Eating his breakfast with one hand, Regnar flippedthrough a few news sheets with his other, and snortedas he read a headline. "Look at that!" he exclaimed indisgust to his mother, who was just coming in from outdoors."The Gathering! They must be hard up for news; this is thefourth day in a row that it's been the top story."

Activities on a distant planet seemed of remote interesthere on Azure, even if the Orb was the capitol of theImperium and location of the government of all these colonyworlds.

"Well, it is an important event," his mother respondedmoderately.

"'As the time draws near for the youngest of theEmperor's sons to reach his majority, the princes aregathering at the capital for this momentous event'" he read"`Hotels are filled to capacity with the entourages fromdistant places, although all of the princes themselves are beingaccommodated within the palace grounds.'

"`Speculation is intense regarding the identity andcharacter of the youngest of the princes, whose attainmentof majority triggers this momentous event.'" He read on,"`Each prince is expected to perform some deed of benefit tothe public in order to demonstrate his abilities, so that TheEmperor may choose the most worthy as his successor.'"

"Poor bastards," Regnar observed, looking up at hismother with a rueful grimace. "A contest of good deeds! Andmost of them will end up going back to being nobodies whenit's over. Just poor bastards," he repeated.

"That sounds disloyal," his mother responded sharply.

"I call it obscene," Regnar replied heatedly. "Goingaround impregnating women all over the Empire whetherthey want you or not, and leaving the poor kids to grow upignorant of who their father really is."

"It's the custom, son, and it ensures that there will begood, strong genes in the imperial family and The Emperorwill be someone who's really worthy.

"A contest to decide who will be Emperor! It's a wonderthey don't kill each other."

"A man who did that would never be acknowledged asEmperor."

"Oh, Mom, you just can't imagine how it would be for afellow."

"I've certainly tried," she replied, sitting down oppositehim. Regnar gave her his customary smile. He was so veryfond of this young-looking lady who was his mother. Theywere perfect pals, and he always felt free to express himselfcandidly with her. Mostly she already seemed to know how hewould react to things.

He was offended by this event; how could she bring himto say the things that were deep within him? "The princescan only do their best at the tasks assigned them," she said."Perhaps they don't want to be in that position: their normallives disrupted, everyone knowing about—their birth and soforth, maybe wanting the big prize, maybe scared. How wouldyou feel if it were you?"

It was his nature that he truly considered her question, notgiving a flip answer.

"I guess I'd be one of those who'd be scared. Imaginefacing the possibility of being made Emperor; beingresponsible for—all that!" He flung his arms wide, to take inall that they knew of the universe.

"I suppose that one could do poorly on his assigned task,she said. "Then there would be no worry about being chosenEmperor, or even being given a post in the government. Onecould just take his annuity and go back to wherever he camefrom."

"And what? Live in shame?" he interrupted. "A guy'd justhave to try to do his deed, even if he hated it."

"Why?" she prompted.

"For his own self-respect," Regnar answered sharply,looking swiftly at her in surprise that she wouldn't haveknown that for herself.

"How could he have any self-respect to start with," sheasked, then. "If he knew he was a bastard, just the product ofsome scheme to provide sons for The Emperor?"

"Self-respect comes from what you are inside, you knowthat, Mother. A person can't help how he came to be born!It's what he's done as he grew up that makes him a man or apathetic creature."

His mother smiled, and Regnar laughed. "You suckeredme into that, didn't you?" he asked, giving her arm a playfulshove. "Just like to hear me spout about high morals and allthat honor stuff you've been feeding me all my life."

"I do like to hear you talk," she admitted. "More coffee?"She got up and moved to the stove, her back to him.

"Thanks."

"Well, I hope that a lot of what I've talked about over theyears has sunk in," she said, fiddling with the coffee pot. "Ihope that if you have to face a trial of some sort you'll makeme and your father proud."

Regnar moved to get up, but she motioned him to remainseated.

"I've told you a very bad lie, my son, and it has hurt meto do it. Now that you are to be a man—legally—I have to tellyou—" She stopped, unable to step over that boundary thatshe had observed for so long.

"Go on," he said, and his voice sounded a little deeperthan she remembered its being. His eyes drilled into her face;she forced herself to look at him: her handsome son. Thosecandid eyes which could become introspective or determined,the mobile lips, the fair skin, the image of the man she hadloved.

"Your father did not die on his flight from here to Ohryan;he's still alive." She could feel the tension that sprang throughhis body.

"He deserted you? Us? Then to hell with him! I don'twant to know him!"

"No, no. It wasn't that! He wanted to stay—so much!He swore he wouldn't go back, that he'd give up everything;but of course I couldn't let him do that! I loved him so, and Icouldn't cause him to dishonor himself. I made him go."

"Was he already married?"

She did not answer that, but went on, "I fell in love withhim the first time I saw him, coming down the ramp from theship. There were lots of officials there, and he was wearingjust a commander's uniform, but my eyes went right to him; Iwas taken with him in an instant. Later he told me that he hadfelt that current between us, too, but he had gone past, then,and he couldn't do anything about it right then. Eventuallywe met again; I'll tell you about it when we have time. Wehad wonderful days together, and he wanted to stay. He saidthat he'd done his duty, and now he wanted something forhimself."

Regnar now got up, and moving to her, he put his armaround her shoulders.

"It's ok, Mom. I don't mind being a love child if that'sreally how it was. After all, if princes can live with beingbastards, so can I."

He would have continued, but a gesture of her fingerstoward his lips made him pause.

"That's just it, my darling son. You are a prince."

His expression was blank as he looked down at her. Shewondered if she had really said the words aloud or, as she hadso many times in practice, only mouthed them to herself.

"Do you hear?" Her voice was low but firm. "You are aprince, a son of The Emperor; the last son of The Emperor,"she went on quickly, to get it all out before something shouldstop her. "And they are waiting for you. They are all waitingfor you, who will be of age: twenty-five, next month."

He turned away, picked up his wallet and keys.

"Regnar!"

"Time to get to work!" At the door he stopped for amoment, then turned and gave her a full, grave look. "I haveto think about this," he said.

* * *

Think? How could he think about it? It was soimprobable, so strange. Here he was, in his own home.He walked out and got...