His royal ruler Igos le Ikana sat on his newly constructed throne. "This is perfect," he said in his usual dominating manner. "From here I'll be able to keep an eye on this so-called impenetrable temple." He stroked his chin as he leaned on the armrest beside him. His two loyal guards Badru and Ras, always ready for attack, stood beside him. His other servants, and soldiers of his army, were against the back wall. "Captain Keeta, is your new abode to your liking?"

Captain Keeta, general of the Ikanian army stood from being on one knee. "Quite nice, sir," he said. "It is a beautiful setting and my army will be settling in nicely. How is your sister adapting?"

Igos sighed. "She doesn't like being far from home. I don't understand why, she's never had many friends to begin with. I suppose she's grown a bit attached to her old training grounds. Quite a feisty little one for being only eleven."

"Twelve," came a voice. A young girl with a red cape and small white tunic came into the room through the circular door. "I'm twelve...remember?"

"Hara, didn't I tell you to wait and be addressed before you came in?"

"What does it matter? There's no one here..."

"Our army's commanding captain is here!"

"It's quite alright, your Highness," said Keeta. "Hara and I know each other too well to have such formalities." He turned to face Hara. "How are you liking it here?"

"I don't like it," she said simply. "It's so much smaller than what I'm used to. There's no breathing room."

Igos crossed his legs with an annoyed attitude. "Father instructed me to take base here by the Stone Tower. This place may seem like an empty field, but inside, there is said to be an impermeable tribe that refuses to join our nation. It only makes sense to have a base here to monitor activity."

Hara kicked a pebble near her foot. "Yeah but I don't see why you had to bring me," she said looking down.

Igos clenched his teeth. "My thought's exactly."

Captain Keeta could see where this was going. "Hara-" he cut in, "Why don't you call Halima to take you around the new castle?"

Hara shook her head. "She's not here right now. She's preparing her quarters."

"Then I'll take you around and see myself out." He bowed and had Hara followed him out. The door closed behind them.

"He may be the heir apparent, but he's still not ready to rule. Hopefully our father's reign will last long enough so his senses will come to him. Say what you want...I hate the man," said Hara.

"He's 27 years your senior. You're bound to have some differences," said Captain Keeta. They walked to the exterior of the castle, just before the outer wall. She playfully hopped over the small moat that connected to the back side of the castle. "Look at that." He motioned to the wall. "You're completely safe here. No one here will harm you, my little sheriti."

She folded her arms. "Seems like a selfish reason just to leave...I mean why do we need to take every bit of free land? We have control of the entire continent and no one is trying to take it from us. We have balance and no violent tyranny. Why go to such lengths to spoil it?"

"You're a smart one. But I'm afraid that your family hasn't been completely honest with you. This place is not only a home base to merely monitor activity, but rather a hiding spot. This is the most remote place in the whole Kingdom. There is much tension back in your home. As of now, we need to make sure your father's only heirs are safe in case something is to happen."

"Still seems pretty selfish to me. If this 'tension' really wanted something to be done then they'd do it regardless of the defense."

"Not this defense." Captain Keeta. "This wall is as impenetrable as the Stone Tower that sits just next to us. But not for long. We're going to get in there someday. And when we do, there will be no more rebellions. It stands as the last stronghold against our nation. Should anyone make their to power, they could instantly wipe out all life as we know it here. That is why we must get in there first, to prevent misuse."

Hara approached the door and touched it with her small hand. The cold stone almost froze her hands. "What's it like out there? I wasn't allowed to see where I was when they brought me here..." said Hara.

"It is a beautiful sight, Princess. A large field and a waterfall that is just positively amazing." Keeta saw the young woman's anxiety. "And I'll take you down there someday."

Hara jerked her head to face Keeta. "You mean it? I can?" Her face lit up.

"Yes...but not now. There are certain things to attend to. Why don't go back inside and look for Halima. I'm sure she'd be delighted to help you set up your new training grounds."

"Oh Halima! I almost forgot! Did you want to see her?"

Keeta blushed. "Oh...I think now isn't the best time. You go find her and I'll come back later."

Hara hastily bowed and left. As she ran in she heard the large stone doors close behind her. In the main room she saw Halima, her most trusted tutor since her birth, came through the right door. A very thin and limber woman, Halima had no trouble intimidating anyone that tried to hurt her Princess. She wore a beautiful white dress with a red shawl and always carried a lantern with her.

"Princess, I have wonderful news!" she said. "I just received a message from the messenger hawk from your father. The Royal Composers, Sharp and Flat, have decided to come live here. They believe the fresh air will improve their heath."

"That's wonderful!" Hara always admired the Composer Brothers. They composed many lullabies for her when she was younger. They were two of the few people she missed when she left. "You just missed Keeta."

"Captain Keeta was here? Why didn't he say something?" she looked to the side a little sad.

"Don't worry, he'll be back. He said he was going to take me to his new home. I'll finally get to go out and see the land!"

Halima put down her lantern to straighten out her dress. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Princess. It is very difficult to get down to where Captain Keeta resides. I think it's best to just stay here and focus on your studies. You may be the Queen of this kingdom one day."

"Not if Igos has anything to say about it."

"Your brother means well. He is responsible and will be good for this kingdom should anything happen to your father."

"It's my first night here and I'm already hating it." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it. Now let's take you to get your rest. Shall I sleep outside your door tonight?"

"No thank you. I'll keep my weapon next to my bed." It wasn't too much of a weapon; it was just a small sword. It was all she was allowed to have.

"Are you sure? Will you be able to handle it?"

Hara nodded. It didn't take long to find her room. The castle was a significant downsize from her old home. Yes it was safe, but why did it have to be so tiny. She lay in her bed for a long time. She just couldn't sleep. She just stared at the ceiling. She remained like that for a long time.

After a few hours, still awake, Hara swore she heard a sort of...shuffling. She couldn't tell if it was from outside or inside her room. She sat up trying to get a better listen, but it didn't help. She quietly lay back down and closed her eyes. The sound wasn't there anymore. She waited another hour but still nothing. She closed her eyes, but didn't fall asleep. Not until the first light of dawn.

When Hara awoke she could hear the hysterical cries of the people from the interior of the manor. She got up and judging from the position of the sun, she had only been asleep for a couple of hours. She got to her feet and walked outside to the room just before her brother's throne room. Halima was there waiting for her.

"Princess, go back to your room!" she said. "You must not know what has happened!"

"But-" Hara began to speak until her hand was taken by Halima back to her room.

Her room seemed darker than before but she didn't care to find out why but she lit a few candles so she could see better. She turned around and demanded that Halima tell her what has happened. "Do not concern yourself with it. We are trying to figure out ourselves. Just stay in here and rest up, you look tired."

Halima turned to leave and when Hara tried to follow her out, Halima would not yield. "Hara, no. You can't go out there. I'm going to stay here with you until everything is sorted out."

Hara frowned. Princess or not, even Igos would side with Halima that she needed to stay out of the way. But she needed to know what the panic was about. Halima sat on a nearby chair. "Why don't we go over some of your studies while we're here?" she asked.

"I won't be able to concentrate while all of this is happening," said Hara.

"Then just concentrate on something else, because I can't let you leave here…please forgive me, Princess." If Hara truly wanted, she could easily subdue Halima…at least if she wasn't expecting Hara to strike. And even then, Halima was not easily defeated. Besides, Hara could never bring herself to attempt to hurt her. This was the perfect time to truly 'adjust' to her new home.

She'd never pulled this particular trick before, and certainly none on Halima, but she devised many clever schemes back home in order to escape from the confines of her room. "Fine, I guess I'll go to sleep," said Hara.

Hara took a candle by her bedside. Halima didn't seem to be paying much attention to her. She was reading a small book off of one of Hara's shelves. Hara quietly took a small bowl of water beside her bed for soothing scratches from the rough floor and put in some red grass she had brought from home. She ground it up quietly.

"Princess, what are you doing?" Halima asked.

Hara was so into what she was doing she was a bit startled. "I was just…scratching my arm," she said.

"Were you bitten by an insect? Do you want me to look at it?" Halima started to get up.
"No!" It came a little too suddenly. "I'm fine. I'll be going to sleep now."

Halima sat back down and continued reading. That was a close one. Halima set up a little stand above the candle's flame and rested the concoction on top. It began heating very quickly. Hara lay down on her stomach in her bed and buried her head into her pillow. Her pillow had a white cover placed on top of it and it wrinkled under her head's weight.

It was uncomfortable, but she couldn't bring her head up. Not yet. Finally she heard Halima's head hit up against the wall lightly. Hara took the cloth over her pillow, tied it around her mouth and nose, and then sat up. She lifted it momentarily to blow out the candle under the sleeping mixture.

She eased herself by the door. "Sorry, Halima," Hara said quietly as she stepped out of the door. She removed her cloth. The sleeping mixture would wear off momentarily since it was not being heated anymore. She didn't have a lot of the red grass left, so she'd be careful not to use it often.

When she entered the main room, it was completely cleared out. It was an odd sight since there were so many people living in the manor. What a waste! How could everyone have cleared out so quickly? She went towards the throne room, but at the door, the guard promptly stopped her.

"So Igos has instructed you to force me to announce my arrival in the throne room has he?" said Hara with an attitude.

"Yes Princess. But regardless, no one is to enter the throne room at this time. There is treachery among us," said the guard.

"Let me through!" Hara tried to force herself in, but the guard pushed her with enough force that could've knocked her down. Regaining her balance, she straightened out her red cape. She spit out a piece of hair that came to her mouth. She growled and stormed off. There had to be another way in. She would've gone back into her room and gotten the sleeping grass, but she knew there had to be another way.

She walked off, out of sight and stood behind one of the four pillars in the center room. It always seemed so dark in this castle. There were hardly any windows but she could still see. It made the castle have a sort of gray glow on the inside.

She hadn't been in the castle for long, but maybe she could devise a way to hear what was going on. She really didn't want to, but she had to go back into her room. Halima was still sound asleep. Her deep, even breathing made that very clear. She slowly pulled her sword out from under her bed. It wasn't a very well crafted one, but she put it to use in her training.

She walked through the other door on the other side of her room. It led her to a very large and empty room. It had a few pillars about, but she mainly used them, and the floor space, as her training grounds. She then went through the next door and found herself looking at a small stairwell.

This small room was mainly used as Halima's quarters. Mostly all it had was a change of clothes and a large cloth and pillow in the corner for a sleeping space. Hara wanted Halima to have the training room, but Igos refused to let a servant have quarters far more deserving than their station allowed.

She walked up the curved staircase and was met with another door that led to the roof. Keeta had let it slip only once that Halima's quarters led to a passage that led to the roof. Her purpose there was to protect anyone from either coming in, or, when she was needed, a quick escape route to the outside to go on the offense or get Hara out safely. However, obviously the door that led to the outside was obviously not meant to be opened easily. It was far more heavy than the others.

She readjusted her feet and used her leg strength to nudge the circular door. She was almost about to give up but then she felt it budge. Gaining momentum, she was able to roll it a sufficient distance so she could squeeze through. When she got to the outside, the door rolled back to its original place. No matter. She wouldn't dare go back in the same way.

When Hara climbed up on the ledge, she was very disappointed that she could still not see over the wall. There was a small rectangular opening above the wall. She scoffed. What good was a strong wall if someone could just easily climb over it? She rolled her eyes.

She hugged the gold grates beside the ledge and stepped cautiously on the blue and yellow-striped brick. She stood right in front of the door, in between her and door was three pillars. Mainly for decoration she figured. She walked on and took a left where the ledge turned. She climbed the golden grate and knew she was standing above the foyer of the palace.

She walked forward and climbed the tall wall that was the palace room. It took several attempts. She needed to find good holes in the brick to hold her up and finally she made it to the top. She stood at the top of the highest point of the castle. She still couldn't see much over the wall, but she saw a little. She was able to see grass of green for miles. She could've sworn she felt the chill of ice wind and the smell of a beach. Oh how she missed home.

She went to the side. She had remembered very clearly the large square window openings in the throne room. She planted her sword in the in the wall and was able to lean on it over the window. She listened closely. Thankfully, the room was large and spacious enough to make a sufficient echo so she could hear.

She made herself very still. She could hear the voices inside. She recognized her brothers and Captain Keeta's. Among them, she assumed, were members of the army and physicians.

"I don't know what possibly could've caused this," came a voice. Oh how she wished she could've peered in and see who it was. But if she did, the sun's light would've caused her to cast a shadow into the room.

"Look at these slashes. They're very thin and precise. Whoever-or whatever-did this certainly knew what he was doing."

"There is no more damage to the body than the necessary amount needed to kill someone."

"So…these men were stationed outside of the Stone Tower?" she recognized Igos' voice.

"Oh, this is awful," she recognized Keeta's voice too. "My men were killed right from under me."

"This is a declaration of war!" Igos' voice flared. "Send a message to my father to send almost every man here to lead a massive invasion force. We will finally topple this tower!"

"It pains me to inform you, Prince Igos, that I have already requested that of your father and he has…" Keeta hesitated, "…denied our request."

Hara could hear Igos smash his fist down on the armrest even where she was. There was a long silence. "Prince Igos, he feels that it isn't a good use of the kingdom's army at this time."

"Oh and I suppose he'd think the same if he lived here? How does he know what is good for the Kingdom. The old bat barely knows the difference between black and white! As soon as the time comes, you can be certain that Stone Tower WILL fall, along with the lands that lie beyond the ocean."

"Let's go men," said Keeta. "Please arrange a proper ceremony to honor them." Hara heard his large footsteps heading towards the door. "I would like it if you'd please attend. These were my best men and were always loyal." He paused for a moment. "And please don't tell Hara."

His voice got so low and quiet she could barely hear him.

"Of course, my dear friend, it would be my honor," said Igos.

"At dusk then," said Keeta, suddenly with a sudden louder tone. She heard is customary foot stomp he often did when he saluted. The door closed with a loud thud that echoed throughout the room. The sounds caused Hara to lose her grip once. She gasped then was completely still. Did they hear her? She didn't hear anything downstairs. She quietly got up, took her sword out of the stone and ran down the wall. She ran quickly to the door, ran past her training rooms, and into her own room.

Halima was still sleeping. She quickly darted to her bed and lay face down as she was before. The exact moment she was settled, she heard the door open behind her. Halima jerked out of her rest.

"Halima, I am going to be out this evening. Please make sure Hara doesn't go anywhere," said Igos, his men behind him.

Halima nodded, "Yes your highness." She hastily got down on her knees.

Hara turned around, doing her best to disguise how out of breath she was. "What is going on?" she asked.

"It's no concern to you. I'll be out for a few hours at Captain Keeta's abode. It is nothing to be worried about," said Igos.

"Wait a minute, Keeta is my friend too!" If Hara had not overheard the whole conversation, she wouldn't have been bothered as much.

"Why don't you just go back to sleep? It should be easy for such a lazy princess." Hara growled. "I'll be preparing for my departure. You'll do well to do as you're told." Igos left. Halima got to her feet and looked at Hara. "Did we just take a nap?"

Hara shook her head. They were leaving at dusk. Maybe she could stow away on the stagecoach. But then there was still the problem with Halima. She would be watching her very closely.

"Yes Halima. You don't remember?"

Dazed, Halima slowly shook her head. She brushed off the dirt on her knees and straightened out her head piece. Her black locks that hung out of it were visibly tangled.

"I can't believe they won't let me go!" Hara shouted.

"Princess you know better than to go against your brother," said Halima.

"He hates me, I know it! So what if Keeta asked him not to let-" She stopped herself. "Not to let…me get involved with Keeta." Halima didn't seem to notice.

"Oh I wish I could see him too. I hardly do anymore." She gazed down at the floor sadly.

"Well why not go anyway?"

"Oh of course not. Your brother specifically told you to stay here and there is no way I'm leaving you."

"Perhaps let's just get something to eat. I'll continue my studies today." Hara was visibly tired from the lack of sleep. She spent the whole day thinking of a plan to at least attend the funeral for Keeta's men. Keeta was obviously hurt by their death and she wanted to do something to honor them.

After walking around a bit, Hara saw Igos' traveling men entering his throne room. Knowing her brother, she had just enough time to get her plan formulated. It was a reasonable hour. She informed Halima she was going to bed. Halima was a bit skeptical, but allowed her Princess to sleep when she wanted.

Halima put herself outside of Hara's door to make sure no one could come in to harm her. It didn't bother her. Once inside, she set up clothing in her bed so that it would appear she was sleeping soundly. A technique she had yet used. She walked through the second door, through her training room, picking up a rope on the way, and out on to the roof again.

It wasn't until she climbed all the way up the stairs that she was feeling the fatigue of limited sleep. She shook her head a few times just to clear the blur in front of her eyes. She went to the left again as she did before. She didn't climb up to the throne as she did before, but went the back right of the castle. She tied the rope to the gate.

It took a little bit of effort climbing down. She wasn't used to using a rope. She mostly just used the vines that were around her castle. She made it to the bottom and peaked behind the wall on the end. She saw Igos' carrier in front of the large wall that led to the outside.

A few guards were around it, waiting for their king to arrive. They were conversing among themselves but Hara didn't bother herself with what they were saying. She went behind the covered carrier and climbed inside behind the sheets. Beneath her were cushions of deep purple and red.
She quietly pushed a few of them aside and opened the compartment used for hiding valuables when traveling. It wasn't meant to hide people. Hara was getting bigger as she grew up. By next year, getting in there would be impossible. But she managed to squeeze in comfortably. She shut the door on top of her.

She waited a long while. Outside she could hear the guards talking still, but the wood that surrounded her muffled anything they could be saying. Finally she heard the voices of Ras and Badru coming outside. Her brother soon followed and she felt Igos' weight on top the carrier.

She felt herself getting lifted and heard the loud sound of the wall opening in front of her. Even if she was outside, she couldn't see it. She could only imagine what a sight it must've been. Even painted orange by the setting sun, the sight must've been beyond words.

They traveled a long while. The motion of the people walking changed to something smoother, like floating on water; but only for a few moments. After a few changing motions, they stopped and Hara felt herself getting set down. She felt Igos' weight get off of her and heard the voices fade off. They had most likely walked away.

After waiting a few more moments, Hara slowly opened the trap door. She hesitated a moment, hoping that none of the guards had stayed behind to watch over the royal carrier. She poked her head up. There weren't any. She got out fully, stretched her legs from the cramped space.

She pulled back the translucent canopy and saw herself on a dirt path. When she looked up she saw a winding path. It was disappearing from the waning sunlight. Soon only spots of various lanterns were able to illuminate the path. She walked up cautiously. It was a long winding path. The tombstones were about, but past that, past the wooden fence in front of the rocks, were the people. Everyone but Keeta had their backs to her as Keeta gave the final words.

Keeta was looking straight at her from above the crowd. Hara stood up straight, not even trying to be stealthy. At least when her brother spotted her, she'd looked poised like she was supposed to. He didn't say a word. He didn't say anything. Why wasn't he saying anything? He looked back down. She saw the various tombstones already, but it seemed the eulogy was being conducted in front of his home.

Hara sneaked behind a large tombstone and listened to the words. "We are here tonight to honor the deaths of my most loyal men. Since this army's humble beginnings, these honorable men have given generation after generation of the most formidable warriors this Kingdom has ever known. I would like to acknowledge the presence of our crown prince, Igos le Ikana."

The men about him knelt. Again, Ras and Badru were at Igos' side. Badru was built rather largely, while Ras was tall and lanky. The two were so different and often quarreled but always swore allegiance to their king.

"Do you have any words for them?" asked Captain Keeta.

"I believe your words were amply simple. I couldn't have put it better any other way," Igos said humbly.

And so began the ceremonial burning of their armor. Keeta often liked to keep emotional speeches short. He didn't like dwelling on the darkest side of war. It seems even the most war-hardened captain still couldn't stand the thought of the loss of a friend.

The flaming armor was carried by a stick to each individual tombstone. The composer brothers, Sharp and Flat, were also there. They played the honorable soldier song as their possessions were carried to their respective owners' resting place. It was the first time she had seen them since she arrived. At least she will be able to hear their soothing music.

Hara didn't move from her spot. She heard the music fade and eventually cease. It was too risky to go back to the carrier now. She peaked from behind the rock wall and saw Igos enter the carrier. "Hey does this seem lighter to you?" Ras asked as they walked off with the other men.

Keeta stayed behind. He made sure each one of his men had a personal message to the afterlife. Hara sneaked back to behind the tree. She then heard his footsteps coming along the path. His face held the expression of sadness and he didn't say a word. Even when he walked all the way up to his house (a very small house it seemed from the outside, as if only one person could live inside, and an arch to the left), he said nothing.

He stopped in front of the door. "Come in, Hara. I don't want you to catch a cold out here," he called from far across lawn. His voice was hard and unwelcoming.

Hara jumped up and ran after him. She entered the house and saw that there was more than what she thought to his home. The interior was a very small room. It had a desk with various papers on it. But directly across from the door was a blue staircase. He walked down it without saying a word.

Even after he disappeared, Hara remained. She was completely still. Did she make Keeta mad by attending? She heard from him herself that he didn't want her to go. She clutched and played with her red cape. She didn't know whether or not to go after him or just leave and find her own way back.

She must've been standing there for well over ten minutes. She shuffled in her white leather boots, but still didn't leave the place she stood. Finally, she turned around to go out the door, but was halted by the echo from downstairs. "Are you still up there?" called Keeta.

She paused and swallowed. "Yes," she said simply.

"Well come down here." The echo disguised the tone he used, but she imagined it wasn't anything warm. She walked down each step slowly. It curved in a circle and when she went to the bottom, she was greeted with a massive room. It was a beautiful blue brick but with designs that danced in her vision.

It wasn't the castle she now lived in, but it was just a beautiful. She saw him on the far end of the room where his bed was. It was on higher ground as there were small staircases on both sides of it. Even where she stood, there were steps on either side of her. Among the room were pillars with ladders leading up to them. Just like at Keeta's old home, there were most likely used for training, such as aiming a bow while on high air.

She walked down the left side and walked across the large room. She was making each pace deliberately slow. "Why did you come, Hara?"

Hara fell to her knees, the same way a servant or villager would when they apologized to a higher authority. "I'm sorry, Captain! I overheard your conversation through the door to the throne room. I wanted to attend to honor the men that were close to you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

"Get off your knees, Hara! It is not right to kneel in such a manner to someone below their station."

Hara merely just looked up at him. Her face was red from humiliation. "Get up!" With a thundering heart, Hara jolted to her feet from Keeta's powerful voice. Her lower lip was quivering. "Hara, I don't mean to lecture you like Halima, but do you understand the severity of what you've done? How do you think Halima will react upon seeing that you've escaped?"

Hara shook her head twice.

"Or what if someone had attempted to assassinate your brother?"

Hara shook her head twice.

"Or what if something had happened on the journey down to here?"

Hara shook her head twice, but more frantically. She bit her lip as a tear strolled down her face.

"I don't mean to be so harsh, but I've already lost many important to me. I asked your brother not to tell you because I didn't want to have to look at you during the ceremony and think what would've happened to you."

He stood so far away. Hara broke into a run, jumped on the higher ground Keeta stood and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea!" Hara sobbed. "I won't do such a thing again, I promise."

After a few minutes of drying Hara's tears, Keeta was back to his usual gentle self. They sipped tea and talked at a small table. The entire room was brilliantly lit with lanterns put atop the pillars. "I at least wish Igos would've asked you why you didn't want me to be there…" said Hara as she blew the vapor from atop her tea. "I honestly think he hates me."

"Oh don't say such things, Hara," said Keeta, holding an equal size cup, but with only three fingers because of his large hands. "I know your brother does. When he has been rough on you, does he not apologize? Or when he has taken something from you, has he not given you something even grander in return? Your brother does what he can for you."

"Yes, but one moment he's the meanest person on earth, but the next, when I'm not around, he indirectly becomes the nicest person. I have a feeling someone does it for him, without his knowledge."

Keeta drank the entire cup in one swig. "I assure you, that is not the case. I've seen it from you brother himself. He cares for you truly. But the way he presents it is questionable, I'll give you that."

Hara nodded. "At least we're on the same page. Oh how I hope he doesn't come to power anytime soon. Hopefully the attack on your men will die down and he'll forget about trying to take over the other continents."

"I fear for that as well. But if your brother comes to power, I'm sure he'll know just what to do to take care of this kingdom. I do no doubt him." Hara looked up and smiled. She always thought of Keeta as a brother. "Now why don't you get to sleeping? I'll take you back home tomorrow."

Hara set up a resting spot on the couch near Keeta's bed. He went to blow out all of the lanterns by climbing the ladders to each pillar. He took one lantern with him of course, to see where he was going, but then took the last remaining light to his bed. Hara saw from a distance that the light continued to burn.

It was a soft glow that reminded her of her old home. Oh how she missed it. She wished she could go back. Then she thought of Halima and how worried she would be when she awoke and saw that she wasn't there. Finally the light faded as her vision went black and she fell asleep.