Desert Dance [Krimson & Ivy]

It is said that only an Azzanian can ever truly know the land of Azzan. Azzan was a rather dry earth, mostly inhospitable….and the strangest, to the eyes of any man who has attempted to travel it. The white men who travel the Silk Road were infatuated by the Arabic culture, and money, yet had little knowledge about what lurks in the shadows. Wayfarer come and go like the shift in the sand, never to be seen again by the human eye. The land of Azzan is not an Oasis, it’s a vast desert of red and gold sand, forbidding mountains where treacherous passes are guarded by treacherous people. You will not find green grass fields and happy sunny days in Azzan, instead you will face sweltering heat, sandstorms, scorpions, spicy food, poisons, and castles made of marble rock. Its army is not loyal to any Sultan or Shah but mere sellswords and mercenaries who hire out their services to the highest bidder. Women were even less of a figure, those who were self-reliant were simply locked (married) away incepts in the bed of old men. The marriage were traditionally arranged by the father, a tradition Mualim Al-Din’s daughters knew all too well.

All of Mualim’s daughters with the exception of Farah and Kiran were married to the Sultans in Azzan. Farah was the only exceptional daughter who was too perfect to marry off for Mualim. He saw Farah as a son who had the freedom a man would in their society. It was out of no luck either, she was a true warrior who fought and killed more men than an average man would. She has led armies in battle and won, she has conquered cities where women weren’t even allowed to pick up a sword. In Mualim’s eyes, Farah was also a precious jewel, his trust was in her and belived that his precious daughter was saving herself for a man chosen by him only. But this was not necessarily true, rumors have well been made about her being with other men. And who can blame men for that, for Allah had made all of Mualim’s daughters beautiful. Farah was no exception in beauty, she was tall (5’8”) and had soft midtone color to her skin, Hazel eyes, with thick black hair which she always wore in a braided ponytail.

The truth about what happened during the night of Drawengar’s coronation is not known. How was Farah able to get so close to the Khan? It is said that any man who dies by poison dies by the hand of women they lay in bed with. A dagger, an arrow, and an axe, these are the arms of passion but poison is cold, calculating. Is a man’s hate so inferior to a woman’s that they are to be denied such a weapon? Poison is popularly used to kill someone in their sleep, for a man would watch his victim die a thousand times before he ever offer them poison while they are awake. It was said that Drawengar died while he was awake.

The rangers from the hills brought Mualim joyful news that Farah is returning home. The mission was a success and the guards reported to Mualim about how Farah bravely cornered the might Khan and cut him with her poisoned dagger. As the Khan fought back the poison festered in his body and mixed with his blood. The adrenaline drove the poison to his heart and brought about his death.

Princess Farah rode back to the palace with her royal escort to attend Kiran’s wedding.