Standing up from his bed, Ajab made his way to his balcony, his hands crossed behind his back and his eyes set on the bright moonlit sky. The gentle breeze of the night brushed past his face from time to time.
He sighed deeply "I would like to be left alone now" he said without adverting his gaze.
"Her Highness asked I watch over your Highness" Laih said, her voice laced with concern
"And you've done that Liah, if it would ease your worries Elmah is here" he gestured without turning from the sky.
Laih glanced at Elmah who remained motionless before turning to Ajab "I fail to see how that is supposed to put me at ease your Highness"
"That..." Elmah's face twitched, he wasn't sure how to feel about that
"Elmah is my hand so it only makes sense he handles this kind of things don't you think?"
Laih smacked her lips "Don't you mean sword, your Highness?
"Ahem... A sword is held in a hand Liah... the point is I'll be fine, I just want to be alone"
"Then does having Elmah stay behind not defeat that purpose?" She wasn't trying to rant, but she had her instructions.
As much as she wasn't really on his side or thinking him capable, Elmah also couldn't help but agree with her on this one.
"I'll be alone enough with Elmah"
After a pause in hesitation Liah bowed her head "If your Highness wishes so. I'll take my leave" turning to take her leave she looked over at Elmah, gave him a soft bow and a smile, then walked out closing the door behind her gently.
Seeing they were now the only ones in the room, Elmah turned to Ajab
"Your Highness would be alone enough with me? Does your Highness have a different intent behind his words?"
Ajab turned to him "Are those words supposed to have a different intent?"
"Your Highness would know, its why I asked"
"I doubt they're supposed to Elmah, they just mean what they mean"
"Which is...?"
Ajab tilted his head slightly "So you like debates?"
"I like Understanding"
Ajab nodded "Of course you do."
"How far do you think Laih has gone?" Ajab asked.
Elmah's now-squinted eyes spelled his inwards doubt towards this strange question" I'm not sure" he forced out.
Ajab Nodded "Probably far enough"
He turned again to face the sky, his hands crossed back with steady eyes that seemed to pierce through the night sky
"I would like to be alone" he said, his voice carrying the weight of the night, cool and breezy
"What?"
"I would like to be alone?"
"What?"
"Elmah I would like to be alone" his voice lost the breezy form it had on earlier.
"But your Highness clearly said to Lai..."
"I know what I said Elmah"
"Since your Highness knows what he said, then what is your Highness saying now?"
Taking his gaze off the sky his small hands were spread open in a 'what else do you think?' gesture. "That I want to be left alone?"
He proceeded to walk towards Elmah stopping an arm's length away, but spotting how what he had in mind wouldn't be possible at that distance he walked even closer.
He smiled and patted Elmah's shoulder, looking up at him because of their height difference.
"I know I said I'll be alone enough with you, but that was just to keep Laih at ease, please try to understand me, I really would want to be left alone"
Seeing as his Highness had spoken the way he did, Elmah took a step away from his hands, bowed his head and walked straight out the door, closing it behind him, without as much as looking back.
After seeing the doors closed behind Elmah, Ajab took a deep breath before turning to look at the sky, this time he walked all the way to the outer balcony.
The slivery light of the moon made his white night robe glimmer, and the gentle night winds caused them to flutter even more, with his gaze fixed on the sky he looked like a floating petal.
After the first and second gentle passing of the wind, the countenance of his face changed into a sinister look, with his white teeth becoming very visible as he smiled from grin to grin. In that moment the Prince disappeared, replaced with whoever this was
"Hehehe... Yes! Alone at last. I knew that would work.
"Hahaha..." He laughed heartily.
Gently he moved open his door, but only wide enough to stick out his head.
The door opposite his was closed, looking left and right the hall was empty.
"Perfect"
It was time for the great hunt.
No matter the time, the palace still had a few figures either heading somewhere or returning from somewhere, most times it was the palace workers changing the stone lights or monitoring them.
Like the wind he moved softly through the halls, getting to a 't' cross point just as he was about to cross, the creaking sound of the room's door he had passed moments ago made it's way to his ears.
"Oh no" just as he was about to make a run for it to the other side... he heard some foot steps coming from the that direction, his only other options were to head left or right.
Left was a little further since he had been walking closely towards his right since he left his room.
The halls were wide enough to fit in five people walking side by side, and if joint shoulder to shoulder, it would fit ten of them. If he moved to the left now, he might get spotted by the person who just creeped out of that door before he reaches the other walkway... so heading to the right was his best option.
Before a pin could hit the floor from a twelve-inch drop, he'd already decided—only to hear more footsteps from that direction this time, it sounded like two people making their way.
"You have to be joking" he lamented
At this point he had to take his chances with the left path and hope the person coming from behind wasn't a trained eye.
Using his step technique— though barely mastered— he was sure he could still make it.
As if he had eaten something called 'bad fortune' he also started hearing steps from that direction. Now he was completely surrounded. The chattering of the two from his right grew clearer and faster, so did the steps from his left, the one in front and back weren't slowing down either, instead they began to feel hurried, he was cornered.
"...what would become of things now?"
"It's hard to tell, this is a shocker"
"Nobody heard anything happening over there except those serving there"
"Yeah, but you know how they are"
The conversation the two were having became audible, and getting to the point where the four paths crossed, they lowered their voices as they weren't the only ones anymore, they and the others from the other sides all got to the 't' point the exact same time, crossed each side directly in opposites, and continued in their steps.
"...what would happen to the others from that side?" The two voices continued
"How does that have to do with us?"
"You think it doesn't?
"And so what if it does, do we have a say?..."
"...but don't..." as they kept at their pace their voices began receding into the distance.
"Am I really the Prince, or some robber? What a joke" Ajab couldn't help but cry as he remained planted on one of the stone lights like some royal lizard.
The people that just crossed had just missed him by a hairs breath, if he hadn't acted as quickly as he did he would have been found out.
The only reason his shadow wasn't casted was because he was able to fit in between the stone lights and the walls.
After waiting for a moment— to be sure it was clear enough— he got down and quickly crossed over to continue his journey.
By the time he had gotten to the door step of where he intended, he felt like crying.
Why was today overly crowded, who was after him? He had met three more 'near discovered' scenarios like the 'lizard' one before getting here.
Since he had finally gotten here, he was going to make it worth the trouble.
At this time this place was always unoccupied. This door was always locked so the wind way at the top was the only way for him to get in.
With all the sections he had had with Lord Halh, if he couldn't get to it, then stoning him to death would be being too kind.
Climbing down from that height, now on the inside, the sweet smell that saturated his nose made the night's trouble worth in.
Looking all around, it was always a sight to behold.
Whenever he looked the sky, this sight was all he actually saw—gold.
Golden upon gold, everywhere.
"Lovely" He walked to his favourite shelf and took one and into his mouth— boom!.
His taste buds sent the message straight to his brain, but even they didn't have the right words to describe the feel, and together it took them to the clouds—golden clouds— and they all were floating.
"Whoever named this cake, did not do them justice. Mmm...mmm beyond lovely" he continued to mutter to himself as he took mouth fulls of the royal cook's delicate pastries.
"Ohh... It was definitely worth it" He affirmed to himself
With the cake in his mouth he moved to the cookies section were his eyes litted as he took this golden coated cookies into his mouth — same mouth.
"Yes..." He exclaimed as he closed his eyes sunk deeply into his treat—munching. "Mother really did not have my best interest at heart"
"Your Highness?!" Bang, like an explosion his heart almost gave out as he jerked frozen, his delicacy almost falling out from his grip, his eyes darken by mere shock hearing that call.
Had he been discovered—?