**** Chapter Forty Five: CALL ME PRINCESS

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Chapter Forty Five: CALL ME PRINCESS

“By heavens, it is!”

I pulled the reins as two burly forms clad in dusty trousers and check-print shirts stepped in front of my horse, staring at me.

“Jay?” It was the violinist from Sikri and his friend. “And why are you here?”

“Aww, she remembers us!” Jay clapped as happily as a child. “We live here, Doll.

How come you’re here?”

“Hey, you remember me too? I don’t think I properly introduced myself back then. I’m Miroi.” This was the one who had pulled me to dance with him at the tavern. “Don’t you look pretty as a pastry in that dress now!”

“I beg your pardon?” Salaar spoke this time, very curtly too.

“Hey, I know you.” Jay looked up at Salaar. “You’re the General.”

“The General?” Miroi’s eyebrows rose. “Salaar of Sepharvim? Man, you’re back!

Khastum, Salaar! Why’re you with Doll?”

“You know people in high places, Doll.” Jay said. “First Khazrum, now Salaar.”

“My name is not Doll.” Morons! “It’s Aoife. And if you must know, I’m a Syhlain.”

The declaration left the two men aghast for a second before they broke into uncontrollable laughter.

“Syhlains!” Jay gasped for air between his cackles. “Didn’t anyone tell you they all died?”

“I can prove it!” I began to smolder inside. Why, the insolence!

“Like how?” Miroi laughed. “You gonna tickle us to death? And please don’t tell us someone tattooed a crescent on your thigh ‘cause I’ll just die dreamin’ of it!”

Salaar twitched but I shot him a cold look, warning him to stay put. Then I got off my horse and calmly walked up to the two laughing hyenas. When I stood a foot away from Jay, he stopped cackling and looked at me, still chuckling. That was enough attention for me. I smiled and put a finger on his chest.

“Aww, I think she likes me.” He grinned and winked at Miroi.

It was the perfect time. I nudged him a bit with one finger and off he went flying into a yard dotted with heaps of manure behind him. With Jay out of the way, I looked at Miroi. His mouth hung open as did his eyes. I don’t think he was even breathing when I told him, “Don’t ever call me Doll again.”

He instantly went down on one knee, bowed his head and hailed me. Yes, the traditional Realmic bow to Royalty. For the first time, it felt wonderful!

“That’s nice.” I smiled at him. “Behave from now on and you’ll never have to get down on your knees again.”

As Jay emerged from the manure, he saw what had happened and instantly apologized. And what I had envisioned as a two minute disciplinary action turned into an event as everyone in the marketplace realized what had just occurred. Princess of Enth was suddenly amongst them and that wasn’t anything to ignore but everything to celebrate. They began to gather around me, bowing and hailing and basically making me very uncomfortable.

“I shall have you hanged for this!” I hissed at Jay who now stood close to me. “If you hadn’t cackled like a witch I never would’ve pushed you and none of this would be happening!”

“They’re just happy to see you, Princess.” He grinned, in spite of the manure in his hair. “This is a very big deal!”

I looked at him incredulously. Could a jerk like him have a brain functional enough to process delicate emotions?

“Princess! Your Majesty!” A young girl stepped forth. “May we know your name?”

“Hush now, Roma!” An elderly woman, possibly her mother, snatched at her arm.

“Her Majesty’s title must suffice for us all. You need not ask irrelevant questions!”

“My name is Aoife!” I yelled above the noise of the crowd, addressing the girl who’d asked me. Then I looked at everyone else once they became silent and declared, hopefully for the last time, “My name is Aoife. You may call me just that if you wish or if you worry too much about propriety–” my gaze shifted to Salaar at this point, still mounted, “you may use Princess as title but nothing else. If anyone says Your Majesty or Highness or anything that ornate I will not entertain you with a response! Are we clear?” Boy! Where had I learned to be eloquent?

The crowd took a second to grasp the decree and then exploded in approval of it. Apparently, the young people enjoyed my decision more than their elders. I looked at all the beaming faces and then my gaze floated off to Salaar. He smiled at me.

“Princess Aoife, should we move on?” he asked.

I nodded and made way back to my horse. A nice gentleman asked permission to help me mount. I allowed him. He very delicately and very reverently helped me up and moved away as soon as I was seated comfortably in the saddle. Then, the crowd lined up at the sides to make way for our horses to pass. And as we did, they waved and smiled till I was overwhelmed.

“Salaar, send me back to Earth!” I said as soon as we were out of the bazaar. “They all respect and love me because they have this huge expectation and I know I’ll fail them!” I dismounted and found a nice boulder to sit on.

Salaar dismounted too and quietly walked up to me. He didn’t sit, neither on the nearby rock nor the forest floor. He stood there calmly listening.

“You think I’m a loser, don’t you?” I asked him softly. “I’m sure my mother was very different.”

“You’re a Syhlain like her.” He shrugged. “When the time comes, you’ll know what to do.”

Salaar didn’t talk much. But whatever little he did say had an immense impact on me. It was as if his words seeped deep through the crevices of my mind and eradicated dark doubts within. He sounded so true, so honest.

“You believe that?”

“I know that.” He smiled. “Where else would you like to go now, Princess?”

I returned his smile and took my time studying his face before replying, “Let’s go back to the cottage.”

The ride back was uneventful as Salaar took another route that did not go through the market place but looped around it. This time we went through fields of purple leaves and scanty neighborhoods of clusters of not more than three houses in each block.

As we neared the neighborhood in which Kabir lived, I saw a large tent being erected by a handful of men.

“What do you think is happening?” I asked Salaar.

“Looks like a preparation for some party. Perhaps in your honor.”

“Oh, they’ve got to be kidding me!” I said. “On the other hand, it’s kind of endearing.”

“Festivals are the best way to know people,” he said sagaciously.

“I have a lot to learn from you, Salaar of Sepharvim.” I smiled at him.

He didn’t reply but smiled slightly, not looking at me of course. He hardly ever did.

“I’d like to look.” I dismounted, walked a few feet and then glanced back to see if Salaar was following me. He wasn’t. Instead, he tethered our horses to a nearby tree and stood by chatting away with some old men basking in the afternoon sun.

Seriously, what a peculiar man! He was perhaps the first person in my life who wasn’t telling me exactly how I should behave.