Can you imagine how I felt as the princess finished her story? Never had I experienced such a variety of emotions. Fearful for her future, sad at her past, amazed by her story and excited by my opportunity to share it, I was so overwhelmed by the moment that I could not muster a word. She looked at me whilst I gasped.
'So then, do we have a deal?' she asked.
I nodded.
'Thank you' I said. Suddenly there were a million questions that I wanted to ask her, about what would happen next, and about the plan of her enemies, about the problems I might face seeking publication for her story in Britain, but I knew that they were all beneath the princess.
Instead I simply said,
'I will see you again Esma. Once I have succeeded I will come back to Istanbul. Then you will know for certain that the truth is out there.'
'I would appreciate that' she replied, smiling. 'Goodbye Cato, and good luck.'
She let her eyes close, so I got up and walked away.
As soon as I had left her rooms I was grabbed by a guard. He escorted me back to my bed and told me to pack. I would be leaving immediately. I might travel back to Britain however I wished, but I was expected home within the fortnight. The guard looked at the pile of papers I was clutching.
'I have been told to inform you,' he said, 'that we look forward to the publication of the princess' story. We are very keen that her, hmm, her perspective, and of course ours, is made clear to the world as soon as possible, therefore do try to avoid delays. And one last thing, don't you dare change a word of what she said, that is very important. If you do, I promise you, you will regret it.'
Later that afternoon I found myself sitting on the Orient Express, ready to depart from Istanbul. All of my things had been returned to me, and on leaving the palace I had been given a brand new portable computer, that I might work while I travelled. I hated it on first sight, for I was suspicious of everything to do with these people. When I turned it on to begin typing up the princess' story, the light of the screen hurt my eyes, and the touch of it beneath my hands made my wrists ache. The story however had to be written, and I was so pleased to be able to relive my experience that I began straight away.
From Istanbul, to Bucharest, to Budapest and onto Paris, I wrote day and night, desperate to have the story finished, so that I might save the princess from the peril that surrounded her.
I was sure that the British public, and indeed the literate population of this world, would not be able to resist what she had said. There was no way that anyone would deny her sanity, for the prose was quite perfect, and her mind produced more reason than most. Reading my transcription and typing it up made me miss her terribly, so much so that I found it difficult to enjoy the apparent luxury of my rediscovered liberty. The train, the lunches, the wine, the cities, all of it was as lovely as I remembered, but now I found that there was a little something lacking, some light that I had been exposed to whilst listening to the princess, and so mostly I wondered how long it would be before I got to sit before her grace again.
After taking the connecting train under the sea, I arrived back in Britain, and took a black cab from the station to my home. To my delight, sat waiting on the doorstep was a cat, that looked up at me with large eyes, and then said,
'Miaow.'