Tears streamed down my cheeks as a lifetime of holding my tongue and remembering my place was overruled by the words of my heart.
My father did draw me into his arms and press his cheek to my hair. Moon of Cabul, truly you are worthy of the son of Saam. For I have known from the moment we did see him upon the mountain that his stars were entwined with ours. He is a foreigner, though I do think he is a foreigner even among his own people. I would be very pleased to see this union, nothing would bring me greater joy than to see you wed to this man who is as you say more than just a fine face and a godly form, but has the heart of a lion within him. But I do not know how this can be achieved. The Shah will be angry and I fear he will bring his army. I must have the seers look into the future and see if there does be a way to appease him, but I fear there must be death. Something must be given to clear this debt or all will come to ruin.”
My father did leave me then, in a room in the great house with a guard at my door.
Whether he thought I would run away or he feared another might harm me for my selfish love, I did not know. But I lay upon the soft pillows and I did weep because I did not know if I would ever see Zal or hear his soft words again in this world.
It was not long before I was startled by a strange sound just beyond the curtains.
I thought I should hide myself, but I cared not at all about this life so I went to the ledge to see what lay beyond.
To my wonder and surprise, it was The Phoenix.
“Oh Great Mother!” I exclaimed, dropping to my knees before her. “What has befallen Zal that you would risk yourself to come here? Is he hurt? Is he...”
“No, dearest Daughter, my son is in good health, but his heart is filled with fear that harm has found you. He did beg me to see that you were safe and not being abused.”
“He is the kindest of men. Truly you have raised a king. I have loved him since I saw him upon the mountain and I would have loved him through all of this lifetime, but I fear that my father’s words are true and death will come to this place. Can you protect him from death? For little else in this world matters if he is not here.”
“Zal is raised a Phoenix. He has survived death before and he shall again so long as there is a reason to continue to live. I know this to be true. Hold tight to that love in your heart. Do not falter. The days ahead will hold many sorrows and surprises, and you must believe in that which you wish for or it will be lost.”
I believed in him. I did believe with all of my heart.
10. Zal:
My father came upon a swift Arabian steed with but three men at his side.
And I did know the news was bad before a word was spoken.
“The army marches this way, my Son. We are ordered by the Shah of the World to raze Cabul and destroy all of the serpent brood. For he did already know what was afoot here and he would not hear my words. And I do know in my heart that his army will follow closely upon the flanks for mine. If I fail to do his bidding he will send his own men to finish this job and he will then deny friendship with Siestan so that we will be the next target of his vengeance.”
“I will not see Cabul destroyed. I will not. I will guard her gate alone if that is the will of the gods and I will challenge any who take a weapon against her. I do not ask you to stand with me Father, I ask only that you stand aside. This is my battle, it need not be your battle.”
“You are my son, Zal, and I have pledged to uphold you.”
“I was not raised such, and my refusal to bend to your orders does give you purpose to oppose me.”
“You are my son, Zal. That is all that matters. If I do not uphold that which I did sire, I am not worthy of any man’s honor.”
“Then write to the Shah again and pray he changes his mind. I will not let him slaughter innocents for a grudge that is generations in the past. That is not the way of righteousness, nor would this be a war that will make men heroes. No God would grant a blessing upon a one who would cut down the young and old as they flee. If that be the intention of this mighty Shah, I will defeat him even if it means my death.”
“Your words are true, Son, for this is not a mighty battle of the armies, there is no glory in killing women and children. Mihrab has done me no harm. He has been gracious and honored me greatly each time we have met. I feasted him in my own home and I did meet this Daughter of the Moon when she was just blooming into womanhood, so I do know what he protects. I will write on your behalf. I will beg that the Shah reconsider, because my seers did tell me that what would come of this union was a hero of the greatest prowess.”
And a messenger was sent, but it was days of anxiously awaiting news that seemed unlikely to be good, that made me restless. My mother did tell me that Ruby was safe but guarded by her father, and I did not seek her, for angering Mihrab would do much harm in a situation that was already perilous.
But my arms did miss her so greatly. I longed for the comfort of her words and her gentle touch while all I could do was as my mother advised; hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.
It did seem the worst was to come. My father’s messenger returned days earlier than we expected. My father’s message was given to The Shah of the World, but his army was already upon the road, and he was himself leading them to this spot.
11. Ruby:
The day was near that the world as it was would come to an ending.
Zal’s company did still sit outside of Cabul near the river as they had for these weeks, but the army of Siestan did sit not far away.
They did not strike at Cabul. They simply sat.
My father called many meetings and many nights my mother did sleep beside him in his rooms for the great comfort she gave him was a balm.
Cabul was not well armed, we did not have a force enough quell Zal’s company had he come to take us. There was not a single hope that any would survive if King Saam’s army did engage.
My father began evacuating his other children and a number each day from the city itself. I felt in my heart that those outside the gate surely knew what was happening, but did turn a blind eye to give at least some the chance for survival.
But the day dawned where thunder rolled in from the west though the sky remained ever clear. The great army of Iran did approach, and The Shah of the World did at last come to see the ending of Cabul.
My father bid his men to get all they could out to the villages to hide, for he did think the Shah would not raze the farmlands because he still needed to feed his men.
When the morning sun came the gates to Cabul opened but only my father and I walked out to the armies with the colors of Cabul as our escort. The soldiers were all instructed to remain and reinforce the gates the moment fighting did erupt or the charge did begin.
My father carried only his ceremonial sword. It was not fit for a fight, but could be used for a sacrifice. And the ladies did dress me in the finest silks, they made elaborate curls in my raven hair and dabbed the best musk upon my skin. I did know I was the tribute or the sacrifice, but I walked bravely out among the men. For as Zal did tell me, the serpent must confront that which he fears boldly for he has no weapon but his bite.
I was ready to be bold. I was ready to die to stop this battle.
My father walked on toward the grand tent of the Shah and requested audience.
And the Shah did come out into the light of day dressed for battle. He was most likely near my father in years, but fierce of face and countenance. A long scar ran from the edge of his brow down to his chin along the left side of his face. And I did fear him, but I felt some respect as I looked upon him, for he was a no stranger to the fighting. He did not sit back and drink his wine in the tent as the battle raged. He fought beside his men. And so while I did not like him for what was going to happen, I did grudgingly accept him.
And just as quickly I did despise him.
For he would not even hear my father’s words.
He did l
ook at us as though we were dirty children and then he called out for Zal, Son of Saam, Prince of Siestan. My heart did race.
There, wearing the crest of Siestan upon his chest was Zal, King of the Mountain. He bid his men to stay and came forward alone with his head held high.
And he did look every bit a king.
He stood tall about twenty paces from The Shah and another twenty paces from my father and I. He did not look at me, his eyes were fixed upon his adversary, and he did not bow. There was not motion or sound as they did size each other up. But the Shah did look upon Zal with distaste and say, “if this be what you wish, then I command you, kill Mihrab, descendant of Zohak and claim Cabul for your own kingdom. Thence you shall have the Daughter of the Serpent as servant or concubine and also my esteem.”
“No.” He did answer flatly.
“You dare deny my judgment! I thought you wiser than that, but you show your foolish upbringing. For who could respect a man reared in a nest?”
The armies did dare laugh. The Shah did encourage them, flapping his arms and squawking, taunting Zal.
And my heart did break.
But Zal was unruffled. Even as I watched him, one moment he stood rigid, the next he had vanished only to reappear but inches from the Shah, and towering above him as though he had grown to the size of the mountain itself.
“Laugh, small men who know not the wonders of the world before this one. For my mother that did raise me has seen the world of men die thrice and did teach me more than this age of man shall ever know. Doubt not the skill in the kingdom of the wild for the animals make not war and yet survive more easily than any king.”
“You speak with insolence. I should be glad to kill you with my own hands,” the Shah started, but before his words could even be heard Zal did stand upon the spot before my Father, his body our guard, his sword at the ready in his hand.
“Then kill me if you must, but know this; I am the Phoenix. I will rise again from that which you destroy. And when I do I will be stronger and fiercer than any man has ever been. And if I return to find that which I loved has been taken I will not rest until all who stood here in this moment have bled their lives into the earth. For what will come next will not be a hero, but vengeance as has never been seen before. And if my heart be lost, so goes mercy.”
And as he spoke, a great shadow passed before the sun.
Zal, did raise his arm, but the archers did also raise their bows.
“No!” Zal cried out, as did Saam, King of Siestan, but the sound was overtaken by the whiz of the arrows as they sought that which had done them no wrong.
The Great Phoenix was hit. And her body did envelope the arrows in her ball of flame and that flame did fall from the sky amid the archers, like a fallen star destroying all in its path. My beloved Zal cried out in anguish. His mother, the only other who loved him as I did, destroyed at the hands of this vile army.
I tore from my father’s grasp. I did not care if they killed me, for I needed to be at Zal’s side, I needed to comfort him. But he threw down his sword. His rage did throb in his fists and still he opened his left arm to me and tucked me into his side as he drew something from his tunic.
It was a single feather.
He held it up to the sunlight and it did catch fire there upon his palm.
Zal’s eyes stayed fixed upon the Shah as the ashes rained down to the ground. And the simple ash did ignite into a roaring flame at his feet. Again he extended his right arm and from the fire burst forth The Phoenix!
Her feathers did flicker like flame as she took to the sky and then set alight upon the outstretched arm of her son.
The Shah did drop to his knees and bow before her.
“You have raised him well, Great Lady, for he does not cower nor compromise. Though something was taken from him, he did not charge out in revenge, but use his means to restore. He has answered every riddle and mastered every skill that I could think to test, for I did not have faith that one raised wild could live this life. And I am proved wrong. I did see that his stars showed greatness and now I do believe.”
Then the Shah did call out to my father. “Mihrab, Descendant of The Serpent, King of Cabul. I honor you. For you did see greatness in him from the start. And as you would sacrifice that which you held most dear to save the innocents of this land, I do grant you peace. See your daughter wed to the mightiest of men, for what will come of this union is already written in the stars.”
And I did drop to my knees before him and kiss his feet. It was just moments before that I thought I was likely to die at Zal’s side and now the Shah of the World did bless our union.
But he took my hand and raised me. “Moon of Cabul, do not thank me, thank he who did not falter and the mother who made him such a man.”
So it was that our love became a thing of legend.
* * *
“And we lived happily ever after. I like it.”
“And me?”
“I like you too.”
“Hmm. You were supposed to fall in love with me.”
“Maybe I didn’t need the story for that.”
“Will you ever say the words?”
“Yes. But I don’t want to just yet or you’ll stop telling me the stories.”
“I won’t.”
“Is it always Love? Is it ever obsession or just lust?”
“Is that what you want to hear?”
“Maybe. I need to know it isn’t always perfect, because I’m not perfect. I’m afraid I can’t live up to the fairy tale.”
“You are always the happy ending in my fairy tale, but if you want to hear the others, I will tell them.”
* * *
After Five
1.
I guess I should have given a lot of things more thought.
First and foremost, the job.
Common sense dictates that if something seems too good to be true, generally it is too good to be true. I, of course, had a long history of ignoring that little voice that was common sense.
Patience was also not a virtue that I possessed and neither did I try to develop any sort of temperance. I was impulsive and restless, and in retrospect I will admit to being self-centered and wildly egomaniacal.
Wildly.
I wanted what I wanted exactly when I wanted it.
And that was that.
Anyway, the job might have been the opportunity of a lifetime, but all I was really interested in was the enormous salary, the potential for large bonuses on top of that, the constant game and the ego stroking that came with being wealthy. Again, my egocentricity knew absolutely no bounds. I won my potential bosses over so easily with my Irish charm, my winning smile and my knack for being able to talk anyone into anything, any time. I was the perfect candidate, the perfect player. Sure it meant moving to a new state and a city I was not at all familiar with, but I wasn’t close to my middle class family and my last girlfriend left me months ago because I was only focused on advancing my financial status. I didn’t make time for her.
It was not like she broke my heart. It wasn’t serious. At least it wasn’t serious for me.
So when the job offer came, I did not hesitate. I packed my things and left with hardly a word to anyone.
Impulsive. That was me.
And seriously, my new life could not have started out any better. I scoped out the luxury apartments down near the waterfront. I got myself a beauty up in a high rise with a spectacular view. I invested in a handful of custom tailored suits and I hit the ground running. I was so absorbed in the smooth talking, the platinum business card, the lunches, the tee times, all the things it took to woo the clientele, that I hardly realized that the work week became my whole life, twenty-four seven. It didn’t matter, I was living the life I wanted.
Always what I wanted.
I always did exactly what I wanted.
It didn’t register that my glorious apartment with its panoramic view and outra
geous rent was nothing but a place to crash until the alarm went off again or my phone rang. The kitchen had never been used, the leather furniture had never been sat upon and there hadn’t been a single woman to seduce because I was completely absorbed in the job. I was so caught up in my dollar signs and my lifestyle that I didn’t realize I was completely alone in the little world I built that revolved around me until Thanksgiving Day came.
Sure, I knew the holiday was coming.
There were half a dozen calls from my mother on my phone that I’d neglected over the previous weeks. Family was low on my priority list. And I figured they were always going to be there in the fringe. I could just get back to them when I had time.
Time.
Anyway, the holiday was upon me and that was the day it hit me.
I was alone.
There was no one to have a fancy lunch with, no charter boat, no wine tasting, night clubbing or golf. Just a whole day with nothing to do and no one to share it with. I woke up at a leisurely hour. My black satin sheets were not warmed with the company of a beautiful woman. There was not food in the refrigerator, beside the half dozen or so bottles of high dollar wines that had been given to me in appreciation. My coffee machine had never even been plugged in nor did I have the supplies to make use of it. And as I stood at the kitchen counter realizing I had nothing, it occurred to me that I probably should have answered my mother’s calls. I could have been having a nice dinner with people who cared about me instead of spending my day hungry on my stiff leather sofa wondering if I should actually set up that top of the line entertainment system that I had to have, which was still just a stack of boxes on the living room floor.
My stomach growled angrily.
I ventured out into the city in search of sustenance. Three restaurants turned me away for not having a reservation. Two other places I liked were closed. Even the grocery store was not open, which was a surprise, a relief and a slap in the face all at once. It was like the world was wagging it’s finger at me saying, that’s what you get for being so self-centered. The world does not revolve around you, selfish boy.