DISCLAIMER: I do not own Narnia or the song "One Jump Ahead." Sadly.
Sabina dropped upside down behind an unsuspecting street vendor. He was handling a melon, unbeknownst of the young girl and her pet monkey, Ritz, about to steal their fortune of the day.
Sabina was definitely beautiful. But it was hidden behind her determined face, with grime covering every inch. She had long, blue-black hair that fell to her elbows. She usually pulled it back in a braid, a few strands hanging in her face. She had dark, piercing eyes that were always full of mischief and trickery. Her heart-shaped face was covered with dirt, sweat, and grime from her days living in the dusty streets of Tashbaan. She was skinny. Well muscled, but skinny. If she was lucky, she got a slice of bread or an apple a day.
She was noticed, most of the time by the guards, but occasionally by the young men passing, but none of them caught her eye.
She had heard some of the girls giggling over some Narnian king that had come to visit. They whispered of his dark, wavy hair and mysterious personality. He was especially skilled with the sword. He was deadly on the battlefield, and as was his temper. His name was King Edmund the Just.
He had brought his sister with him. She was younger than him. She had curly brown hair, and bright blue eyes. Freckles dotted her nose, and she had a smile to match her personality. She was a kind, happy queen. Yet she was fierce with a bow and arrow in battle. Her name was Queen Lucy the Valiant.
Sabina jerked her thoughts back to the juicy pound of grapes in front of her eyes. She flipped right-side up and dropped into the garbage-filled alley, and snuck around to the front of the vendor. She signaled to Ritz, who was up on the makeshift roof.
"Excuse me, sir?" Her voice was coated with honey. She put on her best sly face.
The vendor turned to her. His eyes brightened as he looked over the young girl, who could be no older than twenty years of age.
"Yes, my dear?" he asked. He grinned, showing many gold teeth replacements.
"Do you know of where I could find a bit of jewelry? I have just come to the great city, and do not know my way around." She batted her eyelashes. She did not like doing it. She knew she was pretty, and she used it to her advantage.
"My dear, it is just around the corner. Ask for Sharteen. Anyone will know." He pointed her in the direction she should go. Her eyes flicked over to Ritz, who was stuffing as many fruits and loaves of bread into her bag as possible.
She stuttered, trying to think of an excuse to keep the man distracted. "Oh, but please, dear sir, could you escort me? There are many thieves in this town and I wish not to be harmed."
Suddenly, one of the apples dropped on the floor with a thud. The man turned around and the monkey stopped what he was doing, hanging in midair with his tail curved around a loose board.
He looked back at me and yelled, "Thief!" I grabbed my bag from Ritz and scrambled up a ladder to the top of a building. Guards rushed to the bottom.
"You again!" Their leader yelled. I waved and as they scrambled up after me, I jumped from roof to roof. "We'll get you!"
All this for a loaf of bread and some apples? she thought. She jumped down on a roof closer to the ground, grabbed a cloak that was hanging on a line and wrapped it around herself, pretending to talk to the ladies at the window.
"In trouble again, Sabina?" The lady who had spoken was a kind lady. Occasionally, she would give Sabina some food or shelter.
"No. You are only in trouble if you get caught." Suddenly, she was turned around by her shoulder, her shirt caught in someone's fist. "I'm in trouble." She kneed him in the groin, and spun away from him to run into another guard, who slashed at her with his scimitar. She ducked and spilled a barrel of figs to keep him away.
She was chased up and down streets, over barrels, in buildings and around street performers. She was on top of a wooden ladder, when she had realized she had nowhere to go.
"Let's not be too hasty," she said, nearly out of breath. Sure, she had run from guards before, but not for two hours.
"Rip her open! Take it back!" they were calling. It was a loaf of bread, for Aslan's sake.
Being from Calormene, you would expect her to believe in Tash. However, she had heard stories of Aslan and he deemed to be much more just and kind than this Tash.
She jumped into a window and it was filled with the giggling girls from the market. Their faces looked disgusted at the sight of her. They started talking about how she was a thief, and hardly a girl. Then, a woman who must've been their guardian remarked she would've blamed her parents, except she doesn't have any. She was pushed out a window and onto a roof of a vendor. She jumped off and ran down the street, and, noticing guards behind her, jumped up to a vendor roof and climbed up using windows climbed up to a roof.
The guards were cornering her and she was about two inches away from the edge of the roof.
"We got you now," the lead guard growled. She noticed a rug hanging nearby.
"Oh my! Look!" She pointed at some invisible object and quickly grabbed the rug. The guards turned back, sneers marking their faces.
"Nice try, street rat." The guards advanced, their swords pointing threateningly. She backed up until her bare heels were tipping over the edge. She waved and jumped.
The guards peered over and saw the girl falling, using the rug as a parachute.
She expected to fall into a pit of melons, or a barrel of water, but strong arms caught her instead. She looked up and met the brown eyes of a stranger.
"You better watch it. A lady like yourself." The young man smirked. She studied him closer as he set her down. He was tall and muscled. He had dark, unkempt hair and freckles dotted his nose. He had fair skin, like those of the North.
"King...Edmund?" she asked meekly. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. She wasn't used to this. The men in Calormen believed women were inferior to men. She was always thrown to the ground for misbehaving and if she were caught, whipping occasionally.
"Yes milady. And to whom do I owe the pleasure of speaking with?"
Without another word, she took off running, back to her safe haven.
"Go, Ritz." Sabina shooed her monkey to do the job. The monkey grabbed a melon and teased the vendor, while Sabina dropped down and grabbed a melon for her and Ritz to share. The monkey dropped his melon and climbed back up to the roof.
"Breakfast is served," Sabina said as she broke the fruit in two. She munched along and when they were done, she jumped off and decided to take a walk.
She noticed a young boy reaching for an apple, but he was too small to reach. She went over, picked up an apple and placed it in the small boy's hands. He muttered thanks and went off to find his mother or father.
I turned to walk away but a gruff voice stopped me.
"You better have money to pay for that, girl." She searched inside her bag for a coin or two, but found none.
"I am sorry. I do not have the money to pay for that." Anger flashed over the man's face as he drew his sword.
"The price for stealing is much more than you can afford, girl." He grabbed her wrist roughly. He smashed it against a table and she heard a sickening crunch as pain shot through her arm. He raised his sword, his teeth bared when a hand stopped him.
"Thank you, kind sir. I have been looking everywhere for her!" Her savior turned toward her, and she recognized him as King Edmund. He grabbed her by the shoulders and started leading her away.
"What are you doing?" she hissed.
"Just follow my lead." The man called him back and asked who she was. "She is one of my sister's servants and best friends. She is a little crazy." Sabina scoffed. "She thinks the monkey is the Tisroc. I was taking her to a doctor when she wandered off. Come now, we must take you to the doctor." He led her away from the man, and, to make it seem believable, she called a camel the doctor.
She led him up a stairway to the roof of a house.
"Why did you help me?" she asked, crossing her arms and analyzing the king.
"Well, you seemed in enough trouble yesterday. I did not think you needed any more." She walked past him and pole vaulted to the next roof. She laid down a plank for him to walk on, but soon, he was right beside her.
"I'm a fast learner." She scowled, and, although his was just a bit irritating, she liked him so far. He was good looking, no doubt.
He didn't seem like such a dark king. Maybe there was another side to him that wasn't revealed much.
She led him up a staircase and into a small room littered with junk and torn sheets. A curtain hung over a window and, when moved back, had a fantastic view of the Tisroc's palace.
"You live here?" the King asked. She nodded and he continued again by asking, "You do not talk much do you? No? Well, I know that you are very beautiful." Wow, he was good at sweet-talking. She blushed and picked up a bit to make it a little bit neater. She gave up and went to sit in the windowsill.
"I wish I could live there," she sighed. King Edmund joined her at the window. She gazed at the enormous palace that loomed in front of her.
"Sometimes I wish I didn't." She looked over at the king, surprised by his words.
"Living here in this place," she started.
"With no one who really cares about you except your close ones," Edmund continued.
"I feel..."
"Trapped," they said at the same time. They hadn't realized how close to each other they had gotten but Sabina could feel the king's breath on her face. He put a finger on her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. He gently pressed his lips to hers, and she kissed back.
"Edmund!" Sabina called. It was their second wedding anniversary and she had barely seen him all day. "Ed?"
Soon, she was blindfolded and was about to scream before a strong hand clapped over her mouth gently.
"Hello there," her husband's deep voice said into her ear. She smiled.
"What is the meaning of this, Ed?"
"Do you trust me?" he whispered huskily into her ear. She nodded and he started walking her toward something. Suddenly, she felt a cool, salty breeze hit her face and she knew she was at the beach.
The blindfold was ripped from her eyes and before her lay the most beautiful scene. On the sand, was a blanket covered with candles and baskets of food. Merpeople sang nearby, making it all the more lovely.
She turned to her husband, tears in her eyes.
"Oh, Edmund," she gasped, hugging him. She pulled back and kissed him hard on the mouth. He pulled away and held her in his arms.
"Have I ever told you I love you?" She giggled and pecked him on the nose.
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Hannah. x