Alina screamed at the sight of the auctioneer's henchmen surrounding them from all sides. She was going to die, moreover, the Shahzadi was going to die along with her. There was no doubt about it. No one will come to know, no one will ever come to help them. It's all my fault. I could have at least informed the shadow guards about the Shahzadi's outing. I... I just can't let her die like that.

Tears flooded inside Alina's hazel orbs as she gripped the princess's shoulder tight, "Shah... I mean Inara, I... I'll think of some way to distract these men... I'll steer them away somehow, by the time please run away from this place..."

Inara sucked in a deep breath, her heart was racing like a wild beast set free from its captivity, but she had to pull up a tough upfront to hide her fear from those malicious men surrounding her, to assure Alina that they'd survive. 

Alina is too naive for this world, she doesn't know how vicious these men can get, the princess gritted her teeth. Did she think that they'd let me go if she offered her life to them on the silver platter? Just by looking at their heinous faces, I can tell that they have no place for any mercy in their hearts. Perhaps, I'd have thought like Alina myself, if  I were the Inara in my previous life. But not now, I've seen enough cruelty in my previous life to identify demons like them. Who knows how many felonies those hands had committed before picking up the axes to kill me and Alina? But one thing is sure, they won't hesitate before slicing my head with that treacherous blade of their axes.

Inara's eyes cautiously moved towards the beast for whom she risked everything. She knew that the chances for her survival were minimal now but there was no harm in trying either. It was better to die trying than to die without giving a shot, so she opened her mouth to shout at him,

"You're mine now. I've risked my life, my everything to get you out of that cage. Now it's your turn to repay me. Save me, save me from these men. It's your duty now!" 

The men hovering around her laughed at her words as if she was trying to communicate with some inanimate object, but Inara's gaze didn't budge from the beast's mountainous body. Come on, do something, any response, anything. The beast, however, to the princess's greatest disappointment didn't show any kind of movement. The sparks of hope died down as fast as they erupted. 

The auctioneer motioned one of his men to move nearer to Inara. "Hand over the ring and your maid to us, girl and we'll let you go. We don't want any blood to shed now, do we?"

Inara's blood boiled inside her brain, she knew he wouldn't let her go either. How dare this bastard demand for my maid? May his soul rot in hell. Her palms clenched into fists, "We both go away with the beast or you won't get the ring. The deal is deal."

The auctioneer threw his head cackling before speaking once again, "then don't mind me for being cruel sweetheart," and with the flick of his hand, he gestured his henchman to slaughter both the girls standing in front of him.

Inara closed her eyes, the dagger clenched tightly in her one hand, and held Alina's hand tightly in another. She will not die without leaving her killer unharmed. Her hand swung the dagger blindly in the air, aiming to harm any part of the henchman's body in front of her but at the same time, she waited for the pain to pierce through her body. Just like it did when she died in her past life.

She waited and waited but nothing happened. What's going on? Inara opened her eyes slowly to take a look. It was the beast. The beast saved her from the henchman's attack. She blinked twice at his muscular back that was large enough to shade her petite form from the henchman's predatory blade. 

The henchman had a strong built himself but it looked nothing in comparison to the man protecting her now. The beast lifted the henchman with his single arm, the henchman coughed vigorously as his body hauled up in the air. The beast's grip around his neck strong enough to suffocate him and yet keep him alive at the same time.

The beast then turned his head towards Inara, tilting his head to a slight angle. Inara, on the other hand, was still struggling to sober up from the shock of almost losing her life for the second time. She took deep, heavy breaths to calm her nerves. Now what? Why is he looking at me like that? What does he want me to do? 

Her eyes stared at the beast's grip on her killer's neck. the henchman's face was now red from coughing, struggling under the beast's lock to free himself, yet the beast kept him alive. Then her eyes drew back towards the beast's face covered with his long dark hair. Suddenly, it clicked inside her mind. 

Save... he is just protecting me from the henchman. I ordered him to save me... he is now waiting for my next command...

The princess closed her eyes, thinking about the child she saw in the shackles, the haunting eyes of all the slaves that were heartlessly dragged by the demons like them. They wouldn't have shown mercy to me and Alina. They didn't show mercy to the slaves they were trading..... so..... they don't deserve any mercy from me either.

When the princess opened her eyes, the flames of revenge shone brighter than the flames of the torches burning inside the auction hall. "Kill him. Kill them all. Show no mercy and don't give them any chance to escape. Go and take your revenge." she ordered him with an unwavering voice.

It just needed a word from his master for the beast to kill the man struggling inside his grip. The crack of the bones snapping resonated inside the auction hall as the beast let the dead man's body in his hand fall to the ground. His bloodthirsty eyes watched every other man in the hall charging towards him. For the first time in so many years, his lips quirked into a small smirk. It was his time to take revenge now. 

Inara's body was still as stone as the thick warm blood spurted upon her mask covered face. She could make herself to blink her eyes, watching the beast slaughtering the men without any conscience. He was skillful. His power was unimaginable. He was dangerous. He was heartless in the battleground. But he was her's now.

The beast didn't even give them a chance to scream before losing their life. They were much more in number as a comparison to him. They had weapons whereas the beast was bare-handed. The fight seemed impossible to win but now as she watched the beast massacring them, she couldn't help but shiver with terror. What have I gotten myself into?

                                                           ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Inara stood a proper five feet away from the beast in front of the entrance of the secret passage that led directly to the servant quarters of the Mahtab palace. She still remembered the day she discovered this passage, hiding away from the vicious concubine that threatened to burn her hand when she was a child. this passage was the only way that saved her in the past and now it was going to save her today as well. 

The princess's body shivered as she felt the beast approaching near her. She still can't get over the sight of him slaughtering those men singlehandedly. Perhaps, she would never forget this incident in her entire life. It was the first time she ever saw such bloodshed after all. This man was more gruesome than any other beast she knew and now he had her maid's unconscious body in his hands and there was nothing she could do. Alina fainted at the sight of blood splattering everywhere and so Inara had no other choice but to let the beast carry Alina's body all the way up to the palace.

The beast lifted his hand to reach her but halted in the middle when he saw the princess flinch because of his motion. He stood silently for a minute before speaking, "Are you afraid of me?"

Inara instantly whipped her head in his direction, staring at the beast's hair covered face with wide eyes. So he knows how to speak... In his question's reply, she shook her head silently.

"I..." the beast hesitated, "I did as you told me,"

Inara blinked at him, what does he want me to compliment him now? She thought something for a minute and then started taking meek steps nearer to him. her slender hand raised to reach for his head but apparently, the beast was too tall for the princess to touch him. So, she slowly tiptoed, her fingers grazing the dark strands of hair covering his face. 

She brushed aside his dark curtain to reveal the face of the beast hidden behind all this time. And the moment princess saw his face, she couldn't bring herself to look anywhere away from him. That rough face, those curious eyes staring deeply at her. The scar near his lips made them look all the more attractive. He was nothing like the beast, princess expected him to be. He was rugged, rustic. Beautiful. He was a beautiful beast. 

"Aydin," Inara spoke, "from this moment onwards, you're not the beast, your name is Aydin." she didn't fail to notice his body stiffen at her words.

It was then she decided to reveal her face to him. Slowly, Inara removed the mask from her face and let the veil slip down from her head. It was now Aydin's turn to gawk at her with enchanted eyes. Inara couldn't help but feel satisfied with the reaction she obtained from him.

"I, Inara Al Rashid, the eldest Shahzadi of the Hatami empire and soon to be the Sultana, declare Aydin as a free citizen of the Hatami empire now. From this moment onwards, you're not a slave anymore!" 

She waited for any sort of response from him but when he didn't move a single muscle of his body, she continued, "you're free to go anywhere you want, free to do anything you wish, no one will stop you. But....." she peered deeply into his dark onyx, surprised eyes, "....but Aydin,"  she felt him flinching at the sound of his new name, "...... I want you to stay here with me. I want you to work for me..... help me."

Aydin finally blinked, absorbing every single of the princess's words with great attention, making sure that his ears were not playing games with him, confirming twice that his eyes were not just hallucinating an ethereal nymph in front of him. After he realized that everything he heard and saw was actually real, he laid Alina's body carefully aside on the floor, and bent down on his one knee, reaching for the princess's hand with great caution.

Inara watched the beast bending down in front of her, reaching for her hand slowly. But this time instead of flinching away from him, she let him touch her, take her hand in his own large ones. Tickles ran up her arm as Aydin brushed his rough lips upon her soft knuckles, "I, Aydin, lower my head in front of the Shahzadi, submitting myself in her service. I would go to any limits and wouldn't hesitate even for a second to protect you with my life, MY MALLIKA," 

                                                       ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Aydin- bright, powerful, and strong (Arabic)

Mallika- master, lord (female)

                            ~ Shahzadi Inara ~