Badru paced the room, the panic within him rising by the second. Only his pride as a royal kept him from screaming in a frenzy. Oh Gods, I killed my slave! He thought, looking down at the possibly dead man on his bedroom floor. Badru stopped for a moment. Was he dead though? He wondered, wringing his hands. He should certainly check since it wasn't like he could ask someone else to do it.

Slowly, Badru tiptoed closer, almost as if expecting the body to jump up and grab him. He knelt down beside Aiden and hesitantly pressed a hand on his chest. He was still warm but that could quickly change. His own heart racing frantically but determined, Badru laid his head on Aiden's chest and listened.

His heart was beating.

Badru let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He relaxed and clung to Aiden's chest. He thanked the gods his slave was still alive. How terrible would it be if he'd killed him before he got to properly play with him?

Looking forward to that, Badru sat up and started to rock Aiden back and forth. "Aiden? Wake up!" He demanded, waiting for Aiden to obey. He didn't. Badru frowned and repeated himself, but the man stayed on his back. His hands twitched but that was all.

Badru touched Aiden's face but pulled away at how hot he felt. Much hotter than before. He cursed. Aiden had a fever! Badru jumped up and looked around, trying to find something to cool the man down. Some distance away was a pool Badru used to bath with. The sun had long since drifted away from the waters, so it was surely cool enough to help Aiden.

Badru tried to drag Aiden from under his armpits but the larger man was much too heavy for someone his size to move. After some minutes of grunting, struggling to move the man, he dropped him, panting as he tried to think of a way to move him. He was getting much too hot.

Just then, an idea popped into his mind. A brilliant plan! He ran over to his bed and pull a sheet off the bed and ran back to lay it down beside Aiden. He then rolled Aiden onto the sheet. At first, he praised himself for his genius before noting that the he was on his stomach so he had to do it again. Then he would reclaim the title of genius. As Badru struggled to roll Aiden over once more, his heart and mind raced, trying to figure out what was happening. What was wrong with Aiden? Was this his fault? Would Aiden die because of his impatience? He prayed he was just over thinking things but so far, the odds didn't bode well.

Soon Aiden was lying down on the sheet, blood dripping out of his nose and onto his sheets. Badru wanted to be enraged by the fact that a slaves blood was staining his fine silk sheet but he supposed there was nothing that could be done about this. He was the one at fault. Tugging on the sheet, he found that he still couldn't move the larger man. The bastard was too damn heavy! He soon gave up on that task and paced the floor once more, unsure of what to do next. He was panicking too much to think clearly and the noise from outside wasn't helping either! He was about to stomp out there and tell everyone to leave when he heard someone call for him.

"Your majesty?" A man called, not entering or coming near his door. Badru wanted to ignore him, since he had other pressing matters to attend to but the man kept knocking. The young prince stomped a foot, nearly lost his temper. He wanted so much to chew the man out for bothering him, perhaps use some of the methods of torment he'd made up for Manu to teach him a lesson. Instead, he bit his thumb and let out a breath. After a few breaths, his heart was slowed down some.

"Yes, what is it?" He called out in his most princely voice. "I am very busy right now." He looked down at Aiden and grimaced as he tried to keep calm. Something about the sight of Aiden like this bothered Badru much more than he'd like to admit.

"I apologize, your majesty. " He replied. "I would never dream of bothering you when you are ... entertaining, but his majesty, Prince Manu is outside, looking for you. He wishes for you to come out."

On the other side of the door, Badru was silently cursing. How stupid was he?! He should have known Manu would come back here. He should have gone somewhere else. But he had no time to dwell on 'should haves'.

"Did you tell him I was here?" He asked, hoping he'd have some time to get away. Manu was quick witted and could find Badru much quicker than he could hide from the man. And when he we found... Ugh, Manu would lose it if he saw that Badru may have killed his slave within an hour of owning him. He could already hear the man lecturing him about 'responsibility' and 'tact' as if he was a child..

"Nay, your majesty." The man replied, shocking Badru out of his imagining. "I had thought that you might want some more time with your... new toy and did not wish to interrupt unless you wished it." Badru let out a breath of relief. This was perfect. Considering what Manu had seen this morning, there was no way he was going to come in again. He might faint from the sight.

"Good, then tell him I am not here." He ordered, looking around. "Also, be sure to keep everyone away from my room. I do not wish to be disturbed again."

"Yes, your majesty." He replied, leaving Badru with his thoughts. He had assumed that the slave had left had left but was shocked when he spoke again. "A-are you sure there is nothing else you wish of me, master? If you are... willing to excuse my brazen tongue, I would kindly request... to assist you with your slave." He stammered, clearly nervous but his own desire pushing him forward. The thought of anyone touching his slave beside him sharpened his tone.

"Are you questioning me?" He snapped, annoyed by this man's insistence. How dare he try to push himself onto Aiden? Aiden belonged to Badru and he'd be damned before he let some low level servant touch his Aiden. Truly, he was being too damn nice to theses ingrates. "I told you I do not wished to be disturbed again!"

"A-a thousand apologies, master!" He cried, his voice muffled somewhat. He must have been groveling as he begged forgiveness. Badru sighed, still a bit miffed that lowly slaves desired his Aiden. He frowned, turning to stare at the man in question. He truly was magnificent but Badru was growing quite possessive of the slave. worriedly so, perhaps? It was quite unbecoming of him. Just the, moonlight caught the golden collar around Aiden's neck and glimmered softly. It gave Badru an idea.

"Wait, do not leave yet!" He called, opening the door slightly. "I do have a task for you." The man rushed forward, kneeling before Badru. He unabashedly tried to peek around Badru to see Aiden but Badru was having none of that. He stomped his foot, effectively regaining the slave's attention once more.

"Y-yes, your majesty?" He asked, staring at the ground. Badru wanted to punish the man, just for trying to peek at Aiden but held it in. He needed this guy and whipping him would not help.

"I want you to go to the temple nearby and call on a man named Masud." He ordered. "If he is not there, tell anyone around that Prince Badru demands he comes to my chamber immediately. Also, give him this message." He leaned in close to whisper in the man's ear. "'The gates are closed to the moons light.'" Moving back, he stared down at the man. :You are not to let anyone see you or know where it is that you are going. Understood?" The man nodded. "Good. Now go and be swift about it."

The servant ran off, not looking back. He probably expected a punishment later for his arrogance and he wouldn't be wrong about it. But depending on how fast he was, the punishment might be light.

*****

Badru spent another hour or so staring at Aiden as he laid on the sheet, unmoving. He'd managed to get him some distance from his original spot but not by much. He wanted to take some of the now cold water to Aiden by hand but the water always slipped through his fingers before he could get to him. He sighed, wanting to scream. Where was Masud!? He thought impatiently. I swear, if he is not here soon, I will-

"You called for me, my prince?"

Badru jumped to his feet, turning toward the sound of the smooth and alluring voice. As usual, Badru felt his heart race and his breath grow faint as he searched for the man. Surprisingly though, said feeling was a lot less intense than he recalled it being. His heart still raced but it felt different from the racing heart he suffered when dealing with Aiden. Masud always made him feel cornered but compared to the reaction Aiden brought out in him, Badru felt like he could actually breath. This pleased the prince a little, settling his nerves just a bit. He'd be less distracted now.

With a scowl, Badru crossed his arms and sat back on his bed. He bounced a bit, which almost made him smile but he resisted. "Masud, do not bother with this nonsense. I do not feel like indulging you today." He scolded. "I have need of you and I do not wish to waste time with theatrics."

There was a moment of silence before a soft chuckle drifted from the shadows. From one of the shadowed corners of his room, a man in black materialized, seemingly cooling the air with his arrival. He stepped into the room like he had just entered from a doorway none but he could see. It had bothered Badru before, back when he was a lot more curious and awed by the man's actions, but soon learned not to question it. Masud was arrogant enough as it was. There was no need to feed his ego by gushing over such things.

Masud pulled back his hood, to reveal a face that was.... Strange. He was handsome, that was true, but in a very weird way. His features were very sharp and rigid, like his face was made of stone that was chiseled crudely. His hair was mostly black but had a long stripe of white hair right down the middle. His skin was as tanned as Badru's but his eyes were the real oddity. They changed color every time he appeared. Today, his eyes were green, the same lovely shade as Aiden's.

Bastard. Badru thought, knowing the man did so on purpose. He loved doing things like that. Masud took two steps into the room and knelt down in front of Badru, touching his forehead with Badru's foot as usual.

"It has been a long time since you've called for me, my prince." He stated, looking up at Badru without asking if he could. Anyone else would have risked a whipping for such arrogance. The fact he dared to look into his eyes without permission spoke volumes but Badru had long since accepted this. "What is it that you needed from me with such haste?" Badru pointed at Aiden.

"I want you to take Aiden, the man behind you, to my tub and put him in there." He replied, his expression blank. Masud blinked, frowning in confusion as he stared at Badru. Badru could practically see the thoughts darting about his mind at his request. It wasn't a reaction that the prince was expecting and it took quite a bit of restraint to resist chuckling at the sight. Masud seemed to recover somewhat as he spoke.

"Pardon?" He said, his tone rich with utter confusion.

"Did I stutter? I asked you to take this man to the tub." He repeated, feeling impatient since Aiden had yet to cool down despite his efforts. Masud turned to look back at Aiden, raised an eyebrow and turned back to Badru. He blinked, definitely confused by the request.

"I mean no offense, my prince but.... You are aware that I am not a servant, correct?" He countered, clearly annoyed but hiding it well. "This is work for common slaves, not one such as me."

"I know very well what you are." He replied, lying. He had no clue what Masud was. No one seemed to know what he was. All anyone knew was that he was most definitely not human. Badru wasn't sure about that but Manu was convinced he was anything but human. "But we have an open ended agreement between us, so do it."

Masud said nothing for a moment before sighing. "As you wish." He replied, bowing his head until his forehead touched Badru's foot. "But I would like to request my payment first." Badru slumped his shoulders in exasperation. Here we go. Masud continued. "Why am I doing this task?"

Badru watched him stroll over toward Aiden before answering. "I believe he has a fever and.... I fear I may have hurt him to the point that he may die. I do not want that to happen." He replied, honestly, looking away embarrassed. Just as he was about to make an excuse his chest clenched tight. He gasped, clutching his chest as heat raced through his torso. Panting, he waited it out, knowing the pain would end soon. In the meantime, he grimaced as he felt something in his chest being tugged, like something was being taken from him. After a few moments of pressure, the heat eased and he felt his breath flow smoothly through him.

I really hate paying Masud. He thought, rubbing his now cooling chest. No matter how many times he paid, it never got any easier. Masud was a strange man. He wasn't one to take anything physical or of any real value as payment. All he ever asked for in return for his services were one of two things. Favors or secrets. Badru wasn't sure what Masud's other customers paid him with but Badru mostly paid him in secrets, his own. To date, Badru only owed Masud one favor and from the rumors he had heard whispered about the mysterious man, he feared what that favor would eventually be.

A splash brought him out of his thoughts. Badru stood up to see Masud standing by the pool, staring at the surface. At first, Badru wasn't sure what the man was waiting for but soon he heard bubbles and ran forward. Badru pushed Masud out of the way and jumped into the waist high water. The water was frigid from the night air but Badru ignored it as he pulled Aiden to the surface. The man coughed out some water but still remained unconscious. Badru gently patted him on the back before glaring at Masud.

"You asked that I place him in the water. You never asked that I make sure his head stayed above the water." He explained, kneeling beside the pool. "You should know that you must be specific when asking anything of me... My prince." He added, almost an afterthought.

Badru glowered, but said nothing. He was right. He always forgot that Masud, despite being an amazing... Whatever he was, the man was devious. No wonder he asked for payment upfront.

Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, Badru pulled Aiden's body, which was now lighter in the water, to the side, where the two could sit and Badru could clean him. Even in the frigid water, Aiden's skin was still hot. He took a rag from the bowl beside the water and rubbed some clean soap into lather. He started with Aiden's face, wanting to see the man's handsome face without all the grime and dirt in the way. It wasn't easy since Badru had no clue whether or not he was actually cleaning Aiden at all. His skin was deeply tanned by the sun. When he was done, he had to just assume the slave was clean.

He stroked Aiden's clean face. Gods, he was handsome, even more so than he anticipated. He really was grateful to have such a good looking slave. All his. He couldn't wait to play with Aiden. He ran the rag over the expanse of Aiden's chest and bit his lip. He really wished Aiden was awake so he could gaze into his deliciously beautiful eyes and share another kiss. Maybe feel those big arm wrap around him and-

"What has made you so happy, my prince?" Masud asked, regaining Badru's attention. He was now crouching beside the pool, resting his arms on his knees as he gazed at the two. "I don't think I've ever seen such a content smile from you." The smile was immediately replaced by a grimace.

"Huh?" Badru turned, staring at Masud like he was crazy. "Whatever do you mean? A-anyone would smile when gazing at such a handsome man such as this." He insisted, resuming his task of removing the dirt from Aiden's body.

"I suppose so but for you do be so happy bathing someone 'beneath you'," He said, watching Badru with an unfamiliar look. Those eyes were making him nervous. Sometimes he wondered if the man could see more than he said with how probing his gaze is sometimes. "I must say, I am quite surprised." At first, Badru didn't understand what he meant. Why would he be so surpri- The young prince flinched, realizing the error in his ways but finding it hard to stop. Again, Badru wondered if this is what other slave owners did. He'd never heard of others bathing their slaves themselves but he also hated the thought of letting others do it instead and see his slave naked. Of running their hands all over his well toned body. No! Even if it wasn't right or appropriate, he wasn't letting anyone else touch this man. Aiden was his slave.

"P-perhaps but that is none of your concern!" He scolded, glowering at Masud, who gazed back impassively. "What is your concern is my next task for you."

"I am to do more, then?" He asked, looking a bit impatient, though it really didn't show externally. Considering how often Badru called upon him, he'd learned how to read Masud subtle changes sometimes.

"Yes. Your next task is to help me awaken him." He stated, hiding his frustration at not being able to do this himself. He didn't want to share the little time he had with Aiden with others, especially this snake."I seem to have done something to cause Ai- this slave to fall into a deep sleep in which it seems impossible to wake him up from. I would have feared him dead if not for his heart still beating."

Masud said nothing for a moment. In fact, he wasn't even looking at Badru anymore. His eyes were glued to Aiden's neck, noting the glint of gold winking at him from beneath the slaves hair. He moved closer and hooked his finger into Aiden's collar.

"What is this and where did you get it from? What did you do?" He demanded, his tone a mite bit sharper than usual. When Badru cocked a brow at his demand, Masud relaxed, his tone even. "How do you expect me to fix him if I know nothing of what has happened?" With a grimace and a long moment of silence, Badru reluctantly retold the story from when Badru bought Aiden to their current predicament. He excluded the parts about them nearly having sex and his bout with the guards. He knew that would have to be his payment for a later date. At the end of the tale, Masud had his hand to his face and was shaking his head.

"Well!?" He demanded, holding Aiden cooling body to him. "Can you fix him or not?!"

"Yes and no." He replied, running his hand down his face. "What I mean is that, yes, I could cure him, but there is no reason to. To be honest, he is just suffering from a migraine from your previous order." Badru thought about this and recalled his order. He grimaced as he thought about the implication. He, who understood little about magic, probably should have thought better than to demand someone learn an entire language that fast.

"I see that you realize your mistake." Masud continued. "Anyway, I can awaken him now but it would be much less painful for him to just stay asleep. He will wake up on his own soon enough." Badru nodded, relieved. After some silence, Masud spoke again. "If that was all you need from me, my prince, I will be going now." He said, turning to leave.

"Stop!" He said, stilling the retreating man. He looked away from Masud and instead gazed at Aiden, pushing his wet hair out of his face. "I still have need of you. I cannot carry Aiden to my bed by myself so I need you to do it."

Masud turned, his impatience clear to see. "As you wish but as payment, I ask why you truly want me to stay." He replied, staring down at Badru. The prince stared back. "I know there is more to this request than you are saying."

Badru scowled at the man. Damn him for being able to see through him. "Fine, I also need you here to keep from accosting him in this state." He explained, his face burning with embarrassment. He wasn't lying. He really was tempted to play with Aiden now, despite being out cold. It didn't help that Aiden seemed to realize he was being touched and his body reacted to said touch. The cold water did nothing to ease the rigidity of Aiden's cock. It was very firm in his hands and he feared if he spent too much time on that one part of his anatomy, the two would never leave and it'd be Badru who got sick.

"I do not see why you should care, my prince." Masud retorted, annoying Badru. "As a prince and descendant of gods, nothing you do can be put under scrutiny. Why hold back at all?"

"What kind of bastard do you think I am?!" He cried, jumping up to glare up at Masud. "I may be of divine blood but I know it is not right to touch someone when they cannot refuse. I admit to the temptation but I am stronger than that. I am not so low as to do all that. Do not insult me!" He shouted, greatly offended to even have such words spoke. Father might be one to force affection but not he. He would not dishonor his brother in such a way by stooping so low. Masud, instead of cowering in the wake of Badru's rant, smiled and bowed to him.

"I am glad then." He replied, smoothly. "I would hate to have to help such a horrid person had you answered differently."

Badru crossed his arms and glared at Masud. "Were you testing me?" He demanded, annoyed by the mans audacity. "I do not think that is a wise action for someone in your line of work, do you not agree?"

Masud shrugged, walking forward and lifting Aiden from under his arms out of the bath. "I suppose so but seeing as I am armed with your deepest darkest secrets, I fear little for my well being." He answered, smiling knowingly.

"You are quite the arrogant one, Masud." He stated, shaking his head. "What happened to the man who used to kiss my feet?"

"That man washed the sand out of his mouth and used his brain to gain a reputation." He replied, making Badru chuckle as he followed after him.

*****

Badru stared at Aiden as he lay on the bed. He had been waiting quite some time and the slave still remained asleep. He was no longer hot to the touch but Badru was getting impatient. And bored. He looked over at Masud, whom he found to be looking over some scroll with great concentration.

"What is that you are reading?" Badru asked, willing for some kind of entertainment. At first, Masud said nothing. In fact, he didn't even react to Badru's question. He was going to complain, but was stopped when Masud turned to him.

"I am making notes of our transaction." He replied, turning back to writing something onto the papyrus. "This is quite the record for me. Four tasks from the same person. I must take note of this." Badru frowned at this, thinking back to his requests.

"I am pretty sure you are mistaken, Masud." Badru stated, raising an eyebrow. "I've only asked three things of you. Has your old age muddled your mind?" He teased. Masud didn't smile back and instead stared past Badru.

"I am not mistaken, my prince." He said, turning away. Just then, a knock sounded. Badru turned to the door just in time to see a man walk in. Badru recognized him. He was on of his father's aides. Delightful.

Badru stood up as the man entered. He was glad he'd decided to change into his night clothes before. Nights in the palace were cold enough as it was. "What do you want?" He demanded, folding his arm across his chest. "You know better than to burst into my bedroom. What would you have done if I were otherwise occupied?" He joked, knowing the man disliked his loose appetite.

The older man barely hid his disgust as his gaze fell onto Aiden. Badru felt some degree of anger at that look. How dare he look down on Aiden? Yes, he was of a lower status but Aiden was superior to this man on every other point. Handsome, strong and huge where it counted. Badru knew that this old badger wasn't even close to Aiden in size, though he'd never seen it. Call it instinct

As if sensing Badru's glare, the man turned back to him and bowed. "I apologize, Prince ." He retorted, sounding like he was spitting his title at him. Why his father kept this man was a mystery. Badru had tried to have the man, at the very least, removed but his father had always stopped him. "But who were you talking to before?"

"Pardon?" Badru replied, confused.

"I am sure I heard someone else talking before I entered. But I see only that man over there." He said. He continued but Badru had stopped listening. He instead looked behind him to find that Masud was gone. That made sense. The man, quite the professional, made sure he stayed out of the sight of regular folk. Only his clients knew of him.

"Well, as you can see, I am alone." Badru interrupted, wanting him gone. He hated this old bastard. "Now stop wasting my time and tell me why you are bothering me." The old man grimaced but continued.

"Yes, my prince." He said through gritted teeth. "The Pharaoh is calling for you and his majesty, Prince Manu. There seems to be something big happening in the coming weeks that he feels you must know."

"My father? What does he want to tell me?" Badru asked, his tone confused. Father didn't talk to him all that much. Since he was third in line, there was no need for that. What was so important that both he and Manu were being called?

"I do not know but he wishes you to come down to meet him in the throne room in the hour." He stated, already turning to leave. "Please do not be late."

Badru stood there, staring at the door, before his head snapped toward Masud, whom was smiling slyly at Badru. He had reappeared just as suddenly as he had disappeared. How he did that without making a sound was a mystery for another day, however.

"H-how did you-"

"My prince," Masud interrupted, standing up and towering over the prince. "You know I require information as payment for my troubles. News such as the one you are about to receive is valuable indeed."

Badru glowered at Masud. "And what information is this?" He demanded. "You seem to think you will get something else out of me but I don't see how that would be the case. I need nothing more from you."

"Do you, now?" He asked, crossing his arms. "Then I suppose you were just planning on leaving your slave here, unguarded and alone?" Badru flinched. "I told you he is going to wake up soon. And I don't think you gave him any instructions to stay here and hidden before he fell into this sleep. What are you going to do if he wakes up and attempts to escape, or worse, hurts someone on his way out? At the very least, he'll be beaten within an inch of his life in his currently weakened state."

"So what are you suggesting?" Badru retorted, his expression showing nothing. Masud was taking way too much pleasure in his inner panic. The thought of Aiden leaving him made his chest hurt, much like when he made payments to Masud. The notion that Aiden would be gone... He hated the thought but he didn't want to make anymore payments. He was not going to provide anymore. "That you would watch him and keep him here?"

Masud nodded. "For a price." He replied his smile cooling down until he had a deceptively content smile.

"Another secret?" He asked, hopefully. He knew it was too much to hope for but he didn't want to think of the alternatives. When Masud shook his head, Badru knew those alternatives were now unavoidable. "You want another favor from me?"

"I don't think it's too much of a price, my prince." He replied. He turned to look at the sleeping Aiden. "Otherwise, you'd have to trust this man in the hands of one of your lustful servants. Who knows what they might do with you out of the room."

Badru clenched his fist. Damn it! Masud was correct. Badru wasn't sure if Manu was still looking for Aiden. So he couldn't leave the man by himself. And if he left Aiden with anyone else, he might end up beating the servants out of blind possessiveness. People would think he was the sadistic prince instead of Manu. He sighed. What was happening to him? Badru felt like he was going crazy and Aiden had only been with him for less than a day!

"Can you handle him?" Badru asked, his tone a bit drained. "Manu said that he seemed pretty dangerous. He is really strong." He shivered as he recalled being held down beneath him.

"And yet, here he is." Masud muttered, earning a glare from Badru. Masud held his hands up in surrender. "I apologize. But please trust me, my prince." Masud said, kneeling down to kiss Badru's hand. "I assure you that your slave will remain here until you return. You have my word."

For some reason, Badru felt like that Masud was lying. But why would he? He never had before.