A/N: It was hell to study and emulate the writing style in the One Thousand and One Nights (OTaON). Part of it is probably from the translator's style. But I realized that this kind of writing allows Lee's polite speech and Gaara's somewhat poetic dialogue to be incorporated seamlessly into the setting. Otherwise, I had a lot of fun writing this story.
I think I borrowed a lot of elements from films, books, and articles on Middle Eastern culture. But most of the influence came from Islamic mythology. This piece took longer to research for than to actually write it…though that could be blamed on my obsession with research.
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There was once a Prince of Leaves named Lee, who at the early but glorious death of his father in battle had taken over the kingdom, and had marked his reign with such peace and prosperity that rendered him the most beloved of monarchs. The only thing missing in his life was a husband or a wife, for in their custom it was not strange to have one or the other.
In the months approaching his twentieth birthday, for according to the laws set by his father and his predecessors he must be married before proclaimed king, he sought out the hand of many lovely princes and princesses across and beyond the kingdom. But as fate would have it, the young prince had been born with the most unbecoming of features for a man of his stature.
He had inherited the thick brows of his lineage and the black silken locks of royalty, but had received the round dark eyes of peasantry. The long elegant lashes of his Eastern mother only heightened the ludicrousness of his face. Many a young man and woman had he found pleasing only to realize the shallowness of their intentions for marriage, which would be either for money or status. As it was, the day of his birth drew near and still he had found no one.
One day, as done every year to give thanks for the harvest in summer, he held a feast for his court, at which all were welcome to partake. It was by chance that a traveling stranger from the distant countries to the West was given food and housing earlier in the day. The stranger introduced himself as a purveyor of antiquities and rare treasures from the desert lands, and requested a private audience with Prince Lee about a very important matter. Intrigued, the young prince granted admittance for the stranger to appear before him at the end of the celebration.
Imagine his surprise when, at the end of the banquet and in the inner sanctum of his throne room, the stranger brought forth a young man of fiery red hair and the most unsettling dark-rimmed turquoise eyes he had ever seen. It was with great difficulty that Prince Lee finally escaped the intense stare that had held him captive.
"Sire, I bring to you a gift for the hospitality and grace you have shown a humble man as myself," said the stranger. "I beg of you to look, here is the most beautiful slave of the desert cities to the West. None is as pleasing to look at in all the corners of the earth. If you will but accept, you will find him a most suitable companion in your reign."
Throughout the man's speech, the slave said not a word but had fixed his eyes on Prince Lee and had aroused the hottest of passions the young monarch had ever experienced. But it was accompanied with equally passionate outrage at the man's words.
"How dare you come before me with this gift?", he demanded, standing from his throne. "You know full well that I have banned slavery within my kingdom, and do not tolerate the subjugation of others at any expense. Free him immediately and leave before I have your hand cut off!" Prince Lee was a kind and benevolent monarch, but he was also a firm believer in discipline and justice. It was within the laws of his kingdom that severe crimes be dealt with equally severe punishment.
Throwing himself to the young prince's feet, the stranger begged pardon for his ignorance. "I beg you sire, please grant this poor man mercy! I will leave the very moment I give you one last gift." At that, the man laid before the prince's feet a scarlet cord from which hung a golden gourd the size of a grown man's palm. Apologizing once more, the stranger fled the royal court.
Alone at last, Prince Lee was free to look at his new guest, whose eyes had never left him throughout the proceedings. The young man was short of stature and of slim built, but carried with him an air of danger and an insolence the prince had never received from any person before.
"Forgive my earlier outburst. I am easily upset when faced with people under oppression." Prince Lee drew near, picking up the gourd as he did. He was surprised to find it heavier than he thought it would be, and tucked it into his belt. "I do not know what you have suffered through, but my palace is yours to live in. You will be my guest here so please do not hesitate to ask for anything."
The young man, whom upon closer inspection Prince Lee found to have hairless brows and the most detailed of scars on his temple, remained silent and refused to answer any of the prince's queries. But despite the lack of response, Prince Lee knew without a doubt that he was smitten with the young man and wished to seek his love the first chance he had.
And so the prince had his guest lodged in the second best chamber next to his own, and gave specific orders to servants under his employ to attend to his every need, that they provide him with the finest silks and brocades available in the country, and present him only with the richest and most succulent dishes of equal quality to those of the young prince.
The capital of the kingdom of Leaves was placed at the heart of the land; while the palace was situated at a strategic position overlooking all four directions; the prince's windows and his guest's, which was connected by a balcony to his, faced the western borders of the lush forests and the distant sand dunes just visible past the trees. Both received the faint scents of sand and exotic spices whenever the wind blew from the west.
For a month the young prince sought to entertain his guest in every manner he knew of. Every morning he would ask new clothes to be presented to the alluring man, each set made of different fabric in an attempt to find the man's preference. Every day he would request for dishes old and new from his kitchens until he finally resorted to offering a reward for new recipes brought from across the land. Every night he would ask a servant to request the man's presence in the throne room, during which his guest always arrived without indicating compliance or resistance, and call for the best musicians and dancers to perform their finest. Every chance he had, he would visit the man and talk to him, often revealing more of himself than he had even done so to the previous king. Every moment he could spare, he would offer tokens of affection, and every time receiving only a stare back.
On the week prior to the prince's twentieth birthday, the young man, dressed in the softest robes and the highest quality silk that draped over his comely frame, was standing at the shared balcony, staring out at the distant desert, and letting the wind billow his hair and clothes. Prince Lee had just woken up and was surprised to find the other man standing where he was, since it was the first time he had ever seen him outside his room.
Prince Lee approached him with a smile on his face, already expecting the stare that was thrown his way when the other perceived he was near. The man knew him as the prince; yet without showing acknowledgment of his stature, he turned back to looking out at the desert without even a bow or nod as if he thought him to be unworthy of even the smallest attention.
Once again, the young prince felt the hurt that had been plaguing him recently, at first manifesting only as surprise that his guest still refused to talk to him or even respond to anything he said besides to stare, then later developing into sharp pangs at the continued apathy.
He could understand the silence, as he attributed it to sorrow, anger or a private vow he wished to keep. He could understand the insolence, as he had never demanded respect from anyone, opting to earn it instead. But the coldness of the man's reserve drove him to despair given that he was slowly coming to love him. His one consolation was that the man had not indicated a desire to leave the palace, and nor did he request to be left alone whenever Prince Lee wished him to accompany him- until now.
Standing next to the man, Prince Lee searched for what held his beloved's attention so keenly, and let out the softest of breaths when he saw the shifting sand in the distance and perceived foreign scents in the wind.
It was then when he knelt beside the man and daringly took his hand, the contact the first time he had ever touched him, before waiting until the man looked at him with those eyes under which gaze still brought feelings of excitement, unease, fluster, and passion.
"My most esteemed guest, you neither answer nor respond to me in any way other than to stare at me. You do not show whether the affections I bestow upon you are welcome or not. If there is anything I can do to have even the smallest pleasure of hearing your voice, please tell me. " Prince Lee's smile fell when his guest, although suffering the touch of his hand, did not respond to any of this. "…Why do you not answer me? Is it because you are not happy? This is the first time I have seen you looking at the desert, and it reminds me of the circumstances of our meeting. Is that where your home lies? If it is so, and if you wish to return, you only had to ask it of me. You must know by now that I would do anything for you. I have never considered you a slave nor a prisoner of my palace."
But still his guest remained silent, even turning his gaze back to the desert. Rejected, the prince stood up and left the man alone, returning to his chambers in despair.
At the eve of his twentieth birthday, Prince Lee still had not married, and was facing warnings from distant relatives of being replaced if he did not find anyone by tomorrow. He was once again reminded by his grand vizier that it would be within his relatives' rights to question his position to the throne and even replace him, as marriage symbolized a king's capacity for love, and assured the people of the land, who believed that only a king who could love a spouse could surely love a kingdom.
Prince Lee had been increasingly depressed as his birthday drew near, keeping it hidden from the rest of his court. He had redoubled his efforts to make his guest happy, hoping that he could divert and amuse him enough to forget whatever kept him silent, even for just a moment. But it was all in vain, for the man had never given him the pleasure of a single word, even as the prince fell even more deeply in love with him.
That night, the prince had rummaged through his clothes chest and found an item he had long forgotten about: the golden gourd which had been given to him long ago. Excited about his find, once more the prince tried to get his beloved guest to talk.
At his request, the man was brought to his chambers by a servant before they were left alone. Looking at the man with all the affection he felt, Prince Lee bade him to sit upon a sofa with him and presented the golden gourd with an excited flourish. For the first time, his guest's eyes widened from their usual stare, rendering the prince speechless for a moment as he felt his heart flutter.
"I do not know what you think of me; but, for me, there would not be anything more precious than to hear you speak even one word, for I believe you are not mute nor dumb. And I beg of you to speak, to talk to me; and after that I would not care if I died right then. I am sorry it took so long for me to find it, but I wish for you to have this. To remind you that you are not a slave anymore and that my affections for you are sincere, if you will have them," said the prince. Then he slipped it around the man's neck, upon which the scarlet cord brought out the white complexion of his skin.
As the golden gourd rested upon the man's breast, his guest, who, with the usual coldness which had driven the prince to utmost distress, and had even given Prince Lee the thought that he had never had another expression in his life, lifted his eyes to meet the prince's and said, "Thank you."
The Prince of Leaves could not believe his ears and had fallen back against the sofa, surprise catching up with him in a cry of joy. Then with the audacity that only a prince could be forgiven for, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his beloved guest, tears at the corners of his eyes as he was overcome with an emotion that cannot be easily described for its enormity.
But the other man, though he once more suffered the affections of the prince without complaint, had lapsed into silence. Fearing that his guest might never speak again, Prince Lee hastily released him and apologized countless times. To his surprise, the man stood up and left his presence without even glancing back, leading him to believe that he had wronged the other. But the prince knew to leave the man alone, taking solace and greatly cherishing the memory of his beloved's voice.
It was not long since the prince had retired to bed, when he was woken by a hissing sound coming from all corners of the room, and to his great horror, found himself being enveloped by sand, pinning him to the bed until only his head lay visible. From outside his window, and upon the balcony, a whirlwind of sand blew angrily as it started to gain force; but all the prince could think about was the safety of his guest, as he thought him to be in a similar predicament.
But as the whirlwind entered his room, he was astonished to see it form into the very person he was thinking about. His guest, his beloved, was approaching the bed, dressed in the most peculiar and rather revealing of garbs, of which consisted only of sheer black silk pants and a white billowing cloak; and was giving him a stare that felt more powerful, more intimidating than those he usually sported.
The Prince of Leaves could not keep his heart from pounding, nor could he discern whether it was caused by passion, terror or both. The man leaped nimbly on top of the sand covering the prince's body, and sat upon his chest, wherein he proceeded to bestow upon him the same gaze as before. "You freed me from the spell," his beloved said, bringing a gasp of surprise from Prince Lee as he heard his voice, "But you will die, as will all the humans who sought to enslave me."
Prince Lee realized then that what was before him was no mere human, but a being of great power. This did not change what he felt for him, but it brought a serene emotion within him, and a smile on his face even as the sand started to constrict around his body, as he found himself confident in the safety of his beloved even after he was gone.
The man, having seen the smile on the prince's face, halted through some mysterious power the movement of the sand. "Why do you smile?," he asked. "Do you not fear death?"
Prince Lee only widened his smile, letting his teeth show. "I have heard your voice, and as I mentioned earlier, I do not care if I die. You are my beloved, and I have tried everything possible to make you realize that, and to receive a response in the same manner. But you surpassed all my expectations when you finally found me worthy to speak words of gratitude to. I would only request one thing of you before I die by your hands." It was the first time he had called the man his beloved, and the mention of it brought a change in the other's expression, as if he had never heard the word before, or had never heard it pertained towards himself.
"…Speak," the man said.
Encouraged, the prince continued, wishing only that his hands were free so he could hold the man in some way before he died. "If I live to see tomorrow, I will only do so to lose everything I own, for I do not have a spouse. I am sure you know the consequences of that from your stay at the palace. I also do not wish to find someone else, for I only want to be with you. But if I am to die, I would like to do so knowing your name."
The man stared at him silently, before leaning in until their faces were inches apart, and said, in the low voice that Prince Lee already loved, "Gaara of the Sand."
The Prince of Leaves, enraptured with finally knowing his beloved's name, whispered it, then repeated it with much joy. It was then that the man suddenly leaped away from him and vanished in a whirlwind of sand, taking every grain along with him. The young prince was left gasping for air, still whispering the other's name between breaths, and unable to sleep for the rest of the night.
Morning came quickly for the young prince, and with it, the day of his coronation, or his day of judgment if he failed to be married by dusk. Prince Lee had stood outside Gaara's chambers the whole night, pacing outside their shared balcony in hopes that the other would return, as he was not in his room, nor anywhere else in the palace.
As it was, the young monarch was unprepared to face his relatives, who had come to court on this day to question the prince's right to the throne. Many of his distant cousins would be eligible for the kingship if he lost his right to it.
"Sire, it is already noon and you still have not presented a spouse, nor have you sought for one." His vizier implored as Prince Lee took up his duties in the throne room. "My loyalties are solely to you, as I do not wish to serve anyone else as I have served under your father."
Touched by his vizier's concern, Prince Lee replied, "Do not worry yourself. I understand your concern, but I will not marry anyone just to ensure my right to kingship. It is a law my father and my predecessors imposed surely because they did not foresee a situation like this occurring. And I will ensure you a good position of equal merit if I am to be replaced."
The time for judgment was near, and his relatives and subjects were already prepared for court. With a heavy heart, caused more by the disappearance of Gaara than by what was to come, Prince Lee announced the beginning of the assembly. As expected, his position was questioned according to the law, even as he explained that his heart already belonged to one, and that he did not wish to marry another. The decision was clear.
The grand vizier was regretful but ready to pronounce his removal, when, to the prince's astonishment, Gaara stepped out from the crowd. The man was dressed in the ceremonial robes only given to men about to be married, and was holding a crown made of lotus flowers and vines, the symbols of the prince's lineage.
"Stop," Gaara commanded, bringing upon himself the attention of all who were present, as it had become widely known that he was either mute or dumb, and because nobody was allowed to interrupt a court proceeding except the king himself. "The prince has a spouse. And let anyone who questions this bear witness."
Prince Lee could only stand as Gaara approached him and handed him the crown, which he received with trembling fingers. The man knelt before him and lowered his head, an act of respect which was marred only by the way he kept his face up. The prince could see the challenge in the man's eyes, almost as if he were daring him to place the crown upon his head.
The Prince of Leaves, to the surprise of the whole court and to Gaara as well, knelt down to meet his beloved, placed the crown upon his head, took him in his arms and proclaimed with all his might, "I love you with all my heart!" And so it was that the two were married, and the young prince became the King of the kingdom of Leaves.
After the day's celebration was over, the King of Leaves and his spouse returned to his chambers. It had been agreed upon by both, that there would need to be discourse on what transpired that day and the night before. It was clear that Gaara had not married him for love, despite allowing King Lee to show affection for him during the festivities earlier.
Once in the privacy of the room, the crown upon Gaara's head melted into sand, as did his robes, leaving him in the garb he had worn last night. The King was saddened to see them swept away, but had other matters on his mind. "Gaara," he began, for he had taken a liking to saying the man's name whenever he could, "I am grateful for what you did earlier. You saved my position, and brought me much joy. But please, I wish to know what you are and how you came to be sold as a slave. And why you allowed me to marry you."
The man silently removed his cloak, robbing the King of speech and bringing to his cheeks a red hue. Upon Gaara's breast was the golden gourd, which was now the color of mud. His beloved stood next to the window, gusts of sand and wind continuously flowing around the man's body and inducing his hair to billow against his face.
"I am an ifrit of the jinn." Gaara began, piercing the King with his eyes once more. "We are the spirits dwelling in fire, air, and as you know of me, sand. My kind are capable of taking on human form."
The King of Leaves, enraptured to hear his spouse speak, listened quietly. Abruptly, he found himself face to face with the jinn, once again falling back against the sofa on which he sat upon. "But before I became Jinn, I was the son of the King of Sand." The jinn sat on air before his sand lowered him onto the seat beside his spouse. "My father was a wicked and corrupt man; he killed many an innocent and pillaged the nearby cities to attain wealth and fame. He loved only himself and left my brother and sister and I to care for ourselves, as our mother was a princess forced to bear his heirs, and had killed herself after my birth. His downfall came when his enemies, one of which would be your ancestor, joined forces and ravaged the city to the ground. I was killed in the heat of battle, and in my death at a time of barzakh, my spirit changed into what I am now."
At the jinn's words, the King gasped in astonishment and at the hurt he experienced upon hearing what befell his beloved. "I am at your mercy, for it might have been one of my ancestors who dealt you your death! You were of royal blood… But please tell me, how is it possible that you came to be a slave?"
The king had only heard tales about the time of barzakh, when souls were separated from their bodies and awaited the Day of Judgment; but no one had spoken to him about ifrit or jinn, as they were not part of his kingdom's beliefs. King Lee could not help but reach out and place a hand over Gaara's, intending both to comfort and to ascertain that his spouse had not vanished into the realms of myths.
The jinn did not push the king's hand away, but continued, "I inhabited the ruins of the city, and watched over what was left of my family. When my sister, the last of our royal line, died, our people left for other lands. I was to stand guard over the remains of the city, in hopes that one day it would be rebuilt, when a passing sorcerer from the East saw me and sought to control my powers. He was knowledgeable in the dark arts, and bound me to the gourd I now wear around my neck. It kept me from using my powers at will and from hurting whoever owns the gourd."
"I would not submit to him, and would fight him in any way I could. The sorcerer finally bound me and marked me with this symbol on my forehead. He then sold me to the man you met at the feast. That man did not know of my origins, nor of my powers. He did nothing to harm me, nor did he attempt to use me for his own pleasure, but he still treated me as a slave and a possession to be gifted or sold."
"As for you, Lee," Gaara's call of his name brought the young king out of the rapt attention he had been giving to the story, and placed it upon his beloved instead. "you released the spell binding me to the gourd when you willingly gave it to me, unknowing as you were of what it meant. And if you had mistreated me in any way, and had not been as kind as you have been, I would not have hesitated to kill you last night, even had you smiled at me. I would have crushed your body with my sand and allowed it to drink of your blood and tears, then I would have gone to search for the man that gave me to you, and the sorcerer who bound me. But as you have shown me nothing but good will, I decided to help you secure your position."
And in this manner Gaara revealed himself to the king, and finished his story. The King of Leaves, despite the tremble he felt as Gaara described what would have been his bloody death, took his spouse's hands and kissed them, much to Gaara's surprise. "Gaara, you have suffered so much. I understand why you felt the need to kill me, and I am glad that I was the one to restore your powers. But what of now? Will you still search for those men and take your revenge? What about our marriage?"
"…You should not care so much." replied Gaara. " I will search for those men, make them pay for what they have done, and kill them. Then I shall return to my city to wait for the Day of Judgment. As for our marriage, I will create a suitable queen to replace me."
The king was silent upon hearing his spouse's words, but could not keep himself from making an attempt to keep the man he loved. "But I do care, and I cannot love another knowing that you are within reach. If you return to your land, please take me with you. But, when you are satisfied and are left with nothing else but waiting, I ask of you to stay here with me. I promise to grant you all the privileges as my spouse, and offer my love as I have always done so."
It was the happiest feeling the king had ever had when Gaara stared at him, clasped his hand in his, and said, "I accept." But it could not match the kiss the jinn placed upon his lips. "…That will be our bond, until you or I perish. If fate had it that I was to suffer in life and in death, I am content that it brought me to you, instead of to another prince."
The King of Leaves knew he had a lifetime to win his beloved's affections. But with Gaara's words, and his kiss, he believed he would gain them before the end of his life.