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[sub]The Dezert - Kalahari
The Lotus Palace - [/sub]
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[indent]Zoraid Omorose was not having a good day.

The sun dipped into the sands, streaming the sky with golds and coppers. The warmth of the day was already withdrawing, the night chill slowly seeping into the city. This didn’t quite discourage the king, though his current entourage was less than thrilled. He had ordered some linens to be draped around the gazebo to act as curtains against the incoming cold, sequestering the trio. Golden butterflies fluttered at the top, glowing faintly. A grand chaise was where King Nasim had draped himself, though he paid no attention to the magic nor the notes of the lyre being played.

Instead, his eyes were on the fair Soraya. While her own gaze was on the task at hand, she was the image of an ethereal beauty. Blonde waves cascaded down her back, looking striking against the sea blue dress she wore. Her expression was one of serenity and a hint of amusement. But it was not the king’s gaze that had her amused. No, it was her brother’s thinly veiled irritation.

Zoraid had better things to do than to play third wheel to the king’s whims. The only reason he was present was because of the letter from Aethelguard. Unfortunately, the king felt that he should waste Zoraid’s time with his not-very-hidden crush on one of his mages. Were any to see the king fawning over a mage, it would be a scandal. Yet the fear waned once the king decided to circumvent any chance of rumors by subjecting Zoraid to his presence anytime he wanted to see Soraya with a pretext.

The king finally tore his gaze away long enough to look at Zoraid, eyes briefly flickering to the envelope before rolling them. “I thought you better than a messenger,” He chuckled. 

Zoraid gave the king a tight-lipped smile. [color=indianred]“The Queen of Aethelguard has sent a summons, Your Majesty,”[/color] He decided to get right to the point. [color=indianred]“A royal representative and their mage. Tonight.”[/color]

“Tonight. Demanding is the hand with power,” King Nasim mused, propping his hand on the palm of his chin lazily. “Though it would do you good to see the lands outside of the Dezert, Zoraid. I suppose I should think of who to send with you.”

Soraya looked up from her lyre in surprise, her hands stilling and settling silence in the gazebo. [color=pink]“Do you not think I should accompany my brother?”[/color] She asked. 

“And rob me of Kalahari’s resplendent desert rose?” He replied, his free hand reaching out and twirling a lock of her blonde hair around his finger. “Why see the rest of the world when I can provide you with everything here?”

The irony was so painful that Zoraid was shocked he managed to keep a straight face. He was no stranger to the king’s favoritism, but it was usually more subtle than this. Still, the idea of leaving Soraya behind was unacceptable. Aside from the practical reasons, he wasn’t a fan of Soraya having to fend off the king's advances alone. 

[color=indianred]“If it is the queen’s summons, I am certain she will be expecting us both,”[/color] Zoraid replied with a small smile on his face. [color=indianred]“It wouldn’t do to make assumptions to the contrary, now would it?”[/color]

Soraya set the lyre aside, turning towards the king. [color=pink]“He does have a point, Your Majesty,”[/color] She said softly.

The king didn’t seem entirely convinced, his gaze more focused on the lock of Soraya’s hair between his fingers. Zoraid bit back a sigh, catching Soraya’s eye and gesturing to the king, silently urging her to say something else.

[color=pink]“...and we also represent Kalahari,”[/color] Soraya added after a moment. [color=pink]“I would hate for anyone to think poorly of you.”[/color]

The king made a noise that was impossible to decipher, but he did release Soraya’s hair at long last. Soraya gave the king a warm smile, reaching out and lightly running her fingers over his shoulder. [color=pink]“I’m going to help Zoraid with his outfit for tonight, since you were so generous to dress me already,”[/color] Soraya said cheerfully as she stood; it was only then that Zoraid realized he had somehow managed to miss the new diamonds around her neck. [color=pink]“By your leave, my king.”[/color]

Zoraid resisted what must have been the third time he wanted to roll his eyes before following Soraya out of the gazebo and back into the palace. He was a little surprised she was leading him back to his room, but he wasn’t looking forward to her usual attempt at getting him to dress up. 

Instead, he decided to address the elephant in the room once they were alone. [color=indianred]“I don’t understand why you indulge him so,”[/color] Zoraid stated pointedly as he searched through his wardrobe. 

Soraya gracefully took her seat at the edge of the bed as she watched her brother, giving him a weary look. [color=pink]“You’re the one who told me I need to,”[/color] She muttered. [color=pink]“I never wanted such…intense affection.”[/color]

[color=indianred]“Unfortunately for you, the king is not attracted to men, so the job falls on you,”[/color] He said as he pulled out a black shirt and pants, snapping his fingers to clean them. [color=indianred]“The only reason it’s intense is because you’re forbidden fruit for him. His council would never allow him to have a mage for a wife, so relax.”[/color]

Soraya’s shoulders slumped as she childishly kicked out her leg. She knew he was right–she must have heard this a dozen times by now–but it didn’t change how she felt. It didn’t change how uncomfortable things got sometimes, how she never knew how to feel about having false affection from a man who could so easily get rid of them if he wanted to.

[color=pink]“It gets tiring,”[/color] She admitted quietly. [color=pink]“Must I pretend for the rest of my life?”[/color]

At the sound of her dejected tone, Zoraid bit back another sigh as he closed the wardrobe. He decided to take pity on his sister, setting aside his outfit and kneeling in front of Soraya.

[color=indianred]“No,”[/color] He told her gently, taking her hand and making sure he caught her eye. [color=indianred]“I know. I know it kills you, I just…need you to hang in there a little longer.” [/color]

Soraya put her hand over Zoraid’s, giving him a small smile. [color=pink]“I will,”[/color] She said quietly. [color=pink]“For you.”[/color]

[color=indianred]“For us,”[/color] He corrected her as he stood. [color=indianred]“Now, I know you’re dying for the chance to dress me, so for once, I’ll indulge you.”[/color]

Her eyes sparkled at his words, and she immediately leapt to her feet. [color=pink]“You’ll regret that,”[/color] She sang as she ushered him back to his wardrobe.

He wouldn’t. Not when she smiled like that.

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