My body tightened at the abuse being hurled at me, and my breathing came faster.
The girls laughed. “She’s not even of true royal blood. There’s no way she’ll ascend to Sultana.”
A group of onlookers joined in the laughter.
“We should afford her the same as she and her palace afford us!”
A boy of about sixteen in the group that had been laughing picked up a stone from the street and hurled it in my direction. It hit me just above the stomach. I felt a sharp painful sensation, and I found myself paralyzed in fear.
Soon, more stones followed as the group began to pelt me with whatever they had at hand. I’d wanted to be recognized, but not like this. This was worse than the feeling of invisibility. They knew me, but they didn’t know me. They knew I was the princess, but they had forgotten how much I’d fought for their rights for years. I was many things, but a spoiled rotten brat was not one of them.
Jamal jumped in front of me, shielding me from the onslaught, while Freya sprang into action. Inside, I felt the fire of magic begin to kindle. I didn’t know how to control it yet. If they carried on, I was going to go up in flames. I took a few deep breaths to steady myself as Freya strode toward the congregated group.
“Enough!” she hollered with her hands upright towards the perpetrators. “What is it that you think to achieve by stoning the Princess? Huh? Are you all asking for a death sentence? A quick execution?”
The sound of rocks dropping to the ground alerted me that many from all directions had intended harm to my person. The nervous energy continued to burn within me.
“Go, you cowards!” Jamal added, standing tall, still protecting me.
I felt so small. Insignificant. Terrified of what I might do if they didn’t leave me alone. And for the first time, I truly feared the people of Badalah.
“And who are you to tell us what to do? Another handler of the Sultana?” someone said in a menacing voice.
“You really don’t want to know,” Jamal said with a cold, unrecognizable edge in his words.
Freya once again stepped in. “Leave. The Princess’s private guards have already alerted the palace.”
It was a lie, and everyone knew it. We had no guard with us.
Someone laughed. “Look at that one trying to yank our chain.”
Their eyes widened as my skin began to smolder. I could actually see smoke rising from the parts of me that were bare.
Jamal grabbed my hand and began to pull me in the opposite direction. Freya ran alongside us as we sprinted back to the palace, back to safety.
“You need to learn to control that,” Jamal said, once we were away from the people.
“I know, but I’m so angry!” I made sure no one was looking, then let flames dance on my fingers to diffuse the anger within me. When it was slightly more manageable, I headed back to the palace with Jamal and Freya.
Enraged with anger and defeat, I stormed the palace doors, hollering for my mother.
“What are you doing?” whispered Jamal.
“My mother needs to understand what’s happening. Her illness, or whatever it is, has caused her to make some really bad decisions these past few days. She needs to see the consequences of those decisions. Please leave me to speak to her.”
Jamal looked like he didn’t want to go anywhere, but Freya took his hand and led him away. I was surprised to see that he acquiesced so easily to her.
“What is this behavior?” My mother asked, rounding a corner with two advisors and her lady’s maid.
“Mother. I must speak to you at once.” I said without hesitation. “In private,” I added, eyeing the advisors.
Both men bowed to leave. She waited, then whispered something to her lady’s maid, who quickly disappeared as well.
“Now, please explain yourself!”
I took a deep breath, finally an opportunity to get it off my chest.
“Something is terribly the matter. There seems to be a shroud of forgetfulness covering the kingdom, and no one else is picking up on it. Even you, Mother, you don’t even realize what you’ve forgotten. Your memory is coming and going.”
She found an ornate backless bench near one of the floor-to-ceiling-windows that overlooked the gardens, and took it, patting the empty space next to her.
“Gaia, my sweet girl, what are you talking about?”
I took a seat next to her, desperately wanting to curl up in her arms the way I used to do as a child. She knew who I was again, and unlike this morning at breakfast, she seemed back to her normal self. A part of me wanted to forget this whole thing was happening.
“I went into town this morning, and people threw stones at me.”
“You went without guards?” she asked, bringing me into a hug. “What were you thinking?”
“Yes, I deliberately disobeyed you. I’m sorry, Mother. Jamal and Freya were with me. Please, allow me to show you exactly what I’m talking about.”
“I’m aware of the problems in town. It seems there is some restlessness happening just outside the walls of Kibsu also. Some of our outlying villages have taken up arms and are trying to breach the walls with farm tools and what have you. I was just speaking to my advisors about it. They tell me that the country folk are quite insane over the whole thing. Most of them don’t even know what they used to trade in the first place. I’ve had to order the gates to the city closed until all this madness is over.”
She held her hand to her head and sighed. “It’s just one thing after another.”
I’d thought this was confined to Kisbu, but it looked like it extended past the reach of the capital city. My heart fell with the monumental task we faced. If it wasn’t bad enough that everyone was hypnotized, they were also mad because of my mother’s poor decisions. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. The people are losing their memories.”
My mother stared blankly at me.
“What are their demands?” I said with a sigh.
“They are demanding more food, it would seem. Honestly, I really don’t understand. Most of the people from outside of the walls either have their own lands to farm or work for wealthy families. That they suddenly claim to be going hungry is outrageous.”
My mother had ceased trade to all kingdoms and increased taxes a few days ago. It was no wonder they were angry. Added to the fact that most of them probably didn’t know what they were doing or should be doing, it was a disaster of epic proportions.
I fidgeted with my headscarf, wondering when the magic had started to grow outside of the city. Maybe I was wrong, and the magic was radiating inwards. I’d not heard anything until now about trouble outside the city, but it was possible that this had been going on in Badalah longer than I thought. I already knew it was happening in other kingdoms outside of Badalah.
“Mother, do you believe in magic?”
She smiled and looked away. “Perhaps I did once upon a time. But I’ve been so busy ruling a kingdom that I cannot allow myself such musings.”
“What of Genie?”
Her brows furrowed. “Genie?” She paused, “Like the genie of the lamp?”
I nodded.
She smoothed out her skirt, trying to hold back a laugh, from what I could see.
“Oh, dear Gaia. Genies are the things of fairytales. They are not real. My goodness, young lady. Who’s been filling your head with such nonsense?”
I pulled back from her embrace. Wishing she was back to normal didn’t make it so. I could shout at her all I liked, but she was in no fit state to make any changes to the kingdom. A few weeks ago, she was the strongest, most compassionate woman I knew. Everything I was, I owed to her, but now she was a shell of her former self. I no longer recognized her.
“I’m sorry, Mother. If you need help with anything, let me know.” She kissed my forehead as she had done countless times before, but when she pulled back, the blank stare was back on her face. Before she asked me who I was, I stood and wandered to the only place in the palace, I felt trul
y safe anymore, my bedroom.
Asher greeted me with a squawk as he always did when I entered.
“At least, you remember me,” I whispered, choking back the tears. The last few moments had made me realize just how much I missed my mother. The real her, not this weird version of her that seemed to flitter in and out of comprehension. I realized with a thump in my chest that this weirdness was probably the cause of her wanting to find me a husband. A few weeks ago, they’d shown no interest in having me married off. My mother had playfully enquired if I had my eye on anyone a couple of times, but we’d both giggled over the ridiculous amount of marriage proposals I received week after week.
It was little consolation. My mother, as I knew her, was gone. Even though I realized that all of her bizarre policy changes and her sudden interest in marrying me off were probably a result of the spell she was under, I didn’t know how to bring her back.
A knock at the door made me jump. As safe as I thought my bedroom to be, the truth was, it didn’t have a lock on it. Not that I thought my physical safety was in jeopardy, but what with everything else going on, I wasn’t too sure how long that would last. My mental wellbeing was already shot, thanks to being forgotten by almost everyone.
The only people that truly remembered me within the palace walls were Freya and Jamal. As Freya tended to walk in without waiting for me to answer, I expected Jamal to be on the other side of the door. When I saw Genie standing there, so many emotions hit me at once. The last time I’d seen him, he’d told me he thought about me being in his bed. I’ tried to forget it, but it was hard when I thought about him constantly.
“Genie...I...”
“May I come in?” he asked, glancing quickly down the corridor as though he didn’t want to be seen coming into my room. I opened the door and let him in, quickly shutting the door behind me.
If I’d hoped he was here to kiss me, to tell me he loved me and wanted me, I was sorely disappointed. He pushed me onto my bed, alright, but he sat down next to me with a respectable distance between us. I waited for him to speak.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said to me the other day,” he began, his words measured.
This didn’t look like it was about to be a declaration of love, but at least, he was acknowledging it.
“You said you wanted me in your bed...”I said my voice barely above a whisper. Genie cocked his head to one side, his eyebrows knotted in the middle.
He didn’t remember. It was plain as the nose on his face. I felt my heart pounding and a flush rise to my face.
“I’m talking about your magic, Gaia, what are you talking about?”
I swallowed back the tears that were threatening. He’d forgotten our conversation. I’d thought of barely anything other than what he’d said, but his words were now lost in the ether to him.
“My magic?” I replied with a sigh.
“I know I’ve not wanted to talk about it. I’ve made it no secret what I think of magic, but the truth is that you have it.”
“I don’t want it. This whole problem has to do with magic and seeing as I didn’t have any a couple of weeks ago, I figure it's connected somehow, I just don’t know how.”
Genie shifted on the bed, looking as uncomfortable as I felt about the situation. “Nor do I. The connection isn’t the issue. What is the issue is how you wield your magic and what you do with it.”
I snapped my fingers and lit the tips of my fingers without even thinking about it. Genie flinched as I waved the small flames in front of me.
He composed himself quickly. “You have this gift for a reason.”
I looked at him. How much did he remember? He knew who I was, and he remembered our talk when I’d cried in his arms.
“Do you know who my mother is?” I asked him, blowing the light out with a quick puff of breath. I watched his reaction. It was like he was searching his mind for something.
“The Sultana Jawahir,” he said eventually. It took too long for him to answer. Normally he could remember obscure facts about almost anything with barely a thought.
“And my father?”
“That I do not know. You know you were adopted. Your father’s name was never given.”
That had come easily to him. He didn’t even think about my father, just jumped to the conclusion that I was talking about my birth father.
“Why do you think I need to learn how to wield my magic?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Is that not obvious?” he said. It was obvious to me. The whole kingdom was going insane, but I needed to know what it meant to Genie.
“Tell me.”
“People are revolting against us,” he explained. I guess he’d either been talking to my mother and she’d forgotten, or he’d found out from some other source. “We need to be ready to fight. I remember when I was magic. I know how it feels. I can teach you.”
“Fight our own people?” I asked, fear welling up inside me. He’d never talked like this before. He never hurt anyone.
“Yes. The palace guards might not be enough.”
I closed my eyes. If I wasn’t careful, we were going to end up in a civil war. Just as I’d lost my mother, I was losing Genie. It wasn’t just their memories that were taken from them, but the very essence of who they were. I’d been so angry at the people who’d thrown stones at me, but maybe they weren’t the people they used to be either. It made my head and my heart hurt just thinking about it.
“Thank you, Genie,” I said, moving close to him. “I’ll think on what you said. We do need to be prepared.”
I moved closer still until my mouth was next to his ear. “Never forget that I love you.” I whispered it so softly, I wasn’t sure if he heard me. He stood up and left my room, leaving me more bereft than I’d felt before.
Later, I sought out Jamal. I’d left both him and Freya in a hurry when I’d marched back into the palace. I found him in the gardens, sitting on a bench deep in thought.
“Not disturbing you, am I?”
Jamal looked up and shook his head, “Not at all. I’m glad you are here. I have something to tell you. Sultana Jawahir has sought my counsel to assist her with the impending revolt just outside the city walls.”
My stomach churned, “She told me about it earlier. Do you know how bad it is?”
Jamal stood up. “It’s not good news. She’s managed to set up a meeting with them as soon as the guards can assure her safety.”
“You don’t think she’s safe?”
Jamal took my hand in his. “I don’t think any of us are safe in the palace. You saw what happened to you out in the town this morning. People are angry; they are hurt and hungry.”
“They don’t know what they are doing,” I said. “Some people remember; some don’t. Most are making up their own memories based on the last week.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Gaia. None of this makes sense, but I do know that we need to be cautious.”
“Genie told me the same thing in my room.”
Jamal suddenly looked perturbed. “Genie was in your room? Are you alright?”
My heart was shattered into millions of pieces, but I could hardly tell Jamal that.
“I’m fine. Genie would never hurt me.”
Jamal didn’t look convinced.
“He wouldn’t!” I reiterated. “He wanted me to learn to wield my magic in case we are attacked.”
Jamal sat back down beside me, a little closer than he’d been sitting before. “I think he might be right. I hate to say it, but if your magic is the only thing that can keep you safe, you should learn how to use it.”
I closed my eyes. When had life gotten so complicated? I felt Jamal take my hand again. I pulled back and stood up, opening my eyes. “You are right. I should go to him.”
Jamal suddenly seemed smaller on the bench.
“Hey, I wondered where you two were.”
I turned and smiled at Freya, grateful at her opportune timing.
“I was just go
ing to find Genie.” I turned to Jamal. “Why don’t you get Freya up to speed with what my mother intends to do, and I’ll meet you both for dinner later.”
I thought I saw Jamal’s eyes light up when I mentioned dinner, but they quickly faded again as I said goodbye and walked away.
“I want you to teach me magic,” I said, as Genie opened his door.
He nodded briefly, then took my hand. At first, I thought he was going to pull me into his room, but instead, he began a quick march down the corridor.
“Not here,” he hissed, picking up the pace. I ran alongside him, trying to keep up, aware that we were holding hands...or at least, he was holding mine. I was just along for the ride, it seemed.
We ended up in the palace cellars, not too far from where my father had slept a few nights ago.
He stopped, pulling me in front of him. In the dim light cast by the small dirty windows that never got cleaned as the maids never came down here, I wanted nothing more than to kiss him. No one knew we were down here. No one would see us. I almost leaned forward, but Genie caught my wrists.
“Show me what you can do,” he demanded.
I held my hands in front of him and set every finger alight, a dancing flame atop every one of them.
“I think there is more,” he said, letting go of my wrists.
I closed my eyes and focused on the pain of him not wanting me, or at least, forgetting he wanted me. I pulled in the pain of my mother forgetting my father, and of my father forgetting me until a ball of burning hot rage swirled in my belly. I let it go, radiating the heat outward.
White-hot flames danced in front of my eyes as my body was engulfed in fire. When it faded less than a minute later, I was exhausted. My breath came quickly as though I’d just run the entire length of the palace.
“Did that hurt you?” Genie said, stepping forward and taking hold of my arm. He ran his hand up it, pulling my sleeve up to examine my skin. The heat hadn’t caused me pain, but his touch did. Emotional pain that ate my very soul. I prayed he wouldn’t stop.
I shook my head slowly, desperate for his hand to continue its journey upwards. He let me go, then brought out a match.
Gaia: Daughter of Aladdin Page 10
