"Arabian Nights"
Part 54
by Beryll
"Lij, have you seen the dark eyeliner?"
"It's in the top drawer." Elijah called back. "Hurry up, Orli, we've only got a few more minutes." He glanced around the main room, checking again that everything was in order.
The fireplace in the middle had been doused for the special occasion. Now a low, circular table sat there, laden with all kinds of tasty finger foods. The pillows had been arranged to form two luxurious sitting places. Around the room oil lamps burned, giving off a warm, golden glow. Elijah had burned some incense earlier, sweetening the air. All in all the place looked rich and elegant but not opulent - exactly the look Elijah had been aiming for.
"It's perfect, Lij." Jared's soft voice reassured him.
Elijah turned and smiled at the other man. It was amazing to see how much their teacher had changed in the week he had been with the Prince. His shy smiles had grown much more regular and a mischievous sparkle sometimes showed in his eyes that made Elijah wonder if maybe he would be as much trouble as Orli when he felt fully at home in the palace.
Jared was still very careful with the Prince, kneeling to him always even though he by now knew the Prince didn't require it. But with the 'kittens' - as the Prince and Karl and Sean called them - he had taken on the role of big brother. They all enjoyed having someone who would listen with endless patience to all their petty complaints, and show them how to please, of course. So far Jared yet had to come up with a lesson they didn't enjoy.
But tonight it wasn't Jared who was nervous. The Prince had informed them this morning that he would have to entertain a guest in the evening. Only he had used an uglier term. The Prince had been in a foul mood lately. At least that was what the rest of the palace staff thought. His personal slaves knew perfectly well what was wrong with him. Prince Viggo hadn't been sleeping well for more than a week. He woke repeatedly with terrible headaches that even Liv's potions didn't seem able to cure. He would not admit to it but Elijah guessed that he was in constant pain.
So naturally he didn't feel like having a guest after a grueling day of work. Since the confrontation with the Caliph there had been an icy silence between the two of them that had the whole palace holding its breath whenever they met. Gossip regarding what they had fought about had spread quickly and the palace was split in two camps, one agreeing with the Caliph, the other supporting the Prince.
The Captain, who was at the centre of the mess, carefully kept quiet, concentrated on his duties - and was as stressed out as any man could be without snapping from what Sean had told the kittens.
Gossip had also informed Elijah that the Caliph had ordered his adopted son to entertain this particular guest, and who the guest was. Not somebody the Prince would enjoy meeting, Elijah wagered. Captain Johnny Depp was a pirate. A pirate with a fleet, a lot of money, a lot of influence and a keep on some remote island of the Mediterranean Sea. A man who the Caliph had had dealings with for many years and who was very useful to him. Somebody to keep happy.
So as the Prince wouldn't bother to prepare anything for his guest, Elijah had taken over that duty. After all he had been a prince himself and knew how to arrange such things. He had pressed the others into helping him. Orli had been delighted of course. Any occasion to do something special meant less boredom for this bundle of bouncing energy. Jared had helped in his own quiet way with silent support and helping hands. Only Dom had been his usual grumpy self, doing only what he was expressly told to do. At least he had shown some interest when Elijah had asked him if he would play the flute tonight for Elijah and Orli to dance to.
Now only a few minutes remained until the Prince was scheduled to arrive with his guest and Elijah was worried that he had overlooked something vital. Yet Jared had said it looked perfect.
"You think so?" Elijah looked at Jared almost pleadingly.
Jared would take the duty of serving drinks to the Prince and the Captain. He wasn't quite as apt at it as Elijah or Orli but they would provide the entertainment with their dancing. Somewhere during the preparations Elijah had realized, that even though the suite of the Prince sometimes seemed quite crowded when there was nothing to do, the Prince really didn't have enough personal slaves yet to provide perfect service to him and official guests. Elijah had made a mental note to talk to Ian about this. The Prince really was in no condition at the moment to take care of such details.
Jared nodded. He opened his mouth to say more but was interrupted by Orli's entrance. He bounced out of the bedchamber like a rat with his tail on fire. "Well?!" he exclaimed, turning a pirouette on one foot. "How do I look?"
Dressed in dark red pantaloons that were almost see-through, a small matching vest that showed off his trim belly and the bracelets with bells he had got from the market Elijah had to admit Orli did look like an extremely tasty morsel.
"Ready." Dom answered Orli's excited question somewhat gruffly from the corner where he was sitting and for once Elijah had to agree with him.
Orli grinned widely. "Pretty enough?"
"Prettiest." Jared assured him. Then his voice took on a more serious note. "Now, one more important point. The Prince may want to share one of you with his guest. So remember what I have taught you about pleasing a noble."
That thought hadn't crossed Elijah's mind so far and he felt his confidence shrink. A shiver ran through him. Of course Jared was right, that was one of their duties. But the thought of having a stranger using him was terrible. So far he hadn't even practiced his new expertise with the Prince. Sean was still the only man he had ever had real sex with, but he managed to mask his fear and nodded.
Jared looked as if he wanted to say more but he didn't get the chance as they all heard the heavy ring of booted feet outside. By now all of them immediately recognized the footsteps of their master. Quickly Jared knelt by the archway leading to the main room from the corridors outside while both Elijah and Orli withdrew to the bedchamber. They would dance for the Prince and his guest when they were settled and had had a welcome drink.
Elijah watched the main room from behind the curtain separating it from the bedchamber. The Prince entered first, looking even more tired than when he had left this morning. Elijah immediately recognized the crease of his brow as a sign that he was suffering from another bad headache. He hoped that Jared would notice it too and make sure to slip a some of Liv's potion into his drink.
The Prince was followed by a man who had to be the pirate Captain. The first thought Elijah had was that he would have expected a pirate to be taller and burlier. The Captain was shorter than the Prince and looked wiry and agile. A saber hung from his weapon's belt and he wore the attire of a man native to Europe. He had dark eyes which darted through the room quickly, taking in everything. He was handsome in a dark and dangerous way.
The thought of being alone with a man like that made Elijah tremble with fear. Orli, who was crouching next to him seemed to share that sentiment as he unconsciously shifted closer to Elijah.
They both watched as the Prince took in the changes to his main room. He seemed to approve as a small smile graced his features and he glanced towards the bedchamber with gratitude as if he knew he was being watched from there.
The Prince and his guest settled on the pillows while another man who seemed to be an aide to the Captain took a position by the door. Jared poured their welcome drinks while they exchanged greetings and meaningless small talk.
After a few sips of his drink the Prince relaxed visibly, the crease on his brow evening out as his pain seemed to lessen. But that didn't help the fact that he seemed to dislike his guest more and more. He was trying to be polite but Elijah knew him well enough by now to recognize the veiled coldness in his voice.
Both men picked at the offered food and Elijah was about to nudge Orli so they could start with their performance when the Captain spoke up.
"Your Highness, I have heard that you are collecting exotic boys for your harem..."
The crease on Prince Viggo's reappeared but he nodded slowly.
The Captain smiled brightly, unaware that he was treading on dangerous territory. "I am sure you already have an exquisite collection so I was hard pressed to find something to surprise you with but I think I have managed." He clapped his hands and the aide by the door went outside.
He returned in a moment, now accompanied by two more men leading a smaller person between them. The young man they brought was dressed in green leggings of some soft material that shimmered in the golden light and a wide shirt that looked like silk. His hair was a tussled mop of red-gold curls that came down nearly to his shoulders. He was pretty in an odd, exotic way that Elijah had never seen before.
What really caught Elijah's attention, though, was the fact that he stumbled between his two guards and didn't seem to be fully aware of his surroundings, his green eyes dull and flat and his face expressionless. When he was pushed to his knees before the Prince he swayed slightly, he was held stable by a hand on his shoulder.
"This is Billy," the Captain introduced, "he comes from the far away land of Scotland. He was captured during a raid and came into my possession shortly after. I can assure you that he is untouched." The Captain beamed proudly at the Prince. "He is a very special commodity. I don't know if my Prince has heard of it but Ireland and Britain are home to an order of magic workers called druids. This boy here was an apprentice to that order and I have seen him work magic with my own eyes. That of course makes him a rather dangerous slave and he therefore has to be kept subdued. He comes with a supply of the drug that will keep his magic powers suppressed and his mind clouded."
So that explained why the young man didn't seem to notice the world around him. At least it would have also spared him the harsh reality of being a slave, Elijah thought with deep pity. He could relate to the feeling of being yanked from one's home and treated like a precious commodity all too well.
"How horrible." Orli whispered next to him, again in complete agreement with Elijah's thoughts.
The Prince didn't show what he was feeling about this gift. He reached out and gently touched the face of the boy kneeling in front of him. The boy showed no reaction.
"He will be a lot more responsive when taken to bed." the pirate reassured the Prince quickly.
"I'm sure he will." the Prince replied, his voice sounding politely amused to the casual observer but Elijah noticed the strain to it.
Knowing the Prince and his soft heart when it came to boys in distress he guessed that the Prince was hard pressed at that moment not to strangle his guest.
"I thank you for you for your generous gift," the Prince said, inclining his head to the Captain graciously, "it will be remembered."
Elijah winced at the phrasing which he was rather sure was meant as a threat. He was a rather surprised when he noticed that Dominic's expression mirrored his own. So the assassin was well versed in the innuendo of politics and intrigue as well.
It was an information that Elijah filed away for later use. The more he learned about Dom the more he distrusted the other boy. There simply were too many things Dominic didn't say. Elijah had carefully questioned Orli about Dominic but not learned anything useful. Apparently Dominic had played the role of ordinary street rat very well and for quite some time.
The Captain motioned his two servants to settle the Prince's gift off to the side and after that they left as silently as they had entered. Whatever else could be said of the Captain, his men were well trained.
The Prince's face took on a dark and brooding look and Elijah quickly decided that now was a good time for some entertainment before the Captain could begin to notice how very unwelcome he really was.
He nodded to Orli and they both rose, slipping through the curtains, accompanied by the soft ring of the bells on Orli's bracelets, cueing Dom to start playing the flute.
Immediately both the Prince's and the Captain's eyes were drawn to them. In the Prince's face Elijah read a mixture of appreciation and angry possessiveness. It somehow pleased Elijah that the Prince was so obviously not willing to share his kittens - even if it was for dancing.
The face of the Captain showed a dirty smirk and calculating hunger that nearly made Elijah stumble. He quickly ignored the Captain and instead concentrated on the simple yet haunting tune of the flute, and on Orli, as they matched their movements in the way Ian had taught them.
Elijah enjoyed dancing. His body and feet seemed to pick up the rhythm all by themselves and soon he found himself lost in it. Twisting and turning, limbs flowing with the music, feet beating against the floor. It made him feel alive.
Only when the music ended did he realize how dangerously close he had come to the pirate Captain. When the man reached out, grabbing his wrist in a vice like grip and drew him down there was nothing he could do but cry out and tumble into his lap.
"What a sweet thing you are..." the Captain purred into his ear, still keeping the tight grip on Elijah's wrist with one hand, the other fondling him with obvious practice.
To Elijah it seemed everything was suddenly frozen. Nothing seemed to move but the man's hands on his body, groping, squeezing. His whole body screamed in panic, telling him to fight, to get away. Some part of his brain remained in control enough not to do that knowing it would have disgraced the Prince - and in any case he wasn't able to move.
He prayed to Allah that the Prince would save him but strangely enough it was not the Prince who came to his rescue.
Slim arms sensuously wrapped around the pirate from behind and cold grey eyes looked over his shoulder down at Elijah. Without really comprehending what was happening Elijah watched as Dominic gently licked along the Captain's ear, completely diverting his attention from Elijah to Dominic.
Elijah found himself tossed aside carelessly as the Captain turned his head to capture Dominic's mouth in a hungry kiss. For a moment longer Dominic looked at Elijah, his eyes boring into Elijah's. Then his eyes drifted shut as he seemingly enjoyed the kiss. Elijah didn't waste any more time and scrabbled backward, away from the pirate. He noticed that the Prince was watching the display with as much confusion as Elijah felt.
Finally the Captain broke the kiss, laughing breathlessly. "Your hospitality truly leaves nothing to be desired." he commented as Dominic cuddled against him, his slender hands seeking ways inside the Captain's garments.
'Whore!', a voice screamed inside Elijah's head, 'filthy assassin whore!' But this time Elijah silenced it ruthlessly. For some reason he was entirely sure that Dominic was doing this for one reason, and one reason alone, and that was to save Elijah from suffering the Captain's attentions.
He watched as Dominic whispered something into the Captain's ear that made the man chuckle. He grinned at the Prince happily and bowed. "With your permission, your little hellion and I will withdraw now."
Prince Viggo nodded mutely, obviously still not sure what to make of the whole scene. They all watched in silence as the Captain got to his feet and disappeared with Dominic clinging to his side.
Then the Prince closed his eyes tiredly. "Kittens, be so kind as to take care of the boy... Billy... I... I need to lie down."
He got to his feet slowly and immediately both Jared and Orli were by his side, helping him to the bedchamber. They exchanged worried glances at how heavily he was leaning on them. His health was deteriorating before their eyes. Elijah remained behind, still too shaken to actually get up.
While Jared and Orli were settling the Prince into his bed, Elijah breathed in and out, slowly regaining his composure. Neither Jared's nor Ian's teaching had prepared him for an encounter with a man like the Captain, he realized. Knowing that he would have to learn to deal with men like that, made his skin crawl but it couldn't be helped. It was all part of his duties towards the Prince.
With a silent sigh he picked himself of the floor and moved over to the corner where the Prince's newest acquisition was still kneeling, oblivious to his surroundings. In that moment Elijah envied him for that.
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to: Beryll
go to PART 55