The King's Playground - A Vast World

Chapter 1: Home, bitter home - Part 2

One of Abel's friends on site had told him that some terrorists attacks had started on Nahamira, his home land. The royal family, especially the crowned prince and his daughter, were apparently at risk of being assassinated. A fire had been started once in the palace's temple during the princess's prayers, and her father had been multiple times been shot at with crossbow darts, thankfully he was never hit.

Al'Bendal Hamir, prince of the kingdom, had tried to intercept the terrorist with his own milice, and had discovered that the attacks were supposedly an extremist group of beduins who wanted to overthrow the government, or at least that was what was released officially.

Abel's contact and friend, Mil'Hamad was a beduin himself, and assured Abel that there was no actual organization of beduins trying to assassinate the royal family. In fact, beduins had very little care of the government, since they lived way to far off the coasts to be really influenced by the laws in place in the cities. Their lifestyle was in a way independent from the country, and the tribes to use their own government and report later to the king.

To Abel, the idea that "beduins" were the culprits was not very believable, but he severely lacked proof of his suspicions. He had to investigate on the terrain, if he wanted any chance to help resolve this issue.

Abel did not have good relation with the royal family and the government of Nahamira, but the corruption and manipulation that poised it, he hated deeply. He was close enough with multiple beduin communities to be angered over the fact that they were mostl likeley being used as cover all while being presented as the culprits for something so important. He had to try and help, and his knowledge of the royal family's inner mechanisms would be a key factor.

The boat reached land in the port-city of Fakir, and once again, Abel was mesmerized by her beauty. The daughter of Nahamira. The portrait of the princess in buildings and colorful drapes. The Madina Almina fascinated Abel and was part of the inspiration for his colorful clothes. She was transcending. The grand port opened like a mouth stretches in a smile, and the rest of the city was her face, painted in colorful makeup. The mix of sand stone and pink paint was her blush, and the clothes hanging from every window were her eye-shadows. She was bathed in light, in flowing tissues, in the scent of spices and salt, and the sea wind would send her hair flying everywhere. The only downside of this city was the fact that you got used to the beauty of the city, and it pained Abel.

Sadly, he did not had the time to contemplate any longer, because as soon as he could, he had to jump on a loan horse and ride towards the capital Al'Soukarh as soon as possible. He should rejoin the city in around a day of travel, witch mean he would arrive at night. Perfect.

The nights in Al'Soukarh were a time for assassinations, adultery and fascination. Abel remembered all of them, but surely the last one is the one you cannot get bored of. Dancers, he had been one of them. When moving their bodies to the sound of the tavern, they were nothing but something older men and mothers told kids to beware of, but when they were offered another music, when they moved to the notes of a homeless little girl who wants to make a few pieces, they were suddenly charmed like snakes by a flute, mesmerized and transcended by the eerie tunes of her voice. It charmed the bodies and souls of both dancers and onlookers.

Sometimes, it was not a little girl, but an old man who lived in the same streets and wanted her to sleep this night, and took her place. He had a fatherly voice, an ounce guttural, and he would sing about the life of the beduins through the desert, or about Amallah and sacred texts. Those were the nights Abel remembered.

Tonight, he had no time to listen to the chants, he slithered through the darkness and to a small door falling apart. He knew who lived there. He has known him for a long time.