Disclaimer: Okee...time for us to make a very big announcement! This is in no way, shape or form an accurate representation of ANY culture! We probably should have announced this earlier ^^; This is a complete work of fiction. CP and me just made all this stuff up! Oh yeah, we don't own BSSM either. CP: (blinks blinks) I agree with everything but the last sentence that Kii just said...(whispers softly) Of course we own BSSM... we even get royalties from those men in the white suits...although for some reason they insist in paying us with strange sweaters and bringing us to a comfy room, but still, whatever goes right? A heart yearns for a partner A mirror to itself Calling out into the night Its plead lost in the sand Desert Mirage Chapter 4 By: Eternal Angel and The Rose Society Rating: R Email: usako9@hotmail.com etrlslrmn@aol.com http://www.geocities.com/cherii_blossoms http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society Endymion tossed and turned upon the soft bed, unable to sleep. No matter what he did, he could not cool the burning within his heart. Every thought, every feeling, every fantasy was centered around his new found toy. 'She certainly is a beauty,' was all he could think with a soft chuckle on his lips as he tossed around some more. 'And she has quite the temper,' as he tried to figure out her flaws. But then again, he found that she had very little, and the ones that she did have only added a heightened beauty around her. 'Sooner or later, she will submit.' He thought solemnly as he shut his eyes in order to dream of his luscious new girl. *Next Day* Waking to a new day, Endymion prepared for his royal duties. Sitting upon an elaborate cushion, Endymion began to shuffle through his affairs of state only to find himself thinking naught of his duties but about the beautiful siren that captivated him. 'I wonder what Serenity is doing...' He looked off into the distance, envisioning his silver siren. Smiling dreamily, he remembered the sway of her luscious body as she danced for him. A soft cough disturbed Endymion from his thoughts. Interrupted, Endymion glanced at the offending person: one of his royal advisors. The man kept his gaze on the floor as Endymion tossed the man a glare and attempted to return his attention to his papers. 'Ok...the tax collectors report a small drop in the incoming amount of gold, but silver revenue this year surpasses last years amount...Silver is the color of Serenity's hair. I wonder, would sapphires best highlight her eyes? Or shall I adorn her with rubies instead? Maybe it would be best for her to have flowers in her hair...ARGH!' Endymion grimaced at his train of thought. Again, his attention had wandered from the matters at hand to Serenity. Chuckling at himself, Endymion thought, 'I cannot prevent myself from thinking of her. After all, what man could resist such a beauty? Her innocent heart merely heightens her tempestuous beauty. It is as if she is unaware of the reaction she stirs in a man.' The advisors all looked at each other in confusion at the sight of the Sultan staring off into space and smiling to himself. In all their years of being in their high positions, they had never seen his majesty smile at anything, especially while performing his royal duties. One of the older advisors surreptitiously made a motion with his hands. 'Do you think it's a woman?' The other advisors bit their tongues to keep from bursting into laughter. "A woman?!" one whispered. "You must be mistaken. You know Endymion. He is the terror of women everywhere. Almost every night there is a different beauty in his bed. Never has he ever shown any affection for any of them. It is as if he cannot love." The gossiping advisors glanced at their ruler to make sure that he had not heard their conversation. Endymion still sat there, completely oblivious to the gossip-mongers. Another advisor whispered, "But look at how he behaves. He is pre-occupied with something and I highly doubt that it is about the petition for a tax cut." The advisors sagely shook their heads in agreement. The first advisor reasserted his position. "I think that it is a woman. Only females can drive a man to distraction." Sneakily, the advisors studied the man that they were discussing. Endymion was in the same position as before, still staring off into space and smiling dreamily. The shuffling of feet upon the floor quickly broke up their little gossip fest. Alarmed, the advisors glanced at the approaching individual. It was Endymion's most trusted and oldest advisor. He glared at the others. "What do you think you are doing," he scolded in a soft voice. "Your job is to advise the Sultan in matters of state, not discuss how he does his job." "But look, the Sultan is not even looking at the government affairs. He is merely daydreaming." The high advisor shook his head. "No matter. What the Sultan does or does not do is not a matter for you to question. Since the Sultan does not have use for you, you should all return to your homes." The rest of the advisors sheepishly began to creep away. "Ah yes, one more matter. If I catch you people gossiping about his majesty's behavior again, I shall advise him to execute you all for treason against the state!" Properly chastised, the other advisors quickly fled the scene of the crime. Shaking his old head, the old advisor quietly approached the Sultan's throne. His quiet movement broke Endymion from his reverie. "What is it, old friend," Endymion asked as he motioned for the advisor to come closer. The high advisor smiled. "Nothing important, your highness. I was merely concerned about your health." Grinning, Endymion replied, "I am in perfect health, old man. Why do you ask?" Lowering his head respectfully, the advisor replied, "His majesty seems preoccupied today. I was merely concerned that his highness might be in ill health." Endymion laughed. "I am a very healthy young man. I was merely thinking of someone." The advisor tilted his head in question. "Someone, your highness? May I be so bold as to ask who?" "A very interesting young woman, old man. Her name is Serenity and I purchased her contract last night." The advisor looked up in shock. "Your highness, you left the safety of the palace *again* last night?" Endymion waved his hand impatiently. "Do not worry about that. I am more than capable of protecting myself. Besides, I was dressed in common clothes. No one recognized me." 'No one ever does,' he added silently with a grin. The advisor lowered his head again. "Forgive me, your majesty. I did not wish to question your actions." "Very well, you are forgiven." Rubbing his hands together nervously, the advisor prepared to ask another question. "Your highness, forgive my audacity, but what about this young woman has caught your eye?" Smiling, Endymion thought of how he should describe Serenity. "Well...her beauty is astonishing. She has beautiful, long, silvery locks of hair, deep blue eyes, and a gorgeous body." The advisor chuckled softly. "But your majesty has been with many beauties. What makes her keep his majesty's attention?" Endymion pondered the question for awhile. "Well, her beauty caught my attention at first. But it is her personality, I suppose, that intrigues me. Old man, she refused me." Shocked, the advisor said, "A mere woman refused the highest man in the land?!" Endymion laughed. "Yes, she did. She even slapped me for kissing her. Of course, that was before she discovered that I was the Sultan. She has spirit, old man. No matter the miserable conditions of her life, her heart continues to burn in resistance. She has a passionate nature. Even now, knowing that resistance is futile, she continues to avoid submission. I shall greatly enjoy overcoming her defenses." The old advisor felt sorrow at Endymion's cold expression. He had watched Endymion grow up from a small young lad to a man and then a ruler as he was now. Sorrow scorched through him as he felt the need to teach this young man, one who he thought of as a son, the true beauty of finding someone to love, someone to become his wife. "Do you feel anything for her, your highness?" Endymion looked at the advisor, confused, as he frowned, "Feel anything for her? A commoner? Of course not, old man. Why in the world would you ask such a ridiculous question?" "Because, your majesty, you are a young man now, and because of that you should start thinking of finding a wife so that she might produce a heir for you." Endymion snorted contemptuously. "I have plenty of bastard children already. When I finally choose a wife, I doubt that producing an heir will be of any difficulty. You needn't worry about that, old man. Besides, as you said, I am a young man. And because I am still young, there is no reason for me to rush off and do something rash when I could be having fun. No woman would deny me even if I was a hundred years old, and you know that already, so there is really no reason why I should choose a wife now when I could choose a suitable woman of high position later on." "Will you continue to see other woman after your marriage?" Laughing, Endymion smacked his hand against the desk. "Of course, old man. No woman can hold me! I am a man who bores easily. Once I get my heir, I'll put the queen away somewhere. I will have no need of her anymore." The old advisor felt his heart ache as he asked, "What about love, your highness? Do you not need an equal to love?" Rolling his eyes, Endymion replied, "Love? What a preposterous idea. My father had many wives and he never loved any of them. Father always said, 'Love is a dangerous emotion. It allows a woman to control you. And letting someone control you makes you weak. A sultan cannot be weak. He must be firm in order to lead his people. Never be weak, Endymion. Never love a woman, for that will be your downfall.' See, old man? I have no need for love. I am perfectly content in surrounding myself with beautiful women that I feel nothing for." "I see," the advisor said slowly. "May I be excused, your majesty?" Endymion nodded and the old advisor exited the room. The advisor paused at the door, looking back at the young man with a solemn sadness in his eyes. 'Poor Endymion. What a bleak and horrid existence you will have with such an outlook. Love is no weakness. It makes men strong. Without love, life has no meaning.' Dashing the hot tears from his eyes, the old advisor slowly walked back to his home. Every night he crept into his room, his hot breath whispering over her skin as he told her to dance for her. And every night she danced the same exotic dance that had him dreaming of her the next day as his advisors mindlessly talked to air. Everyday, his advisors would be dismissed, their daily business unfinished, as Endymion impatiently left the chambers to visit Serenity. "Why do you do this, sire? Night after night?" She whispered, as he slowly pushed her onto the bed, his body covering hers. "You know I will never beg, I will never, ever sink as low as to do such a thing?" Her voice slowly died away as she swallowed back a moan. "?but you want me, you know you do." His soft beautiful voice told her, as he kissed a trail on her nape. She shook her head slightly, as his hand traveled up her body. "No, no I don't...what is there to gain from sleeping with you? My pride would be in shambles...can't you bother one of your other women," she asked, slowly wishing that she could hate his touch as it enticed forbidden desires within her. "None of my other women entrances me the way you do, my siren. There is one thing that you can gain...your freedom, habibattee. Your freedom, does that not appeal to you?" He stopped touching her, as he propped himself up, his eyes gazing down upon hers in an amused look. She stared up at him, her eyes filled with one emotion that he had not seen in the eyes of any of his paramours before: rage. "You want me to whore for my freedom?" Her voice was loud and angry. "How...how dare you?!" Expecting to have angered him, she waited for his response to only have him let out an unexpected chuckle. "I expected as much. I would have lost all the respect I had for you if you had agreed ? you are something Serenity, truly something..." With that, he got up from the bed, grinning at her. "But you should know siren, that although you turn me down now, sooner or later you will submit to me...WILLINGLY..." With that he exited the room lightheartedly as she begin to throw curses after him as she did every night. 'Damn it, I'm behind everything!' He cursed silently, as he sighed, gazing at the papers sprawled all over his desk. 'How did this happen?' He slowly propped himself upright in his chair with a frustrated sigh. 'It was her,' was all he could think as he slowly scanned the papers trying to pay attention. It was always her. He couldn't stop thinking of her. He needed to get a grip! Goodness, he was almost acting like a love-sick fool! He shook his head, becoming quite agitated with himself as he recalled his father's stern words to him. She was a distraction, (a very fine looking one of course), but a distraction nonetheless? How was he going to get his mind off of her? Maybe...just maybe... He stifled a boisterous cry...of COURSE! "I don't see why, OW! Don't POKE ME," she hissed at him. Her command went unheeded as he glared at her sternly, then continued to pull her along the walls. "Where are we going?" She hissed at him once more. But just as before, he merely ignored her and continued to drag her along with him. She sighed, feeling as if she was talking to a brick wall. Ever since yesterday night, he had been acting strange? She didn't understand him right now...actually, she needed to rephrase that. She didn't understand him at all. This morning he stormed into her room and threw clothing at her, sternly telling her to change into it. It was hideous, a cloak that covered her from head to toe that made no absolute sense! It was blazing hot in the room as it was, it was now even worse wearing this sack! She was then pulled into a beautiful room that had an ivory table by the window and a screen fastened next to it. She tilted her head, contemplating the odd setup but before she could figure out where she was, he pushed her behind the screen. "Stay HERE," he ordered her. He grinned happily as he sat on his chair and called his advisors in. He felt like applauding himself. Now he didn't have to think about her anymore. When he wanted to, he could just look towards the screen and see her. His grin stayed on his face as he casually looked at Serenity. Satisfied, he intently listened to his advisors as they told him about his kingdom. It was hot. *She* was hot. Blisteringly hot. Sweaty hot. Icky hot. Sticky hot. Unbearably hot. She sighed as she rearranged her skirts from behind the screen. The sun blared in from the window a couple of feet away from her as she slowly looked to her right and at the figure. He was waging a full fledge debate about taxes with his advisors. He turned to her, for a single second and winked, as the discussion still raged on. She edged closer to the right, hoping she could hear more of it, as she found herself very intrigued about what Endymion was going to say. "What do you mean you only want to lift the taxes for the nobles only? What about the commoners? Don't know that the tax relief should be lifted off them before the nobles! By God men, what are you thinking? Those commoners already work hard enough! Have you seen them before? Sweltering in the heat in the market places hoping to make ends meet, to pay the taxes while the nobles just lounge around all day with more money than they can count?" His face was flushed as he stood up, glaring at the opposing advisor who dared to ridicule him with such an absurd idea. She could feel something brush against her as he rallied for the people who lived under the hands of luxury, people like her...It was pride, bursting pride for him as the advisor tripped over his apology. Endymion sighed and waved his hands. "Leave me now, I must think." With that, the men started to leave, but a couple stared at the newly added screen with curiosity. "What are you guys looking at? I said leave!" With that they scurried off, fearful of his anger. He couldn't help but wonder if they have seen her? He had hidden her so well, behind the dark screen and under the thick fabrics...of course they didn't see her...He couldn't understand why the thought of any other man except for himself seeing her would cause him to become incensed, nor did he understand his need to conceal her. For all his life, he had never felt an urge to hide or conceal any of his other lovers...but she was different...he couldn't explain her. He couldn't explain the emotions that were raging within him. With a frustrated curse, he stalked over to Serenity, who stared at him in surprise as he lifted her up from her seat and rudely yanked off her veil. "God woman, how you entice me," he said huskily as his lips then smothered hers with the passion that had been building up inside him all day. Maybe it was the fact that he defended her kind of people, or the heat that she was exposed to for so long that made her crave more of the feelings he engendered within her, but she found herself swinging her arms around his neck and kissing him even harder until the both of them were breathless. Her arms were still around his neck as she buried her head at the side of his neck. She was breathing heavily as he toyed with her beautiful silver hair with one arm, the other tightly wrapped around her waist. "See how good we are together? The passion that explodes when we are together? It could be so much more if you only..." He gently placed a kiss upon her earlobe as she shuddered at the whispering of his voice. "Endymion?" He continued to hold her tightly within his embrace. It was so easy to hate him when he was an arrogant man who only lusted after her. But to find out that he was a passionate man who cared for his people, who cared for the poor, made her look at him in a different light. He was a ruler, the one with the most power, the one that had no real obligation if he wished. He did not have to listen to his people, he did not have to bother himself with the problems of the common people...but he did. He did all this and so much more... She hated to admit this, but she couldn't help but find him...admirable. "What are you thinking about habibattee?" His deep voice asked, as he watched her slowly shrug off the long robes that he forced her into every morning. She sighed. "Nothing, nothing at all." He caught her wrist as he let out a sly smile, "Liar, liar." She pulled back and ignored him. She found the restraints of her clothes, released them and let them slowly drop down around her as she grabbed another robe and wrapped it around herself. She was no longer ashamed if he saw her without clothing, instead she felt at ease with him seeing her nakedness. Besides, if she dared to conceal herself, he would only insist that she reveal herself to him. "Tonight I am not in the mood to seduce you, my siren," he said with a sigh as he pulled her into his lap. "Instead, I just want to talk to you." She lifted her eyebrow. "Talk to me?" He nodded, "What do you say?" "S..ure..." she said uneasily, as he grinned. They talked about everything and anything. The once daily routine of seduction became scarce as it was replaced with spending time in discussion about their pasts, their beliefs, and their dreams. She couldn't help but anticipate the coming of night so she could spend time talking to him... She never had someone that listened to her like this before, someone that understood... She smiled from her spot behind the screen as she casually snuck glances at the handsome man who read the papers intently. He was so beautiful...so wonderful...She couldn't help but laugh at herself and at how foolish she was acting. Hell, she was acting as if she was in love with the man! It was such a foolish thought! Her? In love with him? How could she love him? He was Sultan! But somewhere, deep within her, she felt a nudging that told her that it was exactly what she was feeling... "Oh damn..." She *was* in love with the blasted man.