A Tale That Could Not Be

The only warmth Sinbad received when he arrived at the palace was from the sun. The guard he had introduced himself to immediately spat at his feet before eventually leading them into the huge, domed building. Red stayed close to Hook and Jack, not wanting to get caught in a fight that she could sense was soon coming.

The hall they walked through was decorated with colourful and elaborate murals. Golden braziers lined it at regular intervals and the doors they passed by were ornately adorned with gold, silver, and sometimes jewels. The palace screamed of riches and royalty but the guard did not take them to the throne room, as they all assumed he would. Instead, he walked them through an arching doorway to the inner courtyard which was populated with lush plant-life, glittering pools of crystalline water, and several fountains. Above their heads was a great hole through the dome to allow sunlight to filter through. In the middle of the courtyard was a man sparring with two others.

“Wait here,” the guard said as he approached the battling men. One of them was dressed in black, loosely-fitting pants, leather sandals, had a leather harness over his bare, tattooed chest, and flowing behind him was a long, red cape. Wrapped around his neck and covering most of his face below the eyes was black silk and over his head was a red turban with a glimmering ruby facing forward. The guard bowed at the man and spoke in a hushed voice, gesturing to Sinbad and his company. The caped man narrowed his dark eyes and sheathed the two scimitars he held into the scabbards at his sides. He waved the guard and the other two men away and waited until he was alone before walking toward Sinbad. His dark eyes had never left the sailor’s and hadn’t blinked once.

Red felt the tension in the air rise with every silent step he took. If this was the prince he resembled more of an assassin than a future ruler and she couldn’t fool herself into thinking he did not intimidate her. Fortunately his attention was fully focused on Sinbad, who only stared back wordlessly, his back straight and his jaw set.

When the man reached the company he briefly glanced at the others. Red felt icy claws clench her spine when his dark eyes studied her. They focused on someone else less than a second later but she still felt the power in that gaze and she wondered if Hook and Sinbad had done wrong in coming here. This man clearly held no love for anyone here. And yet, surprisingly, Bigbad was calm. He was paying close attention to the man’s movements but his ears were up and his lips weren’t pulled back in a snarl.

“I did not take you for the forgetful sort, cousin,” the man said, his strong voice slightly muffled behind the silk wrapped around his face. “I believe that I had made it exceedingly clear that I did not wish you to step foot here ever again. Tell me that this is a mistake and that you will leave immediately and I shall pretend to have never seen you.”

Sinbad gulped and took a deep breath. To Red, he almost looked afraid. “I did not forget what you told me, cousin. I am here because I need to be as I have nowhere left to turn to.”

“That is of no concern of mine. You ruined any chance at redemption when you broke my trust.”

“I know what I did and that you can never forgive me for that but this matter is bigger than me. Someone’s life is at stake.”

“Yes, yours.”

“No, Aladdin, this is not about me!”

“I am a prince now, Sinbad, and you would live much longer if you remembered that.”

Hook stepped forward, taking the prince’s attention away from Sinbad for the moment. “Excuse me, your highness, but Sinbad tells the truth when he says that we are not here because he wants to seek forgiveness for whatever he did. Believe me, if there was another option I would have taken it. I am Captain Hook, and—”

“I know who you are, captain,” Aladdin said, his expression softening ever so slightly. “I guessed as much that Sinbad was not here for personal reasons otherwise he would have never brought you all here. Why do you wish to speak to me? What services can I offer to the famed pirate hunter?”

Hook gave the prince a short bow before speaking. “I will cut to the chase as to not waste any more of your time. I am in need of a ship. My Jolly Roger was destroyed and where I go is somewhere no other captain will venture save one. Sauradia’s vessels are renowned for their speed and time is of the essence. I have no wealth as it was all on my ship and Sinbad suggested that we came here to seek help in acquiring one.”

Aladdin took a moment to reflect on what he was told. “You assumed that Sinbad, being a blood relative, would help in persuading me to simply give you a ship free of charge? You do understand that war is on the horizon, Captain Hook, and that every single vessel in my nation’s fleet is valuable, do you not? I cannot simply spare one for a cause that is useless to me.”

“Our friend is in danger!” Red blurted out before slapping her hand over her mouth, her face going pale.

Aladdin’s dark eyes fixed on her and Red only stared back, hoping she hadn’t insulted the menacing-looking prince. “I repeat; your friend’s troubles are of no concern to me.”

Jack stomped forward, his fists shaking and his face red. “You’re a liar! She is of every concern to you! She is of concern to everyone here and to everyone in Faeryum! If she dies then the chaos that will eat away at this world is all your fault! You, Prince Aladdin, will be the reason the world ends!”

Aladdin raised an eyebrow, slightly startled by Jack’s outburst, and then chuckled. “You love her, don’t you? I can see it in your eyes. This friend of yours is very dear to you. It is a pity that she has been taken from you but I cannot spare a single ship to reunite two people I do not know and care nothing about.”

“You have it wrong,” Jack said, quieter this time. “It is your duty to save her.”

There was a moment of silence as Sinbad closed his eyes and shook his head and Bigbad’s ears bent back. Red feared Jack had spoken out of line and worried what would happen next. Bigbad began to growl, Belle tensed up, and a moment later there was a flash of steel and a loud clang.

Red cried out as she saw one of Aladdin’s blades lightly touching Jack’s neck. Another blade, this one belonging to Sinbad, was pressed against the prince’s own neck. Red glanced to the side, where Cindy stood, and the two girls exchanged worried looks. The hair on Bigbad’s back was ruffled and his teeth and fangs were bared. His growl rumbled so low that it made the ground shudder. Belle had her eyes shut and was sitting low, hugging her knees and shaking violently, as if doing her best to keep Beast at bay. Hook’s cutlass was in his hand and he eyed Prince Aladdin hard.

“You dare threaten the prince of Sauradia?” Aladdin hissed at Sinbad.

“You dare threaten Jack?” Sinbad replied, his eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched.

“Jack is nothing to me.”

“He is everything to me,” Hook said as he raised his cutlass and pointed it at the prince’s face. “Jack is like a son, prince, and I would appreciate it if you did not threaten his life for telling you the truth.”

“You are all dead fools.”

“As you will be if you do not heed his words. We are in pursuit of a young girl who is far more important than you will ever realize. She was taken from us by Peter Pan and if we do not rescue her before he does whatever sick and twisted things he has planned then this entire world is doomed. Jack spoke to Amalthea, the last unicorn, and she informed him that the girl, Selvina is her name, was brought here to protect us from an evil far greater than any war.”

“Brought here? You speak as if she is from somewhere else.”

“She is not of this world,” Red said, hoping to help in persuading the prince. “I know it sounds strange but we have all been in her presence and we have no reason to lie to you. She is here to help us stop this person called The Writer.”

Aladdin’s eyes widened, flaring brightly. “The Writer?”

“Yes,” Sinbad said, touching his cousin’s neck with his sword. “Now can you sheathe your blade so that we can all sheathe ours?”

Prince Aladdin nodded once and quickly sheathed his scimitar. Sinbad and Hook followed suit and Jack took a step back and felt his neck for any cuts. The prince lowered the silk wrap around his face, revealing his full face, and gave them all a short bow. “Excuse my actions. I know little of The Writer but I once overheard mages speaking of it with great apprehension, as if they were fearful of it. I will take you to High Flame Gaphir and decide for myself if what you say is true. If I deem you speaking truthfully then I will do what I can to help. Come with me.”

Aladdin turned and walked through the courtyard, his cape flowing behind him. The companions exchanged cautious and questioning glances. They all wordlessly wondered if it was safe to follow the man that had just threatened the life of one of their own. Bigbad had settled down and Belle had Beast under control thus eventually it was decided that it was the only option they had.

Hopefully this Gaphir person is more hospitable and understanding than the prince, Red thought.

High Flame Gaphir was found in his study, a grand circular room with full bookshelves talking up most of the wall space and strange instruments and gadgets crowding the shelves of the remaining space. A large desk sat just a few feet away from the middle of the room and circular patterns were etched on the floor before it. Gaphir himself was middle-aged, tall, thin, and had a narrow goatee on his long face. He was dressed in a scarlet robe and upon his head he wore a large, black turban with a huge ruby much like the one on Aladdin’s. He was seated as his desk, studying a book, when Prince Aladdin walked in with Sinbad’s company.

The older man looked up and sighed, as if displeased with the disturbance. “I was not expecting a royal visit, prince.”

Aladdin walked up to the desk and pointed at Sinbad and the others. “They know about The Writer.”

Gaphir didn’t look surprised or shocked at all.

Does he really know anything about The Writer? Red wondered.

He glanced at Aladdin briefly before setting his gaze on the six other people in the room. “Do they now?” he asked, appearing uninterested. “I was unaware that even you knew of him.”

“I don’t, which is why I brought them here to you. They say that they are on a quest to defeat this Writer. They also seek a ship.”

“Well, bring that up with the Sultan, then. It is not up to me to give them a ship. If you don’t mind, your highness, I have much studying to do.”

Aladdin tensed and narrowed his eyes. “I was hoping you could discern if they speak the truth. Sauradia cannot spare a ship for just anyone.”

Gaphir closed his eyes and sighed again. “Very well, then. I shall see.” He stood up stiffly and walked around his desk, his arms held behind his back. The man approached the group of friends and eyed each one in turn. His eyes settled uncomfortably long on Cindy.

“Tell him what you told me,” Aladdin urged.

Hook, with the aid of Jack, told Gaphir everything. Jack described his meeting with Amalthea, of Selvina’s arrival to Faeryum, and what her role was in all of this. Hook told him of their journey to Sauradia and of his hope in securing a fast ship so that they could rescue Selvina and ensure that her task was fulfilled. Gaphir took it all in, his face expressionless, yet his eyes kept drifting to Cindy. The youngest member of the group didn’t shy away, however, and just glared back at him.

Gaphir turned and walked to one of his book shelves where he fingered through several volumes before pulling one out and flipping through a few pages. “It appears that your story rings true,” he said, his eyes on the pages. “There hasn’t been a unicorn in Sauradia for centuries but your description of Amalthea certainly fits the one rumored to reside in Midea. She has the most recent sightings, few as they are, and if you say that she is the last, then that would explain why.” He shut the book and put it away. “The Empress of Noyr knows more about this than I do. She has a keen fascination with magical beings and destinies and all of that.” Gaphir lifted a hand and suddenly produced a ball of fire that hovered over his open palm. “I much prefer the studies of magic’s usefulness and practicality and less of its meaning in the grand scheme of things.”

“Does this mean you will grant us a ship?” Hook asked.

Gaphir, the ball of fire still revolving over his hand, eyed the former captain with a raised eyebrow. “I already stated that that is not up to me. You must speak with the sultan about that.”

“Then we shall do so.”

Hook, Sinbad and Jack followed Aladdin out of the room, eager to get moving. The girls and Bigbad made to leave as well until Cindy walked the other way, toward Gaphir. Red and Belle exchanged a confused glance and watched her approach the much taller man. Bigbad lay down and waited patiently.

Gaphir smiled. “I assumed, and admittedly hoped, that the fire would entice you to remain. Tell me, what is your name, young one?”

“Cindy,” she replied, her stance guarded and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why were you staring at me so much?”

Belle and Red cried out as Gaphir suddenly and unexpectedly threw the tiny ball of flame at Cindy’s face. It exploded brightly but Cindy didn’t even flinch. She curled her hands into fists and said though clenched teeth, “What was that for?”

Gaphir’s smile widened. “It as I suspected. You are kissed by flame, Cindy.”

“What?”

“There is great potential within you and I would be honored if you remained here as my pupil. I would teach you to become a powerful fire mage, perhaps even strong enough to match me.”

“You can’t just ask that of me like that. I don’t even want to be a fire mage.”

“You are innately capable of resisting fire. You were born for it.”

“Even so, that doesn’t mean I can use it like the mages do.”

“You seem to know a fair bit about fire mages. How is that so? Did you study magic at one point?”

“No. I grew in poverty in the streets of Kenmard. I only know about them from stories I heard some of the sailors say when I would visit the port.”

“Yet, you came to me.”

“I wanted to know why you were being such a creep!”

Gaphir chuckled. “The sultan may have chosen poorly when he allowed his daughter to marry that street rat they now call prince but I never chose poorly, Cindy. Haven’t you ever wondered why you can stand in fire and not get burned? Haven’t you ever wondered what other powers lays hidden within your being?”

Red walked up to Cindy and placed a hand on her shoulder. “We need to get back to Hook and the others. They’ll be waiting for us.”

Gaphir glanced at Red, his eyes narrowed. “This choice is hers, crimson-haired one. She will be wasting a great opportunity if she denies my request.”

Cindy appeared deep in thought. Red didn’t trust Gaphir at all and hoped Cindy saw him for the liar that she was certain he was. A part of her did want to know why fire didn’t hurt Cindy but not at the expense of leaving her here with the snake-like man. Rescuing Selvina was a higher priority anyhow.

“Selvina needs us,” Red reminded.

Cindy blinked rapidly and nodded. “You’re right. She’s more important than me learning magic right now.” She looked up at Gaphir, whose lips were curled in a snarl, and said, “I am sorry but I must deny your request. I have a friend to go save.”

Gaphir took a deep breath, composed himself, and nodded slowly. “Very well, Cindy, if that is your choice then I must accept it, as unfortunate as it is. Perhaps you will return to me in the future.”

Unlikely, Red thought to herself. There was no way Cindy was going to come back to such an uncomfortably unsettling man. There were other people she could go see about her immunity to fire. There had to be.

Yet, when Red looked at Cindy’s face she could see the doubt there, as if she was wondering if she had made the right decision. Could she actually be considering being tutored by Gaphir? Surely she couldn’t be.

Gaphir was bad news, Red knew it.