THE DESERT ROSE | ONGOING

Beginning Of A Long Night

The princess was greeted by the librarian's somber face as she reached the threshold of the library. With a little startle, she halted straight in front of him. "Oh__ Nariman," she gazed up at him with a polite smile, "what are you doing here?"

Usually, she would either find him reading something in his favorite rosewood chair, or arranging books and documents in any one of the numerous bookshelves. But he stood at the entrance today, proud and elegant as a stag and dare she assume, waiting for her.

"I just felt like getting some fresh air," Nariman replied curtly.

Or not. Maybe he was waiting for his brother? Speaking of which, she hadn't had any luck in catching any other of their secret conversations again. She didn't miss something important, did she?

Nariman's outstretched palm appeared in front of her eyes, making her look up at him again. She gazed at his eyes that drooped low in courtesy and she wondered if he'd ever looked directly at her. No one has ever treated her with such formality, at least not personally, but somehow, his actions seemed more than just civility to her.

Or she was again reading too much into it. Perhaps he treated everyone like that.

"Since you're already here, let me escort you inside, your highness."

How chivalrous!

She peeped at his palm again. Is he__ telling me to take his palm? She clenched her fingers, ready to place her palm into his.

Just then, he directed his outstretched palm towards the library. "This way, your highness,"

Of course, she was overthinking again. At this rate, she might as well make a fool of herself.

Nariman led her to a different corner of the library this time, not the usual place where he prefers to sit and read. Meanwhile, she followed him silently, staring at his back, at his square shoulders, and his fine linen robe with golden border.

The place where they finally made the stop was lit bright with four fire torches at the edges, and in the middle rested a platform with a map splayed over it. She had seen something similar in the official's discussion room, if anything, a larger version of it. This must be the map of the empire, she assumed.

"This map represents the empire, your highness," Nariman confirmed her conclusion, taking a place to the other side of the platform, facing straight to her.

"I see_" she stared at the map with fascination, this would be the first time she'd be seeing a map this close, be it a smaller form. It was a wonder how such a vast empire shrank in just a piece of paper.

Nariman fixed a torch on one of the platform's corners, focusing more light towards the map. "You wanted to know about the empire more precisely which cannot be done without knowing its topography. You know about the geography of a place accurately; you get familiar with half of the place already."

"Okay," she trailed, intrigued by the influx of knowledge.

"One cannot win a war if one is not familiar with the territory in question. Both the enemy's and their own. And that is why maps are essential and the knowledge of reading them is equally crucial."

"Hmm, I get it now," the princess hummed along, bobbing her head with every piece of information she received.

Nariman continued explaining the map, weaving the tricky bits of knowledge with his artful words, flaunting his skills as if he was born to be an instructor. Was it just her pure luck that she got someone like Nariman to teach her?

He waved his hands elegantly, pointing out different locations, his posture as dignified and perfect as a knight on duty. She peeked at his face from the curtain of her lashes. If she'd be speaking honestly, with a face like that, he could easily be considered an imperial himself, not to mention his unnervingly immaculate manners.