Thank you for the review - and for the one on the Mefa-site as well:) About Rajal: I think Aragorn is one of those rare people to whom finding friends and allies just comes naturally. He's simply lucky in his acquaintances, probably because he's also ready to accept new cultures and different ways of life. But I do like that character trait, so I'm extremely happy the "new friend" I created for him meets with so much approval from my readers.

As for "Lawrence of Arabia", I've seen it ages ago, but I definitely tried to convey what a powerful experience such a trip through the desert must have been. "Hidalgo", though, I haven't seen yet. Yes, I know, it's a shame and I'm blushing furiously right now:)

Actually no, I didn't include every detail. Some stuff I found while researching dehydration seemed too gruesome for me to add in a T-rated fic. And I usually don't have a weak stomach where such things are concerned...

And a little behind-the-scenes-info: The character of Rajal was originally a 14-year old girl ready to be married off to the old leader of another tribe. Then she developped into a young boy tending the horses of the bedouins. And in the end I decided to make the character significantly older.