Hot and cold were the two constant things in the desert Hero realized as he was kicked awake. Before he registered what was going on the chain pulled from the other end and he was dragged from sleeping to marching again in an instant.

                     "Captain." Thebes glided over the band of thieves until her found the Captain. "Heaven's Oasis is about a mile ahead. Shall be set camp there?"

                     The Captain looked at the horizon. "No." He said. "I've decided to change our course."

                     "But Captain." Thebes worried. "The next water source is a three day march to the west. A cistern at that."

                     "Horus reported seeing Mounts this morning." The Captain said. "I don't want to contend with them."

                     "But the Oasis is just ahead." Thebes said. "We'll need to replenish our supplies."

                     "Thebes, why can't you just do as I said?" The Captain asked. "If Mounts are near then they would have gone to Heaven's Oasis." He turned his back on Thebes and left the harpy eagle to brood. "Horus!" The Captain shouted as he made his way to the front of the line. "Change of plans we're heading east."

                     Hero looked up at the blur of green on the horizon. Slowly it began to move off to the west as they changed courses. Suddenly facing Mounts didn't seem so bad compared to the parching heat.

                     When they settled in for the night Hero lied awake looking up at the stars listening to one of the bandits playing a harmonica. The great beauty that they were went unaffected by the terrible weather of the desert. He searched for the familiar constellations that had long been a source of stories. None of the stars looked familiar however. Where they so far south?

                     He reached under his bandanna and fingered his necklace. The absence of familiarity reminded him of another story.

                     "Once upon a time there was a prince who lived in a tent kingdom. He was the younger brother of two princes just like him." He paused when one of the other children shifted on the chain. "One summer his father sent him to look for a bride from among the people of the southern plains."

                     Again the chain shifted and a little sheep child crawled over to Hero. He smiled at her and continued his story.

                     "Before the prince left his father warned him that the only thing he should set his heart on was his bride and to take or touch nothing else so labor does not come upon him."

                     Hero paused again when he realized the other seven children had gathered around him. Their wide eyes were curious and spoke eagerly for more. That was the closet Hero had heard them come to words.

                     "So the prince set out early one morning with the right provisions and his father's warning in his heart. He traveled into the south battling harsh winds and cruel heat. He came upon many people. Some offered food but the prince said no. Other offered water but the prince refused. When his paws were blistered and his eyes were red he refused medicine." Hero paused and looked at his audience.

                     "After six months the prince had gone as far south as the known world back then could allow him to go and he finally came upon the people of the plains. After stating his business all the mothers of the land began to bring their daughters before him but none found favor with him. Finally the prince came to the chief and asked if there were anymore daughters in the land. The chief said there is but one, his own daughter and he had her brought out to the prince.

                     "Now when the prince saw her he fell instantly in love for she was beautiful, besides very strong and she was also kind. He begged the chief for her to be his bride. Now the chief was a greedy person and one must wonder how his only child was so kind but besides this he loved her very much. So he told the prince that he would work ten years for his daughter as his slave.

                     "Ten years! That is a long time but the prince was in love with the chief's daughter so for ten years he worked. At the end of ten years he came to the chief and said, it has been ten years, where is your daughter that I might make her my wife.

                     "But the chief said to the prince. Ten years have gone by quickly and you have done well to show you can work a field but my daughter will have children. Show me that you can raise a child well. Now a child in those times is grown after sixteen years. 

                     For sixteen years the prince worked and the child came to be very grown and on the sixteenth year he brought the child before the chief. Here the child has grown; the prince said now let me have your daughter that I might make her my wife.

                     The chief was pleased with the child's raising but said to the prince that his daughter would also need a home to raise a family in. So he told the prince to build houses for all the dwellers of the land. There were many houses to be built so that when the prince was finished he had spent forty-six years in the camp.

                     "He finally came again to the chief and said. Fields I have cultivated children I have raised and houses I have built. Now please give me your daughter as a wife. Now the chief looked out upon the plain and saw that the prince had done well and alas he gave him his daughter as a wife.

                     "Now when the prince got to see her he saw that she had grown old but he loved her all the same for he had grown old too. So after their wedding they set out for home and the prince took nothing else save for his wife. When he reached his home his father was the first to greet him.

                     "Oh my son, what have you done for it has been forty six years since you have been gone. Did you have a debt for food? But the prince answered his father no. So the king asked, did you have a debt for water but again the prince said no.

"The king asked if he had acquired a debt in behalf of anything he had warned him not to set his heart on but the prince said no. The only thing he had set his heart on was his wife and for this he had given forty-six years."

                     Over the next few days the children stuck close to Hero and snuggled close to him in the cold nights. The sand of the desert began to draw back and be replaced by rock terrain spotted by gnarled trees that seemed to by clawing the sky in agony.

                     "Halt!" The captain called out and the band of thieves stopped. Hero watched as the Captain made his way to the front of the line. He marched up to a Crag and peered down into a hole on the rocks. Eagerly he reached his hand in and fished around only to draw it out dry.

                     "I knew it." Thebes murmured as the Captain backed away from the cistern.

                     The honey badger looked around then took a bucket and rope from the supply wagon. "Alright you sorry hides, which one of you is fetching the water?"

                     The thieves all shuddered back as the captain held the rope and bucket out to them. No one wanted to go down and risk being trapped in the mire if there wasn't any water. But if they didn't get water, they would die.

                     "Send one of the children." Someone piped up.

                     The Captain made his way over to the chained children with a grin. He passed over each of them until he found the sheep girl. "You," He pointed to her and dropped the bucket at her feet. "Fetch water." When the girl buried her face in Hero's side the Captain grabbed her arm. "Did you hear what I said you little beggar?" He shouted twisting her arm painfully until she cried out.

                     "Leave her alone!" Hero shouted and the Captain hateful eyes met his. The band of thieves fell silent and as Hero looked around he swallowed. "Can't you see she's afraid?"

                     The Captain through his head back in laughter making the daggers on his built jingle. "If you don't want her to get the water, then how do you suppose we drink?"

                     Hero looked down as the thieves all laughed. He thought of the story of the forty-six year bride. If that prince could endure what he had than he could too. "I'll do it." Hero said and again the Captain in his band laughed.

                     "You?" He scoffed. "What do you know about fetching water?"

                     "Nagoray has many wells," Hero said picking up a bucket.

                     "Now hold on just a minute." The Captain said. "I have a lot of money riding on you."

                     "I'll be careful." Hero said and went over to the cistern.

                     The captain snapped his claws and called two of his bandits to secure the rope around Hero. "Tie it good and tight." He said as he looked on desperately.

                     After yanking on the rope Hero wedged himself between the rocks until he felt nothing but air.

                     "Remember." The captain said. "Just yank the rope and we'll pull you out."

                     Hero nodded and the Captain gave the signal for his crew to lower away.

                     "Wait!" He suddenly said and Hero looked at him impatiently. In one fluid motion the captain reached under Hero's bandanna and popped of his necklace. "At least if we lose you I'll get some profit yet." He held the pendant up to the sun enjoying the glow it cast on the bleached rocks. "Lower away." He said as he tied the necklace to his belt.

                     Hero gripped the rope as he was inched down into the cistern. The bucket rotated as it was lowered and soon the voices from above ground as well as the light became muted. He could hear the Captain threatening his band not to drop the rope. The cistern suddenly narrowed and Hero had to guide himself between the rocks that jutted out at him. It was cool under ground out of the sun and he inhaled a dust free breath.

                     Suddenly there was a jerk on the rope and Hero felt it slack. He grabbed onto one of the rocks as the bucket vanished from beneath him. "Help!" He called up and could hear the Captain cursing from above.

                     "Hang on kid, we're send another rope!" Someone called down.

                     "I can't hold on!" Hero said for indeed the rocks wee sharp and his grip was slipping. Finally he released his hold and plummeted into the cistern.

                     From above the Captain heard the crash. "Now look what you did!" He shouted to the crew operating the rope. "Kid!" He shouted into the hole. "Kid?"

                     Hero turned his head to one side and then the other as the room spun and blurred. "Forty-six years he worked." He murmured to himself before his eyes shut and all went quiet around him.

                     The Captain spun around and billowed. "You bunch of fools!" He shouted. "Do you have any idea how much that one was worth?"

                     "Shall we send another child down?" One of the thieves asked.

                     "No." The Captain said, "They cistern is clearly empty hearing how loud he hit the ground."

                     "So what will we do?" Horus asked.

                     "We must double back." The Captain said. "We may have just enough supplies to reach Heaven's Oasis."