Three Wishes: Cairo (14 page)

“No. I cannot make anyone fall in love with you. And, having spent just a brief amount of time with you today, I can imagine that even the gods themselves would find that to be an impossible task.” He smiled back at Aladdin.

Aladdin looked frustrated. “Anything, eh; well, isn't that just lovely. I say, ‘C
an it be anything?
You say, '
Yes'
. I say, ‘
Are you sure
? You say, '
Yes, anything'
. I just try to confirm what you mean and you say, ‘A
nything,’
with that condescending tone. It looks like you're not such a masterful genie after all, now are you? As far as I can tell, your only power is acting like an all-powerful jackass!”

“I have rules which I must follow. Normal people would never test these rules, yet you've managed to find exceptions to the rules on your first two. I think congratulations are in order.”

Suddenly out of nowhere, their spirited conversation was interrupted by an arrow that darted by Aladdin's ear and split a small branch of the tree behind him. His hand quickly rose to his head to make sure everything was still in place.

“THERE HE IS!” shouted one of the guards who had been trailing Aladdin through the night. With a wall of rocks to his back and the Genie on his right, Aladdin darted left, only to find a guard also standing in his path.

It seemed as if Katar had gone back to the palace during the evening and left his three guards to continue the search. As he left them for the evening, he had made it quite clear that they were not to return until the thief was in irons. The wrath of Katar and the thought of another night in the damp and dark forest had compelled the men to greatness. The now surrounded the Genie, the dog and Aladdin.

The lead guard made his way to Aladdin and wrapped a thick leather strap around his left hand. The panic in Aladdin's eyes made the guard smile and announce to no one in particular, “You are a thief. We have but one method of dealing with thieves.” He then roughly forced Aladdin to the ground and stretched his left arm across the broken stump of a fallen tree and tied it off.

Aladdin looked completely terrified as he watched the guard whistling and sharpening his oversized Khopesh sword. He was certainly enjoying the sweating and fear from the young man as he sharpened and polished his instrument of death. He had really paid the Genie no mind at all. It was almost as if he didn’t see the creature standing with Aladdin and taking in the whole scenario. “Normally, I let the accused select which hand I remove, but if someone causes me to sleep on freezing ground with no food or water, I throw caution to the wind and select for myself. I notice that you are left handed… at least for one more minute.” He laughed at his own gallows humor.

Aladdin mustered up his most threatening tone. “Think hard. You don't want to do that, my friend,” he said convincingly. “I am a close friend of Princess Enna and she will not look kindly upon my mistreatment.”

“Oh my,” said the guard apprehensively. “I had no idea. I must apologize.” And then, to the other guards, “Set him free. He is close personal friends with Princess Enna.” His companions all laughed and then he rubbed his chin dramatically. “Of course, I find it funny that the Sultan didn't mention it last night when I was at a slumber party in his chambers.” He laughed at his own joke. “My guess would be that you're simply a thief trying to save your left hand. I'm prepared to shoulder the consequences of my actions. These shoulders seem broad enough to you guys?” His friends all nodded in agreement.

The Genie just stood watching as the guard toyed with the young thief. Aladdin had turned an awful shade of greenish white. He had never contemplated his capture before. The guard finished his buffing and sharpening show and was now making ready to remove Aladdin's trembling hand. As he raised his weapon above his head, Aladdin cried out, “WAIT! Just hold it! I didn't want to do this, but I must insist that you stop this behavior immediately. The being you see before you is my personal genie. Notice his pallor; I don't think you'd accuse that one of being human.” The Genie looked at Aladdin with a bit of disgust regarding the
human
comment. Aladdin stammered onward, “He is trained to obey my every command. I need only wish you dead and he will strike you down where you stand.” Now he mustered up a steely grin of confidence to top off this act of bravado in the face of certain doom.

All three guards turned their attention to the odd-looking creature that stood before them. They were actually eager for some sort of attack and a chance to test themselves against this strange-looking being. Guards don't normally become guards because they fear violence. In fact, these three loved the idea of a tussle with someone besides the fast but rather weak youth currently in their midst. They regarded the genie with their hands cocked at the ready on the hilts of their weapons. Everyone was waiting to hear what this exotic creature had to say.

The Genie simply shrugged and replied, “Sorry, I can't kill them for you.”

The guards broke out in raucous laughter. Perhaps it had been worth it sleeping on the damp ground. This was the best show they’d seen in months.

Aladdin was incredulous.

“What kind of omnipotent magical creature are you anyway?” With that, a cloth was jammed in Aladdin's mouth by Guard Two and the attention of all turned back to Aladdin's predicament.

Aladdin looked defeated and helpless as he was again stretched into position.

Now the Genie spoke. “I am unable to kill anyone. Again, you've managed to ask me to break three major rules in a row. I am sorry. Perhaps in the future, it would be wise to mention all rules at the outset. I do apologize, as this is my first time serving a real master. I will endeavor to do better in the future. As you've been my first real master, I feel I must thank you for unearthing my tomb. Actually, I guess I should thank Darius here.” Then to the dog, who was still wagging his tail and really enjoying his day in the woods, “Thank you Darius. It's been an honor.” With that, the Genie started walking back in the direction that they had come from.

Aladdin just looked wide-eyed and frightened.

This time, no verbal pronouncement would stop the guard from drawing blood. He had heard enough from all parties concerned. He felt no impending threat from the strange creature and wanted to do this deed and get home to his own bed. He again raised his meaty arms high above his head, gathered the well-rehearsed amount of power and speed necessary to slice through skin and bone and brought down his sword in a swift and decisive manner.

Aladdin simply reverted to childhood and closed his eyes as he waited for the inevitable. He heard the whoosh of steel slicing through the air and waited for the pain that was sure to follow.

A loud
ping
rang out and shattered the silence of the forest. That ping was even heard at the palace, almost twenty thousand cubits away. There is a reason why one doesn't grab a large sword and slam it with all of their might into a rock. No one was more shocked than the guard when his sword struck solid stone. He had expected the satisfying crunch of his well sharpened blade slicing through flesh and bone. But he only heard an ear-piercing ping and felt immediate agonizing pain and reverberations that shook his arms even hours later.

Aladdin just felt strangely confused. His thoughts were a mixture of fear, frustration with just a little dollop of relief on top for good measure. One minute, he was cowering with his eyes closed and picturing his life without a left hand and the next, he opened his eyes in a lavishly decorated room which was unlike anything he'd ever even dreamed of. He could barely lift his head to check out this surreal scene as the day’s events had already drained him. And it was still early.

When he realized that somehow, he had escaped his captors and amazingly dodged his punishment, he quickly ripped off the leather restraint and tossed it disgustingly to the floor like a live snake.

Where in blazes was he?

A two week trip had been shortened to a miraculous three days because Enna was a natural politician; except with actual real honesty thrown in. Her father had watched with great admiration as his only daughter had dazzled the royal family of Nubias, hammered out a new agreement and even managed to make Ezra, the Crown Prince of Nubias feel like he wasn't ignored, despite having zero interest in him romantically. It was painfully obvious to everyone that from the outset, this young lady was here for business and nothing more. Enna was anxious to be successful and show her father that he had significantly underestimated her political savvy, but she was also motivated to be expeditious so that she could return home to Aladdin. It could not have gone any better.

She had to admit that she had enjoyed her time with her father and as she rekindled her relationship with him, she was glad to have that time alone together. The trip to Nubias had given her the first glimpse at what the
work
of royalty entailed. The King of Nubias, like many older men, was quite taken by her natural beauty and her acid tongue. When he spoke to the Sultan, it was with the kind of fatherly pride usually reserved for sons in this time. “Paden, I must congratulate you. Having met your wife numerous times, there was no doubt that your daughter would be beautiful. But I don’t think I would want to cross this one at the bargaining table.”

Enna blushed and looked shyly into the eyes of the King. “My dear sir, I would hate for you to cross me as well.” Her father watched for his reaction and let out his breath when the King of Nubias broke into a deep and heart-felt laughter. “I want to adopt this child for my very own!”

“Your son might have something to say about that,” the Sultan added confidently and both older men exchanged knowing glances.

Enna quickly diffused that whole situation when she replied, “If you two want to talk about romance, that is fine, but personally, I'd like to finish working if you don't mind.”

This sort of ham-handed and brazen suggestive talk about her private love life was really the only uncomfortable part of the trip for Enna. She was surprised at just how much she loved political negotiations. She enjoyed the give and take of these meetings and felt privileged to finally learn what went on when her father was out of town. She felt like she’d gained access to a secret club. It also wasn’t lost on her that very few women shared this experience.

Dealing with Prince Ezra and the two older men was another matter. Apparently the two powerful rulers had spoken privately about just how perfect their two offspring would be together. A royal marriage did nothing but strengthen the power base of both leaders, while providing a very simple and steadfast roadmap to the rule of the future. Their two children would marry, have many sons and the two kingdoms would be in good hands long into the next century.

The Sultan had always worried about the type of man Enna would choose. Due to the constricting laws of royalty, no matter what man she chose, he would be the new leader of the kingdom upon the Sultan's death. This troubled Paden greatly. Leaving this decision to his daughter would leave him no control to choose his own successor. It simply left too many important items to chance and in the hands of the daughter that he was just starting to know again. Having met Prince Ezra, the Sultan was quite confident that Enna would have the upper hand in a royal power struggle even with the title of Sultan in Ezra's hands.

But all thoughts of some sort of royal pairing were quickly discarded on their first night in the Nubian palace. They had just returned from dinner and were planning the next day's events when the Sultan simply couldn't contain himself any longer. “You were wonderful my dear. I think that Ezra is quite taken with you.”

“Father,” Enna said gently. “I am here to prove to you that I don't need a man to rule by my side, and if I should choose a man, I'd prefer one that doesn't speak directly into my chest.”

The Sultan was shocked by her words, but within seconds, had burst into hearty laughter.

“When you first met, I actually looked at his feet to see if he was standing in a hole.” The two shared another quiet and inappropriate laugh together. It was a relief to hear her father laugh. It made Enna feel better about the whole situation. She’d had a real fear that after this meeting, she’d begin to feel pressure from the Sultan and Katar to marry the young man. She wasn’t yet ready to introduce Aladdin and did not want to fight a war on two fronts.

Ezra, for his part was a really nice person. He leaned to the short side of the ledger in both brains and brawn. He also had made the poor choice of trying to grow a moustache with too few facial hairs, so he'd had one of his royal subjects color in the rest with a small stick of Galena ore. What he fancied to be daring and brutish looked more comical and pathetic. Without the obvious special lifts for his shoes, he was almost a hand shorter than Enna.

Once he realized that there was no spark between the two, he actually relaxed a bit and the two of them got along quite nicely. Enna certainly felt a bond of friendship blossoming and was glad for it. She just felt no spark like she did on the day she met Aladdin. It was amazing how fast their accord came once all parties realized that there would be no romance. Enna even felt the sweet innocence of the moment when he gave her a wet kiss on the cheek as they said their goodbyes eleven days earlier than expected. She promised to stay in touch and brag about him to all the single maidens in her territory.

Once the carriage door closed and father and daughter were alone, the Sultan reached across and rubbed her cheek where the Prince had kissed her. “Sorry my dear, but you have a little mustache on you.” Again, the two giggled like school children.

The rest of their trip home was like old times. Father and daughter laughed as they shared the various stories they'd both encountered on this trip. The Sultan found it exceedingly funny that the young prince wore lifts in his shoes. He himself didn't spot them or even know what they did. When Enna explained, he simply couldn't stop giggling. “Why would you wear lifts in your shoes and still be short? Don't they make bigger sizes?”

As they pulled back onto the grounds of the palace and the horses stopped, the Sultan placed his hand on his daughter's knee and spoke from his heart. “My dear, I hope you know that I value you as much as a person as I am proud that you're my daughter. I am ashamed for even suggesting that that man-boy was good enough for you. Your happiness should have been considered rather than creating a solution that simply solved other problems for us. I will never underestimate your value again. If you should decide not to marry, we will find a way to change the law so that you needn't worry about sharing our kingdom with anyone. I can think of no one better to lead our kingdom when I'm no longer able. You know, when your mother died, I avoided you because your eyes… they just seemed so much like hers.” The Sultan was getting a little choked up and it made Enna’s eyes tear as well. “But now, I thank the gods that I can still see those beautiful eyes every day. It lets me know that she is watching over us from above.”

“Don't give up on the idea of husbands and grandchildren, father. I may yet have a few surprises up my sleeve on that topic.”

Rather than ask what she meant, the Sultan was content to leave well enough alone and simply walk this lovely young woman back into a home where he had only seen a little girl previously.