Meggie and Farid walked back to their room holding hands while Dustfinger followed close behind. Gwin was tucked into Dustfinger's coat pocket after he nearly bit Farid's hand off.
"I can't wait to show you where I live." Meggie spoke up. "You'll love it there! We can go swimming, climb trees, and even stay up late and catch fireflies!"
"So your world is basically a giant garden?" Farid asked.
"Pretty much, but there's a place like this in my world. I don't live near it, though." She replied.
"Interesting." He muttered. "So what do you want your wedding dress to look like?"
She blushed vigorously, but managed to reply, "I don't really know. I guess I'm good with anything."
"You do realize that your parents will want another wedding, right?" Dustfinger cut in. "Silvertongue probably wants to do it the "right way" or whatever he deems okay."
"I guess you're right." Meggie sighed. After a moment, she let out a yawn. Farid draped his arm over her shoulder as they stepped in front of their room.
"The room next door is vacant if you'd like to sleep there." Farid said to Dustfinger.
"I will, thanks." The fire-dancer muttered as the two teens slipped into the room. He pulled Gwin out of his coat and placed him onto the floor.
"Watch them and make sure they don't go too far. Come get me if something goes wrong," Dustfinger whispered and Gwin slipped into the room. Glancing around to make sure no one had seen, he walked off to the room and entered, leaving the door open a crack.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Meggie and Farid cuddled up together under the covers and laid like that as the moon shone through the window.
"Am I really getting married, or is this just a dream?" She asked softly.
"If it is a dream, would you want to wake up?" He questioned.
"Not for once second." She murmured. "I wouldn't want to leave you."
"The same goes for you." He chuckled.
"And some girls do get married at my age, but they're not as lucky as I am." She said. "They don't get to marry the person they love."
"Well I guess we're as lucky as they get." He smiled.
"Farid, stop tickling my feet." She suddenly laughed and squirmed around.
"I'm not doing that," He gasped. She screamed and sat up, perched in Farid's lap for protection. A small furry head poked out of the blanket that just so happened to have a pair of horns.
"Gwin, what are you doing here?!" She hissed. He simply hopped off of the bed and onto the floor, where he laid himself down onto the soft rug.
"Isn't that the fire-dancer's pet?" He asked.
"Yes, and he must've sent him in here to snoop around." She scoffed.
"He doesn't trust us, especially if we have an entire room to ourselves." He pointed out.
"I'm going to go talk to him." She got out of bed and snapped her fingers. "Come on, Gwin, you're coming too."
The little marten merely followed her out of the room, closing it shut behind them. As Meggie rounded the corner, she could hear whispers coming from an open room down the hall.
"That's the infamous thief Sahel. He's the best bandit there is."
"And why are we joining his crew again?"
"I told you, I can't marry Bushra until I turn him in. Now hurry up and start looking mean."
Meggie peeked into the room, but saw no one there. Instead, there were piles and piles of books, all seeming very old and tattered. She stepped inside and looked around as Gwin hopped onto a nice, comfy pile. She picked up one and opened it up, reading the first few sentences.
"Sahel was a heartless thief who only cared about himself. He would kill anyone that he thought was in his way of riches or anything valuable. He had assembled a small group of bandits, but they were fierce nonetheless. They struck fear into the hearts of all townsfolk and caused kings to surrender whenever they were near. Surrendering did nothing, unfortunately, and the town became nothing but blood and dust when they'd enter. Sahel became very rich and he demanded nothing but the best women, clothing, jewelry, and weapons that he could buy."
While she was reading, the room began to spin and a flash of light blinded her, causing the book to slip out of her hands. When she picked it back up, a strange man was standing before her. A bloody sword was in his hand and he had a look of rage in his eyes.
"Where am I?" He hissed and advanced toward her. She gasped and stepped back, falling into a pile of books.
"In a palace library!" She cried. "Who are you?"
"I am Sahel, the infamous thief!" He declared.
She stared at him with a look of shock and he pointed a finger at her.
"You brought me here, didn't you?" He accused.
"I-I don't know!" She groaned.
"I do not tolerate ignorance!" He bellowed.
She screamed and he raised his sword, preparing to strike. Gwin bit the man's leg and he screamed, swiping at the marten. Meggie picked up Gwin as he ran to her and they sprinted out of the room, Sahel following. They passed a guard, who stared wide-eyed at the scene. He eventually chased after them, calling other guards to come to his aid.
Meggie ran back into her room and right into Farid, who'd gotten up to see what the commotion was. As Sahel entered the room, Farid pushed Meggie behind him defensively and pulled a dagger out of the sash around his waist. He held it up to Sahel and the man stepped back a few paces. The guards burst into the room and apprehended the bandit, placing his hands behind his back.
"She's a wicked genie, I tell you! She brought me here! She's evil!" Sahel shouted as the guards dragged him off. Shivesh walked into the room and managed to avoid Sahel's kicking feet.
"Princess Meggie, are you alright?" Shivesh asked.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking." She sighed.
"Who was that man?" Farid asked.
"We believe he snuck into the palace. We also think he's losing a few pints of common sense, if you get my drift." Shivesh muttered.
"I did hear whispers in the library when I walked in there." Meggie said. "I guess he was hiding in the shadows."
"We'll keep him in the dungeon until your wedding is over. Then we'll send him and a few other prisoners to the slave drives." Shivesh explained. "Have a nice night."
Shivesh walked out of the room and Farid closed the door, turning back to Meggie as he slipped his dagger back into his sash. He pulled Meggie into his arms and they sat down on the bed.
"What really happened?" He murmured.
"I think…I read him out of a book." She whispered. Gwin's head immediately shot up from the bed and he tilted his head to the side.
"You mean like your father did with Dustfinger?" He asked.
"Yes, and I didn't even know I could do this." She groaned. "Someone must've gone in, but who?"
"Dustfinger." He gasped. Upon hearing this, Gwin shot out of the bed and scratched at the door, hissing and growling. Meggie opened the door and followed Gwin to Dustfinger's room. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw him sleeping on the bed, snoring loudly. Gwin jumped onto his stomach and the man woke up, looking around in a daze. He noticed Gwin and shoved the animal onto the bed.
"What's going on?" Dustfinger asked.
"I just wanted to make sure you were still here." Meggie mumbled.
"Why wouldn't I be here?" Dustfinger scoffed.
"I…I read someone out of a book I found and I was worried that you went in." Meggie sighed.
"Amazing." The fire-dancer murmured.
"Come on, you need to go to bed." Farid spoke up and placed his hands on Meggie's shoulders. "We didn't even get to play footsie under the covers yet. Besides, we have a whole day of planning tomorrow."
"I'm right here. I can hear everything you're saying," Dustfinger interrupted. Farid grinned and shrugged, wrapping his arms around Meggie's waist.
"It doesn't bother me," Farid chuckled.
"Well I wish you two a wonderful night of rest, now get out and let me sleep." Dustfinger threw the covers over his body and turned away from the two. Farid pulled Meggie out of the room and into theirs, where he closed the door quickly and locked it.
"You do realize that when we go to my world, you won't be able to sleep in the same bed as me, right?" She laughed as he pushed her onto the bed.
"Which is why I need to get as much as I can for the next few days." He smiled and she blushed.
He nestled his face into the crook of her neck, causing her to gasp. He kissed her neck softly and moved his mouth up her jaw line, causing her to grip his shoulders tightly. Her fingers clutched his hair and she yanked on it as he pressed against her, causing an energetic sensation to go through her body. Their eyes locked and she pressed her mouth against his. His lips softly moved against hers and she felt as if she wanted her life to be like this forever. But she knew that she had to get home to her family and to see her newly found mother.
Farid could see that she was distracted and he broke away, rolling onto the bed beside her. He took a strand of her hair and twirled it in his hand as he pulled the covers over them.
"So what are you thinking about?" He asked.
"Home." She sighed.
"You'll be home soon, don't worry." He reassured.
"You mean we." She added.
"If you say so." He smirked.
"I really do want to be with you for as long as I live." She whispered.
"Like I said, don't worry. We'll be together forever," He murmured. She smiled and laid beside him as he hummed lightly. She slowly fell asleep to his soft, melodic voice and her dreams were nothing but sweet as she pictured what her wedding would be like.