1) “Astride the animal was a horseman dressed completely in black, with a falcon perched on his left shoulder. He wore a turban and his entire face, except for his eyes, was covered with a black kerchief. He appeared to be a messenger from the desert, but his presence was much more powerful than that of a mere messenger.” (page 109)
Response: My first impression of this man was definitely creepy. The boy viewed this unusual man as some messenger, as did I. Though it turned out, this assumption was all wrong. The mysterious man happened to be the alchemist.
As you can see, this perfectly explains what alchemists are like. People perceive them as normal human beings, but they are nowhere close to normal. They hold great knowledge of nature and unbelievable powers. That meant the alchemist had the capability to help out the boy.
2) “…a young woman approached who was not dressed in black. She had a vessel on her shoulder, and her shoulder, and her head was covered by a veil, but her face was uncovered. When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that in the world spoke--the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love.” (page 92)
Response: Fatima seemed like a beautiful girl in this story. She caught the boy’s attention and made him fall “in love” instantly. Though I honestly thought it was lust, but after a while, the boy and her talked, and their love was actually true. This kept the boy determined to find his destiny on the journey, so he could once again return to his love.
3) “The old man opened his cape, and the boy was struck by what he saw. The old man wore a breast plate of heavy gold, covered with precious stones. The boy recalled the brilliance he had noticed on the previous day. He really was a king! He must be disguised to avoid