The throne room had been converted to a grand hall for the evening's events. Tables lined the perimeter of the room, giving each seat equal view to the entertainment in the center of the room. Two acrobatic brothers held the attention of all.
From his seat next to her, Javed leaned in and whispered, "I love it when they perform with their shirts off."
Danni sent him a conspiratorial smile and continued watching. She admired the agility of the performers—coveted it, really. She had some skill when it came to flipping and jumping, but these brothers put her to shame. At the moment, one brother sat on the other's feet and allowed himself to be flipped time and time again. So far she had counted seventeen flips… eighteen… nineteen… twenty… and then the brother was launched up to twice the height, completing a double back flip before landing on his feet.
"Outstanding!" Danni's father called out, clapping his hands together. The rest of the room joined the king in applause, including Danni.
Javed leaned in again. "I know many find it scandalous that your father invites commoners to entertain at events like these, but they truly are amazing, aren't they?"
Danni felt herself bristle at Javed's superior tone, but she nodded. "This beats a harp any day."
"Indeed," Javed said, his eyes moving between the brothers.
Danni glanced around the room to see if anyone was looking their way. "You are being rather transparent at the moment, Javed. I would advise a little more discretion."
He smiled at her. "My little Danni…always looking out for me."
She rolled her eyes.
"Accept my offer," he said, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "We are a good pair, you and I. There is balance between us."
Danni said nothing, keeping her eyes on the brothers as one stood on top of the other and moved into the next phase of their routine. With unfailing skill, they moved from one balance pose to the next.
"Just think of it," he said in a whisper. "Who else would you wish to sit next to on an evening like this? Who else understands how much you detest the silks that adorn your body—that they make you feel weak and ill prepared, just as my attire makes me feel bland and heavy. We understand each other. Where else will we find that quality in a mate?"
Javed did have a point, and if Danni didn't already have a plan for never marrying at all, she might have felt the lure of his words.
She sent Javed a coy smile. "Very well. Scale the city walls then defeat me in battle, and I shall petition my father."
Javed threw his head back and laughed, earning a few looks. Danni noticed that one of them came from her mother, who was watching their body language closely.
"I confess that your silly challenge for suitors has made for more than one fun night watching the walls," he laughed. "But it is certainly no test of true kingship. A monkey could climb that wall and toss you around one of your fighting rings, and then where would you be?"
Danni smiled. "At a very awkward wedding ceremony, I imagine."
Javed grinned as well. "That is an understatement, if ever there was one. But, for the record, that is a ceremony I wouldn't miss for the world."
"And a fitting addition to the tales people like to tell of me," she added.
Javed's smile faded. "A princess need not worry about the gossip of servants."
Danni took a breath. "That's the dream, isn't it?"
Javed hesitated, then nodded slowly. "That's the—"
A guard burst into the room, disregarding the acrobats as he charged down the center of the room toward Danni's father. The acrobats separated quickly, removing themselves from the guard's path as Danni's father stood, holding up his hand for the guard to stop.
"What is it, Simeon?" her father asked.
"The wall has been scaled, my Lord," Simeon blurted and the room went silent. Several pairs of eyes glanced Danni's direction and she was careful to ignore them, keeping her eyes on her father.
His head tilted as if he questioned what he'd just heard. "What did you say?"
"The wall has been summited, my Lord," Simeon repeated. "And the man seeks audience with you."
Murmurs of disbelief started bubbling up around the room, but her father's face remained impassive.
"Did you see this man accomplish the feat?" he asked.
The guard shook his head. "Abed saw the man and his party circling the perimeter, but when they stopped near the crack on the east side he thought to give them time to set up for the climb before watching them fail. When next he looked for them, one was atop the wall and throwing a rope down to his companions. Abed will be here shortly with all four of them."
Danni couldn't breathe as she realized Simeon wasn't kidding. No one had misheard his declaration. A man had summited the walls.
Impossible.
"Ready to meet your future husband?" Javed teased in her ear, and Danni earned several disapproving looks from other guests when she gave his arm a quick slap in response.
Suddenly Danni could feel her heart beat in her throat. A man had scaled the wall? And he was seeking audience with his father? That meant only one thing. It meant the end of everything good in Danni's life. She was only seventeen. She wasn't ready to be a bride.
Her father's eyes moved around the room, assessing the interest in the turn of events before saying, "My apologies, honored guests. But it appears I must honor a request for an audience. If you wish to be excused—"
Javed's father laughed out loud. "You can't be serious, Dastan. This audience will no doubt be a tale told for generations. I'm certain we all wish to see it."
Danni's father hesitated, then nodded. "Very well. All who wish to stay, may." When no one moved, her father looked back to Simeon. "Abed may bring our guest directly in."
Simeon nodded and exited the room as her father moved from his seat at the table and climbed up the steps to stand before his throne. All in the room were royalty in their own right, but her father could not meet any new guest on such equal footing. He had to be seated on his throne.
"Which suitor do you think it is?" Javed whispered in Danni's ear as footsteps in the stone halls grew louder. Now that no one in the throne room was speaking, the approaching steps were quite easy to hear.
Danni didn't answer, and her eyes found her mother's across the room. Her mom looked intrigued and a little amused…not worried at all. Was this a game to her?
As the footsteps grew closer, guests near the door began craning their necks catch first glance. The way their eyes widened before their mouths fell open and started whispering was not encouraging to Danni. Though her heart hammered in her chest, Danni carefully affixed a neutral expression to her face and raised her chin.
A man who scaled her father's wall deserved respect, and Danni would give him as much…before she defeated him in battle.
When the four captives were led in, bound at the wrists, Danni couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her as her eyes landed on a giant of a man dressed in leather and bone. His hair was dark like rich mud which made the water color of his eyes stand out from across the room, even against his fair skin.
Danni swallowed hard as she took in the giant's physique. He was not a cumbersome man, as many his height were. He moved easily in his skin and at a single glance Danni knew both he and his armor could easily take her.
"Dear gods, is that a woman?" Javed whispered from next to her.
Woman? Danni hadn't seen a woman, just a massively tall man that looked like a walking skeleton of some fearsome beast. However, Javed's words reminded her that four had been escorted into the room.
"What tribe is this?" Javed asked. "I do not recognize their markings…but I definitely approve. Good heavens, do I approve."
The whispers and looks of shock made even more sense when Danni lowered her eyes to the level of the other three guests. One was a woman, yes. She was dressed in black robes and had the same dark hair, water eyes, and fair skin as the giant. Next to her was a man of the exact same coloring who looked to be some sort of smith, but it was the fourth guest that had the eyes of every pair of eyes in the room.
As Danni's eyes landed on the fourth man, everything inside her seemed to freeze for a panicked moment. With one look, Danni knew that the fourth man had done as Simeon claimed. The young man was no more stripped down than the acrobats who had stood in his place moments before, and yet somehow looking up his bare form seemed more indecent.
His leggings were leather, she noted, as was his footwear. He wore no shirt, yet a large tattoo of a bird of prey covered his chest and runic lettering was tattooed down his arms and torso. Like his companions, the fourth man had fair skin and fair eyes. Unlike his companions, his hair was the color of corn silk and the long locks hung loosely, half braided, half not.
Danni's eyes trailed the peaks and valleys of the man's body. To scale the city walls, a man would have to be built like an animal, and this man was. His skin still glistened from his effort and the tips of his fingers appeared stained with blood underneath the white powder that coated his hands from wrist to fingertip.
But Danni's eyes didn't stay on the man's fingertips for long.
Her eyes didn't know where to stop when looking at him, and she dared not look anywhere too long since she was certain her reaction was being observed by gossips in the room. Her eyes naturally gravitated to the eight muscular ridges visible on his abdomen, and yet when she brought her eyes up to look to look properly into his eyes, she felt no less unsettled.
Who was this man, and how would he fair in battle? Danni felt her stomach clench in a strangely pleasant way.
"Were you all in such a hurry to get here that clothes were deemed unnecessary?" her father said to Abed, causing all the whispers to fall silent.
Abed fell to his knees. "Apologies, sire, but his clothes are down with their horses at the base of the wall. I have men fetching them now."
"Very well," her father said, remaining on his feet as he eyed his unexpected visitors. "I will give audience to the man who scaled my walls. Step up one step onto the platform and identify yourself."
The bare-chested man pressed his fist to his heart and stepped onto the platform. "Yes, king. I was told by men outside your walls that it was lawful and would result in the granting of a request from His Majesty."
Danni sent Javed a look of shock which he returned. She'd never heard a northerner speak Sumerian before. She'd never even heard one try. Neither had anyone else in the room, if the looks of shock meant anything.
"You speak our language well," her father responded in Greek.
"I am glad," the tattooed man replied, transitioning into Greek himself. "It has been many years since I had the opportunity to visit these lands."
Everyone in the room—Danni included—grew still as her father took one step down the staircase that led to the throne. It was custom to do so, but it didn't happen often. Most people spoke only one language.
"What is your name, soldier?" her father asked in Latin.
The man seem confused by the shift in languages, but he did not hesitate when responding in kind. "I am called Akos. But I must correct the king's notion that I am a soldier. I am not."
"Akoesh," her father said, testing the name on his lips before taking another step down and switching languages again. This time he spoke Aramaic. "I have never heard this name before. What does it mean?"
"It is not a direct translation," the man replied in Aramaic. "But the name means white falcon."
Her father took another step down.
"Unbelievable!" Javed whispered in Danni's ear. "How does a northerner know languages of the south?"
Danni sent Javed a look she hoped would silence him even as a cold claw of dread grip at her stomach. She had never seen her father move this far down the staircase for anyone other than another king.
By law, a king must be able to converse in all of the languages of the lands he ruled. No true king could put himself at the mercy of translators. The king of Alamut was required to speak the thirteen languages of his people, and this wall climber had just spoken four of them with fluency. Any man who spoke all the languages of the king was allowed to address the king as an equal.
"You are certainly white," her father joked in Phoenician. "Your coloring is very unusual for these parts."
"So I am told," the falcon-chested man replied. His Phoenician was flawless. "Although I do not often chance upon my own image."
Another step from her father, another language. Ammonite. "What brings you to my kingdom, white falcon? Why did you scale my walls?"
The man—Akos—kept his eyes up on Danni's father while his companions appeared to be growing restless behind him. The one dressed in bone armor muttered something that had Akos holding up his hand for patience.
"We seek a thief, good king," Akos replied in Ammonite. "A man who has stolen something quite precious from my people and who now uses your city as a sanctuary."
Her father took another step and switched to Arabian. "And this is what motivated you to scale my city walls?"
Akos bowed his head with a nod. "Yes, Lord. We believe the thief to be at an inn or in some business that accommodates travelers. We would ask royal permission to search these businesses for that which has been taken from us."
Her father took another step down and switched to Midianite. "And this is all you seek?"
The man kept his head down in a common gesture of humility. "This is all we seek, good king. And we seek to proceed immediately. The item is very important to us."
Danni blinked in surprise. Wait. He wasn't going to demand her hand in marriage? He had scaled the wall and already spoke eight of the thirteen kingly languages fluently and he was pretending not to have his eye on the throne?
Not possible. Her eyes narrowed on the man, suddenly distrusting him.
On his next step down, Danni's father revealed he shared her doubts in Arabian. "Have you ever been to Alamut before, Akos?"
The man shook his head. "Many throughout the world speak of your great city. I have heard many tales of its beauty and size, but they all paled to the reality. I saw your city only as the last rays of the sun were hitting it, but it was a majestic sight."
"That's nine," Javed muttered, as if Danni wasn't already counting the languages herself.
Her father's descent to equal footing with the fair-haired man continued with Phrygian. "And you've heard no other tales of our ways?"
"I am told that one is not to haggle prices at the market place," Akos replied. "That prices are set and equal for all."
Only two steps left. It was all Danni could do to remain in her seat and not confront the man herself.
Her father's eyes studied the man carefully. "And have you heard of the marriage that awaits the man who scales my walls?"
The tattooed northerner grew still and quiet for the first time since entering the chamber. For a moment he seemed honestly thrown off as his eyes moved around the room, meeting Danni's eyes for only the barest moment before passing on and seeming to pick up on the intensity with which onlookers awaited his answer.
"With respect, good king," Akos replied. "I am too young to take a wife, nor am I suited to the role of husband. I am the falcon of my people, and as such, will only marry after I grow incapable of travel. It is for these reasons, and not as an affront to the king, that must I decline any honor of marriage bestowed by the king. I request instead that my people and I be allowed to seek out what has been lost to us."
It was as if the entire room stopped breathing at once as her father took another step down.
"What did he say?" Javed asked. "I don't speak that one."
Danni held up her hand for silence. Last step, last language. This was it. The only other man Danni's father had descended all the steps for was another king. If he took another step, the news of this commoner would spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom.
Her father seemed to choose his question with care this time. "And may I ask, good Akos, what is the role of a falcon among your people?"
"I communicate our desire for peace among the lands and the tribes we encounter in our many travels. It is my role to stop needless battles before they begin and negotiate terms of surrender when initiation of battle cannot avoided."
Danni's father took the final step onto the platform where Akos stood—the action earning well-deserved whispers across the room that made the three foreigners not on the platform visibly nervous, although they kept their focus on Akos. Danni sensed that the giant of a man was in charge, but for the moment they all seemed to be deferring to Akos for their cues on how to behave.
Once on equal ground, her father returned to the language of their land. "And this role as falcon is why you speak so many languages?"
The man nodded. "My aptitude was discovered and nurtured while I was still young. I speak many languages."
Many? He'd just spoken thirteen languages without hesitation. How many more did he know?
Her father studied the three people standing behind Akos. "Do your friends speak Sumerian?"
Akos hesitated, then shook his head. "Languages are not their gifts. Their skills lie elsewhere. My tall friend, Odon, would be what you would call a general. The woman is named Virag, and she is a priestess, and Miklos is a metal smith."
What an unusual grouping of travelers, was all Danni could think. She couldn't imagine a scenario in which one of her father's generals would travel with a priestess, a metal smith, and a herald with no other troops.
Akos continued as if Danni's thoughts had somehow been spoken aloud. "The gifts of Miklos and Virag will lead us to the stolen item," he explained. "Together they will guide us to what we seek. I am here to communicate what we seek and why, and Odon is here to make sure the item stays in our care until we are able to gift it in Egypt. This is all we seek, good king. We simply need your permission to move about the city while our foe rests."
The mention of Egypt had everyone's eyes wide, but Danni's father showed no awe and remained focused on the present.
"And do you plan on killing this foe in my city?" he asked.
"We will be happy to abide by the laws of your land," Akos said diplomatically. "Please tell me your law so that I may communicate it to my companions."
"Thieves are arrested and tried for their crimes in Alamut. We do not tolerate citizen justice. All men are accountable for their actions—including retributions," her father said with authority.
Akos turned his head and spoke quickly to his friends in a language unlike any Danni had heard before. She didn't have to speak their language, however, to see that the three were not entirely pleased with what they heard. Only the big one—Odon—spoke, however, his voice booming against the walls as he said, "Es a fallokon kivul?"
Danni blinked as she tried to place the language or its origin.
Akos faced her father and translated. "And do these laws stand outside of your city walls as well?"
Her father surprised her by hesitating for a moment before answering, "Yes."
"Then we shall respect the laws of the land, King," Akos said. "We wish to leave no ill impression upon your people."
"Your good intentions are noted and appreciated." Her father stepped forward until he was face to face with the half-naked man. "I am intrigued by your people, Akos. I understand that you have a long journey ahead of you, but once you have regained your treasure, could I convince you and your companions to stay the day tomorrow so that I may learn more about your people and extend them an offering of peace?"
Akos tilted his head down respectfully. "With great respect, we decline the offering to stay. But perhaps my elders could visit your beautiful lands if the omens of the solstice bring them this direction."
"Them?" her father asked. "Would you not accompany your elders on such a visit?"
"Unlikely, good king," Akos replied. "I am still inexperienced and still learning. My tribe would send a much more capable falcon to communicate our hopes for peace."
More capable? Danni's mouth actually fell open at the man's words, even as her eyes began to study his tattoos with renewed focus. Danni had never seen a more well formed body in her life, and this man was claiming that he was at the bottom rung of his caste?
It simply wasn't possible.
"I see," her father said. "And will those emissaries also be able to scale my wall?"
For the first time that Danni could tell, Akos let an honest expression peek through. A smile. "Not likely, good king. I must own that I have never encountered a more difficult obstacle. Forgive my familiarity in saying so, but if that is the test of marriage for your daughter, I fear she may never continue your royal legacy."
Her father surprised everyone in the room by laughing out loud. It wasn't long until everyone in the room joined him…everyone but Danni
"I'm sure she believed as much when she laid out the terms," her father said. "Perhaps now she'll rethink her qualifications."
Yes. Danni definitely needed to rethink her qualifications immediately, because this half-naked tribesman had just passed her test for a worthy husband and her father's test for qualified king without faltering in the slightest. The only thing standing between this Akos and a chance at the throne was his own refusal, which happily didn't seem to be feigned.
But if Akos could breeze through the test so easily, then another of his people could do the same, which meant Danni was not as safe as she thought she was.
Danni watched her dad tilt his head thoughtfully as he regarded the unusual man in front of him. "Are you certain you do not wish to see my daughter before you refuse her?"
"I am certain, good king," Akos replied. "My companions and I seek only that which was taken from us, then we shall leave your kingdom and continue our journey to Egypt."
Her father pondered that for a moment. "Very well. But before I grant your request, I shall make one of my own."
Akos bowed his head deferentially and waited.
"I wish for your people to return that we may learn more about one another," her father said. "And when your people visit, I wish you to be among them, if it is possible. Please communicate this to your elders, as I will ask why you are not present if I do not see you again. As the only man, besides myself, who has ever scaled the walls of Alamut, I wish to hear more of how the feat was accomplished."
Akos seemed taken aback. "You have scaled the walls?"
Her father nodded. "Many years ago. I will tell you the story when you return."
Akos considered that "Did you use a felled tree to run up the side?"
Her father nodded. "How did you know that?"
"Because you knew how high to put the plaster so the feat could not be repeated."
"That is right."
Uh-oh. Danni knew that tone. Her father was impressed. This savage was impressing him, and no one impressed her father. Or certainly no suitor ever had.
Her father gestured to the door of the throne room. "You are free to search my kingdom for your stolen treasure," he said. "Explain to your companions that my guard, Simeon, accompanies you not as a jailer, but as an official emissary to my people that they are to cooperate. He will also make sure you leave at any time of your choosing. This is what you have asked of me, and I grant your request."
"Thank you, King," Akos said, bowing at the waist. His friends did the same behind him and when Akos gave them a nod, they all headed out.
None of the guests spoke as the four foreigners exited the room and their footsteps disappeared down the hallway.
Her father looked around the room and smiled. "Well, I don't think any of us were expecting that, were we?"
Then everyone started talking at once.