Oh thank gods I thought my writers block was coming back!
When she had first been bought and taken to the desert palace she was sure that she knew what was going to happen, either she was going to become another of the princes' or even worse the kings so called "wives" or she was going to disappear into the Harem*(1) and hide among the find silks and foreign spices that were abundant in a far away native country. She wasn't beautiful or very pretty and she felt comfort in that knowing she would not catch a man's eye as she tried to find of a way to escape from. She was no lofty girl something the others found out very early. She knew swordplay and other such arts that had been taught to her by her cousin.
She knew how to defend herself. That was what her mother had wanted and that was what she would do she would stay out of their sight just long enough to find a way to leave.
That was until she had seen the two princes walking together amongst jasmines and lilies as she had gone to collect water for the cook. It had just been a glance, a look, a pause in their movement but their eyes had met. Teal and gold sweeping through light nearly golden brown before they vanished in a flurry of leaves and blossoms, her heart pounding almost leaping out from her chest.
Slowly very slowly they began to see more of each other, had slowly began to talk to each other and despite herself she found she was beginning to like them.
She knew, deep inside despite herself that they could never be friends.
"There's nothing to fear anymore Ritsuka. I swear to you I will wipe away any sort of despair in your life..."
She knew that they had wanted something more from her.
"You are among the most beautiful of butterflies in the desert. My beautiful rose... I'll cherish you alway even if it breaks you... I swear to you from this moment onwards all I will ever see is you..."
She hadn't believed the two of them when they said that, at least not right away. Positive of the two princess motives, beyond sure they were just going to use her then toss her aside when they were done. After all what was a plain face but a new twirling band of winding white to them for them to find a moment pleasure in.
But soon she found out that wasn't the case at all. The two princes were quite unlike their father cold and cruel and manipulative, at least Rem was at first despite how much he had tried make them be.
She also knew that if they had truly wanted to they would have just forced her into bed and be done with it.
There were some who whispered about the changes happening in the two of them. Before her she was told that the two princes argued and fought on a daily basis no doubt orchestrated and helped along by their late power hungry father killed in action. Rem had been a cold and somewhat careless person and Urie had been a a shameless flirt at first, a stark contrast to his father and brother. So much so that some whispered the two were not even true blood brothers and his father was growing displeased.
Both seemingly so uncaring.
She's my love.
But slowly yet surly that had all turned for the better.
However.
"Little whore... Do you have any even half an idea of what have you done!? All my plans have come apart because of you!"
"Get away from me! I'm not...!"
"This will be the last time you see them..."
He reached a hand out to take her by the wrist and that was his last and final mistake as well as tricking her onto coming her alone in some far away room as she quickly reached down to her sandal to find her dagger her dearest friend had given to her long ago before she died.
*(2)The small dagger hidden in her sandal small but deadly and dripping with a quick poison hit its mark, he staggered backwards a hand reaching blindly to his heart where the dagger had pierced his dark cold heart. He grit his teeth his cold wolf like eyes glowing like a fire glaring at the girl before him before dropping heavily to his knees on the cold ground.
"To be killed by... something like..."
Those were his last words as he fell to the floor, the poison fast acting taking his life in mere moments and for a moment everything was still.
But the sigh of the curtains being pulling back from a hidden doorway made her turn eyes wide ready to flee.
However the two who stepped out were not ones she was expecting nor were their reaction to the body on the ground.
They knew, the two of them knew what that man was about to do. Urie inspected the body lying limp on the ground with little interest before looking back up at the one next to him.
"Our desert butterfly is very gifted." He said with a small smile.
"Yes well she can take care of herself when we cannot," Rem replied, coming more openly into the room his eyes on her searching for any form of bruises or cuts.
"Truly. Dear elder brother."
Without a second glance at the body of their so called "father" the two princes approached her, gently wrapped their arms around her holding her securely against them on either side protectively, acting as if she were a princess not some slave from a distant far away land.
The two princes now kings wanted no one else but her, and she wanted to be with no one but them. She the queen to two king. Despite what they may sound like not one of them cared.
Let people think what they wanted of her.
She's my love.
Let them think she was some sort of plain Qarinah* (4) that has not had its own fill of Rem and Urie as of yet ,or some kind of self granting Genie.*(3)
She's my true love.
Let them think whatever they so pleased as the two of them moved between her in the water or soft silks placing delicate kisses on her face, her breasts, her...
"Desert butterfly.~"
Urie's soft voice broke her out of her thoughts and soon she was wrapped in his arms from behind and she turned her eyes soon gazing up into gentle golden orbs gazing down at her lovingly an impish look to them. Urie's turban placed haphazardly over his hair eyes glittering like the many jewels he wore.
"Your face is so red, sweet butterfly, were you thinking of last night?" He asked his voice as impish as his smile. Her blush seemed to deepen as he said that but before she could speak Rem came into the room the golden chains clinking together with his swift movement.
"Stop teasing her Urie. She's tired."
"Not teasing." Urie simpered, like the way they did when they were children.
With a heavy sigh and slight shake of the head Rem moved closer to her still wrapped in Urie's arms gently lifting a hand on her cheek gazing at her adoringly. She moved more into the warmth at her cheek while trying to keep contact with the one behind her feeling as if she could melt from the warmth alone.
"What's that in your hand?" At Urie's words Ritsuka looked to see something sitting in the palm of Rem's hand held out to her.
Sitting in the palm of his hand he held out a pink flower for her to see before he delicately and carefully placed it on the side of her head tucking it securely in her hair.
"What is...?"
"Its called a cosmo flower. A flower I bought on the Silk Road. It suits you very well, Ritsuka." He smiled.
He took one of her hands while Urie took the other and the two of them led her to a sofa whispering soft words into her ear, and for a moment just an instant her mind wondered to days long past.
She thought of her mother and cousin in lands across the sea in their small cottage in the woods near the Great Wall. The three of them had not been very rich or very poor but still... She silently whispered a silent apology to the two of them carried by the wind through the open window. At least she was thankful that her mother and cousin had not seen her being taken away by the slavers.
She placed a hand on her stomach and smiled.
"Ritsuka?"
"Desert butterfly. . .?"
*1 A harem is a place set aside in a well off household for the women to live and is protected by the men and is not about sex in the least. That's just a thing people made up to demonize these people. People need to get it right!
*2 Yeah... Azuna's dagger isin't that small but I really don't care.
*3 So after doing some research for this story I found out that Genie's were not always good wish granting blue spirits, in fact they were considered evil omens by the people. In the book A thousand and one Arabian nights theres a story where one wants to kill a man, but then again he did kill his son in the most pathetic way possible. (He spit nut shells at him)
*4 A Qarinah is an Arabian mythical female creature that is similar to a Succubus only much worse. . . I suppose.