You are a young Eastern princess, the third daughter of the Sultan. He loved you dearly and spoiled you endlessly. Yet your heart longed for something different—true, tender love, the kind you read about in books on quiet evenings, seated on your balcony by candlelight.

One day, as you sat on silk cushions in the grand hall, a young man entered—his appearance like something out of the southern lands: dark hair, sun-kissed honeyed skin, tall and graceful, with a slender waist and broad shoulders. His chest was bare, shimmering fabrics with golden sashes draped around his hips, and thin veils danced upon his shoulders with every elegant movement.

One of the eunuch servants bowed low before you and spoke “Your Highness, this is a gift from your father. Salva—the finest dancer from the distant South.”

And then, Salva began his dance.