Kara wanted to shy away from Tarek's hold on her arm. His hand was too smooth. It had none of the calluses that adorned Hallbjorn's hand. In fact, everything about Tarek seemed soft in comparison. As he dragged her to her feet, she saw the guards that surrounded her and Tarek. Their big swords made her feel a twinge of unease.<br/><br/>As Tarek dragged her along, that unease inside of her grew. It was only the thought of meeting her father that had her not fighting the way Tarek marched her along. The worry building inside of her made her tears cease. Kara did not like the way anyone who looked at them quickly averted their gaze. That spoke of fear, and for the first time, she wondered just what kind of ruler her father was.<br/><br/>The warm air reminded her of Arizona, but that was where the comparison ended. Something about Janna felt stale and off. As they made their way through the strange village, it dawned on her what was missing. There was no breeze in Janna. Even the calmest days in Arizona had a slight breeze. But here, nothing stirred the air. Then Kara realized that she saw no life other then the people. There were no insects, no flies, or even ants on the ground.<br/><br/>She thought she should have seen a stray dog or cat somewhere along the road or even a bird in the sky, but there were none. Kara also noted the lack of any vegetation. She saw no trees, no plants, and even weeds seemed missing. Everything felt stagnant, from the air she breathed to the cloudless blue sky.<br/><br/>The palace they approached seemed in sharp contrast to the homes they had passed. It was beautifully made and seemed to stand out like a jewel. Kara looked at the imposing wall that surrounded it and found she didn't like how it looked so unnaturally perfect. Her gaze was quickly drawn to the guards that stood before the gate. The masks they wore had Kara slowing, but Tarek's grip on her arm made her keep pace with him.<br/><br/>For all the grandeur she saw once they passed the gate, the waterless fountain stood out painfully. Hearing her father's name drew her attention to a man who used far too much hair gel. She could tell he was someone important by his dress, and when Tarek and her guards dropped to their knees, it only furthered that belief.<br/><br/>But when Tarek referred to the man as King Kaseem, she knew something was horribly wrong. Tarek said her father was king, and she highly doubted that there would be two in this realm. Kara remained standing, and though she wanted to ask just what the hell was going on, she was afraid to do so in front of so many armed men. Kara knew her history. One did not disrespect a king or bad things would happen.<br/><br/>Kara was stiff and unmoving when King Kaseem hugged her, and suddenly wished she pulled her sweater back on so she could feel less of him. But she vaguely remembered losing her sweater before entering the portal. Regardless of the warmth he showed her, Kara could not dredge up a smile for him. She did not trust that warmth, and felt her lack of trust was justified when he turned harshly upon Tarek.<br/><br/>After he gave his commands and swept away with his crowd of people, she turned and looked at Tarek. “Where is my father?”<br/><br/>But Tarek did not answer her. Instead, he gripped her arm and dragged her inside of the palace. He ignored all of the questions she posed to him. Kara started to realize that she had not been brought to Janna as a returning daughter of a king, but rather as a prisoner. She was left wondering what Kaseem's plans for her were.<br/><br/>Tarek led her to a door and guided her inside, then stood outside of the room and shut the door. When Kara looked around the room, she saw six women who wore plain woolen robes. A sunken bath was in the center of the room, and a few of the women were filling it with steaming water. The scent of exotic oils was heavy in the room.<br/><br/>When the women approached her and tried to take off her clothing, Kara balked and told them no. But the fear on their faces as they looked towards the closed door ate at her. It could not hurt to take a bath. Kara relented, and soon found herself naked. She had no time to even be embarrassed, because the women were like a whirlwind around her.<br/><br/>Soon she was in the tub and being washed by too many strange sets of hands, yet every time Kara protested, the look of fear on their faces made her give in. She grew frustrated when the women did not answer any of her questions, or speak at all. After they bathed her, they waxed and plucked and tweezed her until she thought she would go mad.<br/><br/>The exotic scented oils that they rubbed into her skin soon helped to ease the pain from being waxed to within an inch of her life. There was no part of her they did not tend to, and Kara's cheeks were continually red from enduring all of it.<br/><br/>A silk dress was brought to her, and the color of it reminded her of new pennies. It was not like the robes she'd seen everyone else wore. The dress was sleeveless and tight around her breasts. It cinched just beneath them, and then down to her hips. The rest of the dress flowed freely around her legs, though there was a slit up one side that rested far to high on her thigh.<br/><br/>She was given matching sandals to wear, with laces that wound up her legs to her knees. Kara sat patiently as khol was applied to her eyes and her hair was brushed out. But when one of the women tried to take her ring, she snarled. Kara would not give up Hallbjorn's ring. It was all she had of him now.<br/><br/>Kara had enough primping. She marched to the door and opened it, and saw Tarek right in front of the door. The guards were against the opposite wall. With surprise on her side, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him into the room, then shut the door. The women squawked at a male being in their area and soon left through another door.<br/><br/>She folded her arms and glared at Tarek, “Where is my father?”