Chapter 1 - Alidar Returns

As the sands of time flow from one hourglass to another tales are etched into the glass. The Tree of Life, Etz Chaim, sets the stage for every grand etching. The tale I am about to tell is not one of idle fancies nor a tale of dazzling lights. It is the tale of one man's rise from the poorest station to the heights of power. It is the 304th Chol of the Second Age. Arid dunes and sand spread to the south towards Orinth, fierce snows rage in the mountains to the north, and dangerous tropics cover the western border to Kalim. The nation state of Dasir has maintained peace with its neighbors by way of its strong armies and wise sultan. But there are enemies without and enemies within. Let us watch as the sands of fate weave us a tale worthy of the Etchings.

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"Stop thief!"

Alidar had no intention of stopping as he hurtled between two stalls in the crowded bazaar. He slid around a corner and kept running his bare feet slapping the ground to the accompaniment of metal clanging behind him. "All of this for a loaf of bread." He muttered under his breath, then saved his breath for running. Leaping over a barrel and then a low wall, he ducked around another corner, the shouts of the guards fading slightly as he turned his dash into a leap, catching a low hanging awning and swinging to reach higher. He quickly ascended higher until he reached the lip of the roof. Lifting himself up and over he heard the guards shout below. "He's on the roof! Spread out and catch the thief." Grinning slightly under his porcelain mask Alidar took a running leap to the next building letting his momentum carry him into a roll in order to better cushion his landing. He moved quickly to get to street level only to have his way blocked by a guard rushing up. The gemstone shining on the guard's breastplate made him groan internally. He could hear Selethen in his head, Hey what's the probability it's a binding spell he's got ensparked in that thing. 'Still not taking that bet Sel.' Alidar thought as his mask glowed in response to the Captain activating the ensparked spell. Glowing orange manacles exploded from the breastplate's gemstone to envelope Alidar only to shatter when his mask's defensive properties activated in turn. The once blank mask now sported its normal look, that of a painted rat holding gold and jewels in its greedy claws as red eyes stared forward.

"Street Rat!" The captain bellowed, his drawn sword flashing toward Alidar's exposed chest. Alidar dodged backwards before darting back the way he came. He knew he couldn't keep this up much longer. His lungs ached and he had been dodging guards for too long. They were closing in and his mask had been spent. Knowing his identity as a member of the Street Rat guild they would try even harder to capture him. After returning to Dasir the gang had made a name for themselves quickly. They were a pain in the guard's backsides and they were out for vengeance it seemed. "Just a piece of bread." Alidar said again in a puff of air as he leapt again, this time catching a pole and vaulting to another awning. The shopkeeper started yelling for guards as soon as Alidar landed on the ground. "Guards a Street Rat! There's a Street Rat in front of my stall!" Alidar shot a glare at Fahir, the stall owner who just shrugged at him in response. Alidar put him out of mind. Technically the stall keeper hadn't broken their pact. He was a fence for the gang but that didn't mean he couldn't protect his own interests. Alidar darted into an alley and rushed the wall that divided the homes. Leaping to the side he jumped off it to reach the top and vaulted over. Once over he leaned against the wall breathing deeply to relax his stressed lungs. He moved quickly onward to shadowed alcove, where an urchin stood with a bundle. Exchanging the bundle for his bread Alidar quickly changed into the new clothes hidden within it. He motioned to the urchin. "Now my young friend get that to your sister and tell no one. I must be off before the guards wise up to my location and make this disguise untenable. Now go!" The last he said with a shooing motion whereupon the urchin darted out of the alley and away. Alidar sighed and made sure none could see him before removing the mask and hiding it within the bundle of his old clothes.

Moving out from the shadowy alley he joined the throng of moving people headed towards the bazaar. Striding confidently he moved without hiding, taking time to greet the vendors he knew by name and who knew him. He exchanged gossip with housewives and got shooed away by their husbands who laughed good naturedly at his over exaggerated flirtations with their wives. He was well known and liked. If it wasn't for his duty to Sel he could have settled down but his blood was hot in his veins and he was quick and sure with his hands. The gang were the only family he had left and he wasn't about to let them down. Keeping up his appearance he made his way through the bazaar trying to avoid the obviously agitated guards as they dashed here and there, on the hunt for him no doubt. He smirked, they wouldn't find him now. He was as good as gone.

"You! Thief!" Alidar whirled around and it was lucky that many others turned quickly as well, for he might have exposed himself with such a hasty movement. A huge man with a barrel of a chest was towering over a young woman who had evidently handed a young urchin a fruit from the man's cart without paying first. It was evident the young woman was going to pay, the purse was in her hand but the owner wasn't having it. Alidar groaned inwardly and was moving before he could stop himself. It was Hakim. Of course it was. The drunkard was going to get himself arrested before too long. It wasn't Hakim's fault entirely. His young wife had passed away during childbirth and he was too much in his grief to heed the warnings that drinking would not make the pain go away. He arrived just as the man's sword was drawn in anger at something the young lady said. "Hakim!" Alidar arrived breathlessly, quickly stepping between the woman and the angry man. Hakim's gaze locked on Alidar and seemed to gain a semblance of sanity. "Alidar, what in the blazing sands are you doing here?!"

"I was out for a stroll and heard my friend from across the way." He said smoothly, laying a comforting hand on his arm before disarming him and laying the blade down. He turned to the lady and motioned for her to give him her purse. In her shock she did as he asked, her eyes not leaving the bare blade that was still visible over the lip of the stall. Counting out the sum for the apple plus a little more he returned the purse to her before placing the coins in Hakim's hand. "Now my friend, I think it might be best for you to close early. You know you shouldn't be out and about when the drink has gotten to you." He said the last bit so only Hakim could hear. Hakim glared at him but then his anger suddenly dimmed when he caught the compassion in Alidar's gaze. He nodded slowly. "I miss her." He said softly. Alidar just nodded. Content in the knowledge that Hakim no longer posed a threat he turned to the young lady, meaning to ask if she was well, whereupon he was struck dumb at her beauty.

Her clothes were simple enough but she wore them so well they might as well have been silks. Her black, raven-like hair gleamed in the sun even as she covered it again with a hood, seemingly out of habit. Her glazed over eyes found his and then the glazed look was replaced by a sparkle that entranced him. She looked down at her purse and then back at him as if realizing it was lighter than it had been. Even her suspicious semi-glare was elegant. He quickly moved closer to alleviate her concerns, speaking softly but quickly. "I hope you are unharmed miss. Hakim is usually more sober but he has had a loss which I fear he will not soon recover from. It tends to make him lash out at people he does not know or he thinks is about to cheat him of something." Alidar motioned to indicate the stall. "I hope you don't mind me taking the liberty of paying him a little extra." The young lady blinked and then her glare was replaced by a look of such compassion that Alidar's heart thudded a little harder. She glanced at the man behind the stall and spoke equally softly to Alidar. "I forgive you. I forgive him too. My father has known loss as well. His wife?" The last was almost whispered and Alidar leaned forward to hear it. "I'm afraid so." He motioned for them to start walking and to his great delight she did so. When they were further away he turned once more to her. "She died in childbirth. He hasn't been the same since. His son is the only bright spot in his life but he has yet to learn his penchant for drink will not end well for either of them." He sighed. "He treated me well in the past and his wife was kind to my mother so I try to repay that kindness."

Shaking his head he turned his gaze to her only to have her turn her gaze away from him, evidently having been staring. He smirked and said, "Why miss, is there something on my face for you to stare so?" A rising blush on her tan olive features enhanced her beauty but she replied with a steady voice. "Is it not rude to ignore the person speaking? Especially when the person presents such a clear defense for another who might have done bodily harm?" It was his turn to turn away to hide a blush. Her next words irked him, however. "You speak well for someone from the streets." Her blush deepened after the words had left her mouth and she brought her hands up and half turned to him. "I'm sorry I did not mean that as it sounded. It was meant as a compliment." He turned to regard her with a raised brow but her complexion was so remorseful he hadn't the heart to refuse her apology. He nodded at her in acceptance before speaking. "I had a few good teachers and it helps in my line of work to pass as… well nevermind that." He moved past his near slip up easily but was sure she had caught it.

"But enough about me, what should I call you?" He asked her. "You speak well and certainly have no fear of the marketplace, yet do not know enough about the vendors to know them by name so you aren't from the streets or the lower class." He stepped close so only she might hear. "My lady, where are your guards? It is dangerous for women of beauty to be alone on the streets." He kept his hands in clear view, having no wish to alarm her. Her gaze flashed to his hands and then to his face and the relief that replaced the quickly growing alarm in her body language gave him a small amount of pleasure. Still it did confirm his suspicions and so he stepped away before looking around subtly for hidden guards. A flash of movement caught his eye and he spied only the barest hint of a hood and then nothing. That hint was enough to chill him to the bone. Hasharri. The sect of royal guards that protected from the shadows. He had only caught glimpses during public ceremonies where the Sultan addressed the people. A Hasharri in the marketplace, even hidden as it was, shook him. He turned his gaze to the young woman and her eyes. Her gaze held a measure of sad understanding in them that broke his heart to see. The princess. She had come to the marketplace in disguise. No doubt to depart from the 'rigors' of courtly life. He didn't let the sarcasm he felt play itself across his face. She didn't deserve that. She was as much a captive to her station as he was. She seemed to read as much in his eyes and her face brightened, and his heart pounded in response.

He nodded towards her, turning it into the slightest of bows. "My lady I cannot claim to know why you endeavored to depart from safety to our humble streets but please grant me leave to guide you through their twists and turns. I know them well and we will always be in the open. I hope your guards will not find my presence to be a danger to you." She looked up at him and smiled, and he nearly swooned right there like a love struck fool. "I would be delighted sir." Her hand flashed in a complicated motion and he knew by instinct it was for the guards. The next few hours passed by in a blur and they were the most pleasurable he had ever spent in his life. He knew Sel was going to be as mad as an angry scarab beetle for missing the rendezvous but he could not bring himself to part with the enchanting creature before him. It was only when she herself began to look towards the sky that he noticed the deepening colors and understood she needed to return. He moved quickly then to see her to the palace or at least as close as he dared to go. As he bowed again to her in an alleyway by the main thoroughfare she stepped forward shyly, a blush stealing over her features. "Thank you for today sir. May I have your name before I go?"

"Your highness may have anything you wish of me." Alidar said with all his heart. He knew it was silly. Princesses did not give their hearts to wastrels on the streets, especially ones with criminal backgrounds, not that she knew that. "My name is Alidar El'Iren." He said, the information followed by another almost bow. She smiled at him and he felt his blood pound again. "My name is Yasmina El'Saria." She said it quickly, almost as though she shouldn't have, before darting away towards the palace. He did not miss the shadows that followed her even though his heart pounded in his chest. Yasmina. He hadn't expected to be given her name in person. It held deep meaning in Dasir to be given a name in person. It cried a closeness that couldn't be broken once uttered. There was often more ceremony involved in the upper circles, he knew, especially between daughters and sons of different families. To be given such a gift. He clutched at his chest for a moment before straightening with a wide grin. It didn't leave his face until he entered his gang's territory.

Schooling his face was second nature but it did nothing to dim the brightness in his eyes as he moved towards the hideout, now more careful than ever to keep watch for patrols of guards as the light dimmed. He moved silently but confidently. The mask was off and other people knew where he lived. They just didn't know he was a Street Rat. He entered the crumbling tower that was his home and moved to the top. His humble abode stretched out before him. He quickly climbed to where his hammock hung just under the still covered section of the crumbling roof. As he hung there, high above the floor he reflected on the day. Yasmina. He had been only moderately surprised to find out she was just as lovely on the inside as on the outside. She genuinely cared for her people and asked him pointed questions about the well being of those on the streets and seemed dismayed by his honest answers when he pointed out the struggles. She saw each new thing as a wonder to behold and took great delight in exploring the city her father ruled. The sultan. That thought stilled the smile on his lips. The Hasharri had seen his face. Had seen him guide the princess around the city. If the sultan demanded he be found he had no doubt they would find him, despite his methods of hiding. He also contained no doubts as to whether or not they would discover his involvement in the Street Rat gang. Alidar grimaced. 'I may have made a mistake.' Immediately after the thought flashed through his mind his hammock was shaken as a shadowy figure climbed into it.