Sticking with continuing on from last week’s snippet from my wip, To Target the Heart.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who have both never been in a relationship before.
Darshan is the spellster ambassador from the ginormous Udynea Empire sent to negotiate trade relations with Tirglas. Whereas Hamish is the third eldest child of the Tirglasian queen who has been kept on a tight leash by his mother.
The prior sentences were: “Aye, but tonight? It’s nae that I’m adverse to the idea, it’s just… real soon like.” And were spoken by Hamish…
Darshan bit the inside of his cheek, chasing his thoughts. He supposed engaging in a second night of intimacy in a row would seem an extremely short time after being forced to abandon any sort of intimacy for… How long had Hamish said?
Thirteen years.
He still couldn’t quite get his head around that scenario. To have to pretend, to constrain his emotions, to keep any friendship with another man at a distance least the worst was thought of such closeness… Darshan had some experience with the latter, but the rest was foreign. Not once had he ever been made to feel that he needed to hide any part of his being from the world.
Punishment he understood—being in Tirglas was his punishment—but it was what he’d done and with whom, not that the act had been with a man.
Don’t forget to check out the other excerpts at Weekend Writing Warriors, Snippet Sunday or Rainbow Snippets.
Having staved off the idea of marrying a woman for years, Prince Hamish finds himself forced to face its realities when he becomes the prize in a contest of arms. But one contestant promises a way out. Can they win against all the odds?
Aldrea Alien 
Ouch, that is harsh, yet it’s inflicted on far too many people…:(
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It is indeed. 😦
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I’m becoming very intrigued by these two.
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🙂
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From famine to feast as far as intimacy goes.
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Pretty much.
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I like that the two characters have such differing life experiences. Enjoyed the excerpt…
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Thanks. 😀
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Sounds like he’s starting to recognize big differences in their cultures.
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Most definitely.
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Differing expectations of intimacy frequency can cause problems in any relationship. Thirteen years is a long, long time to hide a preference along with being alone. Good snippet!
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Thank you. 🙂
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Seems like opposites attract in this one? I love those stories.
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It’s one of my favourite tropes. 🙂
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He’s taking quite the risk! But I can see his mind (or his heart) is already made up.
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In certain matters, it sure is.
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I love that they’re such different characters and it’s sweet that Darshan is beginning to reflect on why; really hope Hamish won’t let his culture shape his destiny forever though – thirteen years is more than punishment, more like torture!
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It would indeed feel that way after a very short time.
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I feel bad for poor Hamish (and everyone else in this real world dealing with the same 😔).
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As do I. Doubly so for the chapters I’ve just completed.
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I’m more and more intrigued by these two.
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