The Storyteller
Chapter 2: The Princess and the Jinn
Disclaimer: We don't own ANYthing.
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"There was once a princess who was the daughter of a king in a faraway land. The king was very rich and powerful and the princess's mother was very beautiful. But the young girl was none of these things." Juma began. "She was ugly and frail, and because she was like that, she was shunned by even her own parents. Neglected by everyone even though she was the only child of the king, the princess grew up alone.
"One day she was walking by a pool in her garden when she looked down into the water. Within the depths, she saw many goldfish swimming in the pool. Fascinated, she knelt by the fountain, watching the fish at their play. After awhile, she spoke, saying, 'Oh goldfish, I wish that I was like you, so pretty and golden. Then I would be loved and admired and not cast aside.'
"Now anyone worth their salt knows that speaking your innermost desires is a dangerous thing, for you never know who might be listening. It just so happened that at that moment a jinn came by on his magic dust cloud in time to hear her speak those words. An idea came to him and he appeared before the surprised princess.
"'I heard your wish,' the jinn said. 'And I will grant it.'
"But the little girl didn't believe the jinn. She knew that any of the fairy folk could not be trusted for they had a history of tricking humans. So she asked him, 'How do I know you aren't deceiving me?'
"'I assure you, I am not.' The jinn replied. 'I will even give you a second wish: to turn back into a girl at your convenience. You need only say one word.'
"The young princess regarded the jinn suspiciously for a moment, and then nodded. 'Give me a chance to practice the word first.' She told him. The jinn obliged. After a few moments practicing, the princess gave her consent to him.
"Once she became a fish, the jinn placed her into the pool, and then hid in the trees near it. The moment after the jinn had hidden, a cousin of the young princess, a very good-looking boy, came along with his most loyal guard. The princess stared in admiration at him. But the words he spoke made her blood run cold.
"'Tomorrow, I will lure the king to this very spot,' the cousin told the man. 'You will be waiting in the tree above to fall on him when I give the signal.' They continued, detailing what they would do with the boy's uncle's kingdom, including the little princess.
"The princess was distraught. No matter what her father had done—or not done—to her, she still loved him. She resolved to save him.
"The moon set and the sun rose, but right at the time when night turns to day, the cousin reappeared, the king following him. Readying for the chance to be elevated in her father's eyes, the princess watched with interest. The moment she saw the glint of her cousin's dagger, the princess tried to speak the word and, to her horror, found she could not! In her haste to become a goldfish, she had forgotten that they could not speak. In a desperate attempt to save her father, the princess threw herself from the pool and onto the blade of her cousin's knife. Immediately, the charm wore off and the princess fell to the ground, knife too far into her breast to save her.
"With a cry, the king unsheathed his sword and instantly killed the cousin, as well as his serving man. Gathering his daughter in his arms, the king began to weep.
"It was at this point that the jinn revealed himself to the king. 'Do you see what you have done?' The being asked the grieving man. 'How much is your daughter worth to you now that she is dead and you are not? Remember this lesson well, good king.'
"And with that, the jinn disappeared, leaving the king and his land to mourn.
Juma's fingers stilled. "Well Aisha," she said. "What does this story mean to you? What does it tell you?"
Aisha was quiet. "Don't listen to fairies?"
Juma laughed quietly. "Good advice. You are, as always, very quick-witted. But what does your heart say?"
Aisha sighed, leaning her head against her mother's shoulder. "That I should know my value and not look for what I'm not."
The storyteller stroked her daughter's hair. "Well spoken," she whispered. "Your heart is strong, my Aisha. And a heart like that grants wishes, even the impossible ones. Remember this."
"Always." Aisha promised. Her mother's fingers whispered along her hair. Could she be read, the same way as the cloth? She lifted her head and felt her mother's touch fall away.
"I'll always be different, right?"
"Different, you? Yes," She replied.
"And they'll always hate me?"
"I can't tell the actions of others. Nobody can."
Abruptly, Aisha got up, expression set. "Then I'll live without them."
Juma tipped her face up, like she could actually see Aisha's face over her.
"Do you think anyone can?" She asked her daughter.
Aisha snorted and turned away. "I don't know yet. I'll tell you when I can."
Juma made a tsking sound with her tongue and got to her feet. Taking the piece of silk cloth, she dropped it evenly into the pond, where it settled on the surface for just a moment.
But in that brief moment, those with eyes to truly see beheld an image, unnoticed before. A fish outlined in intricate, shimmery gold stitches. Then, the cloth sank under the water like sugar melting into hot coffee, and this fish was just like the others in the pond.
"I didn't like your story much, mother," Aisha told Juma, taking her by the arm. "That fairy tricked the girl in another way. She only got two wishes when she's supposed to get three."
"Oh, you!" Juma exclaimed. "I'm wasting my time on you. That only happens in fairy stories. How many times must I tell you that?"
Aisha laughed as they left the garden.
For a full five minutes, the garden was quiet and still. But then the high branches of the pomegranate tree swayed; it was like they had caught a sudden wind and held it. The face of a youth a few years older than Aisha appeared. He slid down the tree's trunk and dropped quietly to the ground. Without thinking, he crossed the path to the pool, and, not caring about his clothes, stretched his arms into the bottom. And though he searched until he was completely drenched, he couldn't find the cloth left by Juma. Finally, he gave up and sat by the pool, counting the slow-moving fish.
His name was Andrew.
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KAHMBG: Whew, that was hard.
IMBSA: What are you talking about? I'm the one who had to type this thing up, not to mention I was the one who had to remember the story without the book because someone returned it to the library without telling me. :death-glare in KAHBMG's direction:
KAHMBG:whistles innocently:
IMBSA: Anyway, just review.
Both: R & R!
AlyssC01: Well….I don't know if this fic is a very good one to base any type of assumptions on about Gundam SEED, so….Oh, and KAHMBG is my co-author. Some of the fanfics I write, she writes too. But I'll say if she helps me and I haven't posted anything we've written together, save this one.
lilykt7: Well….It is AU, which means that it has absolutely nothing to do with it. The characters are the same.
SweetazKande: Well, like I told lilykt7, it's AU. But thanks for the encouragement!
Chayla Maznable: Well hello there. Well, I hope it's up to your expectations….
