Ancalagon reaches up and gently trails his hand along her thigh, and says, "Perhaps you might have, perhaps not. But I do know my goddess does not like upstarts that cannot back up their claims with force if pushed. And while you did fight well, you were not good enough. Tiamet enjoys the bold, but also the cunning and powerful. You had two, but not enough of the second and so little of the third that it mattered not."<br/><br/>Taking another long look over Shale, he continues, "And also because while I am building my own kingdom, I do enjoy collecting beautiful works of art, and the female form is most definitely near the top of the art list. And you never did thank me for stopping that last strike."