Fritha would have been doomed to a quiet life of obscurity in her tiny village if not for her lover: the great hero of prophecy, destined to wrest the throne from the Usurper Queen. And he's never let her forget it. If only he would let her get a word in edgewise. Like when she tells him his grasp of military strategy is shaky at best. Or that his cowardice in battle just might become a problem if he plans to go to war. Or, for that matter, that he's not as talented a lover as he thinks he is. When the Usurper abducts her, she expects to be forced to choose whether to remain loyal to him or save her own life... and to be honest, it's not much of a choice. What she doesn't expect is a strategic mind to match her own--or the Usurper's captivating blue eyes. This short story is 5,500 words long. It is also available in Queerdark, a dark queer fantasy collection.