Shetanna

Sand
Miles of endless, sparkling crystals
Stretched out with the midnight sky behind
The desert has no sounds save time and wind
Except when men would build fires and play their music eerie and mournful or bright and hot
It would move the atoms in an ancient way stirring the primordial ocean that this once was
Tonight a desert princess would be brought to dance for the men
Her beauty was renowned and many warriors and princes were gathered
Shetanna her name was the promise of more than a wife but a position in a kingdom
A surreal opportunity to bypass breeding and royal succession
The King of the desert had decided to choose the best suitor not just the one dictated by custom
He did not approve of the usual candidates and his daughter was exceptional
Such a rare beauty and spirit strong and fierce she would be a worthy queen
The fire crackled and a strong wind sprang up making the horses cry out and be restless
The tent of the king flapped and shook shining of silk and gold
Then the music and the drums sounded and each man stopped transfixed by the woman in the center