Arta - the last princess

Chapter-4

The next morning Arta woke up to the sound of birds singing outside. The morning sun was filling the cave and heating it up gradually. Sitting up she felt hunger pangs. Looking around the cave she looked for the bag that Abtin had given her yesterday. She was hoping to find something to eat inside the bag. Opening the bag, she could only find some clothes, shoes, and a sack of coins. Tossing the bag aside she felt helpless.

She went to the edge of the tunnel to examine the way down the mountain. The path to the base looked rocky with a steep slope. But it wasn't something that she couldn't manage, she thought to herself.

Still filling hungry she decided to change her war attire with the clothes inside the bag. She quickly changed, hid her armor between a rock and the cave's wall and headed to descend the mountain.

She decided to go to the city to get some news from her father and brother and then buy some food and a horse for her journey toward Bokhara.

Descending the mountain was not as easy as she thought in her long silky dress and not really comfortable shoes. "Stupid maid," She thought feeling annoyed.

Only a few meters were left to the base when she lost her balance on a loose rock, a weak scream left her mouth. She slipped and rolled down the mountain. Her fragile body was rolling over the rocky slope of the mountain and the thorn bushes were scratching her body. Finally, her unconscious body lied on the ground.

***

Osman and Samir left the palace to go to the camp. He ordered Ahmad to stay and try to open that suspicious door.

Although they have defeated the Persian army, there could still be some rebels here and there. They needed to prepare and secure the way from their camp to the palace for the entry of Sultan Faisal. They should be cautious for a while.

They were few kilometers away from the city toward the camp that a sudden movement in the mountain caught Osman's attention. Slowing down he pointed toward the mountain so that Samir could see what he was seeing.

It was obvious that a person was rolling down the mountain, but it was also suspicious. Why someone should be in this deserted mountain. There was nothing there, just rocks and thorn bushes.

Osman and Samir approached the location where they saw the person was falling. As they got closer, they saw the body of a young girl on the ground. It was as if a wounded angel had fallen down the sky. She looked so innocent and graceful compared to the harsh and colorless surroundings. Her silk dress was thorn apart in several places and stains of blood were visible on her dress. A thin thread of blood was running from her forehead and her arms and legs were full of scratches.

"She is a woman," Samir said surprised after a few seconds.

"I can see that" Osman replied coldly.

Osman went closer to check if she breaths.

"Is she alive?" Samir asked with wide eyes and a bit of concern in his voice.

"Yes, she is breathing," Osman replied after he put a dagger under her nose and saw it had dampened.

"What was she doing here? This mountain looks deserted." Samir asked.

"I don't know. But her silk dress looks expensive. She is not a peasant for sure. She could even be from a noble family." Examining her clothes and her beautiful face with narrow eyes.

"We cannot leave her here to die," Samir said looking worried. He was the kind-hearted one of the three. He was like a kind big bear when he was not on the battlefield.