It's great as how much music can inspire all this! -later...

1. It was a definite surprise to many of the girls that were in my household when they were told that a man was coming. I found it rather funny, at how naive they were and how human their heart was, even if some had lived with me for centuries. What I did not expect were the rules that Sahaid had implied for them without my consent. He instructed them to keep no contact with Asper and that if ever it was needed to do so, that they would not allowed to make contact with him or speak of matters that did not concern them. In other words, to stay out of Asper's way.

I tried to reason with Sahaid but he only looked at me, smiled mysteriously and then walked off, without a word! I could do nothing and he expected me to obey him as I had always done. If it would have been Zein, I would have followed his implications to the last detail but this was Asper! I knew that with Asper, I would not follow Sahaid's rules, which was a dangerous decision in the end. I had never risked Sahaid's wrath, especially now. Even though I was powerful like him, I had no idea on how to care for myself in the new mortal worlds. I only managed to wander off into the streets that were still ancient and not touched by time. The city lights, the smells in the streets as overpowering as those of the alleys in old Egypt and Suniria, the new mind of the modern mortal frightened me. In my time, there was no such freedoms! I was never religious for I was born before any Christian religion, but we had always had a sense of morality. Now, women ran half naked in the streets and even though I had once wished to be free like them, to choose my own mate and be free, I knew that I could not anymore. I was full of resentment, old and new.

Sahaid did not leave until he had strictly forbidden me to ever set foot on New Mayhem. I would only go there escorted by him but only to say goodbye. He did not want me to interfere in matters that did not concern me. I tried to reason with him, telling him that I wanted to help Silver, that he was one of the few that I had ever trusted completely. He was, of course, stubborn in his decision and I had nothing left to do but agree or face the consequences. He had me in his grasp and I did nothing but stay at his side without any contradiction. When Sahaid left, he made sure Asper was in charge of everything and little did he know that Asper and I had bonded long ago.

I did not expect Asper to arrive the way he did, showing up in my room, sitting on the small pillows where Asryn had sat with me many times before to talk. He lay calmly, looking around as he lounged there like a tired little boy who had come to rest. His handsome features were still there but I had forgotten how mischievous his eyes were, his vampirism making everything seem more beautiful. Unlike Sahaid who dressed clad in black most of the time and Zein who dressed more like an Arab of the old age, he was dressed simply in anything that seemed to fit his mood! That day he wore white and his hair was left in a tousled look. His loose white shirt looked ruffled as if he had just finished rolling around. He was so carefree. He looked like an angel for a moment, like those that the Christian's believed in.

He smiled at me, showing pearly white fangs, as I walked in and I was suddenly conscious at how improper this was but then again thins like that did not matter to him. I wondered if he would help me flee Ardid. I cursed the thought as soon as it came. What was I thinking in leaving Ardid. Sahaid was right in his request. I had no business in helping Silver, none at all. I could not ask Asper for help on my escape even if I ever did think of doing it. I could not force him to betray his own brother..

"Aisha, not a day older!" he laughed, and when I looked at him fully he greeted me with that always-so-charming smile. I laughed and then greeted him, glad that he had not been formal for I was tired of it everyday.

"I am glad that you have come here." I said as I took a seat across from him in a red pillow. The soft cushion against my body was pure relief after dealing with all the important matters that Ardid demanded of me. I sighed, tired but happy. "Tell me of you adventures, of where you have been."

His laugh was carefree and untouched by malice. "So concerned about the outer world. Doesn't my brother ever let you out? Or is he still too jealous to do so?" That last

Jealous. Sahaid jealous? I had never thought of Sahaid ever being so insecure as I was but a man was a man. I responded as best I could. "I do not enjoy living in the mortal world but I know that there are many things that are happening."

Asper looked at me curiously. He knew something and I was sure that Sahaid had mentioned New Mayhem to him. "Sahaid mentioned something about you traveling to the mortal world or something of the sort."

My mouth was dry for a moment. "Yes." I said simply. "It was not a mortal world that I went to, it was a vampire realm."

Asper's eyes widened with amazement, surprised with my answer. It took him a while to answer back. "You went into another vampire realm?"

"Yes, to help them with a dangerous matter that has been placed in their hands." I paused, remembering that he probably did not know that I was once belonged to another vampire. Did he know of Aubrey. "I knew them before I ever came to Ardid. The vampire, Aubrey, was to help along his new mate Jessica. Sadly, I am not going to partake in this anymore." I looked out the window, wistfully hoping that I was not so weak against Sahaid.

Asper raised his right eyebrow in amusement and then spoke carefully, "Aubrey...I have heard of him before. Of course!" his change of expression made me jump. I had been to busy looking out into the night. " I spotted him not long ago, roaming the old streets of Fez. I could sense that he had the aura of despair, something which I had not expected from a vampire as powerful as his. And from what I have heard...his guard is never down."

I wanted to dig deeper into what Asper was saying, I wanted to know more about how Aubrey could wander those streets, feeling the way he felt. Did he still have a remnant of the Aubrey that I had fallen in love with? Time changes all of us, I know that now, but there is always a small piece, a sort of foundation where we still are who we were before.

The rest of our conversation was of the new things he had seen around the world and of the adventures that he had encountered. Asper seemed to carefully avoid anything involving Aubrey as if he had been forbidden to mention him in my presence. It seemed strange that I never did I hear him say anything about a woman that could catch my attention. He did seem to have a few lovers here and there but they were just short termed and not serious enough. Not that I cared but I thought that to be good. Love would always hurt and I did not want Asper's free spirit to be hurt by love for it leaves quite an impact on a broken heart.

For the first few days that Asper had been in Ardid, I managed to follow Sahaid's rules but I knew that I was being unfair to both Asper and the girls. I could not keep the other women locked up and bore Asper with my company forever. Sahaid seemed to not understand that Asper was different from Zein, that Asper was not a degenerated man who sought women's company for the night. The first person that I wanted Asper to meet, was the only true friend that had lived with me in Ardid, Asryn.

I had spoken of Asryn to Asper, telling him that I trusted the most in Ardid, the one who would never betray me. He appeared interested and wanted to meet her, to see her greatness for himself. Their meeting happened by accident and not by my own doing but I did not realize that they too would become great friends. Together, they helped me go back to New Mayhem after much pleading to Asper.