The Sand Queen Part3

........My eyes not could find a still place to rest, on we flew as sand. The air became thicker, and smells started to mix with the air. Burning wood and spices filled my thoughts. I came back to my body first i felt my nose burn with the strength of the spices, then my lungs warm with the heat in the air, my eyes stung in the smoke and my body bristled in the warmth around me. I blinked, and suddenly i could see. Vilina was still asleep crumpled in a ball beside me. The man from my dreams the voice of the sand, the person who had brought us to wherever we where was standing beside me, my hand still in his. "forgive me Madina, I am Prince Farhim, and this is the kingdom of Gesto, my kingdom, The kingdom of sand well hidden in Santinadi. You and your maiden are welcome here, let me take you to be washed and dressed." My voice caught in my thought, i looked about me. The palace was made of sand, towering walls decorated in murals and sculptures but all sand. Huge brass bowls of incense burned everywhere, breathing strange golden light and an overwhelming aromatic sent giving Gesto an unearthly quality. Prince Farhim summoned a man who appeared as if out of the ground to carry Vilina behind us. He led me by the hand, his warm and soft to the touch. We walked through many gateways and under huge ornate sand arches. I was silent is awe, glancing at his face every so often, not sure if this was just the continuation of my strange dream. His face shone with light, my heart shuddered when my eyes strayed to his mouth, suddenly longing to touch his face and be closer to his warmth. We enter a high stair well that wound round a tall tower, my feet soon gave out under me, not yet recovered from the day before. He caught me before i fell and whisked me into his warm arms, his savory smell washing over me. He carried me up the remaining stairs like i had no weight at all, his body soft and easy, unconsciously i leaned closed to him, my head to his chest. He had no heartbeat, i was startled but his smell and warmth drowned out any sense of fear. We reached the end of the stair well and entered a huge room. Bathed in the strange golden light that fell from the brass bowls handing from the ceiling the room looked warm and comforting. The floor was made of salt stained wood, washed white like the branches i often saw washed up on the shore of Derihana. There was a beautiful four posted bed made of the same wood at the far end of the room, and a large brass bathtub in the middle. Women is red silk dresses stood holding soft white towels, soap, glasses of drink, and large plates of fresh fruit and bowels of sweet cinnamon rice. Prince Farhim put me gently down on the bed, and Vilina was soon placed next to me strangely still asleep, I'd have thought the strong smell alone would have woken her. "You may call for me again when you are ready, let these ladies tend to you." The Prince addressed me as he left the room, a woman by the entry closing a heavy yellow curtain behind him. The women spoke so soft and low at first i could not hear them, their voices like a gentle wisp of wind across the beach. I could not understand the language they spoke but i could feel their meaning, like you hear a melody you have herd so many times that without words being sung you can here the lyrics in your mind. I rose so they could undress me, their fine fingers moving so quickly and carefully it was as if my clothes fell away on their own. They gave me water, and i drank deeply as their quick fingers ran over my body searching for wounds. This was a strange dream, if it was still a dream, maybe i had died, was i dead? No Vilina would not be sleeping, she would be standing beside me. I looked more attentively at the beautiful women around me, i had not really noticed them when i entered to deep in prince Farhim's sent. One was older then the rest, i don't know how old none of them looked like they had seen more then 20years. But she was defiantly the leader of the group, She stood by me with nothing in her hands, watching me calmly like a nurse. She never spoke but she instructed the others with quick small movements of her right hand. Pointing here or there with tiny gestures, I wanted to ask her if i was still asleep, and what would happen to me next, but her silence although gentle was also intimidating and i was in no manner able to summon enough self assurance to make any noise of my own. I was silently instructed to enter the bath. A stool was held for me so i could step in comfortable. My left foot sunk into the warm perfumed water, all the aches seamed to sink away from my toes. My right foot followed and soon my whole body sunk into the relieving warmth and comfort. I listened to the voices around me and sunk peacefully into their melody as graceful hands washed my body with scented soaps i thought where made from milk. I felt a short sting as salt was washed over the wound on my head, but my mind was so lost in the aromatics of the bath water i noticed little else. Fruit and rice where spooned into my mouth a little at a time, before it was washed down with some sweet wine. My face was smoothed with sugared scrubs, and softened with almond milk. I could feel my hair being softly stroked and arranged, before they poured the bath water over it rinsing something soft and heavily perfumed from its lengths. I felt utterly at peace, yes this was definitely a good dream, so sweet and quiet, an my prince was close by, all i had to do was call for him. What a dream..................