Under Desert Skies
A/N: Gomen that this chapter took so long to come out. So much crap has been happening in my life. I could call it 'A Thousand and One Ways to Piss off Your Mother and Get a Suspension of Computer Time' but that's not really important now is it? ^^ That said and done. . .I leave you to read and review.
Chapter 2
The sun shone in merrily from the bright blue sky from the large entrance. 'Why do I have to be inside? I want to be outside and-'
"Princess Yasmine!" the curtains were snapped shut by impatient hands. "You must pay attention to your lessons Princess!"
Yasmine looked back at her irate tutor. "I am terribly sorry. I am simply having trouble concentrating today."
"Princess," the man said with a sigh. "You must be diligent in your studies. I am sure your father will not be pleased to hear of your progress for the week so far.
Yasmine's face darkened. 'He hasn't even seen me in the past three weeks much less scold me for anything.' "Yes I know. I shall do better. Please forgive my rudeness." she managed to get out as she held her tongue.
"Very well then, since you are serious about your studies." the man turned back to the board and continued writing and talking.
Yasmine turned to look at Fatima, who was quietly embroidering a piece of cloth with a needle. 'For all the years I have had a tutor she has always been working on that piece of cloth. I wonder what it could-'
"Did you hear me Princess?"
She looked back around to see her teacher's frown. "Yes I did."
The man crossed his arms. 'Then what did I just say?"
Yasmine glanced at Fatima to see her look at her from the corner of her eye with a smile. "You said that the regions to the Far East have not been explored in the last nine hundred years and no one knows what or who lives there."
"Correct; what else did I say about them?"
"That it is possible that the nomads live there, away from the civilized world."
"Very good. You have been paying attention I see." he turned back to the board and lecturing.
Yasmine rested her head between her hands as she tried to pay attention to the lesson and the droning voice. She looked back at the shut curtains longingly; how nice it would be to ride Rabi and have some fresh air instead of being cooped up inside for most of the time. She rolled her eyes, hearing her teacher start to ramble on about the nomad hordes. 'How can they call them hordes; they could say the same of us. They are people just like us too.' Even to this day she could remember that one time when her mother had taken her into the desert to meet her family. They had the same problems as the city people, the children still scampered underfoot and played while the adults talked, food for themselves and their animals, clean water, clothing . 'I wish there were others here for me to play with; then I wouldn't be so alone. I wish my cousin was here.' She could easily see him now; he was a rarity with his blond hair and fabled sea-coloured eyes. 'But I can never remember his name. I wonder if he remembers me too?'
"Princess Yasmine!"
Snapping out of her thoughts, Yasmine looked up to see her tutor's exasperated expression, her face going red; caught twice in one day for not paying attention.
"We may as well end now. The hourglass is nearly empty and I shall have to teach you all of this again next day." the tutor said picking up his supplies and leaving promptly.
"What preoccupies you Princess?" Fatima asked as she came over to Yasmine's side.
"Fatima. . .have I displeased Father in any way?"
"No, not at all. Don't forget that he has a new wife as well."
"Oh yes. . .we cannot forget Isis now can we?" she said mockingly. "The new play toy needs attention."
"Princess Yasmine!" Fatima said in a shocked and reprimanding voice.
"It is the truth and you know it." she muttered. "Ever since Father has come back from Egypt, he has been closeted with that wench. I haven't spoken to him much less seen him in the past few weeks. This is the least I have ever seen of him in my life. It's like I have vanished to him."
Princess," Fatima rested a hand on her shoulder. "You must give your father time to-"
"Fatima do not give me that particular line. I know my father. The longest he leaves something to the side is three days. It has been three weeks Fatima. Three weeks; can you not tell me that that alone is peculiar for my father?"
Fatima paused for few minutes. "It is rather strange of your father Princess."
Yasmine gave a grumble of vindication. "That woman must be a witch to have and make him forget his own flesh and blood."
"Don't speak such things Princess." Fatima hissed. "It is dangerous to utter such words with so many ears around."
"I do not care. Let them hear and know that someone has the courage to speak up." she said tightly before she fell silent.
"Very well then." Fatima sighed. "I shall leave you to your own company. When you want to talk again, you know where I'll be."
Yasmine didn't say anything as Fatima walked away down the fork in the hallway. Brooding to herself now, she walked out to the garden, walking down the path to the trees at the end. She just wanted to sit in a particular one today. She looked down the avenue to see the majestic old tree at the end. . .and the gardeners around it with shovels.
"what are you doing?" she demanded walking up to the men who shot up with fright.
"We have orders Princess. O-Orders from. . ." the man's speech withered away with her glare.
"This tree is mine and is not to be touched by anyone. Who gave these so called orders?"
"The Caliph Akbar's wife I-I-Isis did Princess." the man managed to stutter out.
"Do not touch that tree any further. If you do you will find yourselves in the dungeon for the night without dinner."
Yasmine turned without waiting for an answer, heading back inside the palace. The black mood that had a tenuous grip n her before tightened like a vise, as she stalked closer and closer to Isis' chambers She had reached out a hand to shove open the door when it slowly opened by itself. She stepped away from the crack, the hairs on the back of her neck rising sharply; something was very off here. Steeling herself she went up to the door again and pushed it open a bit more, peering in carefully. The smoky interior greeted her, the fumes making her eyes sting slightly. Then she saw her father's figure seated cross legged on the floor. Opening the door a bit more, she walked in and crouched before him.
"Father, it's Yasmine. Are you all right? Father. . .why won't you answer me?"
She looked more carefully into his face to see the blankness in his eyes; it was as if he wasn't there at all. She shook him a bit to see if she could rouse him and still he sat there, unmoving and unresponsive. 'What has that witch done to him?' Her head snapped up at the sound of a slight rustle from the back. Giving her father one last forlorn look, she ducked behind the large screening curtain.
"There and no one will be the wiser. Oh it was a brilliant plan of mine. But so much more is required of you my dear Akbar. That and your brat must be dealt with"
Yasmine gritted her teeth at the sound of the laughter that followed the words. How she would have liked to cut out that witch's tongue herself. The sound of feet reached her before the door closed with a soft thud. The sound of cloth against the smooth floor could be heard as Isis walked to the opposite end. A shaft of light burst into the room making her pause to move the curtain aside slightly. There stood Isis alone on the balcony and looking around outside in her loose robes.
"Why have you stopped with the task I have given you?" Isis' voice was shrill and insistent. "I want to see that hideous tree gone!! It blocks my view of the sky."
"I told them to leave it." she said quietly as she walked out from behind the curtain. "Or did it trouble you that much?"
Isis whipped around, a guarded expression in her eyes. "Oh, so you have some sort of attachment to it do you? It was that girl's wasn't it?"
"You would do well to call her by her name woman." Yasmine retorted managing to not spit it out at her.
Isis gave her a cool calculated look. "I know the desert whore's name. I suppose you would have me not touch it ever again, would you?"
"If you value what you hold dear. I may be young but I can make things extremely difficult for you."
"And it is shown by your tree saving exploit." Isis said in a clearly dismissive voice as she turned away. "Why don't you leave me for now and go play with-"
"You do not have the right to dismiss me like that wench." Yasmine stood her ground when Isis turned back to look at her. "I am the senior here. You are new and should learn your place."
Amusement flashed in Isis' eyes. "Really; well then let me tell you something; I have knowledge that you could not even begin to comprehend. You do not want to mess with me little girl. If you play with fire you get burned. "
Yasmine met those ice glittering eyes. "Watch me."
"How glad I shall be when I convince your dear father to marry you off to some lumbering lout. That is one less burden that I have to shoulder. Then I won't have to see that plain coarse desert face of yours skulking around like a lost puppy. Akbar is wrapped around my finger and there isn't a single thing you can do about it. Besides, I have no desire to raise some bitch's whelp."
"I am a descendant of the desert people and I bear that heritage proudly; in this case here I see that as a definite advantage when compared to some whore from Egypt, who still be there plying her trade, however unsuccessfully." she narrowed her eyes, seeing her barb hit home.
"One wrong move and I can have you removed for good." Isis crossed her arms with a sharp frown.
Yasmine gave her a lofty, icy look. "You should know what the desert peoples are like, whore. We can disappear like sand flowing between your fingers when you believe you have us caught. I may have grown up in the city but you may find that I may be fairly hard to kill in any sort of fashion. Do not presume to think me a mere child. I can hunt and fight as well as the next man; you would do well to remember that whore."
"I would wouldn't I?" Isis paused with a pensive look on her face. "May I be excused now Mistress?"
Yasmine narrowed her eyes at the patronizing tone in Isis' voice before turning to leave. "You would do well to learn humility whore." she flung back before taking her leave.
As soon as the door was closed, Yasmine went off to her rooms, feeling a sense of battle come over her. Walking up to a curtain she pulled the cord to reveal a wall with bows, arrows and every other sort of weapon. 'And every single one is here.' She pulled the cord again, letting the curtain fall back and went out to the balcony to think to herself; something warned her to sleep with an eye open and dagger under her pillow from then on.
Wide stretches of sand interspersed with small shrubs stretched as far as the eye could see. Yasmine looked out from her headgear, eyes picking apart the shapes of dunes for any movement. 'I don't think there're any animals here.' She glanced back at the rest of the hunting party that was following up from behind, the large sedan slowing them down to a crawl. 'Damn whore.' She looked back out over the horizon, readjusting her bow and quiver.
"Akbar, tell me of the animals again? I am trying so hard to fit in here. Why do you hunt?"
Yasmine spurred Rabi onwards to escape the sickening insinuating voice. 'And the whore's whines are probably scaring the game away. Not that I blame them.'
The sounds of two more horses reached her as Fatima and the Captain of the Hunt came up to ride with her.
"Princess Yasmine, have you any ideas of where the animals may be. I keep telling the Caliph that they are to the south."
Yasmine smiled over at the grizzled older man. "They are Ali; in a heat as this one, they would be closer to the river."
"As I thought." he replied in a low voice. "With that woman's constant babbling it is extremely hard to hunt as the Caliph wishes to."
Fatima chuckled at Yasmine's acerbic reply. "Oh how you two sound like old hunting buddies who have roamed these lands for fifty years and more."
Ali gave her frown. "It is close to the truth. She couldn't have a better teacher than me and Lady Ailysha. She is her mother's daughter through and through. We have been hunting together since she was eight and she has been an admirable student. She's almost as good as me."
"Yes Ali, almost; can you not admit that I am as good as you?"
"Don't give me you r insolence now young one." he said with a laugh as he cuffed her ear lightly. "Just because you know the desert as well as me if not more, it doesn't mean you can talk to your teacher like that."
"You are truly a grumpy old man Ali." she laughed as she reined Rabi to a stop.
"Such blatant disrespect there; aren't you doing your job Fatima?"
"I tell her but it is up to her to listen; she is her mother's child like you said. Perhaps that is our undoing." Fatima said with a smile. "I suppose you two are going to have us go south now?"
"Yes." Ali said as he rode back and talked to the Caliph briefly.
Yasmine turned, following up in the back with Fatima. "Mother did love the desert didn't she?"
"Yes, she did." Fatima affirmed quietly. "And I see that it has been passed on to her only child."
"At least she died under the open skies and not in some bed in the heart of the city. She died in the place she loved the most."
"I know you still miss her, Princess Yasmine. But she would be proud of all that you have done so far. You have grown into a beautiful young woman."
"Me? Beautiful? That is rather amusing Fatima. I have the same face I was born with."
"No; you had the chubby face of a cherub when you were born. Now I see a face that could bewitch men if that was what you wanted to do." Fatima smiled. "Don't fret about Isis' opinion; when you finally meet the right person you will know."
"I've never bother with the whore's opinion and I shall not start now." Yasmine said in a dismissive voice. "So tell me Fatima, what is that thing that you endlessly worked upon during my lessons for so many years?"
"That? It is something for your wedding day Princess. And I have finally finished it. Lady Ailysha told me that you should have something of your people to wear when you are wed."
"For my wedding day?" she repressed a laugh. "Maybe one day Fatima but certainly not now; I have enough to worry about as shown in my lessons. I can't even pay attention to the teacher."
"You worry too much. Here; you can keep it until the day comes. I shall be pleased to see you in such a wonderful thing. It will truly make you the 'beautiful blushing bride'."
Yasmine gave Fatima a look. "Perhaps you have been in the Western part of the market too much for your own good? You pick up their expressions more and more I notice. . .or did they have the best silk thread?"
"The best thread. See what it is now."
"Oh very well." she brought Rabi to a stop and took the tied package from Fatima and opened it. "Oh dear." she sighed seeing the large square filled with colours. Lifting it up, she was greeted by a large headscarf filled with geometric designs and flowing curls and waves . . . it was cloth filled with almost every shape she had ever seen. "It's very. . .pretty." she said after searching for a word.
Fatima didn't say anything, only watching as Yasmine placed it in the pack slung on her side underneath her cloak. "Come now; we have fallen behind a bit. By now Ali must be at the river and setting up the tents for the Caliph and his wife."
Yasmine didn't say anything as they trotted down to the riverbank that lay a few miles away, seeing the train arrive just as they did. The camp had been set up on the green riverside banks, a tiny oasis from the arid heat and sand that lay a few feet away.
"Princess," Ali said coming up to her. "Your father shall be dining and then taking a brief rest. Shall you be-"
"Yes I shall Ali. I shall come back and tell you where the good game is." she dismounted and gave him the reins. "I am far too restless to sit, dine and nap. I am going to try the south banks before I come north."
"Very well then. Fatima, shall you be eating now as well?"
"Yes. I have no desire to go tramping through plants and dirt to find some poor doomed animal." she gave a sigh and dismounted as well. "And you shall stay out of trouble or I shall not be pleased with you. I don't want to have to take measures again."
Yasmine resisted the urge to smile. "Yes Fatima. I shall stay out of trouble."
She gave Ali a knowing smirk before she headed down southwards. Every hunting excursion was the same with the banter between the three of them and then she would wander on her own for a bit. She walked down the riverside, admiring the scenery before her. It wasn't long before she came to the rocky patch in the path, making her pick her way over carefully. She paused for a minute, looking behind her to see absolutely nothing. 'It must be my imagination. I could use a break from all of this.' She jumped from one rock to another, landing with a jarring thud. One of the arrows from her quiver fell out to the ground to be caught by waiting hand. Yasmine whipped around to see the path behind her with no one on it. 'I must be losing my mind. I could have sworn someone was behind me. It felt like there was.' She gave the path a final sweep before she continued on, seeing the moving shapes of animals up ahead. Crouching down she let the grasses screen her as she surveyed the animals quickly and left before the wind could shift and carry her scent to them.
"That was too easy. We can be finished here before the sun sets." she happily thought as she headed back to the camp.
She started walking fast and broke into a sprint, wanting to be back and saddled to start the chase. Then from the others side of the river, she noticed two figures standing beside their mounts as they drank.
"Strange." she paused, watching the figures curiously. "I though people only used the Lahars River to hunt or ship along. No one has ever done that before."
One of the figures was stroking his horse's mane gently as he murmured to it, their long brown robes flapping gently in the wind. He was interesting enough with that strange brown hair that stuck straight out over his face but it was the other one with the hood pulled over slightly shielding his face from the glaring sun that really caught her attention. But the one thing she could see clearly were the blue of his eyes; it was like a blue she hadn't seen before. Deep and intense they pulled her in easily making her forget that she was on the riverbank; it seemed as if it was only her and him with nothing else.
"Isis!"
The echoing call broke through the strange reverie between them. They both looked towards the north where the call had come from. With a disgusted sigh, Yasmine started towards the camp, wondering what could be wrong now. 'Maybe the whore was eaten by a crocodile . . .poor creature didn't deserve such a tasteless meal.' She chuckled slightly at her amusing picturing of the scene before she looked back across the river to meet the stranger's gaze again. Her face flushed this time making her look away and continue on down the pat. 'You are very bold Yasmine; you do not even know who this is and you stare at him with such blatant. . .' She shook her head; even she wasn't sure of what she had felt at that moment. Continuing her sprint, she found the camp in an uproar with people walking all around frantically.
"There you are!" Fatima exclaimed as she rushed up to her. "I have been searching for you since Isis went missing."
"You know I went to find game. Is Father all right? Is anyone else missing?" Yasmine began looking around for other absent people.
"No one else is; just Isis." Fatima paused. "The Caliph is far from pleased with this situation."
"Yasmine!" Akbar roared as he left his tent. "Have you seen Isis?"
She paused seeing the semi-cloudiness in his eyes; even after sleep they were never like that before.
"Well? Have you?" he demanded again.
"I was foraging for game Father. I have only returned and found out as of now." Yasmine said. "And no, I have not seen Isis."
"Akbar!"
Turning at the sound, Yasmine was greeted by the sight of a wet, bedraggled, bleeding Isis who limped back into camp. The sheer appearance of her condition had shocked her; what could have possibly happened to Isis? Had she been attacked by those two men she had just seen? 'I find that highly doubtful; let's see what the whore has to say first.'
Akbar was by Isis' side in a second catching her before she fell to the ground. "What happened Isis?"
"Oh Akbar!" she cried breaking down and sobbing into his shirt. "It was awful. I was taking a walk by the riverside to enjoy some quiet and then. . .and then. . ." she trailed off into fresh series of sobs.
Yasmine refrained from rolling here eyes at the obvious theatrics being displayed. 'The tentacles this whore has is amazing and highly revolting.' Just from glancing at Ali and Fatima, she could see the same conclusion in their eyes.
"What happened Isis?" Akbar asked again.
"I was attacked. Someone shot me before pushing me into the river. It was horrible, the crocodile almost got me and. . ." she broke off again before managing once more. "I tried to be nice Akbar. . .but. . .but. . ." she trailed off, unable to continue.
"It's all right. You're safe now. I will not tolerate this kind of action from anyone. It is tantamount to treason and sufferable by death. Simply tell me the name of your attacker and they shall die."
"No Akbar, you must be merciful. You mustn't do that; it is-"
"Tell me who it is so they may suffer their just reward for such an action."
"It was. . .it was Yasmine!"
Yasmine stood there in disbelief watching as Isis fell into more voluble sobs. "Father. . .surely you cannot believe this. . .can you?"
Akbar looked at her, the cloudiness in his eyes lifting slightly. "You went south to search for game? And you went alone?"
"That is my custom Father." she said with a bowed head. When she hazarded a glance up, she saw the haze lift a bit more. 'I'm reaching him.'
"Yasmine. . ." he began in the voice she had heard all her life; it was so welcome from the harsh tone he used with her lately.
"Akbar. . .when I came out of the river, I found this lodged in my leg. I managed to pull it out and. . ." she held up the proffered arrow with a trembling grasp.
Akbar's hand closed around the arrow that had lain underneath Isis' leg as he gazed at the red and black feathers on the end of the dart. "Can you deny that this isn't your arrow Yasmine? Can you?"
Yasmine winced slightly at the harsh tone that had made its way back into his voice completely. "No." she stated simply.
"Captain Ali," Akbar said, the lines of his face going rigid. "Strip her of her weapons."
Ali started forwards slowly, unsure of following the command that was just given to him
With a resigned sigh, Yasmine took off the bow and quiver, holding them out to Ali. "You may as well get the rope now Ali." she murmured so only he could hear.
"Tie her up; we head back to the city now." Akbar said as he helped Isis rise.
"Caliph?" Fatima asked quietly as she approached him humbly. "Where shall the Princess ride?"
"I have no daughter." he replied tersely as he saw Isis in her sedan. "The prisoner can follow up in the back with the servants."
Everything was packed and ready to go in a few minutes, leaving Yasmine to walk along in the back, hands tied together and led like a dog. 'Clever trap whore.' She looked up at the sun before fixing her attention back to not stumbling and falling on the road; she was certain that they would not stop and being dragged was a less than pleasant thought. 'But you have only lit the embers. The true fire has yet to come.'
Furor: And what shall happen next? Hehe. . .I shall leave that to you the reader's imagination.
Heero: I thought I was going to be in this.
Furor: You were. . .for a brief five seconds. *pulls out a walkie-talkie* Jasmine. . .contact has been established. I repeat contact has been established.
Jasmine: *with a static filled background* Roger. Over and out.
Heero: What chapter are you on? *looks at Furor warily*
Furor: *hides walkie talkie* Chapter Three in typing. . .uh. . .Chapter six or seven in paper. *grins suddenly* Didn't Duo, Wufei, Quatre or Trowa warn you about me?
Heero: I had a mission. *pauses for a minute* Besides I have no reason to fear you. You are not a threat.
Furor: Heh. . .that's right. Not a threat. . .*mutters* not yet anyways.
Heero: What are you talking about now?
Furor: Nothing! Now if you'll excuse me I hafta go and talk to Jasmine now. Plot and stuff like that.
Heero: Perhaps you are a crazy woman.
Furor: Wow. . .I never thought this day would come; Heero Yuy compliments me. Arigatou Heero *bounces away to talk to Jasmine*
Heero: O.o She IS crazy.