DISCLAIMER: Magi and other discernible characters/quotes/citations belong to their respective authors. I do not own original content Magi. No profits were made.
COVER CREDITS: MAGI THE LABYRINTH OF MAGIC BY SHINOBU OHTAKA (c). Cover Credits: Original Fan Character by Aladdina.
Cited: magi. Fandom wiki
A/N: Another heavily edited chapter. Almost there, guys. Please bear with me! New content soon~
#StaySafe #Quarantine2020
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Magi
Chapter VIII: Arrival in Sindria
The next day, the King walked to the docks to ready their Sindrian ship to go back to their own country. He gave orders to the crew to check if every component of the vessel was in running condition. He also talked to his first mate regarding the sailing conditions and told him to obtain any provisions they need as he handed him a sack of coin.
Samara wore a smirk as she boarded the Sindrian ship and walked towards the King, who was just finishing up his conversation. "You know, my coming to this little 'vacation to meet my siblings' as you call it, is not my answer to your question, right?"
The King leaned over the ship deck's railing, staring out into the open sea, a smirk started to form on his face as he turned to the Priestess, "Nor is it your refusal to my proposal. I'm happy just knowing you wear my heart close to yours." He stood upright as his eyes teasingly wandered down her cleavage, where she still wore his mother's ring around her neck.
The Priestess widened her grin under her veil and simply shook her head; she gently touched Sinbad's shoulder, sliding her palm across the musculature of his upper arm, as she walked away, leaving the King's heart aching for more of her touch. Spirit of mind and sound, Zepar... please guide me.
The King made his way onto the helm of the ship. "All aboard!"
The crew scurried to execute their jobs, such as raising the anchor, dropping the sails, and securing the lines and ropes that support the mast.
Samara stood next to Sinbad. They gave each other one last look of certainty before looking out into the horizon. She could smell salt in the air, feel the breeze through her hair, and the sun on her skin. She closed her eyes to basque in the glory of it all. In a few days, she will be able to meet her brothers again.
Once they were cruising in open water, the King turned over control of the ship to his first mate. He joined the others for a well-deserved meal with laughter and singing.
After dinner, Ja'Far led the Priestess to the captain's quarters, "Our King insisted that you stay in the captain's quarters, Priestess."
"How generous. I'll be sure to thank the King next time I see him. Goodnight, Ja'Far." She opened the door and walked in.
Ja'Far gave a small bow and walked to his shared cabin, where the King and Masrur already claimed both top bunks. He clearly showed his disdain. "I'd rather sleep on the floor than under either of you." He angrily pulled the thin mattress and sheets out of the King's bottom bunk.
"You snooze, you lose." Masrur goaded, and Ja'Far scowled at him.
"I trust the Priestess is comfortable?" The King asked, laying flat on his back with an arm under his head.
"Yes, I drew a bath for her before showing her to her cabin," Ja'Far assured in an angry voice as he made his bed on the floor.
"Very good. Thank you, Ja'Far."
"Say, Sin, do you trust the Priestess?" Masrur did not beat around the bush.
"I—No—I don't know yet…" the King responded honestly.
"Are you sure about this? You are going to let someone you don't trust right into the heart of our kingdom?" Ja'Far challenged.
"I know it's not easy to understand…" the King was at a loss for words. He looked up at the ceiling to try and find them, "I am usually so skeptical, so calculative, but with her—it's easy… everything comes easy—laughing with her, crying with her, protecting her, trusting her—it comes so naturally easy for me that it makes me uneasy."
"Do you love her?" Ja'Far asked.
Without a moment's hesitation, the King responded, "I do…"
"So, you're going to risk the lives of our people that you so desperately tried to protect – just for one woman?" Ja'Far asked, bluntly, and disappointedly. "Aren't you being a bit selfish here?"
"This will be the first and only time…" the King pleaded, almost whining like a child.
Ja'Far sighed sympathetically and raised an eyebrow, "You're not really in a position where you can be selfish. You are the High King of the Seven Seas. You have far too much to lose. Not only that, but the citizens you rule over also have far too much to lose if they lost a king like yourself."
"I would risk it all to help her…" the King rooted his resolve as he sat upright, swinging his legs over the top bunk.
Ja'Far sighed helplessly and decided to come back to this subject at a later time, "Say, you ran off yesterday, blabbering about a prophecy – what's all that about?"
"Where to begin?" The King turned to his generals. "Well, the Priestess is actually very old..."
His generals tilted their heads as they were very perplexed.
"How old exactly?" Masrur clarified.
"She's as old as time, I guess?" The King held his chin and thought deeply on what to let on next, "She's not from this world. You see, Ugo created the world we live in now, but before that, they lived in a world called Alma Torran – along with her family, King Solomon, and his Divine Staves. She has three younger brothers – Tess, the oldest of the three, was killed by her grandfather. He was the son of King Solomon's Divine Staves, Wahid and Falan; the second brother was named Jedidiah, he was adopted by Arba; the youngest is Aladdin, he is the son of Queen Sheba."
Both of his generals were simply dumbfounded, awaiting further clarification. Was there even anything to clarify? Was he pulling their legs? Has he just lost his mind completely?
He waved his hand in front of him and stuttered. Of course, even he wouldn't believe what he was saying. He tried to explain further, "Well, see, Samara is King Solomon's firstborn child to a woman named Arba – she was originally King Solomon's servant, who later became his best friend and one of his Three Wise Magi." The King cleared his throat and glanced back and forth between his two generals, "Arba later had a change of heart and founded… Al-Tharmen."
The King was waiting for outrage from at least one of them, but they remained calm as if they expected the worst news. Ja'Far simply asked, "Do you know where she stands in the matter?"
"As far as I understand, Samara is more her father's daughter, very much like Aladdin, and she was also raised by Ugo after the collapse of Alma Torran. The way she has established leadership in her country, all the funny little details – they were refinements of King Solomon's ideals. So far, she hasn't given me any reason to doubt her. You guys were right. I was trying to win her fancy. I have developed feelings for Samara."
Ja'Far took a moment of silence and sighed, "As your advisor, it is my sacred duty to be completely honest with you, no matter how hard the truths. Your feelings for the Priestess, it makes me happy to see how much good she has influenced you already…"
"But?" The King did not hide his annoyance, but it was his responsibility to listen to how he might be failing as a King.
"…but the same feelings that have brought out the best in you may also be clouding your judgment. How can you possibly be objective in this matter?"
"You both are excellent at your jobs – protecting the King, always being wary of the people who get close to the King, being honest with the King. You're right; I can't be objective – which is precisely why we are having this conversation, and I'm honest with you both. You see, I asked for her hand in marriage."
There was a long pause. Ja'Far tilted his head to the other side and scratched his eyebrow with his middle finger. Masrur looked at Ja'Far with his same blank and awkward stare.
Ja'far felt the weight of his obligation to his King and his country before breaking the silence. "Sin, there is something you should know." Ja'Far started to feel the weight of the guilt of breaking his friend's hopes. "The Priestess had a secret vault underneath her bathroom floor. Upon submerging oneself in the water-filled vault, you will discover it has cloaking magic and clairvoyance magic."
"What were they guarding?" The King asked adamantly. His brows furrowed, not wanting to acknowledge the possibility that his relationship with Samara might not work out.
"…a golden staff."
"Do you know what the staff is used for?" The King asked, regretting his words immediately after uttering them.
"We were hoping you could answer that question… Does the staff have anything to do with your prophecy?"
"The prophecy states that Samara's grandfather, David, will…" the King raised an eyebrow, cleared his throat, and added unconfident accents to his next words, "rematerialize in this new world that Ugo created through a Singularity…"
"Meaning you, Sin." Masrur clarified.
Then, there was a long silence.
Ja'Far inhaled deeply trying to contain his annoyance, "Well, it is not something we can fix right now on a box floating on the open ocean." He turned away from the other gentlemen and put his blanket over his shoulder.
The King opened his mouth, about to say something. He soon realized that he had nothing to say since he didn't know what to say in his defense. He just blew out the large candle illuminating the room and also went to sleep, hoping for a fresh start in the morning.
When they woke, they were in Sindrian waters. Samara walked out to the ship's deck, still wearing her long Samarian robes and facial veil. The warm southern wind blew ever so gently, and she looked like she was floating gracefully.
The King stood next to her as they overlooked the dock. "Good morning, Priestess." He looked down at her hand. He wanted to run his fingertips gently against her soft, white skin. God knows how much strength it took not to touch her.
"I am not the Priestess anymore, Sinbad." She turned to him, still charmingly enigmatic, "Please, it's just Samara."
The King gave her a slight smile, "Welcome to Sindria, Samara." Even simply saying her name made him ache for her.
The ship docked, and they came off-board. The rest of the King's Generals were waiting for them.
"Welcome home, Sin!" Pisti greeted them. She put her pointer finger up to her lips in thought, "You guys were gone for a long time…"
"Hello, everyone." The King smiled at them, "We are home."
Samara followed behind the King.
"Eh?" Pisti peeked behind Sinbad, recognizing a friend of her mother's she met when she was a child. "What is the Priestess of Samaria doing here?"
The King put his hand behind her waist, "Everyone, allow me to introduce Samara, former Priestess of the Holy Kingdom of Samaria."
"It is an honor to meet you all. I've heard good things from Sinbad." Samara bowed slightly.
"Former?" Yamraiha questioned. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she leaned towards Sinbad with a finger nearly touching his face, "What have you done this time, Sin?!"
"Nothing! …yet." The King responded. "Oh, that reminds me! Is Aladdin back from Magnostadt?"
Samara's eyes lit up with excitement as they darted towards the King.
"Not yet," Spartos responded.
"Then, shall we go and visit him in Magnostadt?" The King suggested as he turned to Samara, speaking to her like they were the only two people in the world.
"You just got back to your country. Are you sure it is wise to leave yet again?" Samara asked concernedly.
"I have complete faith in my Generals' abilities." The King responded; his eyes still locked in with hers.
Drakkon added, "We will be fine, Priestess. You came all the way here to meet Aladdin; it must be an important business you have with him. You must go!"
"You guys should at least stay for the Mahrajan in two days," Sharrkan suggested a middle ground.
The group started to walk towards the palace.
"Mahrajan?" The Priestess inquired curiously.
"It's the harvest festival here in Sindria. A few times a year, the southern creatures inhabiting the waters around the island come and attack the mainland. It is the duty of the King and the Eight Generals to fight them off. Our creative King Sinbad has turned the attacks into a performance to calm the citizens, and it also earned us some tourists." Hinahoho added.
"That sounds quite fun and exciting. We should stay since it is part of the King's duties. I would also like to see more of Sindria's culture." Samara giggled in excitement.
"She is right, Sin. They were such hospitable hosts. Now, we must return the favor." Ja'Far advocated.
"You guys are absolutely right. It would be an honor to show you around, Samara." The King gestured a polite bow, extending his right foot back, lifting his left arm to his side with his palm facing up and placing his right hand across his heart, guiding his head down – all in one swift motion.
"Who is this guy?" Sharrkan joked, "what have you done to our King?"
"He hasn't been drinking either," Masrur added, compliments intended. "Not a drop for almost two months now."
"What?!" Yamraiha exclaimed, "Then, I definitely agree – this is not the same King you left with."
They all continued laughing and talking until they reached the palace. They were greeted by beautiful Sindrian women who were servants at the castle. The lot of them wore a wreath of flowers on their heads and midriffs that showed their voluptuous curves.
"Oh, King Sinbad, you're finally home! What took you guys so long?" One of the beautiful servants said flirtatiously.
The King chuckled awkwardly as they all swarmed around him. "Well, ladies…"
"What's wrong, King Sinbad?" One of the girls started rubbing his shoulders, "you seem tense. Do you need us to help you relax a little bit?"
"Umm… no, thank you…" The King backed away from the swarm of lovely women doting over him.
"You made your own bed. You're on your own, Sin." Ja'Far said, unforgivingly, as he and the other Generals all walked past their King. "I'm wiped. I'm taking a bath and heading straight to bed."
"Same here." Masrur added, "No one wake me until the harvest festival!"
Yamraiha walked up to Samara and asked, "Shall we get you situated in a guest room in the Green Sagittarius Tower? I can have a bath drawn for you."
"Ah, yes. That would be wonderful after a long trip." Samara responded gratefully.
The King ran away from his flock and stopped the lady General and the former Priestess, "Uh, actually, she can stay with us in the Purple Leo Tower. We have plenty of empty rooms."
"What?! The King's private living quarters?" The girls whined and pouted, "we've never even been invited up there?!"
Yamraiha got the message, "Alright, Sin. I trust you'll take good care of our guest?"
"Of course." The King smiled without tearing his gaze away from Samara.
Yamraiha shooed the servants away, "Now, now, girls. Don't you have other work to do elsewhere?"
The King led Samara to her guest chambers, the only room across the hall from his own. He opened the door to a large and magnificent bedroom – fresh fruits laid out on the table, a beautiful hand-carved bed with thin white curtains hanging over it, and soft, smooth silk sheets to top it off. Not to mention the incredible view of the sea through the slightly cracked window, letting the warm Sindrian breeze in.
"I haven't been here one full day, Sinbad, and you're already making enemies for me with all this special treatment," Samara said, half-jokingly as she entered the room.
"I am so sorry about that, Samara. I will make sure to clear things up with the girls." The King pleaded as he placed Samara's suitcase in the wardrobe.
"I am not going to fault you for your past, Sinbad." She simply chuckled as she stepped out into the balcony, the King followed. She leaned over the concrete railing, soaking in the southern sunset, the salty breeze gently blowing to move her veil, "What a beautiful country."
The King took Samara's left hand into his right, guiding her to face him. Once again, they found themselves drowning in the depths of each others' eyes, "I never imagined I'd love you this profoundly when I first met you." He reached his left hand to her cheek, still covered by the veil, "May I?"
She pressed his left hand into her cheek, almost as if smelling him, taking a moment to root down her resolve. She gently nodded.
This was it, the very fragile and intimate moment for Samarians that the King has been longing for. He gently pulled out the hairpin holding her hair up in a braided bun and pinning the strings of the facial veil. Her long dark blue locks fell ever so smoothly onto her shoulders, wavy from the braid being undone—it was covering her face a bit as she looked down, timidly. The King moved her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear, revealing her deep blue eyes once more. As his fingers ran through her soft hair, he took the opportunity to grab the veil gently and tugged it away from her face – his heart beating faster and faster with each second that passed by. He lifted her chin, and she gazed into his golden eyes once more as he slipped his other hand from her hip to the small of her back, bringing her closer to his body. He assumed she was just as beautiful as her soul. However, he did not expect how blinding her beauty was, just like the sun, yet still, accompanied by all the darkness and wonder of the night – luscious dark blue hair and big, round blue eyes like Aladdin's and her father's, a petite nose and pink lips like her mother's. He wanted to cover her right back up and shut her away in his castle so that only he may gaze upon such beauty. Looking at her, it was like a blind man seeing the sun, moon, and stars for the first time.
"Sinbad…" Samara called out softly with a nervous tone, afraid she might not be able to refuse him this time. "We shouldn't – this is not what we came here for."
"Do you not like this?" The smooth-talking conqueror pressed their foreheads together, lightly rubbing her nose with his, "Would you like me to stop?"
She could feel her knees weaken as he exhaled her next breath, "That's not a fair question to ask…"
"I'll just continue, then…" The King gave Samara a soft peck on the lips.
She did not resist. How could she? With his raspy voice, big strong hands, expert technique, and sweet words, how could she not fall for him and his dirty old tricks?
The King tilted his head the other way and kissed her softly again, but this time, his tongue asking for entry as he sucked gently on her lower lip. She gasped lightly for air, and his masterful tongue slid under hers, swirling gently around her mouth, causing a mystifying fusillade of emotions, making her tingle in all the right places. He started to walk her backward and leaned her against the French door of the balcony, not once letting go of any part of her he had conquered before.
She let out a soft moan as soon as she pressed against the door behind her due to the King simultaneously parting her thighs with his own. She was only a few inches shorter than him so she could feel his hardening member even through their clothes as he pressed his groin against hers. She wasn't sure what this strange feeling was, but it was slowly deluging her, making her head all fuzzy. Without even noticing it, she started undulating her hips onto his thigh, in the same rhythm as their intensifying kiss.
The King did not recognize this feeling overwhelming him, either. He had more than enough experience to aid him in this venture, but this was completely different. When he engaged in intimacy before, it was merely to satisfy an urge, to quench his lust. However, being with Samara, kissing her soft lips, touching her curves, feeling her heat – this filled him with ecstasy that he never experienced before – making love… Not just meaningless coitus but engaging in the sacred act of actual lovemaking. Nothing could have prepared him for that.
She continued instinctually moving her hips against the King's thigh, pressing harder and harder into her wetness, unwittingly rubbing her own leg against the King's throbbing erection. He let out a soft groan as he sent a shivering orgasm up his spine to avoid cumming just yet.
"Sinbad—" she managed to utter between kisses and grinding, "Sin, we should stop…"
He physically could not hear her words at first. Then, he realized what she asked for and stopped moving his hips along with her and relaxed his feet and legs back on level ground. He nestled his face in her neck, placing gentle kisses along her shoulder as he pushed his forearms against the door, paralleling her head, trying to quell his need to touch her, "I'm sorry… I-I could barely bring myself to stop."
She grabbed the sides of his head, just between the cheeks and ears, and kissed him on the forehead. "You did, you heard me, and you stopped. Thank you."
This beautiful moment of firsts was interrupted by a knock on the door. The King let go of Samara and walked towards the door, slightly annoyed and slightly relieved. He really didn't know how to stop himself from devouring her. Sinbad opened the door to find Yamraiha on the other side.
She pinched the King's ear and dragged him outside, "Stop bothering the Priestess!" She shut the door, but not before peeking back and apologizing to Samara, "Sorry about our rude King, Samara!"
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" The King exclaimed exaggeratingly. "Now who's being rude?"
Samara just smiled back at the lady General and bowed politely as she closed the door.
Yamraiha crossed her arms and looked at her King with disappointing eyes. "Come to the library in the Black Libra Tower. We have much to discuss!"
"Ah, whatever. You ruined the mood anyway!" the King brought about his childlike self and pouted yet again.
"So, what on earth possessed you to propose to a woman you barely know and don't even trust?" Yamraiha got straight to the point without even reaching the Black Libra Tower yet.
The King's Rukh suddenly changed from dark to somewhat lighter. "Ja'Far told you?"
"As he should." Yamraiha scolded, "Actually, you should have, idiot!"
"I… can't really explain it, Yam." Sinbad scratched the back of his head. "It's like… being with her is as natural as breathing and, at the same time, leaves me breathless. I would do anything, give anything to earn her love…"
"I don't get it. Why are you so desperate for her to love you back?"
"Well, you see… ever since I met her, falling for her, everything that happened in between – it feels as if it lifted this heavy weight off my shoulders – like loving her and her loving me back, falling deeply for each other, it would be enough to save me from falling completely. Do you get what I'm saying?"
They reached the library doors, and Yamraiha let out a low-spirited groan as she opened them, the rest of the Generals waiting for them inside. "It's confirmed, friends. The High King of the Seven Seas is very much in love."
"Hey, I thought you guys were going to sleep for days on end?" The King entered hurriedly, "but you're actually conniving against my back?!"
"Well, Sin, all this conniving was actually productive," Ja'Far reassured, tucking both of his hands into his sleeves, in a prayer pose.
"There's only one way to rid ourselves of all our distrust once and for all." Drakkon declared.
"You're absolutely right." The King affirmed confidently like he was reading his Generals' minds. "We must ask Aladdin himself."
His Generals smiled at this compromise.