A few minutes later, Nidal let go of my hair and dropped his hands to his sides. I saw the muscles on his face relax. He silently walked over to the bathroom and entered it, thrusting the door shut behind him. I bolted for the door. Blinded by tears, I ran down the long corridor, exited through the back doors, and went around to the stables.
A beautiful black stallion had his head in a bucket and was drinking water. I approached him slowly. His head bobbed up, and he took a few steps backward. Not wanting to scare him, I reached over and caressed his neck, whispering softly to him. When I saw that he accepted my friendship, I slowly grabbed his reins and pulled him gently toward me. I kicked over the bucket, and the remaining water spilled. I turned the bucket upside down and placed it next to the horse. I stepped on it, climbed on top of the horse, and pulled his reins. And off we went. It's a good thing I know how to ride a horse.
The horse galloped away from the palace. The warm breeze brushed against my skin, and I closed my eyes, allowing the tears to travel down my face, another reminder of the pain that tortured my heart.
After riding for a while, I had no idea where I was headed to, and as I looked around, I realized I was lost. I did not know which way would lead me to a safe haven. I wiped the tears from my eyes and tried to focus and see where I had come from, but as I looked around, I saw nothing but grass, trees, and hills. A new set of tears spilled forth, and I was tired of riding, so I decided to stop and rest a bit instead of moving forward. I jumped off the stallion and found a nice spot under a tree that offered some shade and a decent resting spot, but to my dismay, the stallion did not want to be a part of my adventure anymore, and he ran away. I panicked and called out to him, but it was of no use. The beautiful stallion had quickly disappeared from my view.
Now what? A new set of tears were threatening to spill forth, but I knew that crying would not help the situation. After much thought, I decided not to waste any more time, and I started walking down a dirt path, hoping it would take me to the village I had once visited with Nidal. I walked the whole entire day with only a few rests along the way. It was almost sundown, and from a distance, I saw many lit torches, which indicated a village was down that road. I picked up my pace, and I was relieved when I finally reached the village.
Almost immediately, I noticed this was not the same village I had visited before. Nothing here looked familiar as I walked down the empty, cobbled streets. The shops were closed, and the streets were deserted. I looked around, and a lump formed in my throat. Teary-eyed, I continued walking throughout the neighborhood and realized I had made a mistake coming here.
I gazed along the path that led to another part of the village. I was getting a little nervous now. This part of the neighborhood did not look as inviting as the other side. The homes looked run-down and unkempt. A bad stench was coming from the side of the street that looked like an alley. Garbage was everywhere, and the torches were few. I slowly turned and walked the other way, hoping to find refuge before bedtime. As I walked closer to the nicer homes, the smell of fresh-baked bread filled my nostrils, and I wavered with hunger as my stomach growled, reminding me that I had not eaten a single thing today.
I debated if I should knock on someone's door, and I realized I might be recognized and taken back to the palace. My shoulders slumped as I walked away from the village and headed back on the dirt road from which I had come. The moon was full tonight, and that gave me a little guidance. Feeling hungry, thirsty, and tired, I pulled off the dirt road, found a tree, and dropped underneath it. This would make a good sleeping ground until morning.
Not that I had another choice, I thought dryly as my eyelids closed and I fell into a deep sleep.
