Pan nodded silently, the scent of his mother’s perfumed hair in his nostrils. Of course he realised what an honour it was. If he was accepted into the Royal Harem, it would mean his family had the protection of the all-powerful Seronisis for the rest of their days. They could live tax-free and prosper with the extra income. They’d be entitled to enter the sacred palace once a year to visit him. It seemed that Pan’s dreams of a better life were going to come true, for both him and his family. How could he deny them that?
After dressing and eating a hurried breakfast, Pan hoisted himself onto the back of the simple wooden cart standing outside the cottage and turned to look at his family. His mother was doing her best to restrain her tears and his father, bronzed and weathered from a life
