"Were you that eager to see me?"

Badri Jamala had arrived at the Waterfall to find the Prince sitting in wait.

Sighing softly, the High Faerie glanced back over her shoulder where glimmers of the sunrise were breaking through the rapids, leaving her and the Human Prince inappropriately alone in the hidden cave. All hopes of a private meditation before the day's affairs had been abandoned the moment their eyes had met.

"How come you are here at first light?" she asked him. "I expected you would come well after the mid hours of the day."

"And I expected you wouldn't show," he laughed. "I suppose it does us both good to be wrong."

"You speak selfishly," she chided. "I came here for some solitude."

She looked him up carefully and discovered that his choice of attire was far inferior to anything she had seen him wear. His robes were unfitting for his build and sagged below his shoulders, and the strap was missing the usual jewels. Over this shoddy ensemble, he wore a cloak of cheap fabrics with hood lined in thinning wool. His hair was what struck her the most. The ember locks that spoke of his good breeding had been forcefully fashioned to appear common and, despite the obvious degradation, he still retained his princely charm.

"I would apologize for having interfered," Saif ul Malook answered, "but it appears we are far beyond this said apology."

"Indeed," she agreed, nodding. "May I ask why you have not chosen something grand for the occasion?"

"Does Pari prefer I dress in my finest?" he teased, leaning closer.

"I care little for what mortals wear," she sighed, shaking her head.

"That is sad to hear. To tell you the truth, I dressed commonly because that is where we will be going today. I do not want anyone tailing after because I am royalty."

That piqued her interest. Badri Jamala fluttered closer, until she was within his arm's length, and sat opposite to him. This was the closest she had ever been to a human.

"I do not understand," she began, putting her hands together. "A demon would never take up the pretense of a lowly shadow."

"Well, I am left to believe demons are prideful beings," Saif ul Malook replied, smiling. "Tell me, Pari. Do you not ever want to shed weight of your rank and just be free?"

She blinked back, terrified of how easily he had put her deepest desire into such an innocent inquiry. Her heart gave a wild beat and she had to press a hand to her breast to silence it.

"You can believe that is something we share," she responded with a smile. "I built this cave for precisely the same reason. I wanted to be away from others of my kind. Others that expect so much of me."

Saif ul Malook was instantly drawn to her moment of vulnerability. He leaned closer to the Faerie, hopeful she would confide further.

"What do they expect of you?" he asked her, trying to capture her gaze.

"Nothing worth mentioning," she sighed, avoiding his eyes. "It is also the reason I am here today. I want to be able to taste this freedom against the wishes of my own kind. There is also the desire for learning about humans."

Prince Saif ul Malook was disappointed by her sudden withdrawal. Had it been a member of his court, he knew he could have easily pressed further for information, and while he was tempted to do the same with the Faerie Demon, his need to protect her feelings outweighed.

"Well, if it is your desire," Saif spoke as he rose, "we best be on our way. It is a long journey."

"Long journey?" she blinked up at him. "Is it not just past the forest?"

"It is," he confirmed, "but you forget that I am human. I do not have the power of wings at my disposal."

"Right, I apologize for such a rude remark."

"You need not be. You are simply not accustomed to being friends with a human."

Badri Jamala felt a sharp word rise to her lips, but she managed to restrain herself before she could utter. The thought of not being friends was somehow distressing.

"I brought you something," she heard him say.

She followed him with her eyes as he produced some neatly folded robes and a matching cloak.

"Can you hide those wings?" he asked her, struggling to make it sound polite.

"I can," she replied, "but I shall do so only when we have reached the end of the forest."

"Can you promise me that?" he suddenly turned serious.

"Yes, although I don't see why you need a promise for that."

She watched him return the robes into a leather bag and sling it across his shoulders.

"Pari, I may be a human you trust," he told her, walking toward the mouth of the cave, "but I assure you that not all humans are of fair minds. I fear for your safety."

The fact that he made no attempts to conceal what Deo Safed had warned her of the night before spoke volumes for his sincerity. Now, she knew she could trust herself with this man.

She flew after him and the two exited the cave in unison.

The world outside had passed the dawn hours and the Sun bathed the forest in its gentle glow. The songs of the birds could be heard on the breeze.

Badri Jamala folded in her Faerie wings and descended the mountain with no effort. On the contrary, Saif Ul Malook had a bit of struggle hiking down the cliffside. She waited, rather impatiently, for the prince until he had reached the ground. Then, she followed after as he began to lead her to some unknown location.

"How do you travel?" she asked. "If it is by your feet, I fear we will never reach the city."

"If it was by your wings, we could reach instantly," he chuckled. "Care to take me for a flight?"

"You really have no shame," she groaned, crossing her arms.

Saif ul Malook gave a soft laugh as he turned away from the faerie. Then, bringing two fingers to his lips, he blew to sound a whistle.

"By God, what is that sound?" Badri Jamala gasped.

"It is called a whistle," he explained. "I am calling my horse."

"Your what?"

Her question was answered by the thundering hooves of a galloping mare. A gasp escaped her as the Faerie stared with her eyes widened, deeply fascinated by the stature of this majestic beast. It was larger than the Musk deer, white as the moon, with a glossy mane and a beautifully arched neck. She watched it gleefully trot up to its human master and put her muzzle in his waiting hand as he began stroking up her pretty head.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Rana," Saif spoke to his mare.

His manners intrigued Badri Jamala. He appeared rather fond of the creature, despite it not being from his kind, and it was such a stark deviation from what the Faerie had been told. Deo Safed had to have been wrong about humans.

"What is she?" she asked, fluttering closer to the mare.

Rana gave a horrible shriek as she reared on her hind limbs. The High Faerie hustled to hide behind the Prince as he grasped her reins, calling her to calm with words of comfort.

"It is alright, my pretty one," he spoke to the mare. "She is of no harm to you. She is as gentle as a butterfly."

The High Faerie could not remember when she had given him the notion that she was gentle. Regardless, his words brought colour to her cheeks.

"She is beautiful," Badri Jamala said, leaning closer. "I have never seen this creature before."

"You've never seen a horse?" Saif asked, raising a brow. "I suppose that would be true seeing as to how there are no native herds in this region."

"You ride them on their backs?' she inquired further.

"Yes," he replied and demonstrated by climbing into the saddle.

"And they just let you?" she blinked up at him.

"Well, not always," he chuckled, giving her a hand. "Do you wish to ride with me?"

"I believe I told you I will fly until we are in the city."

"I can always always convince you to ride with me in the city."

The journey across the forest saw no exchange between the High Faerie the Human Prince. He galloped across the terrains the fastest his mount could carry, but Badri Jamala was a match with her own wings. She fluttered alongside with equal vigor, showing no signs of strain in how she carried herself in the breeze, graceful as a butterfly and fierce as a demon. Saif ul Malook could not help but steal glances of this magnificent creature with her wings of black and red and hair rippling in the winds. The more he looked, the deeper his yearning grew.

They arrived at a marked place, a short distance from the gates of the city, when the Sun had peaked in the sky. Once there, Badri Jamala made quick work of donning a more human form, following which she retrieved the set of commoner robes from the Prince and quickly changed.

Saif ul Malook had difficulty restraining his heart once he saw her human form. It was no mark on her Faerie form. That much could not be denied. Still, she looked like a delicate beauty with her rich brown locks and hazel eyes. Every inch of her spoke of nobility, even when her garments severely lacked in taste, and the cloak did little to veil it. He decided that he would have to ward off the preying men with his own glare to protect her.

"Am I decent?" she asked, looking unsure.

"You are alright," she stammered, turning away. "Do you want to ride now?"

"I shall," she chirped.

Then the High Faerie reached for him with an arm and, with a lightest flick of her wrist, threw him over. The next thing he knew, she had taken his seat in the saddle and had her grip firm on the reins.

"Does the lady prefer forceful ways?" he winced, rubbing the aching spot in his side.

"Force is the only way demons know," she smiled down.

Saif ul Malook wanted to throw a remark at that statement but decided they would have the whole day for such matters. Instead, he gently took the reins from her hand and began guiding his mare.

"I would request you to cover your head," he said. "We do not want to invite trouble."

With brief reluctance, she reached over her back and pulled the hood over her hair. Then the two two began to make their way into the city.

The wonders of the human world laid open before Badri. The first things her curious eyes fell upon were the tamed rocks drastically different from the pebbles on the riverside, and she studied them intently, finding all to bear a similar shape and resting in perfect harmony against each other. Even the sound of the mare's hooves was different as she tread over with no fear.

"Saif ul Malook?" she called the Prince. "How come all the rocks have the same face?"

The distraction of hearing his name in her musical voice had Saif losing the question.

"Pardon?" he answered bashfully. "Can you say that again?"

"I asked why the rocks all look the same," she repeated, slightly exasperated, a trait that attested to her rank as a High Faerie. "How come they all came together in this form?"

"Oh, this is not a natural occurrence," he explained after following her gaze. "It's called a road and humans build it."

"I see."

He needed nothing more than that brief glance to know that he had already swayed the Faerie.

A short journey finally brought them to the main gates of the city. The Prince, knowing the customs, swiftly went to the guards to settle the matters of his identity and returned to his Faerie within the same stride. Then, before she could ask something odd, he quickly led her inside at a trot.

"What are you hurrying for?" she asked anyway, peering from the side.

"I have to be a bit more careful than usual," he replied with a chuckle. "After all, my company is unusual."

"Quite a polite way to say I am a demon," she scoffed.

"I mean no offense," he sang it.

Badri Jamala was about to debate when a different sight filled her vision and her words choked in her throat. Her eyes widened as her gaze flickered over the bustling streets, made prominent by the shops lined against each other and a flurry of humans swarming them. The inharmony in voices as men went about their business, bickering and hollering, and women striking bargains was almost like a song to her. With each distinct voice, she would look excitedly, finding some queer shop selling strange ssortment of what she assumed were edibles or trinkets as intriguing as new gems. The aroma of spices coupled with those of exotic flowers from distant lands filled her senses and she breathed deeply, taken by these foreign scents, until a lingering stench of dead fish restored her to present.

"Is that your Mountain?"

Saif ul Malook looked to find her eyes on the golden tower, the architect of the city central the royalty used for their rare public appearance. He had to stifle a laugh before he could answer properly.

"We call them towers," he explained. "Hardly a mountain I'd say."

"It is rather small," she mumbled, nodding.

"I assure you. It gets us high enough to see the humans of the city."

"What is that?"

The tower had already lost the fancy of the Faerie. The prince looked to where she had motioned and found a small shop filled to the roof with sacks of a staple food item.

"What is the white powder?" Badri asked again.

"Wheat," he replied.

"Do you eat it?"

"Yes, but not in that form."

"What form do you eat it in then?"

"I will show you if I find one of those shops."

The Prince looked sharply in the direction of a man who had been staring at Badri. Then, he quickly led Rana away to save himself the trouble of drawing his sword.

"What is that?" Badri asked again.

"Oh, corn," Saif answered, barely looking away from a pack of hooligans. "The traders bring them from our lands in the east. You will never find them here."

"My word," she gasped.

Prince Saif ul Malook could feel his concerns mounting as he hurried past the streets, answering as many questions as he could in the process, until he arrived at a familiar turn. He took it, knowing he was about to lead Badri into a street with fewer men and shops where she could indulge her more womanly side. It was just a safer choice for the moment.

"Clothes?" Badri blinked.

Her lack of interest made his heart sink. Still, he was determined to keep her mind on these fashions.

"Try not to disregard with such little knowledge, Pari," he grinned.

He walked to the side and held out his hand. She waited a moment before placing her hand in his and he took it gently, leading her down as if he had forgotten she was a demon.

"I'll show you to the one my mother used to like," he said.

She noticed the traces of grief in how he spoke the word 'mother' and had the urge to ask about it. However, he seemed far too eager for that to come about as he quickly ushered her inside one of the shops.

"Saif,"she whispered, suddenly uncomfortable. "I do not think I need a change of clothes."

"You do not," he nodded, "but I think you can afford to take a token of remembrance from the human world."

"I suppose," she replied, suddenly taken with the collections on show.

"Tell me, Pari. Is there a color you favor?"

He seemed much more enthused about the little shopping detour than she was and it invited a few envious stares from the other ladies.

"The white of a wildflower," she replied. Deo Safed always sang her praise whenever she wore that color.

"White?" Saif said, disapprovingly. "A maiden of your beauty can afford to add some colour to her charm."

A thought previously inconceivable rose in her mind. Do I like white because I do or because of Deo Safed?

"Dress me in whatever color you favor," she waved. "I shall see what kind of tastes a man possesses."

She sounded largely indifferent, but there was enough sentiment in it to send the Prince's heart pounding. He hurried to the collections and searched through, looking for the most expensive piece they had in red.

"This," he pushed it to her.

"Alright," she shrugged. "Can you carry it for me?"

He blinked hard, confusion clouding his eyes.

"Beg pardon?" he asked, leaning closer.

"I asked if you could carry it," she repeated with no hesitation. "Are you deaf in the ear?"

"Are you not going to try it on?"

"I did not know it was customary for humans to undress in a shop as a trading ritual."

Saif ul Malook looked up with sheer fright as other ladies shifted away. How much of that they had heard, he did not know.

"Please, Pari," he pleaded, taking both her hands in his. "Try to keep your voice to a whisper, for both our sake. Also, please do go into that private chamber to change. I would very much like to see you wear it."

She looked up dubiously at the small chamber separated by a door. There was something distinctly warning in how it had been fitted but she thought nothing of it further as she briskly walked in and bolted it from inside.

"Quite the fortunate lady," Saif ul Malook heard the ladies say. "Her man is not much of a sight but she has him at her beck and call."

Reminded of his commoner appearance, Saif gave a heavy sigh as he resigned to one of the wooden stools to wait for his Faerie.

She emerged with such grace that she took his breath away. He watched, unblinking, as the fabrics of the ceremonious red danced around her in waves, bringing glory her exotic features. The threads of gold woven into the robes trailed her bodice to kiss her waist. The long sleeves reminded him of her hidden wings and he knew that it did not do them justice to be complemented by such cheap garments.

"Do I please His Lordship?" she asked, mocking a bow.

"It's Saif to you," he chuckled, pulling her up. "You look lovely."

He so badly wished he could put some marriage gold on her. If such a day were to come true, he would have no need for a crown.

"Shall we leave?" she asked, completely disregarding his kind words.

"As the lady pleases," he smiled. "You just have to change to your old clothes."

"Bed pardon?" frustration crossed her hazel eyes.

"You have to change to your old clothes," he repeated with a soft chuckle. "Are you deaf in the ear?"

She gave him a worried look before complying. When she returned, he retrieved the robes from her and quickly paid for them in gold.

"The lady must be very pleased," Badri heard as she exited the shop after the Prince. "He bought it for her with no bargain."

The Prince helped the Faerie back onto the horse. Then, he began leading her deeper into the markets.

"Where else shall I take my Pari?" Saif asked, looking over his shoulder with a smile.

"I suppose that thing you call the tower," she replied.

Saif looked up at the architect. The Golden Tower was visible no matter where one looked from, looming over the city with a supremacy only his family possessed. Even from the distance, he could see the leveled platforms from where the royal family would address the public, guarded by their elite swordsmen while the commoners looked upon with adoration and scorn alike. There was little discrimination between the two. He had learnt that from the unspeakable demise of his Queen Mother.

"I could take you there," he sighed, bringing his gaze back to her, "but I fear that we will not be able to make the journey in time for your return. If we leave now, I can make sure you return home by dusk."

He watched her eyes change from mildly intrigued to a sad smile as she gave him a small nod. In that moment, he wished he could have given her the truth.

They two spoke little as they made their journey back to the gates, then further still until they were well beyond human sight. Once they were sure that they had put enough distance between themselves and the human settlement, Badri Jalama reclaimed her Faerie form.

"How did Pari find her little excursion?" Saif asked.

He walked dangerously close to the Faerie and took her hand in his. Badri Jamala knew she should have snatched it away, but her heart did not permit it.

"Most refreshing," she replied, a teasing smile on her lips. "It would serve me nothing to lie. So I shall not. I quite liked this taste of freedom."

His smile told her that he was relieved to have heard so. Then, as he inched closer, she sensed her cheeks burn.

"Would you be willing to stay with me in this world?"

It was sudden. Sensing her discomfort, Saif ul Malook withdrew his steps, worried that he had offended her with something so bold. He had nearly claimed it as a ruse when she threw herself against his mare, laughing more freely than any maiden he had ever seen.

"Live in the human world?" she roared demonically. "I am fascinated with the human way of life but I assure you, I harbor no desire for it."

"I should have known it would take more than an outskirt settlement to sway the High Faerie," he chuckled, trying to hide his disappointment. "Let me bring you to the palace then."

She gave a heavy sigh as she turned away from him. She had to have been hiding the colours of her cheek. Why else would she prefer the White Mare over him?

"I will not go," she finally answered. "You have done much for me, and I am grateful. However, I cannot afford to come see you. I have my people to tend to."

"Are you asking for some time?" he asked. "We can have it delayed for until the next full moon."

She next full moon was entirely out of the question. Deo Safed would be furious if she disappeared for even a breath's moment for that night.

"The next you want to see me," she began. "It has to be in Koh-e-Kaaf."

"Do you promise?" He stepped up.

"I do, If you can come fetch me from Koh-e-Kaaf, I will come to the palace with you."

She was not sincere in that promise, but Saif ul Malook hoped for his poor heart's sake that it would hold.