And here's the second chapter! Thank you to all who have read, followed and added to their favourites, this chapter was a lot of fun to write, as you meet Leila, her sister, Inaam and their pet monkey, Dalia as you follow a typical day in Alzawaya, involving stealing for food and avoiding the palace guards!
Read and enjoy!
As a new day dawned in Alzawaya, the streets were already bustling with activity with children playing and people buying and selling food and other necessary items in the markets if they could afford it, the smells of fresh fruit, exotic spices, fertiliser and camels lingering in the air bringing a mix of pleasure and disgust in one's nostrils.
Women were washing their clothes while their children kicked a ball around, harem girls were showing off nearby and grabbing the attention of some boys who were passing by and they stared lustily while the girls flirted and teased them.
Although the city was large, the gap between rich and poor was far wide, in fact, the only one who had wealth was the Sultana and her family, living high above in the palace which stuck out like a big white sore thumb, especially when compared to the narrow, dusty and crowded buildings below.
And while the Sultana lived in luxury, nearly all the citizens were in poverty and struggling to get by, some even going without food for days, which caused great distress to families as they were unable to feed their children and tried hard to get food but they simply lacked the funds and means to do so.
It was a heartbreaking sight to see young children whose families couldn't afford food, looking pleadingly at passing people, hoping that they would give them even a slither of bread or a thin slice of watermelon or a single grape.
And even those with jobs, like market vendors, were barely scraping by and were desperate enough to sell anything and everything they could, even if it was dangerous, rotten or unsafe, just to put food on the table.
'Stuff for sale!' a market vendor called out, 'Bad, cheaply made stuff for sale!' while holding up a chipped vase, one of the many chipped, jagged and rusty items at his stall.
Unsuprisingly, no one came to his stall but he was not to be deterred and kept on calling out but people ignored him.
'Fresh fruits!' another one called out, holding up a huge watermelon, 'Fresh, juicy watermelons!'
'Green and red grapes straight from the vine! Lovely yellow bananas! Shiny, crisp and juicy apples! Get them before they go bad!'
'Spices!' a spice vendor called, 'Exotic spices from faraway lands!'
'Freshly baked bread, straight from the oven!' a baker called out, taking a hot loaf out of an oven behind him, 'Get it while it's still hot!'
And there was those who had to resort to stealing food just to get by. Many street urchins could be found running in the streets, hiding to avoid being detected by the palace guards, who were often seen out and about in the city, keeping a sharp eye out for any of the street rats and mice who often slipped their notice as some of them were often distracted by the harem girls, to the chagrin of the head guard.
And there were two street urchins in particular that the guards were always on the lookout for, two that always gave them the slip, two that the guards always vowed to catch but never did.
The street mouse who was called Leila and her little sister, Inaam.
The street diamond.
The girl who, along with her sister, were the bane of the guards' existence.
The girl who had a destiny ahead, unbeknownst to her.
At that particular moment, while the palace guards were on their morning patrol, Leila and Inaam were hiding behind the fruit stall, occasionally peeking out to make sure the coast was clear.
Leila was a beautiful young woman of seventeen with a slender build, long dark-brown hair and deep brown eyes and she was dressed in a light-green vest, dark green tunic and brown harem pants, no different to any other street urchin but she was a kind-hearted, cheerful, spunky and fiercely protective of her sister.
Inaam was twelve years old and was masterful at trickery and deception, as she was the one who created diversions to distract the guards with her somewhat comical fencing moves while she and Leila made their escape which was why they never got caught.
That and the fact that they were skilled at hiding and taking food undetected.
Inaam was a slender girl with long dark brown hair tied in a low, loose ponytail with a fringe and wore a mid-blue short-sleeved shirt with a light blue baggy vest and black harem pants with various dirt smudges.
She was very spunky, feisty and wise-cracking and was always energetic and crafty and Leila loved her fiercely and would do anything to protect her, as she was the only family she had left.
On top of Leila's shoulder was her pet monkey, Dalia, wearing a green tunic similar to hers and a green bow tied haphazardly on her head, who was squeaking excitedly as she had spotted a banana at the fruit stall and was reaching out for it.
'Whoa, Dalia, just wait a minute!' Leila chuckled as she gently grabbed the monkey, who had jumped off her shoulder and grabbed the banana, already eating it.
Dalia chittered embarrassingly as she tried to put it back but as she had already taken a bite, decided to keep eating it.
'Well, looks like you're off to a good start, Dalia.' Leila said, as Dalia squeaked again as she reached out for another banana,
'Whoa, let's not get too carried away, we don't want to get into trouble too early,' she then said, grabbing Dalia again and she gave her a raspberry.
'Oh, come on, Lei, let Dalia have her bananas,' Inaam said, 'Besides, you're only in trouble if you get caught and we never get caught! Not with my fencing moves, we don't!'
'I suppose so, but we only steal what we can't afford and that's everything and we have to keep one jump ahead of the guards and lawmen. They are baying for our blood and we always have to..' Leila said.
'Yeah, yeah, yeah, Lei, we know this already but I'm hungry, Dalia's getting impatient and WE NEED FOOD NOW!' Inaam shouted a little too loudly as Leila tried to shush her as the fruit vendor turned around to see where the noise was coming from, as the girls ducked down.
'Inaam, be quiet!' Leila hissed, 'we'll get our food now, the coast is clear as the guards are distracted by the harem girls. You stay here and grab three pieces of fruit and THREE pieces only as too much will be suspicious.
Dalia and I will get three loaves of bread. Meet us at the baker's stall and try to not to get caught! Got that?'
'Oh, yes, master, but only three pieces of fruit? That's a bit stingy..' Inaam began to complain but Leila gave her a look and Inaam slid behind the stall and started to grab some fruit, putting them in a basket that she had and gave Leila a thumbs up.
Leila smiled wryly at her sister and she and Dalia then slid undetected through the maze of people and vendors, with Dalia swiping a few bits of jewelry on the way.
'Hey, give those back, you filthy monkey!' the angry vendor shouted, but Dalia was too quick for her.
'Vandal!' he then shouted as the two ran away, with Leila scowling at Dalia.
'Dalia, don't get carried away, you'll draw attention to us!' she hissed.
Dalia scowled but did what she was told as they approached the bread stall just as the vendor was taking out freshly baked loaves of bread, the sweet smell entering Leila's nostrils as she sniffed appreciatively.
'Oh, how I love the smell of fresh bread in the morning,' she said as she snuck behind as the vendor was distracted with putting more bread in the oven and she chose three loaves, putting them in a basket.
'Oh, that does that smell good, I can't wait to eat it,' she said, unaware that Dalia, at this time, had spotted a shiny golden pot at the stall with the badly made objects and was running eagerly towards it, squeaking excitedly.
'Dalia!' Leila exclaimed as she ran towards her but the monkey had already grabbed the pot just as the vendor exclaimed angrily,
'You dirty, rotten, filthy monkey! Come back with that cheaply made pot! I'll make you into soup when I catch you!'
The shouted then attracted the attention of the guards, who were in the middle of flirting with the harem girls when they saw Leila dashing towards Dalia and Leila leapt in alarm when she saw them coming.
'Ah, ha! We've got you now, street mouse! You won't be getting away this time!' they shouted.
'Uh oh,' squeaked Dalia.
'I think they may have spotted us,' Leila said, 'let's grab Inaam and run, like we always do! Gotta keep one jump ahead of these chumps!'
She scooped up Dalia as she ran, avoiding people as she zig zagged through them, ignoring their angry shouts of,
'Riff raff!'
'Street mouse!'
'Scoundrel!' as the guards followed her, determined to catch the street mouse that had eluded them for so long.
'Stop, thief!' they shouted, just as Inaam, seeing her sister running from the guards, having also been spotted by the other guards at the fruit stall, took that as a cue and started running herself, trying to catch up with Leila and Dalia while ducking and dodging both the crowd of people and the guards.
'There's the other one!' they shouted.
'Get them both and cut off their hands for trophies! They won't get away so easily!' the other guards said.
'I'd like to see you try!' Inaam shouted, 'you're too fat and slow to catch us, you bloated old chumps!'
'We'll have your hands for trophies, street mice! We'll catch you and…' one guard said, before running out of breath as Inaam managed to catch up to Leila and the girls and Dalia snickered at seeing the guard heaving and panting.
'How did you do, Lei?' Inaam asked, as they ran, 'what did you and Dalia get?'
'Three freshly baked loaves,' Leila said, holding up the basket as Inaam sniffed them, breathing in the heavenly smell as they ran,
'But all this for three loaves of bread?' she then said.
'And a basket of fruits,' Inaam said, holding up her basket which was full of fruit.
'Inaam, I said only three pieces of fruit, you practically took the entire stall! No wonder they're after us!' Leila then said, frowning.
'But we have a fabulous banquet that will last for days!' Inaam protested.
'Only if we don't get caught first!' said Leila, almost angrily as they kept running as the guards tried to catch up to them.
'Stop, thieves!' they kept yelling, as the girls and Dalia ducked into an alley and hid into a house, where three women were hanging out their washing.
Using that as a cue, the girls then disguised themselves in the clothing while Dalia used the pot she had stolen earlier like a bowling ball which knocked over the pile of watermelons which rolled towards the guards, splattering them in the process.
The women chuckled, as Leila and Inaam giggled at the comical sight of the guards covered in pink goop, some even spitting out the seeds in anger, while Dalia chittered in triumph.
'Great work, Dalia, always on cue,' Inaam said, as she gave the monkey a high five, 'soon it'll be my turn to shine with my fencing moves.'
'Morning, ladies, lovely weather we're having today,' Leila said, as the women smiled and shook their heads fondly at her.
'Getting into trouble a little early today, aren't we, girls?' the elder woman said.
'Well, we have to steal to eat and these guys don't appreciate we're broke,' Leila said, 'it's the only way we can survive.'
'And besides, you're only in trouble if you get caught,' Inaam said, a little too cocky, 'and we NEVER GET CAUGHT!'
However, as soon as she said it, the guards had finally caught up to them and grabbed them by the wrists.
'Until now!' she then said.
'Gotcha!' the head guard said, 'I finally got you street mice and you won't get away easily again!'
'Not today!' Leila said and she, Inaam and Dalia, as they often did, managed to give the guards the slip as they shook free and started to run again, grabbing their baskets which still had the bread and fruit inside them.
'You idiots!' the head guard screamed, 'you let them get away again! Chase them down, grab your swords and earn your trophies! The street mice will not elude us again!'
By now, the chase between the girls and the guards was starting to attract attention from the people as they watched them dodge them at every step, whether they ran through people's houses, jumped high on buildings (which required some expert pole vaulting which Leila and Inaam were good at) and jumping on awnings and no matter how hard the guards tried, the girls were always one jump ahead of them.
'It's such a shame that a beautiful young girl has to be a common thief,' one of the women said, as she watched the whole scene of debauchery, shaking her head.
'I agree, she and her sister have become partners in crime,' another one said.
'I'd blame parents, except they haven't got them.' The third one said.
'There goes that street mouse, Leila, always stealing food. She would've made a good harem girl if she put on a little bit of make-up and dressed better instead of those tatty street clothes,' one of the harem girls said.
'Just as well, who would ever want to be with a lowly, filthy street mouse like her?' another one said, rolling her eyes in disgust.
The chase continued as Leila, Inaam and Dalia led the guards through hot coals, which burned their feet and made them yowl, hiding behind a strong man, having fruit thrown at them and Inaam reluctantly throwing some back from her basket at them, tip-toeing through sheep and Dalia stealing two swords from an unfortunate sword swallower who gasped when the monkey pulled them out of his pants.
Soon, the girls found themselves at a dead end, at the back of a wall with the guards surrounding them, with no way of escape.
'Now, we've got you once and for all!' the head guard said, grinning triumphantly.
However, Dalia pulled out her stolen sword and waved it at the guards who gasped in shock at seeing the monkey pointing the deadly weapon at them.
'The monkey has a sword!' they said, shocked.
'So do I!' Inaam said, pulling out her own sword and aimed it like a fencing sabre.
'The street mouse also has a sword!' the guards said again.
'I don't feel so good,' one said, uneasily.
'Don't you idiots have any brains?' the head guard said, irritated, 'we've got swords and there are more of us than them! They're outnumbered!'
'Oh, yeah, we forgot about that,' the guards said, embarrassed, before pulling out their own swords.
'Engarde, engarde!' Inaam shouted and they all started a huge sword fight, which involved slicing some of the guards' pants down, Inaam dodging every move and leaving the guards in a huge tangle and her cutting a rope that held a new pile of watermelons at the fruit stand, sending them rolling towards the guards.
'Oh no, you don't!' the vendor exclaimed but it was too late as the guards were bowled over by the melons, landing them in a big pile of fertilser.
'Eugggh!' they exclaimed as Leila, Inaam and Dalia made their escape towards their hovel, grinning triumphantly as the guards shouted obscenities at them.
'Great job as always, Inaam, your fencing skills are second to none,' Leila said as her sister grinned at her, while Dalia frowned, determined not to be left out.
'You too, Dalia,' Leila then said as Dalia chittered happily.
'Thanks, but you did most of the work, Lei,' said Inaam, 'I just create the diversions, you're the leader and you're the one who tells us not to get carried away. It's all about teamwork, you know, and we're in this together.'
'You're not wrong there, but you did get a whole basket of fruit which you then threw at the guards…'
'Not all of it, we still have a bunch of grapes, three apples and two bananas and that will last us for a while,' said Inaam, looking into her basket as she saw the remaining fruit,
'I suppose, we do love them after all and our stomachs have been telling us for some time that it's time to eat! 'Leila said , chuckling.
'Say no more, I'm starving!' said Inaam as Leila got out the loaves of bread and passed two to Dalia and Inaam, who chomped down on them greedily, while Leila took a couple of bites.
'Take it, easy, you two!' Leila laughed, as they walked down a shadowy alley and saw two children digging through some dustbins, trying to find a measly scrap of food.
Seeing the hungry and desperate look in their eyes, Leila smiled at the children when they approached her and although she had been looking forward to eating the bread, she knew that the children needed it more than she did and she broke her loaf in half and gave them two pieces each, the ones that she hadn't eaten yet.
'Oh, thank you, kind miss,' they said as they gratefully ate the bread and gave Leila a hug, which made her smile.
'You're very welcome,' said Leila.
Leila then coaxed Inaam into giving them what was left of the fruit, her having thrown most of it at the guards but she showed great reluctance at first, but after some convincing that they needed it more than they did, she had a change of heart and gave the children two bananas each, to Dalia's dismay as she squeaked her displeasure.
'Thank you again, miss,' the children said as they left and the girls continued on their way home.
'You and your big heart, Leila,' said Inaam in an almost teasing way, 'always thinking of others before yourself.'
'Thank you, Inaam, it was the least we could do, those poor children looked like they hadn't eaten in days and it was the first time anyone had kind words for us other than 'street mice,' 'scoundrels' or 'vandals.' At least this proves that I'm more than just a street mouse.' Leila said,
'But one day, Inaam, I believe things are going to change for us. I have a feeling that it will, maybe fate will lead us to living in a big palace with fabulous riches beyond our wildest dreams and never have to worry about anything again.'
Inaam simply rolled her eyes at her sister.
'Oh, Lei, that's never gonna happen and you know it. This is our life and that's the way it's going to be. The sultana doesn't give two figs about us and the city and to do that, you have to marry the crown prince and the law states that he has to marry a princess,' she said.
'But it might,' Leila said wistfully and the girls and Dalia then silently made their way home, to a hovel that sat atop of an abandoned building.
And that's the chapter! Next up, you'll meet Prince Nadir, his brother, Adil, the Sultana and the unfortunate princess trying to woo him!
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