Aliya woke up to a delicious smell coming from the kitchen. She was about to get up and go downstairs when she remembered Hakim's instructions. The smell was making her hungry, so she looked for her book to distract herself. Unfortunately, it was on the other side of her room where Rashid had put it last night when he brought her up the steps. She smiled with pleasure at the memory of him carrying her, and forgot for a moment all about food and breakfast.

She decided to get up for her book and reached for her crutches, but they weren't there. Obviously the doctor had anticipated her trying to get up by herself and put them with her book. She was stuck in bed with nothing to do until her breakfast came up and someone realized she was awake.

Rashid slipped quietly upstairs with a bowlful of hot porridge, hoping to sneak in her room before Aliya awoke. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping that he always hated waking her up, except for the day when she had the dream about the guards. His hope was unfulfilled however, as he opened the door with the slightest of creaks and saw Aliya waiting for him patiently.

"Ah, breakfast," she thanked him gratefully. "It smells so good." She was puzzled when he looked disappointed, but ate the bowl heartily.

"Mmm, that was delicious," she said. "Please tell the cook how great I think his cooking is, Rashid."

"Why, thank you," Karim said from the doorway. "It was my mother's special cinnamon sugar-based recipe. She taught it to me right before she was taken to the capital city."

"Why?" Rashid asked curiously.

"I do not know, but I have not seen her since," he replied sadly.

"I am sorry to hear that," Aliya told him kindly.

"Do not worry, I am sure she is fine…" he said uncertainly.

"Rashid, could you go over there and get me my book?" Aliya asked, trying to change the subject. He nodded and retrieved the ancient book from beside her crude crutches. Rashid and Karim left together so she could read without being disturbed.

Hours later, there was a knock on the door, and Aliya looked up, startled. Karim came through with her lunch, looking apologetic for having disturbed her.

"Would you like some lunch, Aliya?" he asked. She nodded, and he set the tray in front of her.

"Mmm, bread and cheese," she said enthusiastically.

"It is another one of my mother's recipes."

"The bread and cheese?"

"No, no, the bread. Try it." She bit into it eagerly, and was amazed at the taste.

"What is in this bread?" she asked intrigued.

"Family secret. Enjoy!" he said as he left the room. She sighed, and bit into the bread again. Once she was done, she became immersed in her book again, and didn't stop reading until Karim came in again with supper.

"I am sorry to disturb you once more," he said, setting down a new tray.

"It is perfectly alright, I was starving from the smell coming from downstairs."

"But it is only leftovers of yesterday's meat."

"I am still hungry."

"Then I will leave you to eat," he said, exiting swiftly. She sighed. Once again, she was left to eat alone in her room, when she should be traveling towards Ellesmerá. Opening her book, she read between bites. When she was finished with her dinner, she felt strangely drowsy, and dropped her book. She couldn't keep her eyes open, and fell asleep almost immediately.

Later that night, Karim slipped into her room. He did not know how long the drug he gave Aliya would last, and he did not want to chance her waking up. He lit a candle, and was once more amazed at her beautiful features. He felt odd doing it this way, instead of admitting to her his feelings, but she would leave soon for her destination, and he knew naught of where she was going. Her face was so characteristic, even while sleeping, and it enchanted him. He saw her stir and dashed out of the room into his own.

Aliya awoke slowly, and had an uncanny feeling that someone had been in her room only moments ago. She had a headache as if she had been knocked out, but no bump on her head. Perturbed, she turned over and fell back asleep after an hour or two of tossing and turning.

The next morning, Rashid rushed into her room because he heard screaming. Aliya was asleep, but not very peacefully. She was thrashing around in her small bed, almost strangling herself with the blanket. He tried to wake her up, but she knocked him over with a kick of her leg. Karim came running in as soon as he heard the commotion. He helped Rashid up and then helped him restrain Aliya. Rashid gently shook her awake, and she looked around, confused.

"What happened to you Rashid?" she asked sleepily, looking at the bruise forming on Rashid's chin.

"Oh, well you kicked me while you were thrashing around," he replied. "I am perfectly fine, do not worry. What happened to you?"

"I…had the dream again." Karim looked from face to face, confused.

"What dream?"

"More like a nightmare, really," Aliya said. "My two…er…friends were traveling with us, until we reached the river. They went the wrong way, and fell in the river." Rashid, noticing that she was choking up, continued for her.

"They drowned in the river, and we almost did too. Poor Aliya has been haunted by it ever since." Karim was shocked; he had never heard of something so horrible happening. He knew it must have affected her badly.

"I…am so sorry," he told them.

"Thank you," Aliya said, choking up once again. Rashid pointed to the door, and Karim nodded. She needed time alone. They left silently.

A while later, Karim cautiously knocked on the door with another bowl of his mother's porridge.

"Are you feeling better now, Aliya?" he asked. She nodded, setting down her book again.

"I truly am sorry to hear about your friends," he told her.

"I know, I just…try not to think of them," she replied. "Thank you for bringing me breakfast, I know it must be annoying to deliver food to me all the time."

"No trouble." He gave her the bowl and spoon and left the room before anything else was said. She shrugged it off, and decided to take a short nap before lunch, since the nightmare had robbed her of most of her night's sleep. In a few minutes, Karim came back to collect her bowl, and found her asleep again, with the bowl knocked on the floor. He once more marveled at her beauty, oblivious to everything else, including Rashid's entrance.

"Karim? Are you alright?" he asked curiously.

"What? Oh, yes, I am fine," he said, blushing. "I came to pick up her bowl." He quickly grabbed it and practically ran downstairs. Aliya looked fine, but he left nothing to chance and stayed in her room. Karim was getting less and less trustworthy in his eyes.

When Aliya awoke, the first thing she saw was Rashid. Smiling, she sat up.

"Good…something, Rashid. Is it afternoon already?" she yawned.

"It is," he said, smiling. "Good afternoon."

For the next week, Aliya stayed in bed, doing nothing more interesting than reading her book and eating meals in bed. Karim never tried again to drug her, and never even had a chance to watch her because of Rashid. He became her guard, staying in her room every day, and most nights. Aliya was mystified by his behavior but didn't fight him. He still slept with his shirt off, even in her room, and she loved it.

Finally one morning when Hakim brought her breakfast, he told her the good news.

"Good morning, Aliya," he said. "I have some good news. Your ankle should be healed enough to travel. You can pack tonight and be back on the trail tomorrow." Aliya was overjoyed. She had been stuck in bed for over a week, and she had finished her book long before then.

"Oh thank you!" she replied relieved. "I do not know how we will ever be able to repay you!"

"On your way back say hello," Karim said, speaking up from the doorway. Aliya nodded. She got up from her bed and started picking up her clothes that were strewn haphazardly around the room. The men left her room to let her pack and she hobbled on the crutches trying to pick everything up. After throwing them all in her saddlebag unceremoniously, she ate her breakfast ravenously. Clutching the bowl unsteadily in her hands, she leaned on her crutch and limped towards the steps. She carefully went down step by step, concentrating only on holding her bowl and the steps in front of her until the door slammed. The bowl slipped from her fingers, and she fell on the steps behind her.

"Aliya?" Rashid asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine, but I broke your bowl, Hakim."

"It is fine, it is more important that you are not hurt. You are not, are you?" Aliya shook her head, and got up. She hobbled over to the table and dropped fragments of the bowl on it.

"I suppose I should not try to hold things while using crutches," she joked. Hakim nodded, and she went back up the steps. Rashid offered to carry her again, and she was glad to accept, but Hakim interrupted.

"She needs to practice using her crutches," he told them both. Aliya looked disappointed, but hid it by continuing upstairs. Back once more in her room, she collected her items and put the pack on her back. She leaned on her crutches and went back downstairs.

"Aliya, I want you to try mounting your horse, just to be sure," Hakim ordered her, opening the door. She limped outside and saw Arya chewing on some cud.

"Arya! It has been a while," Aliya said, smiling. She untied the horse from the post and attempted to swing herself up in the saddle. Her left foot found the stirrup easily, but she was left to support herself only with her broken ankle, and she fell out of the saddle. She tried again on the right side of Arya and was able to swing herself effortlessly over the saddle and landing perfectly.

"Perfect," Hakim grinned. "And if you have any trouble with your ankle, Rashid can help you. Looks like you will only be staying here for one more night, Aliya." Karim looked crestfallen, but nobody noticed; Rashid and Aliya were too overjoyed to be back on the trail so soon. He went inside dejectedly and into his own room.

He slumped on his bed and thought about her. She was perfect in every way, and he was starting to think that he was obsessed with her. He had been hopeful that since she would be leaving soon, so would his feelings, but his hope was baseless. He didn't know he had fallen asleep until Aliya shook him awake. Seeing her face strengthened his resolve; he knew what he had to do when she left.

"Are-are you alright?" she asked curiously looking at his face.

"I am fine," he replied silkily. "Lunch, I suppose, Aliya?" She nodded, and they went downstairs together.

After another simple lunch of bread and a wheel of cheese, Aliya went back to her room, and Rashid to his. He had just started his packing because he had been so busy helping Aliya with hers. His clothes were not as hard to pack as Aliya's; he had only gone into his room to change since he had found Karim in there. He quickly packed and put everything in his horse's saddlebag, which he placed by Aliya's. He reentered her room to find her practicing her magic, and stopped in the doorway to watch. Aliya didn't notice him until the light in her palm lit up his face.

"Oh, hi Rashid!" she said as she extinguished the light. "I just thought I would practice a little before we started traveling some more."

"I do not know how Hakim or Karim would feel knowing that you can do magic," he replied. "It might be safer to wait until we are away from the village."

"That's alright, I was done anyway," she answered quickly. Karim came through the door a second later. Karim took a glance at the floor and saw no clothes, so he assumed that they were talking about their luggage.

"Aliya, my father needs to see you," he told her.

"Why?"

"He has to take off your cast," he explained. "So you can travel tomorrow." She walked hurriedly out of the room. Ever since she had finished her book, she was eager to get her cast off. She hurried into the room at the end of the hallway and found Hakim asleep.

"Um, Hakim?" she said cautiously shaking him. "Are you not supposed to take off my cast before we leave tomorrow?" She couldn't wake him up, so she went back to her room to ask Rashid and Karim for their help.

"Karim? Your father is asleep," she said. "I can not wake him up."

"There is nothing wrong," he told her. "He would not mind you waking him up."

"No, he will not wake." He ran by her into his father's room, suddenly very afraid.

"Father? Dad?" he said, shaking him vigorously. Realizing what he had done, he sat on the desk chair with his head in his hands. Hakim must have taken Karim's drug and used it as a spice in his food. Rashid and Aliya came in a few minutes later and when they saw Karim's position they immediately assumed the worst.

"I am so sorry, Karim!" Aliya told him sympathetically. "I know how it feels to lose someone."

"He is not dead, there is a pulse," he replied. "I…um, do not know where, but he accidentally got a sleeping drug and used it in his cooking as a spice."

"How do you know this?"

"Is it not obvious? He cannot wake up, and I do not know how else you would accidentally take a sleeping drug." Aliya remembered an uneasy drowsiness, exhaustion like she had never felt before.

"Are you sure he accidentally got this bottle?" she asked him.

"Well, yes! Why else would he have it?" he replied nervously. She shrugged and he relaxed, but Rashid was not satisfied.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Do not worry, Rashid," Aliya told him. "It is all taken care of." She gave him a look that clearly said she would rather wait until Karim was out of their company.

"Do you know how to wake him?" Rashid asked, trying to change the subject.

"No, I think we will have to wait until he awakes. You may have to leave later than planned." Rashid and Aliya left the room, and Rashid looked pointedly at her.

"Will you tell me now what is happening?" he asked her.

"Come into my room, I do not want Karim to hear," she whispered. He curiously followed her into her room, but Karim stayed with his father.

"Well, I think it is very suspicious," Aliya finally said when the door was closed. "How could Hakim accidentally drug himself? And I think I have felt the effects of that drug once-"

"What do you mean?"

"One night, after I finished my dinner, I felt strangely drowsy, and could not keep my eyes open. I would not like to think that Hakim or Karim drugged me, but, well…"

"I do not know," he replied. "That is strange." Rashid kept his tongue, but his worries about Karim increased greatly. He did not want to worry her even more, so he kept the story about Karim to himself.

"We are leaving tomorrow anyway," Aliya said. "It will not matter when we leave this village."

"I suppose so." With that, Karim left, and Aliya once more readied herself for bed. It was her last night for a while in a real bed, and she wanted to get the most out of it.

The next morning, Aliya was woken up by Hakim, who had not suffered any damage from the drug.

"Good morning Hakim," she said groggily. "Feeling better?" He nodded.

"Time to take your cast off, Aliya. Could you sit over here please?" She practically ran over to the chair, and sat down immediately. It took Hakim only minutes to get the cast off. Aliya felt free for the first time in weeks.

"You will still have to use your crutches to get around, but you may ride your horse, and have even been able to mount her by yourself. Come downstairs, Karim made breakfast." There was indeed a delicious smell coming from the kitchen, and Aliya quickly forgot about last night and went downstairs.

"Breakfast smells delicious, Karim," she told him. He handed her a bowl, and she sat down. She was about to take her first sip, when she noticed Rashid sneakily smelling it. She followed his example, but didn't smell anything unusual and finished the entire bowl. When Rashid was done too, it was time for them to leave their house. Rashid went upstairs for one more look to see if they had forgotten anything, and Aliya went out to check on the horses. Karim followed her outside, leaving his father to clean up.

"Um, Aliya?" he said nervously. She turned to him, and his resolve strengthened again. He swept her into his arms, planting his lips on hers. Aliya was so surprised that she couldn't move. When she finally regained control over her arms, she pushed Karim away.

"What are you doing?" she asked, enraged. "You are the one who gave me a sleeping drug? And what did you do to me then?" He flushed; he had not expected her to work that out.

"I did not do anything to you!" he told her. "I am telling the truth! I…I just like very much to look at you. You are beautiful." Aliya could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth. She had no idea what to say, and they were luckily interrupted by Hakim and Rashid coming outside.

"Are you both ready then?" Hakim asked them. Rashid nodded. Aliya was still dumbstruck. They both mounted their horses, Aliya quite slowly so that she would not injure her ankle once more.

"Goodbye!" Rashid yelled, as he kicked his horse into a trot. Aliya quickly followed him, trying her hardest not to look back.