She sat outside 'Um's tent on a cushion, sipping some of her revitalizing tea. It had been several days since Hasan and Malik had pulled her from the rubble in the cave. The name Alibhe, the one they had called her in the desert had caught on and now the whole tribe used it to refer to her, and since she couldn't remember her name she let them. She had learned it meant "fair", as in light-colored skin, in their language.

After the second day she had been able to stand and walk around for short periods of time. She had used this to her advantage, exploring the small campsite. Eight tents made of hide formed a loose circle around the central camp area. Outside of the circle, goats and sheep meandered around the campsite under the supervision of a few men and dogs. They had horses too, corralled in a large circle made from old pieces of wood. The tents were dark colors to keep the inside cool, but the inside of the tents were colorfully decorated. They were filled with cushions, mats for beds, and low tables as well as cookware and clay ovens. 'Um's tent was particularly full of tables and clay pots which she used to store all of her medicinal herbs and tools. Though 'Um meant mother, almost everyone in the tribe called her this. She was their resident healer and the old woman treated everyone like family.

The largest tent belonged to the tribe leader, Abdur Rahim. She had yet to meet him but she had seen him a few times around the camp. He was an older man in his 60's with a full grey beard and hair. Yet he was still tall and muscular looking and seemed to care a great deal for his tribe. She had witnessed him telling the children stories around last evening's fire. His two sons were none other than Hasan and Malik. Farah was engaged to the firstborn, Malik. She placed the empty clay cup next to her cushion and stood, deciding to stretch her legs and walk the perimeter of the camp. She would usually pass this urge off as restlessness, or working off steam, but recently she had begun walking the perimeter multiple times a day. She had begun to suspect that this was more of a habit from before then a fondness for exercise.

They had given her new clothes, ones she was grateful for. A new pair of cream-colored tunic and trousers, a black shemagh to cover her face and some leather sandals. Hasan had lent her an ornate and colorful vest for the cold desert nights. As she made her way around the camp, she noticed Hasan feeding and watering the horses in the corral. She leaned against the wood fence and waited for him to notice her. When he did he waved, shouting "Alibhe!" in greeting before tossing the rest of the horse food into the trough, trotting over. "On another of your patrols, I see." He laughed quietly as he approached. She shook her head in affirmation.

"Of course, Hasan. What else is there for me to do around here?" He smiled.

"Well, you could help me rub down the horses?" She smiled and climbed over the fence. He led her over to the heard of nine. "It takes many hours to care for this many horses in the desert, but this heard is the pride of our tribe. It is the largest heard for 50 miles." He grabbed two goat hair rags and tossed her one. "That one," he motioned to a grey mare several feet away, "is about to give birth in a few days. It will be a day of great celebration." Indeed, the mare was huge.

"Then we will have ten horses to care for." She laughed. Surprisingly, Hasan shook his head.

"The foal will be a gift to our neighboring tribe. I have been chosen to deliver the foal to them, it is a great honor." She nodded.

"That is kind of the tribe." He nodded.

"It is our way."

"What of that one?" She motioned to a chestnut stallion with a white stripe down his nose. The stallion was standing several yards from the rest of the herd alone.

"Ah, the father." Hasan smiled. "He is a noble beast. He was a gift to us from our neighbor tribe, which is why we now return his child. He was found running wild in the desert a few years back. He is Salaman." She approached Salaman cautiously, feeling drawn to the horse for some reason. He watched her approach without alarm, and when she came to stand at the shoulder of the muscular beast, he stuck his nose out to her with affection. Hasan looked slightly surprised. "He is not known to be friendly." He smiled, watching the exchange.

She stroked his muzzle. "I felt drawn to him for some reason." Hasan came to stand next to her and gently placed his hand on the horse too. Salaman did not even flinch. "Maybe he knows you, and you him…you will now care for Salaman." He nodded to himself. She looked at him in surprise, but his eyes just sparkled. "He doesn't let anyone else touch him. Just children sometimes." He smiled, walking away. She leaned into the stallion, who nickered softly. She looked into his chocolate brown eyes, searching.

"Do you know me?" She whispered into his ear. The horse just sniffed her pockets for treats in reply. She sighed and started rubbing him down. She helped Hasan care for the herd for the rest of the day.

._.

That evening as she sat with the tribe around the evening fire, Malik came to sit down next to her. "How are you feeling Alibhe?" She passed him a few dried dates and he popped them into his mouth, leaning back into the sand.

"Stronger." She replied. "But I still don't remember anything from before you pulled me from the cave." Hasan came to sit on her other side. As far as she could tell, where one brother went the other was not far off. They sometimes seemed to be joined at the hip. They also seemed to be close to her age, whatever that was. They were both young men still without children, though Malik and Farah were due to join soon.

" is letting us go back to where we found you; hopefully it will help your memory." Malik replied, chewing the dates. Her eyes widened.

"When?" She asked excitedly.

"Tomorrow. But Abdur Rahim would like to speak with you before we leave." Both brothers got up, motioning for her to follow them. They led her to the Sheikh's tent, which she had never dared to approach. They ducked inside and she followed apprehensively. Rahim was leaning against a pile of cushions on one arm, smoking on a pipe with his other. His long grey beard lay across his chest as he read from a scroll that was open on the ground. As they ducked inside he placed his pipe on the low table in front of him and gently rolled the scroll up, placing it with a pile of others next to him. He motioned for them to join him at the low table, and she sat down with the brothers gingerly.

However, the Sheikh greeted her warmly, hand outstretched to clasp in welcome. "Alibhe, welcome." Farah came and set small steaming cups of coffee in front of the men and their guest. "Thank you, Farah." Rahim smiled kindly.

"Sir...My Sheikh…" she coughed awkwardly, "thank you for letting me stay here."

"It is our pleasure Alibhe, we pride ourselves on our hospitality. You are welcome here." He smiled at her with warm eyes. She realized she had had nothing to fear from the tribe leader, apparently, he was as generous as his sons.

"What would you like to speak with me about?" She asked. The Sheikh let out a relaxed breath filled with smoke from his pipe. He watched it twirl above their heads for several seconds before replying.

"Are you aware you are a magic user?" He spoke. Her eyebrows shot to her hairline. "Our 'Um sensed it when you were brought into the camp. My sons," he nodded at them, "noticed a blue glow when they dug you out." She shook her head vigorously.

"No, I did not know that." She watched them carefully, for some reason she was afraid.

"Relax Alibhe, we do not hate magic-kind here. 'Um has healing magic. Several women here have magic."

"Farah uses hers to draw water up from the ground for the tribe." Malik nodded.

"Just women?" She asked, interested. The men nodded.

"It is rare a male is born with magic here." Hasan spoke, "but it happens."

"Magic may help you remember your past." The Sheikh spoke again. "I believe that cave you were in was magical, it may help you connect with yours. If not, I'm sure the women here will be able to help you." She nodded, astounded at this news. She was a magic user? "You are also a warrior." She was confused.

"It is obvious since you were covered in scars." Hasan elucidated.

"Do you truly remember nothing?" The Sheikh's eyes were carefully watching her, she met them earnestly.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Then peace guide you tomorrow." He bob his head. The brothers stood up, signaling her to follow them out. She slightly bowed to the Sheikh and followed.

"The place we found you is about a day from here. Me and Hasan will see to provisions. We leave tomorrow when the sun rises." She nodded and the trio parted. She ducked into 'Um's tent and joined the old woman where she was sitting at the low table.

"'Um…" She began.

"Yes Alibhe?"

"Do you also heal with magic?" She asked. The woman shook her head in confirmation. "Could you bring back my memories?" She asked quietly. The woman fondly brought her into her embrace, lightly stroking her hair. Her eyes closed at the relaxing touch.

"That magic is too far above me child; I am only a simple healer." The old woman was silent for a while, and she was almost asleep when 'Um spoke again. "Is it so bad that you have lost them?" Her eyes snapped open at the unexpected question.

"What do you mean?" The old woman paused stroking her hair.

"A darkness follows you, like a parasite. Unlike the others, I see your tattoos." She tensed under the woman's hand so 'Um began to stroke her hair again.

"They cannot see my tattoos?" She asked, confused. The woman hummed while thinking.

"It is more like they…forget they have seen the tattoos."

"What are they?" She asked hesitantly.

"All I know is that they are evil. Not knowing where they came from may be a blessing." She sat up to look at the kind woman.

"That may be true 'Um, but I must. For some reason I know that I must." The old woman nodded and guided her head back onto her lap.

"Then rest child, you have a long journey ahead of you."

._.

As planned, they set off bright and early the next morning. They had opted for horses since they were not planning to stay out in the desert long. This would allow them to move faster and reach the place by sun set. She was busy saddling Salaman when a wet nose shoved itself into her hand. "Pongo!" She yelped in surprise. Next to her Malik laughed at her surprise.

"You know it was Pongo who smelled you. He was the one who truly found you." She patted the dog's head affectionately and he gave her a lick. As they led the horses from the corral, she realized the whole tribe had gathered to see them off. As she swung onto Salaman's back 'Um pressed a small cloth bag into her hand.

"Do not forget to brew my medicinal tea Alibhe. One cup at every meal." She nodded and the tribe wished them well as they trotted through the camp. The tribe had also gifted her with one of their swords, which was now strapped to her back. It was a familiar feeling which comforted her.

"This is like one of the Sheikh's epic sagas," Hasan spoke enthusiastically, taking a deep breath of desert air, "a trio of friends setting out to discover a mysterious warrior's dark and complicated past!" She and Malik both chuckled at this.

"Alibhe is not dark, in fact, her name highlights the fact she is the exact opposite of that." Malik chuckled. For the first time since they pulled her from the rubble, she felt herself laugh. Both men looked at her with smiles.

"When you get your memories back, we need to go one on one." Hasan spoke, eying the hilt of her curved sword which peaked over her shoulder.

"I think I could take you even without my memories Hasan." She teased. The brothers silently shared a look, and for a second, she became nervous that she took it to far, but then both burst into laughter. They fell into peaceful silence and for once she felt no fear about her situation. Watching the tribe, she had seen what happiness was. The tribe functioned like a single organism, all sharing ideals of loyalty, love, and honestly. As well as hospitality, in her case. They etched out a living in one of the harshest environments by working together. If there were disagreements, they were settled peacefully. She had not seen one drop of blood spilled in anger since she'd been there.

They made good time and reached the place the brothers had found her just as the stars were coming out. When they crested the dune, she was surprised to see a whole collection of buildings beneath her. "What is this place?" She breathed. The dark silhouettes of crumbled walls and buildings spread out below her against a backdrop of a starry sky.

"An old Persian outpost. They no longer use it." They slowly made their way down the other side of the dune, Pongo happily trotting ahead with tail held high till they reached the wall. The brothers passed through the open and crumbled gate, but she paused, looking up at it. Was this a significant place for her? Why had she been buried here? How long had she been buried? She squeezed her eyes shut but nothing came to her. No images, no flashes, no memories. There was only blackness. She spurred Salaman forward. She scrutinized every building, but nothing jogged a memory; too soon the brothers were dismounting in front of a crumbled tunnel.

"This is it." Malik motioned at the pile of rubble. She slowly got off Salaman as the brothers began setting up a small lean-to tent and a fire. She walked up to the wall and gingerly placed her hand on the rubble, feeling its coarse texture beneath her fingers. The broken pieces of stone were obviously unnatural, cut with precision. She looked up at the towering building above her. Its dark windows looked haunted and lonely. Had she been caught in the tunnel trying to escape from this place? Had she been a servant here? It was obvious that she was of foreign birth. She removed her hand and plopped down onto some cushions laid out underneath the lean-to, sighing.

"Nothing?" Hasan looked at her while cutting bread with his belt knife.

"How long has it been since someone lived here?" She asked. Malik plopped down next to her.

"Not since we were children. It was the fortress of Darius before he became the Fourth King of Kings." Her eyebrows raised when she saw Hasan spit into the sand at the mention of the king.

"What's with that?" She asked.

"Do you not remember anything about him, Alibhe?" Hasan looked at her. She shook her head.

"Maybe Alibhe was brought here as a servant only recently?" Malik spoke.

"Yes, but even a foreigner would have heard of his crimes." Hasan responded.

"What crimes?" She asked, interested.

"To the desert tribes, he is a tyrant." Hasan spoke, Malik nodded in agreement.

"The Third King of Kings, Gaumata respected the tribes as their own nation and left us alone. He even sent aide during times of drought or famine. Tribal peoples were welcomed into the cities of Persia, and there was a strong alliances and trade between the tribes and Persia. When Darius took power, he declared the tribes obsolete and to become members of the Persian Empire. We were wicked because we allowed the practice of magic. He demanded we abandon the desert and move into the cities to become full-fledged citizens. He would send his soldiers to terrorize tribes who did not comply. He diminished the strength of the tribes and one by one many fell or gave in." Hasan explained.

"We are usually peaceful, but a coalition of tribes formed out of desperation to try and fight against the King. Our mother was sent to the coalition as a representative of our tribe. There must have been a traitor amidst them because they were all raided and slaughtered by the Black Swan and Persian soldiers during one of their secret meetings. No one was spared, not even the traitor. That was the 'justice' of King Darius. Our tribes have suffered ever since. There are not many of us left. His son, King Xerxes is also unsympathetic to our traditions."

"Now we are trapped by Persians on all sides in the desert we once called home." Malik finished. "Our tribes are scattered; the people are weary."

"I don't remember any of this," she spoke softly, "how could the world just watch this happen?" Hasan passed out portions of bread, dried dates, apples, and goat cheese for dinner.

"They were busy with their own war. Darius's whole reign was spent in war. At least his son keeps to his own lands, though no one has yet been able to reclaim any conquered territory. He seems to enjoy the posh life, he mostly keeps to the castle. You know none of this?" She shook her head.

"None of this sounds familiar."

"What if you were trapped in there for hundreds of years?" Hasan spoke up. They turned to him.

"This fortress is rumored to have been built before the time of our first King of Kings."

"I don't think the fortress is that old Hasan. "The elder brother looked up at the night sky. "We've had a long day, we should get some rest. We can explore the ruins tomorrow." Hasan nodded and all three laid out their bed rolls on the sand.