Fire in the Heart : The Princess and the Bandit (9781629020112) (11 page)

Stuttering, the man replied, “Oh…thank…you,” he said, suddenly jerking away.

Natalia’s eyes narrowed as she spied the teaming platter of meats before them. “Oh, look at all that goat meat! Here, you want some!” She grabbed onto a mess of meat and leveraged it back, smacking it onto his plate. Some pieces made it to the plate while the prince stared at his now-stained satin shirt.

The sultan took his first bite, still glaring.

The prince reached for a nearby tray and pulled away again. “Thank you, princess. But please, I can help myself,” he said as he carefully spooned some vegetables.

“Okay!” Covered in grease and spices, her hand returned a piece of lamb that she quickly started to devour. She almost choked, but kept stuffing it in. Gleaking, she said, “I like your dancers!”

Hands suddenly raised, the unsuspecting prince jerked backward. “Oh, dear.” He wiped off the back of his hands and replied, “Thank you very much.”

Mera shook her head just as Natalia let loose a huge belch.

In the dead silence, the sultan’s mouth dropped.

Natalia grinned. “Oh, my! That was a good one!” she said as reached for another piece of meat.

“I do not think I am hungry anymore.” The prince pushed his plate and started to rise.

A deep and low voice broke the penetrating silence. “Natalia.”

She swallowed. “Uh oh!” Then she paused and turned to the prince. “Oh, do you like our elephant fountains?”

The man stammered “yyeesss,” barely audible.

Natalia replied, “Oh, they are so wonderful! Sometimes I take baths in them. Speaking of baths…” She abruptly tucked her nose into armpit. “I think I need one!” she giggled.

The low voice could be heard again. “Natalia! That is enough!”

Natalia turned. “What father? Is something wrong?” she cooed.

The sultan forced his chair backward. “Go to your room this instant! Show some decency and clean yourself up!”

All color drained from the prince’s face.

Natalia replied, “But, father, I always dress like this.”

The prince lifted his eyebrows.

The man’s voice boomed across again. “Natalia! Get to your room now! I will deal with you later!”

She snatched the prince’s hand. “It was so lovely meeting you! I definitely like you! See you soon!” She grabbed a handful of meat from his plate and shoved it into her mouth just as she turned to go.

The sultan turned to the motionless man. “Forgive me, Prince Bagribub, I do not know what to say,” he said.

He stood up. “I…I am appalled!” said Bagribub.

Natalia giggled one last time and closed the door. Her laughter rang throughout the hall. “Oh, this is so great!” she said as she continued laughing. Standing before her mirror, she kept talking, “Oh, that is such an awful name! Did you give yourself this name?”

Natalia’s door slammed as the sultan barged into her room. She jerked around.

Hand raised, he screamed, “You! You little she-demon!”

He paused as she stared into his red face. “What are you doing?! What are you doing?! How dare you embarrass my kingdom!” he shouted.

She stood frozen.

“You…you! What have you done?” he said with fire in his eyes.

Instantly, she stiffened. “I don’t want to marry him! Did you see him? I have no interest in—” But her plea was cut short by the back of the sultan’s hand. She immediately collapsed in a heap.

His voice again raised. “Shut your mouth! You have embarrassed our kingdom! Our family name! You have embarrassed me!”

Sobbing, she held her hand to her cheek.

“If you ever pull anything like that again! Anything! I will personally escort you to the dungeons myself! Do I make myself clear?” he threatened.

“I hate you,” she whispered through her teeth.

“What did you say?” his booming voice shouted.

“Nothing.”

The sultan continued, “If you do not choose a prince to marry, I will have you executed! I will not stand for this insolence! I have spent too many years keeping this kingdom in its prime! I will not let the selfishness of a she-witch ruin that!” His neck veins doubled in size.

Natalia’s tears dropped to the floor.

“Your stupidity is noted, Natalia. Do not, I say, do not, let it happen again. He jerked around and stormed out of the room.

Crying, she wrapped her arms around her knees.
I wish that Elijah was here
, she thought.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and Mera ran in. As she knelt by her side and hugged her, Natalia found little comfort in her arms. Her sobs continued through the night.

Chapter 12

E
lijah was thinking
about getting stones for the necklace and didn’t notice the brilliant blues and oranges in the sky as he strolled aimlessly. The sun was nearly gone. He suddenly shouted out, “Think, think!” as he smacked his head. The little lady, sweeping her steps, stood and stared and then continued with the
swish, swish, swish
of her broom. Lost in thought, Elijah didn’t even notice.
Maybe I can steal some from the….no, I can’t do that! It’s wrong! Maybe the crusader knows of a place? Maybe I can make a deal with Karam? He has some. I know he does! No, he would never make a deal with me. Curse the sands! This is horrible!

He turned down a dim alley and saw Bijan sitting in his usual corner in front of Dario’s stately house. As he approached, he could hear the tinkling of coins as Bijan dropped them back into his cup.

Elijah glanced toward the front gate, and said, “Will you not get in trouble begging here?”

The man glanced up. “Hmm? Oh, it’s you…uh…Kernon, right?” he asked.

“Elijah.”

“Oh, yes, yes. That’s right. Forgive me. It’s been a long week. Well. Actually, it’s been a long year. Maybe a long life,” replied the beggar.

Elijah nodded. “I understand,” he said as he sat down beside Bijan.

Glancing over, he asked, “You must be pretty desperate to sit by an old beggar like me?”

“Not at all. Just here to talk.”

Bijan laughed. “What do you want from me?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

Elijah shrugged. “Nothing. I just wanted to chat with you.”

“Hmmmmm.”

Elijah smiled. “You know. It’s probably not wise to beg here. That Dario got really upset last time you were here,” he said.

Bijan quickly responded. “I do not care for that fool! This is my house! He is a thief! He should be the one out here. Not me.”

Elijah continued, “Well. You are not doing anything to help by begging out here.”

His eyes narrowed. “Do not talk to me like that, boy!” yelled Bijan.

“Why are you here? Why do you continue to beg?” persisted Elijah.

Still staring, Bijan replied, “So that someday, I can see my daughter.”

Elijah looked away as oblivious passersby shadows came and left. “I understand. I suppose I would be doing the same thing.”

Bijan dragged his finger through the sand. “It is how it was supposed to be,” he muttered.

“Dario will get what’s coming to him. Don’t you worry about that.”

Bijan lifted his hand. “I hope he rots!” he replied as he stroked his gray beard.

Elijah nodded.

“What are you really doing out here?” asked Bijan curtly.

Elijah hesitated. “Trying to find gold, silver, an emerald. Maybe a diamond.”

Bijan threw his head back in laughter. “Now that is quite a predicament!”

“Yeah. You’re telling me!” chuckled Elijah.

They both sat quietly for a moment. Then Bijan asked, “What is it for? Are you trying to buy a house?”

Elijah question. “No. I just want to make something for someone special,” he whispered.

Bijan’s eyes sparkled. “Ah! Well, I might be able to help you.”

Elijah suddenly stood up. “What! Really?”

“But I ask only one thing in return.”

Elijah clasped his hands. “Anything!” he exclaimed.

Bijan glanced up and down the street and said, “In Dario’s house, there is a treasure chest in the master bedroom. In it are bars of gold and silver. And a big green emerald. I gave it to my wife when she was a young lady.” He glanced up into the night sky. “It is a treasure that I hid away to give to my daughter when the time was right.”

Elijah motioned for him to continue.

“It takes a special key to open it. I gave my wife the key,” said Bijan.

After another skyward glance, Bijan continued, “But I made a spare just in case. You know how women are.”

A grin crossed Elijah’s face as Bijan reached into his pocket. He turned and looked in both directions before shoving the metal object into Elijah’s hand.

Elijah stared.

Remembering, Bijan snapped his fingers. “There is a portrait in the chest, a portrait of my family. All I ask is that your retrieve this for me and you can take anything you like.”

Elijah frowned. “You hardly know me. Why trust me with this? Your greatest treasure?”

“I have nothing else to lose, Elijah. If you do not help me, I am still a beggar. If you do help me, I am still a beggar. It does not matter.”

Elijah nodded and said, “I will bring you back some treasure! Then you can get off the streets! You will finally have…”

Bijan threw his hand up. “No…the only treasure I care about is my daughter, and I lost that many years ago. When you lose someone you love, no treasures on the earth can ever replace that,” he shouted.

“But maybe you can find a better life, a better way too…,” pleaded Elijah.

“I beg here, so that I may see my daughter from time to time. She is the only reason I choose to live.”

Elijah’s eyes drooped. “I will get you your portrait.”

That’s all it took to put a smile on Bijan’s face. “Thank you. Good luck. You will have plenty of hiding room, but he does have guards in the house. He is a very paranoid man.”

Elijah threw his shoulders back. “He should be. I’m coming,” he said.

In night’s newly established darkness, Elijah stepped away. “Be back in a few minutes. Elijah scaled up the side of the house and paused halfway to glance back down. Bijan leaned back against an adjacent wall, eyes heavenward. Elijah stealthily slipped through the open window and into a warm and dark room. It was nearly cluttered with objects he seldom saw, fancy vases, ornate tables and chairs, handmade carpets and tapestries, and paintings of well-dressed people. A fire burned in an urn across the room, sending its sparkling warmth and light his way.

Elijah took a closer look at the portraits on the wall and realized that most of them were of Dario in different poses. Elijah thought,
Well, he obviously thinks a lot of himself
. Suddenly, voices drifted into the room from the floor below. He quickly stepped out into the beautifully painted hallway and to the next room. Peering in, his eyes landed on a little girl about ten years old. She sat, playing with a carved doll dressed in yellow and green silks. Giggling, she grabbed another doll and bounced them around the floor. She stopped the dolls in their journey and held them together face-to-face. Suddenly, a smooching sound came from her lips. Elijah grinned.
This must be his daughter!
he thought.
He quickly moved to the next room just as he heard Dario’s raised voice. When Elijah stepped into the master bedroom, he was greeted with a very large bed, many portraits, colorful vases, and glowing oil lamps. He thought how beautiful it was.
This is what Natalia must be used to!
he thought. Immediately, he started daydreaming of how he wanted to have a place like this for Natalia. He shook his head and snapped back to his mission once the chest by the bed came into view. Slowly, he walked over, inserted the key, and twisted.
Click,
the lid sprang upward, exposing an assortment of fancy clothing! His jaws tightened.
They must have moved it all!
he thought. He glanced around but saw no signs of gold or silver or anything really valuable. There was nothing on the shelves and nothing in the drawers. Dario’s shouts bounced down the hall from downstairs, but didn’t deter him in his search when suddenly, he noticed a hidden picture frame behind some clothes on one of the shelves. A closer look showed that it was a picture of the daughter. She held a flower and she was dressed in fine silk. Elijah smiled as he picked up the family portrait. Then, his search took him to a smaller chest, partially under a table in the corner. It was locked and his key didn’t even come close to fitting into the dark hole.

He leaned over and pulled up on the rough edges, but it wouldn’t budge. The hair on his neck bristled suddenly. He turned and found him face-to-face with the ten-year-old daughter, doll in one hand and a key in the other. He pulled back quickly, glancing between her tiny face and the brass key in her hand. He slowly bent down and lifted it from her hand. “Thanks,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” she quietly replied.

Elijah gasped as the nearby oil lamp exposed the hidden items, bars of gold and silver and a brilliant green emerald.

Her tiny voice made him jump. “Are you going to steal that from my father?”

Elijah grinned. “Not exactly. Your father actually said I could have a bar of silver and this emerald,” he said.

She quickly shook her head from side to side. “I don’t believe you. My father loves his treasures too much to share with anyone.”

Elijah grinned again and considered how sad it was that she did not know her real father.

Then she nodded. “It’s okay. You can take it. My father is really mean to me and my mother anyways.”

Elijah quickly nodded as he gently lifted one silver bar from the stack. He glanced up for a moment and thought how Natalia might like silver better than gold and then picked up the gleaming emerald.

“Why do you have that portrait of me?” she asked.

“Your father wants to have one of you,” he quietly replied.

Her answer surprised him. “My father sees me every day. I think he couldn’t care less about a portrait of me,” she said.

Elijah shook his head and smiled. “What is your name?” he asked.

“I am Elisa.”

“That is a pretty name,” replied Elijah.

She nodded. “Thank you.”

“I’m Elijah.”

“Nice to meet you,” said the little girl.