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Not that anyone would. This was a place reserved for the sheikh. An Al Kharif, no less.
Out in the desert, there was a simple understanding amongst those travelers who spent most of their time traversing the wilderness. This place belonged to the Al Kharif family, and under no circumstances must it be damaged or misused.
Kadeem stretched out, savoring the solitude. He planned to stay here a few days, at least. Long enough for his emotions to settle. Although, lying back and sensing how he felt, he wondered if he would ever really win the battle with himself to tame those turbulent emotions.
He sipped his coffee and sighed, thinking about Eliana. His Princess was gone. He had lost her through an act of simple stupidity. Even as he thought that, he knew it wasn't strictly true. Perhaps the whole endeavor had been ill-advised from the start.
But, Kadeem had had almost no control over himself when it came to Eliana. She had found a way into his heart in the most surprising and astonishing way imaginable. He recalled all of their fake arguments, staged for the benefit of onlookers. He realized that even then, those staged disagreements had only laid the foundation for what had followed afterwards. It was as if every pretend harsh word, every acted-out look of admonishment he'd exchanged with Eliana had merely achieved the opposite of what had been intended.
Every moment they'd been forced to spend together had only drawn each of them closer to one another. He sighed and shook his head. It was inexplicable. The only way he could even begin to understand it was to see it as somehow fated.
Destined.
Out here, in the desert, such a perspective made sense. Life was simple out here. You saw people for what they were. Truthfully and honestly. Promises were made and kept. Relationships were based on trust and tradition. It all made perfect sense.
But, back in his world, and in Eliana's courtly world, there were so many rules, so many restrictions, that the idea of destiny forging a path for the sheikh and the princess seemed inconceivable. Life in Zahram would surely have been too complicated, Kadeem told himself.
Perhaps it was just as well he had been cast out from that world, he told himself. Maybe Azem had done Kadeem a favor.
But still, tugging away at Kadeem, was that burning ache. The wound of losing of Eliana would take a long time to heal. Because that was what he felt like, right now. A wounded, damaged soul.
Kadeem stood and made his way outside. The early morning sun was bright, and the sky was a crystal clear, azure blue. The encampment was set in a low, sheltered area between high dunes. Over to Kadeem's right there was a cluster of trees ringed around a circular pool of water. His was the only tent in the encampment. Enough for Kadeem's exclusive use. He walked across and attended to his horse, the one which had brought him late yesterday from the trading station a few miles to the south.
The horse taken care of, Kadeem climbed up the side of one of the dunes. Reaching the top, he sighed contentedly. The view he saw made his spirits lift instantly. The vista was stunning, dunes rolling to the distant horizon, wave after golden wave. A cool breeze caressed his skin. Kadeem tugged his robe together and inhaled the fresh air. There was a unique scent to the desert, one that never failed to trigger strong emotions in Kadeem.
He stood there for a long time, letting the glory of the landscape sink into his senses. Change how he felt.
Kadeem knew he was capable of standing there all day. That prospect gave him hope. He understood what this place could do to someone. It could alter the way a person viewed life. Transform, forever, their perspective. Bring them back to reality. And that was what he so desperately needed, now that he had lost Eliana.
Kadeem thought about her. He wondered where she was at this moment. Who she was with. Maybe she had taken the whole thing in her stride and was already moving on.
Kadeem's eye was caught by a sudden movement, far off on the southern horizon. He narrowed his gaze and squinted, trying to make out what it could be. Perhaps one of the local tribesmen had heard of Kadeem's appearance at the trading station and was coming to pay their respects.
Kadeem dismissed that immediately. The last thing he needed was a visitor. Didn't they understand that he wanted to be alone?
The figure continued to make their way in the direction of the camp. Whoever it was, rode on horseback. And they were riding at a fast pace.
Kadeem contemplated moving off the peak of the dune and retreating to the privacy of his tent. Maybe, whoever it was would get the message when the sheikh refused to come out to greet them, he told himself.
Just as he was beginning to turn, he allowed himself one final look at the advancing figure.
Something shifted inside Kadeem. A feeling in his gut that he couldn't make sense of. His heartbeat faltered as he narrowed his eyes, straining to make out the details of the rider.
His breath eased out of him, and his body stiffened.
It could not be, he told himself.
He peered intently at the rider and saw clearly that it was a woman. Blonde hair fluttered behind her head. She was wearing a loose white shirt and jeans. Was the woman mad? Didn't she know how dangerous it was to wear such clothing out here in the wilderness? Those clothes would provide no protection.
A few moments later, Kadeem gasped. That feeling which had tugged at him, trying to tell him the truth, was now more intense than at any time since he'd noticed the distant figure.
Could it be her? Kadeem froze, disbelieving, as the rider advanced.
Now, the woman was close enough that he could make out her features.
Shock rippled through Kadeem's body.
It was her.
