Rajah's Curse

Chapter 44: A Visitor

A prince is subjected to an abundance of joys and luxuries in his life, so I can say with reasonable authority that there are few things that rival basking in the roaring approval of a crowd after winning a duel. I waited for the usual euphoria to hit me as I smiled my best princely smile.

Cheers fill the morning air and I told myself I had done it. I had won and everyone had borne witness, the sultan, a good portion of the court, far too many guards considering that some of them should be working, and a solitary figure that stood up at the very top of the palace wearing my favorite shade of blue.

The distance was too great to make out details, but it was Jasmine. I was sure of it. She must have learned about the duel from someone else because I had not told her. All week, I had debated the issue and, in the end, I had decided against it for the sake of propriety. Though, even I had to admit seeing her waving at me now was a welcomed sight.

I did not wave back. It would not do, but I did bow directly to her. I made it a big sweeping gesture so that the princess would be able to see it from her perch.

That was all I could think to do before facing my new subset of admirers, so I stood up and began. First, I turned to acknowledge my opponent. Fahir wore a shocked expression that gave me some satisfaction. The two of us shook hands and exchanged the proper words with each other. Next was Razoul who was still watching us. He said little, but I thought I saw some newfound respect in his eyes. Then there was Zunaid, the guard I had spoken with a few days ago. He was the first to reach us, somehow outpacing the approaching crowd.

The older guardsman congratulated me with an aggressive slap on the back and then invited both me and Fahir to his mid-morning practice sessions. I barely had time to tell the man I'd be there next week before I was mobbed with further offers of favors and praise.

It took over an hour to address all my fans. Afterwards, when I had finally made it off the training field and had arrived at breakfast, the eulogies continued. During every meeting I attended, and I had made sure to schedule many today, I was met with more congratulations. Men who I had been working on for weeks suddenly opened up to me, deciding I was now tough enough by their standards. Ladies smiled at me with extra appreciation and a new host of them approached me.

At lunchtime, the princess surprised me by running into my arms and singing my praises as well. I made the mistake of commenting on this. Jasmine glared at me and launched into the expected scold that was only partially ruined by her sparkling eyes. I apologized with similar sincerity. In less than a quarter-hour, we had reconciled and she was demanding to know if I planned to duel again. I summoned a smile and told her yes. Then I spent the rest of the meal sharing my predictions about who might challenge me next.

When, at last, it was time for dinner, I was honored with another surprise. Zunaid and the other guards insisted I drink with them that night. The sultan who was secretly my hardest critic nowadays did not protest me missing the after-dinner entertainment. In fact, the man added his own flattery to the mix and seemed to be in earnest when he told me to go have fun.

Once I said goodbye to him, his advisor of the evening, and his daughter, I let myself be pulled into the nearest bar. The Agrabah guards might not be as battle-ready as the Mujulaain military, but they drank with the same abandon. I, myself, did not indulge overly much. The alcohol was unusually strong, but I made sure to join in on the revelry and male bonding, creating new allies and avenues for future endeavors.

On the whole, the outing was probably far more enjoyable than whatever well-disguised test the sultan had planned for me. Truly, the only downside to the day was how late I got back to my rooms. Jasmine and I did not meet up at night anymore, so it had been a while since I had stayed up so late. After Vinit helped me dress into my nightclothes, I fell onto my bed exhausted.