Two chapters in one day! To be fair, Chapter 5 was pretty short…enjoy!
He had been in the midst of composing an impromptu concerto when the vexatious sound of someone hammering on the door to his chamber disturbed him. Setting his precious violin aside, he stalked to the foyer and unbolted the door. Upon opening the heavy and ornately carved postern, he beheld two women from the harem, an evident glimmer of contempt shown in his differing eyes. Outfitted and arrayed formally enough for a court event of the highest measure, they stood insolently staring at him. Undoubtedly the khanum herself had something to do with this, for the two women did not look tousled from sleep in the slightest. No, he was certain that they'd been awake for at least an hour, and active at that.
"You are no longer needed here," he stated laconically.
"As you say, oh master, but we were told our services were a matter of dire importance, and it would not be fitting if we leave you unattended."
"You do not understand. I have determined already that your services are no longer needed seeing as you did not arrive when commanded. You are fortunate that I am otherwise occupied this evening, and I have better things to do than to plan your demise."
The young courtesan's insolence was nearly intolerable. Aria had needed assistance more than an hour ago, and in the end, he himself had to help her bathe, which she'd probably found unbearable. Simply the thought of her having to struggle so unnecessarily pained him to the core.
"Of course, master, yet you forget that you did not directly command us to serve you. The eunuch who awakened us did so at his leisure and bade us to dress as befit the shah himself."
"I see, yet you were commanded, I presume, to attend me as soon as possible. Is that not correct?"
"It is entirely correct, master, yet to best serve you we are required to follow a certain decorum, and-"
Tiring of her vague and repetitive banter he abruptly cut her off. "Perhaps you require a lesson on the difference between a command and a request? One that you shall never forget. You see, I have already been served by a young man who was quite willing to do anything I asked of him. He arrived at an acceptable time and did as he was told. Your services are no longer needed here, as a monkey could have dressed itself more competently and efficiently in your place. Then again, one need not dress so extravagantly in the kitchens; perchance your cooking is better than your timing."
He deliberately left the glacial assertion hang, and smiled inwardly as their heavily powdered and painted faces paled visibly.
"Of course, oh great one. Our most sincere and deepest apologies for requiring you to wait, please forgive us," the aged and obese woman stuttered out. She had remained silent throughout the entire exchange with her head bowed. Performing a deep obeisance, she knelt down ponderously and began to back away from the door.
Erik nearly chuckled when he saw her sharply tug the younger woman's skirts. The concubine started and then began to spit out her own pathetic platitudes as well. Retaining his ever-present commanding grasp of this rather farcical situation, he dismissively waved them away and closed the door with a resounding noise.
Perhaps he should have ordered them to stay and devise some meaningless chore for them to do. Something akin to counting the grains of sand in a jar, but, of course, Aria would not approve of that. Normally, the affront to his pride, and their indifference to his powerful position would have taken precedent; now, however, Aria's wishes were more important. If the women of the harem were more afraid of the khanum than the Angel of Death himself, he would have to remind them of the implacable jurisdiction he held over the lives of everyone in Persia, but at a later date. Although the shah believed himself impervious to Erik's wrath, even he was not entirely safe.
Turning back to the matter at hand, Erik found himself once again walking down the corridor to his private bath to speak to Aria. As he neared the fragile, carved doorway his thoughts became entirely centered on his mistress. Just behind the lacey woodwork, her elaborate raiment was lying on the floor in a puddle of silks and satins and gossamer. She had disrobed piece by piece, each layer slipping down her sumptuous body until nothing remained but Aria.
He could see her leaning over the bath casually feeling the temperature of the water with her delicate hand. Stepping into the deep waters, he saw the liquid glide up her lithe legs and as she sank into the soothing waters the tension fell away from her silvered face and her lips parted ever so invitingly.
What was he thinking? In all actuality, he had seen nothing, for he'd been too ashamed to watch her disrobe. The closest he had come to that fantasy was when he combed and washed her hair. She seemed so very relaxed as his hands worked at the tight knots, and he'd longed to let his hands wander further and further down. The memory of her milky shoulders peeking above the murky water still made him throb with want. Somehow, he managed to curb this sudden, ravenous desire and called out to her. For all he knew, the girl could have drowned herself while he was out of the room and ended her misery.
"Aria, is everything all right in there?"
Nothing but silence answered him, not even the sound of her moving about in her bath water. "Aria, can you hear me?"
When she didn't respond for a second time, he waited a moment and cautiously opened the double doors. Looking resolutely at the floor, again he asked if she was all right. Finally his curiosity demanded that he look over to the deep marble bath that was more like a shallow pool and jumped when he saw that she wasn't sitting in it.
"Aria!" He ran to the edge of the stone tub and looked into its filmy depths. Thrusting his arms into the gray waters, he sighed with relief when he couldn't feel the outline of her tiny body. Now where in the seven hells did she go? He hadn't heard her leave the bath, nor had she called for him. Then perhaps she had tried to approach him while he was playing his violin and he may not have heard her call.
Leaving the steamy antechamber he walked down the corridor and noticed some wet spots on the granite floor. They seemed to proceed directly to the window and Erik observed they formed a small puddle in this area. Glancing around a bit more, he determined that the fading footprints went straight into his bedroom.
And isn't that interesting? She's cleaned off and run right into my private chambers. Perhaps she isn't as unwilling as I had thought.
With a smug grin on his twisted face, Erik slowly walked into his room, just as he would have any other time of the day. He had to bite back laughter when he saw Aria jump to cover her exquisite, and distinctly nude body.
"Ah, excuse the intrusion, mademoiselle. When I did not hear you answer me from the bath, I was concerned you'd run off and I decided to come straight to my chambers. I thought it would be best if I dress appropriately should I need to go find you."
Erik watched with slight disappointment as Aria did not even bother to look up at him with remorse or uneasiness. She simply focused on artfully and securely tying the sash to a robe that had been lying on his featherbed.
When she finally deigned to look up at him, she did so quite seriously and said, "Yes, I suppose you're right. After all, you wouldn't want anyone to think you plunged your arms into my filthy bath water thinking I'd drowned or anything. It might detract from your omnipotent and imposing reputation." After this last statement she abruptly broke into giggles and walked towards him. "Unless I'm mistaken, of course. Please, I'd like for you to correct me if I'm wrong."
"Wrong about what?" He laughed and had the most ridiculous desire to take her in his rather soggy arms and kiss her.
"Oh, only wrong about the fact you were concerned and thought I'd died."
"You couldn't have been more correct, my sweet. I must apologize for your lack of assistance, however. A few moments ago the two servants that I requested to assist you appeared in all the pomp and circumstance they would affect for the coronation of a new shah. I decided that they kept you waiting entirely too long, and I hope that my assistance was acceptable, especially since you had to go without an experienced hairdresser."
"You suppose, do you? Well, I didn't require a hairdresser to un-dress my hair, but you did the best you could, and I thank you for that. Although you could have been a bit more helpful when it came to undressing me…"
Nonplussed by her brusque rebuttal, and even more surprised by her comments on assisting her disrobe. Was she being serious? The bemused smile on her face indicated that she was merely toying with him. Of course she didn't want him to undress her, or even touch her for that matter. There she was, standing in his silks that hung off her tiny frame like a drape. She looked so young with her hair let down and those ridiculous paints off of her skin. No girl with her looks would ever want his hands on her. Those hands that had murdered innumerable men would never be desired in intimate places on a fiery girl such as Aria. Or any girl for that matter.
Angered once more by her subtle rejection, he coldly turned and made to leave the room. "I'll leave you then, now that I know you're well, despite my lack of assistance." With a rancid taste on that last word, he swept out into the hallway and slammed the door.
Veritably seconds after, he heard the door reopen and the soft sound of silk falling to the floor.
"Well if you're so reluctant to help me, I suppose I'll have to undress myself from now on."