ANUNDR: THE EXODUS (3 page)

Natalia shielded her eyes from the sun as she stepped out of the castle the next morning.

‘Of course, today had to be sunny.’

‘My lady?’ Amira asked.

‘Nothing.’ She was in a sour mood and she wished she could lie in bed and die after yesterday rather than go to the temple for another lesson, but she didn’t have a choice. The carriage stood waiting with the guards ready. A guard opened the carriage door and she drew back on seeing Ishkhan sitting on a couch, dressed down in a shirt and with a wide grin on his face.

‘You!’

‘Me.’ He chuckled and bowed. ‘Your father allowed me the pleasure of accompanying you.’

‘I thought you would be leaving today.’

‘I thought you would be happier I stayed.’

‘You thought wrong.’

‘My lord.’ Amira said, bowing.

Natalia sighed and got in the carriage. They were quiet as the carriage rode into the streets. She stared out of the window but she felt his gaze on her.

‘What?’ she snapped.

He smiled and looked out of the window on his side. ‘It’s a beautiful day, don’t you think?’

‘If you say so.’ She turned her gaze back outside.

‘What do you think?’ he asked again.

‘I think I would rather have stayed at home.’

‘Then why didn’t you?’

She said nothing. As if yesterday wasn’t bad enough, she was here with him again.

Amira replied, ‘My lord, she has lessons with the Rahmon.’

‘Oooh, that sounds
very
important, but she could still have chosen to stay.’

‘
My lord, she has lessons with the Rahmon
.’ Amira repeated.

‘But she is the princess.’

‘And he is the Rahmon.’ Amira replied.

‘He doesn’t sound very important anymore.’

Amira gasped. Natalia turned and noticed the reddening of her neck and cheeks. Ishkhan turned and winked at her. Natalia covered her mouth and stifled a laugh.

When they reached the temple, Amira bowed and said, ‘My lord, my lady, if you would excuse me.’ She hurried up into the stairs into the third passage where only the rahais took.

Ishkhan watched her go. ‘I don’t think she took it very well.’

Natalia glared at him. ‘Of course, she didn’t. You just insulted the entire temple.’

‘I didn’t go
that far
.’

‘Are you always this annoying?’

‘People usually find me funny including you. Don’t pretend, I saw you laughing.’

She sighed and headed up to the middle entrance. ‘I’m going for my lessons.’

‘Wait. I can’t go with you
there
.’

She turned. ‘And why not?’

‘It’s boring, and to be honest, you’ll rather be somwhere else.’

‘So what do you have in mind?’

‘You show me around and allow all my whims today.’

‘I am no servant of yours.’

‘I know but I would prefer your company.’

‘Really...and what do I get in return for this inconvenience?’

‘Three wishes.’

‘Three wishes?!’ she laughed. ‘Can I ask for your head on a saucer?’

‘I meant three
reasonable
wishes.’

‘Four.’

‘Four what?’

‘Four wishes and you’ll have your adventure.’

‘Why four?’

‘Because I noticed in all the stories, three were never enough.’

‘Fine, four it is then.’

‘So where would you like to go from here?’

‘Show me around the temple.’

              She climbed up the steps. ‘Come along then.’

                                                                      ***

‘And this is the statue of Machish.’ Natalia said, stopping at a stone work of the god standing with the scepter in his hand. Ishkhan came forward and touched the statue staring into Machish’s face.

‘Of all the statues I’ve shown you.’ she said, ‘you seem most interested in this one.’

‘Well, he reminds me of someone.’

‘Let me guess… you.’

‘Well, I do look like a god, don’t I?’ he grinned, imitating the statue’serect posture.

She sighed, ‘It’s time we move on.’

‘No, no more statues. Let’s go somewhere.’

‘To where?’

‘Anywhere.’

‘My lady.’

She turned to see a rahi bowing. ‘The Rahmon sent me to find you.’

She gulped and looked at Ishkhan. He was right. She would rather be anywhere else. She grabbed his hand.

‘Let’s go.’ she said, running the opposite direction.

‘My lady?’

‘Tell him I’m not coming.’ she shouted. They ran, crisscrossing past people till they were out of the temple.

‘So how do we get out of here? They will never let us through the gate.’ she said, staring at the guards on the grounds.

‘Wait here.’ Ishkhan said, setting his gaze on the carriage by their right. He walked briskly, not causing any awkward turns and said something to the carriage driver. Before the man could react, Ishkhan pushed him to the floor and untied one of the horses. The driver shouted for the guards as Ishkhan rode to Natalia. The guards rode towards them

‘Get on.’ Ishkhan shouted. Natalia got behind him and he rode out with the guards riding to catch them.

‘My lady!’

Natalia turned and saw Amira’s shocked face as she stood outside with other rahais.

Natalia turned to Ishkhan and said, ‘Ride faster.’

Ishkhan rode fast, moving through the narrow corridors and into larger streets to shake the guards off. They burst into the market and overturned a table of with sacks of wheat.

‘Be careful.’ Natalia said to Ishkhan.

‘Forgive me, but I’m trying to help you escape.’

‘You can do that without destroying the market. Do you know how much wheat costs?’

‘I thought you had a lot of it here.’

‘But not everyone can afford it.’

He hit another table, overturning the meat.

‘Aargh—’

‘Don’t you dare say a word.’ he said to her.

‘They’re coming.’ Natalia said, seeing two guards still following.

‘Which way do we go?’ he said as they came close to a cross road.

‘I don’t know! Turn left.’

People scurried out of their way. They went down a corridor and met a wall.

‘What a brilliant idea you had.
Turn left
.’

‘I told you I didn’t know.’

‘Shh.’ he said and backed the horse behind a wall to prevent them from being seen. They heard hooves slow as it came closer to them. Ishkhan gently pulled his legs up and stood on the horse.

‘Are you mad?’ she said.

‘Shhh.’

As the horse and its rider came into view. He back flipped, hitting the rider in the shoulder. When his feet touched the ground, he hit the rider in his face and knocked him over. Natalia gaped.
It wasn’t possible
.

Ishkhan got on the horse and said, ‘Stop fancying me and ride.’

She followed him past through the market and down a field. They rode till they got to a lake.

‘The land belongs to Lord—’

‘It doesn’t matter.’ he said, getting down the horse, ‘we’re safe now.’

She got off her horse, ‘We’ve caused so much trouble.’

‘Does that bother you?’ he asked.

She laughed hard and lay on the grass. ‘I haven’t felt this free before.’

‘Good. Because it’s about to get better.’ He ran and jumped into the lake.

She ran to the pond, ‘What did you do that for?’

‘You told me to make amends by jumping into a pond.’

She laughed. ‘You took me seriously.’

‘I didn’t want to take any chances.’ he said and splashed some water at her. ‘Get in the water.’

‘No.’

‘Are you afraid?’

‘Of what?’

‘Me.’

‘I’m coming in.’ She ran and jumped in. The water was so cold that it sent shock waves all over her body. She shivered and laughed as she swam to him.

‘I have my first wish.’

‘And what could it be?’

‘I want you to teach me how to fight.’

He chuckled. ‘I’m not sure your father would approve.’

‘Shhh. You have no choice in the matter.’

‘Alright. But it would be in secret, maybe in our adventures. And you would tell me the stories of Machish.’

‘Why are you so interested in him?’ she said, getting closer to him.

‘I would just like to know. Do we have an agreement?’

‘Get out of the water.’

She turned to the bank and saw the guards with swords in their hands.

‘This didn’t end like I planned.’ Ishkhan said.

‘My father would be furious.’

And furious he was. King Meldric kept a steady gaze on her as the guards recounted everything that had happened. When the guards were gone, Prince Ishkhan stepped forward, ‘My Lord, the fault is mine.’

‘No, father, it’s my fault.’ she said.

‘Leave us.’ Meldric said to Ishkhan.

‘No, I—’

‘
Leave us
.’

‘You can go.’ Natalia said to him and turned her gaze on her father.

When the door closed, her father said, ‘You are no longer a child and I will not treat you like one.’

‘I didn’t ask you to.’

‘I didn’t teach you to go around acting like a savage.’

‘That wasn’t the intention.’

‘But it happened.’

Celeste rose and said, ‘My love.’

‘No, don’t try to defend her.’

‘Father, I am sorry.’

‘Tell me something asides that.’

‘I want to learn how to use a sword.’

‘Girls do not use swords.’

‘But what about Queen Natalia? You said she is one of the greatest fighters in the mountains.’

‘That is different.’

‘I don’t see a difference.’

‘Natalia, go to your room.’ Celeste said.

She walked out of the hall and met Amira at the doorway. They stared at each other for a few moments, then Natalia turned and walked away. She felt terrible but she knew she couldn’t stop what was happening. She needed it. For the first time, she felt alive and she knew she couldn’t stop seeing Ishkhan. He remained in the city for weeks and taught her how to use the sword and the bow, while she taught him about Machish. Ishkhan was as fascinated by her stories, as she was by him. He knew how to make her laugh and spark something inside her that burned whenever she saw him and consumed her when she didn’t. She wasn’t sure what it was but she was happy being with him even if it was for no good. They would sneak off before sunrise into the woods and stay there till evening, sometimes, fighting and, at other times, making animal noises to scare people. They were reported to King Meldric by the victims of their pranks—one of whom was Amira—and the Rahmon had complained incessantly but the king waved the reports off, fearing friction between two kingdoms.

Natalia didn’t care about all the complaints. However, there was one thing she still cared about, the Coming of Age Ceremony. She wanted to be seen as a woman now more than ever. She was excited and afraid as the day approached. That evening, her mother told Amira to leave and she dressed Natalia in all white.

‘Mother, what if something goes wrong and the goddess rejects me?’ she said as Queen Celeste arranged her hair.

Her mother said, ‘Nothing will go wrong.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Because I raised a beautiful young woman who I am proud of. So tell me about you and Ishkhan.’

‘There’s nothing to tell.’

Celeste chuckled. ‘I remember the first time I was in love. I also kept it a secret.’

‘So what happened?’

‘I hurt someone very badly.’  Her hands shook and she spun Natalia to face her. ‘I will tell you this. Love is beautiful, but you must understand that the great love isn’t about how much you feel but how you are willing to sacrifice for it. If not, it is not love but an illusion of it.’

They heard a knock on the door. Celeste smiled and said, ‘It’s time we go.’

Natalia picked up her basket of flowers and went downstairs. Her father embraced her and Ishkhan smiled and whispered in her ears, ‘We’ll celebrate later tonight.’ They all went ahead of her to the temple. She took a deep breath as she stepped out of the door and she looked at the vast expanse of grass and gravel leading to the gate and the basket of flowers on her arm. She had to ensure the petals didn’t finish until she got to the temple.