《Azul: The Emir's Fiancé》


 Sand and Fire

    I think I died.


    I''m not really sure what else it could have been.


    The last thing I remember was a semi-truck barreling toward my rear-view mirror.


    And now I''m here.


    I looked around again at my surroundings. Sand, sand, and more sand. That''s all there was¡­ well that''s not entirely true. There was the sky as well. Ice blue despite the fact that it was scalding hot.


    I wasn''t built for this kind of climate. I''m from Seattle where it''s always raining, I''ve never been in a desert before, let alone lost in the middle of one by myself.


    I took another step forward then looked back at the tracks I had made in the sand. How far had I gone? How long had I been walking?


    When I woke up in the sand with nothing around me, the sun was straight overhead. It had moved since I began walking and judging by the trajectory of it, I was heading east. I wasn''t really sure which direction to go, but I had already made too much progress in this particular direction to abandon it now.


    I hadn''t seen a single tree, or piece of foliage since I woke up. And definitely not any water.


    Was I going to die?


    Again?


    I think my soul must have transferred into this body. I took a step forward and my long tan leg was visible through the slit of the flowing white gown I was wearing for a brief second. That was definitely not my leg. I never remember looking at my leg before and thinking it was so sexy. Not to mention, my hair was different it was a deep red color of heavy curls that sat on my shoulders. Before, my hair was short and black. So this added to my certainty that it was not my body.


    I still hadn''t completely ruled out the possibility of this being a dream. But based on the agony of my skin in the blistering sun and aching of my feet. That was doubtful.


    The other option was that I was in hell. And my punishment for my sins was going to be climbing these sand dunes and feeling dehydrated for the rest of eternity.


    Let''s hope it''s not that.


    A gust of wind blew past me, and the sand flew with it. I pulled my shemegh up over my face to protect it from the pelting sand. Luckily, the body I found myself in had come somewhat equipped with things for the desert. By equipped, I meant that I had a bag with two water bottles and a bit of dried food. By somewhat, I meant that the food was nearly gone and the water bottles were empty. Still, I carried them in hope of finding water at some point. Although civilization would be better.


    I squinted my eyes at the horizon in all directions hoping to see the shape of something. But I only saw more hills of sand and¡­


    Was that a person?


    Or an animal?


    Or¡­


    Someone on a horse!


    "Hey!" I yelled and scrambled to the top of the nearest dune, waving my arms frantically. "Hey! Over here! Help me! Help!"


    The silhouette of the man on a horse stopped. And they turned toward me.


    Yes. I''m saved.


    "Help! I don''t know how I got here!" I rushed toward the person, skidding down a dune and filling my sandals with sand as I went. I looked down at my feet for a second to pull my dress off the ground, then when I looked up again the horse and rider were gone.


    No.


    I ran toward where I had seen them. Or at least I thought it was the right direction. Everything looked the same. I went until my breath felt painful, as if my lungs were filled with the same sand that hit me in the face each time the wind blew.


    It must have been a mirage.


    And now the sun would set soon.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    "Wake up." a calm voice roused me from sleep that felt as comforting as death. "You''re not dead. Wake up." it spoke again.


    My eyes slid open. I was still in the desert. Still in this new body. But I wasn''t alone anymore. A fire roared to life beside me so suddenly that I tried to stand from fear. My body was so cold that the intense heat from the fire so suddenly made my skin prickle.


    "Sit." the same voice from earlier demanded.


    I sat, although I didn''t know to whom I was obeying.


    "You''re not dead, but you could be soon." I turned and met the fiery eyes of the voice. "Drink." he held up a canteen that looked to be made of animal skin. Similar to the kind I had in my own bag, though mine were empty.


    My hand reached forward to grab the canteen, but I hesitated as I stared at his face. "Who are you?" I asked, and my voice was scratchy from the lack of hydration.


    The man looked back at me with eyes that seemed to glow a deep amber color, dark eyelashes, and golden skin. His black hair curled at his temples and the bridge of his nose stood starkly high against his soft cheek bones.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "I''m your savior." he spoke and his voice was like a chocolate fountain; smooth and decadent. "You''re lucky I found you when I did." he pushed the canteen into my hand. "drink up."


    I obeyed this time, and quickly emptied the canteen.


    "Can I have more?" I asked when I finished.


    He took the canteen and screwed a lid onto the top of it. "I only have one left." He answered, "you and I will have to make that one last until I can get us to the nearest village."


    "How far is that?"


    "Aren''t you a water mage?" he asked and ignored my question.


    "What?"


    "Your eyes." he answered and leaned closer to me, looking deeply into my eyes. "I thought I was mistaken at first." and as he looked in my eyes, I saw his more clearly. At first, I thought they simply looked like they were glowing. But up close, I could tell that they really were glowing. As if behind his eyes, a warm fire was ablaze. "But they are the eyes of a water mage, I am certain." he finished.


    I shook my head and moved away from him, "I don''t think I am that."


    "If you are, you can make more water yourself." he answered. "You can find what hydration is deep in the sand or in those clouds up there, and you can pull it down for us."


    "I cannot do that." I answered immediately.


    What was he talking about? I thought at first that I had perhaps found myself in the body of a person in the Sahara or the Gobi desert. Those were the only deserts I knew that had endless rolling sand dunes. But by the way this man spoke. And by the way he dressed too. I was in some place I couldn''t have imagined.


    I looked closer to his clothing; they weren''t any traditional clothing I had ever seen before. He wore a dark red tunic over black riding pants. And a vest over his tunic that was black and embroidered delicately and intricately with golden thread.


    "I''m sorry." the man said, "I must have been mistaken."


    "No, it''s-" I bit my lip, and it was so dry that I thought I could hear it crack beneath my teeth, "It''s alright, I just don''t think I can do that¡­ to be honest I woke up in this desert but I don''t seem to have any memories of who I am or how I got here."


    The man blinked, "Are you certain?" it was as if he''d never heard of amnesia before. "You don''t remember anything?" again he drew closer to my face and felt my cheeks get hot. Did this man not understand personal space?


    "No, I don''t."


    "Not even your name?"


    I shook my head, "No."


    He paused looking at me then a small smile grazed his lips, "Well for now, I''ll name you."


    "What-?"


    "Azul" he spoke before I could protest, "Because of your blue eyes."


    Blue eyes? I have blue eyes? In my past body my eyes were a very boring color of brown and I always wished for blue eyes. At one point, I even purchased blue contact lenses and nearly scared myself with how terrible it looked. To think all I had to do was die to have pretty eyes.


    "And you may call me Altan." He finally stopped looking at me and turned his attention to the fire that burned in front of us.


    "Altan." I repeated his name. "Can you tell me where we are?"


    He pointed over the fire across the desert and I wondered at how he could tell what direction anything was. "We are only 20 li from Kiziljer."


    How long is a ''li''? is that like a mile?


    "What country are we in?"


    Altan''s eyes widened as he looked back at me, "you don''t even know that?"


    I shook my head.


    He sighed as if concerned "We are in Ot Ulut." he answered, "I don''t know how you got here, judging by your features and clothing you''re from Pani Rastra." he looked my over again and his eyes showed something like worry, "You''re a long way from home."


    I nodded my head. I most definitely was a long way from home. Because based on these place names that I had never heard of, I was relatively certain that wherever I was. It wasn''t earth. I was on a different planet or a different dimension. And apparently one in which the people of the planet could manipulate the elements.


    "We should get going." Altan stood and extended his arm to me. I took his hand in mine it was rough and large and so extremely hot.


    He helped me to my feet and continued to hold my hand after I stood. With his free hand, he waved over the fire in front of us. It went out in a second and left nothing behind. There weren''t even the leftover pieces of wood that had been burning. It was then that I realized he had made the fire. He had made the fire as if from thin air.


    "Come," he held my hand tightly and led me to a long-legged black horse. Everything seemed irregularly dark with fire gone. I could barely make out the shape of the horse at all. In fact, the only thing that was truly visible was the mass amount of stars that shone overhead. I had never seen so many in my entire life. And to my dread, I didn''t recognize a single constellation there.


    I really am in a new world.


    "Do you know how to ride?" Altan asked me. He probably didn''t have any trouble seeing in the dark with his odd glowing eyes.


    I shook my head.


    He sighed, "well I guess it''s time to learn." then without warning he grabbed my waist and hauled me off the ground. Before I even had time to protest, I was flailing onto the saddle and the horse was dancing on nervous feet beneath me. "Hold here." Altan instructed me and guided my hands to a sturdy part of the saddle. Then suddenly the saddle swayed as his weight joined me on the horse. The horse danced giddily, and I held to the front of the saddle with knuckles that were likely turning white.


    All of Altan was behind me. His chest was to my back and his feet found the stirrups as he fit his legs into the bends of my knees. His arms reached around me and grabbed the reins, and he leaned his mouth to my ear and spoke in the same chocolate voice. "You''re doing great."


    My breath hitched at the nearness of him. And I attempted to nod my head as he kicked at the horse''s sides and we were running.


    The horse made great strides through the sand and shot up pebbles behind itself as it went. With each stride I momentarily flew in the air, then came flying back down to the saddle. Each slap to my buttocks from the saddle I became increasingly aware of Altan''s body behind me rubbing up against my back and his arms pressed firmly on either side of me helping me keep my balance.


    We ran until the horse seemed incapable of it anymore. And when the horse began to walk, I felt the intense chill that the wind had left behind on my skin. I began rubbing my hands together until Altan noticed.


    "You''re cold," he deduced. And his hand caught both of mine in a single grab. "Here." he whispered in my ear and chill bumps ran down my spine. His hand glowed as he wrapped mine in it, and then suddenly my skin was warm. Suddenly everywhere he touched me I was warm and comforted.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    We reached Kiziljer at dawn and I could barely keep my eyes open as we came upon enormous walls built from sandstone.


    "Your Grace!" voices yelled as we approached.


    "His Grace has returned!"


    "Open the gates!"


    I attempted to wake myself up as the large gates were pulled open, and we entered a village.


    "Your Grace, who is this woman?" a man came to stand behind the horse.


    Are they talking about Altan?


    Suddenly Altan was off the horse and without his strong presence behind me I was immediately losing my balance. Not to mention the horse seemed extremely tired of its inexperienced passenger.


    Altan noticed my hopelessness, grabbed at my waist again, and pulled me from the horse. Suddenly I was standing beside him. My legs felt weird, like they had been stretched out by a laffy taffy machine and then I was asked to stand on them normally.


    I looked up to Altan beside me.


    I don''t remember him being this tall.


    He smiled down at me and a dimple presented itself on his tan cheek.


    I don''t remember him being this good-looking either.


    "I have returned from the desert." Altan announced, and I looked out before me to find a small crown of people surrounding us. "And I have brought back with me a fiance!"


    The crowd cheered.


    Altan grabbed my hand and held it proudly in the air.


    And my mouth dropped as I realized I was the fiance.

 Rose and Sensation

    "Altan!" I whispered, but he ignored me. More cheers and clapping erupted as the crowd that surrounded us grew in number. It felt like everyone from the entire town had come out to greet us.


    "The Emir has returned!" a woman near to me yelled.


    "And he has brought a fiance!" Another shared in the excitement.


    I attempted to pull my hand from Altan''s grasp, but he held fast to me. His eyes darted playfully in my direction and his dimple made another appearance. He was laughing at me...


    "Altan!" I spoke louder this time, but it was still not loud enough to be heard over the crowd. "Why didn''t you tell me you were an Emir?"


    ~and when did I agree to be your fiance?!~


    Again Altan ignored me and my face flushed hot from anger. Just moments ago i was so tired i could barely keep my eyes open. Now, I was alive with fury.


    A man appeared in front of us and bowed deeply to Altan. "Your Grace," he spoke, "Allow me to take your horse." he skirted around me as if I did not exist and grabbed the reins from Altan''s free hand. "Your Grace, you and your betrothed should enter the palace and rest."


    Altan nodded in agreement with the man''s statement, then interlocking his fingers with mine, and began forward. The crowd parted at his presence. And my face felt hotter: I couldn''t tell now if it was from anger, from the desert sun''s appearance in the sky again, or from the fact that, somehow, I still felt shy about the fact that he was holding my hand.


    Altan led me through the streets of Kiziljer and the crowd followed giddily as if were a parade.


    "She is beautiful." I heard someone whisper behind as we made our way into the city.


    "And so young." another commented.


    "But she doesn''t look to be of noble birth."


    "Perhaps it is a love marriage." another speculated.


    The buildings of the city rose up around me as we continued. Each building connected to the next and made from sandstone. Intricate windows of stained glass that depicted scenes of war and happiness decorated nearly every home. Probably giving colorful interior to the home when the sun shone threw it. And on nearly every window sill and growing in every available plot of fertile soil grew the same red and orange flowers.


    So this was Kiziljer. A city I''d never heard of, in a country I''d never heard of, in a world I didn''t know existed until today.


    It was so ... colorful.


    Altan smiled back at me again as we turned a corner and I nearly tripped over myself when I saw the palace.


    It was enormous. Built from the same sandstone as the rest of the city, but multicolored pillars surrounded it, and spires reached off the top and into the desert sky. Elaborate stained glass windows covered nearly all the walls, and the garden that lay in front of the palace clouded my vision with color and beauty.


    Altan led me to the gates of the palace. Whereupon his arrival the guards bowed deeply and opened the gates, allowing us to enter. Altan turned back to the crowd before we entered and spoke to his people. "My Fiance and I need one day to rest!" he spoke with the voice of a leader and his subjects watched with respect "Tomorrow we will announce the plans for our wedding." then he bowed to his people and he pulled me with him. Together we bowed to the people of Kiziljer and even though I knew nothing of the cultures or customs of this place, I understood that this gesture was one showed great love to the people.


    I watched Altan as he waved to his people, then turned back to the palace.


    ~He must be a good Emir; one who cares deeply for his subjects. ~


    "Your Grace," A woman who looked to be a maidservant greeted us and bowed when we entered the front doors of the palace. Which, just like the rest of the place, were almost ridiculously elaborate and expensive looking.


    "Amah, I have returned." Altan smiled brightly, and by the twinkle in his eye, I could tell that this person must have been of importance to him. "And I have brought with me a Fiance."


    "I see that." the maid servant looked to me, "And a Water mage, no less." she looked at my eyes. "You impress me every day, your Grace."


    "It is simply that the Gods provided." he answered, then finally let go of my hand. Suddenly it felt as though my entire body was cold without his touch, and I restrained myself from grabbing for his hand again.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Amah, please show Lady Azul to the chambers across from mine." Altan spoke, but he was no longer looking at me. Another person appeared behind him, and Altan began removing his vest and setting it in the man''s hand. "She is in desperate need of hydration and a bath." he began unbuttoning his shirt next and I looked away when he saw me watching. "You can use the roses from the garden for her bath." he continued. And slid the shirt off his shoulders, putting it also in the hands of the man beside him.


    I didn''t dare look at him, but I noted the tan skin and well trimmed silhouette of him in my peripheral view.


    "The wedding will be in three days." he said and began sliding on a fresh shirt that had been provided by a second man.


    My eyes widened, and I looked to him again.


    "I simply cannot wait." he said to me with his chocolate voice and I felt chill bumps rise on my arms as I looked away from him again.


    "I need invitations sent to everyone in Ot Ulut of importance. Send an invitation to the Earth and Wind mages as well." he paused and looked at me as he spoke, "But do not let word reach the Water mages yet."


    "It shall be done." The maidservant bowed.


    "I also want you to begin work on her wedding dress immediately." he rubbed a finger over his scruffy chin as he thought. "It should be in the style of a Kiziljer wedding dress but the colors of Pani rastra."


    "It shall be done."


    "Perfect." Altan smiled. "Are there any tasks I must attend to urgently?"


    "Ah, yes," the maidservant answered. "Your adviser, Barat, has a long list of things he needs to speak with you about. I believe-"


    She began listing different people that the Emir needed to see but I suddenly could not hear her anymore because a strange tickling sensation appeared on my wrist. I looked down at my wrist to find that Altan''s hand was lingering there. The tips of his fingers brushing along the soft skin so lightly that I almost wondered if he was aware he was doing it. He wasn''t looking at me, no he seemed to be in thought listening to the different duties he had to attend to. Yet his hand had a mind of it''s own.


    I saw the maidservants eyes move to look at the hand motion Altan was making as well. Then she continued speaking as if she hadn''t seen it. I considered pulling away from him, but saw no advantage in doing this at the moment. Altan continued to touch my arm as she spoke. His thumb moving in a soft circle, one time, two times, three times. The feeling was light, yet the sensation of it ran all the way up arm and seemed to have a direct link to my heart that began to beat faster. Slowly his touch became stronger and I could feel the warmth of him again It was actually becoming very relaxing until-.


    "Perfect." Altan spoke, and the sound of his voice made me feel as if I had awoken from sleep. "I''ll See Adviser Barat first, I''m leaving Lady Azul in your hands."


    Altan removed his hand from my wrist, turned the opposite direction of me, and without even looking at me, he left.


    ~I feel strange... I don''t know if I should like Altan or hate him.~


    "This way to your Chambers, Lady Azul." The maidservant spoke, and I followed as she turned and began up an exquisite set of marble stairs.


    The bed chambers were. Well, I''m not sure how else to explain it: huge! the bed alone was the size of the studio apartment that I had lived in in Seattle. and there was easily twice as much furniture in the room than I had owned in my entire life. Well, in my other life. The balcony off the room was decorated with the same red and orange flowers that were all over the city. It gave view to the city of Kiziljer and all of its beauty from the fourth floor and probably one of the highest spots in the whole town. Beyond the walls of the city, I could see the same sand dunes I nearly perished in just yesterday.


    ~How did I get from there to here? I really am ''climbing the social ladder'' going from homeless to a palace all in 24 hours.~


    "The bath is ready for you." The Maidservant called to me from the attached bathing room of the chambers, and I entered to find a steaming, hot tub filled with fresh rose petals. The scent of it wafted over me, and in that moment I realized how extremely dirty I felt. There was probably sand lodged into every nook and cranny of my body, heck, I probably had sand up my butt hole.


    "Thank you-" I paused when I didn''t realize what I ought to call her.


    "You may call me ''Amah'' as well." she recognized my hesitation.


    "Thank you, Amah." I said, and she left me alone to bathe.


    Finally, I had some alone time to think over everything that had happened....


    ~So, basically. I somehow reincarnated into this body that is in a different dimension. And then Altan found me and pretty much saved me from death. But it turns out he''s an Emir (Which I''m pretty sure is the equivalent of a duke) And he wants me to marry him... ~


    I blinked at my thoughts.


    ~Something doesn''t seem right about this. What kind of Duke finds some homeless lady with amnesia in the desert then decides to marry her? I must be pretty freaking hot...~


    I dunked my head under the water and came back to the surface with rose petals clinging to my skin.


    ~I need to be careful... I''m in a different dimension. What if here, "to marry" means "To sacrifice?" Altan did say that the Gods provided... what if he plans to murder me? Should I try to escape before the wedding?~


    ~I mean, Altan seems like a nice enough guy. And he''s pretty nice on the eyes too, if you know what I mean... But, do I really want to get married? I did just get here, after all. And I''m not sure how old this body is, but back on earth I was only 20 years old. Even if I''m old enough to get married. I''m probably still not mentally old enough. I was still in school on earth. I was an astrology major literally because I had no idea what kind of job I wanted and I thought the stars were pretty.... does that sound like the rational of someone mature enough to get married??~


    I scrubbed at my skin, taking off a layer of caked-on sand and sighed.


    ~If I decide I don''t want to get married... Would Altan allow it? He did kind of decide the fiance thing without my consent... what''s to say the marriage part will be consensual. I guess I could also try to run away, but... where am I going to go? I could try to escape the palace, but I don''t have any money. And even if I did, this town seems small enough that Altan could find me again... and if I tried to get out of this town, I would end up back in the very sand dunes I almost died in.~


    I put my nose below the water and blew air bubbles of distress.


    ~But apparently I''m a Water mage. If I could make an endless amount of water for myself and knew where I was going... maybe I could escape.~


    I held my hand above the water in the tub and attempted to will it to move, but nothing happened.


    "alright." I spoke out loud to myself, "the first thing I need to do is learn to control my new power."