Rajah's Curse

Chapter 40: Royal Negotiations

Two days later, I sat at a table in a small meeting room with Ambassador Bhushan. The stout chief ambassador of Mujulaain had originally been sent to Agrabah after my disappearance, most likely to detect foul play. He was a proud man who I had never liked very much.

However, despite my previous opinions, he'd proved himself invaluable in the last couple of days and there was something very gratifying about the way he looked at me now. As a tiger, he'd often sneered at me and Jasmine, but now my presence commanded his respect and admiration.

I smiled at him just to see the effect again.

The portly man blushed like a young maiden. "राजकुमार, दुर्गाचा प्रकाश तुझ्याद्वारे प्रकाशतो." Bhushan never spoke Arabic if he could help it.

"May she shine through us all, Ambassador Bhushan," I answered in Mujulaai.

Bhushan replied with yet another compliment and an ill-suited smile that distorted his gruff features, but who could blame him? He'd suddenly gone from an ambassador to a small no-name country by Mujulaai standards to a key advisor to a member of the royal family. It was a marked change for both of us.

It had begun yesterday morning after Jasmine had broken my curse. After I confirmed my curse was mostly gone by asking some guards for directions without transforming, Jasmine and I had found me some better clothes. Then I'd presented myself to Bhushan. It took some convincing, but my amulet assured him of my identity and from there, the three of us had plotted my reentrance into Agrabah society.

Today I would meet with the sultan and be Prince Dhiren once more. With any luck, Jasmine and I would be officially engaged by the end of next month.

There was a knock at the door. It was time. I rose from my chair and watched as the door opened.

Jasmine and her father entered the room.

Alright. I could do this.

In a steady practiced voice, I said, "Sultan Hamed and Princess Jasmine, I am most pleased to see you again." I gave them my signature greeting which had taken me countless hours to re-learn last night. It was a low and graceful bow that included a complicated Ghamese hand gesture of respect as an extra flourish.

When I stood back up, Jasmine said with a twinkle in her eye, "You could not be more pleased than we are." The princess curtsied and added, "Welcome back, Prince Dhiren."

"Thank you, princess," though I had to disagree with her. I was definitely more pleased than she was and the sultan...

He most certainly did not look happy to see me. All he did was nod slightly which in no way impeded him from his thorough examination of my person. It felt a bit like being thrown into a cold bath. It seemed like an age before the sultan at last turned to Bhushan and asked, "This is Prince Dhiren of Mujulaain?"

"होय तो मुजुलाईनचा हरवलेला राजपुत्र आहे." Bhushan said proudly.

"In Arabic," I said, shooting the ambassador a reproving look. We had been over this.

Bhushan blushed again, this time with embarrassment as he said in heavily accented Arabic, "Of course, Rājakumāra." He directed his gaze to the sultan, "Sultan Hamed, I assure you this is Prince Alagan Dhiren Rajaram of Mujulaain, the son of my king."

That was better. I nodded in approval.

Bhushan continued, "Of course, you can see the resemblance. He looks the same as I always remembered him," which was a blatant lie. The man had not noticed any sort of resemblance when I first appeared at his quarters.