"Goodnight, Mistress. Thank you again for all the help."
She left, and he went through the doors as they were opened by a pair of towering, silent guards. A short hallway spilled into the banquet hall, though behind a wall that cleverly concealed it and created a useful alcove to fix clothes and such. A servant bowed and guided him from there, to the royal table itself, which of course he'd known that was where he was going, but to actually be here…
Well, it was certainly an experience, being invited to dine with a king instead of to show up in his bedroom later. As handsome and compelling as Shafiq was, Jankin might have accepted such an invitation, even if he was growing weary of them lately, but as he understood, that sort of behavior was taboo for a king. Spouse and concubines, that was it. Andreally, who could ever truly need more than that? It sounded wonderful.
"Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Your Majesty. It's quite the honor."
King Shafiq waved a hand to dismiss the words in a way that only a king could. "Your dance was the most incredible I have ever seen, Master Jankin. We are honored to have you."
"I do not usually feel blessed about the troubles that befall me," Eshar Halikazen said, smiling warmly, "but I admit that finding myself waylaid has gone rather well this time."
Beside him was another man, a foreigner he could not identify at a glance, who smiled in a way that seemed friendly enough, and probably was, but with an undercurrent that Jankin knew well. Not just a desire to invite Jankin to his room later, but an understanding that Jankin would accept. An assumption he would get what he wanted.
Normally, Jankin wouldn't entirely mind, because there were far worse ways to spend an evening. But Shafiq had invited him todine, to simply spend time with him, and even if he did lust after Jankin, he treated him politely, did not subtly leer, or take it as understood that they would be fucking later. He did not, in short, abuse his power.
Until that moment, Jankin hadn't truly realized just how much all the leering and soliciting truly bothered him. He loved attention, always had and always would, but he had long grown tired of being treated like an object. So he smiled back neutrally, friendly and grateful, but not invitingly. Hopefully this stranger would respect that, but unfortunately, people in power seldom liked hearing no.
"Here," said the ridiculously beautiful concubine beside him. Between the unfairly handsome Shafiq and the breathtaking concubines, there was entirely too much pretty at this table, and it was driving him mad. But oh, what a way to losehis mind. "Try this one. It's light, sweet and refreshing. You must have worked for years and years to dance so perfectly."
The wine was just as perfect as promised.
"Thank you," he said. "I've been dancing nearly as long as I've been alive."
He hadn't believed the rumors about twin concubines, but here they were, plain as day. One in sapphires, one in rubies, but otherwise practically perfect copies of each other. One had slightly darker skin, like he saw a touch more sun than the other, and he also had a…quieter wasn't the right word, but he didn't move quite like his twin, as though sapphire had more training, or was more familiar in general than the other with the ways of the court. Or maybe he was making things up in his head.
"You've really been dancing most of your life?" the concubine asked.
"I was put into basic instruction when I was three, and have been dancing ever since. It was good money for my family, while I was home. But after my father passed away, my mother remarried a woman with plenty of money of her own, and I finally started traveling the world, instead of the short trips I'd been making before. I was about seventeen when I left home for good, and went back briefly some years ago, stayed for a couple of years, then left again. I've learned dancing all over the world, and there are very few countries I have not danced in yet. Only those that aren't safe, or where I fear they would compel me to remain."
"I know the ones you mean," Shafiq said. "I have forbidden travel to those places because too many people have gone and never returned. Some of them we managed to get back, others I'm afraid are lost forever."
The mostly-empty platters and carafes on the table were deftly swept away by servants, and another set laid out. Eventhe wines were all completely new, making him wonder what became of the carafes that had not been entirely empty.
This course seemed to be lighter food, and given he'd been told the meal would continue for some hours yet, probably a refresher course before richer foods showed up again. He looked over it all, curious about the foods he did not recognize, and caught the eye of the large, broad concubine he'd seen before. "You must be the one they call the Jackal that I heard so much about in the city. I went for dinner, and another diner was more than happy to talk and talk in exchange for wine."
"I am indeed the Jackal," the man said with a faint smile, eyes glittering. Those two are the Mongoose and the Meerkat. They call us my king's menagerie."
"I usually prefer their names," Shafiq said with a chuckle before accepting the wine offered up by the concubine beside him, the one called the Meerkat. "This is Ender, my Jackal is Berkant, and Nadir asked to be the one to attend you."
"Asked? I'm honored."
Nadir smiled and offered up wine. "I really wanted to get to know better the man who danced with such magnificent skill. Like the old story of the man who danced so beautifully he bewitched the king of death, who granted his wish to restore his sister to life and then took him as his consort."
"That's an old Rittuen myth."
Nadir shrugged one shoulder. "I like to read."
"If anyone could bewitch a king of death, it's you," Halikazen said brightly, almost sounding like a proud father. "All of us from Rittu know of the famous Peacock, but seeing your skill firsthand has been an honor.
"Thank you, Eshar, that means a lot to me. My deeds do not even come close to your own."
"There's a difference between doing something one time, and dedicating your life to it, and the arts contribute to humanity more than any of us can truly appreciate."
Jankin bowed his head, truly honored to be praised so highly, by both a king and an eshar.
"You are something, to be sure," said the man still subtly leering at him, though it was increasingly less subtle. He was also starting to look annoyed, like he feared someone might take his treat away. Great, so it was going to be one of those nights. Probably easiest and safest to just agree. It wasn't like it would be a chore. He'd said yes to worse for less. "I've never seen anything like it. Quite the Peacock indeed."
Another guest at the .. chortled. "Peacock, what are the odds? Fitting right in, Your Majesty."
