Realms in Conflict: Florante and Aladin's Forbidden Love

"I've heard so much about you, Prince Aladin," said King Galan.

"And I you, Your Majesty."

"Yes, your exploits on the battle field have earned you quite a name for yourself." The king's eyes twinkled with pride. "Your father was a great man, and it seems his blood runs through your veins. Have some wine," he offered as he poured a glass for them both.

"Thank you." Aladin took the cup from the king's hand and took a sip. It tasted awful. He had never tasted wine before, but he guessed this wasn't how it was supposed to taste.

The king laughed. "If I knew giving you wine would get that reaction out of you, I would have done it earlier!" He slapped his knee and guffawed merrily. Aladin smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. The king wiped away tears from his eyes and sighed contentedly. "You know, when you are in my presence, there is no need to be scared or nervous about anything." He leaned forward and patted Aladin on the shoulder affectionately. "I may look like an old geezer now, but I used to be quite the ladies' man in my day!"

Aladin looked up at him in disbelief. The king was well into his eighties and looked every bit of it. His skin was wrinkled and paper-thin, his hair had long since turned white and wispy close to his scalp while what remained on top was grayed out with age, and his body was frail looking with its hunched posture and feeble arms that barely managed to hold up his weight as he sat on the throne. He looked nothing like a ladies' man...but then again, Aladin thought to himself, perhaps that made him all the more attractive? At least women were not intimidated by him...then again...maybe they were! After all, there is always more than meets the eye when it comes to seduction...or at least that's what he imagined!

"Ah yes," said King Galan dreamingly as he began to reminisce about his past affairs with women of note in their kingdom many years ago. "There was Queen Diana of Pride Island; she had such magnificent legs..." King Galan paused and licked his lips suggestively. "I loved to stare at her legs whenever we met for dinner..." He trailed off dreamily once more but quickly snapped out of it when he realized where his thoughts led him to go.

"Then there was Julie of Devil's Island; she was just as lustful as she was beautiful!" The king continued rambling on and on about various women he had bedded over the years until finally realizing that Aladin had stopped listening after around ten minutes into the conversation. "Oh...am I boring you?" he asked sheepishly, taking notice of Aladin's glazed-over expression.

Aladin shook himself awake from his daydreaming trance and tried to smile reassuringly at King Galan who looked worried now that he had lost Aladin's attention. "No...no...that's quite alright." He took another sip of wine as an excuse to avoid looking directly at the king anymore. Ugh...this really tastes awful! Why does father insist on me drinking this stuff? Who wants to drink something sour when they can drink something sweet instead? But then again...Father has never been one who liked change very much; why else would King Ashton still have all those laws in place preventing same sex marriage? For all Father knows...he might be drinking this stuff until death do us part! Or maybe not; Father never knows how to take things lightly either...unless they are serious matters only involving dire consequences for those involved! Then again...not even Mother could ever get Father to lighten up about anything outside of these matters...hell, even Mother couldn't ever get Father to lighten up about these matters either! 'There is no room for error', Father always says...and for once he meant business! If anyone dared step out of line then they would pay dearly for their insubordination! And nobody dared step out of line since not too long ago when Father ordered the execution of King Felipe of Pride Island for having an affair with Princess Lina after she was betrothed already to Prince Rodrigo! He'd even threatened Father not too long ago when Father announced that Prince Rodrigo would marry Princess Maria instead after their marriage fell through due to their mutual dislike towards each other! That's right; Father banished Prince Rodrigo from our kingdom because Maria wanted nothing more than to see him dead after he announced her shameful secret! No wonder they both ended up getting married elsewhere; they probably wish they could have married each other now if only just so they could live happily ever after with each other far away from our kingdom! Well no matter what foolishness happens around here; it will always be my duty as future ruler of our kingdom to uphold its laws until death do me part because I'm afraid: our kingdom doesn't like change either!