The huge army of scorpions was stationing around the Silver City. The spider tribes started to get scared. The rumours have it, that their king took the queen of the Scorpion King and Sarcos was furious. He was there to get his queen or to destroy their City to ashes.
Thurssa with Mehrat looked from the gates. The scorpion army stretched far and wide."King Sarcos love his queen deeply." Thurssa said."What a pity she is in my hands now."
Mehrat looked at him."Should we return her? Otherwise, Sarcos will kill us all."
"You silly, he would not attack while we have the queen. Let's go party!"Thurssa waved his hand nonchalantly.
Sienna was hiding in the gazebo when madame approached her with a delicate golden dress"Queen Sienna hurry up please, we have a party to attend. How is it so, you did not work on the present for a king?"Madame looked at her with a horrified expression. Sienna took the dress, "I'm not going inside by myself. Only with my guard.." she pointed at Samuel. The madame nodded, "He will wait for you in front of the door. Now quickly, let's hurry up, you don't want to make the king wait! Madame stressed out. Sienna went with her to a room to dress up. There were weird female attendants who helped Sienna into a tight corseted dress which was way too small, "I can't breathe." she said, "Make it loser. Please!" Sienna seriously gasped for air."This is the protocol." madame frowned and pulled Sienna's corset ribbons even tighter. Sienna felt she is suffocating. "I can't wear it, get me something else!"Sienna shouted in pain and ran out of the room, pushing the attendants away from her. She ran to Samuel who looked at the half-dressed queen in surprise. Sienna bumped into his chest in panic." Cut the ribbons fast, can't breathe." she called in a panic and collapsed into his arms breathless. Samuel saw she is not joking and cut the silken ribbons with his knife quickly. Sienna sat down and took a deep breath holding her thumping heart. When she stood up with Samuel's help, she felt dizzy like in a bad dream.The madame ran after Sienna."Come back and put it back on!"
" You are trying to kill me!"Sienna shouted in a rage and held Samuel's arm tight. Absolutely angry madame was about to slap Sienna's face when Samuel stopped her hand." "You know the punishment for harming the queen. You touch her and I can execute you right on the spot." he said seriously."I also have to report to the king, that you tried to kill the queen with the corset." Madame's face became pale. She retreated a few steps. All the concubines watched in awe. They all were bullied by madame. Sienna straighten up. She really liked the king's cruel order. It will help her to stay safe as long she keeps the guard with her."I need to pick a decent dress, I don't want my dress to be labelled eye sore, like last time, because of your incompetence!" Sienna lash out at madame, who stepped back. If she could she would kill her on the spot, but the king issued a death sentence for that, so she sighed, led Sienna to a room full of dresses and let Sienna choose. Sienna held Samuel's arm and went to pick with him. Samuel saw she felt threatened in there and followed. He did not want to face the king's rage if something happened to her, so he rather broke the harem rules. He will explain it to the king later. Sienna picked a sky blue light flowing gown with white sleeves, she wished to exaggerate her blue eyes. The arranged her golden hair half loose like a cascade of sun rays framing her face." I have to use some trickery to survive here..." she sighed in her mind and got ready for the ball.
Sienna followed the madame and the concubines into the hall entrance, but she refused to go in with them together." I will wait till they gave their presents to the king," she noted still clenching Samuel's arm. The Master of Ceremony did not want to cause a ruckus with the king's shiny new toy and let her do as she pleased. After the king received embroidered silken squares as a present from his concubines, he asked"Where is the queen Sienna? Did She refuse to come?" he furrowed his brows.
"No she is waiting at your pleasure, my king." the Master of Ceremony replied with the bow.
"Let her in." the king commanded impatiently. He was sitting on his throne like a party king with one leg over the armrest of his throne. He was dressed in a golden and silvery west and white blouse with long flowy sleeves with lace-decorated cuffs. Sienna walked in slowly and curtsied a little in front of him. She looked like a fairy in a blue flowing dress, which exaggerated her curves. Her long hair were her only jewel. She looked so unreal and pure next to the over-decorated concubines. "I have a gift for you, my king," she smiled sweetly.
"Your hands are empty...what is it? "Thurssa asked curiously.
"I have a poem for you, my king."Sienna smiled.
"How outrageous, "said Mehrat ."The poem is not a gift fit for a king!"
Sienna looked at him with pity." Don't judge what you can't understand servant. Value of my gift only true king can appreciate ." She knew after these words whatever king will think of her poem, he must at least pretend to be pleased because otherwise, he would be putting down his intelligence. She smiled at her trick from the Emperor's New Clothes tale. Thurssa nodded, he was curious. Sienna touched her heart and bowed her head down a little with a small curtsy smiling. Then she looked at the king with her beautiful blue tiger-like eyes and elegantly stretched her hand to her side, holding it up in the mid-air and recited theatrically.
"The sun shines golden, the moon is silvery round, but even the sparkling stars above are not so wonderfully, opulently bright as beauty within my king, covering us in this hall. I bow to your presence glorious king, the heart in clouds floating might by day, by night overbearing what immense would be sight."
Sienna tried to act theatre-like, exaggerating every word with soft movements of her hands, moving in slow and dramatic notion. She moved elegantly and it looked like a slow and expressive dance recital. Sienna watched dramas and history enough to see that this king is similar to the one called King the Sun and she was creating her poetry to please a narcissist. The king's eyes lit up."This is a lovely gift! You pleased me."He said."What would you like as a reward?"
"I would like to have a private walk with you in the gardens." Sienna smiled. Thurssa was so pleased. The queen was interested in him. He got down from his throne and asked her hand, "Let's dance, my queen."Sienna accepted the hand with a serene smile. Thurssa embraced her waist tightly. Sienna tried hard not to act scared as Thurssa danced extremely slowly with her. It felt like floating in the water. She tried to look into his two onyx black big eyes only and ignore the rest. He held her tight like an iron bar. He gazed into her blue eyes and Sienna try to look innocent much as possible."I dreamt of dancing with you."The king whispered."I wish to hear more of your wonderful poems...feel free to pour out your heart to me..." he swallowed hard and looked at her like a predator. Sienna averted her gaze from him."There is, but one condition, I can pour my heart to you, luscious king, and that is, not to hurt it with hard words and actions worthy of the beast, who ravage in the blood of innocent."
Thurssa looked at her curiously."Am I the first one to get a poem from you?"
Sienna nodded, "It was a precious gift from the vault within my heart, which locked is till the refined and kind, would find the key to free the floating words from the deepness of the light." she whispered innocently.
Thurssa looked into her blue eyes and felt elated. It seems the beautiful words just flew from the deepness of her heart.He danced with her for a few hours till he felt she is getting really tired." I apologize, my darhling, "he said when he seated her to a small setee," I forgot how hard day you had today."He smiled."You are excused to go to bed." Sienna bowed. King noted to Mehrat, who called Samuel to escort her. Sienna curtsied to the king with a serene smile and left the hall. She clenched onto Samuel's arm. "I wish to sleep in the gardens," she said. Samuel nodded and led her to a gazebo. He asked permission from Mehrat as he told him Sienna is terrified of the harem. She was allowed sleep there for one night. Samuel loosened the curtains on the gazebo creating an airy tent. Sienna made a little fortress from the cushions and hide in it to sleep."Good night Samuel." She said to the guard." Please don't leave me here alone." she asked. Samuel nodded. "Good night queen Sienna."
Sienna was so exhausted, that she fell asleep as she hit the soft cushions.