Chapter Seven: Magic Carpet Ride
Underneath the balcony, the carpet had met up with Nabu to tell him how Riven was doing with trying to talk to Princess Musa.
"How's he managing up there?" Nabu asked, and the carpet signalled that it was not good. Back on the balcony, Riven was trying to get Tune away from him while she was hitting him with her umbrella.
"Wait." Musa be gan, "Do I know you?"
"No, I don't think so, why?" Riven asked.
"You remind me of someone I met a few days ago in the market." Princess Musa admitted.
"No, I have people to go to the market for me, so it couldn't be me." Riven lied as Nabu flew around him formed as a bug. Riven tried to swat him as he was talking to Musa.
"I suppose you're right about that." Musa sighed. Then Nabu managed to make his way to Riven's ear and began talking to him.
"Enough talking about you, talk about her, her eyes, her voice, anything at all, just pick something." Nabu encouraged.
"Princess Musa," Riven began, "you're very…"
"Pretty, gorgeous… um… neat." Nabu guessed in Riven's ear.
"Neat!" Riven continued.
"Pardon?" Musa asked Riven, looking at him funny.
"Whoops." Nabu gasped.
"Gorgeous!" Riven corrected himself.
"Nicely done." Nabu sighed in relief.
"Thank you, I'm also the daughter of the king of this whole realm." Musa reminded him, "A very fine woman for any prince to marry."
"A prince like me?" Riven asked in surprise when he saw that Musa was flirting with him.
"No, no, wrong!" Nabu corrected in his ear.
"Yes, exactly, a prince like you." Musa continued, running her fingers up his nose and up his hat, "And every egotistic, fancy pants, show off I'm already met!"
"Wait, wait!" Riven called out as Musa pulled his cape over his head.
"Go fall of the balcony!" Musa threatened.
"Stop her, Riven!" Nabu shouted, "Do you want me to sting her for you?"
"No!" Riven hissed, "Go away!"
"Fine, but just remember to be yourself." Nabu advised him.
"Yeah right!" Riven shouted as Nabu flew away back to where Pepe was sitting waiting for him.
"Excuse me?" Musa asked furiously.
"I said you're right." Riven told her, "You're not some object for possession, and you should be free to make your own decisions… I'll go now."
"No wait!" Musa called out, but Riven had already jumped off the balcony onto the magic carpet, but as he head her, he came back up.
"Yeah?" Riven asked.
"How did you do that?" Musa asked.
"It's a magical carpet." Riven explained.
"It's amazing." The princess of Melody told him as the carpet took her hand with one of it's tassels and kissed it.
"You don't want to go for a spin do you?" Riven asked, "We could get out of the palace and see the sights."
"Are you sure that's safe?" Musa asked.
"Absolutely, do you trust me?" Riven inquired, and Musa was shocked, she remembered the man from the market asking her that same question when they were trying to get away from the palace guards.
"What did you ask me?" She wondered.
"Do you trust me?" Riven repeated again.
"Yes, I do." And with that, she reached out her hand and Riven gladly took it. He helped her onto the magic carpet and they began their ride. As the carpet sped up, Musa had to grab on to Riven just so she wouldn't fall off. They flew over the castle walls and above the kingdom of Melody, They passed a pot of flowers, and the carpet picked one out to give to Riven, who gave the flower to Musa. She smelled it happily as they continued their ride, doing twirls and loops in the sky. Moments later, they were high up in the clouds, they flew up and around the clouds and passed the moon. Princess Musa was just so amazed, and she knew she could trust who she believed to be was Prince Rivort, she didn't know what to say, everything was more than she could ever imagine it could be. She could actually reach out and grab some of the clouds as they passed in the sky. As she blew them away, the carpet swirled over a pile of clouds, and made them look like an ice cream cone. Riven and Princess Musa then joined a flock of flying geese, and Musa just felt free, she knew she didn't want to go back to the palace just to be trapped by roles and laws, but she also knew she had to. Though, the whole world just seemed much bigger and miraculous than she ever thought it could be, she felt unlimited now. They couple had seen the entire magical dimension, it seemed, and it had only been an hour, they stopped and landed on top of a fountain, and the carpet glided on the surface as the two of them help hands and looked at their reflection in the water. Musa had let her feelings get the best of her with this one, and she now felt that this prince may be the one for her, despite her being forced to marry. At least she would be happy.
Riven, Princess Musa and the carpet sat on top of a building, watching fireworks fill the night sky with brilliant flashes of colourful light. Riven was finally happy, knowing that he could spend more time was Musa, and that she had fallen for him, well the Prince Rivort part of him, but him nonetheless.
"The magical dimension is just such a wonderful place!" Musa sighed.
"It sure is." Riven agreed quietly.
"It's just too bad Pepe had to miss everything." Musa added, she did know that Prince Rivort was actually the man he met in the market in disguise, she just needed to prove it.
"He hates to see fireworks, and he's not to fond of flying." Riven told her, unaware of what he just did, "What I meant was… oh man."
"I knew it!" Musa shouted, "You are the one I met in town, why were you lying to me?"
"Musa, I'm so sorry!" Riven protested.
"You think that just because I'm sheltered in the palace my whole life that I'm so dense I wouldn't be able to figure it out?" Musa asked him furiously.
"No, of course not!" Riven answered her.
"Then tell me the truth, who exactly are you?" Musa continued.
"The truth, Musa… is that I dress as a peasant to see how tough it really is for people who can't afford to put food on the table, I do that for the good of the kingdom. But I really am a prince." Riven lied.
"Why couldn't you just tell me that?" Musa asked him calmly.
"Well, a prince going out on the streets in disguise, sounds kind of weird, don't you think?" Riven teased, knowing that was exactly what Princess Musa had done.
"No, not really weird." Musa replied in a smile as she leaned her head on Riven's chest.
Once Princess Musa and Riven had returned back to Melody's palace on the magical carpet, it formed stairs so that Riven could help Musa down safely to her balcony. Then the carpet lowered itself with Riven on it so that he was looking up at her.
"Good night, you handsome stud, you." Musa teased happily.
"Have pleasant dreams, my beautiful musical princess." Riven whispered softly, then he jumped up, with the help of the carpet, and their lips met for minutes before Princess Musa walked away slowly, and happily. Once she was at her window, she looked back at him, and he couldn't stop smiling widely at her, and when she vanished behind the curtains, he stood there shocked for a second.
"All right!" He shouted before falling backward on to the carpet, and it drifted down slowly to the ground, "Finally for the first time, I feel great!" Suddenly, numerous hands began to grab him. They were the hands of the palace guards. The gagged and tied Riven, and he saw that they had already captured Pepe as well. When things had calmed down, he saw Duman looking down on him wickedly.
"I'm afraid your welcome has just warn out." He told Riven, then he turned to the guards, "Make sure he is dead by morning." And so, the guards took him to the edge of the kingdom, were there was a cliff overlooking water, and they all pushed him in, laughing evilly as they did. They had tied his feet to a weight, so when they tossed him, he went right down to the bottom of the ocean, Riven tried to struggle free, but it was no use, he couldn't get free of his chains before he hit the ocean floor. Then he saw his hat fall after him, and inside it was Nabu's lamp. Riven knew what he had to do, and struggled to move himself toward his hat, but the weight on his feet was making it very difficult for him to do so. Riven was almost losing air, and with the gag in his mouth, it was even harder. He then collapsed on the ocean floor, but did not lose consciousness just yet. His hat slid down the dune and near his hands, and he was able to use them to rub Nabu's lamp and call on him to save him. It was a struggle due to his restraints, but he managed it. Nabu formed from the lamp's spout with a scrub brush in his hand and a shower cap on his head.
"Even when I'm taking a bath, I'm on duty." He replied, then he noticed that Riven was in trouble, "Riven, buddy, come on say something!" But Riven was losing consciousness with every second passing.
"I can't help you here, I can't do anything unless you make the wish!" Nabu panicked, "You just have to say 'Nabu, I wish for you to save my life.' Come on Riven!" But as Nabu shock him, his head just hung.
"Good enough for me." Nabu continued, and turned into a submarine, lifting Riven up from his spot on the ocean floor and shooting up out from the water and landing on the cliff, untying Riven from his chains in the process. Riven coughed for minutes before gaining his breath once again.
"Thanks a whole bunch, Nabu." He gasped, "I couldn't have survived without you."
"Well, I'm getting to be fond of you." Nabu admitted, helping Riven on his shoulders and flying back to the palace of Melody.
Meanwhile, Princess Musa was brushing her long, jet black hair while humming a dreamy tune. She had put the flower that Riven had given to her in a vase on her vanity. Suddenly she heard King Hoeboe call to her.
"Musa, my dear." He began, entering her bedroom.
"Oh, dad, I just had the best night of my life. I feel so happy now!" She told him.
"And you should be." Hoeboe continued, "Because I have chosen a husband for you, you will marry Duman." Then he opened the door wider to reveal that Duman was with him. Musa gasped in horror.
"You're speechless." Duman chuckled, "A perfect trait for a woman."
"I would rather be silent for the rest of my life than marry you!" Musa hissed, then turned to King Hoeboe, "Dad, I've chosen Prince Rivort!"
"Oh, but Prince Rivort left." Duman told her, then they turned to hear a familiar voice from the window.
"Better rephrase that sentence, Duman." Riven replied.
"Prince Rivort!" Musa cried out happily as Duman gasped in total shock.
"Why don't you tell them, Duman?" Riven began, "You tried to kill me!"
"That's crazy, King Hoeboe," Duman denied, "he's lying." Then Duman began to hypnotize King Hoeboe with his scorpion sceptre once again.
"He's lying…" King Hoeboe repeated as his eyes turned purple again.
"Dad, what are you saying?" Musa asked in horror, "What's the matter with you."
"I know what's going on!" Riven told her, "Duman's controlling him with that sceptre." And then Riven took the scorpion sceptre from Duman, and smashed the head of it on the ground. That sudden action broke Duman's power over King Hoeboe.
"King Hoeboe, your advisor has been controlling you with this sceptre." Riven told the king.
"What!" He shouted, "Guards!"
"No, my king, all of this can be explained." Duman protested, but King Hoeboe continued to summon the palace guards.
"Arrest Duman this instant!" The king of Melody ordered as the palace guards grabbed onto Duman, dragging him out. As they were taking him away, Duman noticed that Riven had the lamp in his hat that was hanging on the side of his belt.
"This is not over, Prince Rivet!" He shouted, using his magic to disappear in a cloud of purple smoke. Riven tried stopping the smoke from coming, but it blew in his, King Hoeboe's and Princess Musa's faces, and they began coughing. Once the smoke cleared, Duman was no where to be seen.
"Find Duman!" King Hoeboe ordered his guards, "Search every part of this kingdom if you have to!" Riven went to Princess Musa's side to make sure she had coughed up all the smoke.
"Are you okay, Musa?" He asked her.
"I can't believe it!" King Hoeboe shouted angrily, "My trusted advisor had been against me this whole time and I never knew!" He walked in between Musa and Riven, only for them to join in the embrace once again. Then he turned to look back at his daughter and the man she had fallen in love with.
"Can this actually be happening?" He asked her in surprise, "My daughter has finally chosen the one she wants to marry?" And Musa nodded excitedly in agreement.
"Oh great music of Melody!" King Hoeboe cheered, "Thank you young man, I would kiss you, but I'll leave that to my daughter!" After the two were separated again, Musa flung her arms around Riven.
"You will be married at once, you'll be so happy, and the kingdom will prosper, and you Prince Rivort will become King. A young man with fresh ideas and a bright mind is just what Melody needs." King Hoeboe continued to cheer, and Riven's once bright smile faded into a look of concern when he heard his new title.
Wow I know this is long for three to four scenes, but I was on a roll and I know you guys love it!
