Rocky, princess of the Cayor's kingdom, just got married into a far away land, as a peace treaty. Her husband, the King Hassan, is known for being a cruel man, greedy for wealth and blood. A true tyrant.
But are the rumors true? The man Rocky sees...
Rocky wanted to wake up before the king but by the time she opened her eyes, it was already well past noon. With a groan, she sat up on the bed and passed a hand over her messy hair. She didn't doubt that she probably looked like shit. Yet, she couldn't really focus on that because she noticed heavy breathing coming from her side. She turned, expecting to see the king's sleeping form but a horrified cry left her mouth.
The young queen jumped out of the bed and fell to the ground. She crawled as far away as possible, as the black panther laying there started yawning. The huge feline settled his yellow eyes on the queen. There was a bright gold chain around its neck, reflecting the sun rays. It slowly raised from its sitting position and successfully jumped off of the bed.
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The young queen was horrified, seeing the animal coming forward. Never had she seen such a beast from up close. The panther was surely bigger and stronger than her. It also looked...Hungry. Rocky whined as its head came closer, to the point where she could smell its breath. Just then, when she thought she'd be eaten alive, the door to the royal bathroom opened.
The king showed up, wearing his attire for the day. He frowned, seeing the queen on the ground, shaking like a leaf.
"Hey Namar..."
The black panther perked at the sound of the king's voice. It roared and moved away from the scared queen to greet its master. The king Hassan crouched down to pat its head and received a few appreciative purring. He smiled.
"How did you get in? Did I forget to lock the door last night?"
Rocky managed to stand up on her shaky legs:
"Does it know how to open doors?" She asked.
"Oh." The king laughed again. "No. It's just that I usually leave the bedroom door open and in the morning, the servants allow my pets to come inside. I just love to see them when I wake up."
"You...You are not scared to sleep when they can show up anytime?"
"Not at all. These babies have been raised in the palace. They are not dangerous. Do you want to get acquainted with Namar?"
Rocky hesitated but seeing the way the panther purred, she decided to take a few steps closer. She really liked animals but she'd never expected to see a real panther one day. It was too big, bigger than any lion she ever saw back home.
"Just extend your hand so he can smell it." The king instructed.
Rocky obeyed. The panther sniffed her hand a few times and she started giggling when it licked on her fingers. His raspy tongue was warm and soft. Just like that, they became friends. Rocky was allowed to touch its ears. Namar roared and pressed its head against her stomach. The young queen cooed at that. When she looked up, the king was staring at her fondly.
"He loves you." He whispered.
"I love him too..."
"Go and get ready. You and I can have breakfast in the garden. Then, maybe you can meet my other pets. If you didn't guess already, I have a thing for exotic animals."
