"His Majesty's Physician, yes milord, right away" and the servant rushed off to summon the doctor.  So much for discretion, thought the Duke.  Fortunately, not everyone was paying attention.  Not Count von Holstein, who apparently loved to hear himself talk, or the Prince who was too easily distracted by other things.  And certainly not the King, whose distress was the reason for summoning the physician in the first place.<br/><br/>The Duke knew he was a trusted subject and adviser to the king, and he also had the boy's confidence.  If anything did happen to his old friend Igloo, the Duke would ensure the transition went smoothly and Gilberto would have the benefit of his advice in all matters pertaining to ruling the kingdom.<br/><br/>Most everyone else, though, paid little attention to the king and were instead held spellbound by von Holstein's accounts of sport and battle in the Reikmarches.  None was as enthralled as the young Prince.  He may have been 18 years of age, but he may as well have been eight.  Eagerly leaning forward, toward the count, his eyes never blinked, but only grew wider with each exciting development.  It was all so exciting, but also frightening and therefore disheartening to the prince.  Until now his greatest warrior-like feat had been to ride down exhausted skaven and spear them in the back from the saddle.  Bits of their hide were kept as trophies, adorning his saddle and hanging on the wall of the regimental barracks.  Now, compared to the Count's exploits, that seemed little better than stepping on cockroaches.<br/><br/>To win the heart of his Queen, Gilberto would need to do something equally brave and extraordinary.  If that couldn't be accomplished in Miragliano, then he'd have to travel to the land of his mother's birth.  As royalty, and with his own mother a daughter of the land, there should be no difficulty in enrolling Gilberto in one of the elite Lancer companies.  Still, the thought of the dangers involved - very frightening -- until he glanced again at the Queen and all thought of danger disappeared.  It wouldn't matter how dangerous it was, he would do whatever it took to win her respect, and then her heart.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>As he came, the King let out a loud groan -- much louder than he'd planned.  He couldn't speak for a moment, but was aware of the concern of the crowd.  Then a huge grin spread across his face and he raised a hand to allay their concerns.  "Indigestion, but we are fine now.  Please, everyone go about your fun."<br/><br/>The orgasm he just experienced was a great relief, and for a few seconds it enabled him to completely forget the rumblings in his stomach, but they quickly made themselves known to him again.  Becoming as much taken in by the Count as many others in the room, the king nodded his agreement to the Queen.  Perhaps Manfred<em>could</em>offer some sort of relief.