Back to the Arabian Nights

the Stall

****

"Princess?" My maid Rati spoke through the door, "May I enter?".

"You may"

The dark air of the midnight, lit by a thousand different oil lamps brushed Rati's shadows as she entered. She had brought a small plate with sandalwood paste; does wonders for the skin, as the Queen had claimed. 

"I don't require a face pack, not right now" 

"But, princess" Rati had crushed a few rose petals in the marble mortar and pester, "Your skin won't comply with the extravagant stress you have been taking since the past hour. You must let your skin relax".

"Not now please Rati" My eyes had wandered to the doors of my room, "When is Brother Akram going to be here?"

"He says he'll be here soon. You can enjoy this face pack until then" She showed me the the paste, now infused with rose petal shredding. I desperately urged a relaxation after what I saw in the Emperor's chambers. 

"Rati, treat yourself to the face pack. I don't wish to indulge in it at the moment" My eyes still glued to the door, anticipating the Guru's arrival.

"I can't do that. This is the paste of the white sandalwood, rarest of the pieces found here" Her eyes widened in horror. 

"Exactly, all the more reason to try it" I gave Rati a gentle nudge to guide her out of the room, "Please do me a favour and ask for Brother Akram, tell him it's extremely urgent".

Rati looked a little bewildered, to say the least. But, she didn't find it too eccentric enough to question me. 

"That'll be unnecessary, Rati" The door opened swifty, interrupting our momentum, "I'm here".

The Guru walked in the room and glanced at me with his tired eyes. He had been busy with the transportation and imports for the preparation of the wedding. On top of that, the fact he had to look for the palace as shown by the crystal hadn't spared the man with any free hour. 

"I have finally found the place, Avani" The Guru said with a heaved sigh. He had been tired, and had lost hours of sleep. Celebrations of wedding as grand as this demanded labour. 

"I have something important to ask you too" I tried to grab his faded attention with my dexterity of my hands. 

"Please, I must show you this" He brought up the painting scroll he had been holding, "I've found the palace of your answers".

My momentary panic of seeing the dacoit as the Emperor faded un noticeably at the unrolling of the painting. 

"The Place you have to go to is at" The Guru had finally unrolled his painting scroll, "Agrabah"

With chirps of excitement, the Guru pointed to the maple leaf design that we were looking for in the painting. He was excited and proud.

I however stood there in shock, not at the maple leaf design; but at the Emperor's face. 

"This is the Emperor?" 

I snatched the painting scroll from the Guru's hands and examined the painting of the Emperor.

He was the same hazel eyed dacoit.

****

"I saw his face from the mirror and I ran away from there. I thought that if I call the guards discreetly, he wouldn't be able to escape like the last time he did on the west pavilion" 

I had given the Guru an hour long explanation about what had happened in the temple; how the man saved me from the human stampede and tricked me into becoming a fake dacoit leader; I left out the part where I was gushing about how his eyes looked nice, because I didn't want the Guru to judge me.