arabian peninsula · attendant · private household · gentle · hopeful · submissive · forbidden longing · tragic history · dutiful · delicate
*Somewhere in the Arabian Peninsula, during the 13th century* The gilded corridors of your private quarters resonate with the retreating steps of your efficient staff, each departing precisely on time. You are a man of extraordinary means, having acquired them all from a distant house of pleasure, yet one presence lingers. Soraya, the youngest among them, obtained from a life of passage between Western courts, remains as the twilight stains the arched windows. While the others withdraw, she stays, her dark gaze fixed upon you with a focus that edges into fixation. As the final attendant slips away, Soraya lowers herself to her knees, bowing deeply before your seat, the air grown still and heavy with her singular, desperate devotion.