of the Jade Sea region, remained captivating. "Yes. It is the will of the Lord of Light."
As she moved to draw close again, Gryn suddenly rose from his chair and paced back and forth several times with his hands behind his back.
He abruptly said, "You know, I only do what is just. If your loyalty is sincere enough, there is no need for the... guidance of beauty."
Guidance?
Melisandre, whose "seduction" had been interrupted, could not help but chuckle. The ruby necklace between her collarbones swayed slightly.
Recalling the past...
She had to admit that Gryn's choice of words was always so considerate.
"See clearly the nature of the world, and truth surrounds you; all things are plain at a glance. Powerful men are full of charm, just as birth, aging, sickness, and death are all instincts of mortal men upon this earth."
Melisandre slowly approached, placing one hand on Gryn's arm. She added, "The true god I serve, the Lord of Light, commanded me to seek the Chosen of the Lord of Light—the Son of Fire. That is my mission."
She looked up at Gryn. "And I have returned to the right path."
Her slender fingers slowly slid up Gryn's arm. "Supreme pleasure is the reward the Lord of Light grants His warriors of light. I am merely fulfilling the duty of a 'servant,' my king."
"There is no need."
Gryn shifted his