Chapter 26

A month later...

Gone. Schehera broke into a wide smile as she looked into the mirror in her hand. The streaks of purple that once marred her aura were gone, although in their place was a cut lip and a bruised cheek. She had taken a couple of blows in her last match, her opponent was no stronger than those who came before but it was her own inner turmoil that gave him an opening. Regardless, she was now free.

It was like huge weight had been lifted off her chest, the ringing in her ears was gone and the dreams no longer haunted her. Perhaps nightmares was a better term for them, a future locked in a glass cage with Sinbad her captor... Yet it felt so real. What if? No, there was no such thing as prophecies or visions of the future, they were just figments of her imagination and nothing more. That's all they were...

She was peering through the gap between the door frame and the door, starring at the young man sitting alone in the room. He was blonde haired and blue eyes like her mother was, dressed in beige Balbadd style robes with a shawl over one shoulder.

He looked nervous, Schehera noted with a smile. How sweet. He was a boy of no more than eighteen, there was almost a decade between them, yet despite his youth she recognised the same tired eyes. A prince without a kingdom, a man without a home. He reminded her of herself at that age, wandering from place to place. How times had changed, she had a place of her own to call home now and a family on its way.

Schehera gently opened the door, she did her best not to startle him however the boy practically jumped out of his seat when he saw her.

"Sit," she insisted as she sat down at the table in the room opposite him, he did as he was bid and sat down. Schehera reached for the pot of tea on the table and poured herself and the boy each a cup. "Drink," she said as she handed him the cup of tea, he took it from her with shaking hands. "You look nervous," Schehera commented with a small smile.

The boy smiled back and noticeable relaxed. "I-I am," he replied. "I'm about to meet someone important."

Schehera leaned in and whispered. "Is he that scary?" she asked triggering a nervous laugh. "I won't tell anyone, promise."

"N-No, o-of course not," was the very clear lie. "It's just, a lot of people are depending on me."

He thought he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, Schehera knew how that felt. She felt exactly the same way at his age, so much so she brought an army down on her own people. "You can only do your best, no more, no less," she told him. It was the only advice she could think to give him, she doubted he would listen to anything else. "However, from where I sit, you're not doing so bad."

The boy smiled. "Thank you," he replied. "It's nice to hear, thank you, really." The boy's cheeks flushed as he looked down at his hands. Schehera laughed at his embarrassment, unconsciously stroking her pregnant belly as she did. It was still a small bump, not even noticeable under her robes however she could feel the child there, absorbing every sensation and feeling.

"Do you know what you're having?" The boy asked when he noticed her gesture.

"Huh? Oh no, it's far too early," Schehera replied. "Although it would make coming up with a name a lot easier. I find it very stressful, naming a human being." No doubt it was a mix of nerves and the sudden outburst, however the boy laughed so hard that he almost fell out of his chair. "Careful!" Schehera gasped. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he managed to say between fits of giggles. "I haven't laughed like that for a while now... You're right, it's such a mundane and common thing yet it's filled with responsibility. A name is very important for a person's identity."

"...Perhaps it would have been better if you had fallen on your head."

"Huh?"

"In certain cultures, there is a custom that the act of touching the ground with one's head is a prayer for a pregnant woman to have an easy delivery," Schehera joked as she slowly stood up. "I've taken up too much of your time. It was lovely meeting you."

"You too, my name is Alibaba by the way. Alibaba Saluja, and you?" asked Alibaba. Your cousin, Schehera wanted to tell him.

"Schehera, just Schehera," she replied. "I better get going. Again, it was nice meeting you," she repeated as she hurriedly left the room. Just as she close the door she could hear Alibaba mumbling to himself.

"Schehera, Schehera, Schehera. Hang on! Wait! You're-"

Schehera barely remembered what had happened in the match, only that in the last month she had gotten progressively more and more irritated, bored and frustrated with her lack of progress in Reim. The nightmares fed off of this and they tormented her at night.

Eventually she broke, she gave in to the strain and stress of it all and in doing so finally broke free. She was finally rid of him.

She wanted, no she needed a drink! Schehera had seen Muu in the audience and was about to go and find him when she heard a knock on the door. Things had gotten a little awkward between them the last time they spoke however hopefully it was something they could move pass. After all, all she did was reject his heartfelt confession of love... Schehera paused and sighed, perhaps drinks with just the two of them was not such a great idea. Before she could do anything the door opened, it wasn't Muu but a man she didn't know.

No, on second glance she did recognise him. But...

Xxx

"Congratulations!" Muu cheered as he walked into Schehera's dormitory room. It'd been almost a month since she'd entered the arena and the gladiators of Reim proved to be no match, it was only her latest match that seemed to have somewhat to struggled however in Muu's eyes it was more a battle within herself than with her opponent. What had happened? He wondered. What had distracted her so much? Even from his front row seat he couldn't tell, all he saw was her mouthing out a word "Sinbad". Was it was place? A person? Regardless, whoever or whatever "Sinbad" was it was enough to result in her opponent landing couple of hits. "That last one was a close call huh? What's gotten into you late-" Schehera wasn't there. Her room had been trashed, broken pieces of glass and china laid on the floor. He could see the wine splatter where the jug had hit the wall and shattered, and on a few of those shards, he could see blood.

What had happened?

Xxx

"Muu was looking for Milady?" questioned Joel. Ro'lo nodded. "Why?"

"Not sure," the large fanalis admitted. "I didn't ask. Schehera tends to come and go as she pleases, maybe she just up and left the colosseum".

"Where would she go?"

"Anywhere," Ro'lo shrugged. "It's funny, he's the second person to ask me about her today." Joel frowned.

"Second? Who's the first?"

"A foreigner, he was dressed strangely, in one of those robe things that Schehera likes to wear. His was a lot more fancy though, also had this silver pattern embroidered on his clothes, it looked like the one Schehera has on some of her stuff, you know, the three flower thing. Met him outside the Colosseum, probably a fan of hers." A silver floral pattern? Joel noted, he was referring to the house sigil of the Duchess of Ming-Yue. Someone from back home had come looking for her, who? His brother? And why?

"Can you describe the man?" Joel asked.

"Sort of, he was taller than you, light brown hair and eyes, friendly looking fellow." The man Ro'lo described sounded awfully familiar, however that made no sense. What would Lawrence be doing in Reim?