I made myself just as composed as him, a taunt lacing the edge of my words as I spoke. ‘Find a man that can outrun me – that’s the only man I’ll marry.’ And he smiled. He turned to the crowd, held his arms out in an expansive gesture. ‘Let that be the message you take from here,’ he commanded. ‘We will hold a footrace – the man that can run faster than Atalanta will win her.’ He lingered over the next words almost lovingly. ‘Any man who loses the race will lose his life. Let that be the challenge. This is how we’ll find a husband deserving of my daughter.’ There was a buzz of excited chatter.
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