Yasmina

Yasmina mounted and wiped the tears from her own eyes as they walked their horses to the main gate. Al-Rahim led the procession through the streets with Ahmed beside him. Yasmina and Aisha rode side by side, and the two from the harem guards followed. After that, some thirty regular guards from the palace came two by two. That was most unusual. Normally, regular guards were not allowed anywhere near the women. In this case, al-Rahim left most of his contingent in the harem to do their duty.

As they moved slowly through the town, Yasmina saw fear on many faces. The people were not yet in a panic, but near enough. The Qarmatians laid siege to the city, and when they could not break in, their leader, Abu Tahir Sulayman al-Jannabi demanded entrance to the holy city as is the right of all pilgrims. Yasmina’s father felt he had no choice but to comply, though he had every intention of getting his daughter safely out of the city first.

Al-Rahim picked a gate where the enemy was most thinly arrayed. “Walk the horses,” he commanded. “They claim to be peaceful pilgrims. Let us give them a chance to prove it.”

The enemy stared at them in disbelief and uncertainty but made no move to stop them until the end. Someone started shouting in Persian. Aisha translated. “They are ordered to stop us.”

“Ride,” Al-Rahim shouted, and they began to gallop along the rugged path. A couple of arrows followed them, but they missed or fell short. When they got to the top of a rise, Al-Rahim stopped and turned to look back. It did not take long for the Qarmatians to get their own horses and follow. “Ahmed,” al-Rahim said and pointed. Ahmed nodded and began to shout orders. Al-Rahim started down the other side of the rise without another look back. Yasmina and Aisha followed with the two harem guards behind them.

Al-Rahim made them ride hard for an hour before he let them get down and walk their horses for a half-hour. Even without any sign of pursuit, they mounted and rode hard again. This became a pattern, and by the end of the day, Yasmina’s horse and her feet were worn out.

The guards set up a tent in the wilderness, out of sight from the path. Al-Rahim supplied them with cold food and said, “Bundle up. No fire tonight.” Honestly, Yasmina did not care. She found two blankets. She laid down on one, covered herself with the other, and fell asleep before Aisha could finish tying the tent flap closed.

In the morning, moving at a more even and humane pace, they joined the regular road to Medina. Yasmina tried hard to not say anything when she was told it would take them ten or twelve days to get there. At least they did not have to gallop the whole way.

Al-Rahim always managed to find them food, even when they camped in the wilderness. They passed some pilgrims over those days, though the pilgrim business had slimmed way down since the Qarmatians began attacking pilgrim trains. They also passed some merchant caravans. When they camped near a watering hole one evening, though not too near for fear of the wild animals that might come and water in the night, they got invited to supper by one of those caravans. The merchants were anxious to hear the news about the road ahead. They could not tell the merchants much, but they all enjoyed the little feast, so it was a good evening.

They stayed in a few villages along the way where there was a bed for the princess. Yasmina greatly appreciated that, especially since Aisha knew a spell that would cause all the insects to vacate the bed and stay gone for at least twelve hours. They also passed many farms, though they only stayed one night in a man’s barn. No one told the man who Yasmina was, and the guards had taken to wearing plain cloaks over their armor, so they looked like ordinary hired men, no doubt hired to safely escort the two women to Medina.

When they finally arrived in Medina, Yasmina sighed her relief. They went straight to the palace, and though they were a surprise visit, the servants in the palace made them welcome. Yasmina got her mother’s room and Aisha got the pick of several beds in the big room that were for Mother’s maids, or the little room beside Yasmina’s room where Mother’s personal assistant stayed. Aisha chose the single small room and invited two of the older ladies to move into the dormitory-like room so they would be close to hand if needed.

It was a relaxing time, and Yasmina played pilgrim, or maybe tourist and saw all the special places that connected to the Prophet in the first days of the faith. Sadly, it was hardly a week before al-Rahim came rushing in.

“Time to pack,” he said.

“What?” Yasmina wondered what was up. “We just got here.”

“The Qarmatians are a day out from the city. Two at most. They sacked Mecca, and I have no doubt they plan the same for Medina. Get packed.”

“But where will we go?” Yasmina shouted after the man, but he was already headed toward the stables.

“Come on,” Aisha said. “Just bring what you did last time and let’s get going.”

Yasmina changed into her riding clothes and then called for her armor. The virtue of that was when she called for her regular clothes, she would be clothed again in her riding clothes, just in case. Yasmina grumbled quietly as she changed. “But my feet haven’t recovered from the last time.”

“You will toughen up,” Aisha answered, of course having heard with her good elf ears. “Kirstie and Yrsa used to row with the men for hours.”

“I could do that. I got muscles,” Yasmina said. She showed her skinny little arm and Aisha chose not to respond.

Kirstie

Kirstie had to wait three weeks for the little ones in the far north to collect six walrus tusks and bring them to Strindlos. They also brought a polar bear skin, one expertly taken from a large animal that finally succumbed to age. They also reported seeing some frost giants in the area, which did not sound good.

The bear skin was a good addition because it made up for the fairies who could only offer one large pot of honey with the wax. That was very kind of them to offer any honey at all since honey was a big part of their diet. Buttercup insisted and Mariwood supported her. Lord Bjork grumbled, but Lady Bellflower was glad to do it, so the fairy king did not argue.

Lord Amber was the only one that teased Kirstie. “I heard you say this was a one-time deal.”

“Father!” Yrsa scolded her father with the word, but her father smiled.

Kirstie also smiled when she said, “So this is another-time deal.” She paused a second before she said, “I sound like a dwarf.” Alm laughed.

Lord Amber agreed. “It does sound a bit like dwarf logic,” he said, before he handed over a second basket of amber. “Good thing I saved the second basket.” So, all got settled and Kirstie got ready to go.

Kirstie felt reluctant to ask Yrsa to accompany her on this trip. She and Alm were so happy, and still like newlyweds, though Kirstie understood that newlywed phase for elves might last a hundred years. Yrsa interrupted Kirstie’s thoughts when she asked, “So when are we leaving?”

“Are you sure you want to go?” Kirstie asked. “I was just thinking what a great mom you will be. Don’t you want a little Yrsa baby?”

Yrsa looked at Alm and he smiled, but then she turned right back to Kirstie and spoke plainly. “We talked about it. A baby would be wonderful, but right now you are still my baby. I need to come, and help you in any way I can, and be the wild she-bear you once called me, to watch over you. I know it will be dangerous, but I have my bow and I think I’m getting pretty good at it. So, when are we leaving?”

Kirstie rolled her eyes at the thought that Yrsa was only getting pretty good with her bow. Yrsa could fire three arrows in the time it took her to fire one, and she could hit the bullseye with all three. But Alm spoke next.

“We talked about it,” he repeated Yrsa’s words. “But right now, I have two boys like sons, Oswald and Edwin. They need to be watched and taught many things before they will be ready to take over running the farm. Besides, I have a handful of dwarfs to mess things up, and a mostly troll to keep fed. The glamour we managed around Vortesvin helps, but he still looks like a giant. Not anything we can do about that.”

Kirstie nodded. “We go the day after tomorrow. Right now, we need to get Booturn, Bucket, Toodles, Buckles, and Tiny to help carry the things to the ship.”

“Vortesvin might help,” Yrsa suggested, but Kirstie shook her head.

“The whole village knows I have a giant helping on the farm. Some have seen him rip boulders and whole tree stumps right out of the ground. It is one thing to know there is a friendly giant in the distance, but it would be quite another to have him parading through the streets. Alm, I leave it to your judgment, but I think it might be best for him to avoid direct contact with the humans of Strindlos. The dwarfs at the blacksmith’s shop are bad enough.”

“Understood,” Alm did not disagree. “Besides, he is completely enchanted by Fiona. He hardly wants to let her out of his sight.”

Kirstie threw her hands up. “I don’t want to hear about it,” she said.