The Protector
I sank back into my seat with a sigh of relief. It had been a long two and a half months of traveling by foot through the scorching desert. Avoiding patrols, sleeping during the day, traveling through the night, living off of starvation rations.
A smiling stewardess stopped at my seat. Her ruby red lips pulled into a smile revealing her perfect white teeth. “Can I bring you a drink, sir?”
“Yes, please. Could you bring me a gin with ice and a slice of lemon?”
“Of course.” She nodded and moved to the seat in front of me. I closed my eyes and listened to her hushed voice asking the other passengers for their drink orders, basking in this small moment of normality. Something I had sorely missed since we had begun our harrowing journey out of the country.
Someone sat heavily in the seat between me and the aisle. “Everyone’s boarded. It looks like we’re in the clear.”
I smiled. Malik had boarded last, his hyper-vigilance coming into play as usual, to make sure no tails had followed us onto the plane. I was grateful for his caution. It had gotten me safely out of my father’s estate, while it had been under siege. It had gotten me across the country when the current despot was combing every nook and cranny for the slightest sign of me. It had gotten me onto this plane with no questions asked, even though the only identification papers we had been able to get our hands on were hastily forged fakes that wouldn’t hold up under any kind of real scrutiny. Soon I would be out of the country, continuing the fight for the throne from a safer place.
The stewardess returned with a tray of drinks. “Gin, with ice and a lemon slice?” She asked with a smile. I nodded, smiling back at her, reaching for the drink she was handing me. Malik reached up and pushed my hand down.
“I’m sorry, he’s forgotten, he can’t take alcohol for another twelve hours.”
“Oh, can I bring something else?”
Malik smiled at her. “No, we’ll be fine. Thank you, miss.”
She gave a nod and moved to the seats in front of us.
I frowned at Malik. “What did you do that for?”
“It’s my job to keep you alive.” He leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes. “The rules haven’t changed. If I haven’t prepared it, or okayed it, it isn’t safe.”
I frowned at him. “We’re home free, Malik. We’re safe now.”
He turned his head to look at me and smiled a little sadly. “Not yet. Soon.” He turned away and shut his eyes again.
I scowled and turned to look out the window, letting out a little sigh of impatience. Malik might be used to this kind of life, but my life had been simple and quiet before my father had challenged the ruling dynasty. Now everything was chaotic and stressful. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that it was all worth it, the people deserved to be ruled by someone who cared about their welfare. All this running and hiding would be over soon. I would be safely out of the country in a few hours.
There were some quiet murmurs at the front of the plane. Two of the emperor’s soldiers boarded. I stiffened in my seat. “Malik. Two soldiers just got on the plane.” I hissed softly.
Malik said nothing. I looked over at him. His eyes were open. He watched as the soldiers began asking people at the front of the plane for their papers. The muscle in his jaw tightened. He shut his eyes again. “Relax, Declan.”
“Relax?” I shut my eyes because I couldn’t think of anything else to do. “Our papers-”
Malik’s hand covered mine and squeezed. “Just relax. Everything’s going to be fine.”
He sounded completely calm. He always did. His hand on mine was steady as a rock. I swallowed hard and tried to calm my breathing. Malik’s hand released mine.
I opened my eyes. The soldiers were three rows away from us. I squeezed my eyes shut again. I sent up a prayer for a miracle.
“Papers?” The soldier looked down at us with a steely gaze, his machine gun poking up over his shoulder. His partner stood behind him with a similar expression on his face.
My hands were shaking. I looked over at Malik.
He looked up at the soldiers with a bored air for a moment. “I’m going to open my shirt.” He said. “My identification is there.” I stared at him, my heart pounding, wondering if he’d gone mad.
He unhurriedly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, then the next. The soldiers shifted impatiently. He unbuttoned the next button and pulled his shirt open and slightly to the left. His concealed carry holster showed plainly. I cringed back in my seat, sure that this was the end; then I realized what he was showing them.
Tattooed over his heart in silver ink was the emperor’s symbol, the symbol of the Tiger Dynasty.
The soldiers eyes widened. They stepped back and apologized. One of them glanced questioningly towards me.
Malik’s head jerked towards me. “He’s with me.”
“Of course, your highness. Sorry to have disturbed you.” They moved quickly to the next row of seats.
I stared at Malik with wide eyes. He subtly shook his head as he buttoned his shirt back up. I leaned back in my seat and stared at the setback in front of me, my hands still shaking.
The soldiers finished searching the plane and left.
The stewardess shut the door. The plane taxied to the runway and then after a moment took off. Malik let out a small breath of relief.
I looked over at Malik again. He turned and looked back at me with an expression I didn’t understand.
“Where did you get that done?” I asked quietly. “Who was brave enough to forge that for you?”
“It’s not forged. I’ve had it since the day I was born.”
My eyes widened, I hastily began pushing myself up out of my seat.
Malik’s hand clamped over mine. “Don’t. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead already. Besides, where are you going to go?” He nodded towards the window where clouds showed distantly below the wing.
I stiffly dropped back into my seat, my heart pounding like it was trying to beat itself out of my chest. My hands clutched desperately at the arm rests of my seat. “What are you going to do with me?”
“What I’ve been trying to do for the last two and a half months: get you safely out of the country.”
“Then what?”
“Your father had everything prepared long before I came to get you. There are men who will take over for me. You’ll be safe.”
I stared at Malik for a moment. This man who had put himself between me and danger a thousand times over the last two and a half months, the man who made sure I had something to eat and a safe place to sleep every day. This enigma that I thought I had figured out a few hours after I’d met him. “What about you?”
“As long as you can keep my secret, I’ll be fine. I’ll go back and keep fighting.”
I blinked at him. “Why are you doing this?”
“You’ve grown up with a tyrant for a king. I grew up with that tyrant for a father. I know more than anyone else, a change needs to be made.”
