happy thursday morning, loves! I was reading through my old blog posts to see if I could catch any typos and I realized most of them were not exactly the cheerful type (and a lot of them were open-ended flash fiction with no happy endings :( I really need to extend some of them). In the end, it kind of made my day depressing, so I promised myself I would (try to) write one with lots of sweet moments, or perhaps one holiday-themed. (and i decided to scramble for the sake of posting this on my birthday haha) I wrote up this little snippet as a sneak peek to what WILL be a much longer piece (perhaps a novella? who knows?). think of it as an rough intro snippet! this should be much more action-packed and jazzy than my other little shorts, so enjoy! :) see my bio for my blog site!

note: multi-chapter story! bookmark my site or follow to keep track of "Arabian Nights"

based on Arabian Nights

Risk All

Puffing her cheeks, Lucy blew at the little strands of hair hanging over her face, but the perspiration beading down her forehead plastered them to her skin. She had heard notorious tales about Persia - the scrolls stacked neatly in her father's library noted each bandit attack, commoner mob, royal execution.

"But still," she scoffed to herself as she slung a bag over her shoulder, "I'd sooner die than be engaged to some stranger Father paired me up with."

After traveling for five days straight and only stopping to nibble at hardened bread, she was exhausted by the time she reached the gates of the king's palace.

"Nice try, sweetheart, but the Caliph isn't going to make time just to see to your little girl problems."

Lucy whirled around. Honestly. The frustration she had kept bottled up during the journey was beginning to crack.

The palace guard sneered, legs crossed in an arrogant manner as he leaned against the bars of the gate. He raised a mocking eyebrow.

Almost ready to snap back, Lucy bit the inside of her cheek to prevent a retort she would most likely regret saying later tumble out.

She exhaled sharply. "Yes, thank you for that."

She had traveled this far already, and she wasn't about to let a snobby guard ruin her happy ending. But of course. How in the world had she expected to just knock on the king's gate and be given a home in his country?

She closed her eyes. "Look, can you please just-"

"It's almost sunset and I still haven't found one yet!" A new voice interrupted her.

Lucy's eyes flew open. Two men, both dressed from head to toe in royal fabrics, strolling towards the gates. One was nearly bald.

Ah, the vizier and his son, she guessed.

The guard snapped straight suddenly, bowing low to the vizier and his son. They dipped their heads respectfully in return.

Pretentious brat, Lucy thought, glaring at the guard. His eyes still trained on the vizier, he smirked in response.

She sighed, knowing she would never get anywhere like this.

"O Great One," she addressed the guard as he turned to her. Her words dripped sarcasm.

He gave her a flat look.

"Look, I don't have a home. I...I ran away from my family." It was true, though. She had run away from her kingdom.

"What do you want the king to do about that?" he asked her, eyebrows raised.

Lucy took a deep breath, steadying herself. She was not going to cry, she was not going to cry, not in front of a guard making fun of her-

She stepped closer, now an inch away from him.

"You know what?" she hissed, feeling a twinge of satisfaction when she saw his eyes widen. "I have been through hell and back. I've starved myself trying to get away from an detached father. I've survived the desert and bandit traps to escape a marriage I have absolutely no say in. If I were the king, I would have at least a shred of kindness, even if it was just giving me a place to stay in for a night."

The guard's smile was gone now. His eyes gleamed dangerously.

"For a night?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yes."

He walked through the gates, heels clicking. He didn't bother to wait for her or turn around.

"Come along, Calipha."

That's a wrap! Remember, this is just a little intro I created to get into the feel of Arabian Nights. The chapters coming up will be 1000+ words, I promise! -xoxo, isi

next up: chapter 1 release 1/4