first day

[Nuhad]

    "You mustn't expect manners. This chick isn't polite unless you have something to offer." The other guard said as he filled me in while we walked through the pillared outdoor hallway on the perimeter of a courtyard. As we made our way to the princess' room, he filled me in on important things to keep in mind. "If you cross her, you won't know until it's too late. She's like a damn shayteen, an evil jinn. She'll give you a polite smile, tell you not to worry about it, and then you'll find your bed filled with bees later. My cousin abdul accidentally bumped her while she was fixing her makeup and she acted like it was no big deal. He found his dead father's pocket watch smashed and in one of the fountains the next day." I cringed, wiping a drop of sweat from my brow. The heat was getting to me and I was feeling confident but nervous. Upon reaching her highness'  bedroom doors, the guard turned to me. "I want you to know that we've only had three cases of executions of the princess' guard. That's three cases since she was born. But a stupid mistake can make your life miserable. Good luck." He said, patting me on the back and pushing open the doors. Stupid mistake. It only made my nerves worse when I realized that I actually wasn't quite sure what kind of mistake he meant. Nevertheless, I stepped in and heard the door shut behind me. The other man was gone and there I was, standing awkwardly in a giant alabaster room about the size of a grand hotel ballroom. One wall was entirely made up of mirror glass and against it was a king size bed with a light blue canopy that draped down elegantly over white satin sheets. There was a wooden door that probably led to her wardrobe which, by rumor, I knew to be about the size of my own room. A crystal chandelier sat dormant for day time while sunlight streamed through light blue and green soft transparent curtains that led to a balcony the size of a house, with a fountain in the middle. There were shelves with dolls and jewelry and incense and candles. and a peculiar bookshelf that I was certain was the one they told me led to a hot bath the size of a pond. I tried my best to look professional and not gawk. If this was the princess' room, then what was the Sultan's chambers like? I could only imagine that his bed would be the size of his daughter's balcony. So here I stood, waiting. All I could think of was what the other guard had told me. Stupid mistake? Was it a stupid mistake that I was just standing here, waiting for her to come to me? Could she be in danger this very second? Or would it be a mistake to look for her? what if she wasn't decent? 

      Then it happened, the movement out of the corner of my eye. There she was, the palace brat. A slender girl with a dark magenta hijab, light pink hareem pants, and an immodest light pink shirt that made me want to look away. I supposed at the time that daddy just let her wear what she wanted. He was too busy ruling a kingdom to pay attention to his princess' modesty and religious values. Her maids though, wore black hijab and black abayas, modest and smiling they bowed their heads to me as they followed their mistress into the room from the sunlit balcony. But Nefertiti, she only stared with cat like eyes, one, a deep brown like coffee, and the other, the legendary white. I struggled not to noticeably  pay attention to her pupil-less  eye. She stood now across from me, then sitting gracefully on her bed and staring at me expectantly. I was confused for a moment. Why wasn't she saying anything? And then I realized that I hadn't announced myself. I bowed low and rose up to attention, still greeting her stone stare that resembled a merciless falcon. 

     "I am Nuhad, reporting for daytime duty, your royal highness. I am the new day time body guard." I then waited….nothing. I stared, expecting her to address me. nothing. I kept my temper to nothing when she scanned me up and down, stood, and then walked back outside. That spoiled little brat didn't say a word to me. I obviously hadn't crossed her. she didn't smile. Women are sneaky that way in my opinion. But this girl, I thought to myself as I followed her out onto the balcony, was not going to be fun. 

      The rest of the day was pretty much the same. I followed her and she didn't speak to me. She did get me in trouble though. When she was late for an appointment, she said that there was a snake in the room and that I would't let her out until I had caught it. At lunch, she pretended to choke and when I went to help her, she gave a fake cough and smiled, knocking her pomegranate juice on my crotch and whispering to her maid that "this is probably what he looked like when they cut it off." It made my blood boil, such disrespect. but I had to keep my cool. I wasn't being paid for her to respect me.  One slip up, and my life could be miserable. One stupid mistake.  Her voice was sweet, which pissed me off even more. How many people do you think thought her to be a well behaved girl? How many people could she deceive in one day? At one point, she decided to go for a run and there I was, jogging after her as she turned corners quickly as though to get rid of me. When I returned to my chambers that night, I passed out the moment the back of my head hit the pillow. 

 The rest of the week was like this, and the week after that, and the week after that. It wasn't till... that night she finally spoke to me ...

        I remember waking up to a knock that yelled urgently through the door.