The day for us to travel to Sindria had finally come. The sun was shining high in the sky as we packed the last of our items.

"I'm coming too!" a shrill voice rung through the air. Princess Kougyoku was running towards us, bags in hand, looking all too flustered.

"Alright then, Kougyoku," Alibaba replied in a cheery tone.

Judar's eyes skimmed over me and then landed on Kougyoku who was now standing before us, panting heavily. "We don't have room for you," he told her in a stern tone.

Her eyes darted up to meet his as she rebutted, "There's plenty of room!" She then glanced at me, her entire body straightening up at the sight of me. "We'll all fit," she insisted calmly.

Judar looked at me once more. I gave him a short nod before leaving to help Hakuryuu with his packing.

-----

The ride to Sindria was smooth. We arrived at sunset, just as the festival lights had been lit.

"Kind Sinbad is already tending to matters at the festival. If you wish to meet with him, you can find him there," one of the palace servants informed us after packing our things away.

"Go ahead and get ready for the festival then," Judar instructed me. I nodded as the group broke, each person heading to their assigned quarters to prepare for the festival.

Once the sun was no longer visible in the sky, I was ushered by a palace servant towards the town. I was told that my group had already headed for the town to attend the festival. Sindria was small but incredibly beautiful. I took in the sights as I followed behind the palace servant. Lights were hung from building to building, lighting up the different festival stalls and vendors as they made last minute preparations.

-----

Once at the festival, Alibaba had split with the group in hopes of finding Aladdin. Judar and Hakuryuu remained behind to wait for Mei. They exchanged small talk about Sindria and the festival until a woman approached them. She was wearing a long white skirt with slits up the sides that exposed her long legs. Her midriff was only covered by fluttering tassels that hung freely from the top half of her gown. A bejeweled headband sat atop her head like a crown and her long white hair fell like water around her body.

Hakuryuu's face flushed red at the sight of the maiden before them.

"You clean up pretty well, Princess," Judar said, his tone surprisingly not teasing for once. I only rolled my eyes at him before stepping closer.

"This country is beautiful," I said, glancing at the town around us.

"Sure is," Judar said but his eyes never lifted from me. I felt the hot blush spreading across my cheeks at his words. "Seriously though. Dressed like that, I'd have to admit that even I'd have the hots for you. King moron doesn't stand a chance negotiating with you," he said, strumming his fingers along my bare shoulders. "He's up in a private box watching the festivities begin. Why don't you go introduce yourself," he said, giving me a gentle push.

I nodded and shuffled through the crowd towards Kind Sinbad's private box.

Hakuryuu watched in silence as Mei left them. "How lucky I've been to see such a beautiful girl," he said, his face still flushed red.

Judar scoffed, "Oh yeah? Well, I've seen her naked."

Hakuryuu's jaw dropped as his eyes darted to meet Judar's smug grin.

-----

Music began playing as the festival came to life. Laughter filled the air as the people around began their merriment.

At last, I'd made it to King Sinbad's private watch tower. There was a guard at the door who looked me up and down expectantly.

"I'd like to meet with King Sinbad," I said slowly, shifting my posture to allow my dress to highlight the more seductive parts of my body.

The guard merely nodded quickly before pulling the curtain back, allowing me entrance to the room. There was a single long sofa in the room with a large viewing window that showed the better half of the town below.

I made my way into the room and a man stood from the sofa to greet me. His long hair swayed behind him as he turned to face me. His features were unmistakable and I could easily see why everyone cooed over his appearance. Sinbad was incredibly handsome and fit. Even I was a little anxious to be standing before him.

"You've come to see me, beautiful maiden? What can I help you with?" he asked, his voice like velvet to my ears.

I almost forgot how to speak as I recollected my scattered thoughts. I quickly composed myself to the best of my abilities, "Well, King Sinbad, actually I'm here on official business." He looked at me quizzically and I continued, giving a short bow as I introduced myself, "I am Mei of the Ren family. I've come from the Kou Empire to discuss urgent issues with you."

I cold see him registering the information in his mind. His eyes widened slightly, "Of the Ren family? I don't believe we've met before."

"We haven't. I'm relatively new to the palace. I've been selected by our Magi," I told him.

"I see," he said, stroking his chin for a moment. "Well, please, Miss Mei. Have a seat with me then and let's discuss your urgent matters," he said, his voice loud but kind.

I nodded and sat down next to him.

-----

"They sure are taking their time," Hakuryuu noted aloud. It'd been a while since Mei had gone to visit Sinbad.

"I'm sure it's fine. There's no way he can refuse her," Judar said, an image of Mei in her festival gown flitting through his mind.

Just as he'd said it, he spotted two familiar figures in the crowd among other dancing couples.

-----

"The objective is to keep the bells ringing," Sinbad told me, his hands brushing against my bare waist as he tied a string of bells around my hips. "It's a dancing game that happens during the festival," he continued as the music began. He held out his hand as if to offer me the first dance.

Back in his private room, we'd discussed the issue of Al Tharmen and reached an agreeable solution before celebrating the night's festivities with an entire bottle of liquor. I was more than a bit tipsy when I took his hand and swayed with the music. Luckily for me, I wasn't a bad dancer.

-----

Judar watched from afar as Mei shared a dance with Sinbad. The way she moved was mesmerizing and the sight of Sinbad so close to her had Judar in a foul mood.

(They're close enough to be lovers.) Judar thought to himself, shifting uncomfortably where he sat.

He got up from the table, unable to watch any longer when Kougyoku approached him as well. Her eyes were trained on Mei and Sinbad as well. "Of all the people she could be dancing with," she scoffed. It was no secret that Kougyoku was also quite fond of King Sinbad, which only fueled her hate for Mei even more.

"If you don't like it, go get him," Judar said, his voice detached.

Kougyoku's brow only furrowed in frustration, "I could say the same to you. When you look at her the way you do, it's so obvious what you're thinking." Judar was taken aback by her words and he couldn't help but glance into the crowd again. His eyes landed on Mei and he felt a a small pain in his chest.

(Dammit.)

Judar then headed for the exit. A harsh tug from his braid stopped him in his tracks. He turned around angrily to confront whoever had pulled his hair but then grew rigid at the sight of her. Mei was smiling up at him, her cheeks slightly flushed, as his hair slid through her fingers.

"Why don't you come join us?" she asked, her sweet voice floating through the air.

"I don't dance," Judar replied harshly, the image of Sinbad on Mei filling his mind. He turned to leave again when Mei caught a hold of his hand.

"Then don't dance," she said, leaning into his back.

Her warmth spread through him like a wildfire. He glanced down at her. Her smile remained but her eyes had fallen closed. The sweet smell of liquor drifted from her and Judar rolled his eyes. He gathered her up bridal style and carried her back to her room. He placed her in bed, tucking her in under the covers.

"You're such a handful," Judar said, taking one last look at her sleeping face before leaving.