Bramblepoint königinklinge

Contractual, she drawled, interest evident. And do you have... other contracts? She posed then; for if he could breed one, he could breed more under the premise of contract. Not that Hydra minded it; it had no bearing on her. Of course, she would prefer those legitimate to him through mateship; her interest had never been with bastards after all. There was no judgment in her tone, only curiosity; Hydra saw his chessboard, and admired it openly. It was easy for men to find a foothold in building themselves an empire; not so for women. 

But Hydra had men that might be willing to work the way in which Mahler did in the name of alliance. Hydra did not think lust had anything to do with the merit behind him... and for whatever reason, it seemed his fire toward Andraste had cooled. Or perhaps it was just the opposite. In any case, she wondered how it would all work. Would the women be alright with caring for their own cubs independent of a man, or would he be involved and immersed in their lives? 

She had no desire to be a man. It seemed a messy thing, dealing with other women who might not understand ambition such as their own. At least she as a Queen could make her own way without such troublesome quarrels as that. Empires were made with blood, were they not?