Coins for an empire

Sarcos and Ramse went to see Sienna in the garden together. Ramse was so excited to see her. His heart was beating loudly as he saw the beautiful Sienna painting under the shiny white gazebo. She was so concentrated on her work, she don't even notice them coming. Her long hair were moving in the gentle wind and her tiger eyes were glued onto the canvas. She was painting excitedly with precise movements, mumbling something to herself.

"You can surely paint so beautifully, " Ramse noted behind her shoulder and looked at her in awe," You are indeed talented for a female."

Sienna flinched at the sound of his voice. She looked at Sarcos standing next to him and then at Ramse. He was looking quite handsome today. He wore a white and silver silken tunic with light armour and black silken trousers. It looked like he dress up more as a king now. But Sienna still cringed her nose." Thank you, Ramse, even though females have talents, they are just sometimes not given the opportunity to grow them or even show them. You should give opportunities to females in your tribe to learn new things. I think you may be pleasantly surprised at their talents."She smiled.

Ramse nodded."I will take your advice on that. But to start I like to ask you a favour. I would like you to make me a portrait for my new coins."

"Of course."Sienna nodded."I will make you any designs you like."

Ramse nodded happily. "This will be an opportunity to spend time with her!" he thought.

"I came here to order some silks for my new castle. Would you design me some fabric designs for my city too?" he asked.

Sienna nodded." Yes, just tell me what it should look like and what colours you like."Sienna was grateful he did not take her when she was sick and tried to keep friendly relations with him.

Ramse nodded." I like fruit designs, pineapples... and weapons, " he added so he doesn't look so weak."And fights. I'm manly you know."

Sienna chuckled."Yes, you are very manly."

Sarcos looked at Ramse with a cheeky smirk."Would you join me on a hunt?" Ramse did not want to look weak, so he nodded his head.

Sienna looked at the sky." It will be getting dark soon. I will paint your portrait for coins tomorrow morning. It will be the best light. I will start at the fabric designs first." she smiled.

"Thank you, "Ramse nodded."Make something you like too."

Sienna nodded and waved them sweetly." Bye, for now, have fun."They let her paint and went for the hunt. She took new papers and started to draw excitedly.

Ramse on the hunt killed a deer. Sarcos asked him if he need help to roast it, but Ramse saw him eat his one raw so he tried it as well. He felt savage somehow and gobbled up all dear. His warriors tried the raw meat and scoffed at it."It is so repulsive. How could our king eat the whole deer?"

Ramse felt so much power in his body suddenly." It seemed the raw meat is really making me stronger." he thought. The feeling was addictive. The big white ape looked around hungrily."Here, "Sarcos gave him another deer, "Try some more."

Sarcos looked at Ramse gobbling the meat with his strong jaws. He never saw an ape warrior have this much taste for raw meat. Something was off with him, and he need to find out what. Sienna's fate depended on him too. Sarcos knew Ramse would never give up on her. "Till he lives." Sarcos sighted in his mind. He hoped he will not need to kill him. He proved to be a good king for the apes.

Sienna designed beautiful paintings and drawings to be transferred onto silk. All in light cream, gold, silver and green colours. It had leafy tropical pineapple pictures and weapons drawings and it all looked very elegant. She also made him a few turquoise paintings as well. Sienna knew she will end up in Ramse's castle sooner or later at some point, so she made something she liked too.

She packed the dry paintings at sundown and sent Sid to drop them in Ramse's room. Ramse and Sarcos were just returning back as they bumped into Sid with the paintings.

The kings took it and went to have a look in Ramses's room at it.

Ramse unpacked the drawings and smiled. He liked the pineapple designs. It had different variations with leafy green leaves and it matched his city well. He also got a few waterfall-like designs, some weapons and trinkets designs, it was all very elegant and kingish.

At last, he opened the turquoise designs, with the beautiful unicorn drawing and flowers. He stared at it speechless. Then the realisation struck him and he started to laugh. "She sent me a design for her own room!" he rejoiced in his mind. He laughed loud and hard. His heart felt so happy and felt powerful as never before.

Sarcos had a look at it and bit his lips. He must keep Ramse close to make sure she is not taken again.

Sarcos let Ramse rest and went to see Sienna. He picked the silvery mermaid silk fabric roll from his laboratory. Marco left it there as he was rushing to visit Sienna and Sarcos almost forgot about it. He took the roll to her room.

"I like your designs," he said."Apart from the unicorn one."

"You don't like unicorns?" Sienna asked gently.

"No, it was pretty, it just looked like a design for your own room. "

Sienna nodded."Ramse is your friend again now. I promised him, I will go visit him when he finishes his city. I prefer to stay in my own separate room than his own." She bit her lips.

Sarcos looked at her. He knew what she meant and nodded.

"I will be minting a lot of money for him, make me a design for the back of the coins my love too," Sarcos said gently.

Sienna nodded."You mint money, how amazing. You are a banker too? "

"A bit."Sarcos nodded, "But I can make it work for sure." he nodded thinking. Sarcos wanted to join the world and have power over it. He can surely do it with his armies, but with business, it was more fun. He wanted the nations to have their own kings, he just wanted to rule the kings really. One would say, he wanted to build an empire of business and power.

"Here. Gift from king Marco.Mermaid silk. Make something nice from it, he will be coming to see you again soon."Sarcos noted.

Sienna touched the delicate fabric. "It is amazing, what it is made from?"

"Sea plants," Sarcos noted.

"I will thank Marco when he came, "Sienna noted happily. Then she looked at Sarcos's handsome face." Would you cuddle me tonight?"

"I will come in the early morning. I have still work to do," he said seriously.

"Ok," Sienna nodded."Have good work my love." she kissed his lips. She understood that Sarcos loved working at night on his experiments. It was peaceful and he could think better. She liked to sew at night too before, but here she got a lot of time, so could do anything anytime.

The next day early morning all designs were ready and packed. Sarcos sent Voltoire with Ramse's fabric order to king Samuel and packed him a bag of gold coins as payment too. Then he rushed to lay next to Sienna to cuddle her in the morning. He kissed her gently. "Sienna wake up."

"What is the time?"She whispered tiredly and pressed her hot body on him.

"Two hours to noon," Sarcos said gently.

"What? I need to go, my light is good." she sprung from the bed and get ready in a hurry.

Sarcos chuckled."She is so cute!"

Sienna was so excited to make designs for coins." It is something important and useful!" she smiled in her mind.

Sienna painted Ramse's portrait for coins in the garden. "Sit from the profile," she ordered him.

"But I want to look at you! Can't you paint me from sideway at least?" he tried to negotiate.

Sienna shook her head."All coins have profiles on them, it does look kingish."

"Ok," Ramse sighed, "You are the artist."

"And don't move," Sienna said."Or you will look not so pretty." She sketched Ramse's profile. Sienna had to admit, that his face was really handsome.

"Anything from you must be pretty!" Ramse said.

"Well, I can't do everything," Sienna chuckled.

"Like what?"Ramse asked.

"I definitely can't cook well."She sighed." Or clean spotlessly. I'm a bit messy. Is hard for me." she chuckled. She wanted to remind him how horrible female she actually is.

"How do you know you are so bad at cooking? Don't you miss any food from your world?" Ramse asked a bit sneakily."There must be something you like to cook."

Sienna thought for a minute, "Yes, you are right, I can make pancakes. Now I want them if you reminded me! It is your fault! Let's make them tomorrow for breakfast, you can join me and help. "she chuckled.

Ramse nodded," I will look forward to it."He was excited to cook with Sienna because he was thinking she made it up." Every female knows how to cook for sure." he thought.

"Well, you see for yourself. It will be fun anyway ."Sienna thought.

"What shall I write on the coin?" she asked.

"What do you think?"He asked.

"Well, most coins have the name of the king, year of minting and value on them," she said.

"You decide the name then. What do you think?" Ramse was curious.

"Maybe it can have " Ramse the Rex".It means, Ramse the king, she chuckled." It is in Latin."

"I like it," Ramse nodded. He wanted to have something special on it from her.

"Can I have one coin with your portrait? " he asked.

"It would be wrong. Am not your queen."Sienna said.

"Not yet!" he thought."Maybe on the other side?" he asked. He was excited by the idea of his and her portraits on one coin.

"Only if Sarcos agree."Sienna nodded.

"After Sienna finished Ramse's portrait, she started to design the other side of the coins.

Sarcos came to invite Ramse for a little fight in the training grounds to pass the time. Ramse was very happy to spare with him. He wanted to level up again badly.

Sienna watched them spare for a bit and sketched them. It was so much fun to paint Ramse as he kept losing. She made him a little comic from it. She named it, "Never give up".

Sarcos have to end the training when Ramse was knocked out. Sarcos was looking at Sienna for a moment and hit him too hard by accident. Sarcos sent him to his room. Sienna packed him the comics. Sarcos looked at her with a smile. "You can be really cheeky sometimes!"

When Ramse woke up in a few hours, he levelled up again. He felt stronger and happy. He smell Sienna's scent, so he looked at the table and found the little comic from her. He cringed his handsome face as he saw himself losing so badly to Sarcos, but then he chuckled. "Never give up. How fitting!" he thought. His heart grew bigger again. He will keep it on his wall. "Of course, Sarcos is the strongest king around, but I'm brave enough to fight with him. That is still something!" He thought.

He pressed the comic to his heart. Sienna made it for him.

The next morning Voltoire came back. King Samuel sent a note to Sarcos with the dates he should send his warriors for the fabrics. Sarcos smiled. It was so much easier to deal with him than with the late Spider King. Samuel wanted his city to prosper and he did his best for the people. He was making sure Sarcos got always everything on time and he built new factories all over the city.

Sienna finished the coin designs. Sarcos said it is a good idea to put her face on another side of the coins." You never know when it can be useful," He said. Sarcos was planning to use Sienna's face as a symbol for his business empire, he wanted to mint it on every coin they make, and that is why it was useful to him!

Ramse was ecstatic."Thank you."He smiled at Sarcos.

"Your coins will be prettier than mine. I need to mint some new ones for me as well."Sarcos chuckled. Then the idea struck him."He should make new coins for everyone! Different kings, the same back and the same weight will make transactions so much easier! He took the designs and sent them to his mint.