Chapter 4
Life in Qishan Pt. 1

"Miriam… Uhm…"

"What is it? Is there something on my face?"

"No… but… aren't those too heavy for you?"

I looked at Alibaba curiously before looking at the number of luggage I was carrying on both of my shoulders. Since my shoulders were preoccupied, I settled for shaking my head instead of shrugging as a response.

Alibaba looked at me, his face quite comical in disbelief and uncertainty as a roll of sweat dropped down the side of his head. He seemed like he wanted to say more, but decided against it as his body slumped slightly in defeat.

"Never mind." He mumbled.

Perhaps it was quite ridiculous, seeing one person carry at least two large sacks of fruits and vegetables on either side of their shoulders without breaking a sweat. If I had settled the sacks down, it would probably reach my entire height, but surprisingly I found myself unbothered by their weight. In fact, I hardly noticed it at all.

"Where do I place these Alibaba?" I asked.

Alibaba pointed towards the empty cart parked near the stables.

"Inside of those." He said. "The other deliverers will take them to the neighboring town near the border of the desert, but we have to help in loading and unloading the cargo for now. There's a business exchange policy between Qishan and that town whenever it's this time around, so we'll be doing a lot of trips this season."

I nodded in understanding before proceeding to walk towards the cart he gestured. I climbed up one of the stools beside it and lowered the sack on my left shoulder gently before using both hands to place the other sack beside it on the cart. Taking the ropes attached to the opening of the sacks, I tied them together and created a knot tightly to close it and avoid the contents from spilling out.

Nearly three months have passed since Nihlan broke my chains and never have I felt so liberated. Maybe it was more of a metaphorical weight that dragged me down while the chains were intact instead of their physical weight, but ever since they were off, I started to change.

One of my changes was my increase in strength. The first time Alibaba and I noticed the sudden change in my strength was when we were cleaning up the house. It was one of the few times where he wasn't needed for a delivery, so we decided to re-arrange and completely clean the entire house while he had time. Due to the large hole in his ceiling, dust was a big problem and pests such as insects and sly cats usually end up finding themselves inside the house. We covered it with a small tarp, but we still thought it was necessary to give the house some cleaning.

I initially thought that I would need his help to lift some of the larger chests and jugs out of the house since they looked too heavy for me. Several of the items inside looked very heavy and weighed a lot, so we both took advantage of Alibaba's free time to help me carry the things from inside the house to outside. We accidentally discovered my new affinity for carrying several heavy objects at once when I had unintentionally lifted two large crates on one arm and balanced a large basket full of fruit in the other.

"M-miriam?!" Alibaba cried as with his pupils shrinking in shock.

Truthfully, I didn't even notice I was carrying that much in the first place. The weight of the crate when I held it and lifted it from the ground was hardly noticeable, so I just lifted it and placed it on my shoulder and used one arm to support it. I tried to carry another crate with one hand and I managed to do so successfully, so I simply just piled it on top of the first crate I carried and balanced myself to make sure it wouldn't fall. When I carried the basketful of fruits in one hand, it felt like lifting a sheet of cloth- it made little to no difference at all. Maybe I was simply too dense to realize it, but I suppose that being able to carry so much despite my stature and physical appearance would definitely shock anybody.

But as I saw how Alibaba's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in disbelief, it made me feel a little bit proud of myself in having impressed him. With that said, I also felt a little urge to tease and play along, so I continued to act oblivious.

"Yes?" I asked simply, staring at him as I tried my hardest not to show how much I wanted to laugh at his expressive facial reactions.

"Y-you-... heavy… uh…" he stuttered out, waving his hands around to gesture to the amount of items I was carrying at the time.

When I tilted my head in confusion, he seemed to realize that I wasn't understanding him at all. With a sigh, he decided to just shake his head and offer a nervous smile as he told me not to worry about it.

I felt a bit guilty for tricking him like that, but my childish glee overpowered that feeling.

Pushing aside the fact that Alibaba was prone to expressing himself in the most comical ways possible, I was also perturbed by realizing this new aspect of myself. It wasn't that I found it burdensome, but it was definitely troubling to find out that I had this amount of strength at all. When I was still bound to those horrid chains, I felt as if I was literally weak and helpless. All I did in Alibaba's house back then was walk around and clean using the broom and towels, so I guess it wouldn't have been noticeable how strong I really was until that incident. Perhaps the weight of the metal pulled me down both mentally and physically, so as soon as Nihlan had broken then and freed both my ankles and wrists from them, I regained a bit of myself. I could be exaggerating, but the moment those chains separated from my body, I felt as if my will and my strength as a person returned.

It wasn't just my strength that surprised us both; my behaviour was also changing. From being meek and defenseless, I was starting to become more open and slightly more trusting towards people around me. While I didn't do a complete 180, I noticed that I didn't fear them as much nor did I find myself cowering so easily as I used to be. It wasn't a drastic change from my attitude prior to being freed, but it could be somewhat considered as an improvement from my defenseless and admittedly weak-willed state.

True to his word, Alibaba's master made no mention of my existence as a slave once the chains were off. Alibaba had quickly disposed of them as soon as they could, but without his own knowledge, I decided to salvage them and hide them inside the house. I knew that the chains were horrible and that the whole time I wore them I just wanted them to disappear, but I found myself being attached to them and unable to let go. For that reason, I decided to simply hide them inside the house and think about whether I should or should not throw them away. The logical conclusion was to simply forget about them and destroy them, but for some reason, it didn't seem right to me.

It wasn't just Alibaba's master who stuck true to his word; I decided to also get a job of my own. Alibaba insisted that I could just assist him in his cart duties so that we could work together and not be separated from each other during the day. At first, I wanted to disagree, but then I realized that it could benefit both of us and the personal time I could use in helping him with his duties could also compensate and show how grateful I was for saving my life.

His master accepted me as an unofficial worker under his business and that I would only receive around half the payment Alibaba makes every week. Alibaba wanted to fight for both of us to earn the same amount of money for my job, but I told him that it didn't matter so long as I managed to work. It bothered me that I was looked down upon, but I didn't make too much of a fuss over it. Alibaba's master could easily fire Alibaba himself and that would lead to both of us being in a complicated situation, so I decided to stay quiet and follow.

However, he didn't allow me to work right away. He told both of us that I had to at least look presentable for working and that even without my chains, I could easily be identified as a slave. The dirt on my face, the ragged clothing, and the overall haggard aura I emitted had screamed prisoner, and he didn't want anybody to find out about his association with me either. His personality was overall infuriating, but I could also understand the logic behind his words.

Alibaba struggled against speaking for my sake and accepting his master's terms. During the talk of when he mentioned making me look "presentable to attract more customers", his facial expression switched into distaste and disgust. As he was about to protest, I was afraid he would say something that may change his master's mind, so I simply grabbed his hand and shook my head.

"But Miriam, you can't-"

"It doesn't matter." I said softly. "So long as I have work, it will be fine. You'll be with me anyways, right? I know nothing will happen to me if you're around."

I added a small smile in the end in hopes of quelling his distraught. When Alibaba calmed himself down and reluctantly agreed to his master's terms and conditions, I let out a small sigh of relief.

Afterwards, Alibaba decided to push through with his idea of shopping. We didn't go to shopping right away however, due to the lack of expenses for that time. He seemed ashamed to make me wait for so long just to clean up and fix my appearance, but I told him that it was fine.

"If I could wait my entire life to be free, then I can wait a few more days just for some new clothes."

With my assurance, he said that he felt slightly less guilty. I knew he was still feeling somewhat ashamed for not being able to provide, but it honestly didn't bother me as much. Trying to maintain your hygiene while being a worker everyday was difficult, especially in Qishan. Most people were either stall tenders, cart drivers, or hotel workers. There was only one noble in the entire town, and that was the Lord of Qishan himself. From living taxes, food and water, and clothing, paying for all of them without trouble was nearly impossible if you weren't well-off.

It took a few weeks before he could earn enough extra money for me, and I would be lying if I were to say I was patient in waiting. My body started to smell horrible and the dirt on the soles of my feet dried up so much they became difficult to wipe off. The clothes I wore were also tearing up that the lower part of the skirt begun to hike up higher and higher that it became embarrassing for me to sleep without a blanket.

When it came for the day I would go to the bathing house, Alibaba had lent me an extra plain robe to wear over my clothes. I used another piece of clothing around my head and wrapped it around my face and head, covering my face from anybody to see. In whole, I was very much covered from head to toe and was disguised quite well.

All in all, my experience of bathing in there wasn't all that exciting.

As the women's and men's public baths were separate buildings, Alibaba left me on my own once I entered the women's bath house. Thankfully, I wasn't alone inside. The women inside were very considerate and helped tour me around. They directed me through the several changing rooms and the bath section itself.

The bath was actually an open area with tall walls surrounding it. Even if somebody were to try and peak, there was no chance as the bath house was near the edge of an elevated land inside the town itself. Unless they had the ability to fly and tear a hole inside thick mud walls, I doubt that anybody could find a way to peek through.

Despite my hardest not to, I still felt uneasy being left to my own devices- which was quite ridiculous in itself if you thought about it. The whole point of improving myself was to learn how to become my own person and repay my debt to Alibaba, and clinging to him too much was definitely not a good sign.

"Oh? Are you new here?" A middle-aged woman asked as I entered the bath house nervously.

I gulped as all attention suddenly turned to me. The woman's call-out was rather loud and caught everybody's attention. I caught a few girls make a face of disgust as they looked at me, turning away quickly. Some sneered and others just glanced pitifully.

I nodded nervously at the woman, who in turn smiled at me. This eased my nerves as she seemed like a good enough person.

"If that's the case, don't be shy!" she said as she gestured for me to come to her.

As I learned, her name was Peia and she was one of the shop owners in the main market district. Once she learned I was associated with Alibaba, she merely smiled coyly and proceeded to teach me about how to bathe and fix myself properly. She taught me various ointments and formulas that they used to clean their bodies, wash their hair, and perfumes they used to help them smell good even while working during the day.

However, Peia was no angel. She almost tricked me into using her own perfume, but another woman warned me not to because I would have to purchase it since it was a specialty of Peia's own shop. Luckily, I managed to weasel my way out of not using the perfume and paying for it.

Once I finished my bath, I stepped out of the water and cringed slightly as it turned darker. I felt guilty and slightly ashamed of my lack of cleanliness, however I knew that it wasn't my fault as well. Still, it was embarrassing.

I wrapped a longer towel around my body, which covered my body from my chest area to a few inches above my knees. As I exited the bath and re-entered the building, I headed back to one of the small rooms inside to change back into the clothes I originally wore, only to find them gone and replaced with a new stack.

"What's this?" I murmured out loud as I picked up one of the folded clothes and raised it in front of me.

It was a simple but long and red dress. It was slightly form fitting around the top area, however it was loose and flowed freely from the waist down. Along the sides of the dress were too large slits, which I figured allowed for free leg movement.

I then placed the dress over the front of my body, measuring how long it really was. The dress reached just above my ankles, but the slits on the sides reached until my upper thighs and actually ventured higher. The blush that came on my face deepened, both from the bath house and more embarrassment at the thought of wearing something like this.

I turned to the same spot where I picked the dress up and noticed two more items folded along with it. I placed the dress down and picked another item up, watching as it unrolled and revealed itself as a long scarf. It was also red in color, however way darker and was woven from a much thicker fabric.

I spread the sash in front of me, looking at it silently before suddenly realizing that these clothes may not be mine. Flustered, I quickly tried to fold them to the way they were previously, but as I was about to place the sash down, somebody called out my name.

"What are you doing?"

I turned around only to find another woman standing behind me who was in the middle of changing herself. She looked at me curiously and eyed the clothes in front of me before she made a face of realization and understanding.

"Oh, somebody placed those clothes there for you." she explained simply, continuing to change as she spoke. "I think some guy had somebody else deliver it inside, you know, since he isn't allowed to be here. Ali… Ali-what's-his-name?"

My eyes widened at the mention of Alibaba. Did he really buy these clothes for me?

I felt both grateful and a tad bit embarrassed, especially due to the amount of exposure my legs were going to get if I were to where the dress. However, I knew it would be rude not to wear it and that I really had no other alternative.

When she saw me make no move to wear the clothes, she sigh and looked at me in slight irritation.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked. "Just wear them already."

I flushed and held the sash close to my chest, feeling small.

"I-I just… it's revealing…" I said, looking away.

"Hah?" she said in disbelief. When she realized I was serious, she shook her head and turned her back on me. She shuffled slightly and I saw her open a bag, so I peered and waited silently as she dug inside of her bag's contents.

After a few moments, she pulled a few things out and stretched her hand out to me. I looked at her hand and saw what seemed to be several rolls of bandages.

I tilted my head to the side and looked at her in confusion. She sigh and threw the items at me, causing me to fumble around and try to catch them before they fell. Fortunately, I managed to do so without dropping any of them.

"Use them to cover your legs after you wear your underwear." she said as she turned her back to me and peaked at me from her shoulder. "You can also use it to support your chest… I feel like you'll need it especially with your package."

For a moment, I didn't understand what she was referring to. But when I followed her gaze to my chest, I understood what she meant. Nevertheless, it was still quite embarrassing.

She then started to walk away and I watched as she neared the exit of the room. Just before the left, I called out to her.

"Thank you!" I said.

She didn't respond but merely waved her hand and continued to walk without giving me a glance. It was a little bit off-putting, but I decided to just be thankful for her help.

That happened around a few weeks ago, and now I visit the bath house around every three days. It didn't actually cost much to wash yourself there, but bec of how dirty I was when I first used it, I had to pay for a longer time allotment in order to clean myself thoroughly. Now, however, it doesn't take me that long to wash myself.

I must also admit, I've grown to loving my bath sessions.

My job with Alibaba was mostly helping him loading and unloading cargo from one cart to another and keeping track of the goods by listing them down in the book. Usually cart driving businesses don't need official records for who they trade with, but as I've learned, there was only one cart driving business in Qishan and it also acted as a direct link from this town to the others nearby. Also, it was officially known as the Lord's personal transportation business, so reputation and our own very lives as workers were on stake.

It also made it understandable why I was an unofficial worker in the business. All of the workers under the business were males and have records of their service with the Lord of Qishan himself. If anybody were to look me up as a worker and hire me, my past as a slave could be found out and I would be sent back into labor. Just the mere thought of it was enough to make me have nightmares for weeks.

"Miriam!"

I looked behind me and saw Alibaba's master, whose name I've learned was Frujeel, approach me. I turned to him and stood properly, waiting for him walk towards me and speak.

"Miriam, I need you to go to Naker's place and carry some of their metal shipment here." Frujeel said as he handed me a piece of paper. I took it quietly and read what was on it, noting at the number of swords and armors that were listed down. "We'll be shipping them first them tomorrow morning, so we need to start loading them right now. Do you think you can bring them all here by sundown?"

I glanced from the paper towards the sky. The sun was beginning to lower on the horizon, but Naker's Blacksmith shop wasn't that far from the loading area of the cart business. I looked back at Frujeel and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you." he said. "After all, you can lift around thrice the capacity of my men. It's impressive for a female, so let's put those abilities to good use."

I bit back a frown and simply nodded again. When he started walking away, I started to make my way towards Naker's place as well.

On my way there, I caught sight of Alibaba was checking his cart's cargo and listing them down. He noticed me and smiled, waving at my way. I waved back and decided to walk towards him before going to Naker's.

"Hey, how are you doing so far?" he asked as he turned to me.

I nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just going to head to Nihlan's shop to get some of the shipment and carry them here since Frujeel said he needs it by sundown."

Alibaba hummed in understanding. "If that's the case, I'll go with you. I'm already done listing down the cargo and ready for tomorrow's shipment-" he said as he patted the cart twice. "-so I can help you out."

"I can handle it though…" I murmured as he started to walk in front with me following close behind him.

"Girls shouldn't carry heavy things for a long time, so let me help you." Alibaba said, huffing his chest out proudly and striding a bit pompously as we made our way to Naker's Blacksmith Shop.

Naker and Nihlan are the only blacksmiths in Qishan, so it was fair to say that they had a good business. They shipped different sorts of materials ranging from raw metal to weapons. They even shipped slave chains, much to my dismay, but that was entirely Naker's own choice of shipment. Nihlan had always been against slavery and wanted to participation in creating the chains, which caused a split in his relationship with his father. Whether I was happy about it or not, I didn't say anything regarding it.

Their shop was located in the very middle of the shopping street district of Qishan, where it was always crowded everyday. Even as the sun was starting to set, there were still a great number of people wandering around, searching for items to buy and haggle with.

We walked in silence until we reached the entrance of the shopping district. I was still uncomfortable being in the presence of a lot of people, so I paused and stopped walking at the very entrance. It was still difficult for me to adjust to having so much people around me, but I knew it was unavoidable if I had to walk through.

Out of nowhere, Alibaba grabbed my hand. My eyes widened in surprise and I turned to him, who was smiling reassuringly. He gave my hand a squeeze and walked inside, dragging me along with him.

"Alibaba, wait!" I whispered as he pulled me behind him.

As we walked and navigated through the crowd of people, I couldn't help myself from looking around me. A part of myself was amazed at the shops and people bartering and buying goods around me, but another was terrified at the thought of being around so many people at the same time.

I caught sight of several people staring at me. Some were at wonder, others were in curiosity, but there were also those who looked in… what I could only define as hunger.

After what seemed to take forever, we managed to reach Naker's shop. It was around the end of the shopping district and in the open area of the whole town, so it was easy to distinguish from the rest of the establishments.

Once we got to the door, Alibaba let go of my hand and knocked on the wood. A muffled yell came from inside, which prompted both of us to exchange curious glances at each other. The sound of footsteps were heard and they were getting louder with each step, so Alibaba and I stepped a few spaces backwards in preparation. The door swung then swung open.

"Welcome to Naker's Smith shop!"

And just as I remembered him, there stood Nihlan. His black hair was slicked slightly back and his face was covered in dirt and ash. His hands were covered in brown leather gloves and on his right hand was some sort of tool which I assumed he was using before he came opening the door.

When he met with my gaze, a smile broke out on his face.

"Miriam!" he said as he slid the tool on his hand into the tool belt. He was about to pet my hair, but I ducked lower and cringed.

"Don't mess my hair please." I said, a little bit annoyed.

Nihlan let out a hearty laugh before turning to Alibaba.

"Need the new load of metals?" he asked. "The cargo is already prepared and wrapped up nicely around the back. I can bring it around front, though it may take a while since we have about six crates worth of weapons."

"We can help!" Alibaba said as he placed his hand on his chest proudly. "I may not look like it, but I'm pretty strong myself! Hehe."

Nihlan placed his hand under his chin and turned to me. He then raised an eyebrow and pointed to Alibaba in question before speaking.

"But Miriam seems more dependable." he stated simply and bluntly. "I mean, she can probably carry all of the crates by herself in one go. You'd probably take half a day, and that's with the help of a pulley."

"E-excuse me?!" Alibaba said in indignation. "I'm strong too! Besides, Miriam is just a girl! She can't do as much as a man can."

I gawked at Alibaba in annoyance and disbelief. That was terribly unfair! What was it with females that was so unbelievable for them to be as strong or even stronger than males? It wasn't so far-fetched.

I huffed angrily and crossed my arms before walking forward and purposely brushing against his shoulder as I strode past him. I looked up at Nihlan and placed one hand on my hip and opened my other hand in front of him.

"Please give me the cargo. I can carry them all back if i have to. We need them back before sun down, which is nearing." I stated curtly.

Nihlan gulped as he registered my irritation. He chose to nod obediently and jerk his thumb behind him.

"The shipment is already to go. You can walk around the shop building and find them all prepared and ready to go." he said unsurely.

I nodded silently in understanding. Turning around, I then started to make my way to the back of the shop while effortlessly ignoring Alibaba's presence and leaving him behind.

Before I could exit hearing distance, I managed to catch on to some parts of their conversation.

"Oi Alibaba, you really are dense."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

I gritted my teeth and stomped my foot on the ground, unknowingly rupturing it and causing a slight tremor in the ground. Two of the male voices let out a cry of surprise and I found myself feeling more satisfied with myself.

I rounded towards the back of the shop and, true to his word, all of their shipment was ready to go. I heard footsteps near me so I turned to look behind me, finding Nihlan and Alibaba approaching me. As I glanced at Alibaba, I felt my irritation bubble even more and clicked my tongue.

I walked towards the cargo and looked at the crates. They were standard sized, so I estimated that I probably would be able to carry them easily, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to carry them all at the same time. Despite my physical strength, I was aware that I wouldn't be able to balance too much crates on my shoulders without risking them falling on the ground.

Even with this silent realization, I refused to speak to Alibaba. Instead, I kneeled down and grabbed one crate before placing it on my left shoulder. I repeated the same thing and grabbed another crate, balancing it on the first crate I carried on my left shoulder. Then with my free hand, I took another crate and balanced it on my right shoulder.

"Um… Miriam?"

I turned around, finding Alibaba shifting slightly in his place. He was rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding my gaze, but I didn't relent in my silence.

"Sorry about saying that earlier," he said. "I was just annoyed because Nihlan said what he said, but that doesn't mean you're not strong. I mean, you are! Heck, you're carrying a lot of cargo right now."

I raised my eyebrow at him, not feeling quite satisfied with his apology. Seeing my expectant expression, he sigh and allowed his shoulders to slump slightly forward.

"I just… Well, I guess I'm still growing used to you doing things on your own." Alibaba murmured as he finally looked at me straight in the eye. "I'm just concerned you'll freak out again. I didn't mean to insult you. You're really strong."

My eyes widened in surprise. Was that really why he was insistent on constantly hogging my work? No, it probably wasn't, but maybe it was him finally recognizing that I wanted to start changing myself too. The entire point of participating and trying to help him was to pay him for his kindness, and yet he was removing the whole purpose of my actions with his own.

"I know you're used to me being overly dependent on you." I started, my voice small in shame. "I know you worry about me a lot and I understand, but hearing you demean me like that really defeats the purpose of everything I'm doing. I want to help, but I also want you to start looking at me equally too."

I then looked away from him and pouted.

"I just want to do this right."

Alibaba sigh and walked over to my front. I shifted my gaze to him, a little unsure whether or not my words were appropriate. Even if I was frustrated with him, I didn't want this to cause any future friction or cause of tension between the two of us.

He bowed his head slightly which allowed his bangs to overshadow his eyes. A few moments of silence passed before he released a sigh and raised his head. Nodding, he gave me a smile and a look of understanding.

"Alright." he said. "You also want to start moving forward too, huh?"

Happy that he realized my intentions, I nodded with a smile of my own.

He gave me a toothy grin and started walking over to the rest of the crates. He rolled his sleeves until they reached his shoulders before bending down to lift one of them up. Since the crates were around medium in size and probably weigh a lot on its own, it looked like Alibaba didn't bother to take a second one.

"Come on then! Master is still waiting back at the loading station." Alibaba called as he walked and started to lead the way.

I smiled and skipped a little in my step as I followed after him.

The echoes of the whip continued to reverberate through the air.

It was dark, cold, unbearable- but then again when has it not been that way? The dungeons were rarely a place for pleasantries and was more of a place of your certain demise.

How long has it been? A day? Two? A week? Maybe a month?

Tied down with chains binding my wrists and feet, she could do nothing but await in agonizing silence. She had long stopped crying every time her own punishment sessions would start, but it didn't mean the pain was something she grew accustomed to.

Her body felt dirty, and it wasn't just because of the grime and unholy conditions of her cell. No, she was dirty completely from her own physicality to her own virtue as a woman. There was nothing spared for her to possibly uphold her existence with dignity anymore. Nothing.

Her cell door suddenly jerked open. The metal doors dragged slowly against the floor, almost as if it was on purpose so that she would know who exactly was visiting her.

"Ah, little one. How have you been?"

Her eyes widened and she suddenly started jerking in her place. Her body spasmed with violence and her screams of retaliation and fear joined the chorus of wails as well in the hall.

A short chuckle came from the person as the footsteps neared her. Their heels clicked loudly, each sound imprinting itself permanently in her memory.

"Let's start your punishment, child."

She shook her head vehemently.

"No, don't come near me!" she cried in protest. Her voice was cracked from her previous screaming session, but she'd rather lose her voice if it meant that she would never endure that pain again.

A long and hearty laugh of which she could only describe as pure evil came from whomever was inside her cell. Slowly, their calloused hands traced the bindings on her feet before roughly grabbing her calves and gripping it with so much force she was sure that a bruise would be the least of her worries.

"NO! NO NO NO!"

"Take it like a good girl!"

"NO! LEAVE ME! LEAVE ME, LEAVE ME, LEAVE ME-!"

(- Alibaba's POV -)

When he started hearing her screams, he bolted upright and immediately turned to her.

Due to them having no proper bed inside the house, they opted for using a large and soft rug to cushion them as they slept on the floor beside each other. The night was unbearably cold, so the stove from the fireplace was still alive with its flames flickering constantly.

However, as Alibaba looked over to Miriam, it was obvious that the weather wasn't the problem. She was shivering violently and her forehead was beaded with sweat. As if that wasn't enough of an indication she was having nightmares, she started tossing and turning in her place while screaming.

As fast as he could, Alibaba threw the covers away and knelt beside her. Trying to wake her from her nightmare, we grabbed her shoulders and shook her firmly.

"Miriam! Miriam, wake up! Hey!" he said as he watched her face contort into an expression of pure horror.

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

All of a sudden he was flung across the room and landed harshly on his back. Alibaba had a moment to sooth the pain from his body before he looked back at Miriam.

She was finally sitting upright, having woken herself up from her nightmare. Her right arm was outstretched, indicating that she had accidentally flung it towards Alibaba to defend herself from whatever it was she was dreaming about. Her eyes were wide with fear and mania and her breaths were erratic as she tried to calm her own breathing.

Without hesitation, Alibaba slowly made his way towards Miriam. She didn't seem to notice his presence, despite him coming closer to her. Her eyes were gazing straight forward, but she didn't seem to register any of her surroundings at all.

He came up in front of her and brought his hand towards her elbow. Slowly, he rubbed her elbow to gage what kind of reaction she may have. When she didn't respond, he continued his actions and placed his hands on her shoulders once again.

From experience, he knew that the only place she could touch her without worsening her state of panic was her shoulders. It wasn't the first time he had helped her calm down from panicking, and sadly it wasn't his first time waking Miriam up from her own nightmares either. Alibaba used his thumb and gently rubbed her shoulders in a soothing manner, hoping that it would bring her back to a coherent enough state.

"Miriam?" he called once more, trying his best to steady his own voice because he was scared too. But he couldn't show that now, she needed him more.

Finally, she blinked. Her eyes seemed to return back to their original state with the haze it previously held slowly disappearing. She turned her head from the left to the right before settling on Alibaba. When she realized he was holding her, she spoke.

"A-alibaba?" she asked, her voice shaky and wavering in uncertainty.

Alibaba nodded, his expression firm.

"I'm here."

With those two words, he felt her shoulders relax. Her body slumped forward and her arms wrapped themselves around him, to which he automatically responded by returning the hug. He felt her body shiver against him as she began to cry in his shoulder.

A series of apologies left her mouth, but Alibaba said nothing. Instead, he simply shook his head and gently rubbed her hair. It took a while, but she slowly stopped shaking in his arms. Before he could even realize it himself, she had fallen asleep within his grasp.

He turned over to glance at Miriam's face, which was partly covered in his shoulder. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her skin seemed paler than normal. It was concerning with how affected she was with her nightmares, especially since they were starting to become a regular occurence.

He didn't know what to do. Even when he would try to bring the subject up in the next morning, she wouldn't say anything. It frustrated him to no end that she refused to say anything, but he also didn't want to force her. While he didn't like it, he knew he had to be patient and wait for her to be ready.

With a sigh, he gently placed her back on the cushion and laid down beside her. He grabbed the covers that he had hazardously thrown aside and placed it over them. He then gently brushed a few strands of hair from Miriam's face, gazing at her for a few moments before turning around the other way so his back was facing her.

He knew that sleep wouldn't come easy to him after that, but he still closed his eyes and silently hoped for the best.

EXTRA: After Miriam's first bath session...

(- Alibaba's POV -)

Miriam was taking a long time.

Alibaba was starting to grow worried, but he really couldn't do anything. Several thoughts raced inside his head, ranging from questions on why Miriam was taking a long time and whether she was alright inside. He had never interacted with a lot of women before, however he did hear stories about how judgmental some of them could be.

He really wanted to accompany Miriam inside the bathing house, but he knew that even if tried, he would be slaughtered and skinned alive. Women in Qishan were ruthless when it came down to their privacy, especially since many men had attempted to peak before. He's seen the battle wounds the other men bore after the women went through with them, so he'd rather not risk it.

Alibaba was just about to enter the building and ask for Miriam when somebody stepped outside of the bath house. He looked up at the figure and found his jaw open in shock as he gazed in front of him.

Remember when he had called Miriam cute? He would like to retract that statement now.

Maybe it was because her hair was unruly and matted with all sorts of dirt, or her skin was covered head to toe in filth, or that she was dressed in rags the entire time she was with him because he had never seen the potential of Miriam's true beauty. Sure, even before she had bathed he had found her quite attractive and endearing with her soft-spoken personality, but this was in a whole new level.

After having a proper and steady bath, Miriam was now clean from head to toe. Her hair was no longer disorganized nor did it resemble a rat's nest, but was now combed properly and styled neatly. Her bangs swept through the right of her face and her hair brushed against her shoulders. A few strands of her hair seemed to fringe slightly away from the rest, but it didn't look off at all. Her pale skin was now clean and free from all kinds of dirt, showing off how much it resembled unique white porcelain that he usually sees being sold out in shops. She donned the long red dress he had picked out for her and used the sash to tie it around her waist, securing the clothing from flying up too much. The slits on her side exposed almost the entirety of her legs, but he saw that she had wrapped a few rolls of bandages around her upper thighs to at least keep it modest.

She wasn't cute; she was beautiful.

Miriam caught his eye and smiled as she started to make her way towards him. He was frozen in his spot, unable to look away and say anything. Soon enough, she had neared him enough to stand right in front of him.

"Alibaba, thank you for the new clothes." she said, her cheeks dusted in pink. "They're really nice, but the slits were too much so I used some of these rolls to cover myself up a bit. Ah, but the dress is pretty!"

When he noticed she was waiting for him to say something, he snapped himself out of his own trance. He breathed in and noticed that she probably wore perfume; it was subtle and not so empowering, but enough to be noticed and appreciated.

"N-no worries!" Alibaba said as he tried to laugh his nervousness off. Seriously, was this really the same girl he saved?

When she smiled, he felt his heart beat a little faster. He knew this feeling all too well and was both screaming inside from realization and excitement.

"A-anyways!" he said as he pulled out Miriam's two armlets from behind him. "I held onto these just in case they got stolen, but now you can wear them with your clothes."

He watched as Miriam's gray eyes widened with happiness. She took both armlets from him and slid them into her arms. When she finished, she glanced at Alibaba and sent him a small smile.

"Thank you so much." she said, tilting her head slightly which allowed her hair to brush against her shoulders.

Alibaba gulped as he felt his heart race even faster.

He was doomed.

[A/N:] Alas, 'tis another update! :D Christmas break is just right around the corner, which means more time for me to write and less time for me to actually develop a plan for my future and further disappoint my family. (sigh)

Things are started to get exciting, no? The plot is now progressing and even if the story seems to be partly in the introduction, some snippets have been revealed already in the past four chapters that should give some hints and insight as to what will happen soon.

And for now, a few replies to the reviews:

Bunnyxstar: I cringed slightly when I realized that you've read the older version of this story since I'm very embarrassed of how I wrote it. Miriam is quite delicate in this one as compared to the older revision, but don't worry as there is still 5-6 months for her to strengthen up and grow a spine. I figured that it would be better to give an in depth story on how she develops and changes rather than just stick to one personality trait without any reason and just go with the whole "badass" vibe. Ah, but thank you very much for giving this story a chance!

Mary D. Black2000: Hm, most people consider Mary-Sues as characters who are strong and have no flaws and are basically perfect, yes? She won't be a character that will be a god-like savior, so don't worry. Miriam will be far from that.

Thanks for reading everybody!

~ Irene (11-24-18)