Chapter 1
The palace courtyard was full of corpses. Slowly the Prince came near the front gate with his bow and arrows ready. Suddenly something whisked past his ear. Quickly he ran behind the fountain that was by now red with blood of dead soldiers. The Prince realized that an arrow had just missed him by inches. By now, he imagined, the archer must be readying himself for another go. Carefully the Prince turned around the corner and took a sneak peek at his would-be assassin. The archer wore the saffron tunic and red turban of an invader. He stood erect on the balcony with his bow ready. The Prince became poised for a quick run for the entrance when suddenly he heard footsteps. A man came running towards the palace. He wore an ivory tunic of the Prince's tunic. "Sire!" he greeted the Prince. "The third wave of the enemy has surrendered." The Prince, for a moment, was elated but then suddenly he noticed the dangerous scenario imminent around him. The greeter was his second in-command and he stood in full view of the enemy archer. The whisking of an arrow was heard and the dreaded arrowhead pounced into the man's chest, filling his tunic with crimson red.
The Prince's eyes burned with fury. He rose and wasted no time in firing an arrow at the archer. The arrow pierced the enemy's skull, leaving him dead instantly. The Prince turned and saw his commander on the marble floor, blood crawling out like snakes. He bowed down and checked the wrist for pulses. The heart had stopped beating.
By now the soldiers of the Prince's army were filling the palace yard. An elderly commander of African origin commanded the soldiers to scatter for any remaining enemy forces. The commander saw the young man, wearing the royal gilded tunic, over the dead body in grief. The Prince noticed the commander, the reputed Aasid, coming near him. He felt overjoyed at the sight of Aasid and the soldiers but became saddened again at the slightest thought of his commander's demise.
A long hard-fought battle was coming to an end. The Prince had heeded the Sahabian call for his intervention after a rogue army had invaded the country. The Sahabian emperor, the Prince thought, must be somewhere inside the palace.
"I'm taking a search party inside to look for the emperor." The Prince said.
Aasid smiled at the young man's enthusiasm. "I'm coming with you." he said.
"No need", the Prince replied, as he checked his sword.
"Sire, the army can bear the death of a commander but not of a Prince." Aasid shot back.
The company of a fellow soldier has a soothing feeling for any man, but the Prince knew better. Certainly he knew enough to avoid the death of another comrade. The Prince, above all, was weary at the very thought of losing his beloved childhood mentor.
He took one last look at his fallen commander. "You may take another party Aasid, but not with me." Saying this, the Prince began towards the palace with four swordsmen.
Aasid stood in disbelief at the Prince's denial. He wasn't going to stand around either. He has always been too careful with the Prince. At times he had controlled the young man's over enthusiasm for battle and guided him wisely. This time the Prince was going inside a palace that was filled with, who knows how many, enemy soldiers. Aasid decided he was going to covertly follow the Prince in case of lurking danger.
The Prince and his swordsmen walked into shadowy interior of the palace. The Prince appeared distinctive from the other four men with his handsomely elegant features and his white turban with a peacock feather erect just above his forehead. He observed the lemon green marble floor and the Persian inscriptions vividly stretched out on the walls. Above, the ceiling was even more decorated with Persian graffiti. There was also a beautiful scent of jasmine that swayed with the air inside the palace.
Suddenly a scream arose from upstairs. It was a female voice screaming desperately. The Prince turned to something that was crawling in front of the stairs. At first it appeared like a lump of gold, moving along the floor. As the Prince came nearer he saw that it was a man, fatally wounded and dying. The man wore a golden embroided tunic with a blood drenched cloak spread around him on the floor. He was bleeding profusely from his belly, his one hand firmly on the wounded spot. The Prince saw clearly that the man wore the emperor's regalia. This must be the Sahabian emperor, thought the Prince.
"Come near me", the emperor whispered to the Prince. The Prince knelt down, bringing his ears level with the emperor. The emperor continued, "they're taking away my daughter... stop them!"
"They can't get away. They're trapped like rats!" the Prince said.
"No... You don't understand", the emperor coughed, spitting droplets of blood out in the process. There was a grimace of deep pain on the emperor's face.
"What is it?" the Prince asked, putting his hands on the emperor's shoulder.
"The Saikaar", the emperor said with a cold stare.
The Prince stared in utter disbelief. The other men shrugged, unable to understand the meaning of the word. Only the Prince knew the dreaded thing the word referred to.
Throughout his like, the Prince had fought numerous battles in distant lands. This experience alone gave him the knowledge of a mammoth creature, in existence, of the Arabian Sea.
Suddenly the palace shook and bits of ceiling started to crumble down. The emperor had already died. The Prince struggled to keep his balance in the sudden quake and gestured the other men to follow him upstairs.
Together they hurried up the stairs and came to a long corridor leading to another room. At the end of the corridor stood five men, one of them wearing a long dark coat with fiery lions. This man stepped forward and introduced himself to the Prince. "My name is Raafid - commander of the mercenaries who have invaded this kingdom." Raafid had the looks of a man who was cerebral yet elegant. His face had some facial hair but his locks were long on his head and tied into a ponytail. His dark brown eyes breathed a fiery invitation to fight if the Prince dared.
The Prince, with his swordsmen in the background looked formidable. His tunic, although smeared with blood, looked distinctive. His turban, majestic with the feather, made him taller than the others in vicinity. The caved-in sides of his face gave one the impression of a man who had endured countless sufferings. His black eyes glared at Raafid, promising a duel to the death.
The Prince drew his sword, "What do you want with the girl?" he asked, demandingly.
Raafid smiled wickedly, "She's quite a healthy creature."
The Prince, disgusted with Raafid's remark, said "All this bloodshed just to satisfy your lusty desires?"
Raafid, somewhat insulted by the Prince's words, declared;" My desire... dear Prince... is to become to ruler of the world." Raising his sword, Raafid continued, "You'll do well to step back in the interest of your own dear life."
The Prince, unmoved by the threat, rushed to meet the challenge. All four of Raafid's men drew swords and lunged forward. Raafid quickly opened the door to the room and shut himself inside. Just then the quake re-emerged and a portion of the floor, the part occupied by Raafid's men, plunged downwards. All four men met their ensuing death as they spiraled down with inhuman cries.
The Prince, struggling up, saw the broken floor tiles in front of him. He had to find a way to the other side to get to the room, where Raafid entered. He ordered the four swordsmen to go and summon Aasid at once, for he needed his mentor. As soon as they went, the Prince looked around. A loose chandelier hung above the broken floor. The Prince was reminded of his acrobatics he once used to rescue his beloved Princess years ago. He would have to try them again this time as another damsel's life depended on it.
He took some steps back and sprinted forward, lunging towards the chandelier. His hands caught hold of it and soon he was hanging onto the chandelier, waving it towards the other end by swinging his legs. As soon as the chandelier came to a second's horizontal halt, the Prince leaped off and fell to the other end.
He opened the door, his sword at the ready. Inside, the metallic shriek of a creature, almost deafened his ears. Nestled on the royal bed was a giant three-headed eagle, spreading its wings out triumphantly. Raafid sat on it like a mounted horseman. His face wore a wide grin, amused at the Prince's unbelieving stare.
This was the creature known as the Saikaar and it was causing these sudden quakes in the palace. The Saikaar held a girl in its claws. She spread her arms towards the Prince in desperation and cried, "Help me!" The Saikaar took off with her through the open terrace and disappeared from the Prince's sight.
The Prince, exiting the room, saw Aasid standing on the other side of the broken floor. He noticed the pale look on the mentor's face.
"Did you see that?", the Prince asked.
"I know a Saikaar when I see one", replied Aasid sarcastically.
"Do you have any idea where it might be heading?", the Prince asked.
Aasid's face turned to a look of curiosity." Most probably its home - the eastern side of the Arabian Sea ."
"Let's get there as soon as possible. Make my flagship ready, Aasid."
"A' hem...", Aasid looked innocently at the Prince." How do you intend to cross over to this side?"
The Prince looked dumbfounded. He turned to the chandelier above. Aasid smiled, knowing that a whole new adventure lay in front of them.
Chapter 2
The ocean winds soothed the Prince as he stood on the front deck of the Sahana . The sun, halfway down the sea, illuminated the horizon with a soft reddish glow. The Prince was reminded of his wife back in the palace, awaiting the sight of the Sahana on the balconies.
"The wind is carrying us pretty fast." The voice came from behind.
The Prince turned and saw it was the captain, an elderly stout man wearing a red tunic and navy-blue turban. This man too was the Prince's mentor from his early days on the throne of Persia. His name was Shanid. His old grumpy voice reminded the Prince of how impatiently Shanid tried to teach him about sea navigation. The Prince grinned.
"We're going to reach the Indian Ocean in a matter of days." Shanid said.
The Prince noticed Aasid coming up to them with a rather disturbed look on his face.
"How long must I remind you to address the Prince as 'Sire'?" Aasid said to the captain.
Shanid shrugged. "I never addressed a young man as 'Sire' in my entire life. The Sultan was so old."
The Prince nodded with a wicked grin. Turning to Aasid, he said, "You are going to tell about Raafid?"
"Where did you hear that name, Sire?" Aasid asked with a stunned look.
"I met him in the Sahabian palace. He told me his name and introduced himself as the commander of the mercenaries."
"Was he the one who kidnapped the emperor's daughter?"
The Prince nodded.
"The rascal was a Persian, an expert in black arts. The Sultan became aware of his sadistic ways and banished him from the kingdom."
"Well now he has an entire army and he wants to play God." The Prince said.
"I don't know how he intends to do that but the Maharaja of the Deccan is ready to meet us in India. His army will help us track down Raafid."
Shanid was listening to this quite intently.
"I heard that the Deccan was full of wild animals and mosquitoes. How the hell are you going to make it through that jungle by yourselves?" He asked.
Aasid turned to him coolly. "You'll be helping us personally with weed cutters."
Shanid looked dumbstruck. "What? What? But I'm captain of the ship. The poor little wretches need me."
"They can use some relaxation." Aasid said.
The Prince smiled at his old mentor's mischief.
The cell was dark and morbid, full of stench from dead prisoners. Inside the young girl sat in the corner with tearful eyes on the cold stony floor. She watched the saffron guards marching back and forth in front of her cell. The girl sensed her end was near. In despair she wept again.
The Sahana sailed at a vibrant pace in the morning sunlight. The Prince, as usual, stood on the deck and scanned the horizon for land. At times Aasid noticed the young man's impatience and patted his shoulder. "Patience. Sire. You have not lost yet." This failed to be comforting for the Prince knew that an innocent girl was suffering or, worst, even dead.
One of the crew, a dark and tiny man, climbed up to the crow's nest and began scanning the horizon. As days went by the Prince grew frustrated. Shanid yelled at the rowers mercilessly to row faster or be fried in burning oil. Only Aasid remained composed among the lot.
As the whole week went by, the Prince finally gave up hope and retreated to his private cabin. Shanid furiously joined the rowers and started rowing himself. Aasid went down into the cabin and saw the young man leaning on the wall with a dejected look. How could defeat come so quickly?, the Prince wondered in disbelief.
"You think the girl is dead?" Aasid asked.
"I failed." The Prince replied.
"You Quitter!" Aasid said in contempt. " I never saw you admitting defeat in your whole. What's wrong with you?"
The Prince stared at the old man and marveled at his refusal to admit failure.
Suddenly, the captain stumbled into the cabin. Picking himself up before a bewildered Aasid, Shanid exclaimed joyfully. "LAND!"
The jungle air was hot and humid. There were rarely paths for traveling. Often times the Prince found his feet buried deep in muddy soil. Aasid, Shanid and a dozen other men followed close behind with daggers, cutting away weeds and branched on their paths. The Prince started sweating and removed his turban. Aasid objected to this act but the Prince ignored. Unfolding his turban into a long cloth, he wiped his wet face. "Damn you wretched mosquitoes!" Shanid grumbled about. Soon the men stopped following Aasid and the Prince because both of them had moved ahead quite fast, leaving a long gap between them. Aasid noticed this and alarmed the Prince. "I think we should stop for some time."
"There's a slope downwards, let's climb down slowly." The Prince said, ignoring Aasid's voice. They made their way down the slope until they came to a stony pathway leading into a dark tunnel far ahead.
Aasid turned and tried to catch a glimpse of Shanid and his men. "Down here!" he cried. No answer. He turned to the Prince, "I'll go back and fetch them." He was nervous. The Prince stared ahead at some 'things' crawling on the ground.
Snakes! Hundreds of them! They weren't moving towards the Prince but instead merged into each other. A large slimy humanlike figure was taking shape and it was moving towards them. The Prince became pale and drew his light sabre. "What is that?" Aasid was pale. "No time to ask questions! Just kill it!" The Prince lunged forward and swung his sword at the snake-figure, cutting it in two. No sooner, the two lumps started quickening into two complete bodies with more snakes merging in.
"Run into the tunnel." Aasid yelled. Both of them ran in with the snakes behind them.
They ran, virtually blinded, through the pitch black tunnel. Finally, minutes later, they made it out. "I think we've lost it." Aasid said, panting for breath. A fog had gathered around them. They were in the middle of a valley. Both of them walked forward. The Prince could barely make out crude roads on cliffs above them. The Prince imagined them to be probably used by prehistoric men.
The valley seemed endless. Soon the Prince's legs started to develop cramps from the ceaseless walk. He gestured Aasid to stop for a while. Suddenly, he heard noises. Noises of rocks crumbling and footsteps. He looked at Aasid, the old man slowly drew his shamshir from the scabbard. The Prince drew his weapon as well. The noises grew louder. The Prince turned to Aasid, the old man's eyes were at work. The Prince saw a shadowy figure with a sword, emerging from the fog. "Aasid watch out!" The Prince shouted, his heart thumped wildly as the shadow's sword swung at Aasid's neck. Swords clashed! The Prince blocked the sword in its path with his sabre. Aasid turned in quick reflexes and swung his sword at the shadowy figure. The bulk almost collided with the Prince. It was a man, masked in the head of a tiger- one of Raafid's mercenaries. Aasid's sword had wounded him in the arm. The man drew his sword at the Prince. The Prince swung, slicing the man's neck. Finally the enemy fell to the ground, dead.
"Who is he?" Aasid asked.
Suddenly danger struck again. An arrow flew by Aasid's head, missing him by a hair's distance. The Prince sprinted to the cliff's side and clawed his way up to the paths above. He noticed a shadowy figure disappearing into the fog ahead. He ran in pursuit. Seconds later he sighted the man, bows and arrows were level at him. He ducked and missed the arrow. Rolling forward, he struck the man and decapitated him instantly.
"Sire!" Aasid shouted from below. The Prince came near the cliff edge and saw Aasid over two slain tiger-masked soldiers. "They're all over the place!"
"Let's move ahead!" the Prince replied. Sometimes later they arrived to a slope that descended into more fog. The Prince and Aasid stopped near the edge.
"We've come a long way." Aasid said.
"I'm relying on your clever wits to get us out of here." The Prince said.
"Oh really - perhaps you haven't noticed that I'm getting senile."
"Nonsense! I'm totally dependant on you."
"You just saved my neck back there." Aasid stared at the Prince with a sad face.
The Prince laughed, patting his mentor's shoulders. "Looks like all those tiresome sword drills finally paid off."
Soon they disappeared into the fog down below.
"Psst...Psst."
The saffron guard grew irritated by the girl's constant whistling. Finally he came near the cell. The girl looked at him.
"What's wrong? Why do you not shut up?" the guard yelled.
"Come near me." The girl said slowly.
The guard drew near the bars. Suddenly the girl clutched the back of his head and kissed him erotically. The guard withdrew and noticed that the keys, which were tied to his belt, were stolen by the girl. She opened the door with ease. Quickly she grabbed a flame torch that illuminated the corridors as the guard drew his sword. She threw the flame torch at the guard's face and the flame consumed him. He cried inhumanly. The girl ran off leaving the guard in agony.
Chapter 3
"This is all you fault!" Shanid accused his tired men. He perceived himself innocent because he was, after all, the captain of a ship and his men were well-equipped soldiers.
Suddenly the trees quivered around them and the ground shook violently. Trumpets! The captain drew his sword and so did his men.
The girl ran through the corridors of the seedy dungeon. Cries erupted behind her. "Stop her!" Suddenly she fell down in her wild running. She spiraled deep underground with cries of adrenalin rush. The trap door had done its work.
The girl fell on dusty ground. She struggled to get up. Ahead she noticed slimy creatures on the ground ... snakes! They began to merge into each other... the process of becoming a grotesque body. Quickly the girl grabbed another flame torch, that hung on the wall, and threw it at the creature. It caught fire! The grotesque figure beat itself in a state of panic. Smoke filled the tiny suffocating room. The girl caught sight of a ventilator shaft. She crawled in.
She fell outside, into the fog covered yard. Saffron guards paraded outside. They caught sight of the girl and encircled her to the wall. She was trapped! For the first time the emperor's daughter became frustrated at not giving first thought of the probability of soldiers outside the dungeon. The end seemed near for the girl. Suddenly a loud cry erupted amidst the fog. It came from just a yard away. The saffron guards became alert and focused their eyes on a spot away from them. Their faces turned pale at the sight of a fellow guard tossed out from the fog. Two men emerged with their shamsirs erect. They were the Prince and Aasid. The emperor's daughter was overjoyed.
The guards lunged towards the two men and a fight broke out. Soon more guards poured out from the dungeon interiors. The Prince and Aasid fought side by side, dropping every guard now and then. But soon they became trapped in the middle by the ensuing mass of soldiers circling around them.
Immediately a quake followed. Trumpets of charging mammoths echoed from nearby. The guards turned from the two men and scurried around like church mice.
"What's that noise?" The Prince asked.
"I think help has finally arrived." Aasid said with a wry smile.
The Maharaja's army tore out from amongst the trees and started showering the enemy with arrows. Shanid and the Maharaja himself, atop an elephant, greeted the Prince and Aasid. The entire saffron contingent was in mass trauma. The emperor's daughter joined in the fight as she picked up a sword from the ground.
The Prince saw Raafid running out of the dungeon and waving his head in disbelief. He ran back inside. The Prince knew what was next and he ran towards the dungeon. Too late! The Saikaar rammed through the walls with Raafid on it's mount. The Prince caught a stallion and rode off in pursuit. This time he would not let him get away.
The Prince's stallion rode swiftly through the trees with ease. The Saikaar glided ahead of them with Raafid frequently looking back to see if the Prince still followed. Soon they came to the end of the road and to a stone bridge that ran over a raging stream. The Saikaar had no trouble as it flew over to the other side. The Prince halted his stallion and dismounted. The large animal was too heavy for the fragile looking bridge so he would have to cross over on his own. Slowly he took his steps on the bridge until he was halfway to the other side. The Saikaar; out of nowhere flew over the Prince, pushing the wind against his body. The Prince struggled to keep his balance like a trapeze artist. The dark coated Raafid had dropped down from his eagle and was now proceeding towards the Prince. The Prince saw the trap... the bridge gave a distinct advantage to Raafid with the Saikaar.
"I could have gotten the Sahabian empire to myself... You ruined all my plans!" Raafid said. "Now I'm going to get my revenge on you." He added with a cold voice.
Suddenly the trick played off. The Prince, completely distracted by Raafid, could not see the Saikaar coming from behind. The eagle caught the Prince with it's claws and threw him towards the river below. Raafid cried triumphantly.
The Prince splashed heavily onto the rushing river. He felt like being hit with a thousand hammers. Hands and feet he could not move. His whole body became numb and unmovable with enormous pain. In vain he tried to swim ashore. He felt the pain again, this time on his forehead. He was hit by a rock in the rush. He was in an illusion... he was seeing the Princess crying over him... like a widow. He cried and fainted.
Chapter 4
He was prostrate on the bed. There was a pleasant light around him litted by tiny lamps at the bedside. He was home... he was sure of it. The Princess entered the room and climbed onto the bed on her fours. She was as beautiful as ever. He heard her whispers ... those sweet sensual voices. Slowly they came near and pressed their lips against each other.
The chilly water sprinkled on him made him awake. Slowly sight returned to the Prince's eyes. Objects came into form around him. He was laid on a bed with a wet towel over his forehead wound. Around him, were three persons. A middle aged woman with golden hair and pale plue eyes, an elderly man, and a little girl who watched him quite intently. They spoke to each other in a strange language. The Prince saw that the woman was always referred to as "Fiona". He assumed it to be her name.
Fiona's most distinctive feature was her long golden hair. The Prince was surprised to find looks and appearances like these in this part of the world. Whoever they were, they had somehow saved his life and now they were nursing him back to good condition.
Seconds later they left. Fiona had left some clothes on the Prince's bedside table. The room was vividly painted in blue and illuminated with lamps. The Prince got up and dressed. He still felt the pain in his head. Turning to the table, he saw his shamshir carefully placed on the bedside inside the scabbard. He took the shamshir and walked outside the room... not knowing that a surprise awaited him.
The Prince saw Fiona waiting for him outside. Above him the sky was nonexistent. There was a huge dome around them with water outside. Large fishes and coral reefs frolicked outside abundantly. The Prince never saw anything like this in his entire life and marveled at the oceanic beauty. This was an entire city underwater! There were children, men and women around him doing their daily chores. People living under the sea or ocean!
Fiona saw him and smiled. She took his arms and gave him a tour of the city. She showed him the sights and scenes... the gardens... the buildings... the beauty of this city. Hours later they stood on a balcony over the garden. They stared into the ocean blue. The Prince fell in love... not only with the city but also with Fiona. Slowly he pulled her towards him. She became frightened but as soon as she saw the Prince's eyes, in full passion, she smiled. They kissed with in the euphoric background of the ocean. Fiona led him to her room and they made love with fiery abandon.
When he awoke, the Prince assumed it was morning. Fiona was already awake and making a meal in the kitchen. The Prince crept up behind her playfully and kissed her neck. She smiled and placed his hands slowly on her breasts. The Prince felt the soothing warmth of her body.
Suddenly the Prince stepped back. Fiona looked at him in fright. He was reminded of his mission and the Princess. "I must go back" he explained. He gestured to the sky and made signs of land. Fiona understood and wept. They embraced ... it was the longest embrace they Prince had ever known.
She led him to an underground tunnel and to a pool of cold water. They stopped near the pool and exchanged glances. The Prince looked at the pool and turned again to Fiona. "Must I go through there?" he pointed to the pool. She nodded. They embraced again. This time Fiona gave him a necklace of silver with a medallion. The Prince smiled and stepped into the cool water. The water blazed around him and almost blinded him. He closed his eyes and reopened them. He was no longer underwater but in the forest. Ahead of him there was a bridge. Raafid stood on top and faced another man ... himself! Confusion swept the Prince's mind.
Then he heard noises ... faint noises of wings. The Prince remembered the Saikaar. He caught sight of a sharp wood nearby and picked it up. It was shaped like a small spear. He would have to be precise, for this was his last chance! The Saikaar flew out from the trees. The Prince aimed at the center head and counted...one...two...three! He threw the wood like a javelin. It pierced through the middle head. A loud cry was heard. The eagle flew blindly at the two men on top of the bridge. The Prince on the bridge ducked. The Saikaar caught Raafid on the bridge in it's blind path and threw him off towards the river. He fell with a great crash on the rocks by the river... he was dead. The eagle dropped violently into a group of trees... dead as it's master.
Both Princes came face to face on the cliff. One of them, who stood face to face with Raafid, looked in unbelief. Suddenly both of them knew what had to be done. History, a certain experience while rescuing the Princess years ago, had taught them well.
They walked into each other and then there was only one. The Prince rode off with the stallion towards the sight of the Maharaja's army. He smiled and thought of how he would narrate the story to Aasid and Shanid.
THE END