Chapter II: The Prophet

After a quick breakfast, which consisted of a canteen of water and the last of the bread, the Prince and Kaileena changed into more comfortable clothing. Then they made their way to the bow of the ship. Kaileena was glad to be out of her Imperial tunic. For whatever reason, it was what was given to her when she took the position of Empress. However, she found it very restricting, and way too open. No one would have guessed that she was actually quite prude due to the clothing she had to wear at her post. Now, she wore a much less revealing sleeveless shirt, much like that of a blade dancer, the Empress's elite martial artists (From whom she had collected the outfit), and loose fitting pants that would keep her cool in the desert heat.

The Prince looked at himself in a mirror that Kaileena brought and sniffed at his arm.

How did I not poison Kaileena during this voyage? He thought disgustedly. He was usually very proper, being royalty, but over the past seven years, he had neither the time nor the concern to groom himself. Even baths were few and far between; usually once every few weeks. Even though they had possessed the means, the Prince was so out of habit of bathing that he did not take advantage of the perfumes and soaps that Kaileena had brought along. But now, he did not have his life on the line, and they were in fresh water, so he had no excuse.

"Let's pull the boat over; I need to bathe," the Prince said.

"Good idea," Kaileena agreed, "I think I'll do that too. You go on the portside, I'll go on starboard," she gave him a flirtatious smile, "And no looking at me."

"Aww, you sure you don't need help?" he joked.

"No, I'm quite capable," she said, grabbing what she needed.

"Alright. But I'll be here if you need anything."

About twenty minutes later, they were washed, redressed and ready to go. The Prince had also taken that time to cut his hair and trim his goatee. He looked about five years younger now. With this out of the way, they raised the anchor and sailed on.

"Amazing," the Prince remarked as they sailed through the seemingly endless desert "If it wasn't for this river, this land would be completely worthless."

"Fascinating," Kaileena replied.

"I imagine you've seen them all. Sargon, Hummarabi…even Nimrod! Tell me Kaileena, what were they like?"

"I never lived among the kings of this land," Kaileena said.

"I know, but you lived in their time. You could see their lives as they happened," the Prince said eagerly.

"I honestly never really thought about it," she replied, a bit distracted. The Prince gazed at her. It was then that he noticed that she looked very concerned.

"Something wrong, Kaileena?" he asked.

She took a deep breath before replying, "I had stood my post as Empress of Time since…I can't remember exactly."

"Right after the Flood?"

"No," she smiled and shook her head, "not that early. That was quite a few thousand years before my time. But before the Persians…I think right around the time of Narum-Sin of Akkad. I remember being endowed with the powers of the Timeline, and being told my soul was now fused directly with it…the Timeline I mean."

"How did that come about?" The Prince asked.

"That I don't know," She replied, looking down, "My memory before that was virtually erased. All I have are fragments of memories…people, places. I do know I was a child at one time. I became Empress at…well, I'm guessing when I was around twenty-four or twenty-five years of age…which is why I look to be about that old."

"So you aren't…well, like a daevai, or something of that nature?" the Prince was confused.

Kaileena laughed at this, "Me? A daeva? I couldn't be. No, I was—and I suspect I still am—fully human. However, the Empress is not."

"I don't understand," the Prince said, cocking his head a bit, like a dog seeking a confirmation that his owner really did want him to follow his command.

"The Empress of Time is infused with the Timeline. I don't know how she came about attaching herself to me, I don't know where I came from, and I don't know my fate," Kaileena felt like she was having a nervous breakdown, "That," she slammed her palm down on the edge of the boat, throwing up a thin cloud of sand and wood particles, "is what scares me."

"Well…we learned that we could change our fate, so I don't know how much of a difference that makes," the Prince reasoned, though not too sure of himself.

"No I mean what will happen to me in the larger scheme of things? What is the condition of my soul? Will I be able to be saved when I die and resurrected at the end of this age? Was my becoming the Empress an unforgivable sin, so I am going to be tormented after death? Does my soul exist anymore…I mean, will I even have life after death? What about the Empress? Do I still have that duty, or am I relieved? If I'm relieved, what becomes of time? Am I causing the end of the world as we know it…?" she was becoming hysterical. She felt like crying but could not seem to get herself to do so. She slid her back down the sidewall of the boat and sat on the deck. The Prince joined her. Giving up a great sigh, she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to put you through this. I'm just…well, terrified!"

"It's ok, I understand," the Prince said, stroking her long, dark brown hair, "I don't have the answers. But I know someone who does."

An hour later, they were just a few miles away from Babylon. The smoke seemed to have gone down a bit, so the Prince assumed that whatever was burning was put out. He and Kaileena sailed their boat to the east bank and tied it to a small dock, then disembarked into the desert. About half a mile later, they came upon a small tent. The once dark red fabric was now faded into a dull orange by the constant sandstorms and exposure to the elements. Walking around to the side, the Prince and Kaileena found that the flap was open. The Prince peered into the tent to see an old man on his knees in prayer. A few seconds later, the man raised his head and looked at the Prince standing in his doorway.

"God told me you would be arriving today, and with the Empress of Time," the old man stated calmly.

Upon hearing her former title, Kaileena stepped into the opening of the tent.

"Empress Kaileena, I presume," the man said to her.

"Yes, that is right. How did you know that?" she asked amazed.

"My God has revealed it to me," he replied.

"Who are you?" a now wide-eyed Kaileena asked.

The Prince stepped forward and held out his hand to the mysterious, wise man in front of them.

"Kaileena, may I present to you the great prophet, Daniel."

i In Ancient Zoroastrian thought, a daeva was a spiritual being that usually worked for evil