Wow! I got a lot of reviews telling me to continue! Thanks to all who reviewed. I appreciate it a lot. Here's the second chapter!
Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or any of the stories from the original 1001 Night. I'm just borrowing.
Chapter 2 Sword Play
Ten years have passed since Prince Draco saw Hermione climb over his wall. Since then, much has changed. Draco has grown into a handsome young man. His hair was still a beautiful, platinum blonde. His eyes were still a shade of gray mixed with just a hint of blue. Life had treated him farley well. The palace offered everything from food to shelter and of course, women. Draco still dreamed of leaving, but his parents always promised him new things. He would take over the kingdom one day and rule. The most beautiful women of Sirena were offered to him. There was, however, one thing that he could never have. Hermione.
Even though it had been ten years, Draco never forgot Hermione. At night, he would see her in his dreams, smiling mischievously at him. He desperately wanted to see the girl who he fell in love with when he was only eight. The bracelet, which she had given him, was always on his wrist. Although many had asked about the bracelet, Draco had never told a soul about the thief that climbed over his wall.
Tonight was a special night for Draco. He was finally turning eight-teen. Now he was free to go where he pleased without anyone's objection, but he had promised not to leave Sirena. A great party was being held too. People from different cities in the desert were coming to wish the prince a happy birthday. Entertainers had been hired. Even the Dancers of the Night, a group of belly dancers, who were famous worldwide.
This night was also special for another reason. At sunset, a figure was seen on the horizon coming into the shadows of Sirena. Behind it came a group of ten other figures that were sneaking about in the shadows. One with jet-black, messy hair approached the first figure.
"Is this the place?" he asked.
"Yes. That's the place. The party is being held here. It'll be a gold mine. Everyone will be too busy fawning over the prince to realize that the we are there. When the prince blows out the candles on that cake, we'll get them. Besides, we need to pay back that guy from Egypt and we're a little short on cash." Said the first figure stepping out into the dim sunlight. Her brown, semi-bushy hair was billowing softly in the breeze.
"You got it, Hermione." Said another person with flaming red hair. "We'll follow you in."
"Of course you guys will. I'm the princess of this clan." Said Hermione smiling teasingly at her subjects. Hermione had also grown. She hadn't changed her appearance much except that she had become a young woman. She had developed a figure of a goddess from all of her running and sneaking.
Hermione had started her own clan of thieves. They were people just like her, orphans and outcasts. There was only one thing, she was the only woman. The rest were men. They worshiped her in a way as if she were an older sister who watched over them all. She was the most graceful and craftiest of all.
""Just one question, your highness." Said another person sarcastically giving her a smile. His name was Seamus. "How are we going to get in? We can get to the door and maybe into a hallway, but that's it."
"Don't worry about that. You guys just get that far, and I'll take care of the rest. Just watch for the prince to blow out his candles, then we strike when they're not expecting it." Explained Hermione stepping onto a magic carpet, which immediately took flight. "I'll meet you in there." Called Hermione to her clan of thieves as she flew with her magic carpet to the palace. She reached one of the top windows and stepped in. She was in a dressing room. Suddenly, voices could be heard outside. They were women.
"This party will be fun. The king and queen are paying us nicely to dance." Said one.
"Good because I want to take that vacation that we planned last year." Said another. There was a murmur of agreement. Hermione had to act fast so she hid behind a curtain.
"Wait around for me." She whispered to her carpet as it left her there. The women came in and began to chat amongst each other. Then all but one of them left for something. Perfect. 'A great disguise if I ever saw one.' She thought as she crept out of her hiding spot. She grabbed a small candlestick and hit the woman over the head with it. The blow knocked her out for Hermione to steal her clothes. She quickly dressed and hid her face and the woman just in enough time before the others came back.
"Are you ready? They're asking for us." Said one of them dancers. Hermione nodded. She knew how to dance and could dance well. Her outfit was a pink tank top outlined in a gold thread. Her pants were bubble like and done in the same style. She had placed a veil on her head to hide her face, but her hair still showed through. Hermione got up and followed the women out. They led her down to the dinning hall where the party was going on. She and the other dancers stayed behind a curtain until their manager began to speak.
"Introducing the mysterious, the wild, the Dancers of the Night." Said the manager. The curtain rose and the dancers began to dance. Hermione gasped, not knowing what to do, but as she looked over at the other women, she figured out what to do. All eyes seemed to be on her. Even Draco's.
Draco had been sitting around all night. Women from all parts came to sit with him. Two women sat on the side hoping to catch his attention, but it was no use. Draco was bored. Finally, it was time for the entertainment.
"Introducing the mysterious, the wild, the Dancers of the Night." Said a man. The curtain rose revealing a set of belly dancers. They all began to dance except for one. This girl caught his eye. She was beautiful. After standing there, she finally began to dance. Her movements entranced him. Her hips swayed back and forth in time with the music. When it ended, the dancers came around and surrounded him. She, however, backed away, as though she didn't want to be there. He couldn't stand it. He got up and pulled her to him. She looked nervous and confused.
"No one should be alone." He whispered into her ear. Hermione couldn't help it. She hadn't been blind. She found Draco very attractive. Then she noticed something on his wrist. It was her bracelet. She realized that he was the little boy that she had seen the last time she was in Sirena, ten years ago. Hermione didn't know what to do, but to follow the prince back. He gave her a seat next to him as a cake was brought out.
"Happy birthday, your highness!" exclaimed everyone at the party clapping and whistling. Draco smirked at Hermione and blew out the candles. The room went dark. Then Hermione spoke up.
"NOW!" she yelled as loud as she could. The door burst open, and Hermione's clan came streaming in. As the candles were lit, the people saw what was happening and panicked. The crowd screamed and began to run in all directions. The thieves ran around collecting jewels and other bits that they could find.
Draco sat there in complete shock. This was all a fix. She had planned this from the beginning. He had to admit though; it was a nice way to brighten a party. He found it quite funny to see all of the guests running around and screaming. Draco decided to sit back and watch her while the people ran around. He suddenly lost the girl then saw her disappear out of the side door. It was now or never. If he let her get away, then she would haunt his memory as Hermione was.
The girl ran down the hallway, and Draco knew instantly where she was headed. At the end of the hall was the royal treasure room. All of the gold and riches of the kingdom were stored in there. She opened the doors and walked in casually. He wondered where the guards were, but figured that they were probably locked up somewhere. She took off her veil and turned to shove some gold into a bag. He had to stop her. Before moving, he picked up a small danger and wedged it into the door so she couldn't escape.
"We would've paid you, you know. It's not that hard." He said leaning against the wall. She looked up and turned her head towards him. He gasped. It was her! He had found her at last. Hermione, the beautiful girl who stole his heart at the age of eight, was standing right here. What's more, he had her trapped.
"I'm no belly dancer and I desperately need this money so if you'll just turn around and leave, it will be most appreciated." She said in a sarcastic tone.
"I can't do that. You stole our food, and now you're back for more? I don't think so." He said still not moving from the doorframe.
"So you remember? Well, I'm honored, your highness. But seriously." Said Hermione filling her bag and standing up. "You don't know what you're up against." She said picking up a sword. "I suggest you move before it gets ugly. I usually don't hurt the innocent, but I will if they don't move from my way."
Draco's eyes widened. Never had a woman ever threatened him in a sword fight. He was one of the best fencers around. A simple woman could never beat him in a fight. He looked to the side and saw another sword.
"If you can beat me, then I'll move. But if you can't then I want you to stay." Said Draco picking up the sword. She gave him an awkward look.
"You think you can beat me and keep me here? All of this fancy stuff is getting to you." She said holding out her sword. Draco held out his to meet hers. She set down her bag by a window and positioned herself. They circled, their swords keeping contact.
Suddenly, he jabbed. It took Hermione by surprise, but she blocked it. The fight had begun. It was a fierce battle of the wits and style. One would jab and the other would block. Then one would spin around to show off what they know. The other would have to follow closely to keep themselves safe. Hermione blocked and jabbed as fast as she could. He was good, one of the best. She took to steps forward and jabbed at his side, which missed him by mere inches.
"You didn't know how to do that the last time we met." He said fighting in between two pile of gold.
"I've learned a lot. You pick up on these things when you travel." She said not taking her eyes off of Draco. He jabbed again, but she kicked and a pile of gold flew into his face. He yelled and fell backwards onto the ground. She picked up his sword and held them both in her arms aimed at him.
"What kind of a fight is this?" he asked. "You're cheating."
"I'm a thief. It's what I do for a living. Don't worry; I'm not going to kill you. I'm just making sure you don't move." She said dropping the swords to the side and picking up her bag. "I'll see myself out, thanks." She said walking towards the door. When she got to the door, she saw that it was impossible to get out that way. By now, Draco had picked up the swords and was up and backing her up towards a window.
"My, my how the tables have turned." He said smirking again. "Now you have to stay. I just want to know who you are. I can't stop thinking about and it's driving me insane. Please, tell me who you are." He begged still holding up the swords.
"My name is Hermione and I'm the leader of a clan of thieves. There, now let me go." She said glaring at him. Draco didn't move.
"No." he said simply. Hermione looked around. There wasn't much she could do. Then she got an idea. She looked out the window and saw her escape route.
"So sorry your highness, but I really must go." Said Hermione climbing onto the windowsill. She jumped out with her bag and landed on her carpet. Draco stared at her wide-eyed. This was the second time that she was getting away from him. He couldn't let her. He ran to the window, but it was too late. She was floating to far out of his reach on a magic carpet.
"You can't go now. When can I find you, or see you again? Please. This has been killing me." He called to her out of the window. She lowered herself so that she was eye level with him. He looked into her eyes and immediately fell in love with them all over again.
"You can't find me, and will probably never see me again." She whispered to him. She couldn't deny it. He was good looking and she felt attracted to him. Draco frowned as she said this, but she suddenly got a great idea. "But here's something to remember me by." She said as she pressed her lips to him once more. He was caught by surprise, but began to kiss back with all of the passion he could munster. His tongue graced her lips, begging for entrance as she soon gave in. Hermione couldn't help, but moan. He was such a brilliant kisser. His hand gently caressed her check as their tongues fought a long battle. Finally, Hermione was out of breath and realized that she had to go before this went any further.
"Happy birthday, Prince Draco." She whispered as her and her magic carpet flew away from the palace closely followed on the ground by her subjects. They rode off into the night and out of sight.
Draco stared open mouthed at her. That was the second time she left him with only a kiss! How could she?! It was official now. He had fallen in love with her for sure, and there was nothing that could stop him from taking the woman of his dreams as his own.
A/N: What did you think? I'm not very good at writing action, but I tried my best. Thanks for reading and please review.
Me,
RonFan