The book of John Doe

As you think out loud, you notice a lone Bedouin riding nearby. He isn’t approaching, but from the look of things, he’s been traveling alongside you for a while now. Something in your gut tells you to approach him—you might be able to get some useful information.
Ahead of you stretches mile after mile of flat land, until finally, you see a chain of sand dunes rising on the horizon, stretching endlessly in both directions.
The rider—just a kid, really—doesn’t seem to notice you. It’s as if the world itself is indifferent to him. But you break the spell by calling out a greeting.
“Good day, young man. Do you know how I can reach the city of Dahranjia?”
He remains impassive for a few seconds. He finally breaks his silence to tell you that the city of Dahranjia lies beyond those golden mounds. He doesn’t seem to mind the fact that you both are going in the same direction. Despite looking no older than his early twenties, there’s something ancient in his gaze—he seems too old for his age. What does a life in the desert look like? How different can two lives be?

This kid inspires your trust, and you need to get back to your city as soon as possible. After mulling it over carefully, you break again the silence that’s settled between you two. You address him:

***

— I don’t know if I’ll still be wealthy by the end of this journey, but here’s what I can offer for your invaluable help—getting into the palace, and getting out of it alive. I can give you a third of this now, and the rest once I’ve spoken to my uncle, the Prince of Zalenia, and we’ve returned safely to the oasis where you found me. — As you speak, you show him your full bag of gold.

— My uncle is the Prince of Zalenia, and I am second in line to the Duchy of Moravia. If you take me to him, you’ll be richly rewarded by my uncle. He’s expecting me at the palace. The future of his realm depends, in no small part, on the decisions my father will soon have to make.