Chapter Two: The boy named Basil

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"Balbadd?"

Amira asked her father. "That's right. Daddy will be visiting a friend over there. Would Amira like to come?" Adil asked his daughter while preparing his stuff. He wasn't so confident that his daughter would come. After all, Balbadd was way too far and he was certain that they'll be gone for months. "I don't wanna leave Mommy." He eyes widened in surprise. That just meant that his little daughter would like to go with him!

I... I'm so happy~ he was blissfully unaware about the deadpanned expressions on Amira's and Hadiya's face. "I think I'll stay with Mommy." That one sentence snapped him out of his reveries. "Wha—?! But... But..." Hadiya rolled her eyes when her husband started bawling on the floor. "She's teasing, dear." But her words were ignored. Sighing, she knelt down on one knee in front of her daughter.

"I'll be fine, Amira," she paused, seeing the doubting look on her daughter's face. "I have Esra, Badr and Sinbad to accompany me. Go; this is a rare opportunity to go on an adventure." Amira still looked as if she was hesitating whether she should go or not. "I promise. Besides," she glanced at Adil, who had finally stopped crying and was staring at them with a fond gaze.

"I'm a strong woman, remember?"

With a defeated expression, Amira relented and decided to go with her father. "Can I say goodbye to Sinbad first?" Hadiya giggled while Adil scowled at this. Ever since that one time Amira and Sinbad got lost in the forest, it had seemed like they had gotten quite close. Esra and Adil were being quite the frantic parents they were and hugged their child to death. Badr and Hadiya simply lectured the two about going to places they don't know.

"Sure. Sure, but I'm guessing that little Sin will cry when you tell him that."

And true to Hadiya's words, once Amira told Sinbad where she was going with her father, the little boy latched onto her waist and cried on her stomach. "I wanna gow! I wanna gow wit Nee-chan!" Adil was trying to gently pry away the little pipsqueak off his daughter. Badr was laughing while Esra and Hadiya loved the scene they were making. "I'll be back, Sinbad. Take care of my Mommy for me, okay? You're a strong man, right?"

Sinbad pulled away, snot dangling down from his nostrils. Amira scrunched up her nose in disgust but forced a smile on her face. "You'll protect Mommy and Miss Esra, right?" Sinbad threw his hands in the hair, his puffy eyes gleaming with determination. "I'mma pwotchek mwawwy 'n... 'n mwish 'iya!" The orange-haired girl patted the purple-haired boy on the head. "Then, wait for Amira to come back."

Badr and Esra were in awe. They were surprised that Amira managed to stop Sinbad from being so stubborn... and bratty. Definitely from being bratty. The two of them rarely managed to make Sinbad do whatever he's told unless they tease him about being such a little boy. "I'mma mwet Nue-chan!" His sobs finally stopped.

Amira hugged everyone before they left Tison Village. Adil said that they need to be discreet in doing so. They didn't need Parthevian soldiers spotting them. It took them a few days to find a caravan that they could hitch a ride on. Not many merchants liked to give free rides after all.

oooOooo

The sun was glaring down on them and there was not a single cloud in sight that could provide temporary shade. Adil did not deny that he never liked the hot weather. He would sweat buckets upon buckets upon buckets and he detested the sticky feeling it gave him. It made him feel disgusting, and travelling in the desert had never been so pleasant. He used to be a merchant and even then, he tended to avoid deserts in his travels.

Because all he could see was sand and more sand. His green eyes then landed on his daughter, who seemed unaffected by this unreasonably hot weather. Instead of bored and exhausted eyes, she seemed to be full of life and her eyes filled with wonder. He knew his daughter was different from normal children. Different in a good kind of way.

She spoke fluently despite her age. She absorbed information faster than normal. Even then, she could use that information unlike others who simply forget it the next day. Amira was an anomaly but he found it quite endearing. Her speech was adorable. No matter how advanced she was, she was still that adorable little child he wanted to spoil.

And spoil he did when he had been a merchant, he had hidden a lot of books in the shed of their home. When he realized that his daughter learned faster than an average child, he found that she loved reading books. He had given them to her and continued to do so even now. However, books were scarce these past few months. They even got more expensive.

Adil loved spoiling his daughter, but he wasn't about to spend all their money because of it.

Meanwhile, while Adil was slowly becoming delusional because of the heat, Amira was staring outside with eyes filled with wonder and dread. She had been staring at a child, a few years older than her, who was bounded by chains. The clink clanking of the chains was loud and attention-catching. The boy was walking on sand with bare feet.

Amira couldn't even imagine how much it was hurting him. What caught her attention most, however, was the ears on top of his head and his rather long nails. His hair was silver in colour and so were his ears. His skin, even though he had been out in the sun, has a beautiful ivory tone. She couldn't see his eyes because they were hidden behind a curtain of his bangs.

Soon, they've reached two slopes. They went through the middle but even then, the sun was glaring down on them.

'Danger'

'You need to leave'

'Hurry'

Amira quietly approached the merchant driving the caravan she and her father were riding on. "Mister." She silently called out. The driver, Menakht, glanced down at her, his eyes crinkling on the corners as he smiled. "Oh, what is it, little Amira?" Menakht was an old man who traded different cloths. He had no family and his wife died a few years after they had been married.

That was why Menakht saw Amira as his own daughter. The first time he met the orange-haired girl, he was bombarded by countless questions about the cities and the capitals. He was happy to answer her questions, and there were no boring times when she was beside him. Menakht actually found Adil and Amira quite endearing and enjoyed their company the past few days.

To him, Amira was a bright and polite child. However, as he stared at her eyes right now, he couldn't deny the fact that he felt somewhat inferior to her. Something in her eyes said that he should trust her, blindly or not. It was his choice but he felt compelled to do whatever she would say. "Let's go faster." Although confused, he did as he was told and bewildered his fellow merchants.

"Why do we need to go faster, little Amira?"

The one word that escaped her lips surprised him. "Danger."

Not long after she said that word, they heard something tumbling down from both sides. There were boulders rolling down the slopes, causing the drivers to panic and go faster. Menakht watched as one by one, wagons were crushed by the giant rocks. He gulped. If he didn't follow what Amira had said earlier, his wagon might have been one of those.

For some reason, Amira's eyes never left that strange boy's forms. Her eyes followed his every movement, every time he dodges a boulder seemed so elegant. The way he moved captivated her and in a split of a second, Amira and the boy made eye contact. Green eyes widened as they stared at Golden ones. Amira held her breath, mesmerized by their beauty.

A few wagons managed to escape danger. They stopped a good distance away from the destruction those boulders brought. They did not deny that if Menakht's wagon did not pick up speed, they would have been crushed by one of those boulders as well. Menakht felt a drop of sweat, staring at Amira with eyes filled with disbelief.

"Amira! Amira!" Adil called his daughter, eyes frantic as he searched for his daughter. He passed out before the boulders came, and woke up only to find the wagon empty. He found her beside Menakht, who had been helping those who barely escaped the disaster. "Amira, thank goodness' you're alright." He embraced his daughter as if she would disappear if he lets go.

Menakht erupted into laughter, patting Adil on the back quite harshly. "If it weren't for little Amira, I don't think these many people would survive that!" Adil pulled away, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "She told me to go faster, and for some reason, I followed. With so little words, she gained my trust. You have one special little kid in your hands."

Adil flushed in embarrassment, Menakht moving on to aid the injured. He found his daughter approaching a boy— a slave— with a balm in her tiny little hands. Adil fondly smiled, proud of his little girl. He moved and decided to help dressing the injured.

Goldeyes warily scrutinized the girl in front of him. "This will help your wounds from getting infected." He frowned, he looked away. He simply ignored the little girl offering her help. He winced. He flinched. It hurts. "It will only get worse, you know?" Once again, he analyzed the girl, gold eyes searching for something. He flinched. He groaned. She was right. It only got worse.

When he made no resistance, Amira took this as an okay to treat his wounds. They were only superficial cuts but with so many of them, it must hurt a lot. She found old scars on his arms, and since his skin tone was porcelain, every scar was visible. He winced and she stopped. "Does it hurt too much?" Goldeyes bored into hers before he shook his head.

Finished, he watched her clumsily dress his wounds. Annoyed, he took the bandages from her and wrapped them himself. He saw her flinch, a look of hurt flashing through her features. "Name?" She jolted, stared at him before she answered. "A... Amira. You?" He stared. And stared. Finding nothing untrustworthy in her eyes, he indulged her with his name.

"Basil."

Her smile. Basil only found one word to describe it. Warm. Her smile was warm.

After a few hours of rest, the group decided to move on. Menakht, surprisingly enough, coerced Basil to rest in his wagon where Adil spoiled the boy with food and water. Basil blinked. Amira giggled. She found his expression hilarious. "Eat up, boy! You look like you haven't eaten for days." Basil's thin arms and visible cheekbones worried Adil. Since when was the last time this boy ate?

"... th... thank you."

Adil beamed and... felt a drop of sweat slid down his forehead. Basil practically wolfed down the entire plate. "You'll choke if you eat too fast." The golden-eyed boy ignored him. He stopped only when he saw Amira staring while he was devouring the food he was given. He thought she was curious about the ears on top of his head. He was wrong. "Do you want to be my friend?"

In the background, Adil had already fallen asleep.

The question stunned him.

For as long as he could remember, people avoided him like the plague. People treated his tribe like real caged animals. People looked at them with either disgust or lust for power. Golden eyes narrowed at her, baring his fangs in defence. "Stay away." Never again would he trust anyone. The last time he did, he found himself sold as a slave.

He dismissed his earlier thoughts about how warm her smile had been. That person's smile had also been identical to Amira's, something he forgot for a split second. That kind of smile fooled him before, he would not fall for it again. Hurt glimmered in her green eyes, but Basil simply acted as if he didn't see it.

For the next couple of days, Basil avoided Amira, something that disheartened the girl. Adil noticed this but made no move to interfere. Deep inside, Adil knew that his daughter knows what she's doing; why she decided to ask Basil to be her friend. Soon, they've reached a small town and after this, the next stop would be Balbadd.

Menakht, the leader of the caravan, decided to stop by here to take a rest after crossing the desert. "We'll stay here for three days. At noon in the third day, we'll be on our way to Balbadd." There was a chorus of 'yes, sir' from his group. Menakht faced Adil and his daughter. "That alright with you?" Adil shrugged his shoulders. "We're not in a hurry, so it's okay. Besides, the reason I brought Amira with me was so she could explore."

He watched father and daughter disappear into the crowd before Menakht glanced down at the boy standing beside him. "What about you, boy? What are you going to do now that your owner died?" His golden eyes flickered and silently headed back inside the wagon. Menakht sighed, rubbing his nape in exasperation. "What am I going to do with that boy? He refuses to talk. He doesn't even know what to do with himself."

Basil leaned against a barrel inside the wagon, his eyebrows furrowed from thinking so deeply. For some reason, Amira's warm smile never left his mind. This hasn't happened before. That person's smile paled in comparison to Amira's. No matter how much he tried to get rid of her image in his head, the green-eyed orange-haired girl occupied his mind.

Meanwhile, Adil inwardly cooed at his daughter's wide-eyed expression, her gaze devouring her surroundings. "Daddy, before we go home, can we bring back something for Mommy and Mister Badr and Miss Esra and Sinbad?" Adil rubbed his cheek with his daughter's, earning himself a whine from her. "Daddy, stop it!" He chuckled, halting when slaves passed by them.

Amira's smile vanished, remembering the cuffs on Basil's wrists and ankles. "Why?" Adil jerked when Amira spoke. "Why do those people have chains, Daddy? Why does Basil have one, too?" She tightened her hold on Adil's shoulders. "They look hurt. Their feet are hurt. Why are they chained like wild animals, Daddy? I don't... I don't like it." She buried her face on the crook of his neck, averting her gaze from the slaves.

The clanking of the chains stopped, catching Adil's attention. His breath hitched to a stop when he realized the slave driver was right in front of him. "Hello there, young man." Adil pulled his daughter even closer to him. "H... Hello. Do you need something from me?" He was wary. The way the slave driver was eyeing his daughter sickened him.

"Is that your child?" A wary nod. "Her hair colour is quite... the rarity. I've never seen anything like it." A sickening grin, a malicious glint; Adil felt bile in his throat. "What are you getting at, sir?" There were chains clanking, hitting each other and Adil was aware that everyone in the area stopped to see what was going on. The dark gaze, his greedy eyes; they were in a dangerous position.

Adil mentally cursed when he realized they were surrounded. "If you'll excuse me, young man, I'll take that girl from you." He adjusted his hold on his daughter, sidestepping to dodge a slave that tried to grab his daughter. His foot connected with a jaw, his elbow digging into an abdomen and his knee hitting their backs. "Don't look, Amira." He whispered while flipping to avoid a sword, making sure his hold was firm.

Sharp green eyes glinted dangerously, his gaze boring holes into that slave driver. Adil jumped to avoid a slave from tackling him to the ground, and he landed on top of the slave, his heels digging into his shoulder blades. There were a crack and a scream of anguish. Adil quickly ran away once he saw a chance, but halted when something pierced his thigh.

He fell to one knee, Amira asking about what's going on. "Don't open your eyes, Amira. Don't until I tell you to." He knew his daughter wanted to ask more but he gently pushed her head so his shoulder blocked her vision. "You made quite the riot, bastard. You should have just left the brat with us and ran away." The slave driver spat out with a sneer, taking amusement in Adil's pain.

Adil tightened his hold, his wound throbbing in pain but the slave driver never approached him. A thud resounded in the silence and when Adil looked up, he saw white. "Die." The slave driver backed away, fear swimming in his eyes. "Basil?" Bewildered, Adil uttered the boy's name.

"Don't touch them. If you do, you'll die."

Basil bared his fangs, his golden eyes turning into slits, his white mane looking more dangerous that it should be. He had no excuse why he was here. He just felt that Amira was in danger, and without thinking about where she was, he had already run around the town to search for her. He remembered her smile. Her touch. Her eyes. Her kindness.

For some reason, he wanted to protect her.

Author's Note

I hoped you like it. It's pretty slow going for now but I hope you don't mind.

And...

THANK YOU FOR GIVING THIS FANFIC A CHANCE!