Faiz wanted to tie his legs to the bedpost just so that they'd stop bouncing involuntarily. He watched quietly as Raazan sat in front of him, unresponsive. Was the whole idea that preposterous? Faiz thought it made absolute sense. To him, anyhow.
He cleared his throat loudly, but garnered no response from the amber-eyed girl sitting in front of him. "Umm...Raazan?"
"Why?" She asked, then looked like she was wishing she hadn't. "I mean to ask, why me? What qualifies me, Prince Faiz?"
"You..you seem dedicated to your work." Faiz said.
"I seem dedicated…"
"And you...I mean...you're..you're literate. That..that helps, I mean...for a supervisor."
"I'm sure many others are too. Literate, I mean." Raazan said.
"Yes, yes. Of course. Just...you seem...you seem like you...you have a...decent understanding of the work here."
"Decent understanding.."
"Right." Faiz nodded, not entirely convinced of what he'd said. "And," he added, "of course, your wages will be..be raised accordingly."
Raazan stood up. "Can I have some time to consider? If that's alright with you."
Faiz nodded again, standing up. "Certainly. Please. You can...you can take time to think about it. But..but not too much." He laughed nervously. "I mean, I need to...I need to write to the Royal Palace about the new appointment."
Raazan nodded slowly. "So, may I leave? With your permission?"
"Yes, of course." Faiz smiled at her.
She smiled a smile which Faiz could quite easily tell was fake, then turned to go. She turned back after a second, and looking hesitant, said, "I suggest you reconsider, Prince Faiz."
"Pardon?"
"I don't think I'm the right choice for this. There are several workers here who fit the bill, and I'm sure will do a much better job as supervisor than I'll ever be able to. I'm glad that you're willing to give us workers a chance to progress, and I'm certain there are many who'd really appreciate this opportunity."
"And you...you don't?"
"I just...I'm sorry, and I do appreciate the offer. But I still don't see why you think it should be me."
"You don't see…" He had given her the reasons, but evidently they weren't convincing enough.
"I really do appreciate the offer."
"Yes...yes..you've said that."
"May I..?" She pointed at the door.
"Huh? Oh, of course. You may."
He watched her walk away, feeling like he did almost all the time from a very long time, helpless. "I'd appreciate it...if you considered the offer one more time." He called after her as she was about to step outside.
She nodded in response and walked out. Faiz sat down on his bed heavily. He had thought that after everything that happened at the hearing, she might have come to trust him. Even if just a little. But the disbelief in her conduct towards him was rather discouraging. Not surprising, for what had he done other than fulfil his duty? But, discouraging nonetheless. What did she mean, when she said she didn't see why it should be her? Did she not trust her competence?
The next day, he spotted her heading towards the fields with the young girl Bidod had accused of stealing. What was her name? Laaz? Laaj? Laaj, probably, was still limping. Both girls had a...a...some farming appliance flung over their shoulders.
"Good morning." He greeted them.
Laaj jumped a little at the sound of his voice. "Your Highness, good morning." She smiled.
"I apologise. I didn't..didn't mean to startle you." Faiz smiled back.
"That's okay." Raazan said, her face unreadable.
"Yes. I mean, no. I mean, yes, that's okay. But no, you didn't startle us, Your Grace." Laaj laughed as she discreetly elbowed her friend. Not so discreetly, considering Faiz saw it.
"Your name is Laaj...correct?" Faiz asked.
"Yes, Your Grace." Laaj replied.
"Right. Laaj..I..I do believe you..you should've, I mean, I think you should've gotten a few more...more..days of rest before..before you..you know..resume work." Faiz said, finding it harder to speak than he usually did, as he felt Raazan's questioning gaze on him.
"Oh no, Your Grace. You're too kind. I think it's about time I stop lazing around."
"You're not-" Faiz said, at the same time that Raazan did. He smiled at her awkwardly.
"Sorry." They said simultaneously. Raazan gestured for him to continue.
"I was saying, you..you weren't lazing about. You need rest. You need….need to let your wounds recover.. entirely " Faiz said.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Laaj bowed slightly. "I'm doing better now. I really don't mind going back to work. I prefer it, actually."
Faiz sighed. Didn't seem like he could convince her. He looked at Raazan, and almost laughed out loud. Birds of a feather flock together, after all.
"If you're certain." He smiled at Laaj.
She bowed again and made for the fields. Raazan nodded at him and followed her friend.
The fields. The first time Faiz had been there, he'd almost died. Adding to that, he'd proven to his workers of his ungainly nature. This time, he made sure to keep his eyes peeled for anything that could lead to an accident, or just plain embarrassment. He still wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Overseer, but oversee what, exactly? Bidod was the personification of hell itself, but at least he knew what he was doing. Now, standing at the far end of the fields, Faiz felt like a proper fool. Bidod had told him, with barely hidden contempt in his voice, that they were preparing the fields for cultivation. This is what would sustain the new settlement in the future. But was it being done right? Faiz wouldn't know.
Standing there under the glaring sun, Faiz almost regretted his decision for the thousandth time. Back then, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. As he heard his father talk about the extension site, he barely gave himself the time to think and blurted out, "I could go, Father."
His father raised an eyebrow. "Go?"
"I mean...to..to the extension site. As the overseer. You did mention..a..vacancy." He faltered, feeling he'd uttered something ridiculous.
King Thareekh folded his hands and stared at his son with furrowed eyebrows. "That's an interesting suggestion. What made you decide that, son?"
Faiz looked around to see if Samee was around. Sighing in relief upon not seeing his brother anywhere, he said, "Father, only just..judt that..this site is important..to..to Manzarhaal...and to you." And very far from the Royal Palace, he thought. "I just..just want to be a part of it...an active part of it. And I thought...this experience might help me. Help me learn...things..and..you're always telling me ... I need to be more responsible…" He wasn't happy about lying to his father, but this couldn't be helped.
His father was, naturally, thrilled at the prospect. He was more than happy to arrange for a supervisor and comfortable living quarters for his 'ambitious' son who was 'growing into a responsible Prince'.
Had Faiz known earlier that Samee would pipe in at the last hour and ruin it all by convincing Father to send in Bidod as the supervisor before he even left for the site, he would have refused. By the time he'd found out, it was too late. This was the first time he'd regretted the whole thing, and knew right away that it wouldn't be the last. He wasn't wrong. Whether it was regretting his hasty decision on that fateful day, or presently, regretting his initial intentions, the feeling stayed with him like an unwelcome guest.
"Are you alright?" Raazan's voice snapped him back to the present.
"Huh? Yes, yes. I'm perfectly fine. Why...why..why do you ask, Raazan?"
Raazan gave him a concerned look. "Not to offend, Prince Faiz, but you were staring off into nothingness. I thought, since you aren't used to the heat, maybe you weren't feeling all that well. Doesn't look like heat exhaustion, though I could be wrong…"
"No, no. No such thing. I'm fine." He wasn't fine in the least, but it wasn't what Raazan was assuming.
" Good, then. I just wanted to make sure." Raazan nodded to herself.
"How..uh..how can you tell? That it wasn't heat exhaustion, I mean?" Faiz asked.
"Oh, that..yeah…"
"I'm sorry, I hope I'm not..not prying." Faiz apologised after finding her looking a little uncomfortable.
"What? No, you're not. My..", she drew in a long, shaky breath and continued, "my mother was an apothecary. She worked with healers most of the time. As a child, I learnt some basics. Nothing big. Nothing of professional value, anyway." She said with a forced half-smile.
"I see." Faiz nodded. As an afterthought, he added, "All the more reason for you to take me up on my offer."
Raazan raised an eyebrow. "Because I know the symptoms of heat exhaustion?"
"No." Faiz laughed, but it came out more as a nervous bleat. " No. Just..generally..you're quite knowledgeable. And...and you've got great reflexes. Like when you saved me from that..uh...that..the fork-like…"
"The spading fork." Raazan informed him.
"Yes. Precisely that. See what I mean about you being knowledgeable?"
"Prince Faiz, some knowledge on farming tools is-"
"Better than no knowledge at all. Wouldn't you agree?"
Raazan narrowed her eyes at him, and Faiz was tempted to look away. "Sure, I suppose. But I still don't think it suffices."
She began to walk away, and as if on impulse, Faiz grabbed her by the wrist. "I think it does."
She turned around in a swift motion and stared down at her wrist with wide eyes, and then up at him. Giving her an apologetic look, he let go. "I'm really sorry to disappoint, Prince Faiz. I am. But I suggest you consider someone else."
Before she could walk away, Faiz stepped in front of her. "Why?"
"Why not? I told you, Prince Faiz, there are more than a dozen workers here who are far more skilled and far more knowledgeable."
"Yes, but I'm..I'm certain that no..no one would make a better supervisor for this site than you. Why are you so..so adamant to refuse me? I just..I can't understand."
Raazan looked at him with barely hidden frustration. "Likewise."
"Pardon?"
Raazan stared at him for what seemed like a long time, before she spoke. "Again, I don't mean to offend, Prince Faiz. But I don't find that you're being honest with your reasons."
"Reasons?"
"About why you want me to be the supervisor. Hundreds of workers here. And you think no one else would do, but me. One would think, given your conviction, that you would have a pretty substantial reason for believing so. But all I've heard so far have been, and again, I don't mean to offend, but all I've heard so far have been excuses."
"Excuses?" Faiz looked at her incredulously.
"Yes, excuses. You seem to be looking for anything to say to convince me, almost like you're not entirely convinced yourself. I'm sorry, but I-" She stopped abruptly, and looked away.
"What?" Faiz prompted.
"Nothing." Her voice was soft and she sounded pained.
"Raazan, what?" Faiz asked again.
She looked up at him again. Standing up a little straighter, she seemed like she was preparing herself. "I'm sorry. I don't entirely understand what your motive, well..your actual motive, is for wanting to hire me. But I don't think I can entertain it."
"You can't.." Faiz stood there with his mouth open as things seemed to finally click in his brain. He should've figured this out before. "Wait, wait. you…." he chuckled in disbelief, "Of course. You think my intentions are not unlike Bidod's."
"I didn't say-"
" You..you think I'm hiring you as supervisor because..you believe I intend to….to exploit.."
"I never said that, Prince Faiz."
"You didn't have to." Faiz said. " And here I couldn't stop wondering why one...why one would refuse a chance at progress." Another awkward chuckle. "But I understand. I really do. You have every reason to think the way that you do. After what just happened with your friend, and well,...we..uh...us Royalty don't have the best reputation when it comes..comes to..well." One more chuckle, that died in his throat halfway. "Why...why didn't I think of this before? You have every reason to..to...well, of course..especially since you're right. I wasn't being entirely honest with my reason..though how you...how would you know…..quite observant…. just another reason..."
"Prince Faiz?"
"Right. Yes, I'm rambling. Sorry..I..uh.." He took two steps back. "If that's the case, Raazan...if that's your only qualm then...I promise you that I...I shall keep a distance of two feet away from you..at all times. I shall not lay so much as a finger on you until you...you allow me."
"Prince Faiz, you don't have to-"
"And you know that, at least...until this very moment I've..I've kept my promises to you. Haven't I?"
Raazan stared at him with a strange curiosity. "Yes, you have." She said slowly.
"Then you can rest assured that I shall keep this one. As for my reason...well...come with me."
Raazan raised an eyebrow. "Where?"
Faiz smiled as he gestured for her to follow. "Please."