Un Souvenir d'Événements

The Shah of Persia and What Followed

The Shah was a curious character.

I don't often have trouble reading people, in fact, I would boast that I can read a person better than any other man on Earth; hence why it is no difficult feat for me to trick people, to make many unsuspecting unfortunates my puppets.

The Shah was a different case however.

He didn't seem startled by my appearance, which in itself was a rarity, but it was more than that; I was unable to distinguish a weakness in him.

His children seemed to be the same, though one certainly stood out to me. I took her to be his daughter, for no servant could be treated with such luxury.  The young princess, Amira. I'd heard enough of her from Nadir during our travels, so I was not surprised to find that her dark eyes remained on me for the duration of my conversation with the Shah.

Never had a woman looked at me in that way before, with such interest and- dare I say- attraction. I remember that I found it slightly disconcerting at the time, so I tried to keep my eyes from straying from my target of the Shah to look at her.

"The mysterious architect."

He mused, his brown eyes fixated on me as he looked me over, though he remained unfazed by my unconventional appearance.

"The Daroga has been on an extensive search for you, I pray you will not waste my time like the others who have dared to face me."

"As I understand it, they didn't have a choice in the matter."

I replied matter-of-factly. This was the first reaction I was able to gain from him for two reasons. The first was my impeccable Persian, clearly he had not expected me to be able to speak so fluently, perhaps that was one reason why he had turned others away as they were unable to understand him fluently. The second was that I had challenged his authority by speaking out of term.

Yet again, that deafening silence returned. I felt prepared to run and take Nadir with me, I had great experience in running from things, and I felt confident in my ability to keep my companion relatively safe also. I cast my eyes around the room, taking a note of the possible exits or weapons that I could improvise from the objects in the room.
I wasn't lacking in options, but thankfully, it never came to any of that.

The Shah laughed.

Yes, dear reader, the Shah laughed. I recall noting that man had an inexplicable way of smiling and laughing without moving a muscle on his face. I was perhaps the most accomplished ventriloquist in the world. I knew how to make a laugh appear from a vase on the opposite side of the room without moving my lips if I so desired, but this was different. He didn't have those skills, this much was obvious, he simply showed no emotion as he laughed, and I'll admit, it was slightly unsettling, even to me.

"Tell me, what do I call you?"

"My name is Erik."

"The Ruler."

I was unable to hide my confusion at his reply.

"I'm not a ruler. I'm an architect, nothing more, nothing less."

Again came that horrid, emotionless laugh as he shook his head. I did not appreciate being laughed at, I felt he was making a mockery of me, and I had refused to allow that to happen again.

"No, your name; Erik means 'Ruler.'"

"As interesting as that trivia is, I have not trekked halfway across this infernal planet to be told the meaning of my name. I am here to offer you plans for a palace, if they are not to your taste, then privy, tell me exactly what you want and you shall have it, for a price. If not, then I have more important matters to attend to than a petty monarch prancing around in luxury like a spoilt child."