Chapter twenty seven

As night fell upon the world, one by one families retreated to their beds, bringing their children inside and closing their shops for the night. The docks and ports began closing as well, sailors going out drinking with their pals before they, too, called it a night.

Slowly, everything grew silent, the entire world sleeping peacefully. Except for one country, that is.

The sound of drums echoed through the air, graceful dancers moving to the beat, the small bells on their dresses jingling along. Children's laughter, the sweet smell of desserts, the bolts of color that shot into the sky one after another, followed by a loud 'bang!'. The night was alive with festivities.

Women wearing exotic masks and necklaces made of flowers strolled through the streets wielding large trays of alcohol and snacks, passing them out to anyone who asked, while carts with challenging mini games lined the streets, children and couples alike enjoying their difficultness.

Amongst it all was Princess Amirah, who drank in her surroundings greedily- wishing the night would never end.

Tonight was an escape. A way to pretend her reality didn't exist. Amirah was free to say and act as she pleased, unbound by her responsibilities and expectations as a princess, if only for a night.

It was extremely liberating. The last time Sindria had had a festival -then, Mahrajan- Amirah had been too uptight and wary of her surroundings to really enjoy herself.

But now, Amriah was willing to do just about anything. Hence why she actually considered King Sinbad's ridiculous offer; after she'd called him out on being drunk, that is.

"I'm not drunk," Sinbad insisted, his tone low. He'd found her wandering the streets -finally alone for a moment- and had taken her by the hand to behind a tall stone house, away from any prying eyes.

Sinbad leaned in closer to the princess -whose back was now pressed up against the wall-, their faces mere inches apart.

Amirah took a deep breath. It was true; Sinbad didn't smell of alcohol at all. The princess frowned slightly, opening her mouth to speak, but was cut off as Sinbad answered her question:

"I knew you'd never agree if I had drunk even a sip of alcohol."

Amirah hummed, impressed by his efforts. "You're serious then, huh?"

"Deadly."

Amirah pushed any doubts out of her mind as she leaned forward some, her lips just barely brushing against the king's.

Sinbad attempted to deepen the kiss, but was stopped as Amirah raised a hand to his lips. "Not here." Was all she said, her voice a soft whisper. She glanced around for any onlookers, then decided, "I'll go tell the others I'm heading to bed for the night. You go disappear as usual, no one will suspect anything from you if you suddenly vanish."

The king didn't argue. "Alright. Bet you I'll still beat you up stairs," He smirked, challenging her.

Amirah rolled her eyes, "Are you sure you're not a five year old trapped in a thirty year old's body?"

"Hey, I'm only twenty nine!" That confirmed Amirah's suspicions.

She laughed, gently shoving the king away, "Get going already, you doofus."

~

"Ah, Princess Amirah! There you are!" Zaahira scampered over to Amirah excitedly. "Here, you don't have a necklace yet!" She gingerly placed a necklace made of purple and pink flowers over Akido, decorating him nicely.

"Oh, thank you, Zaahira." Amirah chuckled at the snake's reaction, which was less than content.

"Are you having fun, Princess?" Zaahira asked, slightly out of breath. "Sorry I haven't been around, I've been running around all night trying to find Ja'far and get him to relax for once. Apparently he hasn't seen King Sinbad in a while, so he's been hosting the festival himself."

"I see," Amirah nodded, then smiled, "Yes, I've been having a wonderful time." She paused, her thoughts drifting to Sinbad, her heart fluttering. Before Zaahira could say more, Amirah continued: "But I think I'm going to retire for the night...maybe watch the fireworks from my room... Tell Ja'far I said hello, alright?"

"Sure, Princess!" Zaahira happily agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow for training, right?"

"Of course."

~

*Smut warning in like 100 words*

Amirah climbed the stairs of the Purple Leo Tower two at a time, her thoughts finally catching up to her.

This is a bad idea, they taunted.

The princess shook her head, Who cares? Tonight's a night for me to finally live. I'm not backing out now. I can't.

But what if he-

"Ah, there you are. I thought you weren't going to show up." King Sinbad stood leaning against his doorframe, arms crossed and a smirk decorating his lips. "I won."

Sighing lightly, Amirah replied, "I was talking with Zaahira." She paused a few feet away from the king, beginning to realize how awkward the situation was- at least for her.

They were here...now what?

The princess stepped towards Sinbad cautiously, the king still smirking at her, eyeing her up and down.

I should wipe that smirk off his face...

And so, Amirah did exactly that, pushing Sinbad back into his door and smashing her lips against his. Sinbad was surprised, to say the least, yet quickly reacted, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

Things heated up in mere moments, Sinbad moving one of his hands to the doorknob behind him, fumbling a bit before the pair stumbled into the dark quarters.

Amirah couldn't help but chuckle she nearly fell over, bracing herself on Sinbad's chest. "Woah, easy," He steadied her, smiling. "Are you sure you're not drunk?"

"Positive." Amirah pulled back, unwrapping Akido from her neck. She strolled over to the basket she'd put him in before, placing him in with the flower crown she decided he looked cute in. Turning back around to Sinbad, she saw he was beginning to take off his surplus of jewelry, placing them in their usual magic-protected drawer.

The princess walked over, pulling her fan out of her sash and placing it in the drawer as well, knowing it'd be safe there. Then she tackled the king in another kiss, clumsily throwing her arms around his neck.

Sinbad smiled into the kiss, effortlessly picking her up by her waist, her legs wrapping around his stomach. He took a few steps forward, laying the princess on his bed and looming over her lustfully.

"What a scary look, King Sinbad," Amirah teased, pulling him down to her lips again.

As she did so, Sinbad growled softly, "Just 'Sinbad'. No one else is here."

Amirah's face heated up at his tone, as well as a few other areas of her body. She couldn't think straight as Sinbad closed the gap between their lips, his warm body pressed up against hers.

Moments later, Sinbad broke the kiss, using one hand to support himself and the other to trail down Amirah's side.

The princess was suddenly self-conscious, her hands itching to pull his away. She held her breath as Sinbad reached the exposed skin in between her shirt and skirt, his hand lightly tracing the scars that covered her midriff.

"S-Sinbad..." Amirah placed her hand over his, guiding him anywhere that wasn't her stomach. Her cheeks darkened, making her turn her head away. Quietly, she stammered, "P-Please don't..."

She wasn't sure why she was so embarrassed. People saw her scars everyday- they were quite obvious considering her attire. She usually didn't care what people thought of them, but something was different now. Amirah had never had anyone touch her scars, nevermind being so gentle with the more intimate parts of her body.

Sinbad watched her reaction with careful, curious, eyes. He moved the hand that had been on her stomach to turn her head gently, forcing her to look at him. "I'm not going to hurt you, Amirah."

"I-I know that! It's just..." Amirah trailed off, averting her gaze again. She gritted her teeth, scolding herself for becoming so insecure in front of him like that. What happened to doing whatever tonight? She questioned herself angrily.

"We can stop if you wa-"

"No!" Amirah interrupted. Then she added more quietly, "No...I'm alright." She smiled up at him, trying to prove she was okay.

Sinbad's lustful gaze returned, smirking down at her as he said: "Alright, then." He leaned down, beginning to decorate Amirah's skin in sloppy kisses, starting with her lips.

Amirah giggled as he trailed down her jaw and to her neck, but stopped him before he reached her chest. Pouting, Sinbad opened his mouth to complain before he realized she was taking off her top. His pout transformed into another half-smirk as Amirah tossed her shirt aside, allowing Sinbad to continue his work.

By the time Sinbad had made his way to her stomach, Amirah had relaxed almost completely, still giggling as his lips lightly tickled her skin. Her laughter came to an abrupt halt as Sinbad neared the waistline of her skirt, though, more pink dusting her cheeks.

Sinbad noticed her unease, politely backing off, instead working on taking off his robes. Amirah helped, making the king laugh as she fumbled with the thick fabric.

Amirah relished the moment, studying his features in slow-motion. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he closed them, the corners of his lips curling upward as the breathy laugh escaped them. His reaction was honest and genuine, and it made Amirah's heart swell.

She'd had several doubts about agreeing to Sinbad's wanton requests, but she was more than happy she'd agreed to them now. Unlike the king, Amirah wasn't the biggest fan of sex in itself, but the feelings that went with it. She didn't want, nor understand, how anyone could have sex without any emotional attachments present.

Hence the princess' first worry: were there any emotional attachments involved in what was taking place?

Amirah had been skeptical at first, but seeing Sinbad's genuine reactions to her easily shoved her worry aside. She was too embarrassed to call the feeling 'love' -and so wasn't Sinbad- but they both knew there was far more to their actions than simply 'sex'.

Sinbad knew what 'sex' was like. It was every time he'd called a concubine to his room. It was when he went out to a bar and drank far too much, paying the first girl who came up to him as much as she wanted to fulfill his wishes. It was void of emotion- entirely physical. It wasn't nearly as fun.

As things continued to heat up, Amirah tried in vain to stifle a moan. Her face darkened as Sinbad's attention was drawn to her face, one eyebrow raised and a smile on his features. Quietly, he suggested, "You might want to be a bit quieter, Amirah~ Don't want the guards hearing, do we?"

Amirah's eyes widened as she realized the guards were still patrolling the halls just outside. "S-Sorry..."

Sinbad shook his head, humming against her skin, "Don't worry about it. Your little noises are adorable."

The princess pouted at his comment, watching as he continued his work between her thighs. Amirah tossed her head back into the pillows as another wave of pleasure coursed through her. Her grasp on Sinbad's hair tightened as she bit her lip to keep from making more noise. "S-Sin..."

"Hmm?" Sinbad raised his head, as if he really thought she had something to say. He moved so he was face-to-face with her again. "Had enough~?"

Amirah frowned, then needily pulled Sinbad into another kiss. What a jerk. Taking her that far, then stopping just before? She wasn't going to let him get away with that. It was time for revenge.

~

Some time later, when Amirah and Sinbad had finished teasing each other and messing around, Sinbad had left to clean up in the bathroom in the back of the bedroom, telling Amirah there were spare Sindrian robes in his dresser if she wanted.

Suddenly feeling extremely awkward and vulnerable, Amirah scurried over to the bureau, pulling out a set of robes and wrapping them around her naked body. She then stood in the middle of the bedroom, unsure what to do. Should she leave? Stay? Sit on the bed? The chairs? Her mind raced with possibilities.

"-rah, Amirah?" Sinbad waved a hand in front of the princess' face, shaking her out of her anxiety-driven haze. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah...I'm fine." Amirah's eyes widened as she noticed Sinbad was still nude. Covering her eyes -and burning cheeks- Amriah said, "K-King Sinbad you're clothes..."

Sinbad raised an eyebrow, baffled at how she was embarrassed now. Nonetheless, he sighed and walked over to his wardrobe, pulling out short-like robes and putting them on. "You can look now."

Amirah slowly uncovered her eyes, looking Sinbad over briefly before looking away again. Quietly, she asked, "What now?"

"Ah..." Sinbad glanced around the room, then shrugged. "You can stay the night if you want." I'd actually prefer it...

"Okay," Amirah agreed. She could feel exhaustion weighing her limbs and eyelids down, but nerves kept her wide awake as she and Sinbad climbed back into bed.

After a few moments of awkwardness, Sinbad broke the ice and snuggled closer to the princess. Amirah let him, beginning to play with his hair as he rested his head on her chest.

Silence filled the room for several minutes. It was peaceful and warm, Amirah enjoying it to it's fullest until Sinbad chuckled lightly, saying: "You know...usually this is the other way around."

Amirah cracked a smile. "I'm used to it. Reminds me of when Sharrkan was a kid."

"Are you going to sing, too?" It sounded more like a request than a sarcastic remark.

"I can, any requests?"

"Hmm... You said you activated your metal vessel by singing, could you sing that?"

"Sure," Amirah agreed. She sat up a bit, took a deep breath, then began singing the song she'd sung on the beach several weeks before.

Sinbad listened intently, taking in every word that passed her lips. She was as beautiful as ever, and it mesmerized the king. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her, silently wishing dawn would never come, because when it did, she'd have to leave. Sinbad snuggled even closer to Amirah -if it was possible- lightly kissing her as she ended off the song before the pair slowly drifted asleep- completely oblivious of what was yet to come.

~ 

Author's Note-

Hi I'm awkward and can't write smut for the life of me so if you need me I'll be crying in the corner over there *points to deepest depths of Hell* see ya~

(this chapters really long?? that's what she said???)