The Summer Palace

[lordbalorgreyjoy]

The Summer Palace was the home of the self-styled "Prince of the Summer Isles". It was not a palace in truth, just a grandiose manor house built on two tiers into the side of a hill. The estates were decorated with the most prized and exotic flowers from across the islands and tended to by a small army of gardeners, sweating under the hot sun. Peacocks and other tame animals wandered freely, adding yet more colour and sound to an already riotous display.

[lordbalorgreyjoy]

Temilade Xho sat upon the porch, sipping a cool drink while a few slaves stood nearby, ready to answer his every whim. A large, well muscled slave was waving a huge fan gently behind him, sending a relieving cool breeze. Temilade was a tall, muscled middle-aged man. He gave the appearance of a fighter going to seed with signs of heaviness beginning to form around his middle. He had 'ruled' the islands for the last 10 years and his combination of diplomacy and calculated brutality had increased his already sizeable wealth.
He watched calmly as his servant Xalobar returned from the marketplace with the pale child who had washed up on his shores recently. Xalobar offered a nervous, sweaty smile at him which he ignored and he studied the pale young man with signs of interest.

[lordbalorgreyjoy]

Biting into a plum, Temilade said to Xalobar "It is true. The child does have odd-coloured eyes. How unusual. Who were you, boy? I say were because whoever you were, you belong to me now."

[sabastiangreyjoy]

The boy the islanders called Mashudu stood perfectly still, realizing the situation he was in. He glanced up at the man, wondering who the man looking at him was, but what he really wanted to know who he was himself. Since the day he had woken up on the beach in this strange land and unfamiliar land, he couldn't remember his own name. He quickly understood that he was far from home, as he had seen none that even remotely reminded him of himself, and he didn't understand anything of what they were saying, so after the first few beatings from the one's who had find him, he had learned to keep his mouth shut, trying his best to do what they wanted, which wasn't always that easy.

He looked down on the ground, waiting for the man in front of him.

[sabastiangreyjoy]

When the man spoke to him, it was still in the native language he didn't understand, so he just stood there, not saying anything. He wasn't to sure if he should try and say something, but maybe it was better to be quiet. The man looked wealthy, so he would probably have been other places, so maybe he spoke other language too. He still looked down in the ground,but he finally opened his mouth to ask what had been on his mind for the last couple of days.

"Excuse me, my lord. But where am I and what am I doing here?"

[lordbalorgreyjoy]

Temilade raised an eyebrow. Without missing a beat, he switched into Westerosi "So, that's where you're from is it? I thought you had the look of a Braavosi about you". He shrugged.
"As to where you are and what you are doing here; you're at my home in the Summer Islands and you'll do whatever I tell you to do, slave."

[sabastiangreyjoy]

He gave Temilade an confusing look. He didn't really know what his master ment when he told him that he was from there. He was intelligent enough to understand that he would have to be careful with his words

"I don't understand what you mean. So that's where I'm from"

When he had said the words, he sighed in his mind. He had just made a fool of himself.

[lordbalorgreyjoy]

ooc: He didn't actually say where Sab is from. He just spoke Westerosi which he would have understood. All he's said is that he thought you were Braavosi at first.

Temilade could see that the boy was something of a lackwit and he was growing bored with their conversation so he shooed him off and told Xalobar to get him to work around the house.

[sabastiangreyjoy]

ooc: I know Temilade didn't say where he was from. That was the point, he was asking him where this from were.

IC: He followed Xalobar, a bit thankful that he had gotten away without a beating. He wondered if he would ever find out where he was from or finding out his name, for he knew it wasn't Mashudu, even if he didn't know who he was. He silently awaited any orders that this man before him would give him. Maybe that would bring him answers he wanted.

[sabastiangreyjoy]

The warmth of the sun made sweat trickle down his face and back. The boy wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, taking a short break from digging a new pool, where Temilade planned to plant more flowers. He had been moved from diffrent chores around the estates, so he wouldn't get any friends within the household. He had listened closely enough, so he could understand the native language of the islanders.

He looked around at the guards standing, keeping guard at him and the other slaves that had been assigned to the same work. He asked one of the guards if he could get some water. The guard had just smiled and slapped him, before sending him back to work. His head had been shaved, as the prince had did with all his slaves, not wanting them to have more hair than he did.

Xalobar was walking over to where the boy was working.

"The prince wants to see you, Mashudu" He said in the native language.

The boy wiped his forehead one last time, before he followed Xalobar towards the manor house.

[lordbalorgreyjoy]

Mashudu found Temilade on the porch again, eating some grapes and spitting out the seeds.
"Ah, Mashudu. I understand you speak a little of our language now?" he said.

[sabastiangreyjoy]

The young boy nodded slightly, unsure of why the Prince wanted to see him. He hadn't seen the Prince for the last couple of weeks, unless you counted the times he saw him at a distance or seeing him leave for some business.

"Yes, my lord prince" The boy had felt a bit odd at first, since they had shaved his head, but it had grown on him, becoming something of the new him, whoever he was. He had dreams at night, bits and pieces of his old life, but he couldn't put the bits together yet.

"You wanted to see me?"

He bowed slightly as he had learned from Xalobar whenever he was in the prince's company.

[lordbalorgreyjoy]

"Yes." Temilade replied. "I am heading to Braavos to conduct some business. I will wear my finest robes, my most expensive jewelry and my most unusual slaves. So will they know my importance. You and Xola shall accompany me as my personal bodyservants", he said gesturing at a beautiful young Summer Islander. The sight of her arosed strange and unusual feelings to the young Mashuda. "I shall have my usual guards and other slaves of course, but you two will be for show" he said, his teeth shockingly white against his coal black face.
"Xalobar, prepare him" he said, dismissing the pair of them as he went back to ogling Xola and eating his grapes.

[sabastiangreyjoy]

He nodded, feeling something of a longing when he realized that they were travelling to Braavos. It wasn't the place that gave him the feeling, it was the prospect of travelling by ship. Those feelings quickly disappeared when he looked at Xola. He thought she was one of the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. And the feelings she stirred when he thought about her at night made him almost as hard as she did then.

"As it pleases, my lord" He said and bowed deep before following Xalobar once more, to be prepared as the prince had put it. Wonder what that mean, he thought to himself. I'll know the answer soon enough.

[lordbalorgreyjoy]

Much to Mashuda's relief, the preparations only involved a change in clothing and appearance.
The relief dimmed somewhat when he realised that the clothes seemed to involve lots of clashing bright colours and large feathers hanging from various sections of clothes.

Feeling a bit like one of Temilade's peacocks, Mashuda stood at the docks a few days later, watching Xalobar sweating and yelling as he ran amongst the dockworkers loading the ship - a barge in truth he thought, and then immediately wondered what a barge was.
Just as he turned his mind to it, he saw Xalo. She was dressed the same as him but whereas the garish colours and feathers made him look ridiculous, on her they merely enhanced her beauty still further. His heart thudded.
"Hello Mashuda." she said and he flushed - her voice was as pretty as the rest of her.