William the Conquerer and the Sands of Persia: Chapter 13 - Persepolis

As they approached Persepolis, glimmering in the late morning light, William asked Ali-Baba if they could fly over the city so he could take in its splendor. Ali-Baba nodded and steered the flying carpet on a loop around the majestic metropolis, the jewel of Persia. 

A capital city, Persepolis overawed with beauty. Everywhere domes and minarets crowded the skyline. Men wore tall turbans that looked like towers. Dancing girls were observed by men and women as they swirled around. 

Camels walked around, rumbling and bellowing. Soldiers of Al-Horrid marched. Caravans rolled by. William stood in awe of this for some minutes, never having seen something so exotic, so strange, so beautiful. 

Merchants sold wares, storytellers spun tales, and the inside of buildings were crowded with intricate designs, such as stars and geometric shapes.

But William also saw many beggars. 

“These are the men,” said Ali-Baba, “Who could not afford to pay taxes to Al-Horrid. They are now homeless.”

They landed the magic carpet inside the walls of the city in an area where livestock were kept, and then dismounted. They pulled scarves over their faces and then wound their way through the crowds to observe Al-Horrid’s massive palace.

William was concerned to see that the palace was crawling with guards. Some of the guards were even literally crawling on the walls because they were searching for vulnerabilities to the palace. 

“It’ll be easy getting into the palace,” said William dourly, “And I’m the grand Mughal of India.” 

His band of friends laughed at his joke, but it did appear it would be hard to get inside, even if Ali-Baba did have knowledge of the secret passages from Hassan the Builder. 

“I think,” said Ali-Baba, “that we could use the magic carpet to get over the wall, although perhaps not all of us at once. We’ll need to wait until nighttime, and I’m thankful there’s no moon tonight.”

They spent the many remaining hours of daylight exploring the city. Ali-Baba looked in many shops, telling the group that he needed to find some specific items to make their mission successful. 

“A candle, a piece of copper wire, a bottle of wine… some gaz candy, a feather, a match… oh, and nine hazelnuts.”

“You’re kidding,” said William.

“What does this ‘kidding’ mean?” asked Ali-Baba.

“It means that you’re lying in a ridiculous way meant to be funny.”

“My friend, I could not be more serious. I think we shall need all of these vital items if we are to thwart Al-Horrid and get you home.”

They got the items.

After lunch William noticed wrestlers dressed only in loincloths wrestling in the marketplace. Men in turbans and robes were betting on the outcomes of the bouts. William watched several competitions before he became bored and moved on. He continued to roam around the city and watch its inhabitants, fascinated by all the different types of people, the noises and unfamiliar smells..

Finally, night began to fall, and the merchants disassembled their stalls and put away their wares. The people slowly retired to their homes for the night. There was no light near Al-Horrid’s palace, and so Ali-Baba led them to a far corner of it that was not well-guarded. They assembled a human pyramid with Ali-Baba at the base, then Sinbad, then Hajji, then William, and finally Scherezade at the top. With all of them standing on their toes, Scherezade was just able to get her fingertips on the top of the wall, and she hoisted herself up silently. 

She let down a rope to allow the others to follow as she kept watch. They crept along the wall, hiding behind large planters and avoiding the sole guard on this section of the wall, who was distracted looking up at the constellations. 

Nearby was a room in which three guards sat chatting and playing cards at a low table. It was likely that at least two of them should have been patrolling the wall, but it was a quiet night and this was not the first time they had shirked their duty. 

Ali-Baba took one of the hazelnuts and threw it against a bell outside the room. The bell was for signaling alarms in case the palace was attacked. 

The hazelnut made a low “bong” sound when it hit the bell, and the guards all got up to investigate. While they were out by the bell, Sinbad placed the bottle of wine on a sideboard in the room. Surely when they returned they would not be able to resist a drink. 

After a moment, the guards, seeing and hearing nothing, and not even finding the hazelnut on the walkway, returned to the guard room. 

They sat at the table and picked up their cards again. After a moment, one of them noticed the bottle of wind and said:

“There’s a bottle of wine here, oh brothers in arms.”

“So there is.”

“Was that there before?”

“It must’ve been, otherwise how did it get there? By magic?”

They all laughed at the thought of it.

“Well, no sense in letting a good bottle of wine go to waste, don’t you agree?”

The other two nodded and one of them opened the bottle of wine and poured three glasses. 

Ali-Baba was pleased at this. The wine wouldn’t put them to sleep, but it would dull their senses and slow their reactions. If it came to a fight, those guards would not be so effective.

Ali-Baba led the group along the walkway toward the tower. He knew, from talking to Hassan the Builder, that at the tower’s base was a locked door that led to secret passages within the palace. One of those passages led to the treasure room and the magic scroll. Another led to Al-Horrid’s bedchamber, in which Ali-Baba intended to satisfy his family code of honor against Al-Horrid and send him into the next world. 

While the patrolling guard was headed in the opposite direction, they all ducked into the tower and carefully descended. They knew if they ran into any guards they’d have to dispatch them quickly and quietly, or else they’d be found out. 

Luck was not on their side. They came across a pair of guards and, surprising them, knocked them senseless and hid the sleeping men behind a storage box. 

They crept on and found the door at the base of the tower. Ali-Baba pulled out his length of copper wire and set to work picking the lock. After a moment, he was still struggling to open the lock and time was of the essence. Scherezade moved close to him and whispered, “Let me try.” She opened the lock in no time at all and they crept into the secret passageway that led beneath the palace.

Ali-Baba lit the candle with the match. He indicated for everyone to move slowly because the space was cramped. They walked along for about two minutes and then came to a location where the passage split. 

Ali-Baba consulted his map by candlelight. “Aha,” he said. “One direction goes to Al-Horrid’s bedchamber, another goes to the Treasure Room. First we go to Al-Horrid’s chamber and I get the key from him, and also do him the courtesy of ending his life.”

They all agreed that getting the key to the case containing the magic scroll was essential. Ali-Baba looked at the map and indicated that the passageway on the right was the correct direction. He was holding the map so close to the candle that the map caught on fire.

“Oh no!” he said, frantically blowing on the paper before hitting it against his body to snuff the flames.

“I hope we won’t be needing that on the way out,” drolled Sinbad.

They took the passage to the right and everyone was nervous at the damage done to their map. 

They walked carefully for about another hundred yards, turning three times to the left and two times to the right, before finally arriving at a bronze grate at floor level. The grate allowed air from a windcatcher to enter the adjacent chamber and cool the room. 

Ali-Baba pulled the Gaz candy out of his pocket. 

“Having a snack?” asked Scherezade.

“No, this is to loosen the bolts on the grate.”

Ali-Baba put the sticky candy on the bolts holding the grate in place, and he used the stickiness to turn the bolts very slowly, for he didn’t want to awaken Al-Horrid. 

It took a long time to loosen the bolts and everyone sat nervously, sweating even though cool air was flowing over them. Finally Ali-Baba got the bolts loose and he had Sinbad hold the grate in place while he pulled it out from the wall. He didn’t want it to fall and make a loud noise. 

They slid the grate to the side, and Ali-Baba crawled into the room followed by William, who was followed by Hajji. 

Something was wrong. 

This was not a bedroom. They were in the Treasure Room. 

“Oh no,” whispered Ali-Baba, “I was looking at the map backwards! What will we do in the treasure room without the key!” They snuck in and found a long golden carved box lying within an ornate glass case. It was covered in precious gems. It was beautiful! 

Ali Baba said, “The magic scroll lies within that golden box. There must be something here that we could use to open it!”

They then began searching desperately for a way to open it. They searched treasure chests, and piles of gold, and all around the chamber. Finally, they resolved that they had no other choice but to break it. William and Hajji smashed at the glass covering until it shattered.

The noise alerted Al-Horrid and Dorlorosan and they hurried down to investigate. They found our heroes in the treasure room with the scroll and broken glass everywhere.. 

“What are you doing here?” asked the villains.

“Al-Horrid, you have slain my family and driven them and me away from my rightful home. You have taxed the poor till they are no more than beggars and taxed the rich and middle class to poverty to line your own purse. You have let your soldiers commit violence, murder and robbery against the people. You have dammed up the river, making thousands die of thirst. You have let your soldiers rob caravans for your own benefit. In summary of these offenses, you shall die!”

“And you have been ugly without a license!” added William.

With that, all drew their swords. Dolorosan, expecting William to be a clumsy swordsman whose blade would be knocked out of his hands with a few swings, instead found William to be a master. They parried, thrusted, and cut with ease, each one more powerful than the last. 

They moved about the room, and William called out, “Hajji, go summon the people!” Hajji ran to the balcony and called out across the wall, “Citizens of Persepolis, come to me and revolt against the evil tyrant!”

The citizens of Persepolis swarmed into the streets and pressed their heaving bodies against the strong doors of the palace gates. More townspeople arrived with a large battering ram, and waves of strong men soon destroyed the gates. The gates groaned under the weight of the passionate crowd. The hinges creaked and bent, and finally, like a river bursting its banks, the doors fell open, and the people raced in.

The people seized the armory and surprised the soldiers just waking from their slumber, The soldiers were defenseless and surrendered immediately. 

William and Dolorosan fought on valiantly. Suddenly Dolorosan summoned magic to kill William. A magic bolt leapt out of Dolorosan’s left palm and arched at William’s face. William ducked, barely dodging the scorching bolt, which impacted the stone wall behind him, cracking it open. 

They continued fighting. Then Ali-Baba was wounded by El Horrid’s blade. The blade sliced Ali Baba’s sword hand, causing him to drop his blade. It landed with a clatter as Ali Baba stepped back, now defenseless. 

William threw his sword straight at Dolorosan’s chest. The move was so swift and unexpected that Dolorosan was too slow to parry, and William’s blade sunk to the hilt into Dolorosan’s chest, killing him. 

Grabbing Dolorosan’s sword, William sprang at El Horrid and they began to fight. Up and down the stairs they fought, in fierce combat The citizens watched their battle with avid interest. William and El Horrid were just too good as swordsmen. Neither one could get inside the other’s defense. So, they continued parrying and cutting so long that the night began to wear away. Finally, as the moon faded and the sky lightened, William dodged El Horrid’s blade and sank his sword into El Horrid’s chest. El Horrid fell, his eyes closing as his body landed with a thump.

The young women gasped, but at the end they, along with the other people, cheered. Then one of El Horrid’s ministers woke up from his long slumber. He was shocked at the scene, but he recognized Ali Baba. The minister made a low bow to show that Ali Baba was back in charge of the kingdom.

“Order them to open the dam, but control the flow of the water so it only replenishes the river. And hand out every coin that El Horrid has stolen with his taxes and robberies and give it back to the people!” All the people cheered at that.

Meanwhile, William had made his way to El Horrid’s chambers and finally located the special key. He took it back to the golden box where the scroll was kept. After saying farewell to his friends, and with one last kiss from Scherezade, he unlocked the case.