A small fishing boat drifted past them drawn quickly by both current and the fair breeze which swept the river eastward and towards the far away coast. However, to those on the yacht it meant so much more that words could not begin to describe their elation, it could only be said that it was taking them home. Having passed well out of sight of Alzamard had relieved the enormous and crushing air that had hung over them for weeks, but now it was far enough behind to no longer give it any concern. All that could be done, had been. It was over.

Nawra continued to doze off as the sun began to sink and the crews rowing slowed even more than it had once they knew the ship was almost halfway home. There was no great urge to go faster as the only real danger on this stretch of the river had been left behind, it was also out of season for the river pirates who most likely were keeping their small craft stashed away safely while preparing for the coming harvest season and the accompanying boom in trade. Eyes almost closed again she watched her field of view slowly change as the craft was steered towards the shore for the night, it meant another night of buzzing insects that threatened to prick them from head to hoof but it was almost welcome over what she had put up with. At least the insects were honest in their intentions.

Laying still and basking in the relaxing, cool breeze Nawra listened as orders were given and the small craft used to get ashore was prepared for launching. It was an annoyance to the crew but necessary as it was not only unseemly but unconscionable to have royalty wade ashore like a common peasant. First the cargo for setting up the camp would cross along with some soldiers and then finally the rest of her furnishings that would make a night on the riverbank possible. They would only disturb her when it was finished and a proper seating arrangement prepared, an arrangement which suited her just fine as it was a boring and laborious process.

However, there were now other things to be moved ashore at night which deeply concerned her. Fareed had been most "generous" in his apology but only in such that it was beneficial to him. Food had been provided for the journey back, free of poisons of course, and also a handful of other items.

"He did not give up much on the trade agreement but at least he agreed to lend greater assistance in dealing with the river pirates this year and to ease some of his taxation on river trade, if only just. It should be enough to fund my harbor project for a time at least, unless Jubril tries to divert the funding again... No, not this time, this was my doing and he would be a fool to challenge me over the proceeds I will have generated." Pushing the thoughts aside Nawra listened to the sound of the river and birds allowing her mind to slow and much needed rest return.

"Princess?"

Nawra lazily opened her eyes and stared up at Pijasiros. "Hmm?"

"I do not mean to disturb you but the "others" have been taken ashore."

"By your tone I assume there were no problems."

"None, but if you wish it your space has been prepared, you may take advantage of it at your leisure and continue to rest while ashore."

"How is he?"

"Which?"

"You know who I mean but stop pretending that you do not object to my choice, it is your duty to accept it, not lie to me about it."

"Very well." Pijasiros gave her an unamused stare. "May I at least voice my concerns openly?"

"You are not just my personal attendant but also an advisor at times, you may speak but only so long as others do not hear."

"It is most unwise and unbecoming to accept a thief into your entourage! Though far be it from me to chide you on such matters it goes without saying that to bring him with us will only make matters worse between your brother and yourself. It shall be obvious to all as to what his crime was and even a thick layer of lies will not hide it, the colt is obviously a thief and will bring nothing but trouble. As for the other, I do agree with you on taking Aaarabisk away so as not to leave him in that hole with the other two but at least you plan on handing him over to the orphinarium. But why, why do you want to keep the thief?"

"I do not know. Aaarabisk is much too... Dangerous, to be kept because of his training in unique "matters of gender" which would cause no end of problems, but the other colt is... Different."

"If I may say so and your father would agree, using pity as a deciding factor in such matters is a poor use of judgement. At least give him to the temple as a floor scrubber, he will at least be able to do that much as a cripple. That and at least he will have a hard time stealing anything!"

"He is hardly crippled Pijasiros but I understand your concern about his poor choice in profession, but neither shall I hold it against him as I suspect should we have been raised on the streets of that city..." Nawra shook her head. "I very much suspect it would be we who pick pockets for a living."

"That may be so but that life, those experiences are part of him, he is at least twelve, maybe older but no less and has spent all of his life lying, cheating and stealing for a living. To ask him to give up everything he knows-"

"Pijasiros." The stallion stopped speaking and bowed his head in waiting. "I thank you for your concern but by taking him with us we have removed him from everything he knows and understands. Yes, he shall require a great deal of training but probably less than what you are giving to Aaarabisk at the moment to break him of his..." Nawra shook her head. "This one will be more... Malleable, than the other. His crime, the loss of his hand and having only just survived the fever brought on by his wound will have shattered him mentally. You see a lost cause, I see an opportunity to help him rather than throw the poor colt onto the streets or into the care of some priests who will only belittle him and demand a lifetime of repentance. It will not save him, it will kill him. If he survives then it might just drive him over the edge. Better he come with us and if nothing else scrub the palace floor than the alternative. As for Aaarabisk... We can only hope that his "experience" will wear off as he ages and be deeply buried or outright forgotten. I pray for it, he deserves better as did the other two but..."

Pijasiros let out a small grumble. "Very well princess, let it not be said you did not try to help them and I shall trouble you with my concerns on this matter no further. Shall we go ashore?"

"Yes, lets. What are they making tonight?"

"Ah, we had some luck today while you slept. One of the fishing craft from a village we passed was bringing in its haul and we made a quick purchase in passing. To be honest I do trust what we brought with us from Fareed's offering... But, it was fresh! J'Lail even saw them pulling the fish out long before we arrived so we can be assured there was no tampering with them. Your meal tonight will be a choice of fish kabsa, roasted fish, honeyed fruits-"

"That will be sufficient." Nawra slowly stood and quietly stretched before walking to where the tiny craft was waiting. "Is he lucid?"

"What? Oh, yes, the thief is lucid though still fevered, but he has neither spoken a word nor moved an inch. He is content to simply... Lay wherever we place him and wither away."

"I would not expect him to jump up and run around after such an experience but at least he is awake. We must get a proper name from him, calling him "the thief" is... Barbaric. Speak with him and see if he will say anything when you feed him tonight."

"As you wish princess."

The oarstallion rowed them the short distance quickly with powerful, even strokes from his large and muscled arms and once the boat touched the shore he leapt out into the shallow waters. Without assistance he grabbed the craft and hauled it further up until it was out of the water and away from the mud before letting it rest. A cloth was quickly thrown down for her to step on and leaving the boat Nawra walked up the bank along a path that had been prepared for her. Sitting down under the canopy that had been pitched she looked around the camp which had sprung into existence in only a few minutes. It was a miracle to her how fast the crew could clear a landing spot and have everything ready within such a short amount of time, but also how quickly they could bring everything aboard and make it appear that no one had ever been there save for a firepit.

Steam was rising from pots while one of her servants worked diligently with a knife while juggling pans around the fire as they prepared food not only for her but the crew as well. The crew however were eating from one large, central pot which was a mishmash of whatever the cook could get in it as they prepared her dinner first. Nothing smelled bad though, she had even caught the crew jeering at their own cook that they could do to learn from their new, temporary one. None would remain with the yacht when it returned, they would pull it into dry-dock, clean, repair and repaint whatever was needed and then be shuffled back to their normal duty on one of the smaller river warships Labrad had managed to furnish. They were terribly hard to get and expensive to make but well worth it as just two or three was usually enough to scare off the river banditry most of the time. It was also prudent to keep them close to home come harvest season because without any craft to defend the river anyone could attack the barges ferrying across the harvest from the land taken from Fareed on the south side of the river.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh, clean and now scented air Nawra laid back down and relaxed, it was going to be hell explaining the thief away to her family but hopefully reason would win out and that he be given a fair chance at turning over a new leaf. If not, then he would spend his life scrubbing floors either in the palace or a temple. Neither were horrific prospects because at least he was no longer back there and could make a choice. She shuddered for a moment thinking about the other two who had been left behind, they simply had to go.

"I wonder if they will embrace that they are now free... I do feel sorry for Mudahash, the poor stallion has only known obedience and slavery but at least he has skills as a dockworker. Her, on the other hand." Nawra cringed. "I did what I could, she is free, has a little coin to either attempt a life or leave the city. Her life is her own now but what a waste, she will be nothing more than a common whore on a street now, they completely broke her. At least it will be her choice to make even though it will be a bad one and also the death of her."

"Princess? A drink princess? She must have fallen- Oh, my apologies. I did not mean to wake you but you have been sleeping all day and-"

Nawra's eyes opened and she looked up at Pijasiros quickly. "No, it is alright and yes I could use a drink."

"Chilled wine, I it hung over the side during our trip so the water would chill it."

"Delightful!" Pijasiros stooped down and held out the serving tray and after sitting up Nawra pulled it from the tray. "Tell me, did you-"

As Nawra brought the goblet up a shaky, feverish hand slapped across her mouth while the stump of a hand covered the goblet and tried to push it away. A hushed silence pervaded as Pijasiros and Nawra stared at the thief as he half stood and half knelt beside her wobbling and shaky, the fever still somewhat present in his eyes as they struggled to focus.

Jerking back suddenly as her mind caught up with what was happening Nawra pushed his hand away. "What do you think you are-"

Pijasiros grabbed the thief violently by the neck and yanked him away and shouted in alarm as he pushed him to the ground firmly. J'Lail reached them first, sword drawn and looking things over quickly pointed at two guards and snapping his fingers pointed at the restrained thief.

"Are you alright princess? Did he harm you? Did you feel a prick anywhere?"

"He grabbed her mouth!" Pijasiros shook the thief violently. "What did you force into her mouth?"

"Nothing!" Nawra held a hand up. "He did nothing, he only stopped me from drinking, this..." She looked at the goblet and handed it up to J'Lail who took it and began examining it.

"Pijasiros?"

"I poured it myself and brought it to her directly. No one has touched that goblet save the four of us!"

J'Lail stared at it a moment before passing it to Pijasiros. "Hold this and do not spill it. You, thief, explain yourself."

Jaji could feel and hear them as they lifted him up bedding and all before dumping him onto the cargo craft, he had no idea where he was but he did know what had transpired a few days ago. How many days had it been? He did not know nor care as exhaustion gripped him and time had ceased to have any meaning. One moment he opened his eyes and others were bandaging his stump, the next he was sweating profusely, shaking violently and unable to see through his heavily blurred vision as his body burned. Breathing was hard and everything was blurred together so badly he could not tell what had happened or when. The only memory that was clear remained the argument that had taken place between the mare he had tried to rob and a stallion dressed more fancily than any he had ever beheld before.

He knew who the stallion was the moment he laid eyes on him, Fareed. At first he was going to be hung but his captors informed him that a challenge had been laid against his punishment, they had laughed at the prospect but a few had seemed to almost pity him at times. It had not stopped them from torturing him however, the beatings were fierce and often only to be broken up by an officer who would check to see if he was at risk. If he nodded, the beating continued, if he shook his head they let him rest and would force him to drink and eat so that he would survive long enough to "stand trial." Trial, he hated that word, hearing it the first time had been awful enough but they kept repeating it, as if what would happen was somehow worse than what they were doing to him.

The rest was a blur, being hauled outside to face Fareed, called down for his crime, but that was not the worst of it. What was worse was the waiting, he knew he was going to die but being trapped as one wanted to hang him while the mare wanted to take him away made it even worse. How could anyone not know that arguing with Fareed was pointless? Even the fools who wandered the streets babbling knew it was pointless but somehow she had argued him down, but it came at a cost.

A stump was all that remained of his hand and it was proof that she had both succeeded and failed. He hated her, he hated her so much for it. She had cost him his hand and life.

He also thanked her and would weep at her hooves for having saved him if he could. She had given him his life back, refused to allow him to perish and from what he could tell of his surroundings they had taken him away from the city to somewhere else. Somewhere out of his reach. It was impossible to cry, there was no energy for crying and all that had remained was horrible confusion. Elation, sorrow and hatred burned in his veins whenever his ears and addled brain could make out her voice, the swirling mix made his head hurt even more as none of it made sense.

Today had been different, for the first time he could almost see clearly and could move, voices that once seemed hushed were clear and audible. He had refused to eat or drink again, but this time they did not try and force it down his throat but left a small bowl for him which had remained untouched until one of the others ate it.

"No sense wastin' it on one thats gonna die anyway."

That is what he had said and he was right, he just wanted to die. Even if he escaped and made it back somehow would the guild even accept him? A one handed thief... He had never heard of such a thing and it was all he knew. At least they left him alone here, they only bothered to check now and then but even that had ebbed away as his fever had gone down. Now they were content to just leave him to his own thoughts and to recover or die of his own will.

Recover, he could still feel his hand, it was there, in his mind. But, if he opened his eyes it was gone. But he could still feel his fingers moving, his fist opening and closing at will. It was gone, but there was pain. A dull, throbbing ache that became quite pronounced if anything touched the stump.

All day he had just laid on the deck staring up at the sky or kept his eyes closed and tried to will himself into the grave, a grave that refused to show itself. The thought of just rolling over and taking a few steps sending him into the water had occurred to him but he was too tired to move. A hand had pinned him to the boards and refused to permit any movement, he just couldn't gather up the strength nor resolve to do it, he also knew that the moment he fell into the water they would dive in after him. Or would they? Why did they even care? No, why did she care?

Dumped unceremoniously onto the riverbank and out of their way as the camp was set up he had laid quietly to listen, every hoof-step sounded like thunder in his ears and their voices a deafening clap of lightning as he tried to shut the world out but it refused to be blocked. Finally they had moved him again because once more he was in the way and now he found himself staring at a less populated part of the camp. Supplies had been stacked up and two small tables prepared, one for a cook, the other for the stallion who had checked in on him from time to time. Eyes half lidded he watched as the stallion worked with a young colt half his age, chiding him on one thing or another as the stallion prepared things.

The colt would repeat whatever was asked, nod, bow or do whatever little task was asked. He had ignored him for the trip, once he could swear the colt had poked him a few times and even kicked him once to see if he was alive before ignoring him entirely. Elsewhere in the camp he could make out the sound of gambling, the familiar rattle of bones in a cup followed by argument, happiness and grumbling told of winners and losers.

"No, go over there if you must."

Opening his eyes a little he stared at the stallion as he shooed the colt away and went back to working. Eyes following the colt for a moment he realized the colt was going to squat in the reeds and began to look away but froze as instead he reached into his thick, bundled braid and removed an object. Returning quickly the colt stared after the stallion who was still busy cleaning up a mess the colt had made and after a few motions reached up and poured something into the open jug before leaning away only to dart back into the reeds. Confused he watched the colt quickly toss the object away and remain for a time until the stallion called out. Returning they talked again as one gave instructions on how to speak and behave while the stallion poured a liquid into an elaborate golden cup before picking the tray up and walking away.

Was it a prank? He had done such things to his friends and received them in turn but deep inside he knew something was horribly wrong, this was not a prank. Rolling onto his side Jaji forced himself up with great effort and after standing almost collapsed to the ground just as quickly. Legs wobbling he staggered across the camp trying to follow the tray bearer and after falling down again stood once more, his body fought against him as he wobbled closer and closer to the fancy mare, eyes locked on the tray. The two had stopped and the stallion was speaking to her and after a moment she sat up. Talking to each other the mare seemed quite happy with whatever he was saying and accepting the cup she hesitated a moment, just holding it for some reason as if just having it was enough.

Why did he care? Why bother? He hated her. He also adored her for saving him, why bother? Lurching forward with all the strength his body still had he just managed to slap his hand across her mouth and block the cup with his stump before she could drink. They both stared at him wild eyed but before he could collapse on her she jerked away as the stallion grabbed him by the throat and slammed him to the ground while shouting. Head swimming he tried to move his arms or legs but they refused, what little strength he had left was gone and all he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep but it was not permitted. Hauled somewhat to his hooves by two armored guards while a third stared him down sword drawn he made out a few words.

"Explain yourself."

Head rocking to the side he stared at the jug. "Pour in, throw in reeds... There."

Staring at him a moment J'Lail looked curiously at the thief for a moment and tried to lift his head up only for it to loll back into place. "Put him down, he is not going anywhere. Can you tell if the wine has been tampered with?"

Sniffing it carefully Pijasiros shook his head. "I can not smell anything." Looking at the jug again he shifted it around slowly and stared at it intently before stopping. "A small drip of something... Too small to tell."

"Do not lose anything, let no one touch it." J'Lail stared at the reeds a moment before looking to the thief again. "If you can still hear me, try and point to exactly where in the reeds... Alright, you, come with me, watch your step."

Nawra watched as J'Lail and one of the guards walked up to the reeds and very carefully began to probe the mud and water, the camp as a whole almost stopped functioning as everyone watched with great curiosity as the reeds were examined as if they might spring to life and attack at any moment. Whispers spread as J'Lail stopped moving and reaching down plucked something from the water and returned with it, no one spoke but concerned looks were hastily exchanged.

"Found it, can you identify what this is or is this just a fabrication?"

"Well, to be certain, there are risks involved. But... We have our duties."

Accepting the small vial from J'Lail, Pijasiros unhappily poured the water out before sniffing carefully. Shaking his head he wandered into the nearby bushes and returning with a small stick put it inside then swirled it around before removing it. Examining what little of the dark substance that remained he removed a vial from his pouch and drank quickly before spreading the oily substance on a finger and gingerly tapped his tongue to it very carefully. Spitting rapidly Pijasiros grabbed another vial and rinsing his mouth spat again.

"Are you alright? That was quite foolish-" Nawra stopped when Pijasiros held a hand up.

"Poisons usually work in quantities or over time and as you know I have been trained to be... Immune, to an extent. Also, seeing as the bottle was discarded and we were unaware of its existence until now I had to know what type of poison it was. I failed you once already at preventing this, and I am not willing to take the chance that someone had not slipped more of the poison into your food and thus kill you slowly over time. Or, this may have merely been the final catalyst to other types of poisons that do no harm until the final ingredient is ingested. Had that been the case, I would have given you either an anti-toxin or an antidote depending on its type but I must first know the type." Pijasiros passed the bottle to J'Lail. "This however, is quite the rare poison though and a special exception, but thankfully I carry antidotes, including for this one though it must be taken in advance to avoid certain... Side effects. My suspicion was correct unfortunately after seeing the design on the bottle. I had hoped so badly that it would not be true though."

"Rare? How rare?" J'Lail held the vial a little more gingerly and away from himself as he examined the pattern.

"Someone with quite the deep purse wanted to kill you, it is called "elalelo liwa." In common terms it means sleeping death, I learned of it but have never seen it, however the description does not quite do it full justice. There are only a handful of poisons that are worthwhile, few to be exact... And this the most feared."

"What does it do? From the name I assume sleep has something to do with it?" Nawra looked at still unconscious thief.

"Yes princess, it is quite foreign to this part of the continent and the plant used to produce it is quite rare and rather hard to collect. We know not how it is made but we know that the process is just as likely the kill the maker, if not more so... As the intended target. This means only those with deep pockets can acquire it... But, to answer your question it takes no effect until the victim sleeps. The body relaxes and the poison then causes the individuals heart to stop, they do not wake up. It is supposed to terrify others and rightly so, as once blended with something else it is nearly impossible to detect unless you know the description of its smell and taste, but even then it is not easy. Mixing it with the wine was a wise choice as it helps mask it. Someone however is out a rather large sum."

"First, who put it in the wine? You lot!... I would guess as much." J'Lail turned away from the crew who were shaking their heads furiously with hands held up and growled. "Where is Aaarabisk?" Looking around he ground his jaw in aggravation. "Sergeant, stay with the princess, the rest-"

"You did not suspect him first captain?" Pijasiros raised an eyebrow.

"No, I suspected an agent of her brother hidden amongst the crew. Find the colt! All of you!"

Pijasiros shrugged and taking the tray he tossed it into the fire, jug, gold and all as the crew was harried away from their game to beat the bushes looking for the arrant Aaarabisk. Nawra and Pijasiros sat quietly for a moment staring at the thief as the sounds of the crew battering their way through the undergrowth began to fade the farther away they got.

"That was a noble act and quite the feat considering his condition."

Pijasiros nodded. "And it is my fault that this happened, I should have never-"

"Not even J'Lail suspected it and he is more paranoid than all my fathers personal guard put together. I am fortunate though that this young thief was here though, his life as a criminal and relying on his senses paid off today."

"This time, yes."

"Yes, this time. He should be rewarded for it."

"With all due respect he owes you his life, this would be nothing more than a repaying of that debt."

"True, but his condition shows he was quite... Dedicated, to warning me."

"Well, when your father, mother, brother and every advisor in the palace objects you will have at least one example to hold over their heads in getting your way."

"Fareed wanted me dead... I am not surprised in the least but his timing was right, wait until we are just straddling the border to have me simply die in my sleep. A traumatized colt as the assassin bearing an impossible poison, a fevered thief as the only witness I have against him..." She let out a huff. "I suppose my father would tell me to grin and bear it as this will no doubt be the first of many assassins and not only from Fareed."

"An unfortunate truth princess."

"To train an assassin so young though, Fareed must have known he would most likely be caught and blamed afterwords."

"An expendable asset. As am I. No doubt he was only doing as told, one so young would be worthless as a true assassin so this must have been rehearsed and well drilled into his head."

"You are not expendable Pijasiros."

"As your poison taster, among many other duties, I am. But, I doubt even Fareed would so wantonly expend such a sum of gold to kill you now that I think about it, there are other means that would fit his methods."

Nawra turned to face Pijasiros with raised eyebrows. "That is quite the change of tone from one such as you."

"Princess... There is a reason no one uses this poison, it is just... Unfathomably rare and so dreadfully expensive that one could hire an army of assassins or just hire a small army to simply kill whomever they want dead. Thankfully the antidote is not quite as rare but still, the vial I used cost as much as a small ship."

"What!?"

"It is the most powerful antidote known and imported. Only the smugglers will carry it as merchants find it to much of a risk due to where one must travel to purchase the substance and trying to sell it is another matter entirely. The margin for profit loss is too vast save in the book of certain... Less "reputable" smugglers, whom have certain... Contacts. "

"A fortunate thing for both you and I. So if not Fareed then whom?"

"Oh I absolutely believe Fareed is a part of this, make no mistake princess! It was his slave servant who tried to poison you but... To be honest I do not know princess, the cost means either he is absolutely serious about killing you and went to horrific lengths to pull this off or that there is more than one party involved which is also equally as preposterous."

"My brother?"

"Hm... No, I imagine your father keeps him on a tight economic leash and such a scheme would not go unnoticed. Especially when such a large sum of gold went missing from the coffers! Also, I believe your brother would prefer you disgraced than simply killed as it benefits him more if I may say so."

"Who would willingly work with Fareed in order to- It sounds like they found him..."

They watched in silence as the shouting grew louder before dying off and after a short time figures emerged from the brush. Trickling in at first the crew gathered around to watch as J'Lail and another guard stomped out of the bushes covered in scratches, thorns and with burrs attacked to their clothes. Between them hung a kicking and panicked Aaarabisk who bore a swelling shoulder.

"Caught the vermin." J'Lail and the guard pitched the colt onto the ground and pinned him in place with their hooves. "Princess?"

"I..."

Nawra looked deeply conflicted and confused at the colt. He was so young, endured impossible cruelty and now this. He had all but been freed and yet he had tried to murder her in cold blood, the one who had saved him and given him freedom. Why?

"Why?"

"Princess... If I may?" Nodding at J'Lail she watched as he whispered to the guard for a moment before removing his hoof from Aaarabisk's back and approached her as rope was called for. Looking around the camp he stopped for a moment. "The show is over! Get back to work or find something useful to do!" Satisfied that they were no longer watching as intently J'Lail nodded to the sergeant he had left behind and waved him away along with Pijasiros.

"J'Lail?" Nawra looked at the captain, confusion in her eyes and no small amount of dread as he looked back with the coldest expression she had ever seen adorning his face.

"Princess, in time you will learn to handle these things. But today, right now, you do not have to. That is why I am here. Your father assigned me to you but I have come to care deeply about your well being, you are a good princess and will make for a great queen one day. But being queen means making very hard decisions, ones that dirty your hands. Ones you will have to live with for the rest of your life no matter how horrible they may be. Do not concern yourself with this matter, do not give it another thought. Push it from your mind and if you must despise me for the rest of your life, do so, but never allow it to change who you are."

J'Lail stood and Nawra watched for a moment horrified. "Captain-"

He shook his head. "There is nothing we could learn from this one anyway, he is just a tool to be discarded after use and I do not believe for a second whoever handled him in such a matter would have permitted this one to hear or see anything of importance."

"But he may still-"

"No, indeed he was trained by Fareed but I am certain Pijasiros would agree with me when I say that to try and use this one as proof would be folly. Who would ever believe such a thing? To even attempt to say so publicly would be result in no shortage of backlash and as I said, and assuming he received any kind of training what so ever which appears to be unlikely beyond accomplishing his immediate task... Aaarabisk is an expendable tool, he would never have seen or heard anything and is now only a liability for all sides. Neither shall I take the risk that other "precautions" were not taken in the event of his failure which could ensnare us further by keeping him alive. As such the remainder of the trip shall be spent aboard your ship on the river and no longer ashore, tonight the guards shall not sleep, but you must."

Nawra stared at the colt for a moment. "But he-"

J'Lail shook his head slowly. "Princess, you must understand... This is why I am here, to make these decisions so you do not have to."

Nawra watched helplessly as J'Lail picked up the now heavily bound Aaarabisk as if he were naught but a basket and walked off and into the undergrowth once more, there was no sound however as the colt froze up realizing it was over.

He was done.

She could only watch now as they vanished from sight and turning away quickly she closed out the world and tried hard to focus on anything else, even her brothers horrible smile was better than this. The camp itself was hushed, the cup the crew had been rattling to play their game sat unused as they all stared at anything they could or mumbled to each other trying to ignore what had just happened, and what was to come. There was never a sound however, J'Lail simply returned quietly as if naught were wrong and walked directly to the waters edge and wetting a cloth cleaned a knife, dried it off, oiled it and then returned it to its sheath. He never once looked at her as he began ordering the camp packed up and try as she might with all the willpower of a mountain to not move she could not look away from him as he went about his duties as if nothing had happened.

Pijasiros watched her quietly for a moment before pulling down the silken covering that kept the insects off of her while she slept to provide a little more privacy and scooping up the thief he stared at him a moment.

"Do you have a name?" The colts eyes barely opened and he mumbled a moment and leaning close Pijasiros listened. "Jaji, not a bad name... You are luckier than that other one though. Come, lets get you some proper bedding. We still have some time before we get home."

Closing her eyes tightly Nawra buried her face in her hands and choked for a moment, she cursed Fareed, Jubril, all of them. She cursed every assassin and poison maker, everyone who was willing to turn a colt in a weapon. Fareed had finally won, it was a small victory, but one she would never permit him to know. Somehow, someday, she would find out how many had been behind this and see them dead as there was more than one plotting her demise from without the kingdom. But not today. Today, she was a prisoner.

Nawra choked again and finally, wept.

Author's Notes:

I had fun writing this one but it took a mighty long time to sort out, this was actually rewritten a few times. Now, my eyes need to rest from staring at this damn screen.

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