Zanzibar, Master Thief, Accidental Captor of Hearts

Note: A princess of Arabic lands, Azalea (or Leah as she is often called by her parents and subjects) grows tired of royal duties and starts living a double life as a thief named Zanzibar. Strangely enough, women start falling for her left and right, but one woman named Dahlia nearly unmasks her.

“Ones philosophy is ones treasure.”—Snakealien, Deviant Art

“The nature of love is like the clouds, always changing, always shifting.”—Uncle Iroh, Avatar: The Last Airbender

Chapter 1—The Duties of Royalty

Azalea absolutely hated her errands and chores that she had to complete around the palace. If it wasn’t going about her errands, she would be learning how to play the flute, posing for a royal painting, or worse; smiling and waving to the people as she was paraded by her devotees in a grand march. All the parades did was glorify the power and influence of the sultans over the land, and Azalea loathed it. She wanted to live one day as a normal human being, like everyone else. After her usual duties for the day, she ended the evening by feeding, grooming and saying goodnight to her faithful white horse, Sirocco, before heading up to bed for the night.

Azalea carried her oil lamp with her. The flame from the lamp outlined her graceful tan skin, her flowing dark hair, light blue eyes, and full pouting lips. Even the brutish guards could sense there was something wrong in her demeanor, but she didn’t have time to talk to them this evening. She wished to be alone in her room, her seven cats as comfort, and her dog as a sentinel against any possible dangers lurking in the night.

As she dreamt that night, she had the most incredible and clever plan. She could become someone else, even if it was for a short while. She would bind her breasts and become a man, roam outside the palace, perhaps even wander the bazaars. The only problem now is she needed such a name and occupation that she would become completely unlike her former self. It would take further development, but she would give the idea a trial run in the next day before her mother and father came to wake her up for her royal schedule. There would be no more royal schedules as far as she was concern. As soon as the sun rose, she was going to be a free woman, or in this case, a free man.

Chapter 2—Becoming Zanzibar

Before the sun’s rays crept over the dunes of the desert, the roosters hadn’t crowed and the peacocks hadn’t begun crying. Azalea had begun dressing in white sheets, binding her breasts so that she resembled a man more than a woman. She was muscular enough to be mistaken for one, so no one would object. In a matter of minutes, she had sneaked out of the palace, let Sirocco out of his pen and was off and riding across the desert before anyone could look for her. Of course this meant that her mother and father would think that she had been kidnapped, but to her it was of no consequence. As far as she was concerned, they never let her have her true freedom and she was going to find it on her own accord.

No sooner had Azalea found a bazaar did she enact her new personality. She had seen some boxes of imported wine named after the place they were shipped from Zanzibar Wine. The name seemed to suit her, particularly because it was mystic, mysterious, unusual and unique just like she was. Feeling impulse motivate her, she saw many items she knew she could swipe in the blink of a cat’s eye. So many things she could never find in the palace, and so many items she could give to the poor people who truly needed it. In a matter of seconds, she had taken spices, colognes, food, jewels and anything she could stuff into rather large backs. Kicking Sirocco’s sides lightly to cause him to gallop, she took off before the vendors could even notice they were missing some of their supplies.

In the nearby village, there were poor people begging for food and struggling to live. It was hard enough just to find a watering hole to maintain hydration, and some of these people were dying, slowly and painfully. Azalea knew that what she had stolen could possibly buy these people the drugs they needed and perhaps food and clothing. She dismounted Sirocco and passed out gold, spices, silver, jewelry; all the items she had stolen. Each person thanked her and blessed her. Some of the women were spellbound by her.

“Tell us, gentle, generous sir, what is your name ?”, one woman asked, apparently smitten with a woman in man’s garb.

“Zanzibar. You don’t need to thank me for what I have done. I only did what I saw as morally correct. No one should go without food, water, or clothing. I must take my leave to the next town, but it is likely I shall return.”, Azalea stated lovingly. Some of the lovelorn women grabbed onto the haunches of the white Arab Sirocco, not wanting Azalea to leave. With a light crack of the reigns, Azalea galloped off into the next city to steal from the rich and give to the poor.

Chapter 3—Royal Crisis

King Kahlid and his wife, Bahira, were looking everywhere for their little Azalea and were frantic that she was no where to be found. Word had gotten out about the thief that had recently appeared. Immediately they connected the disappearance with Zanzibar.

“Perhaps the cur stole away with my daughter in the night. If he tries violating her, so help me Allah…”, Kahlid fumed, storming about his daughters room. He nearly cut the canopy sheets above her bed with his scimitar he was so irate. Bahira placed her hands upon her husband’s shoulders, kneading them with a serenity that past the ages.

“Kahlid, calm yourself. It is no use to become angry. Anger will only hinder us in our search for this Zanzibar. I will have our guards look for him. He couldn’t have gone too terribly far, and in the heat of summer, surely he will stop at the nearest watering hole to replenish his thirst.”, Bahira stated, tranquilly. Kahlid sheathed his scimitar and moaned softly under his wife’s silken hands. He was more like a pussycat now rather than a fierce tiger. Only she knew how to tame him.

“My wife, she is always right. Men, see what you can gather from the local townspeople outside the palace. Perhaps they can find this Zanzibar. I want him brought to me…alive. I will do the rest. I shall think of a suitable punishment for the cad.”, Kahlid said, his words taking upon a venomous nature that nearly chilled Bahira to the bone.

All the while the search was taking place, Azalea had traveled from city to city and then stopped at a local watering hole. There was a young girl about her age by the name of Dahlia.

She had already heard of Zanzibar, and by the looks on her face, she was eager to see his face closer.

“Please ! Let me look upon your face, master thief. No woman has ever seen beyond your handsome blue eyes !”, she said, nearly removing her veil.

“What do you think you are doing, you idiot ! I don’t want anyone knowing…about my scars.”, Azalea lied quickly on the spot. She usually didn’t lie, but apparently, this one actually worked.

“I am sorry, most gracious one. I shall never do so again. But why do you come here, to our little nook of the Earth ?”, Dahlia questioned, falling deeper into love with the handsome stranger.

“To assist your people, as I have done with all the towns I come through. I take riches from the bazaars, and then give them to those who need them most.”, Azalea said. She learned the young girl’s name was Dahlia, but she didn’t wish for Dahlia to come too close for fear her cover would be blown, or worse, if Dahlia tried kissing her and discovered Azalea’s feminine nature, she would be seen as a lesbian. She thought the former was worse than the latter, but in the kingdom, such a thing was never spoken of, even though she knew she wasn’t lesbian anyway.

The little pest, Dahlia had followed her into the next village, and notified Azalea that the royal guard was there, looking for someone. Azalea swore softly, realizing that she had nowhere else to run, and sooner or later, the guards would discover who she was. She decided she would spare them the trouble.

“If you are looking for Zanzibar, he stands before you.”, she said, sadly.

“Without a fight ?”, one of the guards questioned, slightly disappointed.

“I do not fight unless necessary.”, Azalea stated, removing her veil and hood. The guards gasped and Dahlia nearly fainted. She shook her head back and forth, still in shock.

“I cannot believe I fell for a woman !”, Dahlia screamed, clearly upset.

“Believe me, toots, you weren’t the first.”, Azalea thought to herself, clearly thinking how much like a man she sounded in her own head, but it didn’t seem odd or out of the ordinary. For once, it seemed natural.

“You’re father is going to have a few words with you.”, one of the guards said, taking a rope and tying it around Sirocco’s reigns. The lead guard began to ‘toe’ her back to the palace.

“So I guess this is goodbye…”, Dahlia stated, with some sadness.

“I hope it isn’t, but Allah only knows.”, Azalea said as she was taken home to be dealt with by her mother and father.

Chapter 4—Truth Be Told

Once Azalea was dragged home, her father was the one to speak to her first. At first he was irate, but her mother, the more rational of the two parental figures chided him somewhat and stifled him.

“Would you at least hear your young daughter out ? Perhaps she has a reason for becoming Zanzibar.”, Bahira stated, calmly. Kahlid huffed, realizing his wife was right, yet again. He loathed being put in his place by a woman, but he had to admit, she was the smarter of the both of them.

“Please forgive me. But whenever we travel on our parades to glorify ourselves, I see people suffering, dying, begging us for our bounty. Do we help them ? No ! We do nothing. Even our prophet, Mohammed didn’t preach such a thing. We should be ashamed of ourselves.” Azalea stated with irritation. She also went on to say that palace life had been horribly boring, and under the guise of man she had much more freedom than she would as a woman. In this era, and in this location, she had hit the nail directly upon the head. Strangely, her parents weren’t upset but moved by their daughter’s compassion.

“We will allow you to continue existing as Zanzibar until you are old enough for marriage. And, unlike the traditions of old, you can choose, dear.”, Bahira said. Kahlid practically fainted at the old tradition being ignored, but after all, it was a brave new world and his daughter had begun even though initially, she hadn’t really wanted that. But, despite herself, she had done just that, and the Arabic world would forever feel the impact of the royal daughter for decades to come.

Epilogue

Legend has it there have been other “Zanzibars” after Azalea married and “settled down”. She never stopped helping others even after she had been married, and she still kept in touch with her distant friend, Dahlia by way of messages flown to either party by messenger pigeons. Though the “Robin Hoods of Arabia” died out before the modern age ever began, it is said that the final many times great granddaughter of Azalea had become the newest Zanzibar and helped as many as she could. It is said that she had a daughter, but it is unknown whether her daughter took upon the personage of Zanzibar, but few have seen her. Some say, you can see an Arabic horse riding through the dunes of the old kingdom, and the visage of an ice-blue eyed man, coming to bring treasure to the poor and medicines to the sick. But then again, such is the stuff of legends.

The End