Raaz stared at the Prince's back as she followed him. Laaj looked up at her with concern as she walked past her, and Raaz gave her a reassuring wave. She could feel the eyes of the other workers on her as she followed Prince Faiz out of the fields. From what she could tell, they were heading back to the housing camps.
The Prince...what a strange, strange man, she thought. His insistence at hiring her as supervisor, and now this bizarre promise. Sure, his intentions were part of her concern. But he didn't have to approach it so….strangely. If anything, he made her further uncomfortable. She never thought she'd be in contact with a Royal so often as she had been with the Prince. What had she gotten herself into?
They passed the forests and the clearing, and Raaz continued to ignore the looks she was receiving. Back here again, Raaz noted with a sigh when they reached his cabin. Too many visits to a Royal cabin than should be normal. But they didn't enter the cabin. The Prince pulled out a bunch of keys from heaven knows where, and opened up the entrance to the watchtower next to the cabin. He nodded at her to follow him.
They climbed the stairs in silence, not that Raaz minded it. For someone who has a hard time getting words out, Prince Faiz sure did talk a lot. After what seemed like forever, they got to the top, and Prince Faiz opened the trap door and stepped into the open air, as did Raaz.
It was quite up there. Everything felt calmer, the air was cooler. Raaz looked down, relieved that she was not afraid of heights. Everyone was hard at work. She thought she saw Mani and Vihir with a couple more workers at the edge of the forest, though she couldn't tell if it was really them. She couldn't quite see the workers in the fields as clearly as she could see those near the forest, so she couldn't recognise anyone there. She was slightly taken aback by how organised everyone looked, since she always thought things were a chaotic mess at ground level.
It was a great spot for an overseer, she concluded. You could see almost the entire site from up there. Almost? No. The entire site. The fields were essentially a massive rectangle divided into around nine smaller rectangles. Raaz almost let out a whimper when she realised only two of those fields were being worked on. She knew that more area meant more work, and for a longer duration. But the mere thought of more work also made her feel a tad bit nauseous. Just a tad bit.
The clearing looked smaller and the ground looked smoother than it did up close. She couldn't see much of the forest because of the thick canopy. That is, except for the area that was cleared, which wasn't much. Just a small patch of land dotted with tree stumps.
She looked at the Prince, who was looking down too. He didn't look like he was afraid of heights either, fortunately. What good is an overseer who can't oversee without fainting, anyway? She was a tad bit surprised, however, at the fact that he didn't seem winded. She was used to working all day long, so the stairs didn't faze her. But she'd imagined the Prince would be a little less habituated to physical effort and exertion.
"On my first day here, after I...I addressed all of you, I came..up here. When I looked down at all of this, my first thought was...was that...we have a long way to go." Prince Faiz traced his fingers along the railing as he spoke, still looking down. "A long way to go before this site becomes an actual town. A...a long way to go before people start to..well..start to settle here, call it home. But now...after everything that happened in the..the..past few days, I'm starting to think maybe I was looking at it the wrong way."
"What does that mean?" For the umpteenth time, Raaz mentally groaned. She knew there was probably a more appropriate way to pose a question to the Prince of Manzerhaal, but she couldn't bring herself to remember to care about the obligation of being polite to royalty, and the fact that the Prince never seemed to mind only made it easier for her to forget.
"When I told my father, you know...His Royal Highness, that I...I wished to serve here as…..as an overseer, I..I must admit I was being undeniably selfish. My only thought was that...that I would be free. That I would be able to breathe again, without...without being stifled. I was tempted at the thought that...I would be...be putting a lot of distance between me and that entrapment made of gold and marble I'm expected to call...h..home. And what you call the Royal Palace." For what was probably the first time since she'd met him, Raaz saw bitterness and resentment along with fear shimmering in his eyes. The fear never left them. That was a constant.
"Never once did it cross my mind that the responsibility I was taking up was...was more than that of fields and forests. Until…" He drew in a deep breath and looked down at the site again.
"Until?" Raaz prompted.
"Until the hearing." He looked like he was writing something on the railings, moving his finger in loops and swirls. "It was only after...and whilst...whilst the hearing that it dawned on me...this is already a town. Of course, presently it...it lacks structure and a name...but it's a town. Because…," he smiled, "because above a name, and above a structure...a town is really defined by the people...isn't it? The people that live there, that..that depend on it for their livelihood. I mean, you can let me know if I'm wrong...you probably know better, having actually lived in towns…" he chuckled nervously.
When she didn't say anything, he continued, "At the hearing...for the first time I...I felt responsible for someone that...that wasn't me. For a moment, every bone in my body..was…was telling me to run." Another nervous chuckle. He stopped tracing the railing and gripped it tight.
"After the hearing, when I watched you and your...your friends walk away victo..victorious...and now, watching them back at work...I realise I…," He drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "I can't keep treating this place like some...some sort of escape. I have a responsibility towards this town, towards...all..all of you. And that," his voice wavered, "that scares me."
Raaz couldn't understand why the Prince was baring his heart before her. She was starting to feel like she had stumbled upon a journal of fragile, vulnerable thoughts that she wasn't supposed to read. Yet she couldn't ask him to stop. Not just because he was the Prince, but something about his earnestness compelled her to keep listening.
"It scares me. To turn this site into what it's supposed to..to be, what it's expected to be...what it deserves to be...it requires a kind of...a kind of determination and perseverance that I...I don't think I possess. Let's not even talk about skills or..kno...knowledge. I stepped into deep waters without knowing how..how to swim. I got a taste of...of that when you came to me for..for help. A taste of the responsibility that I hold...that I'm not prepared for. You could say I'm...I'm barely staying afloat. And that's unfair to everyone depending on..on this town. Unfair to you, to your friends. And that is why...that is why I need someone who can help this town. Someone like you. So that I...I can be fair to….to my people."
"Someone like me? That's...flattering, I suppose."
Prince Faiz's eyes seemed to twinkle." I might have gotten carried away..said more than I intended to...I tend to do that..occasionally. But all I mean is that I...I see in you the qualities a...a leader should possess, qualities a supervisor needs and...and qualities I lack. As exaggerated as my..my enthusiasm might seem... I meant everything I said to you. This is the first time ev...ever that I've been given a responsibility this..this enormous and I...I want to do my best. And for that I...I need the best."
"So you're hiring a random worker as supervisor?" Raaz blurted out.
Prince Faiz laughed softly. "You...you don't hold back. That's..uh..that's good. As for being a..as you put it, a 'random worker', the qualities that qualify do not...not include randomness or being just a worker. Not that...not that being a..a worker takes anything away from your worth, if anything it...it adds to it... just...that's not what I was focusing on. I need someone determined and...honest..qualities you've proven to possess in the...the little time I've known you. Adding to that, of course...is your experience with the...the work and your familiarity with the other workers…"
"Right. Thank you?" Raaz raised an eyebrow. Determined and honest. She wasn't sure what to make of these words of praise. Or flattery.
"And also I don't...and you can understand why...I don't want them to send someone else from the..the...the Palace. Even if they're not as awful as your previous...supervisor, they won't care about all of this like...like a regular citizen would. Like you would...I'm..I'm certain. I need help, Raazan, but I....,"he drew in a deep breath, "I don't need more of their help."
"Right." Raaz nodded slowly. This, however, she could agree on. The last thing they needed was another pompous, self-serving, Royal 'authority' parading around the site and barking out orders.
I know I must have..must have overwhelmed you by..by telling you all of this. I wouldn't have, but...but you demanded to know the actual reason...so...so there you go. Raazan, I know I sound like I'm asking for...for you to cover up...to cover up my shortcomings. Maybe I am. I realise in my..in my attempt to fix a selfish decision, I'm being..selfish yet again. But I do..do believe that you can help this town a great deal. More than I can hope to...by myself. And you can help yourself in the..the process. After all, Manzerhaal is yours too."
Raaz smiled. She was overwhelmed, no doubt about that. She still wasn't sure what made the Prince think of her the way he did, and the expectations did unnerve her. But she wasn't lying when she said she was flattered. She still felt compelled to conclude it all as a big lie, a trap, or a practical joke. But he had been nothing but good to her so far, so she decided the least she could do was give him the benefit of the doubt. "Thank you, Prince Faiz. Really. For telling me."
"You've always been honest with me. Least I can do is...return the favour." Prince Faiz smiled.
Raaz raised an eyebrow. She couldn't help herself, when she asked, "What makes you so sure I've always been honest? You mentioned honesty previously too. "
"Well..because..I suppose, because it would be so much easier to not tell the Prince of Manzerhaal that he..he should watch where he's going right after you meet him and...and to tell him that..that you doubt his intentions are...lecherous." Prince Faiz's smile widened.
"I never said lech-"
"You didn't have to."
"Huh." Raaz looked down at her feet as she suppressed a sheepish smile. "So you did mind those things."
"No, not in the least. It's an..an admirable quality." Faiz said.
"Being blunt?"
"Speaking your mind."
Raaz scoffed. "Not many would agree."
"No, I suppose not. Then again, it's easier to deny something about your...yourself if..if you never hear it from anyone else. Wouldn't you agree?"
Raaz couldn't help but smile slightly. "I agree, Prince Faiz."
The Prince looked at her with expectant eyes. "Raazan, this time, actually think about it. The..the offer I mean. Now that...that I've given you my...my reasons." His eyebrows furrowed as his gaze grew intent. "I assure you, if you take up the ...the offer, you will find no reason to..to regret it. I just...I really could use your help. And if you are ever dissatisfied, under any...any circumstances, I will take your suggestion and..and hire someone else. In such a case, you will not be blamed or reprimanded.. or..or...shown ingratitude. So please, think about it."
"Alright, Prince Faiz. I will think about it." Raaz nodded.
A warm smile graced the Prince's face."Thank you. Now I...I suppose it's best we head back."