man, got out her pocketknife and started to cut the rope off the man. “Who are you?” she asked as
she ungagged him. He smiled, “Ashai,” he smiled again. Arianna pulled him off the floor. “Where
are you going?” Ashai asked her. “Where no one will find me,” she replied. He smiled again. “Your
smile is really putting me off. So please stop!” He stopped smiling. Suddenly everything was
silent. Suddenly Ashai screamed, “Do you know who I am?” Arianna shook her head slowly. “I am
the Prince of Opleca!” He replied. Arianna shook her head again. “Oh, so you’re the little snobbish
Prince? The one who ordered every single man of the city to build you your own palace?” Arianna
glared at him. Ashai sheepishly nodded his head. Arianna turned her back to him and started
to walk. “Come back! Come back! I order you to come here now!” He screamed. Arianna turned
around. “You have no manners. Do you think that I’m going to travel with someone who has no
manners?” Ashai shook his head slowly. “Well, that’s right!”
Ashai hid behind a corner, Arianna was several hundred meters ahead. “Hey, wait up!”
Ashai shouted, running at full speed. Arianna turned around her eyes stone cold. “What are
you doing? I left you behind! I thought it was clear that you weren’t coming!” She spat angrily.
Ashai glared at her. “Where are you going anyway? You won’t achieve anything following me!
I’m not even passing Opleca.” He glared at her again. “I am not sure where I am going.” He said
in a careless voice. “I don’t want to go back to Opleca anyway, my stepfather would just whip
me!” Arianna stared at him in disbelief. “You get whipped?” Ashai nodded. “I always get whipped
by my stepmother!” It was Ashai’s turn to stare at her in disbelief, Arianna smiled. “ You know
we’re quite similar. We both get whipped, both are stepparents are horrible to us and we are both
running away!” Ashai nodded his head. “Do you want to go with me?” Ashai smiled broadly and
nodded his head.
Off they went, into the dunes.
