Zara turned away, her face half-buried in the pillow as she mumbled something unintelligible.
“Did you say something?” the blonde was all but daring Zara to speak. At the silence, she crossed her arms in satisfaction as
she turned her gaze on each one. “Good. Now, if we can have peace and quiet on the way to the ship, you will both make
me very happy.” The healer turned to Nadrah and hugged the smiling little girl to her.
~~~~~~
Zara found herself drifting in and out of sleep. As she heard the low voices of Nadrah and Gabrielle and occasionally the
ghost, around her, she closed it all out as she dozed and tried to escape the discomfort of her wounds. Wanting to be
coherent for the trip, the Moroccan refused Gabrielle’s offer of tea with herbs. The drug would not only deaden her pain, but
would also put her to sleep. Rather than risk sleeping through any other attacks, she chose to grit down the discomfort and
deal with it as best she could.
When a litter arrived to carry her from the room, Zara almost protested, but was grateful later that the Greek woman refused
to allow her to walk. The sutures on her posterior, it would seem, might tear open and this, the healer did not want to
happen. So without much protest despite the pain of moving, she rolled herself onto the litter and allowed them to carry her
down. She and the storyteller decided that she should lay on her back, hoping that the loose cloth of the litter would not be
too painful on her backside.
“Zara, my friend, I’m so glad you will be ok,” Arjun knelt by the litter as the guests were being loaded onto ships. His face
grew solemn as he said, “I am so sorry that you took these wounds helping me protect my land.”
With her arm in a sling, she lay under a light cover. Her shirt was loose in order that the bandage would have enough room
and she was bare from the waist down. Reaching up left handed, she smiled as she took her friend’s small but strong hand.
“Arjun, I only wish…” but silenced her words when her friend shook his head.
“No, my dear sister. No guilt. You could not have known what Shikha was capable of any more than I could,” Arjun’s
voice was soft as he knelt down by her litter.
“She used Daruka’s ill-feeling toward me to drive him to his death,” she whispered with disgust. “By Allah, to think that I
once cared for her! How could I have been so blind to her true nature?”
Arjun sighed. “Zara, all things happen for a reason, I must believe this. I believe that this was a good thing.” His face was
dark with foreboding. “Shikha has collected a great deal of Dukkha upon her soul and she will be paying for her deeds here
in this life and through many lives to come. It is an unhappy thing, but it all rounds out on the wheel of Karma.”
“But your land, your country, it has been thrown into a revolution,” Zara felt the overwhelming guilt knowing that if she had
not spurred Shikha as she had, then the battles, the pain, the lost lives, would never have taken place.
“My friend, you, most of all, knew what was around the corner for my people. How many times have you warned me of this
very thing? Well, now it is here and there is nothing for me to do but to face it head on.” Arjun smiled as he nodded to
himself. “It could have come from Shikha, or from any other person. I don’t desire to see the blood of my people spilling on
the land, but if I must fight to keep someone like Shikha from gaining power, then fight I will.”
“Then you don’t blame me?” the Moroccan half-whispered, afraid that her actions had cost a valuable friend.
“No, how could I blame you? You are the closest thing I have to a sister, surely you of all people know how much I value
and cherish your friendship,” he smiled as he reached down and brushed away a loose strand of her hair. The prince then
simpered and donned his most feminine voice. “Even though you know nothing of fashion sense or even how to keep yourself
beautiful!” He pushed back his hair and sighed theatrically. At this, Zara chuckled, then willed herself to stop as the pain shot
simultaneously through the wound in her shoulder and buttocks.
“Oh Arjun, I do you love you, my friend!” she exclaimed as she wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. “You are in every
respect, my brother.”
The petite man in armor feigned a slight tear as he wiped at his eyes. “Why, that is so beautiful! It’s like a wondrous poem
penned by the muse of poetry herself! Oh, how I hate to cry, just look, you’ve made my coal liner run,” he sniffed theatrically
as he rose from kneeling. Although small in stature, Zara realized that she had never met a man who had as much courage
and strength as the prince of Indus. With a knowing smile, the prince nodded at her as if he heard her thoughts then lightly
squeezed her hand before releasing it.
“You take good care of this one, Zara. She’s a good one to keep around you!” he smiled as he inclined his head toward
Gabrielle. Pleased at her friend’s words, the Moroccan nodded agreement.
“Trust me, Arjun. I shall endeavor to do everything in my power to keep her nearby!” Zara vowed as the Greek woman
moved by her side a smile crossing the blonde woman’s features. Gabrielle made certain she was fastened in, then whispered
something to the Moroccan and kissed her cheek before the stretcher bearers lifted her. The captain nodded, then waved at
the prince as they carried her off while the Amazon turned to make certain one last time that all of their luggage was ready to
go aboard
Arjun stood back and watched as his friend’s stretcher was taken onto the ship. When he felt a slight tugging at his leg, he
smiled as he knelt down. Nadrah had the saddest expression he had ever seen.
“Oh, little princess, why so sad?” He asked as he lifted her into his arms.
“I wish we could stay here with you forever!” she whispered as she threw her arms around his neck. At her fierce hug, he
swallowed the lump in his throat as he held her close.
“That is so sweet! I wish you could too,” he whispered close to her ear, then pulled away and smiled at her. “But right now,
it’s not safe to be near your Auntie Arjun. It is better that you all leave and very soon. When this is all over, you can all come
back here to visit. Would you like that?” he asked and was rewarded with a smile.
“And Gabrielle and Zara and Xena and Abu and even Isa too?” she exclaimed.
“Of course, you can all come back very soon, I promise,” the prince vowed as he softly kissed the girl’s cheek.
“I will miss you terribly, Arjun,” she whispered.
“And I you, little one,” he smiled as he wiped the tears from her eyes, then handed her to Gabrielle. “Little one, you keep an
eye on these two for me, yes? I have a feeling they’re going to need you around them,” he said to Nadrah as he pointed to
Zara and then to Gabrielle.
“I promise!” the child nodded her head once as she smiled at Gabrielle and the blonde stroked her hair tenderly.
“You all look after each other for me,” he said to the Greek woman who was depositing the child to the ground. After
waving, Nadrah ran to catch up with Zara’s stretcher.
With a slight sigh, the small prince turned and faced the Amazon as he took her hand in his. “Gabrielle, I am very happy that
you are with Zara. And I truly hope, that whatever happens, however your story may turn out with your soulmate, that it is
what the divine Brahma wishes it to be,” he smiled softly as he gripped her smaller hand in his.
“I-I have thought a lot about what you said, Arjun. Really I have. I promise, I will think through everything carefully before
acting upon it,” the blonde smiled with tear filled eyes.
“That is all I could have ever asked,” he nodded as she watched his friend’s stretcher being taken across the plank to the
waiting ship. “Gabrielle,” his voice grew soft as he smiled into her green eyes, “Please… be good to her.”
“I will, Arjun,” Gabrielle’s eyes misted over with slight tears as she looked away momentarily, then smiled back up at him. “I
only wish you would allow us to help you in this fight.”
“I know you do, sweetheart. But really, you have helped far more than you know!” he assured the storyteller. “And this
battle I’m afraid, is something that is ours to deal with. I’m sure you understand.”
