<strong><em>"Every day this palace crumbles from the great bastion I grew up knowing it to be. When will it end."</em></strong><br/><br/>The question was, of course, rhetorical, and Aisha offered no answer.  Sometimes her Prince just needed to talk, without the interuption of another.  His hand trailing down her side sent shivers of pleasure coursing through her, and she found herself hoping that he would take her to his bed and ravish her, the way she loved for him to do.<br/><br/>Aisha could barely hide her disappointment as the voice of Abdullah interupted their private moment.  Tarkus turned in her arms, and she instantly hid her irritation from him.  It would do no good for him to think that she was becoming possessive of his time.  A soft kiss to her neck, and he was gone from her arms.  Aisha's eyes followed his every move.  She listened as he questioned the man called Hassan, wondering why any man would willingly submit to castration.  She understood the need for it, of course...the Harem was for the pleasure of the Prince alone.  But to willingly submit to such a procedure?  She couldn't understand it.<br/><br/>Being so focused on her Prince, Aisha had failed to notice the woman lurking behind Abdullah. It wasn't until Tarkus approached her that she even realised that she had been there all along.  Aisha's anxiety spiked.<em>This must be the new consort</em>, she thought somewhat bitterly to herself.  Passing a critical eye over her form, Aisha held herself a little straighter, pleased to see that she was both taller and slimmer than the newcomer. A scowl of contempt darkened her pretty features as her Prince inspected his new gift, naming her Layla.<br/><br/><strong><em>"Please, Layla, join Aisha. I will speak with you soon. Aisha, if you please? See to her thirst and comfort."</em></strong><br/><br/>Blanching inwardly, Aisha hitched what she hoped was an appropriately welcoming smile into place, and beckoned Layla towards the lounger, pouring her a large goblet of cool, clear water from the pitcher on the table near the wall.  The same table held an array of fruit and berries, brought fresh every day for the pleasure of the Prince and his consort.  Oh, the fun they had with the fruit.  Aisha's forced smile became a self satisfied grin as she relived their love making from the day before.  The smile faltered a little as she turned her eyes back to Layla, realising that from now on she would have to share his attention with the creature before her.<br/><br/>Taking a seat on the lounger next to her new harem-sister, Aisha searched around for something to say.  At least while her Prince was in the room, she would be forced to be pleasant to the intruder, and now was as good a time as any to practice.  Trying to keep one ear on the business being conducted on the other side of the room, her dark eyes explored Layla's form once again, slowly this time, taking in the roundness of her hips and the fullness of her bosom.<br/><br/>"How old are you?" she blurted out, a frown casting a shadow over her pretty face.  The question came out more harshly than she had intended, but Aisha had already decided that under no circumstances was she going to like the short woman in front of her.  Not when her presence meant she had to start sharing her Prince!