text:
Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
So here we are in the middle of "Busy people need sweets that start with cake mix week".
It's a thing. Read up about it HERE.
I certainly hope you are not offended by my use of cake mixes.
Because, I will tell you, people get all angry about preservatives and stuff.
I have gotten my fair share of emails telling me that shortening is the devil's foot cream and how cake mixes are for the lazy.
Without sounding like a complete jerky-jerk…I bet that shortening would make a tremendously successful foot cream and cake mixes are for the BUSY not the lazy.
If you're looking for health food, I am afraid that you have come to the wrong place.
While I certainly try and eat a balanced diet, I do "on-occasion" indulge in the sweet treat.
Use this blog as your "occasional indulgence handbook".
Dude, that's a really good name. Kinda better than cookies and cups.
Wish I had thought of that a few years ago.
Anyway, if you are much too fancy to use cake mixes, then stop reading now.
It's ok. We can just agree to disagree.
BUT if you're my peeps, let's get our cake mix on because it's "Busy people need sweets that start with cake mix week"!
Oh yeah.
So as most of you all know, Peanut Butter Cups are like my most favorite ingredient. They have yet to disappoint in a recipe or a poor snacking decision.
Here is the star player today… best invention of the new millennium (screw the iPad)… the Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.
All unwrapped and ready to be devoured by the handful.
Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
These cookies are super simple.
Start with a chocolate cake mix, some vegetable or canola oil and an egg…mix it up.
When the dough is smooth throw in your bag of Reese's. Give it another mix…just enough for the Reese's to incorporate and break up a little.
Roll them into balls and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet…
They'll look like this…
People will love them and bow at your feet and never once think that you used a cake mix.
And, I am all about people bowing at my feet.
*If you want a Valentines's spin on a similar cake mix cookie recipe, check out THESE from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle!
- 1 (18.25 oz) box chocolate cake mix
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 8 oz bag Reese's Minis
- Preheat oven to 350°
- With your mixer, beat together cake mix, oil and eggs until combined.
- Pour in entire bag of Reese's Minis.
- Mix on low until Reese's are evenly incorporated.
- Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls and place n a parchment lined baking sheet about 2" apart. Cookies will spread.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes.
Social Share
January 24, 2012 at 7:22 pm
Ummm….. yea! An apple for "dessert" just ain't cutting it…
January 24, 2012 at 7:25 pm
I don't care what are in these, I just know I want 20 of them!
January 24, 2012 at 7:28 pm
I ? making cookies using cake mix! So easy. Have a lovely day!
January 24, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Oops. Okay so that's supposed to be I love making cookies using cake mix. Tried to use a heart icon.
January 24, 2012 at 7:30 pm
I need 30 of these! Stat!
January 24, 2012 at 7:45 pm
I am all about starting with cake mix!
Question though. I think these would be bomb-diggity with PB as the cookie base (because *gasp* I don't like chocolate that much)… however I have never heard of PB cake mix… you think PB cookie dough mix would work? Like the prepackaged devil lazy kind?
January 25, 2012 at 3:32 pm
bet you could just use a vanilla cake mix. maybe swirl some pb in it.
January 26, 2012 at 9:37 pm
Go to allrecipes.com. Search for cake mix cookie vi. You could use any flavor cake mix with it.
January 24, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Can't beat these…the flavor, the ease, the PB cups… I love cake mix cookies and this is a perfect recipe for Natl Peanut Butter Day today!
January 24, 2012 at 8:06 pm
I love when cake mixes turn into something extra delicious like these cookies!
January 24, 2012 at 9:00 pm
I love chocolate cookies from cake mix! I haven't made them since high school. So i guess now i HAVE to, to see if they taste as good as i remember. I'm excited for an excuse to buy Reeses minis
January 24, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Random comment on cake mix cookies… My church does a prison ministry and they asked for homemade cookies. The inmates specifically requested cake mix cookies because they are their FAVORITE. While you might not be making the health nuts happy, I'm pretty sure it's the ones with the street cred that you need to keep on your side!
January 25, 2012 at 8:26 am
hahahaha that's great
January 24, 2012 at 9:29 pm
I don't generally use cake mixes…but I'm not AGAINST using them OR eating treats that come from the, Especially treats that involve God's gift to candy (i.e. Reese's).
PS – i'm making your reese's peanut butter banana bread as I type. It's an occasional indulgence kinda day.
January 24, 2012 at 9:42 pm
i'm sold – i love making stuff out of cake mixes. just means the cookies get in my belly even faster
January 24, 2012 at 9:42 pm
oh my word. GIVE ME.
January 24, 2012 at 10:03 pm
omg i have everything i need to make these may have to have them for breakfast. breakfast cookies are the best.
January 24, 2012 at 10:39 pm
These look great! I love cookies with peanut butter cups.
January 24, 2012 at 10:57 pm
I'm always in awe of how people can create such delicious cookies out of cake mix. You are the queen of it & I love it! Great recipe
January 24, 2012 at 11:02 pm
I love cake mix recipes!!! Long live the cake mix…and peanut butter cups:-)
January 24, 2012 at 11:22 pm
I love cake mix cookies – and I think most people do! (A cake mix cookie from 3 years ago is the most popular post on my blog right now!!) I love the addition of the Reeses.
Pingback: Easy Cake Mix Cookies
January 25, 2012 at 12:05 am
i'm so trying this but i think i'll use the hershey bites instead of the pb ones (since i'm not a pb fan, i know, completely unamerican)…LOVE how easy it is…and i'm so getting some lard for my feet…
January 25, 2012 at 1:55 am
I JUST discovered your blog today, and I think you just might be the death of me. Happy, sugary, buttery death.
January 25, 2012 at 2:06 am
If I can use a cake mix, I'm there sista! I have no problem eating preservative loaded foods. These cookies look fantastic… yum… Reese's!
January 25, 2012 at 2:35 am
I can almost smell these through the screen – yum!
January 25, 2012 at 6:41 am
The Internet is a lonely place when you're not around! Love this. xoxoxo
January 25, 2012 at 8:25 am
Trader Joe's has mini peanut butter cups and they're sooo much cheaper than the Reese's. (and taste just as good) So you could buy twice as many. Imagine what you'd do with twice as many mini pb cups!!
January 25, 2012 at 8:38 am
awesome! I love cake mix recipes, and you had to crack two eggs for this, so it totally counts as home made, and yummy!
January 25, 2012 at 8:39 am
I will never be too fancy for cake mix! Also um these cookies are chocolatey peanut buttery perfection. I just want to eat them alllll.
January 25, 2012 at 8:58 am
I want these now!! I love making cookies from cake mixes and this cookie is totally going on my list to bake.
January 25, 2012 at 9:24 am
As always an awesome post. I happen to be a HUG fan of cake mixes..because I am busy REAL busy…and will a few extra things thrown in…they taste AwEsOmE.
And as for cake mix cookies….always fabulous and delicious, fast AND easy, easy!!!
I love the mix you have going on here…I bet they are yummers!!!
January 25, 2012 at 9:31 am
Complimenti,molto molto carino il tuo blog!! E questi biscotti devono essere eccezionali.
Se ti và vieni a farmi visita sul mio blog:
January 25, 2012 at 10:09 am
I love ALL things cake mix….one question, though. My cake mix cookies always tend to be a bit drier than a "from scratch" one. Do you have this issue? It's never kept us from gobbling up the entire batch, so obviously not a huge issue 😉 But still……just curious.
January 25, 2012 at 10:21 am
OMG you've totally made my day!! I've been looking for an easy recipe to make using my Reese's minis : )
January 25, 2012 at 10:33 am
Who could possibly get mad while looking at a delicious cookie like that? Preservatives, schmervatives.
January 25, 2012 at 11:50 am
Cake mix cooking is totally legit. I can have a cake mix or two on hand but ask me if I have enough flour, sugar, baking soda (that isn't 2 years past its date) or whatever else might be needed on hand, it ain't gonna happen!
January 25, 2012 at 12:04 pm
These look so delicious!
January 25, 2012 at 1:10 pm
I am all about cake mix! These cookies look so good – and anything with peanut butter is a win in my book!
January 25, 2012 at 2:10 pm
i am so glad i found your blog. i think your recipes are wonderful. im never sure why people think its ok for others to do the work and then they complain. never mind them, u keep making delicious recipes that you peeps can enjoy. have a great day and thanks for your hard work. i just feel so lucky to have stumbled upon you u.
January 25, 2012 at 2:24 pm
Easy to make? Check.
Chocolate? Check.
I'm in!
I love the idea of the "occasional indulgence handbook". That is totally what I need in my life. Nothing wrong with a sweet treat here or there.
January 25, 2012 at 2:51 pm
These look amazing and fun to make with a three year old! She will have a good ol' messy blast! I'm going to make them with peanut butter chips…yum. And I wanted to comment on what you said about getting e-mails about using cake mix and being lazy. You totally had it on the nose, it's BUSY! Plus if someone doesn't agree with your culinary style…they don't have to visit your web page! I on the other hand LOVE your style and hope you continue for a very long time. If nothing else I adore your pithy stories. You are a woman after my own heart. Thank you for all that you do (cake mixes and all)!
January 25, 2012 at 3:23 pm
i like your 'style' and 'attitude' darlin'! xo, frannie
January 25, 2012 at 3:27 pm
You have just made my week!!! Can't wait to make these!! for myself
January 25, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Oh no, I'm definitely not offended by your use of cake mixes. Cake mixes are great in a pinch and frankly, I haven't come across a homemade Funfetti cake that can rival the boxed stuff. Just sayin'
Anyways, these look fabulous! Anything with chocolate and peanut butter has got to be good!
January 25, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Cake mixes are cool with me and these look awesome!
January 25, 2012 at 3:58 pm
I love using cake mix for cookies! Keep the recipes coming! One of my favorites is a lemon cake mix cookie.
January 25, 2012 at 5:06 pm
Cake Mix Cookies are the best! I loved the ones I made before. Perfect little cookies. And yes, perfectly fine "once in a while" 😉
Thanks for sharing!
January 25, 2012 at 6:20 pm
How could anyone get angry at such fun COOKIES??!! Love 'em. ~xo
January 25, 2012 at 6:32 pm
loved the post! And I have been known to use shortening for multiple uses, including slathering it on my baby's dry back! lol Just printed out your recipe – can't wait to try them out! Thank you for sharing! I always love reading your post.
January 26, 2012 at 8:45 am
Made these last night and my husband loved them! So easy to throw together too! I was a bit worried when I first took them out of the oven at how "puffy" they looked since we don't care for cake -like cookies but they "fell" – making them nice and flat! This is a keeper!!! Thanks for sharing
January 26, 2012 at 9:06 am
Pinned! Yep..I will be making these soon! I am so not a cake mix snob!
January 26, 2012 at 10:38 am
OMG box cake mix! That's horrible, awful, I can't believe you make that stuff! I just happen to have some (for research purposes) and some Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cups. I'll be making these cookies tonight (again, for research purposes only). I'm sure they'll be so horribly unhealthy that my DH will snorfle them down the second he gets home from the gym, and subsequently ask me to make them for him at least twice a week.
And "shortening is the devil's foot cream" – that had me laughing all day…
January 27, 2012 at 3:22 pm
Made these cookies last night. I'm not such a big chocolate fan though. I made a peanut butter glaze to drizzle on the top after they finished baking so they'd be more peanut-buttery (that's a word, right?). Yum! They are delicious – thanks for sharing the recipe!
January 28, 2012 at 8:31 am
I made these this morning….they had peanut butter and you could have milk with them, the perfect breakfast food. These were so easy and SO very DELICIOUS! I will be making these again!
January 29, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Just made this cookies & they turned out FAB! Love how easy they were to make!! Thanks for sharing…I'll be looking for more great recipes!!
Pingback: Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies |
January 30, 2012 at 3:52 pm
They look just perfect Shelly! I would find it hard just to have one.
Pingback: Peanut Butter Cups Chocolate Cookies |
Pingback: A Recipe for Maggie « A Tasty Life
February 1, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Holy yum! These look wicked. Peanut butter and chocolate are the best combo in anything.
February 2, 2012 at 10:01 pm
If you call them cookie bites you can have more.. right??? YUM!
February 5, 2012 at 3:51 pm
These sound absolutely yummy… Just wrote the recipe down… I am sure they will be a hit.
February 14, 2012 at 12:56 am
I made these today to have for Valentine's Day with friends. Super easy to make and delicious too! Just a bit of advice, follow the time on here closely! I left mine in the oven a bit longer and ended up overcooking them because they still looked puffy and under cooked. But the time given is perfect! They are a bit crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside with that time. LOVE this recipe and I'll definitely make them again!
Pingback: » Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies Sugarfoot Eats
February 25, 2012 at 5:47 pm
I made these and they are so incredibly rich and delicious. I added a big spoonful of peanut butter to the batter to make them more peanut-buttery. The dough is pretty tough to mix – I ended up kneading it with my hands, but these turned out great! I also saved some chopped Reeses to put on top of the cookies before popping them in the oven for a little extra decoration.
March 5, 2012 at 3:41 pm
I thought these sounded amazing! I tried making them for my friends one night and the batter was literally so thick that it almost broke my electric hand mixer. It was just too thick for it to turn the beaters, even on high. So, I threw in some of the reese's and just started rolling the balls and added a few reese's on top. Even though it didn't go as planned, they still tasted amazing! Will definitely make again, just without the mixer!
March 16, 2012 at 7:14 am
These sound amazing! Can't wait to try them!
Pingback: Pinned Down: Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies | A Baby Carriage
May 3, 2012 at 11:04 pm
Just made these cookies. As previously noted in other posts, was a little difficult to mix. I was starting to wonder if I missed a step or did something wrong in the process. But in the end, they were delicious and gooey and wonderful! Will definitely make again.
June 6, 2012 at 1:03 pm
I baked these up a few days ago and they were delicious! Simple and very few ingredients required…Thanks for yet another great recipe!
August 11, 2012 at 7:13 pm
SOOO GOOD!! After I gave one to my sister, she came out of her room and said, "Where are they?" Haha thank you for an amazing idea!!
Pingback: 2 Ingredient Ice Cream
October 9, 2012 at 1:49 pm
These cookies are amazing! I made them last weekend for a football party and they are almost entirely gone already! My only mistake was printing off the recipe and NOT reading the part about the UNwrapped reese's mini's. It only took about 10 minutes to unwrap all mine, but I will certainly skip that part next time!! 😀 Thanks for the recipe!
October 31, 2012 at 12:39 am
Super yummy!! I used a hand mixer which began straining and giving off that motor burning up smell so I ended up stirring in PB cups by hand…next time will just use the KitchenAid it shouldn't have a problem. Loved these cookies! Thank you
December 4, 2012 at 11:00 am
I'm a stay-at-home mom and lover of everything sweet, easy, and affordable. Also, chocolate. Did I mention chocolate? I love your blog. Your down-to-earth approach and willingness to not allow others to dictate how you run your life/or back your cookies! is refreshing. Thanks for blogging! I'll be making these awesome pb scrumtious-ness later.
December 5, 2012 at 8:21 pm
Totally making this for my holiday party. Just wondering how many in a batch. Thanks.
Pingback: 25 Chocolate Christmas Cookie Recipes - Crazy Little Projects
December 30, 2012 at 12:02 pm
These were really good but I had to add in a little more oil and do the mixing in of the peanut butter cups by hand.
January 7, 2013 at 3:43 pm
Loved these! The dough is thick and my electric hand mixer couldn't quite do the job. Of course it was no problem for the stand mixer.
Thanks for the recipe!
January 9, 2013 at 7:37 am
Fabulous! Loved how easy they were and you are right- would never have guessed these came from a cake mix!
Pingback: Monday Inspiration – Cake Mix Cookies | On A Whimm
November 20, 2013 at 6:39 pm
Love this. Anything that makes life a little easier and faster! Thanks
November 12, 2014 at 3:35 pm
Hi. I'm wondering how many cookies this recipe makes? Didn't see it in the recipe or comments. Trying to plan for a large cookie exchange party


text:
Extremely Conflicted on Scouting
Posted 28 April 2009 - 08:46 AM
Posted 28 April 2009 - 04:32 PM
Anyone wonder how much money the Girl Scout Troops get to keep on cookie sales??? When my daughter was it was 30 to 40 cents on the dollar.
I was a Girl Scout for 13 years...that sounds about right to me. That's how much the troop gets to keep. Some goes back to the councils to deal with overhead and some subsidization of council-wide activities, and some goes to cookie production.
My daughter attends the activity days program and I don't spend a dollar on her. No uniform or book or camp out or awards night. It just seems a little strange for the church to put so much effort into training boys and less focus on girls. I mean, don't girls need to learn to use a knife or do first aid?
I learned first aid at Girls' Camp, and I learned knots, lashing, orienteering, map-reading, Morse code, and knife safety in Girl Scouts. And more first aid.
If we're going to be stupid about this, we're going to be stupid on my terms. -- my husband
Posted 28 April 2009 - 06:26 PM
Not pain, not failure, not fatal tragedy?
Not the faulty units in this mad machinery?
Not the broken contacts in emotional chemistry?
Posted 29 April 2009 - 01:45 PM
Dude. When both Vort and MOE are in agreement, the thinking has been done.
Uncommon Dissent
Posted 14 May 2009 - 08:13 AM
Posted 07 October 2009 - 02:00 PM
Posted 07 October 2009 - 02:46 PM
Posted 08 October 2009 - 04:21 PM
Posted 13 October 2009 - 07:14 AM
I'm starting to find that most conflicts at the Troop level can be solved through better communication on my part. I just started a monthly newsletter and website to help with that.
When I talk about a different charter, I'm referring to pages 4 and 5 of "Scouting and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints". Since the original charter in 1910 for the LDS Church, scouting in the church has had some differences from other BSA scout troops.
(link: Boy Scouts of America LDS Relationships - Resources)
(direct link: http://www.ldsbsa.or...- temp book.pdf)
I too love the Scouting program and work hard to make it work and benefit the boys. Once parents, church leaders, and the scouts themselves learn I do what I do, because it's for their benefit, many conflicts dry up in a stupor.
Joe Uzel
"You only get to do things for the first time once" --Joe Uzel (1993)
#30 Guest_mormonmusic_*
Posted 21 November 2009 - 08:56 AM
Posted 21 November 2009 - 09:51 AM
-from despair.com
Except for ending slavery, fascism, nazism, & communism, WAR HAS NEVER SOLVED ANYTHING!
From protestwarrior.com
Posted 21 November 2009 - 10:04 AM
Posted 11 April 2010 - 08:27 PM
Posted 11 May 2010 - 03:19 PM
Posted 27 July 2010 - 01:16 PM
Posted 27 July 2010 - 01:34 PM
I think that to the extent the stake and ward leadership embraces this principle that Scouting can be a wonderful experience, but there has to be more to the exercise of, and learning in, the priesthood than just Scouting.
As the father of three sons, let me say that I appreciate your willingness to serve even though this isn't your favorite calling. THe Lord will bless you for your efforts even if the YM don't seem to appreciate or recognize them.
Posted 02 August 2010 - 07:38 AM
They are volunteers. The leaders and boys scout because they are interested and love it. Our leaders and boys do it because they were called to do so or they turned twelve and are Aaronic Priesthood holders. I will never love scouting. I love the boys and do my best, but I could care less about knots, camping, and merit badges. I would much prefer to see the boys achieve their Duty to God then Eagle scout, and much of the culture of the church seems to have this backwards.
Nevertheless, I've been called to this position, the Lord knows me and my weaknesses, so I know I have much to learn and I'm here for a purpose. Perhaps in time my views regarding scouting will change. I just want a program that didn't divide the YM into groups. Scouting and non scouting. It doesn't mean to, but it does. If I try to do fun activities that don't involve scouting I hear "what does ultimate frisby, or dodge ball have to do with achieving merit badges." I just want to keep everyone involved, but I can't convince the boys that want nothing to do with scouts to come anyways and we'll have fun. And I can't blame them.
Have you taken any of the BSA training? From the way you talk about scouting, my guess is that you haven't. If scouting were all about knots, camping, and merit badges, then it would be entirely worthless for the Church. The reason scouting fits so well for the Church is that the purpose of scouting is to take boys and develop them into men with strong morals, leadership skills, and teaching skills. And 90% of the program should be run by the boys.
Camping is important to scouting only insomuch as the outdoors provide a great classroom in which boys can develop their leadership and teaching skills. Knots, first aid, cooking, and plant and animal life identification are merely skills on which boys can practice teaching others. The patrol method is employed to give structure to leadership.
Also, if you're focusing on merit badges, you're doing something wrong. In the troop I work with, we try very hard to get the boys advanced to First Class within the first year. After that, we encourage them to run for leadership positions, and that's it. We might offer four merit badge through the troop in the course of a year. And these merit badges require participation on nights other than troop meetings. They are typically eagle required merit badges that are in more of a class room setting, although sometimes we offer hiking or cycling.
Other than that, the boys are on their own to get as many or as few merit badges as they like. Most of our Eagle Scouts attain the rank between 16 and 18 years of age. Roughly 60% of the boys who make it to First Class go on to get their eagles.
It's a very successful program, and it's successful because it is run by the boys. They meet once a month on a Saturday to plan the next month's activities. If they decide they want to do a merit badge (we did cooking one month), then we make it happen. If they decide they want to focus on emergency first aid, that's what we do. Anytime the scoutmaster asks me, "do you think we ought to do X", I always say, "let's ask the boys at PLC."
So, I can't stress enough how important it is to take the BSA training (Outdoor Skills and Leader Specific Training are essential) and to get as many adults to take it as well. The more trained adults you have, the more people you'll see catching the vision, and the more successful your troop will be.
Also, try to get your boys to go to National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT). It will make all the difference in the world.
Dude. When both Vort and MOE are in agreement, the thinking has been done.
Uncommon Dissent
Posted 02 August 2010 - 06:23 PM
Posted 03 August 2010 - 05:09 AM
Posted 03 August 2010 - 06:25 AM
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users

subset: commoncrawl


text:
To end my SPF series, I'm going to consider the following question: what if everyone used SPF? Would it "end" spam?
The answer is, of course, "no, but…". But, first, let's understand the question itself.
In "everyone used", what does "used" mean? If you followed my previous posts on this subject, you'll know that there are two distinct parts: having an SPF record for your domain, and configuring your SMTP server to reject email purporting to be from an address with a valid SPF record, when it doesn't come from an authorized server.
Let's assume that the question implies both.
So, if every legit organization had an SPF record and enforced SPF in their incoming email servers, what would it mean?
It still depends on what was meant by "enforced". For instance, as it is now, it makes sense to use an SPF record (and reject mail coming from an unauthorized server, as I mentioned before), but not to require an SPF record, as most of the world is still not using it.
If that changed, though… it would certainly make things a lot easier for the "good guys". Think about it: what does SPF prevent? The faking of sender addresses. Who ever does that? Spammers. Therefore, who has ever a reason not to use an SPF record? Spammers. In a world where every legitimate organization used SPF, having such a record wouldn't mean that the sender wasn't a spammer, but not having one would certainly mean that he was. Ergo, reject any mail from a domain without an SPF record, even before verifying whether the origin server is authorized for that domain.
Of course, spammers would adapt, and have SPF records for their own domains. But never again would they be able to fake a sender address. They would never again be able to efficiently pretend to be your internet provider, or your bank, or Facebook, or anything like that. They would have to use their own domains in the sender address… and they don't exactly tend to look "nice"; besides, they're not what your ISP or your bank would use.
A world with SPF would mean a world where you could actually trust the "From:" field. Can you imagine such a thing?


text:
- Home
- Minima Cinéma
- Festival
- Programme
- Hackathon
- Sponsors
- Who are we?
The MINIMA CINEMA Swiss Adventure Begins!
22 September – CineGlobe has entered into a partnership with Festival Tous Ecrans and the HEAD-Geneva in order to bring two new Minima Cinema cabins to cities across Switzerland. Based on the original Minima Cinema – invented and developed by CineGlobe – and powered by the Minima Cinema projection and video kiosk technology, two entirely new cabins will be constructed by students from the HEAD's Espace & Communication Master's programme for a nationwide tour. These two new cabins will feature the artistic interpretation of young students re-envisioning the traveling cinema through their own eyes. Using the original Minima Cinema as a point of departure, and building on the history of traveling cinema through the ages, the students will create unique works that, while using the Minima Cinema technology and design principles, will give an entirely new and unique look to the cabins. These two new Minima Cinemas will then travel Switzerland for one month in order to celebrate the next edition of Festival Tous Ecrans, which takes place from November 6-14. For more information on the original Minima Cinema and on the collaboration with Festival Tous Ecrans and HEAD-Geneva, see the Minima Cinema page here.
Follow the Minima Cinema on Facebook.
CineGlobe is made possible by strong local support, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank our Partners:
Our Prime Time Sponsors:
*CERN is the European laboratory for particle physics near Geneva, Switzerland.


text:
SMS the Support Rep
You can also notify the support rep through SMS when a new request or an already existing request is assigned to him/her using this option.
To send an SMS to a support rep,
Click the Request tab in the header pane to open the request list view page.
Click the Subject link of the request to be replied.
From the request details page, select Reply drop down menu -> SMS the Support Rep option. The Mail to Support Rep form pops up.
The From address is pre populated with the Reply-To mail address configured under Mail Configurations under Admin module.
If the SMS Id of the contact is specified in the application then the same is populated in the To field.
You can also send the same information to more than one person by specifying the SMS Ids in CC field.
If you do not wish to disclose the recipient then specify the SMS Ids in the BCC field.
The Subject field is pre populated with the request Id.
The Description contains the contact name, due by date and title of the request. You can modify the Subject and Description as required.
Click Attach File(s) to add files as attachments to the mail.
Click Send. You have an option to Save the request as draft and Save and Send the request for review. The email saved as drafts can be viewed, edited, deleted and sent for review from the request details page.


text:
Pioneers of the Frontier (1940)
Approved | | Romance, Western | 14 February 1940 (USA)
After Brawley kills his boss Mort Saunders, he and his men take control of all the ranches in the valley. When Wild Bill arrives to help the ranchers he is thrown in jail by the crooked Sheriff.
Director:Sam Nelson
Writers:Fred Myton (original story), Fred Myton (screenplay)
Stars:Bill Elliott, Dorothy Comingore, Dick Curtis | See full cast and crew »


text:
For all you endurance junkies out there.Running Warehouse is running, *pun totally intended, a buy 2 or more 24-pack of Clif Shot gel get 50% off. Sale is only valid until tomorrow 12pm (Pacific Time)Yeah, that's about as good of a deal on those as you're going to get. http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-CSG24.html*no connection to Runningwarehouse whatsoever, forgot the requisite disclaimer.
Edited by Eugeneius on 09/14/2011 21:35:01 MDT.
You must login to post.
MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED TO POST: You must be a Forum, Annual or Lifetime Member to post messages in the backpackinglight.com forums.


text: The Mr. Braunze wiki last edited by JohnPannozzi on 08/19/15 09:24PM View full history BiographyEarly ExperimentsIn the 1950's, a subdivision of the CIA called DARPA experimented on many of its members. The serum injected into the agents was intended to boost their mental capabilities. Some of the agents died in the process, but Mr. Braunze came out of it with enhanced psychic abilities such as being able to shape thoughts. After being put into a compromising situation, Braunze decided he needed to get out of DARPA. However, he realized he would be considered too valuable for DARPA to just let him go. Therefore, he implanted in their minds his death. Reintroduction and Rescue MissionAt first, Mr. Braunze appears to be a man merely living in April O'Neil's apartment building. However, this changes when he senses someone breaking into Casey and April's apartment. He promptly goes in after them and defeats them easily. Near the end of the fight, he reads the mind of one of the agents to discover DARPA's plans. Braunze then meets with Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Nobody, and Casey in order to win their trust so he can help them rescue Raphael. He explains his origin to them, and then how they must go to Nevada in order to rescue Raphael. Before the meeting breaks, Braunze psychically implants the time at which they must wake up in the morning to leave for Nevada. Once in Nevada, Braunze devises a plan that centers around Casey creating a distraction through a Schwarzenegger-like attack. Of course, Braunze implanted this image into Casey's head to the point that Casey believes he is Schwarzenegger. Upon breaking into the base, Braunze finds an old friend amongst all of the aliens being held. He releases his friend, and then they drive back into the base to attempt to remove the threat of the Triceraton base that has appeared. They plan on using an inter-phase cannon to phase the base into the earth's core to disintigrate it. A huge explosion occurs on the base and the turtles and others are apparently vaporized. Leonardo awakes from the bad dream and asks Casey about Nevada only to be told that they never went to Nevada. Leonardo looks out the window to find Mr. Braunze outside, and he psyhcically tells him "goodbye, Leo." Leonardo is the only person to remember the events with Mr. Braunze, once again, successfully faking his own death. Another ComebackMr. Braunze does not reappear into the turtles' lives until much later. He is brought in by Splinter to erase Shadow's Boyfriend's mind about the existence of Splinter at the Northhampton house.


text:
Ex-Duquesne star says team lacks leader
College Football Videos
Not even the return of rising sophomore Melquan Bolding from a broken wrist or the presence of former Dukes star Aaron Jackson in the crowd could jumpstart Duquesne's season-long shooting slump.
The Dukes, among the worst 3-point shooting teams in the nation, shot just 35.8 percent overall, including 3 for 20 (15 percent) from 3-point range, in losing their Atlantic 10 Conference opener Wednesday to Richmond.
The 80-68 setback ended Duquesne's seven-game home winning streak at Palumbo Center.
"It felt good watching those guys play, but you feel your heart ache, knowing they put in so much hard work day-in and day-out," Jackson said in his first trip back to the Bluff for a game.
A first-year guard in Turkey's top professional league, Jackson returned to America during the league's all-star break and is scheduled to return overseas on Sunday.
"It was kind of surreal to be sitting there watching the game," Jackson said. "I really miss being out there. I'm just such a competitive person. It was tough, but it was fun."
Jackson, the runner-up for MVP honors in the Atlantic 10 Conference last season, when he averaged 19.3 points per game and helped Duquesne reach the A-10 Tournament championship game, said the current Duquesne team lacks leadership on the court.
It's a process, he said, that takes time.
"They're still growing. I never really realized how much of an impact I made on a team," Jackson said. "They looked like they were looking for someone to lead. They were really stagnant at times. I just see a lack of confidence out there."
The loss was the third in four games for Duquesne (9-6, 0-1), which visits Dayton on Saturday.
Bill Clark scored 18 points to lead Duquesne. Damian Saunders posted his Division I-leading 12th double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. He added six steals and three blocked shots.
Bolding, who missed 13 games with a broken wrist since suffering the injury in the opener against Nicholls State on Nov. 13, scored three points to go with two rebounds while playing 14 minutes off the bench in his first action back.
"It's going to take some time for Mel to get his timing back," Duquesne coach Ron Everhart said. "It'll come, though. We're just going to take it a step at a time. He practiced (Thursday) and his hand seemed to be OK."
Bolding shot just 1 for 6 against Richmond while wearing a thumb brace, designed to take pressure off his surgically repaired right wrist.
"Our effort was good enough to win. We scored enough to win," Everhart said. "We just lapsed on defense in the second half. Richmond had a lot to do with that."
David Gonzalvez scored 19 points and Kevin Anderson added 18 to lead the Spiders, (13-4, 1-0), who won their 13th consecutive game against Duquesne. The Dukes, who trail in the series, 13-8, have never beaten Richmond since the Spiders joined the A-10 in 2001.
Richmond shot 50 percent (13 for 26) from 3-point range and was 7 of 12 in the second half.
Richmond also has beaten BCS conference teams Florida, Mississippi State and Missouri. Two of its four losses are against BCS conference teams South Carolina and Wake Forest, which needed overtime to beat the Spiders.
Show commenting policy
TribLive commenting policy
You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.
We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.
While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.
We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments either by the same reader or different readers.
We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.
We do not edit comments. They are either approved or deleted. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation.
We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies and we will moderate accordingly.
We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sent via e-mail. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.
Most-Read Stories
- Founder of Z&M Cycle Sales in Hempfield killed in Florida motorcycle crash
- Penguins notebook: Maatta making strides at practice
- Steelers notebook: Bryant confident in backup Jones if Big Ben can't play
- New York City's salt warning rule to take effect at chain restaurants
- Uniontown man charged with rape
- New Florence man charged with killing police officer
- Fabregas: To pay or not to pay: Hospital's bill for procedure or insurer's rate?
- PennDOT details closings as work continues on Parkway West
- Canon-Mac's Gladden to play at Marist
- Man shot in leg outside Uniontown apartment
- Shaler woman gets top spot with group aimed at promoting kids health in school


text:
Josh Winnecour, owner of the Fuel popsicle cart. He'll soon kick off a tour with Asheville's first paleo-friendly food cart.
- Filed Under
Josh Winnecour is taking caveman gourmet to the streets with his paleo-friendly pops.
And in the next few weeks, Winnecour plans to open Asheville's first paleo-friendly food truck.
Winnecour has had his hands in health in more ways than one. Most recently, he was director at Wellspring Adventure Camp North Carolina, which encourages kids to adopt healthy habits. Winnecour has also worked as an ER nurse, an Outward Bound instructor, Wilderness Medicine Instructor - even a former Airborne Infantry Sergeant in the United States Army. ...


text:
I have dedicated this chapter to my very own ladies-in-waiting. Sheen, there is a surprise for you in this chapter. Reg! X
The fireworks flared up in the sky but there was no one to appreciate them. After a few minutes as the people began to look out admirably from their windows, the fireworks came to a halt as one last firework pathetically made its way a little further up in the sky before disappearing without a bang. The bonfire was doused with water and the smoke heaved into the air like a Red Indian's smoke signals. The servants discreetly picked up the wreckage and threw them in the wheel barrels to take it away. The castle was buzzing but quietly. King Sarosh sat in his study, irritated at his daughter's behavior. He hadn't expected her to react so harshly. Why, she had called him a bastard in front of everyone, his own daughter! And for that worthless servant girl!
He had tried to keep the tempo mellow as Mirage's entourage had raced off but obviously the merriment was now finished. Everyone had looked at him so angrily, as if he had done something wrong. Now that he thought about it, maybe he should have told her about her little friend after the bonfire, but he wanted to show her that he wasn't as intimidated by her as everyone else, after all, she may become queen later but he was still the king, he still had power. She had learned her lesson now, she wouldn't cross him, and she'll learn her place now and rightly accept his decision to marry Arya, prince of Qushaab. They had the largest oil reserves of the East, but with a useless government to overlook them, the reserves had almost gone to waste. Better for Rehbartaj to occupy them and put them to good use. His merry train of thought was interrupted by a firm knock on the door and without waiting for his permission to enter, the knocker burst in. King Sarosh looked up in annoyance at his wife who stalked up to him, her face blazing.
"What in the world gives you the right to treat our daughter that way?" She hissed quietly.
King Sarosh raised an eyebrow, "She needed to be taught a lesson. And I am her father; I can do whatever I want."
"By causing her so much pain? In front of everyone?" Queen Nadira's voice raised an octave. "How could you do that?! Tatiana was the one person who had made Mirage come out of her shell. She was the closest person Mirage came to during her life and you… How could you?"
"She'll survive." The king said firmly and stood up. "She's Mirage. She'll always recover."
"She wouldn't recover from this trauma." She flailed her arms in exasperation. "You…" She paused as if searching for a word. "You are a terrible father."
King Sarosh chuckled, "And that is why you will never be a better ruler than I am. Terrible father…" He came around his desk to his wife and put a hand on her shoulder. "Now stop being like this, you know what anger does for your headaches. I'm sure Mirage is thinking of a way to cause more problems right now but I tripled the guards around her tower. She won't escape. Why; even her ladies are hiding in their quarters."
"Probably because Mirage doesn't need them anymore." A voice came from the door and both turned.
Razin and Rayan stood in the doorway, Razin holding onto the rope of hair his father had gifted to Mirage. Their expressions were angry; solemn. The king's arm fell to his side.
King Sarosh frowned a little. "And why wouldn't she? Has she taken off on another hunt then?"
"No. She's gone." Razin said grimly. "We went up to her room as soon as we could but by the time we got there, she had disappeared. Her room was a mess and her old clothes were missing."
Queen Nadira's eyes widened. "Where has she gone off to now?" She asked, panicked.
Obviously, the twins had seen the Mirage leave the docks and judging from the absence of her personal crew and the presence of her ladies-in-waiting, she had finally had it with her father's lunacy. If only they had gotten there sooner, they would have gone with her.
Razin straightened. "I won't tell you even if I knew."
Rayan piped up, "Me either."
King Sarosh looked from one twin to the other. "Stop playing games. She hasn't left the castle. She couldn't have." He said angrily.
"She has. And it's a good thing too. After what you did to her, I wouldn't want to stay here either." Rayan said, defiantly stepping forward.
King Sarosh stared. "And why is that?" He asked tetchily.
"We all adored Tatiana, father. She was like a sister to all of us. And quite frankly, the level of your maturity in this situation highly resembles that of a two-year old and its dilemma with which type of mud to eat." Razin said archly.
King Sarosh stared still, his breathing heavy as he tried to control his temper.
They all stayed quiet until Rayan murmured, "It means we think your judgment was abysmal and thoughtless."
"I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!"King Sarosh screamed. He turned to Queen Nadira, "IS THIS WHAT YOU TEACH OUR CHILDREN? THIS IS HOW THEY SPEAK TO THEIR FATHER! THESE ARE THE MANNERS THAT REPRESENT THE REHBARTAJ CROWN?! IS THIS WHY MIRAGE IS SO STUBBORN? BECAUSE YOU SPEND MORE TIME LOOKING AT YOUR OWN FACE IN THE MIRROR RATHER THAN SEE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THESE IDIOTS?!"
Queen Nadira, quite famed for her patience, finally snapped. "I LOOK AFTER THEM ALL THE TIME. IF YOU COULD TAKE YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR…" She clenched her fists as she tried to control her cursing, "…GLORIOUS DREAMS OF GLOBAL POWER AND BLOODSHED, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT WE ARE PERFECTLY FINE. IT IS YOU WHO IS THE IDIOT!"
King Sarosh stared, stunned. Queen Nadira had never screamed at him before. He couldn't believe it. In their 30 years of marriage, this was the first time that Queen Nadira had raised her voice at her husband, by which he was truly shocked. The children; who were more accustomed with their mother's shouting and scolding; ogled at their mother with disbelief nevertheless.
"And never call my babies idiots." She concluded defiantly, and sweeping her robes around, she took the rope of hair from Razin's hand and threw it at the king's feet. "Take it; so that you will always remember what you did to your daughter." She said disdainfully.
This had to be the strangest day of King Sarosh's life. Queen Nadira took Razin's and Rayan's hands and was thinking of shooing the maidens who took their care, away from the corridors where they inevitably stood to escort the princes back to their rooms when she came face-to-face with Abid, the Vazir.
He stood passive as if nothing had occurred during the past 10 minutes and bowed. King Sarosh gazed at Abid and didn't say anything.
Finally, sighing exasperatedly, the queen asked, "What news do you bring?"
Abid nodded, "It is indeed true. The princess is nowhere to be found." Queen Nadira gasped and backed into an armchair that the twins helped her into. "Her protective team, along with the Mirage is also missing."
The king leaned his back against his desk and tried to relax. Had he really done something so wrong?
"Look, she runs away all the time… She always comes back." King Sarosh tried to reason.
"I'm afraid this time is not like the others, your highness." Abid cut in, "She also took one other person with her."
"Who?" The king hooted.
"Prince Salar of Sahilibur, and according to my estimates, she's probably heading there and she's also already married by now." Abid said.
"No." Queen Nadira gasped and covered her face with her hands. Razin and Rayan caught each other's eye, alarmed. Mirage was to marriage what spice was to a wound. It would be oxymoronic. "There has been no Khastegari! We didn't even take the proposal to them! Not even an engagement, or a marriage ceremony!" She exclaimed sorrowfully through her fingers. "I had planned such a wonderful Aghd for her. This is a disaster, this cannot happen. It's all ruined!"
"Not now, mother…" Rayan hushed and turned to Abid, "Who said anything about a marriage?" He said; leaning down to put an arm around his mother's quivering shoulders.
"Her head guard Sepehr informed the soldiers at the docks." He raised a hand to stop Sarosh who jumped up, ready to roar, "She had already chosen Prince Salar and since the princess was to take over the kingdom on the day of her marriage, she chose to be low-key about it. The marriage ceremony took place at the boat, and she took off to take her place as Queen in the new capital."
They all stayed silent as they swallowed this bit of shocking information. Shakily, King Sarosh asked, "What about the Imam? There's supposed to be a qualified imam to authorize their marriage, where did they get one?"
Abid looked back and gestured towards the room. An old man, around Abid's age entered the room. His long beard and shiny eyes glowed in the candlelight. Dressed simply, he bowed in front of the others, not able to look up into his majesty's murderous eyes.
Abid spoke gently. "Tell them what you told me."
Quivering, the man started speaking in a low voice. "I am the leader of the prayer at the Royal Mosque, your highness. Her Majesty's head guard called upon me in urgency. When I arrived at the boat, everything was already set up. Her Majesty commanded me to perform the ceremony. She said that I was under no rule to judge her relationship and that since I knew her well; I would know that she did not want to have a grand affair for her wedding. She said it was your idea all along so she went with it. Her friends along with two other maidens were the witnesses." He omitted their names since he obviously knew them. "The prince did not hesitate to accept her, your highness. I regret to tell you that they are legally married."
Queen Nadira whimpered as King Sarosh's mouth opened and he let out such a roar that the Imam back out in fear. Abid shooed him away quickly, in case the king drew his gun.
"THIS IS A DISGRACE. SHE HAS MADE A LAUGHINGSTOCK OF THIS KINGDOM!" Suddenly, he stopped and turned to Abid as if he had just remembered something, "WHO SAYS SHE'LL BE QUEEN ONCE SHE GETS MARRIED?" King Sarosh screamed at Abid.
"Why, you did; your grace." Abid said, bemused at the situation. "The princess herself came to me with a long announcement with your signature on them."
King Sarosh looked confused, "I signed no such thing. I don't trust her enough to actually even get my signature; I know she'll forge it." He ignored his wife's enraged call of his name.
"She brought it to me a day before she went to Saulta." Abid said indulgently.
Suddenly, the king's mind flashed to the time when Mirage had come to his office and talked to him about her marriage and how she had celebrated with him over a few tumblers of alcohol over the plans to make Sahilibur the capital. He vaguely remembered throwing a parchment at her; explaining how she was supposed to act on the day of the princes' arrival. The parchment had had his signature on it. She hadn't read it and he hadn't noticed its disappearance. It wasn't on his desk or in his office after she had gone away.
"S-So that's what she did…" King Sarosh staggered back, shell-shocked.
"It stated that your decision was absolute. And since it had your signature on it, I didn't bother you with the details. I sent it with the family portraits the next day." Abid continued. "Upon your commands, now that she is married, she is Queen. She'll only need a coronation and she'll take your place."
King Sarosh couldn't wrap his head around it all. His own daughter had betrayed him; taken his throne from under him.
Queen Nadira roughly rubbed her face and stood up. "How long before she reaches Sahilibur?"
"It could take two days or a week or even a month. It all depends on her highness's desire." Abid shrugged.
"She isn't queen yet." King Sarosh growled.
Queen Nadira looked at him sharply. "You should be ashamed of yourself! Jealous of your own daughter!"
She turned back to Abid. "Prepare transport and arrangements. I won't go by sea, I get sick. I have to take care of her; I have to take care of the mess she has created." The wheels in her mind turned. "Send the announcement. Prince Salar and Mirage were engaged tonight and it was not celebrated due to Mirage's shyness. Also, make all the children vanish, send them to the capital… discreetly." She said to Abid who nodded, "We cannot let anyone know what has happened. We'll say that the children are with Mirage on the boat to Sahilibur where they will spend their holidays on the islands. Send Mirage's ladies-in-waiting tonight. We'll just perform a mock ceremony for the public once we reach Sahilibur."
She turned to the twins who were looking at their temperamental mother. "Tell your servants to pack your luggage. You are going to Sahilibur, you and everyone else."
As the twins grinned, King Sarosh cleared his throat. "Enough of all this planning." He raised his voice. "You seem to forgetting that I am the one who makes all the decisions here, not you." He narrowed his eyes at Nadira. The twin's smiles vanished.
Queen Nadira gazed at him and said carefully, "And would you plan anything any different?"
The king looked at her intently before sullenly admitting, "No."
"Fine than" She whipped around. "Firstly, we need to meet with King Darius and congratulate him over the union and brief him over the verdict. Oh and congratulations Sarosh…" She smiled at her husband cruelly, "You're a father-in-law now." With that, she glided out with determination, the smirking twins following her out. The door closed and Abid stood to one side.
King Sarosh stayed silent and leant back against the desk and crossed his arms. He didn't want to admit it, but perhaps he had committed a mistake.
"Was I wrong?" He asked Abid.
Abid replied promptly, "Yes sir."
Sarosh's shoulders drooped. "Then why didn't you stop me?"
Abid smiled at him kindly, "Could I have, sir?"
Sarosh pursed his lips and looked away sadly. "No."
King Sarosh took a deep breath. "This couldn't get any worse."
Abid stifled a guilty smile and said, "Actually sire, I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you, that the soldiers and prisoners that were taken during the Kasra war were released two days ago under the Princess's command. I got their letter of gratitude today…" And took a precautionary step back as the king's face started turning an alarming shade of puce.
Mirage looked up at the night sky. The gentle sound of the waves made her sleepy and she closed her eyes. She balanced her bottom over the ship railing and rolled her shoulders. She was away from the crew who had the good sense to leave her alone when they were supposed to. Sepehr was still inside the captain's room, hidden from view and she didn't blame him, for he was now a widower and it was all her fault.
She felt a presence beside her and calculating the others' movements; concluded that it could only be Salar, her husband, who would bother her at this moment. Aryan and Navid were at starboard, carving blocks of wood with their handy knives. Azin, Sam and Rostam were on the upper deck, studying the maps while Shaya and Emad were handling the sails. No one was talking or even looking at Mirage.
"This is a beautiful ship…" She heard Salar say.
She stayed still and when she didn't feel him move away from her, even after 5 minutes, she simply rolled off the railing of the ship and pushed herself into the water below. Salar's eyes widened in panic as he saw her disappear and yelled out, extending an arm to grab her. He looked at the water frantically as he heard a splash… She could have banged herself against the side of the ship, Salar thought and turned to the other men who went on working as if their charge hadn't just jumped off the boat and probably killed herself.
"What are you all doing? We have to get her back up, she could be killed!" He exclaimed angrily, and when he saw no response, started shrugging off his shirt, "Well, if you won't do it, I will… Bunch of nothings…" He pulled his shirt off his head and made to jump over the rail when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to Navid who had an unfinished block of wood and his knife in one hand.
"She can swim…" He said, reassuringly. And surely enough, a little further away from the boat, at last he saw her head bob above the water and she extended her arms above before floating away on her back. He felt the ship slow down as the men scandalized the sails.
"She doesn't like anyone talking to her when she's in a bad mood." Navid said, and looked out at Mirage. "Give it time. You'll get used to her ways soon enough."
Salar looked out, "You know her very well?"
Navid took his hand away and sat on a barrel beside Salar, throwing the strewn shirt back at him. "Of course I do, we take care of her." He went back to carving the block of wood.
Salar pulled the shirt on and leaned on the railing, keeping his eye on Mirage. "You didn't even know what she wanted; when she came on the ship." He said as Navid raised an eyebrow.
"We do what she wants, we are at her disposal." Navid said, looking surreptitiously at the other men.
Salar eyed the others and turned his back to Mirage. "How long have you worked for her?"
Navid stopped working and looked at Salar as thought he had just insulted them all. "We don't work for her. We're her friends."
Salar tilted his head, "But you're her guards."
"That's just a title given to us so that it doesn't cause any scandal among the subjects. Unofficially, we are all her friends… childhood friends." Navid said, looking down at his knife.
Salar gazed at the other men. "Are you?" He asked, bemused.
Emad dusted his hands as he threw the ropes down by Salar's feet and straightened up. "Look, we knew her from the day she started her training. We were with her all the way, and we all care about her, but we're men… and she's a woman; along with being a princess." He scratched his baldhead and rubbed his hand down his face over a scar, which went from the back of his head to his right eye and down his neck before disappearing into his shirt. He was younger than Salar, probably around Mirage's age, but looked menacing; a trait all of Mirage's entourage had in common.
"Men aren't allowed to gallivant around with an unmarried girl, especially the way Mirage is. She's a danger to her own self… And she's close to all of us. She's like a sister…" He said, gesturing around. "The Queen understood that, so she made us her guard… so Mirage could stay close to us."
Salar snorted. "That's ridiculous. So what if she couldn't talk to you anymore. She should have understood that being a princess had its costs."
"She's not like every other girl. She was different." Shaya said quietly as he pulled on the sail.
"Different how?" Salar asked.
"She was tortured. And we saved her." Said a voice from behind him and Salar turned.
Sepehr closed the door of his quarters and strode past his men before stopping by the rail and looking out at Mirage who was still floating on her back a little far away. He emitted a high-pitched whistle and Mirage raised a hand, waved without looking at them, and disappeared under the water.
"Never do that with her. You're not allowed." Sepehr said through gritted teeth.
"What? That you whistled at her like a dog and she came running?" Salar said; feeling irked at being kept out of the loop that the others were obviously in.
Sepehr's jaw set. "It is a signal. Look." He pointed towards the right beyond the bow of the ship. They were nearing a bend in the river and the ship was gathering speed.
"You know the seas better than I do. You know there is a dip in the current before we head north. It could pull her in. Or did you want that to happen?" Sepehr sneered.
Salar chose not to say anything. He had no idea why Sepehr was being such a pain and was not interested to find out. He just wanted to know what Sepehr meant about Mirage being tortured.
Swallowing his pride, Salar spoke, "Of course I didn't. I apologize. I'm just not in the right state of mind. I'm confused."
Sepehr's eyes softened. "The men will explain it to you." He said and strode away to the helm.
"Explain what?" He heard Mirage's voice and turned to see her hop over the rail and onto the ship. He spied the rope ladder behind her and grimaced.
The men didn't meet her eye. "Explain what?" She demanded again.
"Why am I here… I was asking them that. But I think even they don't know the answer to that." He said; his eyes straying to the wet material clung to her body. Instantly, she was covered with a huge blanket, which Shaya had apparently fetched for her and was now glaring at Salar with anger.
"Of course they do. Don't you?" She looked at Shaya and he slowly shook his head. "Don't any of you know the plan?" She asked, feeling helpless.
Suddenly she screamed. "YOU'RE ALL USELESS! I EXPLAINED IT PERFECTLY WHEN WE WERE ANCHORING AWAY BUT NO ON LISTENED. NO ONE ASKED. WHY CANT YOU HAVE JUST ASKED ME AGAIN? NOBODY EVER QUESTIONS ME OVER ANYTHING! THAT'S EVERYONE'S PROBLEM! MY FATHER DIDN'T ASK ME, MY MOTHER DIDN'T ASK ME, EVEN MY BEST FRIENDS DIDN'T ASK ME AND NOW THEY'RE ALL SCARED OF ME!" She screamed; her drawn face ablaze with sudden anger and she stalked away to the Captain's quarters. Salar followed as the men parted to make way for her, their expressions of those who had experienced Mirage's wrath one too many times. He noticed that the three men studying the map didn't even noticed the entire scene and were still studying the maps with their heads down, their brows furrowed.
The door banged open as Mirage burst into the room, angry at the injustice. Throwing the blanket off her onto the bed, she went to the table where a bowl of fruit and a knife stood, jammed into the wood. She forced it out and stared at it, ignoring her shivering hands. That was everyone's problem; they always expect me to come up with such amazing plans, as if I'm some sort of mastermind in all this stuff. I took Salar with me because I wanted to, I wanted to see him, I had chosen him, and now that Salar and I are married, I'm out of the woods. And father killed Tati, so I'm going away as far as I can, what is so difficult to understand about that?! She heard a noise and turned to see Salar closing the door behind him. She ignored the feeling in her heart; as if she was so glad to see him… which she was not.
They both stayed silent as Mirage chose to ignore him and went to her bed, flopping on top of it and stooping down to take off her boots. Salar kept gazing at her, his hands folded behind his back. She wiggled her feet impatiently until each of her boots went flying before she pulled her soggy blanket over herself and settled down in bed. She could hear him breathing and was getting irritated at the intrusion. Why couldn't he just leave her alone for now?! He has me forever now, why can't he just go away!
She heard him speak. "You still have the knife with you."
"It's to kill you if you come near me." She mumbled.
Salar raised his eyebrows. "Now even I know you can kill me without a knife."
Mirage turned and huffed until she was on her back, staring at the canopy above her bed. "I could, yes" and holding out the knife, she let it go. The knife shot through the wood and quivered.
Salar breathed deeply. "Can we talk now?"
She sighed. Maybe she should have chosen someone else to be her husband.
"Tell me. Why'd you jump ship? " He gestured behind him.
"You were annoying me and I wanted to get away from you." She snapped. "I jumped off the deck because of you, didn't you get the point?"
Salar shook his head, and grabbing a chair, picked it up before depositing it beside Mirage's bed and taking the knife away from his feet, placed it on the bedside table. "I'm not going anywhere now so you might as well just tell me. I was actually asking about everything that happened with your father." He peered at the nail marks on her face. The water having had washed off the kohl and blood, now she looked eerie and innocent; the scratches prominent.
Mirage didn't say anything and closed her eyes, and turning away from him, snuggled into her wet sheet of hair.
Salar sat back. "I'll stay here until you tell me."
He saw Mirage's back quiver and wasn't sure whether she was laughing or crying, and he wasn't about to put a hand on her in case she had another knife stashed up somewhere on her person. She tried controlling her breath as a wave of grief went over her, she couldn't let go of her composure. Finally, she turned back to him, her eyes slightly red but her voice clear.
"You know that girl who was with me the night we met?" She studied his blank face. "Don't you remember the one with brown curly hair?" Really; are you that much of a mindless idiot?!
"Tatiana." Salar said, recognition dawning. "The one who knows about us."
Mirage nodded and didn't say anything. The wheels in Salar's mind turned.
"Oh." He murmured as everything fell into place. Poor Tatiana!
"Why?" He asked, thoroughly confused.
Mirage threw the blanket off and sat up. "I was missing for three days before you came." She hiccupped, feeling the tears burning behind her eyes as hazy images of Saulta came into mind.
Salar stayed silent as Mirage went on. "I felt suffocated in the castle, so I took all the girls away with me for a breather, somewhere where we could be ourselves."
"That seems logical. Where did you go?" He asked.
Mirage smiled sadly. "It doesn't matter now. Anyway, my father thought that it was Tati who had told me to run away, and to teach me a lesson, he…" She trailed away as she remembered the bloodied hair and hung her head, looking down at her still shaking blue hands.
Salar followed her gaze and looked at her hands. Taking them from her lap, he settled her hands into his much larger ones. They were as cold as ice. She didn't flinch at the contact and swung her legs off the bed. She scraped the floor with the nail of her big toe, lost in thought.
"It's not your fault." He said gently.
"But it is." Mirage replied, her tone flat. "I took them all away and father didn't even think to come and ask me properly. He just went and had her killed. He probably tortured her first." Her voice broke and Salar looks at her alarmed. Her body shook as a tear slipped out and she took a deep breath to compose herself.
Salar gripped her hands tightly as he felt her fingers unstiffen from the warmth. "Listen to me." He said, looking at her until she looked back at him in the eye.
"Your father was wrong and he knows it. You were in trouble and I get your point, but you can't think that it was your fault. You did what you could." He watched her eyes widen and her lip quiver. "No one told you what to do, everyone expected you to simply be who you were told to be… That's the problem with being who we are; people think we don't have any feelings of our own… That we're not humans… but they don't know…"
Mirage looked at his hands. "I felt guilty." She whispered. "For what had happened during the war. I couldn't face them. I couldn't face you."
Salar, having almost suspected such a thing, nodded. "I know. You can't expect to feel happy after everything that's happened."
"Exactly..." She shrugged.
She looked back at him and studied his trusting face. He had taken her hand without even asking what her plan was for him, and had followed her into the beyond. He didn't even care about his father or what the people might say. Suddenly she had the urge to hug him, to seek comfort from him.
Slipping off the bed, she took away her hands from his and snaked her arms around his neck, resting her head beside his. Salar sat back, shocked at her sudden show of physical emotion. Gently, he lowered his arms around her waist, felt her knee seek a spot on the chair between his legs, and stood up. Her feet hung in the air as he felt her nose brush against his neck and squeezed her harder.
He didn't care that she was as wet as a fish and raising a hand; he touched her hair. He could feel her tears against his skin and didn't react. All of this was very new to him, this touchy-feely Mirage. This was not the Mirage people were scared of, this was just a girl, grieving for her dead friend. He stroked her shaking head as she opened up the gateway to her tears and sobbed uncontrollably. He wanted to kill King Sarosh for making her cry.
He didn't know how long she stayed like this. He didn't remember pulling Mirage in his arms so she was snuggled up into his chest as he walked to and fro in the tiny cabin, cradling her in his arms like a small child. That moment when she wiped her nose discreetly against the lapel of his shirt and he didn't even mind was when it hit him like a brick. He might have been lusting for Mirage before, but at this moment, when she was in his arms and he could so easily manipulate her to get her into bed; his primary goal now was to comfort her, love her. Their marriage had been a necessity but now that he felt his brain go haywire, he understood why he hadn't objected when she had told him that he better clean himself up because they were getting married.
"Damn!" Salar exclaimed, feeling gobsmacked.
Mirage raised her head. "What's wrong?" She sniffed, her nose comically puffy and red.
He looked into her eyes, "Nothing…" He mumbled as Mirage rubbed her nose from the back of her hand and slid her hand back into place around his neck. He let her down gently but she didn't let go and smiled as he quickly grabbed her from the waist to stop her from falling.
Not meeting his eyes, she looked down shyly. "You're so tall." She said, with a hint of admiration as she looked over her shoulder at her hanging feet. A hand roamed across his chest.
"I am." He smiled, not letting her go, pleased to feel that she wasn't trying to squirm away from his grip.
Unconsciously, her hand roamed up to his hair. "You know, Sepehr has let loose a bit of gossip in the kingdom."
Adjusting her with one arm, he leaned back against the post of the bed and reached up to wipe the stray tears off her face. "And what's that?"
"That you and I are married." She murmured, running a hand through his spiky mane.
"Hmm… but we are married." And slowly, he reached down and kissed her on the cheek from where a tear refused to budge. He felt the salty water touch his lips and she lowered her head. Why shouldn't she allow him to comfort her?
"Thank you." She whispered, "I don't think anyone has ever held me this way for a long time. I guess everything was a little too much for me."
"You have every right to be upset." He said against her skin.
"I do." She replied softly.
Mirage got a sudden flash of what it would be like to feel his bare skin when she felt his lips slide against hers. A bit clumsy at first, her eyes flew open as she felt his teeth graze against her lips, and she closed her eyes, grabbing onto his shirt and trying to pull apart from him with all her might. Perhaps that was what she thought she should be doing, instead of pulling him in ever closer by his collar. That's when she realized that she was experiencing her first kiss. She had no idea what she was doing and when she felt his arm twine around her waist while the other made its way to her face and into her hair; she nipped his lower lip with her teeth. She heard him groan as she felt his tongue tentatively touch her lips and when she opened up her mouth, waves of ecstasy ran through her body as his tongue slid in. She felt something ease out underneath her and relaxed her back as the softness and coldness of the bed and blanket wrapped her back. She could feel Salar's weight on top of her and her heart excited as he pulled her arms above her head, pinioning her there. He finally broke away from her and stroked her cheek with his nose.
"You're ruining me…." He breathed and she felt a delicious shiver run up and down her spine. She obviously knew how to break away from his vice-like grip but just didn't want to do so and helplessly, she tried to wriggle her arms away.
"You… have no idea what I want to do right now." He said, willing himself to stop as he kissed her again. He released her hands and grabbed her from the waist, a hand gripping her curve while the other behind her neck, arching her back.
"I think I have a pretty good idea…" She breathed against his lips, smiling.
So perhaps we're hoping to consummate the marriage before we even get to know each other. It simply doesn't matter, we're stuck with each other for life anyway, what's the big deal if we consummate the marriage now! I'll feel a whole lot better, that's for sure. She thought, unaware that Salar's thoughts were in overdrive over the same point as he heard Mirage moan against his mouth and felt her drag her nails against his back. A faint glimmer of his subconscious rose up as she dragged her nails down towards his nether regions and he realized that this was a girl on the cusp of desperation for comfort. She had just run away for good, left her family, and had until a few hours ago thought that her best friend was alive and well. She wasn't in the right mind and it would be wrong of him to take advantage of her emotions. He wanted her now, but knowing that she had only given herself to him because she felt bad might make her regret it, she would not have the same respect for him. He didn't blame her for wanting him right then; she wasn't thinking straight.
He lifted his lips from hers with a smack and looked at her. She was lying beneath him, her eyes were on fire, her breathing heavy. Her hair were fanned out above her head and her face was pink, filled with color, even her dilated eyes and plump pink lips seemed as though they were only for him, which of course was true. Knowing so was the most erotic thing he had ever come across.
With all his strength and then some, he gently removed her hands away from him and stood up. Her confused eyes cleared as he straightened his clothes; a reoccurring habit of his around Mirage. He especially didn't want her to see what was going on beneath them; he'd never live it down if she found out. Meanwhile, Mirage's anger was rearing its head as she saw Salar moved away from her.
"What are you doing?" She asked incredulously as she sat up, not even thinking to pull down her shirt. He got a good view of her taut stomach. She knew, obviously, but didn't care. All she wanted at that moment was him, all of him, and here he was acting like a virtuous girl.
"Look… this is the wrong moment for you. You're grieving. I can't do this to you. Not right now…" He said, disgusted over his pleading tone.
Mirage stood up and looked at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You're turning me down?"
Salar nodded.
Mirage's wide eyes were starting to get to him. She couldn't believe he was turning her away. Her! Men lusted after her and here he was, backing away from her like she was a wild animal who should be chained.
"You can't do that. That's against moral law. You can't deny me my right." She bristled and when Salar didn't move, she tilted her head after some thought. "Are you afraid you might disappoint me?"
Salar balked. No woman had ever said that to him before. "Of course not!" He exclaimed indignantly.
"Why so scared then!" She shrilled. "Or are you afraid that you might not be able to take it?"
Running out of ideas, he grabbed her from the waist towards him before picking her up and slamming her against the cabin wall as she uttered a squeak. Pining her arms against her side with his, he closed in on her. He could feel her rapid breathing against him, and smirked as Mirage wiggled against him, protesting over the invasion of her personal space when she was actually begging for it a few seconds before.
"I could take you right now. But do you even know what you should do?" He breathed, inhaling the salt and faint rose scent from her body. She grimaced as she remembered that she may be feeling incredibly attracted towards him, she had no idea what she had to do if he did proceed to seduce her, or worse, try disrobing her.
"I'm pretty sure I won't disappoint you. What I'm not sure about is whether 'you' can take it!" He growled and felt a satisfactory triumph as he saw the light of hunger in Mirage's eyes. He felt his resolve weakening. What he didn't know was that he had roused a fear in Mirage's heart. He was right. She wasn't ready for it, for him. She couldn't take him, she'd probably rely on her defensive skills and knock him out in fear since she didn't know what was going on. She felt scared that this man, who was so close to her that she could make out his muscular structure and more with her own body, would see her without her clothes, naked and vulnerable. And in that moment, nothing frightened her more. She needed help and something clicked in her mind.
On the top of her lungs, she screamed, "BUNSHARA!"
She looked back at Salar's confused expression before she heard the rapid thuds of a dozen feet. The door burst open and Sepehr stood, pointing his gun at Salar. The men were right behind Sepehr. Salar let go of Mirage instantly as Sepehr stormed in, the last thing that Salar remembered was a thud and a sudden blinding ache in the back of his head then darkness.
Mirage looked out over the bow of the ship. They had crossed the borderline of Rehbartaj and were heading upstream on their way to the Islands. Not wanting to see another person's face for some time, Mirage had ordered the men to make a stop at one of the Islands for a few days to gather provisions. That had been five days ago. She frowned as visions of that fortunate moment flashed before her eyes. She remembered as the men dragged an unconscious bleeding Salar out of her room.
What she didn't like was how Sepehr had berated her for trying to cause trouble for him and the crew because she didn't know how to control her husband, he even told her that it was wrong to cause Salar so much confusion. She wasn't the only one suffering, and that if she had left her home, so had he. Then he berated her even further for missing her last prayer of the day, and how she should probably ask for forgiveness, which she obviously wouldn't get. She would have knocked him out had he not slammed the door in her face. However, feeling extremely guilty now that she was alone, Mirage had grudgingly washed up and offered her prayer, asking for forgiveness and strength with all her might. She had felt very light-hearted afterwards; and knew in her heart that Allah had forgiven her. She didn't need to tell anyone else about it. It was her life; her forgiveness; her and her Lord's business.
Perhaps now she should go and see what Salar was up to, after all, he had been chained in the hull of the ship for so long without any food or water that she wanted to see whether he was alive at all.
"You could just give me some food, you know…" Salar grumbled as Aryan, the youngest of the men smiled at him.
"I can't go against orders." He said, and went back to counting the gold coins steadied on top of a barrel. "And you're a soldier. We soldiers can live for days without any food and water. Don't tell me you're getting soft."
"I am not getting soft. I'm just hungry." Salar said, leaning back against the wall of his tiny prison in the hull of the ship. He couldn't even get up without banging his head against the iron rods. The cell's former occupant must have been an animal, since only a four-legged creature could make the mess that greeted him when he opened his eyes that morning. Now he was hungry, wearing the only clothes he had on him; the moments when he was so close to Mirage seemed miles away.
Salar tried another trick. "Look, I'm the king now, so let me out of here before I kill you for keeping me in here like this." He said menacingly.
Aryan looked at him intently for a few minutes then snapped back to his relaxed position. "Sorry. I don't believe you." Salar sighed and sat back.
Aryan finished counting the coins, filled two bags up to the brim, and tied them up. "You know, Mirage is a real handful, I don't get what she sees in you."
"What do you mean?" Salar asked warily.
"She's a fighter. And you couldn't even react quickly enough when Sepehr attacked you. You just fell." He laughed.
Salar looked away towards the wall. "I was pre-occupied."
Aryan chuckled. "Yeah, we all saw what was occupying you."
Salar resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Why are you talking to me, kid? Won't your queen kill you if she sees you down here?"
Aryan shook his head. "She won't. She likes me. And I like you. You didn't question her when she asked you to come away with her. You even married her without any objections. I don't know why she chose you, but I suppose she probably thought you'd support her best."
"Will I?"
"Yes." Aryan nodded eagerly. "She needs someone to support her. She's a wonderful person. It's just that people find her a bit intimidating sometimes. But she really is quite extraordinary."
Salar raised an eyebrow at the young man. He looked much younger than the others did; with his full face, bright grey eyes and black hair; same muscle feature as the others though.
"How do you know Mirage?" Salar asked, twisting in his spot to take a better look at Aryan.
Aryan started juggling the two bags of coins. "Well, Sam is my older brother and Mirage is like my older sister. Our mother was her mother's nurse during all the births." He said, distracted. "And my wife's her friend. You saw her at the ceremony with our mother."
Salar looked surprised as the image of a woman with a much younger girl came to mind. "You have a wife?"
Aryan stopped juggling, his face wounded. "Of course I do."
"Well… you're young." Salar said carefully.
Aryan's face lightened. "Oh… well, we got married when we were young."
Salar nodded. He really didn't want to know the whole happy story.
Obviously, Aryan didn't take the hint. "Her name is Shireen. She's the daughter of the royal Gunsmith but she grew up to specialize in swords. She loves them. That's how we met. I had to have a sword made for Mirage. I didn't even know before that the royal swordsmith was a woman; she kept her hair all tied up and always looked so dirty, but she had the most amazing eyes and her smile, and she was so perfect…" Aryan babbled on as Salar sighed with exasperation.
Little food, no water, and now he had an excited chimp with him for entertainment.
"… then when I told Mirage about it, she sneaked behind me and talked to the gunsmith and the girl, who said they had no problem if I married her. I didn't mind because she made my job easy so we simply got married." Aryan happily concluded.
Salar nodded miserably.
"You want to see her?" Aryan asked, and before Salar could say anything, Aryan pulled out a piece of parchment from his chest pocket and handed it to Salar through the bars.
Humoring Aryan, Salar unfolded the parchment with a heavy sigh and gazed at the portrait and recognized the eyes. She was beautiful. Shireen had long curly brown hair, large brown eyes and an angular face, quite a contrast to her title of the royal swordsmith. She looked as much as a princess as Mirage did.
"I drew it myself." Aryan piped up as Salar's eyes roamed.
"Flashing that portrait around again, I see?" Mirage asked as she climbed down the stairs. "You know you're not supposed to do that." Not wearing gowns was such bliss sometimes; she could move much easily without them, her old clothes fit her perfectly.
Aryan grinned and took the portrait from Salar. With a jerk of her head, she signaled Aryan to leave who discreetly took the two bags of coins and trotted up the stairs. Mirage took the recently vacated spot beside Salar's cage.
"Don't be that way with him." She said, anger reflecting in her voice. "He's young and newly married and he's proud of his wife. You should at least try and act interested."
"Why should I act interested in his marriage when mine is already so full of adventure!" Salar said sarcastically, not bothering to look at her as the boat swayed.
"Look, that's beside the point, you know why I had shouted for them." Mirage said with a barely suppressed grin. She loved controlling such a beast of a man. It showed who had the power in this relationship, if that is what you call it.
"Don't act like you didn't want me to take you." Salar said flatly.
Mirage chose to say nothing and smothered a smile. She couldn't let him know that lust was becoming her weakness. Instead, she got up and pulled a key out of her trouser pocket.
Unlocking the cage door, she moved to the side as Salar looked up. "Seph was a bit drastic in locking you up like an animal. I apologize."
She looked away as Salar looked up at her intently for a moment and frowning, made to move out. He stood up and frowned as his back emitted a popping sound.
"Just don't manhandle like that in front of them. My friends are very protective of me." She said, gingerly stepping away from him, inching towards the stairs.
Salar snatched her elbow. "You kept me locked up in there like an animal. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I couldn't pray. And you're acting like it's the most normal thing in the world."
"Behave and you'll see soon enough that this is the way I operate. You are a necessity; otherwise, you wouldn't be here. Now I've told the men to treat you nicely, after all, I owe you my gratitude, so just take what you get and tone your attitude." She snapped, snatching her arm back.
She felt his eyes follow her as she disappeared up the stairs. The cold wind greeted her as she strode up to the helm towards Navid and Sepehr who were silent. It had been so long, almost nearing a week, and Sepehr had only spoken four words to her. It was beginning to get to her. The more she looked at Sepehr, the more she felt the loathing in her heart grow for her father. She missed Tatiana, but Sepehr was her husband, he must obviously miss her more. She took the wheel from Navid who smiled at her.
"How's your pet?" He asked.
"He'll live." She said, looking up at the sky.
"I wasn't too sure about that. Seph hit him hard with the gun. I thought we might be performing a funeral later on." Navid murmured to her as Sepehr moved away, not even looking at Mirage. It pained her.
"It's all right. He has a hard head." She said distractedly. She caught Navid's concerned look and bristled. "What?"
"Are you all right?" He asked tentatively.
"It's difficult, but I'm going with it." Her voice shook as a sudden wave of nostalgia hit her and she coughed.
Navid looked awkward. "You never cried before... You're changing. Has this man done something to make you like this?" His tone was accusatory.
Mirage burst out laughing. "You know that cannot happen." She didn't notice Salar come up from the lower deck, his face white with anger. He was outraged. He had been submissive towards her for long. Acting like he deserved such treatment was the last straw. It was time she learned some manners.
He stomped up the stairs and was momentarily blinded by the bright rays of the sun. Blinking rapidly, he searched for Mirage as faces swan in front of him. He spotted her near the helm beside Navid and her peals of laughter made their way with the breeze towards him.
"JUST TAKE WHAT I GET?!" He shouted. Pride triumphed newfound love and spotting a spear, he grabbed it and threw it in her direction. Mirage heard the swish of the spear against the wind and by instinct, Mirage spun away as the spear went by her head. It hit a barrel of gunpowder with a twang.
Instantly, Salar was tackled by the guards. He was kicked to the ground and felt the blood pool in his brain as Aryan pulled him in a headlock; his earlier happy mood forgotten. The others had pinned his limps to the floor and he grunted as he felt the weight on his muscles. He couldn't let those men get the better of him. Screwing his arms inwards, he felt the weight pressure his wrists, and sensing Aryan's breath by his ear, he jerked his head back where it slammed into Aryan's teeth. Aryan's grip loosened and it was enough for Salar. With all his might, he rolled and grabbing the men's wrists, he pulled them together and grabbing their necks, slammed their faces into the floor. The men by his feet received well-aimed kicks at their knees and they fell as Salar grabbed them both by the ears and threw them away from him.
"Salar, stop fighting!" Salar heard Mirage and instantly froze. Detaching the spear from the barrel where it had lodged itself, she stared back at Salar, not believing that he had actually just tried to kill her. The scraping of the spearhead against the wood sounded and he turned. Mirage had the spear in her hand and the rest of her crew stood silently behind her, as if she had everything under control. Sepehr was standing by the ship's rail.
She had the spear in her hand and her expression was so wounded that Salar felt guilty for a moment. Then he remembered the past three days and his anger flared up anew.
"Why did you do that for? You could have hit me with it." She asked, her voice nearing hysteria.
"YOU KEPT ME DOWN THERE FOR FIVE DAYS! DO YOU REALLY NEED AN ANSWER?" He bellowed.
Undeterred, she screamed straight back. "YOU DESERVE IT!" The men around Salar slowly got up, but did not approach him.
"YOU CAME ON TO ME! YOU CRIED IN MY ARMS! YOU WANTED ME! AND WHEN I TRIED TO HONOR YOU, YOU HAD ME IMPRISONED!" He yelled back.
"I DID NOT WANT YOU!" She shrilled and threw the spear at him.
Catching it, he broke it in two. "You want to fight on this?"
Mirage stared at him, thinking. She had had enough of this stupid behavior. It would be better just to kill him now and just lie about his demise when they would make port. Taking a few steps back, she extended her hand towards Sepehr without breaking eye contact with Salar. "Hand me your sword."
"You cannot be serious…" Sepehr said, folding his arms.
Mirage did not say anything, just stood waiting for him to hand over his talwar. Sighing, Sepehr took out his sword and handed it to her. Taking her own saber out, she flipped it and held it by the blade for Salar.
"If it's a fight you want, then a fight you shall get." She said gravely.
Salar stared at the double-edged blade in Mirage's hand. He had one just like it at home. His mother had bestowed it upon him. Pushing the somewhat painful memory out of his mind, since what 7 year old wanted a sword for his birthday, he took it from her. Salar weighed it in his hand and felt it fit in his grip perfectly. Mirage stepped back, one foot behind the other, the other folded at her back, the sword pointed towards him. She looked at him coolly.
"Begin." She said, waiting for him to lunge.
Instantly, Salar started laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. "I am not going to fight you like this."
Mirage straightened, "Are you scared?"
Salar grimaced and handed the sword to Rostam. "I am not. This is your ship." He gestured around. "Even if I come near to beating you, your men will kill me. So I've lost anyways. It would be useless."
"He makes a point." Sepehr mumbled.
Mirage ignored him. "Well then, it is incredibly stupid of you to back out of a fight. They won't do anything until I say so… we could fight with our skills. You'd need your fists for that, not your sword."
Salar shook his head. Then he'd be responsible for disfiguring that pretty face and he couldn't have that on his head forever.
Mirage's sword fell limply to her side. "Fine! You can go back down then."
"Oh, I am not going back down there." Salar said, amused.
"You'll do whatever I want." She replied archly. "In fact, if you are not fighting; then you are forfeiting and I always have a special place for forfeiters on this ship." Around him, the men reluctantly smiled. Sepehr shook his head disapprovingly.
"Tell him where that place is." Aryan cackled behind Salar.
Smiling, Mirage pointed out towards the front of the ship. "There have been exactly 15 people who have posed as figureheads at the prow of the ship. You'll be the 16th."
Salar glared at her. "That's insane."
"That's the point of it." Mirage shrugged. She was enjoying this. Her face was not betraying her feelings.
Salar weighed down the points of it. He was in no way going to become the figurehead, it was madness, so he had only one other choice. He held out his hand to Rostam who handed him back the sword.
"After I win, I'll want something in return." He said, testing the grip of the word in his hands.
Mirage eyed the sword, her own grip tightening on hers. "And what's that?" She knew he wouldn't say no to that.
"Respect." Mirage snorted at his answer. "I want you to respect me. You know your place. You are a princess, and you will be queen. But I am a prince too, although you've forgotten that. I will not stand by while you treat me as an ingrate. I kept my mouth and my manners in check while you went around acting as if your actions had no consequences. Now, you need to understand something. If you want me, than you'll need to know that while you'll be ruling your people, I'll be the one whose word will be law for you."
Mirage stared at him. How vulgar! Did he really expect her to act like her servants with him, catering to him? To act like he was her only world and that she couldn't live without him? They've only just gotten married and his demands are already starting! The insolent fool! Lifting her sword, she assumed an en garde position. "Keep dreaming."
She lunged at him and he snapped at her sword with his. They circled each other as the crew backed up, providing an appropriate ground for them, some of them cackled menacingly. Sepehr took hold of the wheel, looking straight ahead.
Salar followed her, not breaking eye contact. "Is this really what they teach you? I'm surprised you're still alive if this is how you fight." She lunged again and he parried, trading places with her in their imaginary circle.
Mirage glared at him. "You're not fighting."
"Oh I will when the occasion calls for it." He chuckled and was awarded with a thrust of her sword near his abdomen. He swiped his sword against hers and turned, back in his original spot, their predatory circling not broken. The ship swayed and Mirage saw him adjust his footing. She had gone on several voyages on this ship so her footing was fine. Trading feints, she whirled as Salar's sword came to within an inch her head and the clip holding onto her hair broke as it came in close contact with the flat edge of the blade. The sheet of hair flew down to her waist and she looked down at the pieces of her clip with a few strands of her hair. They blew away as the wind came and her vision blurred. She heard the swipe but couldn't react in time. The blade sliced into her side, although only touching and through instinct, she swung her sword at an angle, nicking Salar on the shoulder. She could feel the pain spreading through her body. She held up her hand to the men who made to move forward. Because of the looseness of her shirt, Salar didn't realize that he had cut her, and ignored the slight pain on his arm. He had gone through worse. Mirage swiped at Salar. Salar parried and counter swiped. She arched her back against his attack, and jabbed, finally finding her target, spraying blood from Salar's leg across the deck.
Salar held back his howl of pain. That jab went in deep and his leg wobbled; blood ran down his leg into his boot. Mirage pointed her sword at him and with the other hand, gingerly dabbed at the cut to her side. Bastard! Good thing it's only a flesh wound. She thought and looked up at him as he attacked. She swung her sword and feinted, twirled around him, and lunging, he slowed down at Mirage's stab, and as he brought his sword down against hers, she did something he had never seen anyone do. As the sword went against hers, she took away hers and shot an arm, grabbing the blade. Her crew jumped up, their expressions of shock prominent.
Sepehr let go of the wheel, his eyes wide. The blood slowly dribbled from her palm down to her wrist. She looked into Salar's eyes. There was no pain there although now that she thought about it, it probably wasn't a good idea to stop the fight with her hands. Salar looked at her hand and then back at her.
| Email this Novel
| Add to reading list