Part IIIt was still quite warm when Zell woke up from his nap, but he felt much cooler. Sitting up from where he had been lying, he realized he was, for one, no longer in the arms of the strange robed man who found him. For two, and much more importantly, he was no longer dressed.
Startled, Zell looked frantically all over for his clothes. He noticed the room he was in was well furnished; low couches and enormous cushions were placed here and there, upholstered in fine silks and soft velvets. The floor was covered in shaggy rugs, all of which looked to be some kind of animal hide, most likely some kind of llama or the like. Long, colorful curtains draped the walls. Overall, the room was beautiful. Zell figured he must be the guest of some important person, then.
Searching was doing nothing; Zell couldn't find a scrap of his clothing lying anywhere. He blushed deeply, realizing that the man who brought him here must have stripped him, for some reason. He didn't understand why that man felt leaving him sleeping and naked was necessary, and the idea of being nude and alone in some stranger's home was very uncomfortable. Hoping the owner of the house wouldn't be too upset with him, Zell grabbed a length of deep gold material from off the wall, wrapping himself in it, toga-like.
Zell made sure to be quiet as he stepped out of the room he had been placed in, looking around, hoping for some sign of human company. He noticed that the hallway, like the room he was in previously, was well decorated and looked absolutely beautiful. The hallway, however, had windows cut into gorgeous, curved shapes. Glancing out of these windows, Zell saw a beautiful, large water fountain, a statue of Siren carved out of stone to be the spout. Tearing his eyes away from the enchanting scene, he made his way forward, finding a pair of large double doors. He rushed forward, pushing the doors open.
Just inside the next room seemed to be what looked like a throne room. A large, heavy wooden chair, carved with images of the goddess Shiva, and cushioned with large pale blue pillows, stood proud in the middle of the room. Sitting in the regal chair was an equally royal looking man. Soft, dark hair framed his slender face, and he had breath taking, though sad, gray eyes. A heavy silver pendant hung from his throat, carved into what appeared to be a lion's head. A tall, blonde man with very short hair and cold blue eyes was speaking with the dark haired sheik. Zell noted the blonde man's robes, and realized he very well could have been his eccentric savior.
"Excuse me..." Zell coughed, stepping forward. Both men stopped their conversation, turning to look at the intruder. The dark haired man in the chair rose from his seat, his eyes boring into Zell's. Zell could feel himself blushing again, and he turned his head, not wanting to gaze into those intimidating silver orbs. "Um, I'm sorry for interrupting, but I was curious as to what happened to my clothes..." Zell mumbled, pulling the makeshift gold toga tighter around him.
The dark haired man turned his gaze to the other blonde, motioning with his head for him to leave the room. Bowing sharply, the blonde walked past Zell, barely giving him half a glance. Zell blinked, watching the man go.
"You didn't have to send him off, I just want to know where my clothes are," Zell started, his eyes on the doors. Slowly turning back to face the dark haired man, he realized with a start that he'd snuck up on him. Standing barely an inch from Zell's face, those deep gray eyes took in the little blonde's features intently. "Uh, hey there." Zell said, stepping back a little.
"What's your name?" The dark haired man asked. Zell was a little surprised to finally hear someone else's voice, even more so as this man's was so deep and soft. He was quiet for a moment, rolling the question over in his mind. The sheik tilted his head, an expectant look in his eyes. Zell chuckled, nervous.
"Oh! Sorry 'bout that, completely lost in thought. My name's Zell, Zell Dincht. You are?" Zell asked, inclining his head slightly, in a sort of standing bow. The sheik raised an eyebrow.
"You don't know me?" The dark haired man asked, a very small note of surprise in his voice. Zell was a little perplexed.
"Sir, we've only just met. I haven't been in this country long, and the only people I know here are my family and their friends. I'm sorry, you're probably well known here by most everyone, but I'm not from this place." Zell apologized. He was rewarded with a small, amused smile from the dark haired sheik.
"Very well," The sheik said, his eyes grazing Zell's form, his smile growing, if only slightly. "I am the Lord Lion. I am the richest man in this part of the country; I own all the land here. To these people, I am seen as a king." The dark haired man said. Zell nodded, feeling a little like all this man was doing was bragging to him. His sweeping gaze was none too comfortable, either, and he was wishing he could simply find his clothes and leave.
"Well, it's been pleasant meeting you, Lord Lion, but I really shouldn't prolong this visit. I need to find my parents; I'm sure they're worried. So, if it's not too inconvenient, can you please return my camel and belongings to me so I may leave? Oh, and if one of your men could possibly point me in the direction of the Deling Oasis, I'd be much obliged." Zell said, his fingers digging into the gold silk covering his body. The Lord Lion scowled heavily.
Snapping his fingers, the Lord turned, heading back to his throne. The doors swung open, and the blonde man from earlier entered the room, two barely dressed young men at his side. Zell was a little grateful that the sheik had backed off, even more so as it seemed he would finally be able to leave. However, once again, things weren’t as they seemed.
"No, Zell, I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay with me." The Lord Lion stated flatly, motioning for the blonde man to come forward. "Seifer will escort you to my chambers." Seifer, the blonde man with the cold blue eyes, grabbed Zell's wrist, turning him towards the doors. Zell tried to wrench his wrist free from Seifer's grip, but he was much stronger than him. He glared over at the sheik.
"Sorry, Lord whoever you are, but I refuse to be taken captive! How dare you treat me like this?! I'm a guest!" Zell shouted. The Lord Lion waved his hand dismissively, and Zell found himself being dragged from the throne room to the hall. "Let go of me, asshole! I said, LET GO!" Zell shouted, twisting and kicking, trying anything to get out of Seifer's grip.
Out in the hallway, Seifer waved off the two young men that had been accompanying him. They bowed, turning a sharp right, disappearing down the long corridor. Zell watched them leave, and hoping the two dismissing themselves would be enough of a distraction, he doubled his efforts to free himself. Seifer scowled at Zell, twisting his wrist in his grip, causing Zell to yelp in pain. Though the action didn't quiet the little blonde, it did stop his attempted escapes for now.
Turning left from the doors, Seifer dragged Zell a ways before opening another door, issuing him inside. He didn't leave quite yet, though, leading Zell towards an enormous bed in the middle of the room.
Pushing Zell onto the bed, Seifer climbed on top of him, pinning him down. Zell's eyes went wide, and he started bucking, trying to throw Seifer off of him. Seifer pinched Zell's side, on the growing bruise from when he had been thrown from his camel earlier. Zell yelped again, but he didn't slow his efforts. Seifer, annoyed, grabbed a red silk scarf decorating the bedposts, and began to tie Zell's wrist to the headboard. Zell was panicking, his mind racing. Seifer grabbed another scarf, tying Zell's other wrist up with his first. With the little blonde unable to fight back further, Seifer moved off of him, standing next to the bed. Zell, his breathing heavy, glared up at Seifer, snarling.
"If you think all you had to worry about was my hands, you’re very mistaken," Zell grunted. Twisting, he kicked out with his legs, knocking Seifer square in the shoulder. Seifer, taken off guard, fell back. Zell bucked up, reaching one leg behind himself, using his foot to try to untie the knot at his wrists. Seifer, quickly regaining his senses, grabbed Zell's ankles, glaring at him.
Zell continued to try kicking Seifer, but with the larger blonde holding his ankles with his powerful grip, the whole attempt proved futile. Seifer quickly tied Zell's ankles with more scarves, muttering curses under his breath all the while. After he was finished, he backed off, viewing his handiwork.
Due to Zell's exertions, the little blonde had kicked his gold covering up over his knees, high up on his thighs. His body was covered in a slight sheen of sweat, dim candlelight reflecting off his gilded skin. His eyes were blazing, his expression furious. He was absolutely beautiful tied down like that, and Seifer offered the little spitfire a grin.
"What are you grinning at, desert dog?" Zell ground out, his chest heaving. Seifer tilted his head, crossing his arms over his chest. His smile didn't fade. Zell turned his head away, overwhelmed with anger. "How could you do this to me? I asked for your help. Not to be taken prisoner by some psychotic sheik." He was shaking, he was so furious. Seifer, shrugging, turned towards the door.
"I'm just the delivery boy." Seifer chuckled, walking out, closing the door behind him. Zell watched the blonde man leave; once more left alone in a stranger's home.
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