The princess, the commoner and the sorcerer

[the commoner]

The commoner, for the better part of a week, had been unsuccessfully trying to woo the princess. But it was not easily done for though she was incredibly beautiful, he felt nothing for her. And though he was posted outside her bedroom, he rarely interacted with her since she had first met him. For once she had deducted he was a mere commoner, and stalked off, he had called, "Your Majesty, you are surely the most beautiful woman I have ever seen! Please, take a chance on a mere peasant." after he, but to no avail. She had seemed not to hear him, her mind seemingly elsewhere. And he had persisted, complimenting her at every turn, trying to imply romance and chemistry, insisting he walk her everywhere. The most she had spoken to him was to tell him it was "Your Highness" and not "Your Majesty". And lately, she spent much of her time locked in her bedroom, when she wasn't off prepping to be Sultaness, and he could only guess why. Perhaps to escape him. Yet, he wondered. For he suspected she had a lover of her own, since she seemed as uninterested in him as he to her. And so, nightly, he was met with the disappointment of the guard. Over the past few nights, he could feel the impatience growing as the commoner consistently bore poor news, though the guard tried to appear calm and collected. Yet, though Imaran so desperately wished to simply walk away, he feared for his fate. For he knew, though the guard never said it outright, that his identity would be revealed should he fail in his task. But, if he succeeded, the commoner knew he would be given riches beyond his dreams and the power to change the cruel system which had placed him and so many others in poverty. So he continued, growing ever so increasingly desperate. But these thoughts battled with another, for he wondered about the lamp which he had risked his life to acquire. Yet he was given no satisfactory answer. Whenever he had attempted to pry, the guard had become tight lipped, offering a vague response about awaiting the correct time. For what, he was unsure. He also bided his own time, waiting for a chance to make a move on the princess. But he found he did not need to. It was on one fine morning that the princess once again spoke to him. He was standing guard outside her room, when he heard the scraping of a lock and the door being yanked open. He turned quickly to face the princess, her hair distinctly rumpled and her lips bright red and swollen. Over her shoulder, he caught sight of a girl slipping lightly off her balcony. 'So it's true,' thought he. 'She does have a lover.' But he chose to ignore this. As he began to remark on her stunning beauty and listlessly drone on about anything and everything that could possibly be complimented, he was astonished when she gave a sigh and pulled him into the bedroom, slamming the door behind. "I have only one question of you." said the princess, a demanding tone in her voice. Imaran's heart began hammering in his chest, a cacophony of thoughts immediately rushing through his mind. What could she possibly want? Had she discovered his plot? His identity? Did she know he met nightly with the mysterious guard who revealed neither face nor name? But he snapped his attention back on her, fixing his attention intently upon her as she spoke. "Why do you continue to try and woo me? For I can hear in your words that you neither mean nor want to say them." And the commoner opened his mouth then quickly snapped it shut. Damn this woman for being so clever. He knew he could not lie for two reasons. One, he was a terrible liar. Two, even if he might have been good, she would see through it. The princess was too smart for her own good. And he cursed his rotten luck. for now he was stuck in a compromising position. He could not lie to her, yet she could not know the plans between him and the guard, for surely he would be doomed if that was revealed. And he needed this, for his people. Yet, surely the princess was an understanding woman. And so, he stuck with what he knew best. A partial truth, neither untruthful nor completely truthful. A truth, carefully vague and leaving the perfect amount out. "I was bade to do so by someone, to...to pay off a debt." said he, trying to seem completely honest. The princess frowned. 
"Are you at the bidding of the guard who gave you this position?" asked she, looking deeply into his soul trying to catch his every lie, every flaw. 
"Yes." said he simply and quietly. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he thought he saw her smile.
But it vanished quickly as she chewed her lip, deep in thought. "And you still know not his identity?" The commoner shook his head, reigniting a desire in him to know. The princess looked furtively at him. "Can I make an offer?" asked she. And reluctantly, against his will, he nodded. For though he trusted the princess far more than the guard, he did not know what would become of him should the guard find out he had been fraternizing with her. But the princess was detailing the offer and he turned his attention back to her. "I can ensure that you keep this position, if, when you find out, you tell me the guard's identity." She held out her hand, daring him to take. And they shook. That night, he met with the guard once again. And the meeting would have passed smoothly had the commoner not once again voiced the curiosity on his mind. "My fellow guard," said he, treading carefully. "Surely you still have plans for the lamp...for I did go all that way to retrieve it?" But this time, the guard seemed to have lost it, for the commoner had finally asked once too many.
"The lamp is none of your concern!" the guard bellowed, in a voice that shook the tiny room they were standing in. "You shall await me for news of the lamp and ask no more! For now is not the time! I shall decide on that!" And with that, he stormed out. The commoner, though certainly startled, recovered quickly, then quietly waited a few seconds before getting up and following him. For surely there must be something that so prevented him from wanting Imaran to see the lamp? And the commoner wondered. The guard, in his boiling anger, neither turned his head nor paid much attention to his surroundings, for the commoner found it incredibly easy to tail him back to his quarters. And when they arrived, the commoner carefully peered around the door frame, just out of the guard's sight. The guard had slumped onto his bed and seemed ot be blankly starting at the lamp. And, suddenly, he wrenched the helmet off his head and threw it upon the ground, burying his face in his hands. Though the commoner could only see the back of his head, something struck him as awfully familiar about it. And when the guard lifted his face form his hands to look upon the lamp, Imaran suddenly knew why. It was the man from the market square, the one who had got him arrested! Stunned, the commoner whipped back around and sank to the floor, the news weighing heavily on his shoulders. And for a minute, he lay there, processing when suddenly his eyes shot open for he knew what he had to do. And so he waited. When the muffled snores of the man was heard, Imaran carefully made short work of the lock on the door and pushed it open, wincing at the creaking. The man did not wake. Even in the darkness, the lamp glowed. The commoner stole towards the lamp and for a minute stared, basking in its glow. There was something almost eerie about it. But he jumped and stuffed the lamp into his shirt as the man rolled over, snuffling. He made haste scurrying as quickly and quiet as possible along the darkened corridors, freezing at the tiniest sound. When he returned to his room, he looked carefully at the lamp, and suddenly it became so bright it was almost unbearable to look at. Squinting, he saw what seemed to be smudged letters covered in a layer of dust. He rubbed it quickly to try and decipher them. But suddenly, the lamp began to loudly whistle, and what seemed to be blue smoke poured out of it. He watched in astonishment as the most beautiful gentleman he had ever seen unfurled from its depths.