Something Fairytale-ish

Something Mulan-ish Part II

The night was quiet, the only sound being made by the swift gallop of Huriyah's horse on the desert sand. Huriyah struggled to maintain her breath, the facecloth she had donned making the task much more difficult.

She sighed for the umpteenth time. While she had planned to live her life as a male poet, she didn't know where. All she knew was that she had to get as far away from Makkah as possible. Dawn would soon arrive, her family would discover her disappearance, and an inescapable search party would undoubtedly ensue. If she didn't find a new town soon, she would be caught and dragged back to Makkah, where she would be forced into an arranged marriage with a man twenty years her senior.

With these fearful thoughts in mind, Huriyah pushed the side of her horse more forcefully. Together they flew across the desert, only stopping to rest for a few hours at a time. They had been travelling for nearly five days when they finally arrived at a new city.

"Thank the lord!" Huriyah sighed as she dismounted her horse. She glanced around and found a post to tie her horse to. It was midday, so the streets were bustling with the townsfolk going about their lives. Stalls lined the streets with their owners advertising their merchandise as loud as they can. People strolled by the stalls, carrying large sacks full of, presumably, their purchases and merchandise. Children ran throughout the streets, laughing delightfully as they kicked up clouds of sand in the air, driving the adults crazy.

Out of the corner of her eye, Huriyah noticed a few children sneaking behind the stalls, stopping at a stall that sold roast lamb on a stick. The children eyed the glistening pieces of meat hungrily. One of the children, a boy who looked to be only 7 years old, glanced at the stall owner, who had his back turned as he chatted with the stall owner next door. The little boy took the chance to quickly snatch a stick, but before he could run away, the stall owner turned around and caught the little thief.

"YOU AGAIN?" he bellowed at the boy. The other two children scurried off, leaving their poor friend to fend for himself. "HOW DARE YOU STEAL FOOD FROM ME!" A crowd started gathering to watch the spectacle. "No one ever listens when I say that we need to punish filth like you, so I guess I'll have to punish you myself!" he shouted. He grabbed a stick and started advancing towards the poor boy, who was trembling in fear. No one made a move to protect him.

The stall owner got closer and closer, until he was inches away from the poor boy. Huriyah panicked. "STOP!" she screamed. Everyone turned to look at her. The stall owner stopped raising the stick against the boy. They all watched as she made her way towards the stall.

"Don't hurt him," she insisted, making her voice low to sound manlier. Afterall, her male life started as soon as she ran away from home.

"And why wouldn't I?" the stall owner asked. "He's a thief!"

"I will pay you for the food he stole!" Huriyah assured him. "How much does it cost?"

"One silver dirham," the stall owner replied. Huriyah dished out a silver coin from her bag and gave it to the owner, who took it and released the boy with a huff. "Don't let me catch you stealing from me again, got it boy," he threatened. The boy nodded before scurrying off with his meat, probably to go and find his friends.

Huriyah went back to the post where she had tied her horse and untied him. She began to lead her horse through the city, unsure of where she should go. She caught many people giving her sidelong glances, probably wondering what kind of an idiot gave poor street rats monetary aid.

"Sir!" she heard as someone began tugging on her pants. Huriyah looked down and saw the little boy from earlier.

"How may I help you?" she asked kindly, masking her voice once again.

"I just wanted to thank you for your help back there," the little boy said as he flashed her a toothy grin. "My friends and I haven't eaten for a few days you see, so thank you very much for buying us food." Huriyah felt her heart break a little for this sweet little boy.

"What's your name?" she asked him.

"Lu'ayl, sir," he answered. "What's your name?"

Huriyah paused for a moment. She didn't think about the alias she'd be using as she lived her new life. "Hur," she finally said, deciding on using the masculine version of her name. "My name is Hur."

"Well Mister Hur, if there's anything you need, just ask me! I know the ins and the outs of this city like the back of my hand!" Lu'ayl said proudly. Huriyah smiled.

"In that case, do you know where I can find a job?" she asked Lu'ayl.

"A job? What kind?" Lu'ayl asked.

"Something like a poet...?" she said unsurely. Lu'ayl pondered for a moment.

"Well, there is a poet that has been looking for an apprentice recently," Lu'ayl said slowly. "Come, I'll take you to him," he said, ushering her with his bare hand. Huriyah followed, taking the horse with her.

Lu'ayl led her through a maze of streets and vendors, until he finally arrived at a small hut at the end of a street. He knocked on the door three times. "Mister Harith!" he called. The door swung open to reveal a young and handsome man who seemed to be around 18 years old. His face wore a tired expression.

"Yes Lu'ayl, how may I help you?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"I've brought you someone who's interested in being your apprentice," Lu'ayl piped. Harith looked over at Huriyah. She averted her gaze out of habit. "Oh wait...I'm a man now, not a woman. I can look him directly in the eyes," she thought to herself. She quickly reverted her gaze back to Harith and stared at him steadily in the eye. Harith stared right back, his critical eyes trying to form a proper judgement in his mind.

"Can you read and write?" he asked her. Huriyah nodded. "What about your recitation, can you do it well?"

"I don't know," Huriyah admitted. "I've never tried to recite poetry before. I'm a quick learner though, so I'm sure I can learn to recite well if you're willing to teach me," she quickly said. Harith pondered for a bit.

"Recitation is key if you want to make a living as a poet," he said. "No one knows how to read, so it doesn't matter how beautiful your poetry is if you can't recite it."

Huriyah felt disappointed. Was he going to not hire her?

"However, if you can prove to me that you can learn to recite well, then I'll hire you," Harith said. Huriyah looked up.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes, really," he assured her with a small smile. "Come on in, we need to start training you as soon as possible," he said as he ushered her into the building. Before she entered, Huriyah turned around to face Lu'ayl.

"Thank you very much," she said with a smile. Lu'ayl grinned back at her.

"No problem sir! See you!" he said before running off. Huriyah turned around and entered the building. She was very close to achieving her dream, very close. She smiled as she took another step towards her dream. 

A/N: Hello guys. What did you think of this chapter? What did you think of Lu'ayl and Harith? Do let me know! I may or may not add some romance to this story. It depends on how the writing goes. Let me know what you think about a romance plot too! 

Also, I've been thinking. What do you guys think about me starting an Instagram account devoted to artwork related to my stories. I'm good at art so I can do it. I could also take requests from you guys to draw certain characters or certain scenes. Let me know please!

I think that's all for now. Ma'asalamah!