It's been 5 years since coming back to fan fiction. Woah, such a crazy feeling! I started this series when I was a junior in college (2013) and had to abandon a lot of my side projects/interests/hobbies due to an overwhelming amount of school work, internships, trying to start a career, all that grown up adult stuff! I also had a unintentional long break from my anime/manga so I actually never got to finish Magi Season 2 until last week! I almost forgot how amazing all the Magi characters are...

I'm grateful to all the people who've messaged me throughout the years checking up on me and have left lovely comments despite this only being 2 chapters.

I've decided to rewrite the chapters to edit some of my old writing and add a bit more of a back story. Such a weird feeling to edit a 5 year old story, it's almost like editing the voice of my past self heh.

Well enough of my blatter, enjoy! As always, please leave a review if you can. I always enjoy feedback and general knowledge that people aren't just reading but enjoy what they're reading!

CHAPTER 1: CONTROL

She irritates me so damn much. Dammit.

Judar paced up and down the red hallways of the Kou Imperial Palace. He was looking for something to waste his time on. No, he wasn't trying to waste time; he was trying to find a distraction from his incorrigible thoughts.

As magi and high priest of the Kou Empire, Judar was used to being treated like royalty since an early age. All the Kou Palace servants have been at his beck and call, but he's never cared for such luxuries.

He just wanted to play games, but more specifically, he wanted people who could keep up with his games.

And when Judar thought he had finally found someone that knew how to play his cruel games, she just happened to be as good as it as he was. She never yields, and she never cracks. His games couldn't get to her. A maid from Sindria, just a common servant girl sold to the Kou Empire, had more issues than Judar could count.

"What's with that sour look on your face," Ren Hakuryuu probed, strolling in from his daily sword practice. He saw the misery sinking into Judar's crimson eyes.

"Shut up," Judar said bluntly.

There's been a lot on Judar's mind lately. The world was changing, and abnormalities were materializing that defied centuries of known knowledge and tradition. A few months ago he had an unsuccessful run-in with a small magi twerp who went by the name Aladdin. Aladdin, by mere existence, disproved the unequival rule that there could be only be three magis present in the world simultaneously and that news shook the Kou Empire. After returning to Kou barely hanging by a thread, Judar found it hard to not be overwhelmed by his dissatisfaction in recent times.

And the fact that his new handmaiden was also a handful hadn't made matters much easier.

"It's your servant girl, Mana? Is she bothering you?" Hakuryuu raises an eyebrow in skepticism, "or are you bothering her?"

"She's annoying, much."

"I don't understand why you keep her on loose chains, she seems more of a nuisance than a help. Kouen gave her to you as a gift, but you're in no way obliged to keep her around," Hakuryuu stated in a very matter-of-fact tone, wondering why Judar hasn't just gotten rid of her like all the previous maids he's grown tired of. He's gone through at least a two dozen servant girls in the last year.

"Don't tell me what to do," Judar spat. His temper began to climb. If the solution was that easy wouldn't he have done it already?

Hakuryu continued to stare at Judar in much confusion and let out a jaunty laugh, irking the dark Magi even more. Hakuryuu knew there were only a handful of reasons Judar chose to engage with people. His thirst for power and or his insatiable boredom, unless there was a third reason…

"Perhaps she has a type of control over you, something you're not used to in the bedr-"

Before Hakuryu could finish his sentence Judar drew out his wand and used it put Hakuryu in a choke hold, " "I will cut your tongue off if you don't shut the fuck up junior prince," he growled. Hakuryu thought it was unlike Judar to be so rash over light-hearted banter. "No one controls me," the dark magi announced.

Judar became paranoid and wondered whether Hakuryuu sensed his pent up sexual frustration. It was true, he wasn't used to a woman like Mana. But he also wasn't used to a maid that was so unwilling to please. He felt a bit embarrassed, a Kou Palace servantry duties often including satisfying the desires of the body, but this was something that did not need to be said. It was a part of the job, after all.

"Maybe it's not because she doesn't understand her maiden duties… could it be me? Am I not desirable to her?" Judar thought to himself neurotically.

Judar squeezed his wand tighter across Hakuryuu's thin throat as he felt his insecurity come through as fire.

"Judar, calm down it was only a joke," Hakuryu croaked, heaving for air.

Judar released his hold on the young prince. Since the balbadd incident, most of the Kou palace residents were warned of the high priest's tantrums. It didn't help that Hakuryuu could pinpoint exactly why he was extra moody today.

Judar tilted his head at the sky. He thought back to his first encounter with his troublesome servant.

[FLASHBACK]

Mana was a gift from General Kouen in hopes that maybe a new play toy would calm Judar's temperamental mood swings; Kouen was wrong. Mana ended up driving him insane.

"God dammit did Kouen really get me a whore instead of a fucking doctor," Judar complained aloud.

After a long and exhaustive trip from Balbadd, he did not expect to return to an unknown woman sitting up chained to his bed. Her hair was rustled and wrists were raw, showing signs that she's spent some time trying to escape her shackles. She was dressed in the dark brown uniform that Kou Palace servants were required to wear.

Mana looked away in disgust. She was unsure if she could ever call this man her master. No, she still had too much dignity for that. She had to remind herself that she was not brought here as a slave. A tinge of embarrassment and annoyance tinted her face. She hadn't agreed to these chains.

Judar couldn't help but to stare at the silhouette of her supple figure in his dimly lit chambers. He was in no shape to take in this woman. His wounds from Balbadd were still fresh and caused him to wince at any sudden movement. He walked up closer to the fiery woman sitting on his bed. When he reached out to free her from her metal chains, her body recoiled to his touch almost immediately.

"Do whatever you want with me, but I won't scream, neither in pain nor in pleasure."

Her words felt like a slap across the face. Those were the the first words she's ever said to him and they continued to replay in his head to taunt him. He could recall her stoic face so clearly, There was not a drop of emotion or fear. Despite how alluring it was to see a beautiful woman shackled so conveniently to his chamber post, her apathetic attitude repelled him. A dead mouse does not excite a snake.

"It's one thing that Kouen got me a whore, but it's another thing that he's somehow managed to find a whore that sucks at her job."

"My job is to take care of you," Mana retorted. She did understand the repercussions of the vagueness of her role, but she refused to sleep with the sick and wounded.

"My name is Mana. Kouen has enlisted me to be your caretaker from now on," Mana clarified.

"Caretaker sure is a weird way to say tramp. Quite frankly, I don't care who you are. Tell Kouen he can return you wherever he found you."

Mana ignored the dark magi's venomous tone. She was distracted by the dark crimson blood that leaked from his poorly bandaged wounds.

"Your wounds… they're not healing," her eyes examined the gashes on his arms that were still wet from fresh blood.

It was true. Judar's wounds weren't healing even with help from Kakabun's magic and Kouen's healing djinn. The injuries he sustained from the blue-haired magi's djinn in Balbadd were festering.

Judar sighed, he didn't understand this bothersome woman. Seeing how Mana reacted to his proximity, he used what magoi he had left to break the chains that bound her so he did not need to touch her. Once free, she genuflected with her right hand over her chest in appreciation more than respect.

"The ryukh around you speeds up your healing compared to the average man, but it won't matter if your wounds get infected," she kneeled in front of him inspecting his open wounds. Judar was surprised to see how much she knew about ryukh. She grabbed medical supplies from the foot of the bed that the maids had left for her, and gestured for him to sit down.

Without much warning, she took his arms abruptly and began to strip out the infected cloth, clean his open wounds, and wrap a new breathable cast of bandages. All her movements were deliberate and quick, like she's done this a million times over. Judar investigated his new cast and was pleasantly surprised to see that he was no longer bleeding profusely. Her speed and skill were unmatched and her stitching technique were nothing short of perfect.

Since that night, Mana had quickly proven to be quite an effective caretaker. Although initially spiteful of Kouen for giving him a mistress in place of a qualified attendant, Judar had come to grow a unique affinity towards the mysterious sandy-haired medic.

He often found himself looking forward to their time together. There were small things she did that fluttered his heart: from the way she'd cut his peaches to the perfect size to the way she hummed while brushing the knots from his hair. Even the way she smelled like a cool ocean breeze was irresistible to him; he often found himself facing and leaning towards her without meaning to. He didn't even like the ocean.

Judar's mind started to drift to desires of the flesh as her scent permeated his thoughts. Her cool skin often reminded him of the peaches he loved so much, soft, plump, and pink. She was a good distraction during this uneasy time. Yet he has been unable to musk up the audacity to demand for a different kind of attention. She had done enough for him, more than any other maid before him, he thought.

Judar shook his head to bring him back to the present, forcing the lustful images he's unknowingly conjured up in his mind to dissipate.

[FLASHBACK END]

"Prince Kouen's looking for you."

Speak of the devil.

"Tell him I'm busy," Judar didn't bother to turn around to give Mana eye contact. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now. Even if it was Kouen.

"Stop being a child and just go see him," Mana said without hesitiaton in an irritated tone of her own, crossing her arms across her chest. She wasn't about to deal with the repercussions of two big, unpleased egos before she even had the chance to eat today.

"C-child?! That is not any way to talk to your master," Judar snarled, trying to save face in front of Hakuryuu.

"Then fire me," Mana's gold eyes glared at Judar playfully, but her voice was grim and resolute. Her face often contradicted her voice, a mannerism of hers that Judar was not fond. She's been playing the 'if you don't like it, just get rid of me' card since she got to the palace a few months ago. Judar huffed and looked away from her heavy eyes, if she wanted to leave so bad why didn't she just run away like all the other maids that came before her did. It was even more surprising that she's lasted this long.

"SHUT UP! I heard you the first fucking time!" a hotheaded Judar yelled as he walked towards the direction of Kouen's office. He grabbed Mana's wrists tightly, dragging her with him. Judar didn't want Mana to be in the same vicinity of Hakuryuu without his presence or permission.

She leered at her master's childish anger as she was forcibly dragged away.

"Call me a child again and I'll kill you," he threatened loudly enough for Hakuryuu to hear. Judar always had to have the last word. It was a big show to protect his ego, something that has been a bit more deflated after the Balbadd incident.

"Go see Lord Kouen now or he'll only be angrier, and we both know how he gets when he's angry," Mana forced a fake smile and pulled her wrists away from Judar's cutting grip. "I'm going to prepare lunch," she said as she walked the opposite way.

"There she goes again. She speaks to me like she's already gone through all seven gates of hell and back.." Judar thought.

Mana gave a small bow to Prince Hakuryuu to pardon herself and headed towards the palace gardens. Hakuryuu couldn't help but smile, he was happy that Judar finally had someone that could deflect Judar's brutish nature. Maybe she was more of a help than he originally thought.

Judar groaned in contempt as he slowly made his way to see the impatient First Prince.

Kouen's office was hidden deep in the Kou Palace archives. He could often be found there smoking his pipe and staring at maps for long periods of time.

"Mana tells me that your body's been responding well to her treatment. I'm glad to hear that," Kouen

Judar's ear perked up.

"Treat her well. I've spent quite an amount of Huang on her, it would be a shame if you've chased her away."

Although this statement was far from the actual truth, since Mana had voluntarily given herself to the Kou Palace with no money involved, Kouen tried to make it a point to remind the High Oracle that bad actions led to consequences. However, it was unlike Judar to burden himself with insignificant consequences.

"I'm sure you did not call me to talk about how I treat my servants," Judar was in no mood for small talk.

"Sinbad conquered seven of your dungeons, and there is news that he has formed an alliance with that new child magi, Aladdin," Kouen warned disapprovingly, "at this rate, the Kou Empire is going to be at a disadvantage. We will need to stop him."

Just the mention of magi oddity made Judar's blood boil, he wanted nothing more than to have Aladdin perish at his own hands.

"I can't stop him from conquering the dungeons I conjure, your people just need to learn to HURRY UP and stop slacking," Judar roared defensively.

Kouen glared to Judar with annoyance, his toleration of Judar's childish behavior was thinning. Kouen exhaled and reminded himself Judar's impudence was a small price to pay in exchange for his support as Kou's official magi.

"I want you to go to Sindria and let him know that if he continues to capture these dungeons and ally with this new Magi, Aladdin, the Kou Empire will consider it an act of war. Sinbad's empire can't keep growing while we remain stagnant."

"What do you want me to tell him? 'I'll bake you a cake if you stop conquering my dungeons and forming powerful alliances'?" Judar shrugged. He really did not want to make a trip to Sindria to see a dumb, hot-headed king.

Kouen raised an eyebrow, peering down from his high throne. He rested his forehead against his clasped hands in exhaustion. His eyes were darkened by the lack of sleep he had gotten these past few days.

"Figure it out. You've known him since you two were both young, I'm sure you know how his brain works."

"If only he had a brain," Judar laughed to himself at his joke, "he's a moronic king."

Judar's facetiousness was getting on Kouen's last nerves. The dark magi was not the only one in the palace with a temper.

"Are you not worried about Sinbad gaining more Metal Vessels? You may not see him as dangerous, but he's a major threat to this empire. And if I remember correctly, your last encounter with that small Magi left you almost at the brink of death," Kouen's face contorted into an evil mocking grin, "and if it weren't for Mana's aid you probably wouldn't even be standing here."

Kouen was pulling all the stops today.

"That chibi magi is no threat to me, I underestimated him last time but it won't happen again!" Judar defended. He did not want to hear about that small magi ever again.

"And I said Sinbad is stupid, not weak, he's probably even stronger than you are, Kouen!" Judar added. He figured he might as well take a shot at Kouen's brutally huge ego. Judar was expecting an angry outburst, but Kouen remained calm. Judar wrinkled his nose in confusion at the Flame Emperor.

"I know, that's why I need you Judar. I need you to go to Sindria and find this man's weakness, his cracks. A man with a thirst for more of this kind of power can't be as just as he pronounces himself to be," Judar was surprised how Kouen was so level headed about the situation, "We'll have to destroy Sindria from the inside."

Judar sighed, it was a big request but it wasn't like he could refuse the general and first prince of Kou. He knew he'd face the twerp magi again but he didn't think it would be this soon.

"I will make my way across the sea once the summer ends," Judar walked out with his hands in his pockets, not wanting to hear another word.

Summer after all was Judar's favorite season and the best weather Kou Empire had to offer.

"You owe me one, Kouen."

Kouen's lips curled into a satisfactory smirk. His pieces on the chessboard were moving into place.