Gender swap
"WHYYYYY."
"I'll admit Sinbad. This is the first time I've really heard you upset to go to a party."
Queen Sinbad rolled over as she let out the longest sigh that could be heard throughout the entire kingdom. Even through all the bustle and hustle of visitors and preparing for the party a few straggling children and curious guests could hear the loud moan of their leader from her castle. Most of them chose to ignore it.
Unfortunately, Jafar didn't have the luxury of that choice. Sharkkon wasn't being any help, hiding her laughter behind her hand. With a whisk of her head Jafar glared at Sharkkon who instantly snapped her mouth shut. The giggles were still there. She was seriously considering getting Masrur to drag Sharkkon off of the balcony by force.
"Gah!" Sinbad plopped into her throne, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Why do I have to host a party for potential 'suitors?' I don't want to get married! This is ridiculous!" Jafar shook her head, her short hair tickling her cheeks as she did.
"Sinbad, our allied countries aren't all open to the idea of a queen being in charge of the seven seas alliance. This was the only way that we were able to appease them. At least this makes them think you are open to the idea." Sinbad slammed her hands down on the arms of the throne in anger.
"So they think me marrying one of their princes will make me a better ruler? No, they just hope that if I happen to marry their prince, they may get more power over the others. It's not right!" She jumped to her feet and began pacing in front of her friends, trying to sort through her thoughts. "I worked hard to develop Sindria as well as the seven seas alliance, and they think they can get into my country so easily when others have worked to gain my trust? It's appalling! There is no way I'm going to pick one of them! I have no desire to get married!" a tiny smile slipped on her face when she thought about that. Masrur mumbled something about 'man-killer of the seven seas' under his breath.
Jafar hurried to reassure her that wouldn't happen. "It's not required for you to actually choose one, though I'm sure some countries would prefer it. All we agreed to was a party where they could send their suitors and princes here for you to meet them. All you need to do is be polite and pretend to be considering." Placing her hand on Sinbad's shoulder, she whispered as to get her attention. "You can use the opportunity to get some of the future leaders on your side. I don't think charming a few princes would be any problem for you, right Sin?" The secret smile on her face grew easily with the complement.
Flicking her hair back she agreed, "I guess you're right. Fine, I'll do it." Turning, Sin lead the four of them from the balcony and back into the palace. "But there had better be some really good wine!"
"Of course," Jafar agreed, before silently telling the servants to cut down on the amount of alcohol at the party.
"Kougyoku, just because this is your first official party, doesn't mean you need to freak out." Kougyoku wasn't convinced as they walked behind the other princes on the way to the palace, the two of them having been forced to the back.
"Yes it does!" Kougyoku exclaimed, tugging on his tunic nervously. "I've gone to battles, gone to a dungeon, gone to some of those really boring meetings where nearly all of my older brothers end up falling asleep in the end, but I've never done this!"
Hakuei shook his head, his short dark hair mirroring the darkness of the sky without the stars. "This won't be anywhere near as bad as that." His words didn't comfort his younger brother very much.
Nervously he ran his fingers through the hair that Miss Kouban had worked so hard to comb. She would have had a fit if she saw what Kougyoku was doing to it. "But this is a party! There's going to be officials from every country in the seven seas alliance! What if I make a fool of myself? This is my first time going to a social convention with so many people like this! In board meetings, it's easier because I'm not expected to say something. In board meetings you're told what to do! You can't teach someone how to act in a party! Oh man, why did my eldest sister- sorry, emperor, have to make an alliance with this new country?" Hakuei smiled and shook his head. He didn't know how to calm his younger brother down. Kouen, who unfortunately was dealing with some negotiations with Koumei in the north, hadn't been able to come. Usually she was the best at keeping their brother calm.
Kouha, on the other hand, wasn't very helpful at all. She laughed and squeezed in-between the two of them to get a word in. "Because apparently the queen of Sindria's a looker, and our brother will do anything for a few pretty words and a charming smile." Hakuei frowned at his sister as she laughed at their brother's expense. Two of their elder brothers ahead of them glared at her, but didn't say anything.
"Kouha, be careful when you talk about our new emperor like that. I'm sure that he had a better reason than that," he tried to encourage them, but wasn't to convinced himself. Either way, their siblings were just starting to get used to being the heads of kou. He knew they would get better with practice if they tried hard enough…Hopefully. Glancing up and down at Kouha, Hakuei frowned. "You shouldn't have warn that dress. You're going to get cold." Kouha placed her hand on her heart and feigned a heart attack.
"I'm hurt! This is the latest fashion nowadays brother, you should pay attention. Besides, Sindria is warmer than Kou." Kouha had decided to wear a small white dress, barely reaching her knees. There was a triangle pattern around her waist, three straps around her neck and shoulders holding it up, a sparking red cape behind her and long white boots. Showing off, she did a little twirl which made her curled hair spin around with her. "It's a party, and unlike you, I'm going to dress like it." Hakuei had decided to go with the more official clothing, wearing a pair of dark blue pants, black boots, a white shirt with a blue vest overtop with the emblem of a dragon on it. He'd hardly even combed his hair that morning. He was not used to being on a boat, and it was too difficult trying to be tidy while he could hardly hold his own stomach.
Hakuryuu rolled her eyes at her. "You could have at least worn something that resembled Kou attire. Where did you get that anyway?"
"It was imported," Kouha told her cheerfully. Hakuryuu shrugged. Hakuei's little sister never put that much care in her outfits and clothing. She had her hair tied up in two buns, a traditional Kou dress, blue with white on the edges and around her waist.
"Hey!" The four of them jumped and turned to face Kousorin, the second eldest prince of Kou. "Hurry up, will you? We don't want to be late to the party! You four are lucky you're coming at all. Don't embarrass the rest of us." Hakuryuu opened her mouth to argue, but Hakuei hurried to silence them.
Kougyoku sighed. "Maybe they're right. Why did we all have to come anyway? I'm only the eight prince of Kou, you don't count as an official prince anymore, and the only ones who our country would agree to allow the queen of Sindria marry would be the third at the least. What is the point to all of us being here?"
"Because Hakuei's going to have to make sure they don't embarrass us," Hakuryuu grumbled, but Hakuei jabbed her with his elbow.
"It could have been worse," Hakuei suggested, placing a comforting hand on Kougyoku's shoulder. "Judal could have decided to come."
All of them shivered at the thought.
Hakuei had never been one for parties, but despite his negative feelings towards them, he had to admit.
Nobody threw a party like Sindria.
Perhaps it was the food. An intoxicating aroma had already captured a number of guests to the dining table. Or the decorations? Lavish colours draped the walls and the intricate designs in the furniture showed passion with every cut. Maybe it was the entertainment. Musicians from a land Hakuei had never heard of played a tune that seemed to hypnotize the dancers to bend at their will as the play on the other side of the main hall was able to capture just as much attention with its loud acting and entrapment of the audience. It could have been the company. Hundreds of world leaders from all corners of the known world had gathered, each with unique ways to walk, talk, eat and act. Hakuei really couldn't decide. It all seemed amazing to him, having been used to kou's official 'parties' where everyone strictly talked diplomacy, and anything that even resembled a real party was to be done outside. Hakuei didn't know where to start. He wanted to explore all of it, to meet everyone, to enjoy himself in a country he'd never been to before.
Unfortunately, it was not to be.
True to Hakuryuu's word, Hakuei spent most of the night making sure her siblings didn't get in trouble.
"Kouta! Leave her alone, she doesn't want to drink with you!" Hakuei had to forcibly yank his brother away from the shy redhead who scurried away as soon as she got the chance. Kouta tried to follow after her, but Hakuei held him back. "Prince Kouta, you can't go around doing whatever you want! We are guests here!"
Kouta turned and glared at him step-brother angrily. "Who are you to boss me around? You aren't in a higher position and us anymore. I should be telling you what to do, not the other way around." He slapped Hakuei's hand away from him, a cocky smirk on his face. From the ugly aroma that came when he spoke, Hakuei could tell he had too much wine.
He decided not to argue that last part. "Yes, our positions of power have changed. Yours is now one where people look to you as a representation of our country. You can't get away with whatever you want like you could when no one was paying attention. You have to act like a prince," He tried to continue, but Kouta waved him off.
"You know what? Forget about it. This is the biggest party I've been to ever, and I'm not going to let a buzzkill like you ruin it." Before Hakuei could object, Kouta stomped forward, forcing Hakuei out of the way as he walked over to the dancers. Hakuei considered going after him, but decided it was a lost cause. Instead he just let out a long sigh. It's my biggest party to.
"They're getting arrogant, aren't they?" With a start, Hakuei spun around to face his little sister, Kouha holding a glass to her lips as she watched the exchange with indifference.
His frown increased. "You weren't any help." Kouha shrugged.
"I added moral support." Helpful. Hakuei sighed and leaned against the wall for support, covering his face with one hand in exasperation. Kouha took the spot next to him, hiding the real concern growing on her face. "Now that's just embarrassing. This is a party, you know? Or did no one tell you."
Hakuei let out a humorless laugh. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were making fun of me." Shaking his head, Hakuei stared out at the partygoers in front of them. "Why does our country have to be against women becoming leaders? I would have preferred if Kouen would have become the new face of Kou. She knows and cares about the duties of being in the royal family. Some of our brothers don't know. The ones who do…" he waved his hand out effortlessly. "Just don't care." Kouha bit her lip, wondering what to say to cheer him up. Charming words were something Kouha could do, but she doubted that was something Hakuei wanted to hear.
Instead she tried to make him laugh. "Even if Kouen wasn't the leader, she wouldn't have been brought to this party. Imagine the queens face if our sister Kouen came as the suitor." Kouha snorted, already imagining the look on her sister's face if she even suggested that.
Though Kouha got a hoot out of it, Hakuei didn't even smile. "At least Kouen would have been able to keep our brothers at bay. They respect her. But no matter what I say, they never listen to me." Again, Hakuei shook her head, wondering if there had been any point to her coming entirely. Kouha hesitated, then put a comforting hand on her cousin's shoulder.
"Come on Hakuei. You should enjoy the party!"
That made Hakuei snort at least. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty busy here." Kouha's confidence spiked, parties being her natural element.
Grabbing his arm Kouha started to drag him to the dance floor. "No way. Not while I'm around is my cousin going to be working while at a party." Hakuei tried to pull away, but soon enough gave in and allowed himself to be torn from his spot on the wall into the crowd of dancing visitors. Most were around his age, a majority of them males. Probably princes from other countries.
Not being the son of the current leader of his kingdom, Hakuei wasn't sure if he was even eligible to be one of the suitors. His country wouldn't allow it. After the fire that had killed his dear elder sisters years ago, the head generals and officials decided to let his aunt and her husband rule until one of their sons matured enough to become the emperor. Hakuei's father wasn't originally from Kou, and they were hesitant to put him on the throne and break the royal line. Even his uncle was a stretch, wish was why he was only put on temporarily until one of his sons, princes with the royal bloodline, could be approved of taking the throne. Hakuei had been too young at the time to take it, and despite his sisters example, most royals were still hesitant to allow a women control the country. Hakuei that that was crazy. His sisters would have made excellent leaders, and deep down he wished Kouen had been able to take the throne. He trusted her and Koumei to at least take the job seriously.
Marrying the queen of Sindria would have been a top priority. They would want the first prince to marry the queen, or the second. The third was a stretch. If that didn't work, he wondered if they would even mention Hakuei and simple hope she would approve of the next prince. He didn't mind. Being a general took up to much of his time to think about things like that. Hakuei suspected the only reason that he had been sent there was to keep his brothers in order, set a good example.
That would be wise if his brothers even paid him the slightest attention.
"What's wrong with you Hakuei?" Kouha snapped him out of his internal dialogue. Already she had started dancing, and if he knew anything about dancing, he'd see she was good at it. Reaching out she grabbed his hands, forcing him to at least not look like a statue. "Let's dance! Relax a bit!" she used Hakuei's hands to make him spin her around as she laughed. "It's fun!"
Guilty for making Kouha worry, he offered her a sweet smile. His cousin may have been thought of as crazy and extravagant, but her heart was in the right place. "Dancing isn't really my way of having fun Kouha. But thank you for," Before he could finish, a pair of hands shot out, covering his face and blinding his temporarily.
"Guess who," The attacker requested before Hakuei could move to defend himself. Luckily they had. If Hakuei hadn't recognized the voice, he would have squeezed their wrists so tight they would have become deformed.
Hakuei would never even think about hurting a friend.
"Thomas!" He gasped with delight. The attacker laughed as she pulled her hands away, allowing Hakuei to spin around to face her. She was beaming at the sight of him, her golden hair in luscious curls that matched the golden embroiders on her green dress. Bright green eyes stared at him with joy and pleasure at finally finding him. (This is the gender-bent of a character I made up in a different story. I didn't want to use a real character because I didn't want to insult any other ships or characters unnecessarily. You don't have to read the other story to get background, you'll figure it out pretty quickly.)
Instantly he scooped her up in a hug, one she was happy to return. Hakuei couldn't believe it "Thomas, I can't believe you're here! What are you doing here?" Thomas laughed as he released her, trading the hug for a hold on his hands. They stood at arm length, with smiles on each of their faces. Kouha wanted to gag at the sight of it. Silently as they spoke, she slipped away into the crowd, deciding to go find some cute princes who knew how to party.
"My brother was invited here as a suitor. Secretly I suspect this is all a hoax for the queen of Sindria to get to know representatives from all her countries," Thomas revealed, not bothering to whisper. "But that's not important. I'm so glad you're here! It's been so long!" That thought was so absurd, he couldn't help from laughing.
"What are you talking about Thomas? We saw each other a month ago, at the meeting in Balbaad. Don't you remember?" if Hakuei had been paying more attention instead of focusing on his own happiness, he would have seen his friend visibly deflate.
But she perked up instantly. "That still is quite some time to not see such a good friend. So are you…here as a suitor?" Hakuei shrugged. Just as unsure as she was.
"I'm not positive. Possibly? I think my main job here is to keep my cousins in order. Dancing isn't my favourite thing to do," He admitted, gesturing to the dancefloor like it was his very own personal lava designed to kill him slowly. Thomas laughed, taking a lock of her hair and twirling it to the side.
"Yes, how could I forget? Any chance you'll promise to save me a dance this time?"
The idea wasn't on Hakuei's top list of enjoyable events, but he relented. "Sure! I'd like the chance to catch up!" Thomas beamed wider than before. If that was even possible. "Out of curiosity, how did you find me? This is quite a big place."
"I asked your cousin. Kougyoku. He's over by the bar." Hakuei felt all the blood drain from his face.
BY THE BAR? "Is he still there?" Actually, no. Hakuei didn't wait for an answer. Instead, just as Thomas opened her mouth, Hakuei darted away and scrambled towards the serving area. Anyone who had ever been to a party with Kougyoku knew to never let him stay by the bar for a long time.
Sure enough, Hakuei found him sitting with some princes at a table. Drunk. "Kougyoku!" The prince jumped up, not as quickly as he normally would. The other princes around him didn't even react, too busy with their conversations or drinks to even notice Hakuei's appearance.
Kougyoku smiled when Hakuei came over, sparkles in his eyes and his cheeks slightly pink. "Dear cousin, how are you? Are you enjoying the…" He paused. "Where are we again?" He resisted the urge to groan. Kougyoku was the one who tried to be well behaved at parties. If he was having problems, they were all doomed.
"How much did you drink?" He asked, snatching the drink away from Kougyoku. At first he tried to take the drink back, but quickly lost interest. His cheeks turned a brighter shade of red when he took a moment to think about it.
"I-I don't think I drank too much," Kougyoku tried to defend himself. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get drunk, I'm trying to be respectful. I only had three drinks, I didn't think it would be that strong. I-I can still walk!" To prove it, he struggled to his feet, but as he did he stumbled and Hakuei had to grab his arms to hold him up. "I-I'm sorry," He slurred, the redness in his face proving it was genuine. Or it was the alcohol.
"No Kougyoku, it's fine," Hakuei told him, closer to laughter than anger. "I know you aren't a heavy drinker. I should have warned you." Sindria was known to have alcohol from all over the known world. He should have guessed they would take out the strong stuff for a party. Kougyoku tried to stand on his own, but his vision was clouded. Hakuei steadied him as he led him to a table away from the bar. Forcing him to sit down, he quietly asked one of the servants nearby to make sure he didn't have anything else to drink. "Stay here, okay? Just wait till you're sure you can move around normally."
Sheepishly, he hurried to agree. "O-okay. I'm really sorry Hakuei."
"It's alright," Hakuei hurried to assure him. "You haven't done anything bad yet. As long as you," A loud crash and the sound of glass shattering cut him off. Hakuei didn't have to look back to know it was one of her brothers.
"Oh great," Hakuei groaned. "What now?"
"Sinbad?" With false innocence, the queen looked up.
"What?" Along with her, all the princes around her looked up as well. There were 7, or 8 if you counted the musician who came to pay her a visit. They all crowed around her like she was the sun and they were just humble planets begging for her warmth. Sinbad didn't seem to find any problem with it. She tilted her head at Jafar as casually as she would any other day. "Do you need something?"
Jafar was less than amused. "Your majesty, may I speak to you for a moment?" Sinbad nodded without delay.
"Of course." Placing her drink in the hands of a brunette male. "Hold onto this for me, would you Sarah?" She winked at him, and he was too flustered to tell her his name wasn't Sarah. With a flirtatious wave she strolled over to Jafar. As she reached her, she slipped herself an apple from a nearby table. "How can I help you my friend?" She asked, taking a large bite out of the apple.
Jafar's glare would have made an eagle jealous. "Sin, you realize this is a party to be considering suitors or at least getting to know future leaders of our allied countries. Can you at least pretend to be considering some of them?" Sinbad blinked ever so innocently.
"I am!" She pointed to the men who she had been talking to, all of them waiting impatiently for her return. "I was talking to them!"
Her friend knew her to better for that. "Oh yeah?" She raised an eyebrow. "How many of them are princes?"
The queen hesitated. "…7."
"What are their names?"
"Agatha, Bethany, Emma, and Cordellia…Brittany…Gillian…and Prince Amanda." Jafar nodded.
"Alright. How many of those names did you not make up?" Sinbad tried to defend herself, but Jafar cut her off. "You just called that one Sarah as you left." Sin paused. Then offered a sheepish smile, making Jafar sigh in exasperation. "My queen, I know this is a party, but please remember that this is a chance to get to know the countries that we are working with. You can't just go and do whatever you want all the time!"
"Sure I can," Sinbad argued. "It's my party. Don't worry Jafar," Sinbad ordered when she tried to argue. "I've got this under control. I've only had a few glasses of wine, and I swear I didn't do anything to them!" Yet, Jafar added on in her head. "I know what I'm doing. Most of them are too mesmerized to realize I'm gathering information from them. What's wrong with having a little bit of fun while I'm at it?" She jumped up to sit on the edge of a set of stairs, her white and purple dress sliding up to reveal her sandals. "Besides," She added, glancing back to see the dancefloor underneath her. "There's nothing really important going on right now."
Just as she had finished, there was a crash underneath her. So much for that, she thought.
Both of them spun around to see a pile of broken glasses, the wine that was in them spilling on the marble floor. A servant was standing there, frozen in surprise at his blunder. Matching the luck of a black cat the backlash of the wine splattering on the ground just happened to collide with Koulerie, the 5th prince of Kou. He stared down at his pants that had a giant splotch of red wine on one leg. And he didn't look very happy. "What is your problem?" he exclaimed, calling a crowd to the scene. "These are my royal cloaks!"
The servant bowed low to the ground, not caring about the amount of alcohol seeping on his clothes. "I-I'm very sorry sir. Please forgive me." Being forgiving was the last thing on Koulerie's mind.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get these cleaned?" He exclaimed, stomping over to the servant in a rage. "How could you be so clumsy?" Sinbad didn't appreciate how the prince grabbed the servant, forcing him to his feet.
Her hand slowly moved to Focalor's metal vessel on her arm. "He had better not be threatening a servant in my kingdom." Jafar said nothing, glaring down at the scene below in disgust. If she didn't know Sinbad could handle it, she would have gone down there herself.
Sinbad didn't even get the chance. "Koulerie!" Sinbad's attention shot to another prince, grabbing Kouleries arm and yanking him back. The servant stumbled a bit, but was otherwise alright.
Koulerie's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief at the other boys actions. "Hakuei, don't get involved! This is my fight!" He pushed Hakuei back, nearly making him fall on the glass. Instinctively Jafar started forward. A hand shot out, stopping her in her tracks. Wide black eyes shot to stare at Sinbad in shock, but Sinbad's golden eyes showed no doubt. She didn't understand her queen's wishes, but Sinbad simply turned away from her, watching the scene unfold with curiosity. Jafar wanted her to get more information on the people visiting her country? There was no better way to learn than when they didn't know they were being judged.
Hakuei struggled, but was able to regain his footing quickly. He held his ground, keeping his position in between Koulerie and the man behind him. "Koulerie, calm down. It's just some wine, you have a change of clothes back on your ship. Don't go fighting useless battles." But Kouleries temper wouldn't let him walk away that easily.
"Since when were you the boss of me? Back off, you aren't higher than me anymore!" Sinbad raised his eyebrow, wondering what that meant. Koulerie stepped closer, trying to look intimidating against Hakuei's stature, who stood a few inches shorter.
All he succeeded in was looking like a fool. "Koulerie, it's a party. Just let it go and move on. You want to have a good time, he just wants to do his job. You're making a scene, and I really doubt that's going to set a good impression for whoever you're going to try and impress tonight." His face scrunched up. He wanted to get angry. He wanted to get mad, start a fight. But Hakuei's tone was soothing, and despite his best efforts, it was hard to not see it from his point of view. Leaning forward, Hakuei lowered his voice so the rest of their viewers couldn't hear.
"Just walk away Koulerie now."
For a moment none of them moved. The other guests watched in fascination, wondering what would happen next. Koulerie didn't want to leave. His pride had been damaged, he wasn't about to just walk away. Sinbad's eyes were trained on both of them, mentally preparing in case he had to step in. Nearby the other princes of Kou watched, hoping Koulerie would start a fight, add to the entertainment. Hakuryuu tried to push herself to the front, trying to rush to her brother's aid. The silence seemed endless.
Finally, Koulerie took a quick step back. Then another. Hakuei let out a sigh of relief, assuming that Koulerie was done.
He wasn't.
Just as Hakuei was about to turn around, Koulerie grabbed a spare glass of wine and splattered the liquid all over Hakuei. Some of the guests gasped as Hakuei stumbled back, trying to wipe the liquid out of his eyes. "There," Koulerie smirked while trying to hold back laughter. "Now we are done."
Hakuei glared at him, but said nothing. Around them, some of the princes, princesses and other guests from various reactions. Most of them looked surprised by the whole endeavor. A few of them smirked, some laughed at the whole show. Most of Hakuei's brothers were among them. Koulerie, with a sense of false pride, spun on his heels and swaggered off into the crowd, picking up the two dancers he'd been talking to earlier. Slowly, the crowd started to part, people returning to their own devices. Leaving Hakuei with wine all over him. Sinbad kept her eyes on him. Unlike the others, she knew the show wasn't over yet.
Wiping the majority away from his face, he calmly turned to the servant. He was still on his knees, trying to pick up the large pieces of glass that had fallen. To the man's surprise, Hakuei got down on his knees in front of him. "I'm sorry about my cousin sir," he apologized. "Are you alright?" At first the man was too stunned to answer, but quickly he nodded.
"Y-Yes sir. I am alright sir, thank you for asking." Hakuei frowned, unconvinced.
"Are you sure? Here, let me help." He went on to help him clean up the mess, despite the servant insisting he could handle it. The conversation started to disappear into the crowd, losing all focus and leaving Sinbad oblivious to what they said. But she still watched. A smile tugged at her lips.
"Who's that one?" Jafar raised her eyebrow at Sinbad, but she wasn't even paying any attention. Her eyes were on Hakuei, with glass in his hands and drops of wine on his pants. A smile on his face as he made the servant chuckle nervously. She liked his sea-blue eyes.
Her friend seemed to understand. Waving her hand she gestured toward Yamu, who nearly tripped over his long robe when he tried to escape his friends. He gave Jafar a set of papers before slipping back to fighting with Sharkkon. "Let's see…Hakuei, was it?" Jafar flipped the papers around. "The only Hakuei here is…one from Kou…The other one was Koulerie, 5th prince of kou…Oh." Raising an eyebrow he glanced over at the prince as he helped the servant finish cleaning up. "It says here…He's not an option as one of the suitors." That was enough to get her attention.
As she turned, her hair tied up flicked around. "What? Why not?" Jafar continued to look through the papers, but she found the details unhelpful.
"Remember that the previous empress of Kou died a while ago? That is her only son, the only one not related to the current emperor's wife. They gave that as an explanation to him not being eligible. I'm sorry Sinbad, but it doesn't look like he's here to look for a relationship." Even as Jafar said it, she regretted it. The smile on Sinbad's lips only got wider.
"I'll be the judge of that."
Cliff-hanger! This is a two-part story, or possibly more. Haven't decided yet. Anyway, hope you read the next half!