4.) Princess Anya

An: finally a real meeting between the two mc.

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Princess Anya Pov

I slip through the tunnels shown to me as a child by Chike on my way to speak to the pale man. Don't ask me why. I just need a distraction. Something different from the same old basa clan threats or the fatigue of ruling.

The pale man, i really need to learn his name, offers me a chance to discover something new and exciting. Before I know it I've gone far enough that I can see the hut of our resident witch doctor.

I begin to prepare an excuse for my presence to chike when I see the old witch doctor come out of the hut calling to the pale man in the foreign language, "I'll be back in a moment. I'm going to prepare the servants for the washing."

I hear the pale man's voice ring out but he doesn't follow Chike through the trail towards the thrall quarters. I decided this was perfect. No father or Jabari to try to hold my hand through everything. No kubwa who take their job of protecting too seriously at times. Best of all, no Chike to give me that look he gives me that says he can read my mind even if I can't read it myself.

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After getting my nerve I open the cloth door of the hut and see inside.

There near the back of the front room is the pale man, tied to the wall with his feet bound together. Kavuli the tiger is beside the prisoner letting out small deep chuffs giving a look into how comfortable the animal is.

I watch for a moment before taking another real step into the abode. Instantly the pale man's amber eyes look to me. The slight glow in the lowlight make them even more enchanting to look at and I find myself lost for a moment.

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Julius pov

I hear someone enter the hut. I don't mind though. I assume it's just Chike who forgot something. Those thoughts are dashed when My nose picks up a sweet smell.

I don't remember Chike smelling like roses, I open my eyes and see the red eyed princess in front of me. I would've spoken to her, but I don't know how their culture works with things as little as when you can talk to someone.

Therefore, I remained silent and enjoyed the view for the moment.

It seems she snapped out of whatever had dazed her quickly. She slowly walks toward me and I see she's changed her clothes from that of a warrior to a more revealing fabric.

She sits down on her legs with her hands in her lap and looks at me. Finally after a 45 second staring contest she speaks in that Arabic-esk language from before.

""How can you speak it?"" I assume she's talking about the language. I don't know what's so odd about that but I decide to go with it.

""I don't know. It just felt easy to do so."" I say honestly.

I see her chew her bottom lip for a moment before speaking again. ""Anya."" Was all she said. It took me a moment to decipher that she had just told me her name.

I give my own as manners demanded, ""Julius,"" I say.

She smiled a beautiful smile at me and was about to come forward when I heard a familiar voice of Chike outside along with two I don't know.

Anya looks to me and then sprints out to the back window and climbs through as quietly as a cat just in time for Chike and two beautiful women about my age enter behind him.

I look to my 'friend' the witch doctor and ask, "mind telling me what's going on?"

He smiles and gestures to the two young women behind him, "you stink. I'm tired of smelling it. So I went to get help. These two jumped at the chance to wash the pale stranger." He chuckled.

I didn't know why exactly that was but decided to go with it. I was chained anyway. It's not like I had much of a choice. Chike then spoke to the girls behind him in that same language I didn't know.

"You may begin to prepare the wash. After you've warmed the water let me know and I'll get him in there." I see the two Nod without a word and begin to grab different things from around me. A rough looking version of a luffa, some square object I assume to be soap, and a few buckets.

I sigh and speak to chike before he can leave to go outside and cook, "hey! What if I don't want these girls to wash me? I'm grown. I can do it myself."

I don't want unknown women that I can't communicate with to be In charge of my bath like some 2 year old toddler.

I try to turn around to see Anya but I can't see her anymore. She probably left as soon as chike was distracted.

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Anya Pov

I see chike come inside with Kola and Zuri. They're thralls my age and some of my closest friends even if our station makes it impossible to truly be so.

I wonder what they're there for until I hear Chike talking about the wash. For some reason, the idea of those two touching his silvery hair and not me has Vissa roaring out in fury from her nest not far from the castle.

I take a few moments to compose myself before I see the two giggling girls to back to chike and explain that they're ready. He nods and goes inside.

Moments later Julius comes outside with Kavuli making sure he stays behaved. Chike pushed him forward and spoke to Kola and Zuri, "be mindful. He's a shy one." He said causing more giggles to erupt from the two.

I felt like my skin was red like my eyes from hot angry I feel seeing them begin to tug and touch Julius' clothes and chest.

Finally when they reach the bottom of his garments I can't stand it. I rush from the bushes behind the cabin near the tub toward the front.

I finally get back to the path leading direct from the castle to Chike's hut and stroll up to the door.

Chike calls out to me from the side where he's cooking, "hello princess. Can I help you?"

But I don't even hear him. I'm looking out the window to see Kola and Zuri washing different parts of Julius. Kola, who has stars in her eyes, was running her fingers through the liquid silver that is his hair while Zuri takes it farther.

She started with his chest and shoulders, rubbing and making him groan in delight.

After a while of this she began to go under the water and I couldn't watch anymore. I storm up to the window and speak, "do you mind telling me what's happening here?"

Kola and Zuri jump up and straighten on instinct while Julius looks to me in a haze. No doubt he was enjoying the session as well. That makes me even more angry.

After glaring at him I turn back to the thralls, "go. I will inform chike of your completion." They both look shaken. Good. Can't have them coming back. Who knows what would've happened had Zuri been allowed to continue.

I call out into the hut around me, "Chike! Come get your prisoner."

I hear him laugh, laugh before speaking, "I'm coming princess. You must not get so angry. Others can see why."

I give him a look that says I'm not in the mood, throw one last scathing glance at Julius and leave. I need to sleep. If I don't I'm afraid what chike said might come true.

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Julius Pov

Seeing the furious face of Anya tells me something is wrong even if I can't understand what she's saying to the two maids.

Her baleful gaze then turns to me, so much anger in those red pools I actually look away. I hear her call to chike before giving me and the maids one last scathing look before walking away.

Moments later chike comes around the corner with a shit eating grin on his face, "what did you do to make the princess so angry young Caesar?"

I shrugged, "hell if I know old man. All I know is after just letting the two maids do their job I suddenly feel like I'm in the jaws of a beast and turn to see Anya."

He laughs and says something to the girls behind me. They both look at me again and giggle while leaving. Chike speaks to me after they go, "you need to be careful. Those weren't the only two who wanted to come here. I wouldn't want to come home and find Princess Anya has slaughtered you."

I damn near growl, "I don't understand her problem."

Again all I get is a hearty laugh. I decided to let it go. Women in general are the most complex creatures in the world. It's better to just go with it.

I ask chike, "can I get out now?" His nod and throwing of a towel is my answer. I do the best I can with my hands being tied before putting on an outfit similar to chikes own.

Going back inside I see the rabbit stew smells like it's ready so I get ready to eat something finally.

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Princess Anya Pov

I storm back into my room uncaring if my Kubwa learn of my leaving. I'm prepared to start throwing things in my room when I come face to face with my father sitting at my table.

All anger turns to fear. Fear because he knows exactly where I've gone. He stands and comes within feet of me before speaking.

""Why did you go to see him?""

I look down in shame at being caught. There's no use lying to my father. He knows exactly how to read me. After a few more moments of contemplation I speak the truth.

""I don't know. Truly. But for the first time someone else could speak the tongue. His hair is like woven silver that I wish to touch. His eyes are the color of the sun. I'm sorry father. I've simply never seen someone like him before.""

I hear my father sigh. A sigh! I've known my father my entire 18 summers and not once have I heard him audibly sigh. Even when mother passed he was straight faced and unmoving.

I look up from the floor into his red eyes that match mine and see fear in them. I begin to ask what he's feeling when he storms out through the tunnel I just closed.

I feel my heart contract when I realize where he's going. To Julius.

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An: hey guys; next we see Zenos pov to realizing his daughter is hot on our outsider and the subsequent fallout of such revelations.

Hope you like the small transition chapter. See ya!