Tourists, Dictators And Ducks
The next day, I woke up to a silent house. Ricky was usually the sole source of disturbance in the house and he was already half way through his journey by then.
Stupid camping.
I got dressed in a pair of black tights and a red swing dress, put on my boots and was about to leave when my mother stopped me.
“Honey.” She frowned at me, “Don’t you think your liner is getting thicker and thicker every day?”
“No.” I replied with an innocent face. She just shook her head before kissing me goodbye.
For some reason, my mother thought that my dress code was a sign of depression. God knows how she had reached that conclusion, but there was no convincing her otherwise.
“Hey!” I heard a voice call out as soon as I was outside. Zane was standing on the other side of the fence with a smile on his face.
“Hey.” I replied with no expression.
“I was wondering if you could show me where the park is.”
“The park?” I asked him sceptically.
“Yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck. “It’s a lot more greener where I’m from. It would be nice to find a bit of home here.”
That made me smile. “Sure. We could go now?”
“That would be great!” His smile grew bigger and he was right next to me as soon as I got to the pavement. “You never told me your name.” He said after a while.
“I know.” I said without turning towards him.
“What is it?”
I smiled at his persistence. “Maisha.” I said while waving at the postman who crossed us. I loved the postman! He always brought me gifts from amazon. Granted that I ordered them AND paid for them, but still. It was like the guy was my very Santa, bringing me whatever I want, without a christmas restriction.
“That’s a pretty name. What does it mean?”
I tilted my head slightly towards him. “How the hell would I know? It’s not like I named myself.”
His mouth dropped open for a second before he composed himself. “Fair enough.” He said after a while. “What’s fun to do in this town?”
“Nothing tourists would enjoy doing.”
“We’re not tourists.”
“Are you staying then? Permanently?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“No.” He shook his head. “But I don’t know how long we’re in town for.”
“Good for you.” I replied. “Actually, no it isn’t. This town is boring. You’ll probably die of boredom and be buried here, hence staying in this town permanently.”
Zane chuckled. ”Hopefully it won’t come to that.”
“So, are you guys the new neighbours or just a part of the neighbours we already had?” I asked him after a while.
Ricky and I had a hobby. We would make stories about the people who stayed in the house next door. We had never actually interacted with them till now, so it added to the whole mystery of it all. Especially when in a small town like ours, everyone knew everyone AND their great grand parents.
“Raees’ dad got the house for his employees when they come here; he’s setting a branch here or something. We’re just crashing for now.” He shrugged.
“Makes sense, I always thought it was weird how many new faces I saw coming and going even though the house was never sold. Anyways” I said turning towards him, “we’re here. It’s really not that big but it’s the only one in this town that you can even call a park.”
Zane just grinned. “It’s great. Better than that grass-less house.”
I laughed. “Grass-less?”
“Ahan.” He said before going serious. “Hey, if you have nothing important to do, then you could I don’t know, hang with me for a while?”
Hang out with Zane or sleep in a library? Tough choice.
“I can spare an hour or two.” I shrugged before walking towards the entrance with him.
Zane was cool. I decided that as soon as he got me an ice cream. We then fed the ice cream cones to the ducks after licking off all the ice cream. The ducks didn’t seem to mind.
We had a game of football with a bunch of kids after that and let them win on purpose. Zane’s idea. I was against it, I mean, you can’t just let someone win because their tiny. It sends a message that they can’t win fairly and that’s an insult to all tiny people out there!
Zane didn’t agree.
Whatever.
“So, it’s you and your brother?” Zane asked as we lay down on the grass next to each other.
“Yeah.” I replied, “He’s out on some camping trip for the week. So, it’s just me and my mother these days.”
“Your dad?” He asked.
“He passed away.”
He was silent for a few minutes before he sat up and looked at my guiltily. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“
“It’s alright.” I cut him off. “It was a long time ago. I don’t even remember him.”
“But it must hurt.” He said with a slight frown.
“How can something that I don’t remember hurt?” I laughed. “And anyways, I think it’s good. I mean, what’s the point of remembering something if it’s just going to hurt you?”
“I get why you think that not remembering is better than getting hurt.” He nodded, his blue eyes looking down at me. “But what if remembering was important, important for some reason? Like saving lives important?”
“That doesn’t even make sense.” I laughed.
“Humour me.” He gave me a half-smile.
“OK, well, if remembering hurts me than I’d rather be oblivious. It’s been years, but my mother still misses my dad. She still cries. I don’t care if she has happy memories of him or whatever, I still think I’m better off than her. And anyways, if I can’t remember than I wouldn’t know about the people getting hurt, so how can I care about that?”
“Interesting.” He said before getting up and offering me his hand, “Want more ice cream?”
I took his hand. “You’re my new favourite person.”
“Who was your favourite person before?”
“Me.” I shrugged. “Actually, it still is.” I smirked at him. “You’re just not that awesome yet.” I joked.
We left for home a while later. I had called the sweet library lady earlier and told her I couldn’t come in today. She had said that I was on paid leave for the day. How awesome is she?
“That’s alright.” He chuckled. “I have time. Speaking of which, I had fun today. A lot of fun. “ He said while smiling.
“Of course you had fun.” I said cheekily. “But yeah, it was a good day.”
Just then, Raees walked out of his house.
“Where have you been?” He demanded angrily from Zane.
“I was- I was at the park-“ Zane looked at the ground guiltily.
“AT THE PARK?! Are you crazy? Do you think we’re here to go to the PARK? We have-“
“Ok, buddy.” I stepped in front of Zane. “I think it’s time for you to shut up.” These guys might know each other since way before I even knew that bananas in pyjamas aren’t real bananas, but that didn’t mean one had the right to talk to the other in front of me like that.
And I really didn’t like this Raees character, so yeah.
Raees just looked at me with a frozen shocked expression; like I had turned red and grown horns.
I didn’t have to; I could be much scarier than any devil/demon without the extra effects.
“It’s alright.” Zane said before placing a hand on my shoulder. “I should have told him first.”
I turned towards him. “This is a democratic country, so this guy might be the king of crazy town, but he doesn’t have the right to boss people around here.”
“This is between me and Zane.” Raees said in a controlled furious tone. His green eyes seemed to be on fire. “You should go home.”
“No one tells me what to do.” I hissed at him. “Definitely not you.” He was angry. And the angry version of him was even more intimidating than his frowning self. But he didn’t scare me. Not in the slightest.
Zane reached for me again. “Maisha-“ But his friend cut him off.
“Do not talk to me like that. I have every right to-“
“Raees!” Zane stopped him.
“Oh no, Zane.” I said while walking closer to Raees. “Let the guy talk. I want to hear what he has to say. His explanation of how he has the right to talk in whatever way he likes but I don’t. Come on, Raees, continue with your sexist opinions.”
“I am not sexist, you spoilt overly protected brat!” Raees was screaming right in my face now. It would be true to say that he wasn’t happy. At all.
“What did you call me, you rude obnoxious-“ I lunged towards him but Zane blocked me.
“That’s it!” Zane said while picking me up and walking towards my house. “That’s enough.”
“Let me at him, Zane!” I screamed. “Just let me at him!”
“Calm down.” Zane said to me. “I can deal with him.” He carried me right to my front door before putting me down. “You’re just making it worse for me.”
That stopped my screaming. “If he’s giving you a hard time, tell me. I’ll sort him out. Once I‘m through with him, I promise you-“ Zane’s laughter stopped me.
“He’s my best friend, Maisha. I know how to deal with him.”
“Why are you friends with that jerk anyway?” Zane was a nice guy, but I really wasn’t that attached to him. Not until Raees began talking, that is. He had gone from stranger I was showing around to a bird with a broken wing that I needed to protect within seconds.
“He’s a good guy with a little too much to deal with. It just gets to him sometimes.” Zane shrugged.
“That’s no excuse.” I shook my head.
“It isn’t. And he’ll realize that as soon as he calms down.”
“If you say so.” There was no point in arguing. “Just make sure he apologizes.”
“Yes sir!” Zane saluted before saying a quick bye and running off.
I glared at Raees from my door and he glared right back. Something told me that this wasn’t our last argument.
**
“You were at the park.” Raees stated as soon as Zane was near enough.
“Yes, your highness.” Zane said, “I was trying to get to know the new her, see why her memories aren’t back yet.” Zane turned towards the direction he had left the princess. She’d gone inside. Good.
“And you had to touch her to do that?” Raees hissed, referring to the way he had just picked her up and taken her away. So... improper.
Zane opened his mouth to explain the necessity of what he had done before closing it again and looking at Raees in half shock and half amusement. “Are you jealous?”
Raees’ eyes turned into slits. “We might be in a different realm but don’t forget soldier, she’s your future queen and my wife.”
“Definitely jealous.” Zane said with complete amusement before turning serious. “What did you find out?”
“The dream was a part of the process.” Raees confirmed. “So it hasn’t completely failed. But for some reason it isn’t going as it should. The caster thinks… he thinks it might be a sub-conscience will on the princess’ part, she might not want to remember.”
Zane nodded. “She said something like that today; that it’s better to not remember than be hurt.”
“This just makes our job all the more difficult.” Raees frowned before scowling. “I did suggest to my father before coming here that she should just be brought to the other realm and I could bring her memories back once she’s there. He didn’t agree, but it seems necessary now.”
“So is that what we are going to do?”
“Unfortunately” Raees began while quickly glancing at the princess’s window before turning back towards him, making Zane smile, “my father still does not agree. He wants her to come home willingly once she remembers everything. He thinks it would be abduction otherwise.” He huffed. “Abduction! It’s absurd. I have better things to do with my time then to be here of all places.”
“As you have mentioned quite a few times now.” Zane replied. “But we have no choice in this matter.”
Raees nodded. “We have to think of a plan.”
“Considering that we are now standing on democratic soil, I vote we should start by NOT calling her a spoilt over-protected brat.”
“As much as your so-called sense of humour annoys me, you might just be right.” Raees said before sighing. “But it’s just so difficult. Have you seen what she has done to her hair? And those piercings! Even one is frowned upon by royals, and I counted four on just her visible skin!”
“If the knowledge comforts you, there are only four. I asked her. And no tattoos.” Zane tried hard not to laugh.
“But still.” Raees shook his head. “It’s horrendous!”
“I would sympathize with you, your highness. But you didn’t like her when she dressed like a normal royal either, so I really don’t know what you want from her.” Before all this fiasco, Zane had been close to the princess. He would never admit it to anyone, but the rumours were true. He did love her from a distance. He knew that he would never have a chance and he had accepted that long ago, but he loved his future queen nonetheless. And it had pained him to see her suffering. Her mother was murdered in front of her, her father died when she needed him the most and now all she had was a husband who couldn’t even stand her and the responsibility of millions of lives on her shoulders.
“Do you like being a soldier, Zane? Or would you rather be something else?” Raees suddenly asked him, bringing him out of his thoughts and back to the conversation.
“I always wanted to be a painter.” Zane answered the rather random question truthfully, “But being a soldier is my duty towards my land. I might not like it, but I would never turn away from it.”
“You would fulfil your duty no matter what it costs you, regardless of what you want or need?” Raees confirmed.
“Of course, your highness.” Zane said without a doubt.
“And yet I have heard you complain on several occasions that your duty keeps you away from your family.”
Zane huffed indignantly. “I’m doing what I have to do and I’d die for my land without a second thought, but I do have the right to complain.”
Raees gave him a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Exactly, my friend. Exactly that.”
**