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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 6137043" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 68 "Waiting to be Kidnapped” (Episode Two, Chapter Twenty-eight) - Saturday, September 10, 1882, 10:30 A.M.Back at the Grand Hotel, time seems to be dragging on. Looking at the clock the Princess states "By now the train will have arrived in Cairo."  "Perhaps your father has been the light, so to speak, and is okay with your new marriage, and won't be sending anyone here. I don't think I would complain about that," Ruby laughed.  The Princess sighs and says, "Perhaps, but I doubt it. It's possible that those French diplomats are having some influence on him, but I still think he'll try to get me. If not the wizards, he'll probably dispatch a group of soldiers on the next train back here.""So then, we may be here for a while. Cards anyone?" Ruby asked sheepishly.  The imposter Princess sits down to play cards with her grandmother, her lumberjack friend and a pair of ogre bodyguards.  Mina comments "Ruby, I'll bet there never was a table of gamblers looking like us back at the Saloon you owned in the Arizona Territory." The actual Princess exclaims, "Really? You owned a saloon in the American west? With real cowboys?"  Ruby smiled and laughed. "Yes Nana, I think you are right! And yes, I still DO own a part of that Saloon, fanciest in Promise City! And yes, real cowboys and real Indians too. It's a very exciting place, though you would probably find it boring Princess. It's much more exotic here. But yes, the West was my home for some time."  The Princess says, "One of my brothers has a collection of dime-store novels about the American west, and he loves reading them. I'm sure that they are wild exaggerations, that you never actually saw any gunfights, cattle stampedes and bank robberies."Ruby chuckled and pulled the Princess's hair off her face in her own familiar fashion. "I wouldn't want to lie to you, I have actually seen or been involved all of those things! However, they sure don't seem so glamorous at the time they are happening. I thought I might die in a couple of those gun fights and bank robberies."  The Princess laughs in reply and says, "Gun fights and bank robberies! My, you seem to be a magnet for trouble."  Ruby laughed heartily. "Yeah, you can say that again! It's not always a good thing," she rolled her eyes. "But I've sure had some really fun times."The poker game continues. Ruby notes that one of the ogres does not know how to play well. The other appears to be an excellent player, who doesn't hesitate to beat Ruby and Mina, but always folds when it appears that the Princess has a good hand.  Time continues to march onward. The game helps to pass the time until it gets towards noon. The Princess asks Ruby what she would like to have for their mid-day meal.  Ruby replies, "Surprise me. How about a local delicacy of some sort? If you haven't figured it out, I'm an adventurous sort. What is your favorite dish?"The Princess orders up a roasted lamb, marinated in a mixture of exotic Arabian spices that Ruby has not had before. It is served with a long-grain rice side dish and a fruit salad made of dates, pears, lemons, limes and pomegranate. For dessert a chocolate fountain is rolled out, with various sweet breads to dip.  It had seemed so long since breakfast and Ruby ate down her delicious meal with enthusiasm. As the chocolate fountain was being wheeled in her mouth momentarily dropped but remembering she was dressed as the Princess she quickly regained her composure. She exclaims, "This Is. Amazing. Do you eat like this every day?"The Princess replies, "No, normally only when father has special guests. But the hotel staff, like most of the people of the city, fear that today is the city's last day so why not make the day special. While they support the Egyptians in this conflict, they have very little confidence that General Orabi's troops will be successful at holding back the onslaught by the British. As this city is the home for Ahmed and his other officers, they expect the British will inflict full punishment upon this place." "That's sad really. I hope it doesn't come to pass. And you have my word I will try my best to make sure that doesn't happen." Ruby smiled. "Though I really am enjoying this chocolate!"  The Princess smiles and says, "Eat all you want. No need to worry about putting on weight too, as neither of us will be keeping our present bodies.” A few minutes later Neferka says, "I know that you are worried about your fiancé. You should not be. Neither side in this conflict would want to risk angering the French by firing upon their balloon."  Ruby looked to the ceiling and let out a guffaw. "I hadn't even thought of that!" She scooped a little more chocolate onto her bread, obviously uncaring of the calories. Her smile faded. "I AM worried about my fiancé. My job is dangerous, but it's not actually in the middle of potential fighting. I admit, I'm very worried. And I don't like being apart. So I hope you are right and the balloon stays safe. It just seems one of the biggest parts of this riddle is who to trust. I've been involved in skirmishes but never a full scale war like this. It scares me."  She replies, "I know what you mean about trust. I married a man who is literally at war with my father, who may or may not truly love me. I am now expecting my father to take me away from here by force. So I don't fully trust either of the two most important men in my life. You are fortunate to have that trust with your George.""Well..." Ruby paused a bit too long. "I have a hard time trusting anyone. I know George loves me and I trust him probably more than I trust anyone in this world. But there is always a little room for..." She fell quiet. "There was someone not too long ago that I trusted, the first person in a long while, and in the end he broke my heart and my trust. So there is always a chance of being hurt.  I sure don't have it like you do. It's very lonely not being able to trust anyone, especially someone who will share your life. I hope when things settle down you can find some peace and someone to love unconditionally and with all the trust and confidence in the world. I mean, that you find that with your husband."The Princess begins to break down into sobs and hysteria, which looks very incongruent given her burly male lumberjack disguise. She says, "Ruby, do you hear that artillery in the distance?  My husband may already be dead. Unlike you fiancé, who is hovering thousand of feet above the battle, mine is down in the thick of it."  Ruby hugged the Princess tightly. "Let's say a pray to Aphrodite to keep him safe, shall we?" She took the lumberjack's hands in her own and led them in a short prayer.  "Most revered Goddess, please watch over the General, and George, and all our loved ones affected by this terrible war. Help guide us so that through our actions we may help end his hatred and bring your love and peace to the world."Another hour passes, during which the commotion outside appears to have increased. Rumors are brought to the Princess of the war status, ranging from an outright victory by the Egyptians to an outright victory by the British. The fact that the artillery is still firing, and does not appear to be any closer or further away, fails to support both extremes.  "I would sing you a song to calm you but then our identities might be discovered. Be brave," Ruby said, squeezing the Princess's hands, "And do not believe everything you hear. We will know the truth soon enough.She adds, “I have a question for you. If your father is behind at his Palace, who is now leading his armies? What do you know of this man?"  The Princess replies, "He has several Generals, some of who are serving as advisors to the British, but for this battle Father is letting the British bear the brunt of the action against the rebels. He feels it better this way, to have Egyptians fight Egyptians would be bad for morale."  "So the British are fighting for Egypt?" Ruby furrowed her brow. "I'm afraid to say I don't know much about politics and things like that. I assume the British are Egyptian allies then?" She continues hesitantly, "And they are fighting because they don't want the rebels to get control... why?"  The Princess replies, "It is all about the Suez Canal. Not only does the canal allow the British Empire far quicker access from Europe to Asia, but it was built by loans that my father made with primarily British banks. A new government could potentially block access to the canal to the British military and merchant ships, and also default on the loans, which would throw the British banking system into chaos."  Ruby says, "Ah, that makes sense. Sorry you have to explain all this to the dumb American. I just never really paid much attention in school or to the news."Once it became clear that the King wasn't going to immediately kidnap his daughter, Mina had headed out to see what was taking place in the city. Mina returns, having been out and about the past hour, and reports that the battle appears to have reached a stalemate at the town of Kassassin, with neither side gaining any ground. The townspeople are less worried of an immediate siege or assault by the British, but most civilians are still looking to leave. A third train for the day from Cairo has now arrived and is filling up with passengers.She also reports on the pair of opportunists who had arrived on the morning train. One was a Cairo merchant, who had brought run-down wagons, carts and draft animals well past their prime, to sell at outrageous prices to townspeople wishing to escape with their belongings. He is apparently almost sold out, despite selling well above what they were worth. He is now busy with his secondary inventory, antiquated single-shot firearms, being offered to unarmed townspeople to defend against the British. The other opportunity seeker is a wealthy wizard sheik, who has set up his inventory in the dining room downstairs. He is apparently seeking to sell magical items to the wealthiest in the town, to facilitate either their escape or protection.   Ruby exclaims, "Oh, well, let's go take a look downstairs. Perhaps there is something there of interest." She leads the group to check out the wizard sheik.  Three ogre bodyguards fall in on both side of Ruby and another behind as they head out the door, with the disguised princess and Mina following. The Princess tells Ruby "Based on your grandmother's description this would be Sheik Antuf el-Heru. He is not a nice man and cannot be trusted. If he shakes your hand be sure to count your fingers afterwards." Ruby nodded. "I understand. You keep yourself safe no matter what."  They head downstairs to find the Sheik and his wares.The dining room has been usurped by the wealthy merchant, with the various items spread out among the tables, with very attentive guards watching over them. The sheik's harem girls are modeling various items, not just clothing, but also weapons.  The sheik makes his way across the room with a wide smile on his face and approaches Ruby. "Princess Neferka, let me be among the first to congratulate you on your marriage. Please, take the time to look over my magical devices, as a special wedding present to you I will provide you an item at half the regular price."Ruby did her best impression of the Princess's voice but kept it short. "That would be quite generous of you, thank you." She went to the first table to see what was there.  He shows her that the first table has items for sale to facilitate the departure from Zakazik in the event of the arrival of the British. He shows her Shoes of the Zephyr, which are horseshoes that grant the animal flight. Next is a magical carpet. The third item is a Stone of Teleportation, a single use item that could transport the person to anywhere in the world that they desire.She says, "A flying carpet, really? That might be interesting. What else do you have here?"  The sheik says, "We have several items to protect you from the British soldiers - Elixirs of Strength, Invisibility, Diminution, Invulnerability and Transformation. I also have a ring that will allow for Levitation, an amulet that will allow one to pass through solid objects, and a cloak that will let you blend into your surroundings. I also have a variety of magical weapons that your guards could be supplied with."Ruby nods nonchalantly. "Yes, yes, I have heard of all this before. What else do you have? Excite me or I shall leave."  His eyes light up and he says, "Ah, you wish to see only the reserve items! Very well." He gestures to a quartet of burly and well-armed guards, who come forth with a large trunk that is placed on the floor before him. Three separate keys are used by the sheik to unlock it, and he also casts a pair of spells. It is opened to reveal three objects inside, each cushioned in red velvet. The first is a jeweled rod, two-feet in length, with a diamond on the tip. He says tells her "This item was once used by the Egyptian high priests to ward off invaders. It can cast a number of powerful spells in the hands of a high-priest."  Next is a long sword, with a gold and jeweled hilt. The sword radiates a yellowish-pink light. He says, "This sword can cut through any surface as though it were a hot knife to butter. Nothing will stop it, not stone, not metal. It will also glow as bright as the sun if the person holding it wishes so." Last is a lavender silk dress attached to a ivory hanger which he lifts up to display. It has platinum and gold embroidery throughout and rubies sewn into a white collar. "Each is these items is suited for Royalty", he states. He adds, "This dress was once worn by the Greek Goddess Venus, known to the Roman's as Aphrodite. It affords protection to the wearer as though they were attired in the strongest of magical armors."  Ruby hides her excitement at the last item. She longs to reach out and touch it but holds back.  "I said don't bore me." She sighs, "How much for the gown? How much for any of these items?" she says, waving a hand over them.He is taken aback by her retort and meekly replies, "This gown would sell for 150,000 Pounds*, but as I said before, you could have it for half if that is the object you desire. The sword sells for 175,000 and the staff for 200,000."  Ruby runs her hand over the gown to feel the quality. "How do I know you are not trying to take advantage of me, Sheik?"  A shocked look comes over his face. He says, "How could you even think such a thing? I have offered to give you any item at half-of its value. If anybody is being taken advantage of, it is I.""Of course you understand, I need to be very careful, especially these days. I will consult my counsel and return momentarily. Please hold these items for me for now." Ruby leaves the room and finds a private area. She turns to the large burly man. "What do you think? The items have very powerful magic. Is it a trick? If it isn't, I MUST have that gown. I know George would buy it for me. If it truly is from Aphrodite, she must have sent it here for me."   The real Princess says, "Well, it is something that I would purchase. It is probably overpriced, but at half, he may well be loosing money. I say we buy it for you.""Yay!" Ruby gave a little excited jump. "How does the money exchange work? I usually let George handle that and since I am, you know," she whispered, "You... I don't want to come off not knowing."   She smiles and says, "Actually, we have no money here, the French took it all away. You need to convince him that my father will pay him the agreed upon amount."  Ruby says, "Hmmm. How are relations between him and your father?"  The Princess replies, "A combination of mutual respect, fear and loathing. My father actually hates him, but the sheik is a powerful man who rules over a significant part of the Kingdom. He, in turn, also needs my father since the King is the supreme ruler of all the land."  Ruby says, "Of course. Thank you for sharing that and helping me with this."  Ruby leads them back to the Sheik. "I am ready to do business now. Here or someplace else?"   He states, "Let us go to the bar and partake of beverages prior to our discussion."   "We may go to the bar, certainly."  Ruby follows the entourage to the bar and waves the bartender over.   "Now, what are your terms?" she asks the Sheik.  He replies, "Please, we must drink and relax first before discussing such crass things as currency exchange." The bartender serves them both some of the hotel's finest whiskey. After each have had three drinks the Sheik says, "Very well now, I had quoted the dress at 200,000 pounds, so half of that would be 100,000 pounds, a true bargain your majesty."  She replies, "No, actually you quoted the dress at 150,000 pounds. So half of that is... I would say that it's 75,000 pounds. I am certain the original number must have just slipped your mind because I know you would not try to cheat me or my father."  "Oh no, I would never do such a thing," he says what another shocked expression on his face. Before the conversation can continue a group of people rush into the room, announcing that the French airship has returned and that the Princess's husband Ahmed Orabi is mortally wounded. He has been brought to the royal suite upstairs where his physicians are attending to him.   The Princess does the best to maintain her composure, but Mina and Ruby both pick up on her immediate concern. They excuse themselves from the magic merchant and hurry upstairs.</blockquote>

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