Fic: Arabian Nights - Ch. 3
Title: Arabian Nights
Author: starrdust411
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing: Mohinder/Gabriel
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The story of a prince, a watchmaker, and the magical lamp that changed their lives.
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes or Aladdin.
Warnings: Humor, Slash, AU, Language
Prologue| Chapter 1| Chapter 2
Thompson smiled as he looked over the newly submitted paper work from Captain Parkman. Things were going exactly according to plan. He had the man he needed to get into the Cave and retrieve the lamp for him, now all he had to do was figure out how to get the boy to agree to help him.
It was then that the door to his office flew open, crashing into the sturdy walls with an echoing thud and jerking Candice -- who had been in a near comatose state after their little exercise -- wide awake. The vizier groaned, annoyed to find it was none other than Prince Mohinder standing in his doorway, his whole body radiating with anger.
Getting Mohinder back had been the one downside in his plot to capture the peasant. The palace had been so peaceful without the young prince around to give everyone he encountered a headache.
"Your majesty," Thompson began, standing up and bowing dutifully to the royal. It was at times such as this that he could not wait to dispose of Chandra and his bratty child once and for all. "How may I be of service?"
"The guards just took a boy from the marketplace," Mohinder began, marching over towards his desk and slamming his hands down against the flat surface, "on your orders."
Thompson scowled, glancing over at Candice who was forced to flutter around her cage helpless as it continued to swing from the force of Mohinder's entry. "Your father has charged me with keeping peace in Agrabah," he explained smoothly, his typical smirk working its way back onto his features. "The boy was a criminal."
"And what was his crime?" Mohinder demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Kidnapping the Prince," he answered calmly.
The young man scoffed, throwing up his arms in frustration. "He didn't kidnap me, I ran away!"
In truth, Thompson wasn't at all surprised. He had figured that it was only a matter of time before Mohinder got fed up enough with his caged lifestyle and his father's obliviousness (in fact, as far as Thompson knew, Chandra hadn't even noticed that his son had gone missing) to pack his things and leave. Of course, the vizier couldn't let the young man know that he had not only been aware of his escape, but also the other boy's innocence. With little effort at all, Thompson shifted his looks into a mask of worry.
"Oh," he muttered, making sure to keep his voice as grave and concerned as possible. It seemed to have been working as Mohinder's features melted ever so slightly from anger to curiosity. "I wish that I had known about this sooner. The boy’s sentence has already been carried out."
"What sentence?" Mohinder whispered, and Thompson could practically see the fear in his eyes. It made the smirk that longed to spread across his features next to impossible to hold back.
"He's been executed," Thompson dryly.
He watched as the prince's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open as his whole body went stock still. The look on his face was absolutely priceless, it was if he were actually watching the boy's heart crumple up and die. Tears began to well up in those dark brown orbs, and Thompson couldn't resist putting a hand on the boy's trembling shoulder.
"You have my deepest apologizes your majesty," he whispered, his words dripping with fake sincerity as he waited for the child to react.
"Don't touch me you twisted old snake!" Mohinder snapped, sobbed really, as he slapped the vizier's hand away. He looked as if he were going to say more, but didn't. He merely turned around and ran away, tears pouring down his cheeks.
"I think he bought it," Candice cheeped happily.
Thompson snorted, rolling his eyes. The prince could cry himself sick for all the man cared. The important thing was that the boy had just given him a brilliant idea for getting their prisoner to join his cause.
-+-+-+-
The dungeon wasn't at all like how Gabriel had imagined. It was, in fact, ten times worse. There was darkness all around him. The young man seemed to be sitting in the lone bright spot in the prison, but that did nothing to comfort him. The hissing and gnawing squeaks that pierced the shadows twisted his stomach and made his skin crawl. The air was thick, damp, and smelled like rotten flesh and things he'd rather not imagine.
The guards had shackled him to the walls in a sitting position and at first he had thought it was fortunate, but he soon realized his mistake. His arms were pinned high above his head and the need to put them down made everything from his stomach up ache, and being unable to change positions made his bottom half feel numb, painfully so. The only positive about his new home was that the dim light was soothing for his eyes.
Gabriel sighed, shifting gingerly as his arms screamed and his back longed to be popped. This had to be the absolute worst day ever. He had met, fallen for, and lost the love of his life all in a single afternoon. He was trapped in jail for who knew how long, his family business was probably going to be torn down, and his nose decided at that moment that it needed to be scratched.
"At least I know things couldn't possibly get any worse," he lamented.
It was then that he heard familiar chattering squeaks coming from directly above. He craned his neck upwards, a gesture that took more effort than usual when pressed up against the harsh brick wall and unable to move more than an inch. Gabriel felt the corners of his lips tug into a disbelieving smile as his eyes met with Luke's hairy little face.
"Luke!" he breathed, grateful tears welling up in his eyes as he stared up at his only friend in the world. Even if Luke was just a monkey -- and the reason he was in this situation in the first place -- Gabriel still felt his heart clench with joy at the knowledge that he had not been abandoned. "I can honestly say that I've never been so happy to see you."
Luke squeaked, climbing down from the high window with ease and landing gracefully in front of the watchmaker's feet. Gabriel marveled, watching as the primate's face twisted into what looked like a scowl as he chattered and shrieked at him angrily.
"If you're yelling at me about how I acted with Mohinder, than go ahead. You have every right to." He sighed, hanging his head at the memory of the prince. His bright smile, his sparkling gaze, his warm touch... It was all too much to think about. Gabriel had known the second he'd met the boy that he didn't stand a chance with him, yet knowing that he had even entertained the idea of winning over the crown prince was enough to make him feel lower than dirt. "It's just... he was so beautiful and wonderful. I couldn't help myself."
The monkey snorted, chattering more nonsense at him.
"You know, I am in prison," Gabriel reminded him tersely. "And most likely for something you stole! So unless you can get me out of here-"
His words died on his tongue as Luke pulled out what looked like one of his tools from the folds of his fur. He stared with wide eyes as the monkey hopped on his shoulder, pick in hand as he worked on prying open the lock that was keeping the boy bound to the stone wall. Not for the first time, Gabriel had to wonder just where on earth Luke had learned to do such things.
In no time at all, the lock gave a loud click, falling open and releasing him from his uncomfortable position.
Gabriel groaned, rubbing at his sore shoulders as he put them down for the first time in hours. "Thank you," he muttered, truly grateful that Luke had come when he did. He couldn't imagine going another minute like that, let alone a life time. "Not that it matters much. I'm still trapped in here... and Mohinder's still far out of reach."
Luke nipped at him, scurrying away miserably to throw rocks into the shadows. Gabriel supposed he deserved that.
"I'm sorry, but he sort of got to me! Not that I could ever have him. I'd have to be a prince... He deserves a prince." He sighed, scrubbing at his face and wiping away the dried tears. "I'm a fool."
"You're only a fool if you give up, boy."
The watchmaker flinched, pressing himself flat against the wall at the sound of the haggard voice calling out to him from somewhere in the darkness. Luke shrieked, scrambling away and hiding behind the young man's back as a figure -- twisted and gnarled and covered in hair suit rags and gray clumps of hair -- limped towards him. "Who... who are you?" Gabriel stammered, sweat pouring down his face as his heart churned in his ears.
"A lowly prisoner like yourself," the old man choked. "But together we could be more."
Gabriel was silent, too afraid to speak, yet too captivated by curiosity to turn away from the stranger. The old man seemed to understand that, in spite of his quickly paling skin and wide fearful eyes, the boy was intrigued. He continued.
"There is a cave, boy, a cave of wonders," he told him, whispering the words as if fearful that someone might overhear them.
Suddenly Gabriel wondered if there were other prisoners trapped in the dungeon. It wasn't impossible. The thick shadows had hidden the stranger perfectly and Gabriel couldn't even tell how far back the tunnels and caverns of the dungeon went.
Gabriel's attention drifted back to the old hermit as he watched in stunned silence as he reached into the folds of his clothes and pulled out a fistful of shimmering rubies, their dazzling glow lighting the darkened cavern. "This cave is filled with treasures beyond your wildest dreams. More than enough to impress your prince, I'd wager."
The young man swallowed, his throat feeling very tight, dry as the old man stuffed the crystals back into his rags. "But... but the law says-"
"You've heard of the golden rule, haven't you?" the old man chided. "Whoever has the gold makes the rules."
Gabriel frowned at the old prisoner's joke. It didn't feel right. Mohinder didn't seem like the materialistic type, but the sultan might be a different story all together. Still, this old man had crawled out of the darkness and offered to make his dreams come true. Why? It didn't seem real. "Well, why would you share all this 'wonderful treasure' with me?"
The old man smirked, a gesture that made the watchmaker's insides twist in fear. "I need a strong pair of legs and a young back to go in after it," he told him, looking the boy up and down. "You'll do."
His frown only deepened. There was still one major flaw in the old hermit's plan. "Well, we are in prison and there doesn't look like there's any way out of here," Gabriel said wearily. "It's a great idea, but by the time I get released, the prince will already be married."
The unsettling smirk only widened as the old man hobbled over towards the stone walls, pressing a few blocks that moved aside with surprising ease. Gabriel's eyes nearly doubled in size as the small section of the wall moved away, revealing what looked like a few flights of steps, stairs that most definitely lead to freedom.
"So," the old man began, holding his hand out towards the boy, "do we have a deal?"
Gabriel looked at Luke, who was now clinging to his back and trembling with fear. The monkey blinked at him, ducking his head and burying his face in Gabriel's shoulder. He sighed. He really didn't see any other way.
-+-+-+-
The sun had set, plummeting the desert in to a dry, chilling wasteland and suddenly Gabriel wished he had just stayed in the dungeon. The only light in the expanse of sand and loneliness came from the glowing golden eyes of the giant sand structure that had morphed out of the ground and shaped itself into an almost perfect replica of a tiger's head.
A chill ran down the boy's spine as the tiger, the entrance into the Cave of Wonders, looked down at him, studying him intensely with its piercing gaze.
"Who disturbs my slumber?" the Cave's deep voice boomed and Gabriel's legs were seconds away from giving out.
"Uh... it is I, uh... Gabriel?"
His face flushed, burning bright red and he thought for sure that it was all over. Instead, the Cave blinked, its "face" calm as it considered the boy's words. "Proceed," it said at last. "Touch nothing but the lamp."
With that said, the sand structure's mouth opened, a haunting light emitting from the base of what looked like an endless flight of stairs. Luke was shivering, clinging to Gabriel's shirt so tightly that the boy thought for sure that the little creature would rip his already ragged clothes to shreds. A part of him wanted to leave Luke behind, but he couldn't. He turned to stare at the old hermit who had led him here. He didn't trust the man and he certainly didn't want to leave Luke with him.
"Remember boy," the old man told him, noticing the hesitant gaze in Gabriel's deep brown eyes, "bring me the lamp and then you shall have your reward."
Gabriel swallowed, every single muscle in his body telling him to run as far and as fast as he could in the other direction. It was an insane idea conceived by an insane old man and he would be insane to go through with it. Yet he knew in his heart that he had to. It was probably the only way he would ever be able to even see Mohinder again.
With that thought in mind, he stepped into the Cave, legs trembling and teeth chattering. His heart was pounding, churning in his ears and his eyes were blurring with panic, which was quite unfortunate since he was walking down narrow, crooked stone steps. By the time he reached the ground, he felt ready to collapse. He sincerely hoped that this lamp the old man was so intent on wasn't too far away.
His breathing was shallow, labored with panic as he dragged himself onward, moving into the next room where the haunting yellow glow had been coming from. Luke squeaked, crawling into Gabriel's shirt in order to hide himself from what seemed to be impending danger. Yet there was none to be seen. Instead, the young man crossed into the wide, cavernous room and saw nothing but shimmering, sparkling gold.
"Golly," he breathed, drinking in the awe inspiring sight before him. "Would you look at that?"
Unfortunately for Gabriel, Luke did look and his little kleptomaniac heart leapt into his mouth at the sight of mountains of treasure sprawled out at their feet. Before the watchmaker could even react, the monkey was leaping off of his shoulder and scampering towards the pile of gold. It was with sheer luck that the young man was able to grab the creature's hairy little tail just before he could touch so much as a coin.
"Don't!" he shouted, causing the simian to freeze at the sound of his surprisingly powerful voice. "You remember what the talking tiger said: don't touch anything. Now let's just find that lamp and get out of here."
Luke huffed, as best as a monkey could, crossing his arms in front of his little chest as he sat on the surprisingly firm ground and merely stared at the gold.
Gabriel rolled his eyes, walking away from his friend. If the creature wanted to sulk, then there wasn't much he could do about it. He had a treasure to find.
The young man couldn't have taken more than a few steps away from the monkey, when he heard the sound of panicked chattering and squeaks. He turned around to see that Luke was currently hissing and squeaking angrily at what looked like an ordinary -- although decorative -- purple rug.
"Luke," he called out, gaining the monkey's attention. "Knock it off. We have to go."
He turned, advancing onward, but the squeaking continued. Spinning around one more time, he saw that the carpet was moving, hovering in midair as Luke scrambled towards him, jumping onto Gabriel's back.
"Oh... wow," he breathed. A magic carpet. Inside an enchanted cave. His life was getting far too strange.
The carpet floated towards him, circling the young watchmaker several times, the gesture causing Luke to dig his fingers into Gabriel's back in panic. Gabriel frowned, poking at the rug that proceeded to poke him back with the tip of its golden tassel. Apparently the carpet could not only fly, it was also aware of him.
"Well, um, carpet?" Gabriel began haltingly, because the fact that he was speaking to a carpet, even an enchanted one, was ridiculous to say the least. "You must know your way around this cave, right? Do you think you can help us find a lamp?"
The rug wavered in the air before zipping off towards the far end of the cave and a tunnel leading to another room. Gabriel followed, praying that the carpet was leading him to the treasure.
He found that the cave was much more spacious than he ever would have thought. There were dozens of rooms, filled with tempting jewels, pools of crisp water, and even what looked like freshly fallen snow. They passed them all, before finally arriving at a massive room, filled with a large pool of water with a mountain of stones in the center. At the very top mountain was a single, gold lamp, a beam of clear blue light shining down on it.
His heart hammered in his chest, his tongue went dry, and sweat was pouring from every inch of him. Gabriel swallowed, wiping the sweat from his brow as he pried Luke off of his back and placed him on top of the floating rug. "Watch him," he told the carpet, not sure how it could watch or see anything.
Taking in a long, trembling breath, the young man walked way, determined to grab the lamp and get out of this strange place as quickly as possible. The path to the lamp was nothing more than a few gray, bulbous stones, separated by the freezing cold water below. Gabriel wobbled, trembling as he hopped from stone to stone towards his goal. The world around him seem to have drifted away, the only two things that were left was himself and the lamp. The stairs were almost too narrow for him to walk on, so he crawled, his eyes fixed on the golden object that was just out of reach. He'd get the lamp, he'd get his gold, and he'd see Mohinder again. Even if the boy rejected him, laughed at him, all he wanted was to see him one more time. That would be enough.
When he reached the top, Gabriel suddenly realized how incredibly simple this whole ordeal had been. Now that he had achieved his goal, he realized that he hadn't been in grave danger after all. The treasure hadn't tempted him and with the carpet's help, the youth had avoided getting lost or distracted by the countless rooms. He scooped the lamp up in his hands -- the gold surface chilling yet enchanting all at once -- and felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
"Well," he began, turning back towards his companions, "I suppose we should get back to-"
The words practically evaporated on his lips when he turned around to see that Luke had somehow gotten away from the magic carpet and was now pawing a large ruby. His stomach went cold as the once cool blue room shifted into a boiling hot red. The water disappeared, evaporated and Gabriel truly regretted his decision to bring the pet along.
-+-+-+-
"Where is he?" Candice whined, flittering from his shoulder onto the horse's saddle. "That kid's been in there for hours!"
Thompson groaned, stretching until his back gave a pleasant pop. If there was one flaw in his disguise it was the inconvenience of being bent over for so long. That and the itchy beard. The urge to scratch at his chin was driving him crazy, but he resisted. It wouldn't do to have the whole disguise fall apart just because he was restless.
"Be patient, Candice," he chided, glancing back towards the entrance to the Cave. "He'll be out any minute now."
"You said that thirty minutes ago," the bird pointed out. "What if he's not coming back? What if he grabbed the lamp and decided to keep it to himself?"
He chuckled shaking his head slowly at his companion's words. Gray was a push over, plain and simple. He didn't look like he had the spine or the drive to stand up for himself. The only thing the kid had was a kind heart, a heart that the prince had already captured. Not that it mattered. They would never see each other again. "I think you're giving that kid way too much credit."
It was then that the night air that had been so calm and still just a moment ago picked up, churning as thick clouds gathered overhead. The Cave's yellow eyes began to flash red, bathing the desert in its haunting crimson hue as the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. Thompson cursed grabbing his horse by the reigns as the animal bucked and snorted, ready to flee as the Cave began screaming, roaring in pain.
"I think the kid just messed things up big time," Candice commented, flying onto his shoulder, digging her claws in deep in order to keep from being blown away by the strong gusts of wind.
He batted the parrot away, noticing a single pale hand clutching at the mouth of the cave. He darted towards it, easily slipping back into the role of the old hermit, as he peaked over the side to see that Gabriel was there, struggling to hold on to what was left of the stone stairs.
"Help me!" the boy cried, his hands trembling as he struggled to cling to the crumbling rocks beneath him.
"Give me the lamp!" he returned. A scowl longed to slip on to his features as he watched the child begin to slip. If he didn't have the lamp, then this would all be for nothing.
"I can't hold on," Gabriel whined, the little creature on his back clinging to his clothes for dear life as they hung in the air, high above harsh, jagged rock. The fall would kill them both instantly.
"First give me the lamp!"
Gabriel frowned, annoyed yet too desperate to argue anymore as he reached into the folds of his clothes and pulled out the object that Thompson had waited years to see.
It took everything in him not to just jump and snatch it away from the boy. Instead, he pressed himself flat against the sand, stretching his arm as far as it could go towards the glittering, golden lamp. His fingers wrapped themselves around the still cool metal and suddenly the man could not resist the urge to yank the lamp away, clutching it protectively to his chest. At last, at long last he had finally gotten the object he had been searching for. The power to make his dreams come true was right in the palm of his hands.
The soft grunts and groans of the boy struggling the rest of the way out of the cave -- his pet monkey pulling at his sleeve in a desperate attempt to "help" -- caught his ear. The celebrations would have to wait until his business was completed.
With a sweep of his hand, he knocked the monkey away, sending him tumbling across the sand, as he wrapped his other hand around Gabriel's wrist and yanked him forward.
"What are you doing?" the child gasped and from the look in his wide brown eyes, he knew exactly what the man had planned.
"Giving you your reward," he said simply as he pulled out the dagger that had been tucked into the folds of his clothes. He couldn't let Gabriel go, couldn't let the boy survive, or else he'd run the risk of having the young man tell someone what he had seen today.
The knife was in the air, ready to plummet into the child's waiting neck, when suddenly a sharp pain in his shoulder stopped him. He yelped, hands instinctively going slack as he turned to see that Gabriel's pet had just bit him. Thompson scowled. Both the knife and the boy had fallen into the cave. It was only fitting that the little monkey should follow. He grabbed the furry creature by its neck and hurled it inside. As soon as the creature had disappeared into the darkness, the Cave gave one final howl before it exploded in a flash of sand and light.
The man felt his head buzz, his whole world spinning as he was flung several feet away. For a long time, he was forced to just lie there, listening to the ringing in his ears as his body screamed at him. An eternity seemed to pass before he finally managed to muster the strength to sit up and reach for his lamp, but it was gone. Everything that he had worked for, killed for, was gone.
-+-+-+-
Chandra cringed as he approached the private bed chambers, listening to the echoing, smashing crashes that were coming from the farthest room at the end of the hall, Mohinder's room. He had heard from the servants that the prince was in one of his moods again and as the boy's father he had no other choice but to get to the bottom of what was upsetting him.
He opened the door just in time to have to duck as a large chunk of wood came whizzing through the air, nearly connecting with his head. The sultan gaped, staring in horror at the wreckage that was his son's bedroom. The floor was completely hidden underneath shattered glass, ripped fabric, and pieces of woods. In the far corner, he saw Nirand, tucked away behind the bed as Mohinder grabbed what was left of his chair and began smashing his bureau into pieces.
The sultan groaned as he considered leaving. He was not up for dealing with Mohinder, especially not in this violent, destructive state. Yet he could not just sit back and allow the young prince to destroy his palace.
"Mohinder," he began, his voice firm and authoritative, readying himself to lecture the irrational young man.
The prince stilled, his back still facing him as his shoulders tensed and his arms trembled in the wake of his destructive out burst.
"Mohinder," he began again, "whatever it is that's bothering you, you have no right to-" His words were cut off and his ears perked up at the sound of a soft, strangled sob. Chandra frowned, taking a few steps closer to his son, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Mohinder?"
Mohinder sobbed, bowing his head and Chandra saw for the first time that the boy was crying. His face was flushed, cheeks burning red as twin rivers poured down his face. With one last sniffle, the prince collapsed into his arms, burying his face into his father's shoulder as he exploded into a fit of tears.
Chandra merely stood there, startled by the sight. He hadn't seen Mohinder cry in years. "There, there," he began awkwardly, patting the boy's back hesitantly. "What's wrong?"
"Thompson," Mohinder wept. "Thompson has done something... terrible."
Chapter 4 - Prince Sylar
Author: starrdust411
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing: Mohinder/Gabriel
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The story of a prince, a watchmaker, and the magical lamp that changed their lives.
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes or Aladdin.
Warnings: Humor, Slash, AU, Language
Prologue| Chapter 1| Chapter 2
Thompson smiled as he looked over the newly submitted paper work from Captain Parkman. Things were going exactly according to plan. He had the man he needed to get into the Cave and retrieve the lamp for him, now all he had to do was figure out how to get the boy to agree to help him.
It was then that the door to his office flew open, crashing into the sturdy walls with an echoing thud and jerking Candice -- who had been in a near comatose state after their little exercise -- wide awake. The vizier groaned, annoyed to find it was none other than Prince Mohinder standing in his doorway, his whole body radiating with anger.
Getting Mohinder back had been the one downside in his plot to capture the peasant. The palace had been so peaceful without the young prince around to give everyone he encountered a headache.
"Your majesty," Thompson began, standing up and bowing dutifully to the royal. It was at times such as this that he could not wait to dispose of Chandra and his bratty child once and for all. "How may I be of service?"
"The guards just took a boy from the marketplace," Mohinder began, marching over towards his desk and slamming his hands down against the flat surface, "on your orders."
Thompson scowled, glancing over at Candice who was forced to flutter around her cage helpless as it continued to swing from the force of Mohinder's entry. "Your father has charged me with keeping peace in Agrabah," he explained smoothly, his typical smirk working its way back onto his features. "The boy was a criminal."
"And what was his crime?" Mohinder demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Kidnapping the Prince," he answered calmly.
The young man scoffed, throwing up his arms in frustration. "He didn't kidnap me, I ran away!"
In truth, Thompson wasn't at all surprised. He had figured that it was only a matter of time before Mohinder got fed up enough with his caged lifestyle and his father's obliviousness (in fact, as far as Thompson knew, Chandra hadn't even noticed that his son had gone missing) to pack his things and leave. Of course, the vizier couldn't let the young man know that he had not only been aware of his escape, but also the other boy's innocence. With little effort at all, Thompson shifted his looks into a mask of worry.
"Oh," he muttered, making sure to keep his voice as grave and concerned as possible. It seemed to have been working as Mohinder's features melted ever so slightly from anger to curiosity. "I wish that I had known about this sooner. The boy’s sentence has already been carried out."
"What sentence?" Mohinder whispered, and Thompson could practically see the fear in his eyes. It made the smirk that longed to spread across his features next to impossible to hold back.
"He's been executed," Thompson dryly.
He watched as the prince's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open as his whole body went stock still. The look on his face was absolutely priceless, it was if he were actually watching the boy's heart crumple up and die. Tears began to well up in those dark brown orbs, and Thompson couldn't resist putting a hand on the boy's trembling shoulder.
"You have my deepest apologizes your majesty," he whispered, his words dripping with fake sincerity as he waited for the child to react.
"Don't touch me you twisted old snake!" Mohinder snapped, sobbed really, as he slapped the vizier's hand away. He looked as if he were going to say more, but didn't. He merely turned around and ran away, tears pouring down his cheeks.
"I think he bought it," Candice cheeped happily.
Thompson snorted, rolling his eyes. The prince could cry himself sick for all the man cared. The important thing was that the boy had just given him a brilliant idea for getting their prisoner to join his cause.
-+-+-+-
The dungeon wasn't at all like how Gabriel had imagined. It was, in fact, ten times worse. There was darkness all around him. The young man seemed to be sitting in the lone bright spot in the prison, but that did nothing to comfort him. The hissing and gnawing squeaks that pierced the shadows twisted his stomach and made his skin crawl. The air was thick, damp, and smelled like rotten flesh and things he'd rather not imagine.
The guards had shackled him to the walls in a sitting position and at first he had thought it was fortunate, but he soon realized his mistake. His arms were pinned high above his head and the need to put them down made everything from his stomach up ache, and being unable to change positions made his bottom half feel numb, painfully so. The only positive about his new home was that the dim light was soothing for his eyes.
Gabriel sighed, shifting gingerly as his arms screamed and his back longed to be popped. This had to be the absolute worst day ever. He had met, fallen for, and lost the love of his life all in a single afternoon. He was trapped in jail for who knew how long, his family business was probably going to be torn down, and his nose decided at that moment that it needed to be scratched.
"At least I know things couldn't possibly get any worse," he lamented.
It was then that he heard familiar chattering squeaks coming from directly above. He craned his neck upwards, a gesture that took more effort than usual when pressed up against the harsh brick wall and unable to move more than an inch. Gabriel felt the corners of his lips tug into a disbelieving smile as his eyes met with Luke's hairy little face.
"Luke!" he breathed, grateful tears welling up in his eyes as he stared up at his only friend in the world. Even if Luke was just a monkey -- and the reason he was in this situation in the first place -- Gabriel still felt his heart clench with joy at the knowledge that he had not been abandoned. "I can honestly say that I've never been so happy to see you."
Luke squeaked, climbing down from the high window with ease and landing gracefully in front of the watchmaker's feet. Gabriel marveled, watching as the primate's face twisted into what looked like a scowl as he chattered and shrieked at him angrily.
"If you're yelling at me about how I acted with Mohinder, than go ahead. You have every right to." He sighed, hanging his head at the memory of the prince. His bright smile, his sparkling gaze, his warm touch... It was all too much to think about. Gabriel had known the second he'd met the boy that he didn't stand a chance with him, yet knowing that he had even entertained the idea of winning over the crown prince was enough to make him feel lower than dirt. "It's just... he was so beautiful and wonderful. I couldn't help myself."
The monkey snorted, chattering more nonsense at him.
"You know, I am in prison," Gabriel reminded him tersely. "And most likely for something you stole! So unless you can get me out of here-"
His words died on his tongue as Luke pulled out what looked like one of his tools from the folds of his fur. He stared with wide eyes as the monkey hopped on his shoulder, pick in hand as he worked on prying open the lock that was keeping the boy bound to the stone wall. Not for the first time, Gabriel had to wonder just where on earth Luke had learned to do such things.
In no time at all, the lock gave a loud click, falling open and releasing him from his uncomfortable position.
Gabriel groaned, rubbing at his sore shoulders as he put them down for the first time in hours. "Thank you," he muttered, truly grateful that Luke had come when he did. He couldn't imagine going another minute like that, let alone a life time. "Not that it matters much. I'm still trapped in here... and Mohinder's still far out of reach."
Luke nipped at him, scurrying away miserably to throw rocks into the shadows. Gabriel supposed he deserved that.
"I'm sorry, but he sort of got to me! Not that I could ever have him. I'd have to be a prince... He deserves a prince." He sighed, scrubbing at his face and wiping away the dried tears. "I'm a fool."
"You're only a fool if you give up, boy."
The watchmaker flinched, pressing himself flat against the wall at the sound of the haggard voice calling out to him from somewhere in the darkness. Luke shrieked, scrambling away and hiding behind the young man's back as a figure -- twisted and gnarled and covered in hair suit rags and gray clumps of hair -- limped towards him. "Who... who are you?" Gabriel stammered, sweat pouring down his face as his heart churned in his ears.
"A lowly prisoner like yourself," the old man choked. "But together we could be more."
Gabriel was silent, too afraid to speak, yet too captivated by curiosity to turn away from the stranger. The old man seemed to understand that, in spite of his quickly paling skin and wide fearful eyes, the boy was intrigued. He continued.
"There is a cave, boy, a cave of wonders," he told him, whispering the words as if fearful that someone might overhear them.
Suddenly Gabriel wondered if there were other prisoners trapped in the dungeon. It wasn't impossible. The thick shadows had hidden the stranger perfectly and Gabriel couldn't even tell how far back the tunnels and caverns of the dungeon went.
Gabriel's attention drifted back to the old hermit as he watched in stunned silence as he reached into the folds of his clothes and pulled out a fistful of shimmering rubies, their dazzling glow lighting the darkened cavern. "This cave is filled with treasures beyond your wildest dreams. More than enough to impress your prince, I'd wager."
The young man swallowed, his throat feeling very tight, dry as the old man stuffed the crystals back into his rags. "But... but the law says-"
"You've heard of the golden rule, haven't you?" the old man chided. "Whoever has the gold makes the rules."
Gabriel frowned at the old prisoner's joke. It didn't feel right. Mohinder didn't seem like the materialistic type, but the sultan might be a different story all together. Still, this old man had crawled out of the darkness and offered to make his dreams come true. Why? It didn't seem real. "Well, why would you share all this 'wonderful treasure' with me?"
The old man smirked, a gesture that made the watchmaker's insides twist in fear. "I need a strong pair of legs and a young back to go in after it," he told him, looking the boy up and down. "You'll do."
His frown only deepened. There was still one major flaw in the old hermit's plan. "Well, we are in prison and there doesn't look like there's any way out of here," Gabriel said wearily. "It's a great idea, but by the time I get released, the prince will already be married."
The unsettling smirk only widened as the old man hobbled over towards the stone walls, pressing a few blocks that moved aside with surprising ease. Gabriel's eyes nearly doubled in size as the small section of the wall moved away, revealing what looked like a few flights of steps, stairs that most definitely lead to freedom.
"So," the old man began, holding his hand out towards the boy, "do we have a deal?"
Gabriel looked at Luke, who was now clinging to his back and trembling with fear. The monkey blinked at him, ducking his head and burying his face in Gabriel's shoulder. He sighed. He really didn't see any other way.
-+-+-+-
The sun had set, plummeting the desert in to a dry, chilling wasteland and suddenly Gabriel wished he had just stayed in the dungeon. The only light in the expanse of sand and loneliness came from the glowing golden eyes of the giant sand structure that had morphed out of the ground and shaped itself into an almost perfect replica of a tiger's head.
A chill ran down the boy's spine as the tiger, the entrance into the Cave of Wonders, looked down at him, studying him intensely with its piercing gaze.
"Who disturbs my slumber?" the Cave's deep voice boomed and Gabriel's legs were seconds away from giving out.
"Uh... it is I, uh... Gabriel?"
His face flushed, burning bright red and he thought for sure that it was all over. Instead, the Cave blinked, its "face" calm as it considered the boy's words. "Proceed," it said at last. "Touch nothing but the lamp."
With that said, the sand structure's mouth opened, a haunting light emitting from the base of what looked like an endless flight of stairs. Luke was shivering, clinging to Gabriel's shirt so tightly that the boy thought for sure that the little creature would rip his already ragged clothes to shreds. A part of him wanted to leave Luke behind, but he couldn't. He turned to stare at the old hermit who had led him here. He didn't trust the man and he certainly didn't want to leave Luke with him.
"Remember boy," the old man told him, noticing the hesitant gaze in Gabriel's deep brown eyes, "bring me the lamp and then you shall have your reward."
Gabriel swallowed, every single muscle in his body telling him to run as far and as fast as he could in the other direction. It was an insane idea conceived by an insane old man and he would be insane to go through with it. Yet he knew in his heart that he had to. It was probably the only way he would ever be able to even see Mohinder again.
With that thought in mind, he stepped into the Cave, legs trembling and teeth chattering. His heart was pounding, churning in his ears and his eyes were blurring with panic, which was quite unfortunate since he was walking down narrow, crooked stone steps. By the time he reached the ground, he felt ready to collapse. He sincerely hoped that this lamp the old man was so intent on wasn't too far away.
His breathing was shallow, labored with panic as he dragged himself onward, moving into the next room where the haunting yellow glow had been coming from. Luke squeaked, crawling into Gabriel's shirt in order to hide himself from what seemed to be impending danger. Yet there was none to be seen. Instead, the young man crossed into the wide, cavernous room and saw nothing but shimmering, sparkling gold.
"Golly," he breathed, drinking in the awe inspiring sight before him. "Would you look at that?"
Unfortunately for Gabriel, Luke did look and his little kleptomaniac heart leapt into his mouth at the sight of mountains of treasure sprawled out at their feet. Before the watchmaker could even react, the monkey was leaping off of his shoulder and scampering towards the pile of gold. It was with sheer luck that the young man was able to grab the creature's hairy little tail just before he could touch so much as a coin.
"Don't!" he shouted, causing the simian to freeze at the sound of his surprisingly powerful voice. "You remember what the talking tiger said: don't touch anything. Now let's just find that lamp and get out of here."
Luke huffed, as best as a monkey could, crossing his arms in front of his little chest as he sat on the surprisingly firm ground and merely stared at the gold.
Gabriel rolled his eyes, walking away from his friend. If the creature wanted to sulk, then there wasn't much he could do about it. He had a treasure to find.
The young man couldn't have taken more than a few steps away from the monkey, when he heard the sound of panicked chattering and squeaks. He turned around to see that Luke was currently hissing and squeaking angrily at what looked like an ordinary -- although decorative -- purple rug.
"Luke," he called out, gaining the monkey's attention. "Knock it off. We have to go."
He turned, advancing onward, but the squeaking continued. Spinning around one more time, he saw that the carpet was moving, hovering in midair as Luke scrambled towards him, jumping onto Gabriel's back.
"Oh... wow," he breathed. A magic carpet. Inside an enchanted cave. His life was getting far too strange.
The carpet floated towards him, circling the young watchmaker several times, the gesture causing Luke to dig his fingers into Gabriel's back in panic. Gabriel frowned, poking at the rug that proceeded to poke him back with the tip of its golden tassel. Apparently the carpet could not only fly, it was also aware of him.
"Well, um, carpet?" Gabriel began haltingly, because the fact that he was speaking to a carpet, even an enchanted one, was ridiculous to say the least. "You must know your way around this cave, right? Do you think you can help us find a lamp?"
The rug wavered in the air before zipping off towards the far end of the cave and a tunnel leading to another room. Gabriel followed, praying that the carpet was leading him to the treasure.
He found that the cave was much more spacious than he ever would have thought. There were dozens of rooms, filled with tempting jewels, pools of crisp water, and even what looked like freshly fallen snow. They passed them all, before finally arriving at a massive room, filled with a large pool of water with a mountain of stones in the center. At the very top mountain was a single, gold lamp, a beam of clear blue light shining down on it.
His heart hammered in his chest, his tongue went dry, and sweat was pouring from every inch of him. Gabriel swallowed, wiping the sweat from his brow as he pried Luke off of his back and placed him on top of the floating rug. "Watch him," he told the carpet, not sure how it could watch or see anything.
Taking in a long, trembling breath, the young man walked way, determined to grab the lamp and get out of this strange place as quickly as possible. The path to the lamp was nothing more than a few gray, bulbous stones, separated by the freezing cold water below. Gabriel wobbled, trembling as he hopped from stone to stone towards his goal. The world around him seem to have drifted away, the only two things that were left was himself and the lamp. The stairs were almost too narrow for him to walk on, so he crawled, his eyes fixed on the golden object that was just out of reach. He'd get the lamp, he'd get his gold, and he'd see Mohinder again. Even if the boy rejected him, laughed at him, all he wanted was to see him one more time. That would be enough.
When he reached the top, Gabriel suddenly realized how incredibly simple this whole ordeal had been. Now that he had achieved his goal, he realized that he hadn't been in grave danger after all. The treasure hadn't tempted him and with the carpet's help, the youth had avoided getting lost or distracted by the countless rooms. He scooped the lamp up in his hands -- the gold surface chilling yet enchanting all at once -- and felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
"Well," he began, turning back towards his companions, "I suppose we should get back to-"
The words practically evaporated on his lips when he turned around to see that Luke had somehow gotten away from the magic carpet and was now pawing a large ruby. His stomach went cold as the once cool blue room shifted into a boiling hot red. The water disappeared, evaporated and Gabriel truly regretted his decision to bring the pet along.
-+-+-+-
"Where is he?" Candice whined, flittering from his shoulder onto the horse's saddle. "That kid's been in there for hours!"
Thompson groaned, stretching until his back gave a pleasant pop. If there was one flaw in his disguise it was the inconvenience of being bent over for so long. That and the itchy beard. The urge to scratch at his chin was driving him crazy, but he resisted. It wouldn't do to have the whole disguise fall apart just because he was restless.
"Be patient, Candice," he chided, glancing back towards the entrance to the Cave. "He'll be out any minute now."
"You said that thirty minutes ago," the bird pointed out. "What if he's not coming back? What if he grabbed the lamp and decided to keep it to himself?"
He chuckled shaking his head slowly at his companion's words. Gray was a push over, plain and simple. He didn't look like he had the spine or the drive to stand up for himself. The only thing the kid had was a kind heart, a heart that the prince had already captured. Not that it mattered. They would never see each other again. "I think you're giving that kid way too much credit."
It was then that the night air that had been so calm and still just a moment ago picked up, churning as thick clouds gathered overhead. The Cave's yellow eyes began to flash red, bathing the desert in its haunting crimson hue as the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. Thompson cursed grabbing his horse by the reigns as the animal bucked and snorted, ready to flee as the Cave began screaming, roaring in pain.
"I think the kid just messed things up big time," Candice commented, flying onto his shoulder, digging her claws in deep in order to keep from being blown away by the strong gusts of wind.
He batted the parrot away, noticing a single pale hand clutching at the mouth of the cave. He darted towards it, easily slipping back into the role of the old hermit, as he peaked over the side to see that Gabriel was there, struggling to hold on to what was left of the stone stairs.
"Help me!" the boy cried, his hands trembling as he struggled to cling to the crumbling rocks beneath him.
"Give me the lamp!" he returned. A scowl longed to slip on to his features as he watched the child begin to slip. If he didn't have the lamp, then this would all be for nothing.
"I can't hold on," Gabriel whined, the little creature on his back clinging to his clothes for dear life as they hung in the air, high above harsh, jagged rock. The fall would kill them both instantly.
"First give me the lamp!"
Gabriel frowned, annoyed yet too desperate to argue anymore as he reached into the folds of his clothes and pulled out the object that Thompson had waited years to see.
It took everything in him not to just jump and snatch it away from the boy. Instead, he pressed himself flat against the sand, stretching his arm as far as it could go towards the glittering, golden lamp. His fingers wrapped themselves around the still cool metal and suddenly the man could not resist the urge to yank the lamp away, clutching it protectively to his chest. At last, at long last he had finally gotten the object he had been searching for. The power to make his dreams come true was right in the palm of his hands.
The soft grunts and groans of the boy struggling the rest of the way out of the cave -- his pet monkey pulling at his sleeve in a desperate attempt to "help" -- caught his ear. The celebrations would have to wait until his business was completed.
With a sweep of his hand, he knocked the monkey away, sending him tumbling across the sand, as he wrapped his other hand around Gabriel's wrist and yanked him forward.
"What are you doing?" the child gasped and from the look in his wide brown eyes, he knew exactly what the man had planned.
"Giving you your reward," he said simply as he pulled out the dagger that had been tucked into the folds of his clothes. He couldn't let Gabriel go, couldn't let the boy survive, or else he'd run the risk of having the young man tell someone what he had seen today.
The knife was in the air, ready to plummet into the child's waiting neck, when suddenly a sharp pain in his shoulder stopped him. He yelped, hands instinctively going slack as he turned to see that Gabriel's pet had just bit him. Thompson scowled. Both the knife and the boy had fallen into the cave. It was only fitting that the little monkey should follow. He grabbed the furry creature by its neck and hurled it inside. As soon as the creature had disappeared into the darkness, the Cave gave one final howl before it exploded in a flash of sand and light.
The man felt his head buzz, his whole world spinning as he was flung several feet away. For a long time, he was forced to just lie there, listening to the ringing in his ears as his body screamed at him. An eternity seemed to pass before he finally managed to muster the strength to sit up and reach for his lamp, but it was gone. Everything that he had worked for, killed for, was gone.
-+-+-+-
Chandra cringed as he approached the private bed chambers, listening to the echoing, smashing crashes that were coming from the farthest room at the end of the hall, Mohinder's room. He had heard from the servants that the prince was in one of his moods again and as the boy's father he had no other choice but to get to the bottom of what was upsetting him.
He opened the door just in time to have to duck as a large chunk of wood came whizzing through the air, nearly connecting with his head. The sultan gaped, staring in horror at the wreckage that was his son's bedroom. The floor was completely hidden underneath shattered glass, ripped fabric, and pieces of woods. In the far corner, he saw Nirand, tucked away behind the bed as Mohinder grabbed what was left of his chair and began smashing his bureau into pieces.
The sultan groaned as he considered leaving. He was not up for dealing with Mohinder, especially not in this violent, destructive state. Yet he could not just sit back and allow the young prince to destroy his palace.
"Mohinder," he began, his voice firm and authoritative, readying himself to lecture the irrational young man.
The prince stilled, his back still facing him as his shoulders tensed and his arms trembled in the wake of his destructive out burst.
"Mohinder," he began again, "whatever it is that's bothering you, you have no right to-" His words were cut off and his ears perked up at the sound of a soft, strangled sob. Chandra frowned, taking a few steps closer to his son, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Mohinder?"
Mohinder sobbed, bowing his head and Chandra saw for the first time that the boy was crying. His face was flushed, cheeks burning red as twin rivers poured down his face. With one last sniffle, the prince collapsed into his arms, burying his face into his father's shoulder as he exploded into a fit of tears.
Chandra merely stood there, startled by the sight. He hadn't seen Mohinder cry in years. "There, there," he began awkwardly, patting the boy's back hesitantly. "What's wrong?"
"Thompson," Mohinder wept. "Thompson has done something... terrible."
Chapter 4 - Prince Sylar