The Gazelle (A Rapunzel Retelling)

Chapter 6

Tabeya's cool pillow pressed against her cheek. The midday heat sent her mind floating between this realm and the one of dreams. She had slipped into a light sleep when the wall opened.

Ishtar stepped out of the black space beyond, her golden fur gleaming. She padded over to the bed and nudged Tabeya's hand with her nose.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Tabeya sat up and threw her comforter off.

Her fatigue receded to the background of her consciousness. Her mind became alert as if doused in cold water. Today, she was going exploring.

She swung her legs out of bed, fastened her sandals and followed the lioness to the opening in the wall.

Darkness enveloped them as it sealed closed. As always, the oil lamps on either side of the passage flickered to life, one by one.

Tabeya's hand rested on Ishtar's neck as they descended the stairs. The lioness's muscles rippled against her fingers. She was breathless by the time they reached the bottom of the staircase.

It was only the knowledge of what awaited her that kept her moving when she felt certain her chest would collapse in on itself.

Ishtar touched her paw to the mudbricks. The wall opened into the throne room.

Even in shambles, it took Tabeya's breath away. She could spend hours dancing in the centre of the massive room like a performer invited to entertain the King and Queen. She loved sitting at the foot of the thrones, letting her mind travel to the past.

She could imagine servants striding through the tall doorway at the far end of the room, bearing trays of dates and juicy, sliced fruits. She could picture the pretty, scantily clad concubines sitting in a group near the arched window overlooking the river, waiting to be beckoned. She could see the brightness, the life, the colours.

Ishtar rumbled, and Tabeya's fantasy peeled away, revealing the crumbling ruins for what they were.

Age had marred the goddesses and kings carved on the cracked walls. One of the thrones had collapsed during the battle or in the centuries of neglect that had followed. The tiles decorating the floor had cracked and faded.

Time had dilapidated this place, but its former splendour haunted it like the ghosts of those who had breathed their last behind these pillars.

Ishtar bounded towards the overgrown palace gardens, Tabeya trailing after her.

Tabeya was often tempted to tend to it, to feel the earth at her fingers and hold life in her hands, but she couldn't. Nungal missed nothing, and the last thing Tabeya wanted to do was betray the fact that she had a way out of her tower.

She and Ishtar followed the path around the palace and entered the east wing. Tabeya glanced up to see leaves climbing over the terrace above.

The lioness had brought Tabeya to the hanging gardens, her favourite part of the palace.

The gardens were lush and green all year round despite the heat, which was blistering in summer and only a bit milder in winter. The fragrance of the pomegranate trees wrapped Tabeya in its sweet embrace. She followed Ishtar up to the first level of the hanging gardens.

Date palms stretched into the sky, casting feathery shadows on the grass. A bird perched on a branch overhead whistled a cheerful tune. Tabeya looked up, a smile spreading over her face.

This was why she loved being outside. One never knew what one would find.

It could be a chirping bird, a rose at the peak of its glory or a ripe apricot just within reach. They were all equally lovely. When Tabeya was outside, she was surrounded by possibilities. She almost felt free.