Chapter Four: Warning.
I found my hand had found a Human body. A woman's body, I placed my arm and hand around the waist and for a few moments, I was in a wonderful world where I was with Farah, I was in a place where she did remember and we were together again...however, no such thing could just happen. As I opened my eyes, that little world that I lived in for a few moments was shattered as I found that it wasn't Farah. It was Shirin! I wasn't heavily bothered though...because I knew it must have been her, time wouldn't just change so I was with Farah, but nevertheless, it was still a shock! She was in slumber beside me; I shifted quickly away from her. I almost felt a need to cry, because I so badly wished it was Farah. That feeling that you received when you were young, the feeling when you so badly wanted something but couldn't have it surged through me. We were no longer in the desert, but in an enclosed place that was dark. As my hand drifted through the space we were in, the tips of my fingers encountered a soft material, the type that was used mainly on tents. We were in a tent, it was black yet with a bluish purple tint to it. Someone must have found us and took us in their care. I looked back at Shirin in her peaceful sleep, however, she didn't always look so peaceful as her face contorted sometimes as if in pain or fear. What did her mind's eye see? I usually saw repetitive things in my dreams, sand creatures and monsters, none of which honestly scared me that much, yet when I saw Farah walk away, never to remember, that did make me scared, the thought of her never knowing who I was. Sometimes, the idea of just moving on from Farah had entered my head, but it never stuck there, Farah had been my one and only true love, so I could never love anyone the way I loved her. It felt cold...so it must have been the night, as the corners of the tent seemed to flap in the occasional passing breeze. An aroma of food entered the tent and lingered under my nose, it was then when the pain that had always been there in my stomach confronted me. If I needed to then I could go for quite a while without food...but the pain was quite overwhelming in my stomach and seemed almost stifling. The front of the tent, that was at my feet, was pulled aside and a woman, that was covered in white (to reflect the sun's heat, she could have been with child, so she had to be protected from the sun that could easily make her collapse), knelt at the entrance. Her face was one that was kind and was darkened from the sun, her eyes were a dark brown and seemed to tell a story, but it was a story I couldn't decode. A black fringe peered out boldly against the whiteness of the coverings. She didn't say a word but smiled politely, in her hands, she had two bowls, they seemed to have been carved out of wood, and very well carved at that, they had a smooth finish so there was no chance of eating splinters. Shirin stirred in her sleep and her eyes fluttered open, she saw the woman and sat up, her hair cloaking her back. She didn't react when she saw me, but maybe that was because she didn't wish to look childish in front of me. She had that way about her; a child like innocence but it was a great contrast compared to me, as I acted much more mature to me. At times, I felt this put her down and made her feel simple. However, I was sure she was cursing wildly at me in her mind! The woman passed us the bowls that contained rice with several pieces of meat. We accepted them, she then politely smiled and left. I knew being me, I should have probably thought over why she hadn't said anything, but I couldn't concentrate on that, not when there was food in front of me! I ate it down and found that the rice had a slight sweetness to it and the meat was drenched in a rich sauce. I hadn't tasted such a food, my own favourite dish was patra ni macchi with dhansak, a Persian meal. This wasn't a Persian meal.
"So we've just been rescued by...?" asked Shirin as she ate the food. Unlike me, she found time to chew it, this made me feel a little rude just ramming the food into my mouth. Yet, I was too hungry to bother with manners.
"Why do you think I now? We'll probably found out soon, they can't be bad, they've fed us haven't they?" I replied. I took in a last scoop of the food, the wooden spoons were flat so it was hard to keep food on them but that didn't stop me from finishing my food quickly. As I looked down at the empty bowl, I wished it was full again, but for now the food I had eaten would line my stomach and stop me from getting hungry anytime soon.
"Maybe they are cannibals and are just fattening us up before they eat us..." murmured Shirin, she sat still with her wide eyes thinking; they also had the child-like innocence that surrounded the rest of her.
"Yes, maybe they are or maybe you just have an overactive imagination," I smiled sarcastically. She jabbed at my upper arm with her long fingers as she got annoyed as I wasn't taking her seriously, but it was difficult as her imagination played away. I remained smiling, amused at her thoughts.
"Well don't come crying to me when they're eating your brains...you'll be all 'oh would you look at that Shirin, they're cannibals and they're trying to eat every part of my royal body...any chance of teleporting me out of here?' They always go for the brains don't they? It's like a delicacy isn't it?" she murmured with all with a straight face, she was actually being serious! I sat amused with my head resting sideways on my knees, I had pulled them up close to my body.
"It's going to be quite a thud when you eventually come back down to Earth isn't it Shirin?" I smiled. She shoved me hard and sat like a sulky child, with her head hung and her leg and arms crossed.
"Stupid prince," she muttered quietly under her breath. I knew she wouldn't stay sulky forever, she would probably steal something nice and she would forget we ever had the argument. Our attentions were peeled away from the argument and placed on the front of the tent. A man wearing blue entered, his clothes were that of the standard desert nomads, the material that covered his whole body was thin and would let him feel the breeze. His face was dark and he had the darkness of facial hair under his nose and mouth. His eyes were a bright green, brighter than mine were. He had an essence of authority about him, the scimitar at his side probably assisted this impression. He was of a larger build then I was and was older by at least twenty or thirty years. His nose was large but not wide and it seemed very pointed at the end. His face was angular and his eyebrows were dark, bushy and black. His face was lined with his age but he probably held a lot of wisdom. I had been told that you had to make mistakes to learn from them. However, I got the impression that this man had made very few mistakes in his life.
"Um, are you the guy who has been taking care of us and rescued us?" I asked, maybe I should have waited for his name or a greeting at the very least, but for some odd reason, he didn't look like he really had a name. I couldn't think of any names that would particularly suit him. It was quite hard naming someone that didn't really look like a person with any particular name, my father, had said it was hard naming me when I was born...I always just thought it was because all the good names had been taken by my brothers. The man nodded slowly, answering my question.
"Have you or anyone in your family ever considered consuming Human flesh?" asked Shirin quickly.
"Are you asking me if I'm a cannibal?" asked the man tilting his head slightly as he looked at Shirin, he was sat at the entrance of the tent. His voice was powerful yet quiet, it seemed even more powerful than that of my father's. He did have an accent but one that wasn't Persian.
"Wow, you're quick," murmured Shirin.
"Well you'll be happy to know that none of my family are cannibals, or at least not to my knowledge," said the man with a smile to Shirin, "So what are your names?"
"Well I'm Shirin and this is...actually what is your name?" asked Shirin pointing to me. She didn't know my name and few people did, I wasn't particularly planning on revealing it any time soon.
"My name doesn't particularly matter at the moment and neither does yours," I said to the man. "I am the youngest son of King Sharaman of Persia and I thank you for assisting me and Shirin here, you and those who follow you will always be welcomed in the city of Persepolis because of your good deed," I said. Shirin took the man's hand and shook it.
"Yeah thanks," she smiled. The man smiled back and obviously had sharper eyes then I did judging by what he said next.
"Hm, nice try but give my rings back," he ordered. He had had several rings with various stones in them on his fingers but they had just 'disappeared'. Shirin gave them back reluctantly, accompanied by the word 'drat'. She must have removed the rings very quickly as she had barely shaken the man's hand for two seconds. It was a good thing I didn't have the dagger with as she would have stolen it ages ago, not that she needed it as she had already mastered time. I had made a mental note that if I were ever going to a celebration where I would have to wear the best clothes and jewellery, I would most definitely not ask Shirin to accompany me. The man placed his rings back on his hands and I was sure I saw him move away from Shirin. "So what is a Persian prince doing in the middle of the desert with a thief?" asked the man. Well, if I told him my story then maybe he would take pity on the two of us and give us a horse and a map. I started from the beginning, from the point where my father and I waited on the slopes in front of the Indian palace.
I never remembered how long the story took to tell. It must have taken a while as before when I had started, I had heard people outside, the followers of the man I talked to, but now they had all packed up and were all asleep. We had to light a candle so we could still see each other.
"So you wish to go to the Amber Palace, that is well known for it being heavily protected, that being the reason why it is also is called the Amber Fort, and kidnap Princess Farah and then take her to a place that is from a fairytale?" checked the Leader, the man.
"Um, yes, summing it up, that is my plan," I nodded.
"The thief was right, what have you been breathing in?" he cried. "That is madness!" he cried. He obviously didn't think much of what I wished to do, I had noticed that a lot of people were underestimating me. Well I hated to beg but it seemed the only option now.
"Please, can't you put yourself in my position? Haven't you ever lost someone that you have truly loved?" I asked desperately. What I said must have provoked something inside of the Leader as he seemed to reminisce over something in his past.
"Well yes but-"he started but I interrupted.
"Well if you had the chance to bring them back then you wouldn't you? I have a chance to bring Farah back, my Farah. Please, can't you just help me?" I pleaded. The Leader remained silent for a few seconds as he toyed with his conscience.
"Amber is my home city. I was exiled from it because I was having a relationship with a woman of noble blood, her status was higher than mine was but if I had the chance to be with her again then I would. Fine, I will help you, my group and I will take you to the outskirts of Amber but from there you will be on your own, for now you should get as much sleep as possible now, we will leave tomorrow," said the Leader. I yelled out in joy in my head but outside I just put a mild smile on my face and forced it to stay reasonably small. The Leader wished us a good night of sleep and then left.
That night, I realised that I had begun to trust a lot more people then I had done before. I trusted a woman with possible connections to a creature that more than likely wanted me dead, yet I didn't think she really did, she was far to kind to want to kill me. In addition, I now trusted a man that I just called the Leader, then again, to him, I was just known as the Prince so he was just like me and was mysterious when it came to names. I was happy that night for I knew that every second that passed it meant that soon I would be back with Farah. Finally, I was beginning to like time as it temporarily flowed like a river in its one direction.
The next morning I awoke at dawn with everyone else. I sat on the horse I was given. Shirin was helping the others pack away their camp, I didn't know how many people exactly followed the Leader but everywhere I turned, I saw new faces. I saw the woman again. I saw, in the better light, that she was with child. She was sat on a horse with a man that must have been her husband, she didn't saying anything the whole time I was looking at her. She smiled politely at me as she noticed me, I should have smiled back but I didn't. Her husband made the horse move, I didn't know if he had or hadn't noticed me, but if he had, then it would have been odd just having someone stare at you.
"She's mute," explained a voice. It was the Leader, he was also sat on a horse and joined me.
"Pardon?" I asked not understanding what he meant by 'mute'.
"It means she can't talk," he explained. What an odd concept, I thought, how on Earth did someone get around if they couldn't even talk. Maybe that was the reason why her eyes seemed to tell a story, they spoke for her and so did her smile. The Leader looked around. "Where is that girl, Shirin?" he asked.
"She said she was helping the others, she's around somewhere," I said actually looking around myself, I hoped she hadn't wandered off.
"You shouldn't really trust her," said the Leader. I finally saw Shirin over by a tent quite far away, hm, I would probably have to make her empty her pockets before we left the group for fear of being chased by them.
"What do you mean?" I asked still looking at her, she hadn't noticed me anymore.
"She is related to Dahaka. You told me about her powers last night and someone like that can't be trusted," said the Leader. Shirin looked up and suddenly noticed me.
"She isn't actually related to Dahaka, she wouldn't hurt me, she has helped me so far," I said. Shirin was approaching me now.
"You can say what you want, Prince, but she cannot be trusted, I would keep a eye on her," said the Leader. Shirin was beside me now and she pulled herself up onto my horse.
"What were you two talking about?" she asked, unaware of what we had been talking about, if she had known, she would probably be incredibly mad at me and march off...only later to return after realising that she had no food or water.
"Nothing that concerns you...we are leaving now so keep up," said the Leader and then his horse trotted away from the two of us. Shirin stared at him sceptically.
"What's getting at him?" she asked. I didn't reply, I was already sensing that she knew how the Leader didn't trust her, and she was probably worried that maybe his distrust would wear off on me. I didn't know her thoughts, but I always got the impression, even when we argued, that she secretly liked the fact that someone finally trusted her and maybe just liked her for her simply being herself. I did trust her, but every second that past that trust was fading as the thoughts that she was related to Dahaka passed through my mind.