Gender Bent Part 2.
So it is Valentine's Day and I thought I should post something for it. Life has…actually, lately I've had things happening in my personal life that have actually frightened me so I thought a simple feel-good story would be fun. So back by popular demand, here's gender bent part 2.
"Great," Hakuei bit his lip when he saw his reflection in the window. "Next time I go to a party, I'll bring an extra shirt."
Thanks to Kouleries drunken anger, Hakuei's white shirt had a huge pink blotch going from one shoulder to the middle. Hakuei himself wasn't that much better, with wine dripping from his hair and a few splashes still on his face. He'd gotten most of it out of his eyes, but some traces still lingered. "So much for looking professional."
Kouha whisked off a flask of dirt on his shoulder. "It doesn't look that bad. Get another glass and I can make it look like a pattern. Some kind of…we'll say it's a foreign animal that no one here has heard of." Hakuei smirked at that. They were in the kingdom of a queen who was famous for literally traveling all of the seven seas.
Pushing his cousin away, he did his best to straighten his shirt. "It's fine. I'll manage. I'll just have to wear the jacket I brought." As he put it on, he decided not to mention that he was boiling inside of it. "I'm not one of the princes that can be chosen by the queen anyway, so my looks don't matter. As long as I can…somehow manage to make my brothers look better, it will be alright. Besides, I'll probably just get messier as the night goes on." After a pause, he turned back to Kouha. "How long do parties like this last, anyway?"
"Sindrian parties are known to last till the sun comes out." Hakuei saw his life flash before his eyes.
"Joy," He murmured as he accepted his defeat. "Where's Hakuryuu? I should go see how she is doing." Kouha shrugged carelessly.
"I don't know. She didn't want to come to the party, remember? Such a buzzkill." Hakuei wasn't about to say that, but he decided it was best not to argue with her.
Instead he went searching for his little sister. When he found her, she didn't seem to think the party was as 'rad' as Kouha did. She was leaning against a wall with a drink in her hand, pretending to be fascinated with some of the dancers. Hakuei suspected that the specific word for her attitude was called 'brooding.' Hakuryuu glanced up at him as he took a place next to her. "Finally gotten a break then?"
Hakuei raised his eyebrows. "A break?"
She tipped her glass to the dance floor. "From trying to make our cousins not look like the bumbling idiots we all know they are." Hakuei gnawed on his lip so he wouldn't reprimand his sister too harshly. She ignored his reaction, glowering at the dance floor where one brother was trying to flirt with two dancers and another was doing a terrible time of holding his alcohol. Hakuei cringed at the sight.
"Give them a chance," Hakuei urged her with a gentle smile. "I know they may not be…very princely. But they aren't used to this life yet. Kouen, Kouha, Kougyoku and Koumei have done a good job with their new positions. The other 6 princes will just take more time."
Hakuryuu scoffed. She couldn't decide if her brother was oblivious or purposefully ignoring the facts. "They've been given time. Years in fact, yet they still act like children who think they are free to do whatever they want and are entitled to whatever they want. Are they really the kind of people we can trust to lead our country?" On instinct he opened his mouth to object. He worried for his life when he nothing reasonable came out. It was considered treason to disgrace the king so openly, and he doubted his brothers would see it as anything but.
"You should be in charge of our country. Not them."
Hakuei's eyes widened. He wished he hadn't heard her right. Or that she would laugh and say, 'got you didn't I?' But Hakuryuu stood perfectly poised, not a shred of doubt touching her face. He eyes boiled with a newfound hatred, tempted to allow the brothers to disgrace themselves and face the consequences on their own. "Sister...Don't talk about them like that," he pleaded, but Hakuryuu would have none of it. "They are our family still."
Hakuryuu shook her head. "The only family I've ever had other than you died in that fire."
"Haku-"
He didn't get the chance to finish when a shout crossed the room. Both siblings looked up and spotted a girl with long white hair arguing with a man that had short red hair. Hakuei groaned. Why now? "Hakuryuu, I'll be-"
"Go ahead," She interrupted. Hakuryuu refused to meet her brother's gaze. "Just continue to prove me right."
"Hakuryuu, that's not," But another shout interrupted him. He cursed before he sped off into the fray, leaving Hakuryuu with a false sense of victory.
Hakuei barely got there in time before Kourena's fist connected with the face of another prince. With a slight hiss he grabbed his wrist before hid could connect and yanked him backwards. Kourena was thrown off balance and scrambled to stand. "Hey!" Hakuei knew from the fire in his eyes he would have to answer for that later.
Instead he took his momentary confusion to turn and give a quick bow to the women and prince in front of him. "I apologize for my brother's attitude. Whatever the disagreement he shouldn't have tried to attack you. I take full responsibility for his actions." For a moment the two opposing forces were conflicted between anger and confusion. After the initial emotions passed the shorter one responded.
"Its fine," the women with white hair and up close, more freckles than Hakuei had originally thought. "It was…just a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding!" the man with light blue hair spun on his heal to face Kourena. He pointed what looked like a magician's staff at him accusingly. "That jerk just insulted Jafar's position! He should be kicked out!" Hakuei resisted the urge to groan. That had to be the third time one of his siblings had been threatened to be thrown out. Hakuei was almost tempted to let them.
The women turned to scowl at the man behind her. "Yamu, its fine. You heard him, he'll deal with it."
"But he,"
Jafar held up a hand, instantly silencing Yamu. Hakuei bowed with gratitude once again before grabbing his brother by the wrist and pulling him away. Might as well get him as far away from those two. The man looked like he wasn't above cold blooded murder.
When they were a safe distance away, Hakuei let go. Only to have to duck to avoid his brothers swinging fist. "You brat! What exactly do you think you were doing?" Hakuei cursed under his breath with frustration. Stopping his brothers from fighting was one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of said argument was another.
"Control yourself!" Hakuei managed to dodge the second punch. In his own anger he grabbed a fistful of his brother's cloak and yanked him up to face him. "We are guests here! You can't just go insulting others for your own enjoyment!" Kourena gnashed his teeth together. Oh boy, here we go.
"You're the fool! I was trying to look tough in front of that women! Don't you know anything about keeping up appearances?" HE didn't know anything about keeping up appearances? Because impressing a girl by picking a fight with a girl and boy made SO much sense. Hakuei resisted the urge to throw his hands up in exasperation.
"Keeping up appearances and causing a scene are two different things!" Hakuei argued back, struggling not to yell. After what felt like hours of running from prince to prince he was absolutely exhausted. His patience was beginning to wear thin.
Kourena either didn't notice or did notice and didn't care. "Look, you can go ahead and only care about your little army and some small tribes, but I plan on dating whoever the heck I want." Hakuei's scowl struggled not to grow into a growl. Something had to change. He knew he wouldn't survive the night if he didn't get something through to his brothers.
"Is all this fighting really necessary!"
"WHAT?" Hakuei exclaimed, spinning his head over his shoulder to spot out the intruder. A women with dark purple hair wearing a gold and white dress with various necklaces and bracelets stared at him with wide eyes. Hakuei immediately regretted yelling when he saw it wasn't at his brother. "U-um…I apologize ma'am. I didn't mean to yell. If you don't mind, I'm trying to talk to my…" He trailed off when he looked back and caught the wide eyed stare his brother was giving the women.
"Y-you…" his brothers eyes were wide, staring at the women in awe. Vaguely Hakuei remembered he had said he had been trying to impress a women. Apparently it had worked. Go figure.
"I'm sorry ma'am," Hakuei apologized again, not looking back at her as he glared at his brother who was ignoring him. "You can speak to my brother in a moment, but I need to talk to him for a moment." Kourena's eyes flashed back to him with distain. Hakuei's eyes glared back at him with just as much fire.
"Oh, I don't want to talk to him," the women replied, pointedly ignoring the death stare going on between the two. "I came over to talk to you."
Hakuei blinked at that. Kourena's eyes widened in shock and obvious disbelief! "What? But he's not here for the party?" Under his breath he mumbled something about her playing hard to get. Hakuei decided not to say anything out loud, but he doubted that.
Turning he took the chance to examine the women closer. She had dark purple hair below her waist that was tied into a high pony-tail. The white dress framed with gold consisted of only a skirt and a short top that revealed her arms and mid-riff, with a gold transparent cloth around the centre. There was a purple cloth wrapped around her waist that went down the front and purple open sleeves on her shoulders. There was a small crown on her head along with various golden bracelets and other pieces of jewelry. Her skirt was loose yet form-fitting, just above the ankles so she could move easily. The most interesting piece was her eyes. Her eyes were beguiling, a shimmering gold to make any pirate greedy. Absolutely mesmerizing.
Yet an easy tool for a trap.
"I'm sorry," Hakuei apologized, clearly confused. "Who are you?"
Both the women and Kourena blanched in shock. "What?" Kourena yelled in Hakuei's ear, making him wince. "How can you say that? Don't you know who she is? She," He was cut off by, surprisingly, a wave of the women's hand. Oh, listen to a stranger sure, but him? Never. The women was watching Hakuei with a curious expression on her face as if studying her next prey.
"…You don't know who I am?"
Hakuei shook his head. "No. Should I?" Kourena tried to argue but one glare from the women shut him up.
"…This is your first time in Sindria isn't it?"
Hakuei nodded once again. "Yes ma'am." Hakuei couldn't figure out how to deal with the situation. Was she a member of the Sindrian court? One of the generals?
The women visibly winced at being called ma'am. "I see…Well, if I can borrow you for a few moments, I would like to speak to you." Her smile was wide and charming, easily gaining the attention of anyone around. Behind him, Kourena's mouth dropped open with shock while Hakuei tried to understand what was happening. She wanted to talk to him? Who was she? When she noticed Hakuei's hesitation, she hurried to add, "Oh, don't worry about your brother." With one wave of her hand a pair of Sindria soldiers stomped over to the group. "These two will handle him." Definitely Sindrian, Hakuei decided. He remained dumbfounded as the two soldiers took away his equally befuddled brother. Part of him thought he ought to stop them, the other half couldn't even figure out what had just happened.
He didn't even realize it when the women slipped next to him with a smile on her face. "There. Now there's no problem right?" Hakuei turned to her and she bit her lip to hold back the laughter at his confusion. "Come on. There's a table by the bar. I'll ask them to bring us something to eat." Hakuei couldn't object when the women took him by the arm and started tugging him away.
"I…" Hakuei hesitated, clueless to what was even happening. "I need to be ready to manage my brothers…"
"Oh, don't worry about them." With one hand she waved to her guards who stood at attention. "I'll make sure the soldiers keep an eye on them if they get out of hand. Then there shouldn't be any problems, right?" Hakuei blinked, once again caught off guard. How much power did this women hold? When he realized she was waiting for his answer he nodded making her beam. "Perfect! Then let's go!" He allowed the women to lead him over to a table, barely managing to keep up in his confusion. IN the corner of his eye he spotted Kouha and Kougyoku staring at him with open-mouthed surprise. Even Hakuryuu who had managed to force herself to talk a seat next to them was staring at him in shock. Hakuei wondered just how much trouble he was in.
What was worse? He began to notice they weren't the only ones staring. As they walked through, many guests would stop their discussions to turn and watch them pass. A few of them stared at him, the majority stared at the women. A few of his brothers even turned to watch them pass. Whispers started as they went, but the only one that Hakuei caught was, 'she went out searching for him? She hasn't done that at all this evening!' Silently Hakuei begged that he wasn't making a big mistake by following the women where she took him.
Over at the side, Hakuei didn't notice the women with white hair watching them cautiously. "Sinbad…" She muttered under her breath. "What are you doing?"
Sinbad had to struggle to keep the smile of her face as she picked a specific table that was distanced from the others. "Would you like something to eat?" She waved to the servants to bring them food. When she turned back she was surprised to see Hakuei had pulled her chair out for her. "Oh, a gentleman are you?" Sinbad took careful note of that. Often gentlemen were particularly easy to bend, feeling it was polite to do as the women asked.
Hakuei shrugged, some confusion still on his face. "It just seemed polite. Is that not the case here?" Sinbad debated whether she should mention that some found it sexist, but decided against it. Hakuei didn't seem to have any ill-will in the action, nor any sign to show he believed it was anything more than the kind thing to do. Perhaps the man was a bit too innocent for his tastes.
"With the right intentions there is no issue," Sinbad finally stated, allowing Hakuei to push the chair in for her when she sat down. She watched him as he went around to his seat across from her then stare at her expectantly. His eyes were a bright blue, the colour of the ocean after a harsh storm. Despite his actions showing him to be a gentleman, there was a darkness in his eyes that said he'd seen more of the world than most.
That just made him all the more intriguing.
"So tell me," Sinbad leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and resting her chin in a net of her fingers. "You are Hakuei Ren, correct? From Kou? And this is your first time in Sindria?"
"Yes ma'am," Hakuei nodded while Sinbad fought back a wince. Again with the ma'am. How old does he think I am? I doubt I'm much older than him! She was able to stomach her distain and keep a purposefully charming smile on her face.
"According to the files I've read," she explained, keeping a close eye on Hakuei to catch his reaction. "You are the only son of the previous emperor of Kou." Hakuei raised his eyebrow, no doubt wondering how she knew that. Fine, Sinbad thought with a smile. Let him wonder. Having the element of mystery gives me control.
"…Yes," Hakuei replied one again. "The previous emperor and my two eldest sisters died in a fire years ago. My younger sister and I survived, though my sister retained some scars from the ordeal." Sinbad had spotted the younger girl with scars across one side of her face when she had been passing. She thought the two of them had looked similar.
"So what are you here for," Sinbad purred with a velvety voice. "Want a chance at the throne of Sindria?" Hakuei almost laughed while shaking his head.
"No, I have no desire to leave my country. Besides, I am only the fourth prince, and my country wouldn't accept me being married before my step-brothers. They don't accept my father as the emperor since he is not originally from Kou." Sinbad hadn't been aware that when they said the previous emperor had passed away they had been talking about a female.
"The previous emperor was your mother?" She didn't bother to hide her surprise. "Kou doesn't strike me as a country famous for…it's gender equality." She was surprised when Hakuei turned bright red, actually embarrassed by the reality of his country.
"We…They didn't have any brothers that I know of, so the council couldn't argue." But would YOU have argued is what I want to know, Sinbad thought. However she kept her mouth shut, deciding to observe rather than interfere. Hakuei remained silent for a moment, mulling over the reality of their country.
To Sinbad's glee, he eventually sighed. "A part of me wishes they learned from that. My mother and elder sisters were some of the greatest leaders our country has seen. Yet once my aunt passes away it won't be general Kouen or Koumei who takes their place but…" he waved one hand towards the floor where his siblings had been. "One of my brothers."
A silence passed over them when the food was brought to their table. Sinbad took the opportunity to allow the information to sink in. According to him his…he assumed cousins, Kouen and Koumei were good leaders. And generals, which meant they had some military power. From how he judged his male cousins she doubted they would be much of a threat. Logically speaking, from what Sinbad had seen of the family during the party Hakuei would have been the most logical leader if family lines hadn't meant so much to them. The man across from her was intelligent, she doubted the thought hadn't occurred to him before. "…What of you?" She asked after the servants had left. "Couldn't you take over as king?"
Hakuei's eyes widened with shock that Sinbad found delightfully adorable. For a man who obviously was capable of taking care of himself and was aware of his responsibility she found delight at the look on his face when he was caught off-guard. "You're actually the second person who asked me that today," he mumbled, more to himself than her. Sinbad sensed an edge to his tone and wondered who had mentioned that.
Sinbad leaned forward into the table, cocking her head to the side to capture his attention. "Well? Do you have the desire to be a king?" Sinbad hoped he didn't imagine the light gulp from Hakuei. He leaned backwards, grabbing a glass of water to take a quick drink. The smile on her mouth tilted up when Hakuei took longer than necessary to collect himself.
"I-I have no desire to become king," he admitted. "My role is as general, and that is what I want. Being a king would…put me in the spotlight. I'd rather operate under the radar, getting work done where no one can see me." Sinbad frowned, unable to relate to his reasoning's. Sinbad flourished in the spotlight, it was where she could do her best work. The man in front of her proposed an opposite solution she'd never wanted to consider.
Yet the man continued to intrigue her.
"So what do you think of Sindria?" She offered with a playful tone, trying to keep the tone light and keep the boy comfortable. "No, wait…what do you think of Sinbad?"
Hakuei blinked in surprise. "Queen Sinbad? I haven't met her yet." Oh, you'd be surprised, Sinbad chuckled under her breath.
"Well you must have heard about her. What is your impression from what you know?"
The prince of Kou frowned instantly. "I try not to make judgments on people without meeting them."
Sinbad shrugged innocently. I've dealt with enough so I don't care anymore. "A wise practice. But you don't strike me as the person who would go into any conversation without being prepared." Hakuei remained silent, his mouth set in a firm line. "You said you were a general, correct? Don't tell me you don't go into a negotiation without learning about the opposing party. You'd do research into any new party who came into the discussion. Hakuei," Sinbad leaned back in her chair, a smile Hakuei recognized as one that were used in political discussions. "I wouldn't insult your intelligence. Please don't insult mine and just answer my question."
…Am I being interviewed? That seemed Hakuei's only option. Whoever the women was, she obviously was a member of the Sindrian court. Did she see him as a threat to her country? Or perhaps it was to gather information. Obviously his brothers weren't in the mood to discuss anything political, and Hakuei knew he probably showed more of an air of importance anyway. He would be the person to go to for information, and in turn, the person to test for intelligence. If he became the leading general in his country, it was smart to make sure that they knew him. Well if that's the reason, Hakuei concluded. I may as well let her know what she's up against.
When Hakuei replied Sinbad could point out the instant his attitude changed. He leaned forward into the table, his eyes that were masked with confusion before were narrowed with suspicion and a confidence of being in a familiar situation spread over him. "From what I have heard…most would say that she is a brilliant leader, powerful enough to make her own country and well respected by many."
"Most would say?" Sinbad caught with a quizzical eye.
"There is always more that hides behind the surface, isn't there?" Sinbad's smile was his encouragement. "Overall, I suppose what I noticed the most…
Was that the queen is dangerous."
Sinbad struggled to keep her face impartial while she absorbed the idea. It hadn't been the first time that she had been called dangerous, however most people called her dangerous because of her power or after they'd been tricked by her. It was the first time she had been called dangerous by a stranger. "Oh? I'm sure I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you?" Hakuei countered with a raise of his eyebrow. Sinbad remained silent so he went on. "One human with the power not seen in generations. Not only that, but the conqueror of more dungeons than anyone has even tried to conquer. One person who built their own country, who is revered by hundreds around the world. But think about it," Hakuei suggested, leaning back in his chair with his hands resting on the table. "In the books of 'Sinbad's adventures,' where does it discuss her mistakes? When does she mention anything that could be considered a character flaw? Anything that she doesn't go on to fix later that is," he added as an afterthought.
"That kind of person? One who thinks they know the best for all and has the power to prove it is dangerous. Worst of all because there are gaps in those stories. There are trips and tales that have gaps where there should be lines. Pieces of the stories are missing. But a person who thinks they are doing all right doesn't leave gaps. What could motivate a person to leave gaps when they feel their actions are justified?" Sinbad's mouth had tilted up against her will. She'd never purposefully left those clues in her book. She'd never thought anyone would be able to recognize them. And yet he had.
Did that make him a threat? No…
That made him valuable.
"…When they think that even if they did the right thing," Sinbad answered for him. "That the public couldn't handle the truth."
"Of course," Hakuei nodded. "Because what leader can really be great without making a few sacrifices?" His last statement was formed as a question but she knew there was none. Sinbad knew that the only question in his words were How did I do? Did I pass your test?
Sinbad's smile was all the affirmation he needed.
"Those are quite the observations," Sinbad purred, allowing the words to roll of her tongue. "You read my-ah, queen Sinbad's books?" Hakuei nodded easily as he took a bite out of the meat that had been brought to them.
"My younger sister Kouha likes the fight scenes," he explained. "When she was younger they helped her go to sleep at night." Sinbad decided his younger sister needed help. "Personally, I am interested in some of them if I had to be honest," Hakuei admitted, sparking Sinbad's pride after he'd effectively dishevelled it. "The books have one of the most intricately detailed documentation of various cultures, as well as the dungeons that only appeared years ago. It was a great help for me when I went to my first dungeon I'll admit."
That information had not been on Sinbad's list. "You conquered a dungeon?" She sputtered. Hakuei blinked in surprise at her reaction.
"Yes. Along with my brother Kougyoku and sisters Kouen, Koumei and Kouha. Hakuryuu has plans to capture one in the future as well," he added as an afterthought but with little enthusiasm. He wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of his sister going into what Kouha had come to nickname 'the castle of despair.' Sinbad on the other hand was taking the information with a sour note. She knew that the Kou Empire had a few dungeon capturer's but she hadn't been aware there were so many of them. Especially not the prince sitting across from her.
Sinbad was beginning to get concerned that she was getting too interested in the prince.
"Have you been to any?"
Sinbad had to shake her head to return to the conversation. "Pardon?"
"To any of the other countries," Hakuei explained, eyes alight with curiosity. "My work as general is often working to make alliances with other cultures. My, ah…" He lowered his eyes, letting his guard down for a moment. "My country specializes in building our conquered countries to be like ours, erasing the culture to make the world one. I agree with the ideology that the world should be one, however I don't think we should all be the same to do it." His eyes lit up once again, the moment of vulnerability washing away. "So what are the other countries like? What country are you from?"
"Oh," Sinbad started, a little surprised by the change in conversation. She'd brought the man over to flirt and yet somehow they were talking about different cultures. "I'm from parthevia?"
"What is it like there?"
Slowly the conversation became one long, ongoing one about different people and places. Sinbad found joy boasting about her travels and accomplishments while keeping in check that the boy not know who she was. Hakuei was fascinated with the subject, constantly asking more questions and trying to get more details. In time Hakuei was able to forget his worries about his brothers and completely engulf himself into the conversation. Sinbad forgot why she had even brought him over as she enjoyed the conversation about her past adventures.
That was, until they were interrupted.
"Hakuei!" Hakuei didn't get the chance to defend himself when he was jumped from behind. Sinbad's eyes widened as a girl with long blond hair circled down her back and gleeful eyes watched Hakuei. Even more surprised, she didn't miss the shot of venom in her eyes when she glared at Sinbad across the table. The look instantly disappeared when she turned to face Hakuei again. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!"
The prince struggled to keep his control when the women practically choked him with her hug. "I-I was here Thomas…D-do you mind?" Eventually the women released her grip, but instead slid the chair so it was edged slightly away from the table but she slipped around so her back was facing Sinbad.
"Well what are you doing over here silly? You promised me a dance remember?" Sinbad's eyes spotted that the women's hands remained on his shoulders even when he had moved her away. As if they were permanently glued onto him. The feeling of fire down her throat was unfamiliar to Sinbad.
Hakuei eventually was able to catch his breath and focus on the situation. "I did? I'm sorry, I forgot." It didn't take a genius to notice how the women deflated at his reply. "I was talking to…um, my new friend." Hakuei gestured to Sinbad with a smile that said perhaps he couldn't understand what was going on. "This is Thomas. She's an old friend of mine." It didn't escape Sinbad's notice that the women refused to acknowledge Sinbad's presence until it was absolutely necessary. Ah. So that's the case.
Thomas barely glanced back, glaring at Sinbad as if she was a bug that she'd just crushed under her shoe. "Pleasure." Without another word she turned back to Hakuei effectively cutting Sinbad out of the conversation once again. Sinbad recognized it as trying to make Sinbad appear less important compared to her conversation with Sinbad. "You have to come dancing with me! There's going to be another song starting soon!"
"But we were having a conversation," Hakuei tried to argue. Thomas would hear nothing of it as she tried to drag Hakuei out of his seat and over to the dance floor. Sinbad was vaguely familiar with his feeling of discomfort when Thomas tried to take away his guest. But where ever that feeling came from, she knew what the source was. And she knew she didn't like it.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry about that," Sinbad's words slurred, capturing the attention of the two guests. The ice in the women's glare was pathetic compared to the cocky stare Sinbad sent back. "Hakuei here already has his dance card filled. He promised me all his time for the night." She shrugged, with a smirk directed at Thomas that said she wasn't sorry at all. "I guess he really did forget about you."
The look on Thomas's face was priceless. "That-No, Hakuei would never forget me! Right Hakuei? You promised me a dance, right?" Hakuei stuttered, eyes wide with confusion as his eyes darted from Sinbad to Thomas and back. He must have really forgotten about promising her a dance, but he also knew he hadn't promised Sinbad any dances either.
Good thing that wasn't Sinbad's problem.
"Sorry princess," Sinbad cooed, snatching one of Hakuei's arms and yanking him out of her reach. "If you really are such old friends, I'm sure you'll find another time to steal a dance. For now, my favourite song is coming on." In reality, the song that had started was slow, a one on one dance that was more about intimacy than actual dancing. Of course, that had always been useful when Sinbad was trying to charm a nervous member of royalty to become her tool or give her information.
Hakuei didn't strike Sinbad as someone who had lots of experience with lovers, but she decided that was a part of his charm.
Leaving a dumbfounded, no doubt angry princess behind them, Sinbad stole Hakuei away to the middle of the dance floor. Again, as they passed people stopped their dancing to stare at them. Sinbad could sense Hakuei's agitation under the stares but Sinbad had come to flourish in the attention. Once they were where Sinbad wanted them to be, the middle of the dance floor where everyone could see them, she turned to Hakuei and made sure all his attention was on her. Sinbad nearly laughed at Hakuei's adorable blush when she looked at him. "Relax. Just keep your eyes on me."
After a quick shake of his head, he nodded. Gingerly he put one hand down around her waist while he took her hand with the other. Sinbad sent him a smile while she placed her free hand on his shoulder then began the dance. Sinbad was surprised to find that despite his nerves, Hakuei was actually a very talented dancer. His movements were fluid and controlled, strong enough to support her as she moved. Perhaps he had no experience in romance, but he certainly had a talent for control.
Darn it.
Even when his focus was on the dark haired women, Hakuei could feel the stares of others around them. He couldn't tell what they were watching them for. The women seemed to bloom like a flower under the attention but Hakuei had to take all his focus on not tripping on his feet. It was a good think Hakuryuu had asked him to help her learn to dance when they were younger.
Hakuei started to relax which made Sinbad relieved. However she didn't realize that was because he'd started to change the situation to one he was more accustomed to. Another play with deception and secrets to discover. "…Are you queen Sinbad?"
Sinbad waited until she finished her twirl so she was facing Hakuei again. His blue eyes enraptured hers, the pair staring at each other as if they were the eyes they were meant to stare at forever. "…What do you think?"
"No."
"Really?" her eyebrows raised, giving away nothing but her surprise. "Why not?"
"Because I don't know why the queen would be talking to me if you were her." He spun her around once again before dipping her slightly. Sinbad loved the feeling of her hair floating as he did, but even more enjoyed the blush that came over Hakuei's face when he pulled back and held her closer than he'd meant to.
"Maybe I just find you the most interesting."
"I'm not a suitor."
"I know."
"So the queen should have no reason to talk to me," Hakuei explained. Sinbad frowned, wanting to change the topic back to one more enjoyable.
"What makes you think she cares if you're a suitor or not?" That cause Hakuei to backtrack, rethink his steps. Not physically of course, the dance was almost automatic for him. But he remembered his own suspicions when he'd come to the dance. The books he'd read had repeated over and over again how the queen of Sindria had no use for marriage. He'd respected her reasoning, but had found it suspicious when they had been invited to be suitors.
"…The queen doesn't have much interest in this whole thing, does she?"
Sinbad couldn't tell if he was speaking in third person or if he wasn't sure if he was right or not. "You mean the party?"
"No, the suitors. She wasn't going to pick one, was she?"
The queen nearly lost herself. He really was a clever one, wasn't he? The thought just made her smile even more. "Well…she didn't plan to."
"Why do you say she didn't?" Hakuei asked, a hint of confusion in his eyes. Sinbad paused before answering, trying to figure out what exactly was the perfect thing to say.
Then before Hakuei could move onto the next dance movement, she took her hand out of his. Ignoring his confusion she reached up and wrapped both arms around his neck. His eyes widened in surprise while she took delight in the look on his face. She decided quickly she wanted to spend much longer than one night doing what she could to keep that look of shock on his face. "Because I think I want to keep you here just a bit longer."
"Excuse me?"
Neither of them noticed when the music ended. Neither of them noticed that everyone was staring at them until their footsteps finally slowed. When Hakuei finally looked up he was startled by all the eyes on him. His eyes darted around, scanning the crowd for a familiar face. He caught Thomas staring at him with something along the lines of anger on her face. There were various members of his family, specifically Hakuryuu and Kouha gaping at him with the same confusion he felt. Kougyoku looked like he was still too drunk to really understand what was going on. If Hakuei hadn't been careful not to drink anything other than water, he'd have wondered if he'd drunken something a bit too strong. Hakuei hated the spotlight. She'd grown up in it being the only son of the previous empress and hadn't liked it then either.
He felt one soft hand cup his chin, turning him back to face the women in front of him. Her golden eyes were practically glowing, accustomed to the spotlight and practiced in making it do her bidding. But at the moment her eyes seemed to glow brighter when it was his eyes on her. "You certainly are an interesting boy…" she mused, an idea hiding just on the tip of her lips. Hakuei wasn't sure he wanted to hear it when her mouth curled into a smile. "I think I'm going to keep you around a bit longer. There are a few more things I'd like to know about you."
"Wait…what?" Hakuei could only stand there was the women waved to the side. Instantly the women from earlier with white hair ran over to them, eyes on the taller women expectantly. Hakuei only barely caught her words, 'You can tell the other countries to send their representatives back. Oh, and prepare a room for our…newest guest. Hakuei remained dumbfounded as the women hurried away, whispers running through the crowd. "I…Ma'am?" The women turned back to him, eyes the colour of stars as she brightened under his gaze.
"You are staying here."
"I am?"
The women's smile tipped up on one side, confidence exuding from her in waves. That, along with a hint of mischief. Before Hakuei knew what was going on she had reached her hands up one again to wrap around his neck. Except that time, she ran one hand through his hair, tilting his head to face downwards as she forced her lips onto his. His eyes widened as she pulled closer, pressing her mouth into his so he could feel the smile on her face. Hakuei was sure he was blushing when she finally pulled away after what felt like an eternity, a smile still on her now glowing face.
"Yes."
Hakuei couldn't respond. His mouth had dropped open in surprise he was sure the women was happy to see. He barely managed to understand her telling him that servants would bring him to his room in time and he ought to say goodbye to his friends since he wouldn't be seeing them for a while. His eyes were still wide when she sent him a wink before sauntering back into the crowd, disappearing among the members of royalty while keeping track of his eyes on her as she left.
In fact, he wasn't able to move again until Kouha jumped him. "AHH HAKUEI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He barely managed to get her off of him before she set him on fire, anger written all over her features. "That women can take one of my stupid brothers but not you! I said you and Kougyoku were off limits!"
"What are you talking about?" Hakuei asked as Hakuryuu and Kougyoku followed behind. Kougyoku looked stunned but Hakuei shuddered under Hakuryuu's face that held a forming idea and slight glee.
"What are we talking about?" Kougyoku yelled back, slightly louder than normal thanks to the wine in his system. "Brother, don't you know who that was?"
He shook his head. "No. She didn't mention her name." All three of them groaned and shook their heads.
"Brother, you fool!" Hakuryuu chastised him. "That was Queen Sinbad!"
The realization dawned on him in waves of disbelief, comprehension, understanding… "Oh. Oh. OH."
Then realization.
"Ohhhh….."