Tangle in the Dark - Kassidor

"...So beware the king's mistress," Gabe finished his lastfable."I wasn't even aware the king had a mistress," Alan said."It's a figure of speech my good man. She representssomeone who is more important to the king than the publicsuspects. It is unfortunate that the metaphor of the mistresswas used.""It could have been an interest group instead?" Alanasked."Well, um, yes, but that would be another unfortunatemetaphor.""Can you think of one that is fortunate? The whole pointof the fable was that their relationship was secret. Would anyrelationship that had to remain secret be entirelywholesome?"Even this very good cherub gave up at that point and said,"But we're getting off the point here, the point of the fablewasn't the king's morals, it was the king's power.""And there's usually a pretty straightforward inverserelationship between morals and power isn't there?" Alansaid, "and doesn't that fable show it, using the king's mistress,who we all accept, while we do not accept a mistress for anyof our own."That should hold its programming in a loop for sometime. He knew these things had a lexalyzer that wouldeventually work its way thru that statement. When it did, ithad to change the subject, "The captain will be with you101