Three Wishes: Cairo (12 page)

“My dear Sultan, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with you about Enna before she arrives.”

Both Katar and the Sultan were seated and eating before the always late princess made her usual hasty entrance.

“One of my favorite topics,” said the Sultan as he made his way through the evening meal.

“Well, we've been discussing an increased role for her in events of state. Perhaps the upcoming meetings will be a good way to get her involved with some additional responsibilities. The treaty with Nubias would go a long way toward securing our border to the north. The Prince of Nubias will be in attendance. He is young and unattached. Perhaps when the two young people meet, sparks will fly?” Katar smiled sincerely. “Her charms could net us the treaty we seek and his charms may secure us our Sultan in waiting?”

The Sultan nodded thoughtfully. He was obviously thinking about the various implications of a deal with Nubias and liked this idea. He dropped his fork when he’d finally reached the same conclusion. “Excellent Katar, it is a wonderful idea. Enna gets to see how the government works, and hopefully, a little fire ignites and love blossoms in Nubias! Well done, my friend. We can add her to our itinerary and inform her when she arrives.”

I really don't think I should attend,” said Katar. “I think that this time together would be an excellent chance for you two to get to know each other all over again. Enna will be delighted and should make excellent company. I will simply be in the way.”

“You seem to have thought of everything, my dear friend. We will tell her when she arrives.”

“Tell her what?” said Enna as she entered the room quietly. “What new secret morsels of information have you two cooked up in my absence?”

The Sultan was exuberant to share the plan. ‘We have decided that instead of Katar accompanying me to Nubias, the Royal Princess will make her first appearance at a state function.”

Enna was taken aback. “But father, you've never wanted me to attend such functions in an official capacity. What made you change your mind?”

“Call me an old fool, but I never really thought that a woman had a place at the table when business was being discussed. But you have changed my mind, Enna.” The Sultan wiped a tear from his eyes. “Your mother had plans for you that were more than just marriage and children. She always thought that you had intellect and a level-headedness that could be a bigger asset to our future than just making royal stock. But credit Katar for the idea, he opened my eyes just before you arrived.”

“Did he?” she looked suspiciously at her old foe.

She pondered the situation and her mind raced for a solution. She certainly was happy to accompany her father on this trip, but just as certainly, she didn't trust a single move made by Katar. She knew Aladdin would be disappointed when she didn't show tomorrow, and she would feel a little sad as well. But she would leave him a note at their meeting place and pray to the Gods that he could read.

“I think it's a wonderful idea. I'd love to attend.”

That night, while everyone in the palace slept, Enna snuck out through her secret passage with a note she had drafted. The moon was bright and she had no trouble navigating the secret path she’d traveled many times before to her secret garden.

Hanif,

I am unable to attend our rendezvous today as I have accompanied my father to a meeting in Nubias. It was a last minute meeting that will take me away from the kingdom for two weeks. I fear that your father will be thrown into a great depression, but don’t worry; before his heart breaks entirely, I will have returned to you both.

I am excited to plan our next adventure.

Your Mother

She placed the note under a small stone where she was sure that Aladdin would find it. Her hand rested just a beat longer as she smiled at the imagined reaction he would have to her correspondence.

Quietly, she made her way back to her chambers for a good night's sleep.

Katar smiled as he watched her silently from the cover of the trees. With Enna out of the way and two weeks to himself with the run of the palace, Katar would have a chance to right the ship and steer things back in his favor.

“Pleasant dreams,” he thought calmly to himself.

“Well Darius, it seems as if today is going to be perhaps the best day in the history of days.” Aladdin had an extra spring in his step as he rambled through the woods on his way to their meeting with Enna.

Even Darius seemed livelier, though he had absolutely no idea what was happening or why he was so happy. His master was energetic and he just fed off of all the positive energy.

As they reached the clearing, Aladdin noted that Enna had yet to arrive, so he sat on the bench to wait. Darius ran to the palace wall and sat. He was waiting for his mother. Once seated, Aladdin glanced down and immediately found the note. He felt a tinge of disappointment that he would not be seeing Enna for awhile, but the tenor of her communication made him chuckle. He could handle two weeks. It was time for him to start imagining a life that lasted longer than one day. He would have two weeks to start moving in that direction. If he was to court a princess, he couldn't do it without a job and without a direction. For the first time since he’d lost his parents, Aladdin was thinking about a more meaningful future.

Now he had a whole day in front of him. He decided to do some major repairs to his home. You could never be too careful when dating a princess and it seemed in all likelihood that she would someday soon, be visiting him there. Having her royal backside seated on a stolen chair made Aladdin feel uncomfortable. He had learned a great deal when building his home and perhaps it was time to turn his blossoming talent for wood-working into furniture building.

When a voice broke the silence, it both startled and scared Aladdin.

“Pity,” said Katar. “Previously impervious to capture, yet now, add one woman to the equation and this supernatural escape artist becomes nothing but a mere mortal.”

Aladdin instantly snapped to full alert and began scanning for his escape route. His foe was right; he had been thinking more about his long term future than his multiple escape route scenarios. He had already slowed down.

“When I saw you yesterday, I could not place the face until it hit me. You are the orphan thief that everyone talks about.”

Aladdin rose with a smile. “I think you might have me confused with someone else, sir. I was just walking my dog that I found abandoned deep in these woods by a careless fool.” He looked right through Katar. He also now noticed a full complement of guards moving toward him and cautiously closing the circle.

“Yes, that dog. I’m sure you’re both quite happy. I wouldn't even consider what you’re currently thinking about, young man. You'll quickly discover that all of the exits are occupied with the same guards you've been teasing and tweaking since you could barely walk. I do say they'd love a chance to repay the favor.” With that, the guard closest to Aladdin slammed his shoulder downward forcing the young man to his knees.

“You’re quite the hero when you’re surrounded by muscle,” said Aladdin as he struggled against the guard’s grip on his shoulder.

“Oh, it’s much more heroic to steal for a living. Every morsel you’ve ever eaten or fed to your precious dog has been taken from someone who earned the money to pay for it. Now you’re about to pay for those sins.” He noticed something and looked around. “And where is that dog?”

They heard a low growl before they saw Darius.

“And you; apparently too dumb to even die correctly. I guess I didn't strand you far enough away from civilization. I should have used the club as I initially intended.”

Darius felt only hatred for the man that stood before him. The growl just got deeper and more sustained. Aladdin smiled and looked at Katar. “Do you always have this knack for making friends?”

Katar was staring uneasily at Darius, who was obviously a bigger threat to his health than Aladdin. The dog continued to move slowly toward Katar with single-minded hatred and terrifying growl that Aladdin had never heard before.

Katar tried again.

“Sit!” he commanded. But without warning, Darius attacked. The dog sprang toward Katar with nothing but claws and fangs. Unfortunately, the attack was short lived, as Katar was expecting exactly that response and was much quicker than he looked. When the wood of his walking stick met the skull of the dog, the wood won the battle and the poor creature lie whimpering and still.

“Darius!” shouted Aladdin. His thoughts of escape dissipated. He now had to protect his friend. “I'm normally running from trouble, but if you want a fight, you shall have one. Trust me; I'll make my mark on all of you before I'm through. Anyone who would strike a defenseless animal deserves exactly what you're about to receive.”

“My dear boy, we have no reason to be enemies. My business with that animal is as old as he is. He'll be fine. Now let's talk about you. I know that you're the thief who's been feasting on the wealthy and eluding our guards. I understand your plight probably more than you can imagine. So, rather than arresting you, I'm actually here to make you an offer.” Katar's eyes lit up with enthusiasm. “Look, I know that my men have been unable to apprehend you countless times. You always seem to be one step ahead. I can use that. You can be my first lieutenant and help me with palace security. Help me round up the thieves and other unsavory characters and you'll be paid well for your services.”

Aladdin looked intrigued. “So, you and I will work together to clean up the streets of Altanan?”

“Yes,” smiled Katar

“And I'll be given a small room in the lower levels of the Palace so that I can roam the halls at night spotting criminals and holes in your security?”

“Exactly,” Katar loved his enthusiasm. This was going better than he’d hoped.

“Well, I know it’s my first day on the job, sir, but I’ve already spotted some issues?” Aladdin added.

“Well, then I’ve certainly chosen well. Please share.” Katar looked at the boy with a smile.

“I think that someone in power is a pervert, who is having fantasies about a young woman. Also, he’s a horrible dog babysitter and a liar.” Aladdin maintained his boyish smile, even though his eyes were completely serious and now locked on Katar’s.

“Oh dear, you have a sense of humor. That's unfortunate.” Katar signaled to his men to begin closing in on Aladdin.

“One other skill you might not know I have is my ability to spot someone who's a lying piece of trash,” said Aladdin smugly. “You are quite delusional if you think that Enna is planning any possible future with you.”

“Oh dear, it's such a pity she’s told you. Well son, I think you'll learn that things don't always work out the way we plan. I was willing to pay you quite handsomely to simply disappear. Easy money for someone who's never earned an honest living his entire life. But you've chosen to be a salty-tongued fool. Very well, you'll disappear anyway and for not even a single nugget of gold and. . .” He never finished his sentence because a brown blur of fur and paws crashed directly into his knees. After taking down Katar, Darius leaped directly onto the center guard and knocked him to the ground. The ray of daylight in the wall of guards was all that the nimble Aladdin needed to breach their perimeter and charge headlong into the woods. After licking the face of the guard he had just attacked, Darius followed his master as the two plunged headlong into the dense forest directly south of the palace.

After about ten minutes of sustained running, Aladdin and Darius paused to catch their breath. Aladdin petted his dog gently on the side. “Good boy.” But before a tail could even wag, he heard the guards closing in. They were still in pursuit.

“They usually give up by now,” huffed Aladdin. “Come on Darius!”

He avoided a path that even got close to his home. The trees began to thicken even more as the two made their way slowly but surely through the woods. The thick foliage ripped his clothing and tore at his skin. Aladdin had never traveled this deeply into the woods and never had he gone south. He had no idea what to expect and every time they stopped briefly to rest and reset, they heard the pursuers continuing on behind them. The sun set early, as it always does in the forest and Aladdin and Darius continued their slow forward progress amidst growing shadows and night sounds. Aladdin wanted to put as much space as he could between him and the weapons of the guards. But he also knew that he was unfamiliar with this section of the forest and to tread where he'd never gone in the blackness of night was a fool's errand. When he no longer heard the guards behind him, he decided to stop for the evening.

Both Aladdin and Darius spent their fair share of nights roughing it in the woods. They certainly would not choose that life over their new warm shelter, but they could certainly do it when need be. It was all a matter of priorities. First they found water in a small stream and drank for a long while. Water is everything to survival and they drank as if they might never drink again. Aladdin also took a moment to clean the blood where Darius had been struck by Katar. The dog whimpered slightly as Aladdin cleaned the wound, but stared bravely ahead with a trust that can only be found in a dog’s eyes. Cleaning his loyal friend’s wound sent another flash of anger through the young man. There would come a day that he would love to return the favor. But when he finally finished and Darius knew that the worst was over, the tail began its rapid normal pounding.

Aladdin then gathered some wood that littered the ground. He found some small dry tinder, some tiny branches and a large rotten log. He would make a nice fire with sparks from a small flint and steel he always carried in his pocket. The fire would provide protection from the elements and from any animals that might wander by. He smiled when he thought about the guards, now quite a long way behind him, who would be sleeping on cold ground tonight. He found some edible berries which didn’t thrill Darius, but they ate what they could and then the two settled in for the night. Though he fought it a little at first, Darius eventually relented and allowed his master to use his body as a nice warm pillow.

Aladdin then began a conversation; as much with himself as with Darius.

“They can't afford for me to survive because Katar would be ruined. Not only will he be shown to be the back-stabbing traitor he is, but also his time on Earth will be quite short once Enna gets ahold of him. Also, your incredible rebirth will take some serious explaining to the Sultan. We have to cut around and get back home. I would think that no matter their motivation, they will be rethinking their ambitions once they spend a hungry night on cold ground.”

The dogs loud snoring told him that the conversation was over. He had to somehow survive for two weeks until Enna and the Sultan returned. Eventually, Aladdin fell into an uneasy sleep.