Yoo! I got those new chapters I've been ranting about up! Also, Kingdom Hearts 3 came out and I spent all week watching my friend play, but luckily I already had this chapter written. I won't be able to slack off this coming week though! Anyway, this hasn't been looked over by my beta reader yet, but hopefully it's good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch more KH3. Please leave a review if you enjoyed!

Also, one question: I noticed the M Alexius chapter got double the views of the rest of my chapters last month. Did you guys just really enjoy that chapter? Would you mind letting me know what exactly you liked about it so I know what I did well? Thank you!

The streets of Balbadd City were noisy and bustling, a cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells tugging Thalia's attention in all different directions. To her left, a sensuous dancing girl gyrated her hips seductively, and when Sinbad glanced in her direction, Thalia found her jealousy die out as her own eyes lingered. To her right, a man sat cross-legged, plucking at his sitar languidly. He nodded at Thalia serenely as they made eye contact, acknowledging her existence. Behind her, the savory smell of kababs had been following her and Sinbad for several yards, even though they had passed the cart that sold them a while back. All around them, torches lit the streets, guiding their path and casting hundreds of shadows as people mulled about, shouting and laughing. The air was so thick with tobacco, she could taste it when she opened her mouth to speak.

Thalia had never experienced this part of Balbadd City at night. She would have been overwhelmed, but something was grounding her, keeping her safe. Sinbad was in front of her, holding on tightly, and when she stared at the way his large hand enveloped hers, nothing else mattered. The sights and sounds of the city died away, and all she could think about was the warm feeling in her chest. She always seemed to experience it around Sinbad these days, but now, when he was holding her hand like this, it intensified to the point where it frightened her.

Thalia wasn't sure what it was. She'd considered that maybe this was what an intimate friendship was supposed to feel like, or maybe it was her lust for him manifesting in a different way. Despite her uncertainty surrounding the significance of this new feeling, there was one thing Thalia was positive that it wasn't— love. Thalia knew love. It came hard and fast, sweeping her up in its currents and leaving her helpless and weak— vulnerable, even. This feeling had developed over time. It had crept up on her so slowly, she hadn't realized it was there until she was chest deep. It didn't leave her powerless. It made her willing to do anything, sacrifice anything, for the man in front of her, whose warm, calloused hands were guiding her to an unknown destination for the second time tonight.

He could be leading her to her doom, but she knew he wasn't, because she trusted him. She trusted him to lead her toward happiness and safety, toward a future where they could be together forever, no matter what Dinarzade and Muu tried to tell her. So many people in her life had betrayed her, but Sinbad never would. He would never leave her. He was the one person she could lower her walls for completely.

This kind of feeling could only be… the trust between best friends.

As they continued walking, the crowds died down and the guiding lanterns became few and far between. Thalia now found she could join Sinbad at his side and let go of his hand, preferring instead to cling to his arm. Towering mansions replaced the small apartments and shops that had lined the streets, and eventually, they arrived at the royal palace. Her hand tightened around his forearm apprehensively as they were greeted by a guard. Why were they here?

"Lord Sinbad, our king wishes for us to convey his congratulations on your courtship of Princess Thalia of Attica. All the preparations have been made, as you requested. Please allow me to escort you to the garden."

"Sin," she whispered as they began to follow the guard through the courtyard. "What are we doing here?"

He grinned at her mischievously. "King Rashid has generously agreed to let us use the royal gardens for our date tonight. What do you think? I'm pretty dependable, huh? Who else could do something like this?"

Thalia's steps became rigid and clunky. Sinbad had the audacity to request use of the king's private gardens, and somehow King Rashid had agreed. She shouldn't have been surprised at this point in their relationship, honestly, but…

"Tyrant," she hissed.

He shook his head. "You're the tyrant tonight, remember? I'm nothing but your humble servant, here to please you."

Thalia smelled the garden before she saw it. The lovely scent of jasmine drifted through the warm night air, and a soft breeze caressed her skin like the gentlest of kisses, carrying her forward, to where the guard was unlocking the gate to let them in. When the thick wooden door swung open, Thalia gasped. Thousands of candles and lamps littered the grounds, some floating on water like lilies, others nestled in shrubbery like birds.

Thalia left her date's side, stumbling forward onto a raised walkway and bending down to touch one of the dozens of pink lotuses sitting primly in the water. She'd never seen flowers so big. When she stood back up, Sinbad was there to greet her, sweeping her into his arms.

"King Rashid offered to provide music, but I wanted to spend tonight with you alone," he told her, his golden eyes searching hers. "You wouldn't kiss me if there were people watching, would you?"

"K- k- k- kiss?" Thalia stumbled backwards. In all her fantasies about Sinbad, had she ever dared to imagine kissing him? Kisses were for lovers… and they didn't love each other.

But her eyes locked on his full lips, and suddenly she was filled with a desire to know what they tasted like. She vaguely recalled hearing that jasmine was an aphrodisiac. If that were true, it might explain what she did next. Tentatively, she approached him once more, caressing his cheek with a gentle hand as his arms slid around her waist. She tilted her head toward him, parting her lips in invitation.

She wanted this. Her entire body was screaming for it. Her chest heaved and her stomach fluttered. Her knees trembled while her arms threatened to go limp.

"Let's kiss, then. A kiss between friends."

"A kiss between friends," he repeated through half-lidded eyes, leaning in until their lips were just a breath apart. He paused, bringing his hand up to brush a hair away from her lips, and unexpectedly, entirely against her will, her body began to tremble violently. Thalia had wanted that kiss. Her rape had been the last thing on her mind, but her body remembered, and it was terrified. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed dejectedly at his feet.

He sighed, squatting down to be with her. "I thought you might not be ready. That's okay. The fact that you tried means a lot."

"I really wanted to…" She was on the verge of tears. Why had her body reacted like that to something she had wanted so badly?

"Come on," he told her, offering his hand. "Lets go look at the rest of the garden."

Thalia nodded forlornly, accepting his help off the floor. He took her to the back of the garden, where a highly decorated blanket was spread out with two pillows and…

Thalia's eyes fixated on the food. It was Attican cuisine. Fish, lamb, lentils, fresh vegetables, bread and olive oil, and a honey-glazed pastry— her favorite food, baklava.

She had underestimated how thoughtful he could be. He came off as so self-centered at times, and then he did something like this for her. He'd either been planning this date for a long time, or he had managed to research Attican cuisine and find a chef who was able to prepare it and had done all this on a single day on top of his usual work load. She wasn't sure which would impress her more.

Of course, he had to have something for himself, she noted wryly as she sat down, picking up a goblet of dark-red liquid and swirling it around.

"I told them specifically no wine," he informed her as he settled himself on the other pillow. "Only grape juice for us tonight."

Thalia brought the cup to her lips, testing the juice. Sinbad wasn't lying. There was no alcohol in this. It was purely sweet and fruity, no taste of fermentation present.

She wanted to kiss him more than ever now. Instead, she helped herself to some of the food, melting with joy as the familiar flavors danced on her tongue, taking her back to her childhood. It hadn't been a very happy time for her, but she had once been unaware of that fact. Eating the food of her home country brought her back to those days when she didn't know she was miserable, when she'd believed she could do anything, even win her father's approval and her mother's love, even live up to her sister's radiance.

"Sin, I don't know what to say," she confessed between bites. "No one has ever done something like this for me before."

Sinbad shook his head, smiling as he held a goblet in his hands. "You don't have to say anything. You've deserved this and a lot more for a long time."

"I don't know how I'll ever return the favor," she told him, brushing her hair behind her ear. He'd made her so happy in a single night. How could she repay him? She could spend her lifetime trying to give him a fragment of what he'd given her.

"I do. You're going to have a good time tonight and boost my ego." He winked at her before taking a sip out of his cup.

As the night went on and their conversation became more flirtatious, she began to feel a buoy in her chest, a feeling of levity like that she'd experienced when she'd gotten drunk on beer.

"Are you sure there's no alcohol in this?" she giggled, pouring another glass for herself out of the ceramic jug. "I feel great."

"That," Sinbad announced, reclining on one elbow, "is the high you get from great company and good food."

She shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "I don't know, I just feel like… I need to tell you something, but I don't know what." She began to crawl over to him, pushing him onto his back and pinning him to the ground. "Lately, when we're together, I have this feeling like… I don't know how to explain it, Sin. It's like I'm always drunk."

He smiled from underneath her, bringing a hand up to play with her hair.

"I think I know how you feel, Thalia."

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She wanted to dance for him. She wanted to perform for him in the way she used to find so humiliating. She wanted him to see her body, to desire it. She wanted him to look at her the way they'd both looked at that dancer earlier.

… but this dress wouldn't do. It was too loose fitting. He wouldn't be able to see the way her body twisted. He wouldn't be able to tell what her legs were doing or how her hips swayed. She couldn't just strip in front of him either… but maybe there was something she could do.

Thalia allowed her shawl to fall from her shoulders.

"Close your eyes, Sin."

He chuckled. "Why?"

"Because I'm the tyrant tonight, remember?" she chided him, flicking the yellow tassel on his top. "That means you have to do what I say."

"And if I don't?" he challenged her, a mischievous grin splayed across his face.

"You should be asking what happens if you do," Thalia responded, tilting her head to the side flirtatiously and running a finger down his chest. "Because I have a treat for you."

Sinbad squeezed his eyes shut, reigning in his rapidly careening out of control imagination. Thalia had said she had a treat for him, and it had sounded insanely sexual, but he knew that couldn't be it. She hadn't even managed to kiss him earlier.

But then the sound of fabric landing on the ground met his ears, and he didn't know what to believe anymore. Thalia seemed to be in a really good mood. Maybe she was wanting to try for more than a kiss this time.

He threw his forearm over his eyelids and slammed his other fist into the ground beneath him. He couldn't take the suspense anymore. He heard more rustling of fabric and held back a loud groan. What was she doing? This woman would be the death of him. What was taking her so long?

"Okay," she finally huffed. "I'm decent."

Had she been indecent? Was that why she hadn't let him look? He opened his eyes, and let out a shaky breath. Never had a sight so welcome greeted his eyes. Thalia had shed her white dress and expertly wrapped her teal shawl around her naked body, creating a makeshift mini-dress. Her sides were more exposed than they had been in that Heliohaptian tunic he loved so much, and this barely covered enough of her legs to be considered "decent".

He had no idea why she'd chosen to dress like this, but then she approached him, motioning for him to stand up. Sinbad obeyed, dumbstruck at this turn of events.

"I've never danced for you before, have I?" she asked him shyly, her eyes flickering with a sultry quality he'd never seen before. As soon as she wandered within his reach, his hands wrapped around her waist, savoring the heat of her bare skin. He'd hesitated last time, but he didn't have time for fear anymore. This was his last night with her.

In response to his touch, she straightened her back, stumbling just slightly over the words she mumbled next.

"I- I wanted to show you… because you've never seen, but… I think you're the only one I've ever wanted to see."

She'd told him a hundred times how humiliating the kind of dancing she did in the theaters and colosseums was for her, and now she was telling him she wanted him to see. She wanted him to see her like this, out of her flowing dresses, and in something tight and revealing. She wanted to share, of her own volition, the thing that had been exploited by Lady Maader for so many years against her will— her sexuality.

Sinbad had never felt such pride at having a beautiful woman dance for him, but this wasn't just a dance for Thalia. This was her way of taking back her power, taking back control of one of the most complicated and intimate areas of her life.

"Show me," he encouraged her.

She nodded, bringing her arms above her head and swaying her hips, making her muscles ripple underneath his palms. Slowly, she brought her hands down, running them down her neck, tugging the fabric that covered her chest down ever so slightly. It was a simple gesture, but it titillated his imagination. He'd seen a glimpse of what was underneath in Heliohapt, but a glimpse wasn't nearly enough to sate him.

Her hands continued to slide down until they reached his wrists, grabbing him and tugging him along with her as she worked her way backwards, her feet carrying her with confidence. Every step had a kind of controlled power, carried out with intent and precision.

Her entire body worked in harmony to create this beautiful, sensuous dance just for him. He was the only one she wanted to see this, and he was grateful because he understood how she had drawn crowds with this. It felt like a promise that she would fulfill his every desire. He could have her. She was surrendering to him.

Suddenly, her feet stopped carrying her backwards, but she didn't stop pulling him toward her. Instead, she tugged his body against her own. She stilled, all except for her hands, which reached out to cup his face. She looked into his eyes with a fierce determination and self-assurance he'd only rarely seen her display.

"Kiss me, and this time don't stop— even if I start to shake, even if you have to help me stand up." She tangled one hand in his ponytail, tugging it slightly.

"Is that really what you want?" he asked, searching for any hesitation in her words. He was worried she would freeze up and be unable to tell him to stop if he was too forceful.

"I've never wanted anything so badly in my life," she told him firmly.

In that case…

His mouth approached hers slowly, tenderly, as he stroked her temple with his thumb. He paused just before they touched, waiting for the trembling to start. This time, it didn't.

He wouldn't hesitate anymore. This was his only chance to be with her.

When their lips met, it was like nothing he'd ever experienced. It wasn't what he was doing for once that he gained pleasure from— it was Thalia herself. Her lips tasted of honey and flesh, and he lost himself in her, finding he was utterly in her thrall despite the clumsiness of her kisses. This beautiful girl had been unattainable for so long. He'd tortured himself over her, wanting her but always holding back. Now, she had come to him. She had asked for this, and he was beyond happy to oblige.

The longer their kiss drew on, the hungrier and more demanding his lips became. He'd been wrong when he'd thought he'd become less dependant on her. He hadn't. He needed her now more than he'd ever needed anything in his life, and she needed him too. He could feel in in the way she responded to his increasingly rough kisses with sweet moans.

How could this be wrong? How could they be anything but meant for one another? What kind of cruel world would put Thalia in his path and expect him not to want her?

Her very exposed legs wrapped around his waist, and he supported her until his own limbs were ready to give out. Lowering the two of them to the ground, he let Thalia sit on top of his stomach, her thighs spreading over his shirt.

His tongue pushed its way into her mouth, and she paused for a moment, pulling away.

"What was that?" she panted.

He started to laugh, thinking she was joking. Then he remembered this was the same girl that had taken the term "lady killer" literally. She really didn't have any experience with any of this.

"Thalia, that's one of the ways people kiss each other." he answered her, his voice strained with amusement. "They use their tongues."

"Why?" She raised an eyebrow as though he'd just told her the strangest thing she'd heard in her entire life.

He chuckled, flipping her over so that he was on top now. He'd let Thalia be tyrant for long enough. It was his turn. "Because it feels good. Here, I'll show you."

He leaned down and kissed her again, pinning one of her wrists to the ground. This time, when he used his tongue, she responded tentatively at first, then enthusiastically, moaning into his lips with a quiet, seductive sound.

Exactly how far is she willing to go? he wondered silently, his free hand sliding up her stomach to cup her breast.

"Sin," The soberness in her voice stopped him in his tracks. She moved to sit up, and he let her, pulling her against his side. "I've been wanting to ask you something for a while now, but I've been too afraid to ask. Tonight has made me feel confident in my decision."

The smile she gave him was the most radiant one he'd ever seen her make, and something about it made Sinbad uneasy.

"I don't want you to be my ally anymore," she told him, taking his hands into her own as her eyes glimmered with adoration.

He stilled, tugging his hands out of her grip. He was going to cut her out of his life, but she could still remain part of the Seven Seas Alliance. He'd never intended on going back on that promise. Had she lost her mind?

"You're leaving the Seven Seas Alliance?" He asked quizzically. "I'm afraid it's not going to be so easy to break ties with me. How exactly do you plan on fending off Parthevia and Reim without support from the alliance? Your army might be able to take back Attica on its own, but holding on to it is going to be a different matter."

"I don't want to break ties with you, Sin," she corrected him, reaching for his hands again. "It's the opposite. I want to make you king of Attica."

Sinbad froze, his mouth running dry. Was she about to ask him to marry her? Who had put it into her head that this was a good idea?

On second thought, she had probably thought of it on her own. She was naive, in love with him, and she had discussed looking for a husband before. Nothing about this should have been a surprise to him. Now, he wasn't able to marry her even if he'd wanted to. He realized they didn't belong together, that he was the cause of her falling into depravity. He couldn't be in her life in any capacity other than a professional one.

He opened his mouth to stop her, but she cut him off.

"Before you reject me, hear me out. Attica isn't like Parthevia. You don't need a pedigree to be king. The only thing you need is to marry the princess. If you marry me, you'll be a legitimate king with all of the authority of one. "

He stared at her incredulously. "Thalia, you can't just—"

"It's solely a political arrangement," she continued, willfully ignoring him. "Of course, we would have to…" her cheeks grew that shade of pink he adored and she pulled her hands into her lap, fiddling with her fingers. "I would have to provide you with an heir, but tonight was wonderful. I never thought I'd be able to be with someone like this, but you… if it's you, I can do it. I can do anything, Sin."

She looked back into his eyes, and he saw what Dinarzade had been talking about. She'd fallen hard. She would do anything for him, even throw away her destiny, but he wouldn't let her.

"I can't accept your offer, Thalia."

Her face, which had been so filled with hope and adoration, crumpled with despair, her shoulders slumping. She hadn't expected this. She hadn't expected rejection. She got on her knees, clinging to his shirt desperately.

"Sin, please," she begged. "I'm a screw up. I've failed my country at every turn. No matter how hard I try, I'll never live up to the great leader my country deserves, but you? You're amazing. I've seen the way you managed to build up your company from scratch, how you've overcome every adversity. You don't just raise yourself up. You raise everyone else up with you, and I really admire that about you. That's why it has to be you. My people deserve a leader like you."

Thalia really did think he could solve all her problems. Didn't she know she was strong enough on her own? Her bravery tonight hadn't been his doing. She was the one that had wanted to try kissing again even after she had failed the first time. She was the one that had danced for him, however briefly, even though her dance had been a source of pain in her life for so long. She deserved the credit for all of it, not him.

"Thalia, listen to me. You're not a screw up; you're just inexperienced. I've made mistakes too." ...like not realizing how much pain you were in sooner. "But we grow and learn. You can do that on your own. Without me."

Thalia was quiet for a moment, returning her hands to her lap, and he thought maybe she was considering what he'd said, but then she spoke. "When you told me about your dream, I thought you were an idiot. What kind of guy just wakes up one day and decides he's going to build his own country?"

Sinbad sighed, recognizing what she was doing. This was what she did when she was hurt. She lashed out. She was trying to strike where she believed he was most vulnerable, and she knew nothing was more important to him than founding a country.

"But I saw it in your eyes, Sin. If anyone can do something like that, it's you." She gazed directly at him, her starry-eyed faith replaced with down-to-earth confidence. "I realized in that moment that I wanted to follow you. I wanted drop everything to make your impossible dream come true like the rest of your friends have. I'd never had a dream of my own, but I finally found something I wanted. No one else told me I had to do it. I came to that conclusion on my own."

He swallowed, staring at the tragic girl confiding her clandestine hopes to him. Maybe she hadn't been trying to hurt him after all. Maybe she was just trying to be honest.

Thalia looked away from him, gripping the fabric of her makeshift dress until her knuckles turned white.

"Then you called me 'princess', and I remembered what I had to do. I had a duty to my people. I needed to save them. The only reason I was born was to serve them." She shook her head, tearing up. "Still, I thought that if I could just make you king… you would be happy… they would be happy… and for once in my life, I would be happy too. I could follow my dream and fulfill my duty. I could have everything."

For the briefest of moments, her words tempted him. He forgot about his own plans for his life and imagined himself as Attica's king. Maybe he didn't need to build his country from scratch. Maybe he could revive Thalia's suffering kingdom, fix its economy, and reform its archaic rules. He was capable of that, wasn't he?

The real draw for him, though, was the pretty girl next to him. He would be busy as king, but perhaps in the evenings, he could make time dote on his lovely wife, the same way his father had doted on his mother. Maybe they would even have a child together— not anytime soon, but eventually. He imagined Thalia cradling a baby with purple hair and dark eyes, and suddenly he was struck in the chest with a fierce burning, a desire to sacrifice anything, even his principles, to protect his family. He would even go to war to protect them.

Comprehension washed over him like a bucket of cold water, waking him from his impossible daydream. He could not marry Thalia. He'd always feared starting a family would become a distraction from his goal and now he was certain. Thalia would always have to take a backseat to his country.

"I can't marry you, Thalia."

"But—" She started to argue, and he had known she would. She never knew when to give up. Oftentimes, he found that trait admirable, but tonight, just for once, he wished she wouldn't put up a fight. This was hard enough already.

Sinbad watched the first of her tears fall and knew it was time to break things off completely. She was already in pain. There would be no salvaging the rest night.

"Thalia…" He hesitated, attempting to let her down easily. "I care about you a lot, but we can't do this anymore. We can't be lovers…" He drew in a sharp breath, bracing himself for what came next. "We can't even be friends. We have no future together. This is the last night I'm going to spend with you. I hope you'll remember it as fondly as I will."

The strangled sound that left her throat as she slumped forward, clutching her chest, was heartbreaking. Sinbad had never heard anything like it. It was as though every single hope she'd had for her future had exited her body at once.

"You don't… mean that. Dinarzade talked to you, didn't she?" Thalia clung to his jacket, trying to force him to look her in the eye. He couldn't. "Dina is just jealous. She misses her parents, so she thinks if you and I start dating, she'll lose me too and—"

Sinbad shook his head. "Dinarzade did talk to me, but this is my own decision. I see it too, Thalia. I'm holding you back. You don't believe in yourself anymore. You want me to fix your life, but only you can do that."

"Then… we won't get married," she cried, tugging at his arm, still trying to force him to make eye-contact. "I'll stay single forever, and I'll rule Attica by myself! I'll show you how much I don't need you! We can visit each other, and—"

"It won't work." He pulled at his hair. "Believe me, Thalia. I thought about the same thing, but how close do you think Sindria and Attica will be? Is there any viable land near Attica that isn't under Parthevia's control? How many months do you plan to spend traveling in a year? It's not just impractical. It's irresponsible."

"Then I won't be a queen at all," she shouted, giving his arm one last tug. "I'll abandon my people! I'll abandon everything! Just let me stay by your side, Sin! Don't do this! Don't betray me too…"

Sinbad finally met Thalia's gaze. The girl he knew would never say that. Even moments ago, she had seemed to understand that her duty was to her people. When had she gotten this bad?

"I'm doing this for your own good."

Thalia finally let go of his arm. "I see."

Sinbad had expected a lot of reactions from Thalia— tears, maybe even some screaming. What he hadn't expected was the absolute scorn that smoldered in her dark eyes, the ones that had always looked at him with such affection.

"Close your eyes," she demanded.

He hesitated, holding back the urge to beg for forgiveness. Nothing he'd said was a lie, but he couldn't stand to lose her unwavering affection.

"Close your eyes!" she repeated furiously. Sinbad obeyed, every sob assaulting his ears as the rustling of fabric told him she was getting dressed.

Sinbad began to realize just how vulnerable Thalia had made herself tonight. She'd bared her body and her dreams— even hinted at her feelings… and he'd crushed her. Maybe it even seemed like he'd tried to seduce her into a one night stand and had planned to abandon her after he'd had his way with her. She might not ever forgive him, but… maybe that was a good thing. Maybe she wouldn't want anything to do with him anymore. As long as she got her life back on track, all of this would be worth it.

"I'm going back first," she spat, charging past him toward the exit. Just before she reached the gate, she paused, spinning around and standing up tall. "My whole life… people have been taking away my choices, making my decisions for me and telling me it's for my own good… I never thought you'd be one of them."

Sinbad buried his head between his legs as the girl he liked, his best friend, slammed the garden's door shut behind her.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered the apology he couldn't give her to her face. He'd seen a glimpse of what depravity was like when he'd rescued Ja'far. It was barren, desolate, filled with self-loathing and pain. He couldn't let her fall. He'd been the one dragging her away from her destiny, so he would take responsibility. She could hate him all she wanted.

Sinbad was certain he was setting her back on the path of her own fate… why was he so uneasy?