The Thief of Shagrim

"Now what do I do?" asked Afeek, looking at the ugly frog sitting before him. The thing croaked, and flicked out its tongue at a passing fly.

Afeek pondered for a moment. "I suppose you're right. I suppose someone will change him back eventually."

"That's the spirit!" said the dragon. "Now, point that thing at me, and make sure you get it right."

Afeek closed his eyes, and pointed the Sceptre at the dragon. There was a blinding flash of light, and then silence. Afeek opened his eyes, gingerly, afraid of what he might see. Standing before him, dressed in elegant clothes befitting a prince, was a young man with dark black hair. He smiled, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. "You did it!" he said, holding out a hand and shaking Afeek firmly by the paw.

"Yes, I guess I did." Afeek was bewildered by the sudden good turn of events, and was half expecting some catastrophe to befall him. Then again, maybe the Gods had had their fun with him.

"It looks like things have gone right for you after all," said the ex-dragon. "Although if I were you, I would leave Shagrim. Things are likely to turn sticky for you when the Sultan is turned back into a man."

"Oh, I don't know," said Afeek. "I'm actually getting used to trouble. I'm afraid I might feel paranoid if nothing bad was happening to me."

The man sniffed. "Each to his own I suppose. And now, I must be off. I can't let the old Sultan's guards catch me here." He bowed low, winked, and then ran for the door. He performed an elegant somersault off the balcony and was gone.

Afeek was left alone with the frog, who was still sitting on the floor, croaking morosely. "Ah, don't be too sad," said the young Katrin. "I'm sure you won't have to stay like that for long. One of your guards is sure to come in and find you eventually."

"And that's it?" said the wizard with a snort. "You turned him into a frog and left? No explosions? No epic sword fights? No angry exclamations of 'I'll be back!'?"

"None," said Afeek. "To tell you the truth, I'm glad there wasn't. I've had enough problems these last six days to last me a lifetime!"

The wizard blew smoke from between clenched lips. "Huh, you mean, no more adventures?"

"That's the idea," said Afeek. "I'm giving up thieving for good. I think I'll retire, maybe start up a little bakery somewhere."

"Yes, humph!" replied the wizard. "You can't give up thieving, you're going to need your particular skills in the future."

"Yes, of course," replied the wizard. His eyes twinkled merrily. "You don't think this is the last of your adventures do you? Oh no, there's a whole world out there. This is only the beginning!"

And so it was with a groan that Afeek, and the wizard known as Shandar, set out to discover what the future held.

And so our story is almost at an end, but for one small detail. What of the Sceptre, and our friend the Sheikh? Well, following their daring escape, and subsequent celebrations, Afeek and Shandar paid a visit on the unfortunate nobleman. It was with much surprise that he set eyes on the wondrous Sceptre. It was with much greater surprise that he found himself swinging from the rafters as a long-tailed monkey. Abdul, the great hulking bodyguard, was thankfully turned into a mouse.

NOTE: Whether this story is real or imaginary is not known. It was passed down through the generations of Shagrimian bards, until it became what you have just read. What is known, however, is that our hero is real, and indeed, his friend the wizard. Both of them went on to greater things, and their stories were recounted in legends forever more. But that…is another story.

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