She waited. It seemed like she'd always been waiting. Frozen within a moment of time, inside a bronze prison. Quietly she etched another mark on the wall. Another day spent waiting…yearning for the moment she would be summoned and have another chance to earn her freedom. She longed to feel the warmth of the sun on her shoulders, have a reason to laugh, and be able to see the stars shining in a black velvet sky. At the beginning, it had been a novelty to be alone. To have time to do what she wanted to do. No one telling her what to do, or where to go, or how to dress. But time had a way of teaching lessons. She'd learned what loneliness was and the value of friendship.
She was startled out of her reverie by the echo of a tiger's roar rending the silence. Her heart quickened as comprehension dawned upon her. Someone was drawing near. Maybe this would be the One. Her chance at redemption. Hope blossomed within as she awaited the summons to meet her new Master…
Through the starlit Arabian night, he followed the cloaked stranger riding ahead of him. He didn't know this man, didn't trust him either, yet a job was a job. That's how he'd found himself in the midst of a vast, silent desert at midnight on a wild goose chase. The stranger had promised him great wealth in exchange for an act of thievery.
Ben glanced around him attempting to keep a mental map of where he was being led, in case he needed to make a fast getaway. There were few landmarks, just dune after dune, endless seas of sand. They appeared to be heading towards the rocky outcropping dead ahead. Ben held his peace, as he whistled quietly into the breeze. Time enough to discover what deep game was being played.
Two hours before dawn they finally reached their destination. Before them rose an insignificant rocky outcropping. Ben felt a surge of irritation as he looked about. Why had they traveled all this way to nowhere, he wondered. His confusion grew as his companion hopped off the back of his black stallion, and strode purposefully towards the highest rise. Once there, he reached into his jet black cloak and pulled out an object. Ben waited to see what would happen. With a small flourish, the man brought his two hands together and a tiny metallic click pierced the night. Suddenly the ground in front of them began to quake. Rivers of sand flowed past as something pushed up from beneath the ground.
Ben urged his horse backward carefully to get beyond the danger, while his horse whinnied and shied nervously. Before him rose a black form as if a mountain was being birthed in a heartbeat. At last, the quaking stopped and a tiger's roar rent the night. Before them stood a cave in the form of a tiger's head. Its' mouth was an entrance and the eyes glowed with flame. The man in black hastened towards Ben and, urging him down from his horse, gave him his assignment.
"I want you to steal me a lamp; just a small bronze lamp. You'll find it in the center of the cavern. There's no danger, just pick it up and bring it back to me. The rest of the wealth will be yours, but bring me the lamp first! Oh, and I wouldn't touch anything else no matter what you see," he sneered, lies in his eyes.
"What's so important about this lamp?" Ben questioned.
"The lamp is a lost heirloom. It's nothing, and of little value to anyone who is not in my family. I would like to possess it though. Now hurry up and go!" he said harshly.
Ben did not trust the simplicity of the task set before him versus the reward he'd been promised. He knew there was more to this than met the eye...but he also knew he was hungry and you don't get paid if you don't do your job.
He advanced towards the mouth of the cave when, impossibly, the cave spoke.
"Know this only one may enter in. One whose worth lies deep within. The diamond in the rough." The ominous warning echoed through the night air.
Ben shivered, waiting at the precipice. Did he dare to step inside? He was no one special; just a common street rat from Agrabah. With confidence he didn't feel, he stepped over the lip into the cave. When he didn't die instantly he took a deep breath and continued forward. The path before him was wrapped in an almost unforgiving darkness.
His steps echoed in the silence as he walked and he mindlessly wondered where the minimal light came from that he saw by. There were no visible signs of illumination; no torches, fires, no sun. Yet still, he could see enough to descend into the depths of the cave. He lost all sense of time and found himself surprised when he came to the last step.
Ahead of him, the cave narrowed down to a dark recess which appeared to be a door. He stepped cautiously through the darkness, his hand outstretched, as he felt the walls. He flinched when, with a shove, the door opened and a bright light pierced the darkness. All around him lay immeasurable wealth. Mountains of gold, silver coins and glittering gems littered the floor. Necklaces and rings heaped without care. It was everything he'd ever desired. The perfect hoard. Ben wondered who had been so foolish as to bury it and leave it untouched and useless in this magical cave.
He reached out his hand to grasp the nearest coins when he remembered the warning of his employer. Don't touch anything but the lamp! The rest is yours, but the lamp is mine. Ben's face contorted, as if pained, and pulled his hand back. Turning he spied a pedestal halfway across the cave and made his way towards it. His steps slow and unhurried, aware that danger lay in touching the least piece of wealth about him. At last, he reached the first step and began the ascent to the top.
He paused on the final step to take in the lay of the land. The lamp was simply a bronze lamp. Nothing about it was special; there was no ornamentation, no design, no pattern upon the surface. It was as ordinary as any housewife's lamp. And yet, the sight of it awoke such longing in his chest. What about this could be so special that the man would be willing to part with such great wealth to gain back its possession.
Tentatively, he reached for the lamp. It felt warm to the touch, yet it wasn't lit. Curious. He scrambled down the steps and made his way across the room. He erred though as he neared the entrance. In his haste, he bumped into an old dusty carpet that had been propped against the wall. It unrolled at his feet and he saw a brilliant ruby, the size of his palm, had been hidden inside. Its quality was apparent and he knew instinctively that this gem's worth could give him the comfort and security he longed for.
He bent down, picked it up, and placed it into his pocket. At that, the cave erupted with a mighty roar into fire and brimstone. The floor heaved and lava appeared glowing through the cracks. The warning had not been an idle threat. In vain he ran as quickly as he could. The stairs buckled and cracked underneath his feet and slowed him down. He had neared the caves' entrance when his luck ran out. He placed his weight on it when the ground fell out from beneath him and he lurched, giving a guttural scream. Ben's hand scrabbled to find a handhold as he hung there hundreds of feet above the floor.
The dark man cried out above him, "Have you got it! Have you got the lamp?"
Ben held the rock in a death grip, and waved the lamp in the other, just out of reach. He desperately held on, "Give me your hand," he cried out.
"Not until you give me the lamp! Give me the lamp first, then I'll give you my hand."
"No hand, no lamp!" Ben ground out angrily.
"Then I'll just have to find another hand to bring me my lamp, won't I, Street Rat?" the man hollered angrily, as he stomped on the fingers that kept Ben up.
With a cry, Ben felt himself falling into the darkness of the cave. The sight of the villain's ire, and of the stars disappearing was the last he saw before he knew no more.
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A/N: Surprise! I'm back with my second fanfiction :) I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Tomorrow, I will upload the second chapter, and then I'll update it every Saturday. A massive debt of gratitude to my beta, Angela, and my Reylo girls Angie and Samantha who provided encouragement and feedback.