Mate of a Desert Prince

Badru stared at his brother, confused and a bit afraid. What was he going on about now? A monster? Who was he talking about?

"I do not understand you, Manu." He replied, trying to move away but finding his path blocked. "What monster do you mean?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Manu could be so dramatic sometimes.

Manu glared down at Badru and slammed his hand beside Badru's head, watching him flinch. "You know who I mean." He growled. "That snake-like bastard! The self proclaimed merchant or some nonsense."

Badru stared at him with confusion for a moment before gasping. "Oh, you mean Masud." He stated, watching his brother clench his teeth at the name. Badru rolled his eyes. Was that what his brother was getting all over dramatic about? Really? It wasn't that big of a deal. "Yes, I invited him but only because I needed him." He admitted, unrepentantly. "What is wrong with that?"

"What is wrong with that?!" He repeated, looking ready to strike Badru. But he knew Manu wouldn't do so. He wasn't like that. "I told you not to invite that bastard into the palace and yet you continue to do so."

Badru smirked, unconcerned. "Of course I do." He replied, snorting dismissively. "There are plenty of things you tell me not to do that I do anyway. I do not understand why you seem so surprised about this."

"You refusing to listen to me about how to handle conversations with nobles at dinner or trying to set up an orgy to welcome foreigners is not the same as this!" He snarled, not amused. "Masud knows too much about you as it is. If he gets his hand on something dangerous, whose to say he will not just sell it to anyone whose willing to pay? What little of a positive reputation you have will be lost."

Again, Badru rolled his eyes. "Oh please as if that should matter to me." He retorted, shrugging. "I am a prince. Nothing I do can be judged by any except for those above me. And I am sure they will not look poorly upon me for my pleasure of the flesh."

"It will not only be you will be affected, Badru." He stated, grabbing Badru's chin and twisting it so that the two were face to face. Again, the strange glow of his brothers eyes floored him in their luminescence. The color was wrong but they reminded him somewhat of Aiden's eyes.

Badru's heart started to race at the thought of his slave. That shouldn't be the case but couldn't be helped, could it? Aiden was certainly a strange one. He was prideful couldn't be a slave. No prince would allow such an indignity, so tossed the thought aside.

Distracted as he was, he only heard part of Manu's words. "...I do not want your desires to come at my expense. You must-"

Badru drew himself up and glared at Manu. "Come at your expense?! What? Do you think I give up your secrets? Do you think that I might someday, on a whim, reveal a secret of yours?" He challenged, hoping he was wrong.

"I-I am not saying you would purposely do so but you are very impulsive." He explained, looking less angry and more... Pitying? Bastard!

"Oh, so I am too impulsive to think things through? As if I would just offhandedly give up one if your secrets like an idiot." He snarled, pushing Manu away angrily. He moved to leave but was yet again stopped by Manu. His glare was met with a look of brotherly concern.

"I am not saying you are stupid, Badru." He pleaded, like he hadn't just insulted Badru. If he wasn't so enraged at that moment, Badru would be laughing at how the tables had turned. Manu continued. "I am just saying that you tend to lack... Insight."

Badru slapped his hand off and glared at Manu. The two stared at each in the limited torch light.

"That might be true, brother." He admitted, scowling. "I tend not think things through enough and that causes problems for everyone, including you." He glowered up at Manu. "But when have I ever betrayed your trust?!"

He snatched his hand away and ran off, ignoring his brother pleas for him to stop and listen. He ran as tears threatened to fall. How disgraceful. Him, a prince nearly crying over some words.

But at least no one could see him.

***

Badru walked through the empty hall in silence. Luckily, he'd managed to stay away from anyone roaming the halls of the place. It would be quite unbecoming to be caught with red trimmed eyes from crying before. Gods, how terrible would if be to be caught like this. Crying like a woman. He leaned against the wall and let out a shaky breath. He felt so tired now. It was late into the night and the cool night air spurred him to seek to the warmth of his bed. Except, Aiden was there. He sighed.

He still felt a bit bad about that order he gave him. Maybe he was a bit too impulsive, at least when it came to Aiden. But Masud would take care of him. The man may be mysterious and devious at times but he always did his job. He could, at the very least, be trusted to complete a task as simple as this. Speaking of Masud, how did Manu know he was here? It made no sense.

On that note, why did Manu hate Masud so much? It wasn't as bad as his brothers hatred for Akil, for sure, but that made sense! Akil was an asshole. But Masud? He seemed to be on good terms with Manu. At least, that's what he got from what Masud had told him. It was because of Manu that Badru had even met Masud at all. He-

His pondering thoughts were interrupted by the incoming sounding of footsteps rushing toward him. Before he could even turn around, someone rushed passed him, knocking him to the ground. Hitting the floor with a thud, he turned to see the figure that had knocked him over run around the corner before he could blink. Badru cursed, frustrated at the new set of tears threatening to fall. The ground was mostly pressed sand so hitting the ground had scrapped him up a bit, the sand making the wounds burn. Already, he could see a plethora of cuts on his arms and legs.

Cringing, he sat up, careful not to irritate his new cuts. Damn, he was being a baby tonight. He thought he'd gotten past this after he'd gotten old enough. A bark interrupted his self deprecation. He looked up to see a large dog rushing toward him. The hound was brown and furry. It wasn't like any other dog Badru had ever seen. Its ears were pointy and its muzzle wasn't the same as the palace hounds. Before he could study the hound more, it stopped before him and stared at him for a moment. Badru stared back before offering his hand for the dog to smell. It ignored the hand and leaned forward to lick Badru's face. Laughing, Badru ran a hand over the dogs head, liking the softness of its fur. As he played with the hounds fur, the guards arrived, panting. Again, they weren't the ones Badru had played with before. Clearly, there were more than just those two guards in the palace.

"Your majesty, are you alright?" They asked, watching the hound as it circled Badru, growling at the two. It seemed like it was trying to protect him. How interesting. Badru tried to stand up but his cuts hurt enough to make him nearly stumble.

Before he could even blink, the hound had put itself beneath him, effectively holding him up. It probably knew that he collapsing like that would have been bad. What a good dog. He thought, smiling. He turned to glare at the guards.

"What is going on? Who was that?" He demanded, watching the men straighten up.

"Your majesty, we apologize." One replied, his head bowed. "We saw him running down the hall. We believe he was being chased by that dog." He pointed to the hound, who growled ferociously at the offending guard. The man flinched but relaxed as Badru reached down to pet the dogs head. He immediately relaxed.

"An intruder?"

"We think so." The second guard answered.

"Then what are you waiting for? Go after them." He ordered. The two looked from their prince to the dog at his feet.

"But... What about the dog?" He asked, staring at the dog warily. Badru raised a brow at them.

"Did I misspeak? Go." He ordered. They jumped to rush past Badru. Sighing, Badru leaned on the wall. He looked down at the dog, who pressed against his legs. He frowned. "You don;t look like one of the palace hounds. Where did you come from?" He asked, stroking its fur.

He stared up at him, its golden eyes shining up in the dim torch light. They were the same shade as Aiden's when they first bought him. Wait. Why had his eyes changed color since then? Was Aiden like Masud?

Badru's mood plummeted at the thought of the strange man. Badru was still quite upset over his conversation with Manu. How could he say such things? He'd never betrayed his brother, even when he could very easily could. Manu's shyness wasn't his only secret nor was it his worst. But still...

The dog whined, sensing Badru's sadness. He cuddled close to the prince, seeking to comfort him. Smiling, Badru pet the dog.

"Thank you." He sighed. His stomach rumbled. "I am quite hungry. What about you?" He asked. The dog barked, sticking close as Badru moved past him. "Lets go then."

***

The two sat in one of the spare bedrooms. Badru sat on the bed, watching the dog gorge on his meal. Apparently, the dog was very hungry. It was fun to watch him eat so zealously though.

"You act like you haven't eaten in days." He said, laughing. The hound gave him a look that made Badru think he was being glared at but Badru wasn't scared. While he may be the most well liked prince among his brothers, (probably because of all the orgies he organized.) he much preferred the company of dogs. He never had to censor his words or worry about judgment from them.

"Well, since I have you you here, I suppose I could vent a little." He muttered to himself. The dog didn't stop eating. At most, his ear flicked up and towards him. So at least he was listening. "Good, you agree! I knew you would." Relaxing, Badru retold of his conversation with Manu, excluding the part with their father. There was no need to dwell on that. At the end, Badru felt strangely better than before. Perhaps talking about things that upset you did help.

"To be honest, I did not expect him to get so mad about Masud. I know they argue a lot but I figured that was just because they are contrasting personalities." He stated. To this day, Badru still had no idea what had occurred between them. Manu refused to tell, stating that Masud was a two-faced bastard that should never be trusted and Masud... Masud would just give a strange smile and reply by saying 'I did what was best for him, even if he hates me for it'. Clearly, those two had a history neither were going to elaborate on. Sighing, Badru continued.

"I mean, I only invited him because I was worried about Aiden." He stated, staring up at the ceiling. "I most certainly did not mean to but I made him pass out because of my order. And why did I do it? So I could prove that Aiden was harmless since Manu insisted that he was dangerous. I had to prove him wrong." He sat up and turned to the dog. The dog turned to him, as if wondering what he was talking about. "Exactly! If Manu had been more accepting of Aiden, then I would not have needed to give him the order, he would have remained conscious and I would not have needed to summon Masud in the first place!" He said, confident. "So, really, this is all his fault, not mine!" He concluded.

The dog was silent, watching him with a look that said 'who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?'

"I am in the right!" He insisted, pouting. "I am not the villain here!" The dog snorted, burying his head back into his food, Badru snickered at him. He looked so strange there, acting all high and mighty with his muzzle covered with food. Badru sat by himself on the bed, watching his companion continue to eat. He rested his head on his curled up knees.

"I beg you, not to misunderstand me, my friend, I am not a virgin." He stated, drawing the dogs attention once more. "I have had sex with many men and women..." The dog growled at this, confusing the prince. What a strange dog. Despite the clear displeasure of his four legged companion, he continued. "But Aiden is different."

At this, his companion seemed to calm down, though his ears were still raised with aggression.

"I am very open about my sexual desires. I invite any who wish to play but with him... While I like men a bit more than woman, I am usually the one on top." He explained, staring above the dogs head. "But with Aiden, I doubt that would be the case. He's..." He searched for the words. Finding none, he decided to retell their short interlude in the store room. It was easier to explain himself if his companion knew more about their very short relationship.

Strange how comfortable he was with this animal. Almost as comfortable as talking to Manu. Tossing the thought aside, he continued. "Please understand that I do want him. Oh, do I want him." He sighed, rubbing his face with a hand. "Probably more so than is appropriate for someone in my position. But with Aiden, I am unable to do so because... well, I fear it will be more on his terms rather than on mine. I won't be his bottom bitch! I mean, I am a prince! I cannot have someone beneath me have his way with me like he wants." No matter how much the thought sent blood rushing south.

Out of nowhere, the dog leapt up and over the bed, pushing Badru onto his back. After crying out in shock, Badru glared at the dog.

"What are you..." He stopped when he saw the dog lay on top of him, looking down at him regally. Badru grinned. "Oh, you wish to play, do you? Well then, my friend, prepare thy self for a defeat most foul!" He cried, pushing the large dog off of him. After about five minutes, Badru found himself beneath the hound once more. The dogs tail wagged furiously, sliding against his bare legs.

He pouted up at the winner. "Alright, I admit you are stronger but this is not the end." He proclaimed, panting heavily. His companion looked down at him with what look like a doggy smirk.

Slumping back onto the bed, Badru let the dog remain on top of him. He was sweating and the cold night air was being staved off by the dogs warm fur.

"Just so you know, I will not be sleeping with you." He joked, laughing as he relaxed beneath the hound. "I am solely attracted to males of my own species. My dick is not that indiscriminate."

The dog shook it's head at the prince, clearly skeptical. Badru let his eyes drift closed. "Thank you." He sighed, feeling the dog move a bit. "For listening to me, I mean, Though, I must admit that you did not really gave much say in being here, since I did feed you. Still, I appreciate that company." He let out a breath. "It can be quite lonely here. I have Manu to talk to but... for matters where he is the problem, I have no one to talk to. Mother is too engrossed in her material desires to even talk to me most days and father?" He grimaced in disgust. "I dislike even on his best days. As such, I tend to just voice my concerns to the palace hounds. Which makes me all the more pathetic."

The moment of silence was shared between them, the night breeze and their even breaths filled the night air. Suddenly, Badru felt something wet against his cheek. He opened his eyes just in time to see the hound lick his face. Wiping his face clean, Badru looked up his companion affectionately. As he shared up into those intelligence gold eyes, he saw himself reflected back, even in the darkness. Hair as black as night. Skin deeply tanned by his wondrous desert sun. Dark eyes that shone with the strength worthy of a prince. He smiled and stroked his companions furry cheek.

"Good night, my friend."