Deep inside the remnants of an ancient temple, Charik lay stretched out on his bed--well, his human upper body was stretched out, at least. The rest of him lay curled in a tangle of shiny brown coils. Next to him, still unconscious, was the newest addition to his harem, a pretty pale girl he'd picked up near the outer reaches of his domain. Poor thing had screamed and fainted upon seeing him, but that was a normal reaction that he had come to expect. He knew it could be quite overwhelming for the common folk to encounter their king for the very first time; it was a very emotional experience, he'd found.
So he'd scooped her up and carried her back to his palace and into his bedchamber to rest and recover, and to give them a private moment together when she woke. They had much to talk about and he wanted to get to know her. She could meet the others later, once she had some time to adjust.
Propped up on an elbow, he watched her in sleep, the end of his long, muscular tail curled around one of her legs. She was so pretty and exotic, all that pale skin and unusual hair, the neon standing out stark against the black. It was such a contrast to his own dark skin and blond hair, and he liked it. It was unusual, and the firelight flickering from the torch sconces--the only light in the dim stone chamber--gave it all a breath-taking glow.
It was very lucky he had found her! There were beasts lurking out there in the jungles, and it was a king's duty to keep his subjects safe.
Malai came too slowly, everything a blur. She had been sent off to get water from the river when this monster had come out of the jungle at her. Her eye lids fluttered open, her odd colored eyes taking a moment to focus.
She was laid out on some bed, that much she could tell. And there was a strange man in it with her! The girl sat bolt upright, clutching her hands over her ample breasts, shrieking in horror. Her virtue was thoroughly ruined now she was sure!
That was when she saw it. The snake...part. Touching her leg. Malai stared it it in open mouthed horror before she screamed again, ear splitting and panicked, throwing herself off the bed in an effort to get away from the monster.
Oh, she was waking! Charik smiled brightly and let her take her time, waiting for her to notice him.
Which she did.
And started screaming, ear-piercing and awful, and Charik winced. Oh, owww. Still overwhelmed and awed, he could see...
"Ooh, not so loud. Your king has sensitive ears," he groaned, sitting up. There was no place for her to run, really. He'd anticipated this reaction, given past experiences, and had barred the door. Even he needed his alone time sometimes, and he didn't want any of the others to come barging in when they heard screaming. All was well! She just needed some time!
Moving to the edge of the bed, he pat the spot beside him, completely unfazed and still looking quite cheerful . "Please, come sit. We would like to get to know you. What is your name?"
Malai wasn't listening to anything the monster said. She crawled off the bed and raced for the door, her small hands grabbing it and tugging it open.
Or, well, should have tugged it open, but the door didn't budge, locked firmly tight. Oh gods no! She yanked on it harder, giving a strangled sob, "No! Help me! Someone please help me!"
She was trapped in a room with some giant snake beast and it was going to eat her!
Charik stared, watching the girl's theatrics in confusion. Help her? With what? The door? Oh, perhaps she wanted to see the others! Silly girl, this one was obviously very excitable.
He gave a small laugh. "You can meet your new friends later, my dear," he said, the tip of his tail twitching in amusement. "Goodness, so impatient. While eagerness is most appreciated, we really must take this one step at a time!"
There was a loud thud as he crawled down off the bed, dropping a large section of his coils to the floor as he made his after her, part of him still up on the bed. "You really must calm down. We understand this can be overwhelming in the beginning, but you are going to give all of us a headache if you don't quiet down."
"Friends? What? You have more people here? Monster!" Malai turned to face the creature when she heard the thump. Back pressing against the wall, she edged away from it, chest heaving and pulse racing. She should never have agreed to come along on these stupid adventures! The extra money just wasn't worth it!
She was going to die here! "Don't you dare come any closer! I shall defend myself! Just you see!"
"Of course. Our other lovers and your future companions live here, too," Charik said, moving closer, heedless of her warning. Defend herself? Really? Against what?
"You need not defend yourself, silly girl. It is a king's duty to protect his subjects. We will keep you safe!"
Malai shrieked, stepping back farther, hands groping for something to use as a weapon. Her hands closed over a stone statue and she waved it wildly between her and the snake, "Lovers? That is not going to happen! I am a-a maiden and you will not be ravishing me!"
Her face burned and she could feel her heart pounding, tears streaming down her face.
That gave Charik pause, and he stared at her, then at the statue she was wildly waving. He grimaced, holding out his hands. "Careful! That is ancient!" he said, and felt horrible for her. She must have really encountered some awfully frightening things out in the jungles to be so terrified of them finding her even here! How much trauma and hardship had she faced before he had come to her aid and taken her away from the wilderness and into the safe haven of his palace?
"You really must calm down! You'll be safe here! Please, you're going to hurt yourself."
And then he lunged, grabbing for her and wrapping his coils about her body, firmly but not too tight. He snatched the statue from her and replaced it on its stand and then just held her in place, peering into her eyes. "Now. Relax, maiden," he said, stroking her cheek. "We do not ravish the unwilling. Though goodness knows why you wouldn't be willing!"
Though she wouldn't be the first. Some members of his harem remained untouched, which was a shame--but they still provided plenty of much needed company.
It was all to much for Malai, to have all that tail wrapped around her. She made a small, strangled sound, then her eyes rolled back into her head, her body going slack in Charik's coils. She was not made to handle kidnappings and monsters and molestation.
Guess he had overdone it with the charm. He had to remember that he was these peoples' king and god; too much of a good thing could be...overstimulating.
With a sigh, Charik released her and scooped her up into his arms again. Then he carried her back to his bed and laid her back on it, grabbing one of the soft blankets and placing it over her. Hm. Frowning, he looked her over. Next time she woke, he would have to try a different approach or--ah! Maybe she was hungry! Or thirsty! People often didn't realize how dehydrated they were getting out here in the humid, wet jungle, so maybe she just needed some nourishment!
Leaving her on the bed, he wove his way over to the door, lifted the heavy wooden arm that barred it, and poked his head outside. "Isi? Isi! Where are you? Quickly now, we need you!"
Isi was waiting nearby, irritated that Charik had picked up some trampy...ghost in the jungle. The harem was already plenty big as far as he was concerned. But Charik always had a weakness for a pretty face.
At his king's summons, Isi headed into the room, unlocking the door and stepping inside. The girl was sprawled out on the bed, in her strange and ridiculous clothes, unconscious. It happened rather often, Cherik wasn't very good about explaining what was going one. Mostly because he didn't really understand what was going on.
"Yes your majesty? What can I get for you?" He bowed low, showing respect for his god and king.
Charik gave a sigh of relief when Isi arrived, and responded to his question by gesturing helplessly at the unconscious girl.
"Fetch her a plate of food and some water; she appears to need it," he said, reaching up to rub at his temples. His ears were ringing from her screams. Why did she have to scream so much? Better yet, how did someone so delicate have such a pair of lungs on her?
He let out another sigh, disappointed and concerned, and moved over to her bedside to watch over her. "Poor dear...she is so exhausted! She must have had such a difficult life!"
He highly doubted food was what the girl needed. But Charik was king and, well, there would be time later to have a...chat with the girl about her new life. He didn't leave right away though, moving closer to the naga, his own delicate hands coming up to lightly press his temple's, massaging them, "My poor King. I fear your presence has over awed her again."
His mind raced, trying to think up some lie that Charik would believe, "You are a god. Mere mortals were not meant to stand in your presence. There are places that state the touch of the divine can kill. Maybe that is what she fears?"
Charik closed his eyes and let Isi massage his temples, relaxing as the man reassured him. Lies though they might be, they fell right in line with his perception of himself and the rest of the world and thus made perfect sense. Of course! So that was why she was so panicked! "Poor girl. She probably thought she was dying when we touched her," he said, and then laughed when a thought struck him.
He cracked an eye open and grinned. "Do you suppose she'll be calmer when she wakes, seeing as how we touched her and she's still obviously alive?"
Isi kept rubbing the naga's temples in slow, easy motions, his voice soothing, "Maybe sire. You must remember, you are an impressive and goddly creature. It is...overwhelming for mere mortals. We have gotten used to your might presence, but you should go slowly with her."
He hoped the bitch escaped quickly. Like the last one. Her and her gaudy hair. The new ones were the worst, Charik always got excited over a new toy. But hopefully she was a frigid as she looked and would keep her legs closed.
"Mm, slowly, yes," Charik absently agreed, melting into the massage that was also greatly helping his headache. Already he felt less tense, less worried, more at ease. Isi was good at that. His tail slowly curled around the other man's ankles, an affectionate gesture.
"We have been going slowly. So slowly she hasn't even given her name! She keeps crying about a monster, Isi." he paused, a thought striking him, and frowned. "Have there been reports of a monster in these parts, lately? This could be a problem...and this time it needs to be resolved."
There had been reports before of some sort of scaled beast with no legs, but no one had ever been able to find it despite him ordering its head on a pike. Perhaps it had dared to return to terrorize his subjects, the ballsy filth. Charik hissed just thinking about it!
Ah. The monster. Isi smiled, "That might have been it sire. I bet she fears the thing is hunting her and fears leading it to you. She has yet to realize how magnificent and powerful you are, that you need fear no monster."
He would get his revenge on her later, for calling his beloved Charik a monster. Worthless, ghostly bitch. He lowered his hands, leaning down to lightly kiss Charik's forehead, "I shall return with food and water sire. I suggest remembering that, while serving you wonderful, she did also just lose her old life. Give her time to morn its passing."
"Poor girl, thinking she might endanger us with her presence. That must be an incredible burden to bear." Charik shook his head sadly, frowning and lightly stroking the unconscious girl's cheek. "We shall just have to explain that these monsters are no true threat and that she need not worry! Her shoulders are far too graceful, too delicate to be carrying that around with her."
Simple misunderstanding, that was all! That would surely make her feel much better!
He smiled at the kiss and uncurled his tail from around Isi so he wouldn't trip. "Mourn? Should it not be celebrated? The old life is dead, yes, but it's been reborn gloriously in this one. Are births not a time for celebration?" He beamed at the man, straightening up. "On second thought, don't bring a meal here. Have a feast prepared! We must welcome our new addition properly and give her reason to shed tears of joy rather than sorrow!"
Isi's hands clenched into fists, his body tense as he had to watch Charik be so loving and gentle to yet another new slave. He grew to tolerate them eventually, but he always hated the new ones. But he carefully controlled his face, though his smile was somewhat brittle, "It is a wonderful thing sire. But remember, it's still a very drastic and sudden change. Give her time."
He gave another bow, "I shall have a feast prepared as you command." Turning, the dark skinned man turned and headed back out the door, vowing to make the new girl life miserable.
Malai stirred slightly under Charik's touch, eyes fluttering. The door closing behind Isi brought her fully back and her mismatched eyes widened, her body jerking away from the naga, "OH GOD!"
Charik nearly jumped when the girl came back to life, and for a moment he blinked down at her, right before he burst into laughter. "Oh, yes, you may call us that," he said, pulling his hand away as she jerked back. "But we promise you won't die. We may be a god made flesh, but our touch won't kill you. It's perfectly safe and mortal-like, so you needn't fear. You haven't died yet, have you?"
The sheer stupidity of Charik's statement was enough to break through Malai's fear. Her jaw dropped and she stared at Charik like he was insane, "What? What are you even talking about? What is going on?! Who are you!? Where am I?!"
Charik frowned, not following her, and tilted his head in confusion. "Do you not remember? You kept fainting. You believed that because we're a god, our touch would kill you. But it most certainly will not! See?" he said, reaching out to touch her leg, which was closest to him.
"Pervert!" Malai smacked Charik's hand off her leg, glaring at him, "Don't you touch me! And I do not think you are a god you...you...snake!"
Charik jerked back in shock. "You struck us! You should not hit your god and king! We will let this one time slide, however, as we realize this this is a lot to take in. Isi brought it to our attention that we should go slowly as you need to adjust to our majesty, that you need time to take it in. We understand."
He smiled, rubbing his hand but already over it. "Anyway, you should be happy! Cry not, my dear. Instead, rejoice! A feast is being prepared in your honor, to properly welcome you! However," he said, peering down at her, "we still need your name."
Malai glared at Charik, "You are not my god or my king! Don't you ever touch me again!" She would die before allowing some monster to ravish her body. Despite his smiling face, he was a rapist and a kidnapper and a monster.
Though, really, it wasn't the fact he was a naga. She had seen stranger back home, but the way he acted combined with the strange look made him a monster.
"Oh, goodness, your memory must be loose from all that fainting! You don't remember calling us a god? Ah, no matter! Let's have your name so we can properly introduce you at supper! Which...should be soon!" Charik moved to the door and peeked outside.
"Isi! How is the feast coming along?"
"I did no such thing! You are no god! You kidnapped me!" Malai drew back, scooting away from the naga, "You are a vile, disgusting man! And I will never submit to you!"
She had little she could really control, but she could refuse to tell him her name.
"Kidnapped? We do not kidnap. Oh, you really are addled. ISI!" he shouted, louder now. "Is the feast ready yet? The lady is quite addled and needs some food and drink promptly! Now, my dear, you really must calm down. There is no need to be so excited."
It was worrisome, really, but nothing he hadn't seen before. It was always the foreigners. It must be some sort of foreign thing...
"You stole me from my Mistress!" Malai's words were a hiss, her hands clenched into fists, "You are a vile bastard!"
A blond, pretty head peered into the room, "Yes sire? The feast is coming, but it takes some time to prepare. Would you like them to rush? I can't promise there will be enough food. And they were going to roast a pig."
His eyes flicked over to the girl, narrowing slightly. All that stupid hair was down and everywhere. And that damn face of hers. He was glad she didn't seem to like Charik, the stupid creature.
"Oh. No, no, they must prepare the feast properly or not at all! Tell them to carry on, Isi. We will wait."
He gave the man a little wave, then turned once more to the girl, still smiling cheerfully, completely unfazed by her insults. "There, you see? A feast is to be had in your honor! We're to have pig! Doesn't that just sound lovely?"
Isi's hands clenched against the door, angry at Charik's fawning over the girl. She wasn't even that pretty. But he bowed his head and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"What?! A feast? Are you mad? You must be! I am not going!" Malai was having trouble keeping up with Charik's insanity, though she wasn't feeling all that frightened anymore. Just angry.
"Mad? Heavens, no. Why would we be angry? This is a joyous day!"
Charik moved back over to the bed and stretched his torso out onto it, head propped up on his elbows so he could watch her and admire her exotic beauty. "Don't be silly. Of course you'll go. You can't very well miss your own party! That's just unheard of, and as the guest of honor, you must show. Besides, you need to eat. At least three meals a day! We won't be having you starve."
His grin turned wickedly mischievous. "Unless you are saying you would like to stay in bed with us all day?"
Her cheeks flared bright red and she gasped, "How dare you! I am not some floozy! And I don't want any of your food!"
Her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, reminding her she hadn't eaten in hours. Malai did her best to pretend that had never happened, "Don't you even think of being inappropriate with me!"
Charik gave her a genuinely surprised look, eyebrows raising. "A floozy? Why would we believe you're a floozy? You are our wife. Nothing we do together is inappropriate. But don't worry," he added with what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, meeting her eyes.
"It need only be consummated when you're ready. Right now you are our wife, but you must crave to be our lover." And then, taking her hand, he gave her fingers a quick kiss.
Malai had a rousing reply ready for him, when he informed her that she was his wife. Malai had been waiting for some wonderful man to come wisk her off her feet and marry her. Maybe some knight or prince, all heroic and dashing. Really, even a beautiful warrior woman, romantic and charming would have been good.
And now she was married to some snake in a jungle? She stared at Charik, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Tears?
Tears?
Why were there tears!
"Oh. Crying. Why are you crying?" Charik asked, sitting up in alarm and touching her cheek to try and brush them away. "No, no, no! There aren't supposed to be tears! Unless those are tears of joy and elation. Are those tears of joy and elation?"
"No you stupid ass! How could you!" Malai batted his hands away, angry she was crying. This was not going to solve anything! She needed to keep her spine and get herself away from here. She refused to believe she was his wife! She wasn't! There had been no asking, no wedding and there would never be a wedding night!
"I am not and will never be you wife. Ever! You cad! Brute! You can't just decide that!"
"We can't?" Charik's brow creased in an expression of puzzlement. He had never before been told he couldn't do something, or at least not so bluntly. Still, curiosity got the better of him and he decided to humor her, hear her reasoning. It wasn't that he was going to actually listen, because she seemed to be forgetting who her king and god was (some sort of jungle fever, no doubt; food and drink would clear that up!), but if he could know where she was coming from, he could debunk her misconceptions.
"What makes you believe that?"
"Because I don't know you! You have no right! You haven't even asked or wooed me or anything! I refuse!" It was impossible talking to the naga! It made her feel like her emotions were raising and falling like a wave! He was so infuriating that she couldn't do much but feel anger and confused for long.
That drew a laugh out of Charik. What? That was the problem? Really?
"Oh, silly girl! We plan on wooing you, and we plan on getting to know you. We should hope we'd become acquainted living together, anyway! That is what you're concerned about? You poor thing. We suppose we weren't very clear..." He shook his head. Then again, with all her fainting, he have have said it before but she'd just missed it. Because she'd fainted. Alas.
"Now, may we ask your name? We must have something to call you. It's only proper, and how else will we know you?"
"No! That isn't the point!" Malai wanted to scream. The naga was so frustrating! "You don't understand anything! I don't want you to woo me! I want to go home!"
It was imposable talking to the man! He was a total moron and never seemed to listen. She was moments away from beating him with a pillow.
"But you are home," Charik said, frowning. "This is your home. How could you want to go some place you already are? Oh! You want to see the rest of it, don't you?" He perked up at that, smiling brightly.
"Of course. It completely slipped our mind! But never fear, you will soon enough. But first, your name, dear. How can we properly introduce you without a name? We can't just call you 'girl'--unless, of course, that's your name."
"I AM NOT TELLING YOU MY NAME." Malai shrieked, slamming her hands against the bed. She was acting like a child, but she didn't care. Charik was driving her insane!
Hrm. Charik was not sure what to make of this. He had never had anyone get so difficult about a name.
Pursing his lips, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Then what about a nickname? If not your name, what would you have us call you?" The fact that she was currently having a tantrum seemed to not be registering. After Ziya, he had become quite used to them! Usually, they just required talking it out, was all!
Malai stared at him, then gave another shriek of rage. She grabbed one of the pillows on the bed and smacked Charik with it. It was like talking to a brick wall.
Whatever Charik had been about to say, he never got to say it. His words were abruptly muffled by a pillow to the face and he let out a surprised grunt, followed by a scandalized sound when he released what had happened and who was holding the pillow. She'd hit him. Again! Gaping at her, he grabbed the pillow away from her.
"Will you stop that?! That shrieking is just dreadful! You know we have sensitive ears and one does not smack kings with pillows! Or anything at all, for that matter! No smacking!" He gave an agitated huff and rubbed his temples. "And after all we've done for you...honestly, your behavior is starting to become hurtful."
"Good!" Malai shrieked again, furious and losing it. She was about to have a meltdown trying to deal with this man! "I hope your ears BURST! And you ARE NOT MY KING!"
Charik grimaced, ears ringing. "Well, that's not a very nice thing to say. You don't have to be so grumpy."
Perhaps Isi was right, about leaving her alone for a bit or whatever it was he'd suggested. What was it he'd suggested? Oh, drat, he needed him again. Isi always knew what to do.
With a sigh, charik slid off the bed and made his way to the door. "You're probably just hungry, hm? A little food always makes everyone feel better! Now you just relax, okay? You've been through quite a harrowing ordeal today. Isi!" he shouted, opening the door.
In a moment, the dark skinned blond was there in just a moment, expression calm despite the irritation he felt. It was hard to miss her shrieks and he couldn't understand why the bitch was so awful to Charik.
He bowed, "Yes sire? What can I do for you?"
Relieved just from the sight of Isi, Charik snaked closer to him and made a helpless motion at the girl. "Her! You can help us with her! Isi, we don't know what to do. She won't calm! She even hit us with a pillow!" he exclaimed, incensed. "A pillow!"
The pillow in question smacked against the door, where Malai had thrown it, aiming for Charik and missing. She glared at the naga, furious and wanting to go home! She couldn't handle this stupid, stubborn snake!
Isi blinked, "A pillow sire?" Oh, she would pay for that. Isi would get her alone and she would suffer for the problems she caused his master, "I know just the thing sire. I can bring her a soothing, calming tea."
And drug the little bitch to the gills. How dare she try and hurt his Charik?!