The palace itself was lovely. There were bunches of open courtyards, where one could spend the hot summer days picking fresh olives or grapes, snacking on honeyed cakes, and just soaking in the sun. Almost every hallway had big open windows, to let air through. Even with it, around noon, the halls and rooms of the palace became almost stifling because it was so hot inside. Servants wandered around, offering chilled wine and water to the residents of the palace, and the guests. And outside the castle town and a short ride by horseback was the beautiful blue and turquoise Gem Sea, sparkling just like it’s namesake.<br/><br/>Whatever the young prince chose to do during his free time here, he was sure to have a good time. The people were friendly, even if they kept trying to sell him things and never quite understood what he was saying. The days were long and filled with sticky honey, fruit, and sweet summer sweat, and the nights were pleasantly cool and you could see fireflies mingling with all the stars in the sky. The countryside was green and luscious, and the Gem Sea was the right temperature to swim in at any time of day.<br/><br/>When he wasn’t free, however, he was sequestered in a room with windows on each walls, and servants with large fans futily trying to keep him and the dignitary he was trying to meet with cool as they talked about trade routes and treaty agreements. If everything went well, then by the end of his time here, the prince’s country would have a new ally, and would have an economic boom from all the new goods and services that would be exchanged. It was a win win for both countries!<br/><br/>And everything did go well! The agreement was finalized and signed by both parties after weeks of debate and haggling. And, as well, the prince would be given a gift from the beautiful land, something to rememeber it by until he returned, they said. They would not explain exactly what this gift entailed though.<br/><br/>The day the prince was supposed to leave, he was taken to a different part of the palace, one that he had never been in before, and apparently very few people were allowed into. The further they went into this area, it became increasingly clear why, by the form of a very unmistakable scent getting stronger and stronger with each step. Eventually they reached the end of this long hallway, and the dignitary with him brushed a sheer curtain aside, to reveal something that would most likely come as quite shocking to the poor prince.<br/><br/>Behind that curtain was a large room, filled to the brim with young, startlingly beautiful omegas. There had to be at least 3 dozen in that room alone, and from the sounds of it, there were more somewhere else of this area, deep in their heats. The scent was so overwhelming that even the most disaplined alpha would have a very hard time keeping control on themselves.<br/><br/>The omegas were doing their own thing, mainly, most not even paying attention to the new comer. They knew if they were wanted, then they would be grabbed at will and taken back to a private room and used. Each was dressed in silk scraps so fine and sheer that they hid nothing, if it was covering anything at all. Some omegas were dancing to music being played by what looked like blind musicians, most likely also omegas, but they were not near as beautiful as the others. More omegas were lounging on couches and cushions, chatting, relaxing, enjoying a snack. And of course, there were the one or two groups that seemed to be on the verge of coupling right then and there, lips locked, and soft moans leaving their mouths as they were touched and their silks were pulled off. None of the omegas not a part of that payed any mind to them.<br/><br/>“These are all the available ones at the moment,” the dignitary said, gesturing at all the omegas he had amassed proudly. “All the others are either with child or in heat. You are welcome to chose any one that you desire.”<br/><br/>And there was quite a lot to chose from. There were short ones, tall ones, delightfully skinny ones, deliciously curvy ones, and everything in between. Male, female, with every skin tone, eye color, and hair color that one could think of. There were a few that might have caught the prince’s eyes, but there was one, with pale blonde hair and skin too fair to be native to this land, dancing in the middle of the room. His hair flew out around his shoulders as he spun around, and his hands ran over his flat stomach, narrow hips, and round rear as he swayed and gryated with the others. There was a smile on his face, showing of blindingly white teeth, but it didn’t quite reach his deep, green eyes.