The Sheikh's Tempted Prisoner

by Holly Rayner

  The guard opened his mouth to ask about their identification, but when he saw Atnan, his jaw simply dropped in shock. Atnan greeted him in English, likely for Lily’s sake.

  “Good morning, Ker. I trust you’ve been well?”

  The man’s eyes were wide as he nodded and found his voice. He chose English as his eyes darted to Lily and then back to Atnan.

  “Yes, Your Highness. It is good to see you again. Shall I alert the Sheikh to your presence?”

  “No,” Atnan said, a bit too quickly. “I will find him myself. Thank you, Ker.”

  The guard nodded, pressing a button to open the gates, which parted like the Red Sea before them, the smoothly paved road stretching out ahead. Lily saw Atnan take another bracing breath as he drove on and then parked the car in a small lot to the side of the main entryway.

  “Do we go in through the front?” Lily asked.

  Atnan shook his head.

  “Usually the front is reserved for visiting dignitaries. It’s all part of the pomp and circumstance; I always just go in through the side door here.”

  They exited the car, Lily wanting to grasp Atnan’s hand in support. He was already two steps ahead of her when he turned, remembering himself.

  “Right this way,” he said, attempting a smile.

  She did reach for his hand, then, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  “It’s going to be fine. You’ll see,” she told him.

  He nodded, though he continued to look unconvinced.

  As they stepped inside, Lily was met with a tidal wave of spiced scents. She crooked her elbow and sneezed into it before looking back up.

  They had entered into the royal kitchens. The staff was bustling around, busy preparing what would likely be the day’s luncheon.

  “Atnan Shadid!”

  The voice was slightly accusatory. Atnan and Lily turned slowly and found themselves face-to-face with a man in a large white hat. His hands were covered in flour, and his forehead was misted with sweat, presumably from kneading some kind of dough. He glared down at them for what seemed like an eternity before his mouth burst into a wide grin.

  “I’ve been wondering when you’d be back to finish your cooking lessons,” the man said, patting Atnan on the shoulder, dusting him in flour.

  “Ah, apologies. I forget that not everyone spends every day covered in food. Now, what brings you back here after all this time? Here to steal some treats, learn a new recipe?”

  Atnan visibly relaxed, his smile genuine as he looked upon his old friend.

  “I’ve returned to meet with my father, actually. Do you know where we might find him?”

  The chef shrugged.

  “Where else? You’ll find him in the gardens, as usual.”

  Atnan nodded as though he had expected as much. He shook the chef’s hand, not caring about the ensuing flour, and headed out. Lily stopped and looked up at the chef.

  “I have had the pleasure of trying some of your recipes, courtesy of the Sheikh. I’m grateful to you. The cuisine here is delicious.”

  The chef placed a hand on his heart, smiling warmly at her.

  “My dear, thank you. I’m glad to see my lessons were not wasted,” he said with a slight smirk.

  She laughed.

  “No. They most certainly were not. It looks like I might lose the Sheikh if I don’t get moving, though. Have a great day!” she called before moving forward.

  Atnan was nearly around a corner before he realized she hadn’t followed him. He stopped and waited for her to join him before pressing onward.

  They wound their way through a series of hallways. This palace was more modern looking than the other, with many updates and present-day touches. The furniture was clean and lightly-colored. In fact, nearly everything was either white or some variation of white. Lily wondered how they managed to keep everything so spotless.

  As they approached a pair of glass doors, Atnan hesitated, his fingers on the handle. Lily placed her hand on his and pressed the handle down.

  “You can do this,” she reminded him.

  When they opened the door, the fresh scent of foliage and flowers met them, welcoming them into the vast and open gardens. While the gardens at the other palace had been enclosed like an embrace, these gardens were sprawling, with statues dotting the well-manicured landscape around the hedges that lined the area. Trees leaned over the borders as though trying to glean any kind of gossip from inside the walls.

  In the distance, Lily saw an older man walking along the outer perimeter, his hands clasped behind his back as he strolled along, lost in thought.

  “I take it that’s him?” Lily asked.

  Atnan stared out, nodding.

  “Shall we?”

  He reached out a hand for hers, and Lily gladly laced her fingers with his, happy she could lend support during what was clearly a difficult reunion. She told herself that if she had managed to play a part in the reconciliation between the brothers, she could do just as much good here.

  They strode across the gardens, the old man not noticing them as they crossed the terrain. Lily wondered if Atnan would call out to him, but he did not. He simply continued walking until they finally reached a spot just ahead of the old Sheikh. When he nearly bumped into them, Lily cleared her throat.

  The Sheikh’s head shot up, his eyes dark and penetrating as he took them in. When they landed on Atnan, they softened and widened in surprise.

  “Atnan?” he asked, his voice soft and rumbly with age.

  Atnan released Lily’s hand, taking a step forward.

  “Yes, Father,” he said, bowing his head respectfully.

  Lily watched as the Sheikh eyed his son, a myriad of emotions passing over his face before he finally held Atnan’s face between his thick palms, forcing him to look up him.

  “My son!” he whispered, pulling Atnan into his embrace.

  Atnan’s shoulders were tense, frozen in surprise for a moment before he wrapped his arms around his father in a warm hug. Finally, the Sheikh pulled back, staring at Atnan as though he may have disappeared any minute.

  “Where have you been?” he asked, his voice wounded.

  Atnan stepped back.

  “I might ask you the same thing, Father.”

  The Sheikh’s eyes darkened for a moment, but after a pause, he sighed.

  “I see we have much to talk about. Why don’t you join me for some tea?”

  He gestured to a secluded sitting area, and Atnan nodded, holding out an arm to guide Lily to join them. That got the Sheikh’s attention, and he settled a curious stare on Lily.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met,” he said, waiting for an introduction.

  Atnan complied.

  “Father, this is Lily Hawthorne. I love her.”

  It was a simple statement, but Lily’s heart soared. The fact that it was the first thing Atnan would say to his father upon their meeting spoke volumes, and Lily held her breath as she waited for the Sheikh’s response.

  “Ah, well then,” he said, holding out a hand for her to take, which she did gladly. “Welcome, Lily. I will now admit to you that I know exactly who you are. Atnan’s brother has been by to give me some updates. I feel I owe you much for helping my sons relieve themselves of their battles.”

  “I’m happy to help, Your Highness,” Lily said, releasing his hand before they made their way to the comfortable-looking chairs tucked beneath draping trees.

  “Please, you must call me Amman, for I believe you and I shall be great friends soon enough.”

  Atnan cleared his throat.

  “Not to break up the pleasantries, but I believe we have some things to discuss, like how I’ve been free for several days without a single word from you.”

  Atnan’s tone was accusatory. The ruling Sheikh gestured toward the chairs, and they all took a seat, Atnan sitting upright and tense as he stared down his father. The Sheikh watched his son, his expression downcast.

  “Atnan, I feel that I have done you a very g
reat disservice, and I see now that hiding in my gardens and torturing myself about it has done nothing but make the situation worse.”

  Atnan and Lily were quiet as the Sheikh spoke.

  “When your mother died, I was so lost. When I looked into your eyes, I saw her, haunting me, reminding me that her light had been snuffed out. I didn’t know how to act around you, so I closed myself away. When Kaveh’s mother and I met, a small piece of me returned, but by then, you had become just as distant with me, and I didn’t know how to undo the damage I had done.”

  He took a breath. It was clear those were words he had been longing to say for years, perhaps decades.

  “When the accusations about you came out and you disappeared, I felt hopeless. Kaveh was so convinced of your guilt, your treachery, but I couldn’t believe it. I decided the best course of action was to remain silent, though I see now that was erroneous. I should have been more open with you, my son. I should have kept your mother’s warmth in our lives rather than locking it away, and for that I’m sorry.”

  He nearly choked on the last two words, and Atnan was at his side in an instant, the pair hugging as they reconciled over years of unspoken hurt. Finally, Atnan moved back to his chair, taking Lily’s hand. He pressed the back of it to his lips.

  “Now, you must tell me where you’ve been and how this came to be,” the Sheikh said, glancing from Atnan to Lily.

  Together they told him their tale of hiding out at the desert palace as Atnan worked to clear his name. The Sheikh frowned at that part of the story.

  “Perhaps your brother will require some kind of punishment for this behavior,” he mused, but Atnan shook his head.

  “We are working on rebuilding a friendship, Father. If you punish him, it will only hinder our progress. Please, leave that part to me.”

  Amman frowned, though he agreed to let Atnan handle the situation as he saw fit.

  After glancing at Lily, Atnan turned back to his father.

  “There is a sensitive matter I would like to discuss with you for a moment—if that is all right with you, my love?” he said, turning toward Lily at the last part with a question in his eyes.

  She nodded, happy to explore the royal gardens on her own.

  “Of course. Take all the time you need,” she said.

  Atnan’s eyes were sparkling as he led his father away, and Lily’s heart was warm at seeing the two of them together once again. In that moment, she knew everything would work out exactly as it was meant to. As to whatever Atnan had planned that she couldn’t yet know about…

  Well, Lily knew she’d find out, all in good time.

  Epilogue

  “So, you can see now how the conjunction complements the verb. Any questions?”

  Lily stared out at her classroom and the sea of faces. When no one raised a hand, she nodded.

  “All right. There will be a quiz on Tuesday, so don’t forget to study over the weekend. I don’t want to see any tears over bad scores.”

  A general chuckle rumbled around the room as students began shuffling around, scooping their notebooks and laptops into backpacks, and bidding Lily a fond farewell as they exited her class. She waved good-bye to each of them before returning to her wooden desk to stare out at the room.

  It had been a whole year since she had arrived in Al Yibri. One year, and what a year it had been! After moving her few belongings into Atnan’s apartment, he had insisted on taking her on a grand shopping spree, and the two of them had had a wonderful time building her life in Al Yibri. Together, they had explored the city, learning new things while Atnan taught her all about the history and culture of the country.

  It had been, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular years of her life.

  She had interviewed for a few positions, and she was certainly popular after getting a picture snapped while kissing the Sheikh, but in the end, she accepted a position at the local university to teach freshman English. It was by far the best job she had ever had, and she enjoyed working with the college students of Al Yibri. They were kind and respectful, though she often wondered if they were staying in line so as not to get in trouble with the Sheikh, who had popped his head in a time or two to say hello.

  After inhaling the scent of academia, she released the breath, feeling intense gratitude for the change that had come into her life. Her cell phone buzzed on her desk, and she glanced down, smiling as she read a text from Atnan.

  Dinner soon?

  Picking up the phone, she typed a response, letting him know she would be delighted to join him and would be heading out in five minutes. She packed up her bag and was about to leave as a student walked in.

  “Miss Hawthorne?”

  The young boy could be no older than eighteen, his dark eyes shy as he approached her desk.

  “How can I help you?” she asked.

  The boy stepped forward hesitantly, his eyes darting from hers to the ground and up again.

  “It’s just that everyone says this is the best English class they’ve taken, and as you can hear, my English isn’t all that good. I want to get into international business someday, and I was hoping you could help me. Can I enroll, please?”

  Lily looked upon him kindly even as she gulped at the idea of filling her already robust classroom with another person.

  “Of course you can. What is your name?”

  He told her his name, and she wrote it down.

  “That’s great, Adil. Why don’t you join us next week? It’s a little deep into the semester, so you’ll have some catching up to do, but we can do our best to get you there, okay?”

  The boy’s eyes lit up with joy, and Lily was reminded of why she loved being an educator.

  “Thank you, Miss Hawthorne! You won’t regret it. I will be the hardest working student in the class!”

  “I look forward to seeing your progress. Have a good afternoon.”

  “Yes! And you!” he said, bowing as he turned and nearly skipped out of the room.

  Lily chuckled to herself as she slung a bag over her shoulder and headed out of the English department building, which was fashioned of red brick and contrasted sharply with the woods surrounding them. She pressed the button to unlock her car, which was a sleek four-door sedan.

  Atnan had insisted on giving her one of his cars. He had led her to every sports car, every enormous SUV he’d had in his little lot. In the end, Lily had chosen a simpler vehicle.

  “Atnan, I do not need to plow through these streets in one of those monsters! I also don’t need anything flashy. I’m a practical girl. Give me something that goes from point A to point B, and I’ll be happy.”

  Atnan had had a hard time understanding that mentality, but he’d relented, handing her the keys to a little silver car that had been just perfect. She’d winked at him.

  “There now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “I just want you to have the best of everything life has to give.”

  “Who said that this isn’t the best life has to give? Everyone has different likes and preferences, Atnan. I simply enjoy something different. This car will bring me far more joy than that one,” she said, nodding at a yellow sports car.

  Atnan’s smile had been imperceptible as he’d wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “Then that car it is,” he had said, kissing the top of her head affectionately.

  Lily smiled at the memory as she turned on the engine and turned her car back toward their apartment. She didn’t know when she’d really started thinking of it as theirs and not his. Possibly when they’d renovated the space together, adding little details that meshed perfectly with Atnan’s style and made it feel a little more like Lily. She pulled into a parking lot near the local farmer’s market, right next to a flashy sports car.

  One thing she could say was that Atnan was much easier to find now that his reputation had been restored. Lily pulled a few bags from the back seat of her car and stepped into the humid air, casting her gaze around for Atnan. She saw
him deliberating over a selection of cheeses.

  “I’ll take four of these, please,” he said in his native tongue.

  “And an extra one of those,” Lily finished in the same language, pointing to the almond cheese he had cooked her for their first meal together.

  Atnan had worked with her on learning the local dialect, though many of Al Yibri’s residents did speak fluent English. It was an interesting transition, and Lily had found herself to be a quick study. One of her biggest challenges was that everyone she met wanted to practice their English, so she almost never got a chance to speak the local tongue. Atnan worked with her every day on it, and after a year, she was nearly fluent.

  Seeing her walk over, Atnan’s grin was wide.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here. I figured I’d meet you at home.”

  Lily shrugged.

  “I knew where you’d be, and I thought I could help with the shopping. What do we need?”

  “Extra beef and vegetables for tonight. Kaveh is bringing over his new girlfriend for us to meet.”

  “New? Hasn’t he been dating her for several months now?”

  “Yes, and apparently it’s serious enough for us to now be introduced. I can’t wait to embarrass him.”

  Lily’s eyebrows furrowed as they headed in the direction of the butcher.

  “Now, now. He’s sensitive enough as it is. We need to be supportive. I’m sure she’s a wonderful girl if he’s brave enough to introduce her to us now.”

  “I’m sure,” Atnan replied, his eyes filled with mischief.

  The relationship between the brothers had taken a turn for the better. They enjoyed playing pranks on one another and generally seeking the last laugh. Lily found herself feeling grateful that the pranks were small-scale things and didn’t end in, say, permanent exile and removal from the royal throne.

  “My father will be joining us, as well,” Atnan said as they walked out of the market together, their shopping completed.

  “Wow, this really must be serious.”

  “Indeed,” Atnan agreed.

  He loaded the back of Lily’s car with the groceries, since it was much more practical for that kind of thing. After pressing his lips to hers, he headed toward his car.