Prince Ahmad found himself on the pinnacle of a mountain at dawn, the glorious sun rising behind him amid high, silvery clouds. Below him were untold millions of people eagerly awaiting his coronation and the chance to proclaim themselves his loyal subjects. Upon his shoulders was a heavy cloth-of-silver cloak lined with silk and embroidered with pearls, while in his arms he cradled a silver scepter with a fist-sized diamond in its head. Up the mountainside, paced by solemn chanting, came a procession of priests, wazirs, and nobles, carrying lamps or swinging censers in time to their dignified gait. In the center of the procession was a beautiful young girl, no more than ten, carrying on a velvet cushion the crown that would symbolize his reign.
The procession stopped in front of him and
