Just then there was a disturbance at the flap of the tent. A servant escorted in Renat and quickly left without a word. Upon seeing the loving scene between father and daughter, the scientist averted his eyes. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I was told you wanted to see me."

"He apologizes a lot," Mairwen whispered into Devrim's ear.

The Emperor hid his smile and ignored the intruder. "You should get ready for the feast tonight, Mairwen. Orhan has been curing the meat since we arrived. It should rival even the royal kitchens!"

Mairwen made one last silent plea with her eyes and then sighed. Passing Renat on her way out of the tent, she made an apology of her own. "I am sorry," she said, leaving the boy as confused as ever.

Renat bowed before the Emperor. "I am sorry for the ripped clothes of the princess. That was all due to the assassin. Please believe I would never..."

Devrim cut him off. "I am aware of what has happened. I have received your account as well as the princess's from my soldiers. You are quite brave to speak when I have not yet spoken to you. The penalty for that is quite stiff. Is it not, Junayd?" the Emperor asked over his shoulder.

The general gave a dangerous smile. "Quite stiff, Sire. A man could lose his tongue or worse. I do not envy the man to cross you."

Renat froze in fear with wide eyes. He was no longer sure what to do. He remained in a half bow, unwilling to commit another blunder.

Devrim nodded slowly, sizing up the boy. "Now, Renat," the Emperor seemed to have a bad taste in his mouth as he said the boy's name, "please do me the courtesy of answering my questions. What do I need to know about your family?"

"My family, Your Majesty?" the scientist did not understand the question.

The Emperor clicked his tongue in disgust. "I am told you are brilliant and yet you cannot answer a simple request. Is your family wealthy? Are they powerful? What do they have to recommend them?"

Renat stood up straight at last. His family was a topic which he knew well. "My father is your average shopkeeper. He sells salt and other common spices with my older brother. My mother stays home with my younger siblings and helps out at the shop as well. I joined the army to take some of the burden from them and to find a place where I could conduct my experiments. They have no power and only hard work to recommend them. But my father says more power means more problems. I am sure Your Majesty knows what he means." Renat chuckled only to realize that the Emperor was not laughing with him. He lowered his head. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I have spoken out of turn."

"She's right: you do apologize often..." was all Devrim said. His eyes were trained on the every movement of the boy.

"Sire?"

Devrim waved off the boy's question. "Nothing. What are your intentions with my daughter?"

The tent grew so quiet that you could hear the boy's erratic heartbeat. "Your Majesty, I would never presume to even aspire to have intentions."

"So you do not like the Princess?" there was a growl in Devrim's voice that carried a threat.

Renat quickly backtracked as sweat poured down his forehead. "Of course I like her. I--"

"What do you like about her?" the Emperor pushed. He leaned against a raised table, which had been made expressly for Devrim's use. He watched as the scientist's face changed into one of contemplation.

"Where do I even begin? I like the princess's determined nature, her curiosity, and the way she cares for others. I like that she is brilliant, funny, and beautiful..." The last word drew a critical eye from the girl's father, but Renate was too committed to his words to stop. "She radiates everything that is right with this world. Even her weaknesses are strengths. Sire, I could search the whole world and never find another that even comes close your daughter. I do not just like her, I love her." Renat covered his mouth. The last words had slipped out. He fell on his face at the Emperor's feet. "I will not act on it, Your Majesty. Please believe me that I would not hurt your daughter. She deserves the sun, moon and stars, not a wretch like me."

"I believe that is for the princess to decide," Devrim lifted the boy from the ground. "Coming from nothing does not make you nothing. You must make your own life. As for who deserves to have the princess's affections, I do not think anyone will ever be worthy. But my daughter holds you above the others, and I will not stand in her way." The Emperor's eyes narrowed. "But if you hurt my daughter, you will end up like the grains of sand around us. No one will ever remember that you existed. Do we understand one another?"

Renat's face beamed at the implied blessing. "Understood, Sire. Thank you, Your Majesty." The boy bowed again and again, making the Emperor slightly motion sick. "I will not disappoint you."

"Make sure that you don't…"

Renat stopped mid-bow and stood straight. "More importantly, I refuse to disappoint her."

"Good man." Devrim placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Junayd set down the mirror and clapped. "Now that deserves a SANDing-ovation. I was afraid I was going to have to use some CAMEL-flage to get out of here. I was just SHORE things were going to end badly. Now I am hungry. You know what I want?"

The other men started. "A…a SANDwich?" Renat asked, unsure of what to do with the jolly general.

"Precisely! And don't forget DEsSERT," Junayd laughed. "But don't try to SAND by me to me when it comes to jokes. You will always come up a few GRAINs short."

The boy shrugged and gave the General a sidelong glance. "I have found that all jokes about deserts fall under DRY humor. But perhaps that is because one has to be deserted to fully appreciate them."

"A fellow lover of puns! I am glad the Emperor did not seal your DUNE or I might have missed this chance…" Junayd smiled

"Yes, but I humbly submit that the day isn't over yet. There is still time for His Majesty to say, 'well, well, well'…and then throw me into one."

Devrim cleared his throat. "Don't tempt me!" In a calmer voice he added, "Now leave. The feast begins in a few hours and the princess will expect you there."

"And make sure you look like the spine of a catus…SHARP!" Junayd winked.

"Glory to the Empress!" Renat bowed and left quickly.

"Junayd?" Devrim called the soldier by his side.

"Yea Sire?"

"You're fired." Devrim dropped to the ground in the pile of pillows littering the ground and stuffed one on top of his own face.

"Sire? What for?" Junayd could not tell if the Emperor was joking.

"For getting along with the enemy…" Devrim said with a muffled voice.

"You mean the boy? He seems harmless enough…"

"When is comes to loving my daughter, Junayd…no boy is harmless. At least he is better than all the courtiers and noblemen that try to attach themselves to Mairwen. He seems to have more…depth." The Emperor comforted himself.

"Your Majesty, am I really fired?" Junayd smiled weakly as he awaited the response.

"No…my wife would just rehire you." Devrim removed the pillow and looked at the nervous general. "And despite my protests, I don't hate your puns."

"I will always SAND by you, Your Majesty, through every COARSE or PRICKLY situation. I will be your CAMEL-eon and change as needed." Junayd banged his chest with his palm a few times with conviction.

"Thanks…"

"And speaking of your wife… I may or may not have caught snippets of your conversation for Her Majesty to view."

Devrim's head dropped back down on the cushions. "Oooof course you did… how much did she see?"

"I am not sure. But I think she saw everything from when you and the Princess hugged until I started clapping. So basically everything that happened with Renat." Junayd looked innocently at the ceiling.

"I take it back. You are real fired, and I hate your puns." Devrim chunked a cushion at the general, which the latter allowed to hit him in the stomach.

Junayd proffered the lit mirror to his master. "Make sure you tell that to Her Majesty. I need her as a reference."

Devrim took the mirror and sat up to view the message. "Well done, my husband. Your wisdom does you credit. Now keep an eagle eye on those two. We mustn't let them do anything foolish."

The Emperor kissed the mirror. "Finally a mission I can get behind." Devrim turned a a devilish smile on the Junayd. "General? You are rehired. In fact, I have a special job for you…"