Okay, I can be mature and admit that it's been a while. About three months, I believe.
But, at least you aren't Shared Flesh. Five months and counting on their end! (See, you're not the only ones suffering, doesn't that make you feel better?) Or Eternal Guardians! Almost half a year for them. (Man, I should really work on those two…)
Anyway, I don't own Magi, The Adventures of Sinbad, or Harry Potter.
"Ekaterina, meet your new big sisters!" Haides cheered, holding up the little girl for the entire room to see.
A mass of coos followed his introduction.
"Where did you find her, Master Haides?" Asenath wondered, stepping forward to observe the newest member of the family closer.
"In a desert," he replied, grinning as Ekaterina twisted in his grasp, trying to see all of her new sisters. It was testament to his bond with his girls that no one questioned his statement, as there were no deserts on Sindria. Or on any of the nearby islands.
"She's cute," Zillah proclaimed.
"Are you going to teach her to join the dancers, Master Haides?" Talitha asked, eyeing the child with hesitance.
"Only if she wants to learn," Haides shrugged, finally lowering the girl to the ground. She found her footing quickly and set off exploring the large room. The djinn flicked his eyes at Asenath, who nodded and followed after the child quietly. He lowered himself to the cushioned floor, waiting as his remaining girls crowded around. "Now, what did I miss?"
"King Sinbad received correspondence from one of his allies,"Ahava, a short blonde dancer in blue, stated. "I believe he will be leaving on a trip soon. Perhaps to check up on his investments."
"The members of the Court have been uneasy since King Sinbad called them for a meeting," Candace, a raven dancer dressed in royal purple, added cautiously.
"There have been many strange faces at the port," Kezia, a brunette dancer in red, noted. "The merchants are uncomfortable."
"I leave to go have some fun for a few hours and the country goes to hell. Figures," Haides mused. "Very well then. You girls were helpful, thank you. I'll make informants out of you yet," he reached over, carefully running his hand through the three girls' hair and smiled softly. "I'm proud."
They blushed and bowed, frantically leaving his presence with stammered words.
"So cute," he commented, relaxing on his fluffy seat.
"Only for you," Zillah informed him. "I caught Candace ready to murder a man when she visited Madame Akeldama's for some perfume."
Haides chuckled. "That's my girl."
"Should you truly be rewarding violence, especially when this country is not yet settled as a world power?" Zillah questioned, staring at the djinn.
His smile didn't falter. "I take pride in the fact she stood up for herself. I hate it when woman are considered weaker or property because of how they were born. It disgusts me. If my girls can take care of themselves, I can sleep easier at night."
"You truly care for us? Even after only a few weeks in our presence?" Zillah asked, bewildered. Haides didn't miss how many other girls in the room tilted their attention to his conversation, desperate for an answer.
He frowned sadly at their confusion. "You did the same for me."
The conversation dwindled off as Zillah absorbed the implications. Haides watched his ward as she thought it over.
"You won't leave us, right?" she whispered desperately.
"I have no reason to."
"Mama, can we go to the sea?" Ekaterina shrieked, racing back to his side. Asenath followed behind her at a steady pace.
"Mama?" Miriam muttered from behind Haides, standing over him to stare down at the little girl.
Haides snickered wicked. "She calls me 'Mama' and King Sinbad 'Papa'. I wonder if he's regained consciousness by now."
The girls exchanged a look as he chuckled to himself.
"May we call you 'Mama' as well, Master Haides?" Candace spoke up bravely, a brilliant blush decorating her face.
The djinn blinked in surprise. He looked around, taking in the slightly hopeful looks of the dancers in the room. He smiled softly. "If you wish to. However, I expect you to be professional when we are called before the Court. Don't want to give King Sinbad a heart attack, now do we?"
"Why would Papa have a heart attack?" Ekaterina's thin eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I thought you wanted to go to the sea, not play twenty questions?" Haides asked, tilting his head at the youngest of his girls. She forgot her question in favor of cheering loudly. "Do any of you wish to join us?"
"No, thank you, Master Haides," Zillah muttered, glancing around at her sisters. "We have much to talk about. I'm sure Ekaterina would like to spend some time alone with you, as well."
"If all of you are sure?" everyone nodded, causing the djinn to sigh. "Very well then. I shall return when the sun touches the waters. Come along, Ekaterina, to the sea we go."
Zillah watched as the pair left the room, Haides pausing briefly to connect his poison green eyes with her watery blue pair.
"Mama," Kezia muttered. "I like the sound of that."
Zillah nodded.
"What's that, Mama?" Ekaterina wondered in awe, pointing to a stall at the port. Haides was almost disappointed in how easy it was to get down to the town without anyone in the palace knowing of his departure. He made a note to test the guards later. If his King was killed because of their incompetency, there would be hell to pay.
"A merchant selling fish," he told her, guiding her to the stall to stare at the brightly colored creatures.
"They're so pretty!" she squealed. She reached out hesitantly to touch the wet scales and Haides noticed the merchant scowling. He locked his poison green eyes with the man's brown, daring him to move against the child.
He backed down with a shiver.
"It's slimy," she giggled, running her hand along the fish's body.
"They have to be. Unlike with people, fish need to be wet to survive," he informed her gently.
"Fish are in the sea, right Mama?" Ekaterina asked, turning to stare at the glittering water that was just out of reach.
Haides chuckled. "Yes, there are fish and dolphins and serpents in the sea. It's like a whole other world down there."
"I want to see, I want to see!" she exclaimed, tugging the djinn along towards the water.
"You were the one that stopped to smell the roses," he laughed. Ekaterina giggled, but continued to tug Haides towards the sea. They were so close, she could hear the waves crashing against the rocks. The air smelled like freedom.
They rounded a corner to the country's port and she froze in surprise. The sea was blue, like the Lapis Lazuli necklace her father gave her mother when they married. The water sparkled under the high sun as the waters roiled. In the distance she could make out a sea serpent arching over the waves, its tail swishing in the air as it dived back into the depths it called a home.
It was beautiful.
"Hush, darling," Haides murmured, wrapping his arms around the child from behind. "There's no need to cry." He reached up, gently brushing away the wayward tears.
Ekaterina twisted in his arms, burying her head in his chest. She sniffled, taking a shuttering breath. "Thank you."
"No need for that," Haides assured her. "As one of mine, you only deserve the best." Just like Teddy did, all those years ago. Just like Aladdin did, if Arba hadn't ruined the happiness waiting for him. Haides would make sure that everyone he accepted under his wing got everything they desired, that they were happy.
"You're the best, Mama!" his precious little girl exclaimed, beaming up at him.
Haides smiled down at his newest bundle of joy as she spun back around to stare, starry-eyed, at the sea.
"It's been a while since I have seen the sea up close," Haides admitted, gazing at the twinkling waters. He could hear the waves as they crashed against the shore, a peaceful scent of salt, of freedom, flowing through the air.
The last time…was right after Arba killed Sheba and life retreated underground in hopes of survival. Yes, it has been a while.
"What-" Ekaterina started. Haides hummed, urging her quietly. "What do you think happened to my big sisters? Did someone save them too? Are they happy too?"
"I'm sure they are well, Ekaterina. But, I will check in on them tonight, just make sure to tell me their names before you go to sleep," Haides promised.
They were quiet, simply taking in the glittering sea.
"Come on," the djinn muttered, scooping the child up. "Let's get a little closer."
Ekaterina hummed, resting her head sideways on her guardian's shoulder, her eyes trained on the little section of sea that flowed into the port. Haides marched forward, checking around for a good place to sit and watch the waves crash. Spotting a path to the circling cliff, he bee-lined for it, dodging lingering pedestrians as he went.
Hopping lightly across the rocks, Haides kept his attention on the edge above him, ignoring the burning stares of the civilians beneath him
When he finally reached the cliff edge, Haides paused before sitting, just breathing for a moment. The unfamiliar scent of salt water calmed him, relaxing muscles that had been tense since he first left his seal. Slowly, the djinn eased to the ground, adjusting Ekaterina onto his lap and tucking her head under his chin.
She ohed and awed at the waters, squealing whenever she noticed a breaching serpent or a distant ship.
Haides just hummed at her glee, his eyes closed and a soft smile gracing his face while absorbing the calm. No mischief, no anger, no sadness. Just his youngest ward and the sea.
The wind gently carded through his hair, whispering sweet words into his awaiting ears. He lost himself in the attention of his two favorite people, both long since dead.
He cracked his eye open, checking on the child when her distant voice dwindled, replaced by light breathing.
She was sleep. Haides blinked in surprise, also noticing that the sun was setting, painting the sea a rosy red.
"Sorry, darling," he murmured as he stood, cradling the child to his chest. Her pointed nose crunched up at his shifting but was deep enough asleep that her breathing barely stuttered. "I didn't mean to have you out so late. Let's hope the girls aren't too worried."
As he carried Ekaterina back to the palace, he noted the lanterns strung up around the paths, illuminating the night like giant fireflies. He listened carefully, prepared to fight off muggers that would hide in the shadows created by the light.
There wasn't a single shuffle of poorly made clothing. No glint of a small dagger catching the light for a split second. No black rukh brushed against his checks.
Sinbad ran an interesting country, Haides mused as he was greeted politely by the white-rukhed streetwalkers who cooed at Ekaterina.
The sky was completely dark when Haides left the streetwalkers and finally reached the safety of the palace, dodging the guards with the ease of a ghost. He crept towards the Sapphire Pisces Tower, sweeping past the Black Libra Tower and Sinbad's office without a word.
Haides stopped, his sharp eyes catching a flicker of movement from the shadows.
"Little assassin," the djinn greeted, amused.
Ja'far stepped into the dim light of the moon, his red strings vibrant against his pale flesh.
"Haides," the advisor returned. "Welcome back. Did you have a good day in the town?"
"I did," Haides smiled down at his ward. "I seem to have tuckered Ekaterina out, though."
"You should hand her over to the dancers," Ja'far informed his King's eighth djinn. "Sinbad requests your presence."
Haides frowned, but nodded. His girls warned him that something was going to happen.
Thankfully, he had front row seats.
"What seems to be the problem, my King?" the ageless djinn asked, sashaying into the crowded office.
"Handras," Sinbad stated.
Haides shifted slightly, snapping from playful to serious with the practiced ease of a soldier. He ignored the surprised looks of his King inner circle, his focus entirely on his wielder.
"My King," Haides said.
"Dark forces are working against Sindria," Sinbad told his djinn. "My comrades and I will be leaving the palace to fight them before they attack the island. As I have yet to practice equipping with you, I want you to join us. Fight beside us. Help us destroy Al Tharman, Handras."
Haides knew his reaction was being watched, judged.
He didn't care. Let them stare.
White rukh kissed his checks, whispering of death and blood should he join in on the battle. The ethereal butterflies told him of the darkness that threatened his King and the trials he will experience while away from the safety of his country. Of the suffocating hatred hanging over the East like an omen.
The rukh also brought a cry for help from the West, a child's voice screaming in fear.
Help me, someone please, don't let him hurt me. Please!
Haides shook his head with a weary smile. It seemed he would need a refund on his seats. "No, my King," he replied. "I will be staying here, guarding your home."
"Handras-" Sinbad tried to reason.
"No," the djinn repeated. "You don't want chaos on the battlefield, not today, my King. Not today and not tomorrow. The risk is far too great."
"Master Haides-" Ja'far attempted, stepping forward to argue his own case.
Haides' poison eyes glowed. "I will stay here. A warm hearth will be awaiting you when you return."
Sinbad sighed, accepting his djinn's decision. He had wanted the immortal by his side, protecting his comrades. But, he knew not to push the otherworldly being. Not yet, not so soon into their interactions.
"Very well then, Haides," he allowed. "However, I ask that you see to the care of the country while we are gone."
Haides bowed his head in agreement. "If that was all, my King?"
"It was," Sinbad answered.
"Then I shall turn in. I will bid you a good journey on the morrow," and, with a bow, the djinn departed.
"Are you sure we can trust him alone with Sindria?" Sahel wondered. The inner circle exchange looks of uncertainty.
Sinbad only smiled. "I never said he would be alone, my friends."
"Who will be staying behind?" Mystras asked, mentally checking his comrades over for injures or pressing duties that would hold them back.
Sinbad shook his head, amused. "Our favorite Fanalis will be arriving soon."
"Masrur is coming home."
MASRUR. Who else has just been dying for Masrur to be introduced? Those two are gonna get along like a house on fire.
You really don't have to remember the names of all of the dancers, considering the fact I just keep dumping more on you all. Most of the names will just be repeated, but a new one might get added every once and a while. In total, there are around eighteen dancers at the moment. It will increase and decrease over the next ten years.
I still haven't caught up with Magi or The Adventures of Sinbad in months, so if I got something wrong, don't feel shy to call bullshit on it?
Later tonight (or tomorrow), Imma edit the previous few chapters, cause they actually hurt me to read. Don't mind me.
Guest Reviews:
Laura – Haides will go back briefly to see if he can catch a trail of them. It'll be unlikely that he'll be able to find them, however. Morgiana was not really one of Sinbad's dancers, she just danced with them once or twice. She will have a close bond with them, though, because they will be the female influence in her life. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter though!
Guest (1) – Haha, exactly!
Lala – I'm glad you enjoyed it! Haha, there are going to be a lot of scenes like that~
Castella Leena – Here you go! Sorry about the long delay though…
Guest (2) – I'm really sorry about how long it took to get this out! Hopefully, the next chapter if easy to write…
Guest (3) – Haha, I'm glad you're liking the story so far!
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter! I can't wait for next time - it's gonna be fun.