Hello readers! Hylianshadow86 and KikkyChan have convinced me to turn this into a longer story, so here is how it unfolds. I hope you both enjoy this!
During Sinbad's next private talk with Ja'far, the two men suddenly got very tense.
"Are you sure you don't want a bride, Sin? I think it'd be a smart move if you have hopes for a future royal generation to exist in this country," said Ja'far, in a voice that had just the slightest undertone of sarcasm.
"I've told you so many times Ja'far! I don't want to get married!" Sinbad yelled, slamming his fist on the table with frustration.
"I know it may not be my place to ask, but... why don't you want to get married?" Asked Ja'far, in the very same condescending tone of voice he'd used before.
"What are you trying to say, Ja'far? You're acting like you're hiding some sort of suspicion you've got of me."
"Answer my question, and maybe I won't have to suspect anything of you at all," the fair-haired man said, shrugging his shoulders, antagonistically.
"Fine. I've got no other choice, now that you've cornered me. Pretending I didn't have something to hide would only be foolish at this point," Sinbad said, crossing his arms. "I do not wish to marry because that would mean I'd have to get involved with a woman. I've discovered that women are not my type, Ja'far."
"So, would you give me a different answer if marriage between two men was acceptable in this country?" Ja'far proceeded, not acting very surprised.
Sinbad looked distressed before he attempted to answer. "I'm not sure. How am I supposed to decide? Yes, I'm interested in men... But I still don't know!"
"That's all I needed to know, Sin. I didn't mean to make you upset; I wanted you to realize that you can trust me if you ever need to talk. I promise," Ja'far bowed. "I think you're doing a fine job ruling Sindria. I just wanted to know whether or not you were honest enough with yourself to reveal the truth to me."
"Wait... How were you so sure of my sexuality before I told you?" Sinbad asked, curiously.
"Well... I wanted to see that you were well and asleep the other night, so I walked into your room, and-"
"Okay that's enough! That's all I needed to hear," Sinbad said, interrupting his closest general.
"There is one more question I've got for you. Will you hear it, Sin?"
The broad man nodded. "Sure."
"Who was the man you were sleeping with? I can't say I've ever seen him before, although he did look vaguely familiar."
Sinbad didn't know what to tell Ja'far. If he found out that his lover was his sworn enemy, Judal, their trust would most likely break immediately. "D-do I have to tell you his name?" Sinbad said, trying to mask his discomfort with embarrassment, instead of the fact that he was still withholding the full truth.
"Alright, I'll respect your privacy. I'd really like to meet him sometime, Sin! When you are ready to introduce him to me, will you have him over for a banquet?"
"S-sure. Of course I will," Sinbad said, nervously. In truth, he didn't know what else to say.
I'm going to have to think of a solution to this fast. The next banquet is at the end of the month! Ja'far is going to think I'm betraying Sindria for eloping with the Kou Empire's high priest!
The next day, Sinbad met Judal down by the beach, so the two of them could have uninterrupted privacy. Upon seeing the king, Judal began to run towards him until they both collided in a forceful embrace filled with kissing and hugging.
"Hello Sin," said Judal, blushing lightly.
"It's wonderful to see you!" Sinbad replied. "I have some pressing news to share with you. It might kill the mood, but I must inform you of what's happening."
"What is it, Sin?" The smaller male asked.
"Well, I was talking to Ja'far yesterday, and he somehow found out we were sleeping together. We must not have locked the door."
Judal's face grew into an expression of sheer panic. "What?"
"However, since your appearance has changed, he didn't recognize you. I don't know what to do now! Ja'far is actually happy for me and wants to meet you."
"Really? Well, in one respect, that's great! But, if he finds out who I am, that may be a problem," said Judal. "I am the high priest of the Kou Empire, after all," the younger man added.
"Have you even been back to your country since you've changed?" Sinbad asked.
"No, I haven't. I don't know what I'm going to do about that either, as a matter of fact! The Kou Empire is doing nothing but focusing all its power on expanding. My mission is to take Sindria, but I honestly don't want to do that, Sin. I don't want to because I like you. I don't know what to do."
"This is more serious than I thought. Not to change the subject, but I also agreed to let Ja'far meet you at Sindria's next palace banquet. It's on the last day of the month."
"Well, I could use an alias if you think that might work. He obviously won't trust me, given the fact that he knows my history. I mean, I don't have anyone to blame for that except myself. All I ever did was threaten the safety of Sindria. I'm sorry for that, by the way," Judal said, taking Sinbad's hand.
The king nodded, accepting the smaller man's apology. "I'm afraid a disguise and a false identity are all we have to work with, Judal. This plan will have to suffice. As for your duty to your empire, I don't know what to tell you. You are welcome to take refuge here with me for as long as you'd like; but eventually your people will realize you're gone, and they'll search for you."
"Alright. I'll stay here until I can figure out what to do about my responsibilities, but we're going to have to be very careful not to expose my identity. I no longer want to work for the Kou Empire, but I'm bound to them by contract until death."
"It's going to be okay, Judal. As long as we stick together on this, I'm sure we can get through it and find a way in which you can live in peace," Sinbad said, taking Judal by the shoulders.
Both males shared a long embrace, and then sat down on the sand next to each other. They watched the waves break against the rocks in the distance.
"Would you like me to bring you something to eat? It's getting late," the larger man noticed, as he heard Judal's stomach starting to growl.
"You don't have to do that. I'll be fine, Sin."
"Don't worry about it. I'll be right back. The marketplace isn't far from here," Sinbad said, as he got up. "Actually, you could come with me if you'd like. No one is going to recognize you, especially like this. It's mainly my eight generals we have to watch out for."
"Okay," the boy agreed, as Sinbad helped him up.
They walked into the evening marketplace together and sat down at a bar to get something to eat. The shopkeeper noticed the king immediately, and offered to serve him anything he wanted for dinner. Sinbad and Judal ate fairly quickly in fear that they were beginning to draw attention to themselves.
"Thank you very much, sir, but I can't take your food without paying for it," the king said, as he handed the bartender a handsome tip.
"Much appreciated, your highness. Thank you for stopping by!" The man said. Who was that young man he was with? I wonder...
When Sinbad got back to the palace, it was late. He and Judal previously ended up at an inn, and had taken advantage of their privacy once more before parting.
Ja'far was waiting just outside the king's chamber when he rounded the corner. "What took you so long?" Ja'far asked. "You said you were just going out for a little while."
"I ended up trying out one of the restaurants in town. What's the big deal?" Sinbad asked, trying to act innocent.
"You were with that young man again, weren't you?" Ja'far suggested, leaning closer to the king to whisper it in his ear.
"Shut up! Okay? Just because you know about this doesn't mean you can interfere with my business!" Sinbad declared.
"Oh really? I'm only your dedicated assistant that also happens to be one of your eight generals. It isn't any of my business?"
"Just what exactly do you want to know, Ja'far?" Sinbad said, giving in.
"I just don't want you to feel the need to hide anything from me. I want to help you, Sin. I want to make sure I can trust this man with my king."