Here is the prequel to Children of Solomon! I hope that you enjoy it!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Magi" or "Sinbad no Bouken" or their respective storylines. I only own this plot and my characters.

Enjoy!

Finding Ranya

Prologue: The Journal

Shion couldn't sleep.

It wasn't the first time that he spent his night wandering aimlessly around the halls of the almost silent palace. Even Ja'far, who was the most paranoid when the lights went out, barely acknowledged the sounds of Shion's little, bare feet hitting the stone floor since it happened so often.

While everyone rested, Shion wandered.

It was barely a year since he was brought to Sindria, yet Shion knew the interior of the palace like the back of his hand because of his nightly walks. Sometimes, if he wasn't too tired from his day's work, his father would join him in his evening walks. Shion appreciated Sinbad's attempts in making him feel comfortable. It really did help with his recurring night terrors.

But sometimes, Sinbad wouldn't be there. He was a busy king, after all. Shion didn't fault him for the sleepless nights. It was his own problem.

Shion wandered into the royal library. Tonight, he was a little too tired for a walk. So, Shion decided to try to occupy his mind with a good story. Didn't Amani do something like that when she had trouble sleeping?

'Hmm, should I read 'History of the Old Eras'? Nah, the events are too repetitive. It's always war, war, war, and a side of a rebellion. What about the Geography book? …Well, those things tend to be pretty flat and boring compared to the real thing. Oh! I know! What about 'Adventures of Sinbad'? Father wrote it himself so it should be hilarious to read at least.'

With his mind made up, Shion reached over to take out the scroll. A small rukh, imperceptible to Shion's sight, landed on his hand. The action by the ethereal force pushed Shion's hand over to a pile of scrolls at his left, knocking them over. Wincing at the loud clatter that the scrolls made as they fell from the shelf, Shion knelt down to pick them back up and paused.

Amongst the scrolls, a lone, leather-bound book lay on the ground.

Gingerly picking it up, Shion inspected the book with wary interest. "What is this? Leather-bound books are rare. What's it doing in here with a bunch of scrolls?"

The book looked a little dusty. Before he could think better, Shion instinctively blew on the cover, earning himself a face-full of dust.

Shion coughed and waved the particles away with a hand. "I hate it when that happens." He grumbled to himself and took another look at the journal's cover.

'My Adventures'. It was simply titled. The scrawl looked almost child-like, making Shion's lip quirk up. When his eyes landed on the author's name, he almost dropped the book.

"No way." He breathed as he read the name again.

Ranya

"I found Mom's diary!"