Coexisting

Varya had no choice but to follow the angry prince.

As they walked, there were more aliens who bowed at Basileus, but these didn't seem to be warriors and they didn't wear armor. Upon arriving at a large door with the royal crest on it, one of the aliens who had purple skin was standing by with a tray where the prince put his gloves. Varya realized the aliens without armor were some kind of servants. The door slid open and the alien said that he left snacks and drinks on the table because of their long journey.

Basileus hardly acknowledged the servant, but Varya said thank you.

The room was equally as modern and sleek as the rest of what she had seen in the castle. However, it was much more fit for a prince. Throughout, it was navy blue and grey. There were the same metal panels that likely signified controls of some kind. On the far wall, an extremely large bed with navy blue blankets stood. Its headboard was made of grey leather and it extended all the way to the ceiling. On either side of the bed were floor to ceiling windows with navy blue curtains that were drawn. The left wall had a door on it. Next to it were rows of doors that must have contained some kind of storage.

On the right side of the room, there was a large couch in front of a grey, stone fireplace that also reached the ceiling. A tapestry above it had the royal crest, but it looked tattered. Further back in the far right corner was a grey wooden table with six chairs around it. On the table were what looked like finger foods. Even further into the corner was a glass door, but she couldn't tell what was on the other side.

Varya was lost in observation and jumped when she heard a noise behind her. On the wall next to the door they walked through was a giant screen and some kind of control panel. It looked like a computer.

Prince Basileus stepped towards the computer and when Varya walked up behind him, he shook his head and gestured for her to step away and she backed off. He pressed a button on the wall.

At first she thought he was going to say she couldn't look at the computer, but soon the screen lit up and the last person she wanted to see was smirking at Basileus in high definition. It was some kind of communication device. In an effort to make herself unseen, she got as close to the wall as she could so Kruos's purple, piercing eyes wouldn't find her.

Kruos began speaking and his androgynous voice could be heard everywhere in the room like there were hidden speakers in the ceiling. "I hope that just because you're back doesn't mean you think I'm done. The girl is staying with you for the foreseeable future. If even a bit of her is harmed by the time it's my turn with her, you will pay, prince."

Kruos didn't give Basileus a second to respond before the screen went blank again.

"H-his turn?" Varya asked with widened eyes. "I promise I will kill myself before I ever have to live with that- that monster!" She put a hand on her forehead and tried to keep herself together. The thought of having to be in the same room as Kruos with no one else there made her anxiety rise and her breathing more labored. "Why do I have to stay here?"

Prince Basileus, having no authority over the situation, sighed. "You're better off here than with Emperor Kruos. I won't touch you."

He only half understood the twisted alien's reasoning for trying to push the human on him, but he wasn't going to be swayed that easily. He had no interest in a being of a weak race. If he got attached to her, he didn't want to have weak, mixed-race children.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to train more. See that room in the corner?" He pointed to the glass door. "Don't ever bother me in there."

Not giving her an opportunity to answer, Basileus begins walking to the right sight of the room with storage panels on the wall and he opens one of them. There was a stand for the armor he was wearing and he untied the leather on the side then pulled it over his head. He glanced at Varya as she watched him. "You can put yours away in those closets." He gestured to the opposite side of the door where three more panels were.

Before she can say or do anything, her stomach growls. She didn't think it was that loud but Prince Basileus smirks and raises an eyebrow at her. Her face turns red.

"Go eat something before you collapse." He pointed to the table where the food was.

Varya widened her eyes at him and didn't know what to say. "Uh… thanks," she responded, then quickly changed the subject. "Is there anywhere I can bathe and change clothes?"

Basileus pointed to the door on the wall near him. "Anything else will be taken care of by servants."

He begins walking quickly to the opposite side of the large room, not wanting another interruption. On his way to the glass door where he would train, he grabs a glass bottle of water and a small amount of food.

Taking his hint, she walked through the bathroom door as it slid open.

Everything in the bathroom seemed to be carved out of white marble that had a grey vein running through it: a walk in shower, the tub, tiles (heated from what Varya could feel under her boots), sink, and even pillars surrounding where the bath stood, elevated from the rest of the bathroom. Above the bath was a large, circular window with frosted glass. The metal fixtures all over the place were black metal and the wood of the cabinets was pure white, a nice contrast from the dark, navy bedroom.

She walked across the large bathroom and up two steps to get a closer look at the tub. It was an oval set into the floor, big enough for three or four people to sit in.

Maybe that guy was a prince after all, she joked to herself. This space was luxurious enough for royalty even if the said royalty didn't act like royalty.

Varya turned around and noticed there was not one but two sinks on opposite ends of the bathroom. This place was built for a couple, it seemed like. If Prince Basileus had a girlfriend, she was going to be in trouble, having nowhere else to go.

One thought led to another and she found herself walking back down the stairs and staring in the mirror, wondering what kind of women the prince liked. She wasn't ignorant to the fact that men on Earth found her attractive. The prince didn't have much of a reaction to her, so maybe men from his planet had different standards of beauty.

Snapping out of it, she decided it was a better use of her time to take a bath. She went to the door and found buttons similar to those on the ship.

After locking the door, she went to look for soap. The counter around one of the sinks seemed to be more used than the other so she started searching through the cabinets of the one untouched. Inside were all sorts of supplies: Oils, bath salts, perfumes, and soaps. She even found a hairbrush and what looked like hair tools to curl hair with.

Who had used this place before her? Did the prince often have women attached to him? What happened to them when he was done? Or worse - what if he killed them? She knew he could light fire in his hand like the other violent aliens. Maybe she had only just gotten lucky so far.

She has to shake her head in order to get rid of the horrible thoughts. It was hard for her to focus on one thing at a time. She smelled a couple of the soaps and picked one that reminded her of coconuts and vanilla. She wasn't sure if there were either of those things in space, but she liked being reminded of Earth.

Varya was able to start the water and turn the temperature to warm. It was easy to figure out how to plug the bath so the water wouldn't drain. Taking off the boots, armor, and then the suit, she placed all of them on the floor. To her happiness, the bathroom was steaming. She always liked an overly warm bath.

Varya soaked in the warm bath for about thirty minutes until she decided to wash out her hair and dry off. It felt good to be truly clean again. She wrapped a large white towel with gold thread on the edges around her body. The material felt soft and comforting on her skin as she dried.

Before the prince went to train, she remembered him telling her about the closets she could use. However, she didn't want to go in the room with only a towel on. It didn't occur to her to grab clothing earlier - she was so eager to take a bath. She opened the door and peeked into the large bedroom. A light coming from the room where he exercised told her that he was still in there. Pulling herself back into the bathroom, she looked at her pile of clothing on the floor. It felt dirty to put it back on.

With a sigh, she decided there was no other choice and went to one of the large wall panels. It opened similarly to the rest with the touch of a panel.

Interestingly enough, there were women's clothes inside. It was just like the bathroom. She felt she should be grateful, but it made her feel worry. Some of the dresses in the closet were beautiful. They were fit for a princess. She wondered further if maybe there used to be a princess in Basileus's life but he lost her just like she had lost Rosh.

She kept finding herself wondering about the prince's life. Was he not allowed to freely do what he wanted around this place? He seemed as much of a prisoner as she was sometimes as she thought about the guarded door in the ship and Emperor Kruos checking in on the computer the moment they got into the room. She sighed. These thoughts weren't going to help her.

There were also what seemed to be silk nightgowns in the closet that looked so soft and luxurious, but it was early in the day from what she could tell. Varya found navy blue spandex suits similar to the one she wore earlier, but these had variety. There were short sleeved ones, ones with shorts and a tank top, and matching sets. Apparently that was the usual way to dress around here, but she wasn't exactly fond of the idea. They felt like workout clothes.

Suddenly, a voice is heard and she jumps.

"I can't live with you if you're going to walk around like one of the palace whores." Basileus walked out of the training room having an arrogant air about him.

He was only wearing a pair of shorts. There was a towel around his neck and his hair was flatter to his head, showing that he must had taken a shower. Varya realized the exercise facilities must have their own bathroom. She would think his bare chest and abs were attractive if it weren't for the comment he just threw at her.

"This towel covers me better than that spandex suit ever will." Varya crossed her arms and glared at him. At least the towel wasn't skin tight. You could tell the temperature with her nipples in those damn clothes. There was such a double-standard considering his shorts left little to the imagination.

Basileus noticed the way her breasts pressed together as she crossed her arms, but he was far enough away from her that his gaze wasn't noticed.

"Go get some clothes on. I will not repeat myself."

Varya grabbed a spandex suit that was the same as the long-sleeved one from earlier then walked back to the bathroom. The prince was at one of the closets and his back was to her. Before the bathroom door could slide shut, the desire to get back at the prince came over her. She balled up the towel she was wearing and threw it at the back of the prince's head. Satisfied when it made contact, she smirked after the door was shut. She hadn't let go of the "palace whore" comment.

Prince Basileus growled. With his sudden flare in temper, a flame erupted from his hand and he scorched the towel that was thrown at him, leaving only an incinerated pile of grey ash. It was a shame he wasn't allowed to harm her.