Sholeh kept her eyes planted firmly on the ground while she walked through the strange place that had been know by so many as the Valley of Slaves. The normally crowded and loud place was now quiet and scary, more so then it was when it was full of thief's and killers. Sholeh wouldn't know, for it was only her first day in the sandy place, the merchant she had bought bread off of was telling her about the recent problems in the strange place.
Sholeh felt no grief for the merchant as she walked away, he had maid her pay three times the price the bread was worth, she reluctantly gave in because she needed the food. She slipped it in her sleeve as she walked down the deserted streets. She looked in horror at the bodies of dead men, women, children and odd looking birds covered the streets.
One man lay up against the wall of a burned down house, blood pouring out of a cut on his forehead, he was an old man, to weak to take care of his injuries. She ran up to him and wiped the blood away from his face using the sleeve of her cloak. "Are you alright, are you hurt anywhere?" She asked, pulling the old man up off the ground. He started to breath loudly before his whole body limply fell into her. His eyes were still open and so was his mouth, but there was no life coming from the man. He had died in her arms, while she tried to help him.
Sholeh placed him back on the ground gently and closed both his eyes and mouth. She said a silent prayer to the gods and hoped his journey to the spirt world would be quick and painless for his soul.
She quickly moved on, not wanting to have the image of his lifeless body in her mind for so long. She kept her head down especialy low so noboody could see the tears the rolled of her cheeks.
"Hello beautiful, what are you doing here, all on your own?" A man walked out of one of the many run down huts. He grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. "Oh, whats wrong darling. Sad that you have yet to meet a man as glorious and amazing as me?" The man let go of her face for a moment to spin around and laugh with his disgusting friends.
"Leave me alone." Sholeh spoke in a firm tone that meant buisness. "Oh, firey one we got here boys!" The man grabbed onto her arm and tried to pull her into the hut he had come out of. "Let me go!" She screamed, kicking at the mans legs. He finally let go when she had punched him square in the nose.
"Now listen here you bitch. Your going to go in that hut and you are going to..." He was silenced by the image of a man on a dark brown horse, wearing Persian armor rode up to them. The man pulled out a rolled up sheet of paper and began to speak to the men, not even paying attention to Sholeh.
Before anyone would look to her she snuck away and back down the street she had come from. There were more Persian soldiers, all asking the men, not the women various questions about some traitor. She kept her head down like she had all day and made her way out of the place she had come to hate over the few hours she had been there.
As soon as Sholeh was out of the final wall of the Valley she dropped to her knees and prayed she would never see the evil man that tried to take advantage of her ever again.
The soldiers that were inside the Valley were now making there way ouside the inner wall. In the front of a long line of soldiers a man rode on a beautiful black stallion, the soldier was wearing royal Persian armor. Behind the royal was an old man, the old man was covered in dirt, sweat, and blood.
Sholeh motioned for the old man to come over to her when he looked in her direction. At first he seemed sceptic about coming to her, but he did. "May I help you?" He asked, trying to hide the pain that was being inflicted apon himself by the ugly wound on his leg. "No, now sit." Sholeh layed her long black cloak out on the ground so she would have a cleaner place to work.
He quickly did as she said, figuring that she was going to fix his leg properly. She did so, removing the cloth that was wrapped around his leg, she cleaned the wound with what little water she had left and a corner of her cloak. She poured the water directly into the wound before wiping at the dirt around the cut. She went threw her bag and pulled out a small needle and thread.
"This will hurt." She said before sticking the needle into his skin and tying the first stitch of many to come. When she was done she helped him up before putting on her cloak and pulling out a piece of bread for him to eat. While he was eating she tore a piece of her cloak off and wrapped it around the old mans leg, where the stitches were to protect it from the sand.
"Let me help you back to the other Persian Soldiers." She said, not giving him a chance to say no. They walked in silence for the first hour or so out in the sun. They followethat'd foot and hoove prints that garb been left in the sand. "Thank you, for fixing my leg. It was very annoying, trying to walk with it wrapped so horibbley." The old man said as she pulled him along, trying to catch up with the men he had been traveling with.
"Your welcome." Was all Sholeh said, wanting to move faster than they were. "Take your armor off." It was an order that left Sholeh's lips, not a request. He did so and upon dropping all of his armor began a hysterical fit of coughing. "Let me carry you." Sholeh didn't wait for his response, she just pulled him up into her small yet strong arms.
"May I ask the girl that is being so kind a question?" The soldier closed his eyes, trying to hide the pain that Sholeh could see on his face. "Yes." Was all she said in return. "Its two questions actually, Why are you helping me, and what is your name, young one?" It didn't take her long to answer. "I'm helping you because your selfish leader obviously wasn't going to." She stopped for a moment to breath hard, and angrily. "My name is Sholeh. If you don't mind me asking, what is your name soldier, and why are you a soldier? You are to old to be doing the tasks a soldier is required to do."
The old man laughed at Sholeh's forwardness. "I don't mind you asking anything. My name is Loticus, I am a soldier because it is what my father was before me, it is what my son is after me. A soldier is what I will always be known as, a soldier is what I want to be know as. I know I am old, but I am good at what I do. Or, what I used to do, I don't think I can fight much more with this leg." Loticus didn't sound so happy at the prospect of not being able to fight anymore.
"I am sorry." Sholeh kept her head down, not making eye contact with Loticus.
A look of anger passed over her face as she thought about the capitan that rode in front of Loticus, even though the old man was injured, he still rode his horse in front of the old man, not bothering to help.
"I know what you are thinking, but don't. You don't understand what young Prince Garsiv is going threw. He has lost his father to his brother, a murderer and trader amongst our people. He wants him dead, and he will do anything to gto it. He has more on his mind than his injured soldiers."
"I understand. I understand death, and murder. I know what its like to lose the people you care for most. Death brings forth something special in all, it is not always a good thing. We learn from death, we learn a lesson that only the gods may teach us through our errors. What your selfish prince is doing is not right. He is looking for revenge, one doesn't see clear with their eyes full of hatred." Sholeh was seething with anger by the time she was done speaking.
"Such wise words for a girl so young. You mustn't of had a lovely childhood." It wasn't a question he asked, but a statement he spoke. "You are right, my childhood was nothing, I did not have one growing up. I was full of hatred for everyone around me. I grew up fast and I messed up with everything I did. I have learned from my mistakes, your prince on the other hand has never had to learn from his mistakes. He has never been disciplined when he has killed the wrong man, said the wrong thing, has he?" Sholeh didn't like talking about her past, but felt she owed it to the old man that was teaching her so much.
She had the same effect on him, as he did on her. Loticus found himself learning so much from the young girl who had helped him without a thought, she had done more to help a man she didn't know in a couple of hours than anyone he had ever known.
"You are right, Prince Garsiv doesn't learn from his mistakes. Now that his father is dead, I have a feeling he shall be seeing the world in a new light, he will see us all for who we aren't. He will see us through the hate that sits in his heart. Not the love that should be there." Sholeh nodded along with the man.
"Is that your flag raised at that camp?" Sholeh asked, holding the old man up so he could see. They may have been standing on the top of a dune, but she didn't think he could see well from the angle his head was lying at.
"Yes, will you take me to the black tent. There will be two guards standing outside of it." That's all the man said before his eyes closed with the weight of his day laboring over him.
She did as he has asked and made her way through the camp. The soldiers looked at her but didn't ask questions upon seeing the old man in her arms. No one asked to take the man from her, if she has carried him this far then she could carry him to the Prince, they thought.
"Who are you?" The guard to the left of her asked, as she approached the black tent Loticus had told her about.
"I am Sholeh, I bring the Prince his soldier, Loticus." She didn't say anymore.
"Wait here." The soldier to the right of her had led her over a dune, out of sight of the camp.
She did as he had said, she laid Loticus down atop of her cloak. She took the leather bag off her shoulder, looking threw it she found what she needed now. A pouch of water, the very last of her water. Sholeh put it to her lips and let the warm liquid flow over her dry tongue, she saved some for Loticus. She shook him gently, trying to wake him without inflicting pain on the old man that had become her friend.
"Drink, you need to." The old man sat up slowly and drank slowly from the pouch. "Thank you, young one. Where are we, have we not arrived at camp yet?" Sholeh laughed at his excitement.
"We arrived, now we await your selfish prince. His guard led me to the dune behind the camp." She stood off the ground and dusted the sand from her clothes.
"Here, darling help me up." He stuck his hand out to her, which she gladly took. She was happy to see he could stand on his own, without her support.
She grabbed her cloak and put it back on, once again she pulled the hood up. Protecting her from the little specks of sand that would float up and try to wedge themselves into her eyes.
"You have done good Sholeh. I will forever be in debt to you." The old man said taking her hand and kissing the top of it. She laughed at his ridiculous manor. "Don't be silly Loticus, I don't deserve your gratitude. I would have done it for anyone, its in my nature to help the helpless." Sholeh was angered at the fact that Loticus didn't have to be helpless, he could have been helped easily, but nobody wanted to help him.
"Relax my darling. You need to stop thinking of anger, I could have been helped by my prince. I am much more happy that it was you that was helping me, though." Loticus was being nice and friendly, unlike the soldiers she had seen in the camp.
"Your prince does not deserve to be called so. If he is not willing to help his people than he should be no more than a thief to his people. You are lucky he is not your king, I cower at the thought of having to serve under his rule. If you are not willing to help your fellow soldiers then you might as well not be willing to help your people." Sholeh didn't notice the man that stood mere feet behind her. Loticus had of course noticed his heinous, and now had his head bowed to the ground.
"How you feel towards me is your own opinion. I will not get angry at you for speaking your mind." The Prince was indeed angry, he was gripping the hilt of his sword with all his strength, Sholeh also noticed his vice grip on the weapon.
"My opinion is not only my own, it is also the opinion of many others. The way you lead your soldiers shows the way you would lead your people, if you had the chance. You are too head strong, you are to young and you don't know what you are doing. I think…" Sholeh was cut off by Loticus.
"Please, Sholeh. Hold your thoughts about young Garsiv to yourself for now." He turned to the young man. "I am sorry your heinous, Sholeh has a rather strong opinion about everything. She was at the Valley of Slaves when we were leaving. She has fixed my leg, she also carried me all the way to camp." Loticus bowed his head again after he finished speaking.
"Why do you tell me this?" Garsiv wasn't happy with Loticus' babbling. "I think she would be a good addition to are search party. She is skilled in medicine, strong and very intelligent." Sholeh gasped at the thought of joining a group of Persians.
"NO." She answered before Garsiv could agree with Loticus. "I will not join this band of taxing blood shedders. You do not see right, your judgment is clouded by the hatred you feel towards your brother. To follow you would be as if asking an angel to join a group of sinners in there journey to hell." Sholeh turned to Loticus and told him thank you, for all of the knowledge they had shared between each other.
"I hope I will get to meet you again, in this life or the next. You have knowledge beyond your years, and beauty beyond any woman I have ever seen before." Loticus opened his arms to her, his last goodbye to her. "I will miss you." Was all Sholeh said in return.
T
Sholeh kept her eyes open as wide as possible, starring at the stars had always relaxed her as a child. She may not be a child, but she is not an adult either. The technique proved to work, still.
"You should have gone with them, have you ever heard of someone being invited into the Persian army. Someone who isn't a Persian none the less!" Her best friend, Leyla screamed at her.
"No, I haven't. Leyla, you didn't see this Prince. An old, injured man walked behind him as he rode his horse. Not even a scratch marred his body. I would never go on a journey if it meant I would have to deal with a selfish man who sees the world through hatred, and all he seeks is revenge and the death of his brother, his brother!" Sholeh, leaned back against the wall of the one room hut she had been sharing with her friend for three years now.
"I bet you he was gorgeous, all princes are gorgeous! Well, was he?" Leyla had never had her mind in the right place. But still, best friends meant something to Sholeh.
"His looks, cannot change my mind. You know me, I will not go along with someone just because they are pleasing to the eyes." Sholeh walked across the room, stretching out her legs.
"I would!" Leyla got up and sat down on one of the two beds in the room. "He was beautiful, I know he was. I can tell by the way you answered."
"I know you would, maybe you should go find him and tell him how much of genius you are, and how good you are with medicine!" Sholeh left the hut after talking with her friend and made her way out to the small market of Alandrinah. Alandrinah, was a small town hidden in the mountains of India. The small town was home to power that Sholeh and Leyla weren't aware of.
"May I have an apple Nadira?" Sholeh smiled at the old woman she had known for almost three years now.
"Sure dearie, free of charge, too!" The kind old woman gave her the apple she asked for then went back to serving her other customers.
People in Alandrinah had no use for money, few ever left the town because there was no reason to. Everything you would ever need is in the small town. Food, shelter and enough people to socialize with.
"So what about this old man you told me of?" Leyla had finally come out of the hut and was fallowing Sholeh out of the village.
"Loticus, you would love him. He is so full of wisdom and he is so nice. I plan on writing him later tonight, I hope you get a chance to meet him." Sholeh stood on the outskirts of the village watching the marvelous sun set.
"It truly is a beautiful part of the world we live in." Leyla stood from the rock she had been sitting on. "I think its time we go in, the sun will be going down soon."
"I'll be in in a few minutes." Sholeh walked farther away from the village, mesmerized by the sunset. Leyla walked away, knowing Sholeh would be fine on her own for a while.
Sholeh watched as the sun sank down behind the mountains, thinking of Loticus, the man who she had befriended in a matter of hours.
H
Sholeh's head bounced up and down to the beat of a healthy horses gallop. She tried to look around but found that her head was bound by a rope of some sort.
"Whaa…Where am I?" Sholeh asked herself, not expecting to get an answer. "You are on the back of my horse, Princess." A gruff sounding voice responded, shocking Sholeh.
"I am no princess, I fear you have captured the wrong woman." She tried to keep calm, but found it exceedingly hard when an unknown man had taken her from the boarder of the village, where she must have fallen asleep.
"You can't lie your way out of this one, I know who you are and I know your power. Your going to get me the dagger, and your going to do it now."
As soon as the man had finished his sentence he untied the cloth that had been covering her eyes and pushed her to the ground, her hands and feet magically unbound.
"How did you do that?" Sholeh got off her butt and stood her ground in front of the giant white horse she must have been riding.
When she finally saw the face of the man that had taken her from the village she gasped. He had bright blue eyes, the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. His face however wasn't as beautiful, it was marred by multiple scars on the right side of his face. He was dressed in all black and there was a snake coming out of his sleeve and winding around his waste.
"Shut up, Princess. Or, I will bind you again." He kept walking straight, towards what looked to be a oasis, in the endless desert.
Sholeh kept quiet, preferring the freedom to walk over being forced upon a horse. How had he taken her from the village without ever being woken. Nearly impossible the feat must have been, she thought.
They walked for hours before reaching the oasis, then Sholeh talked.
"What is your name? I think I deserve to know my captors name." She tried to keep a steady voice, hiding the fear in her tone.
"What did I tell you about speaking, princess?" As soon as the words left his lips, she was bound again, but this time being pulled by his horse, now at a steady gallop.
Sholeh let out a scream, but it fell on death ears, for the only people around her were what seemed to be a community of black clad men that looked like they could kill her at a moments notice.
Fear instilled itself in her heart, right before everything went black.
Well thats the end of the first chapter, I hope you liked it. I know 3rd person point of view is weird, but I wanted to do it for the first chapter, everything from now on is gonna be from Sholeh's point of view. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
Review!
