Zayen

Alara steps closer to me. She shifts nervously, looking like she fears that someone in the crowd might jump out and attack her.

As if I'd ever stand by and let that happen.

They are looking at us strangely. I have never seen them gather here like this in all my years. Maybe once, at the birth of Nawaz, but I'm quite sure the Hakeem did not just have another child.

Or maybe he did.

Inside, there are men that I used to see dining with the Hakeem. They all look towards Nawaz with sadness. There's a dullness to the place, that is certainly not coming from the gold-lined furniture.

Once we're lead inside the room where the Hakeem meets, I expect to see him there.

Instead, there is a letter lying on his low desk.

I take it, straightening to read it.

Welcome home,

This must all feel confusing. My daughter asked for my help, and I always do my job to the fullest.

Your Hakeem is gone.

The kids and Aaliya are safe. Aaliya returned to her home.

Maybe the kingdom will be better now, with a new ruler. It was wrong of me to think of Aleamiq as perfect and this land as criminal. It is not so simple.

Let's work together to make both kingdoms better.

Inshallah.

"He's dead. The Hakeem's dead." I push the paper towards Nawaz, then turn to Alara. "Is your moms name Aaliya?" She nods. "She's safe and at home."

Looking back at Nawaz, he looks shell shocked. His fingers tighten on the paper, causing it to crumple slightly. "This isn't how it was supposed to happen. I had questions. I had to know why." Frustration rolls off him in waves. It'll take time for him to process it. For everyone to process it.

Footsteps approach, the high ceilings make them echo, and Ali comes into view. "Yallah! I thought you'd slipped and drowned in a puddle! Here you are."

I immediately embrace Ali an he highs me back with the same amount of force.

Pulling back, my face in serious. "The Hakeem is really . . . ?"

"A pile of bones? Well, not quite yet but give his body some time."

"We need to get everything in order. Let me speak to my brother. We discussed a plan, but I guess it went differently."

"Your brother?" He looks at me strangely.

"Oh, yes. Nawaz and I. But where are the kids? Are they still here?"

"They're upstairs. First—" I don't even let him finish, already running towards the polished stairs.

The door slides open and Saad and Aya sit playing with little little clay toys on the bed.

They healthier and they seem older, even though Aya still has her squishy cheeks.

My shoulders relax as soon as I see them, my knees giving in and hitting the ground. They're alive. They're safe. I didn't want to let myself get my hopes up until I saw it for myself.

"Ba!" Aya calls and nearly face plants climbing off the bed.

They both run into my arms and a tear falls down my cheek when I wrap them in my arms. They're okay. They're okay. Knowing my father, I had been expecting the worst.

Aya gasps, pointing at the tear slipping down my cheek. It makes me laugh. Seeing her here makes me realise how much I missed her tiny, chubby face and those big brown eyes. She presses her finger against my tear and then looks at her wet finger in confusion.

I would give a gold coin to see what is going through her mind right now.

"Maa," she whispers. ماء. Water.

"Where were you?" Saad asks. "You took forever."

I kiss his cheek and he cringes and wipes it away. Nine going onto nineteen, huh? He is so much taller, his height now almost at my chest.

"I'm here now. You don't have to hide anymore. You're going to come live at the palace."

"Yay! Yay! Yay!" Saad jumps up and down. Aya giggles and copies him.

He frowns, turning to me. "She copies everything I do. It's annoying!"

"She admires you." It's something I always wished I had with Nawaz, but had to stay silent. Now, that can change.

A woman comes into the room, then gasps and lowers her gaze when she sees me. "Apologies, I-I was just coming in to bathe them. I will return later—"

"No, stay." As much as I want to wrap them up and never let them out of my sight again, I know they're safe and cared for. I'll be back to tuck them in tonight and maybe I'll even tell them some of the stories from my time away—maybe I'll leave out the man that tried to torture Alara. "Do you know which room Alara has been placed in?"

"Who?"

"The girl who arrived with us. Brown eyes, wild curls."

"Oh she has just departed."

"To where?"

The lady shakes her head, looking concerned. "I'm sorry. I don't know."

"I'll come to see the kids later. Do what you must." With that, I'm out the room and running through the halls once again.

Outside, I push through the crowds that remain outside—many have questions and some are just looking for a reason to cheer and celebrate.

My feet take me in the direction of Wadi, where I remember there is a hole in the mountain which she uses as a shortcut.

Her figure comes into view, her hair brushing behind her with the wind. My feet crunch against the sand.

It's a strange and unfamiliar feeling to be back on land; to have the sun beating down on my skin and warming me.

"Alara!"

She stops, spinning. I run until my boots are basically against hers. My breath is hard, my heart knocking against my chest.

"Hi." She steps back. She has been distant this whole time, and I couldn't figure out why. Now I see she was never planning on staying.

"You could have said goodbye."

Her cheeks redden, or maybe it's because she's no longer used to the sun. "I thought you'd stay up there with the kids. I didn't want to disturb."

"You're leaving?"

"Well, you've gotten everything you wanted." She sifts from side to side, nervously. "There's nothing left here for me here. I was just a nuisance that came in and threw everything upside down. I know my place."

"Not everything," I say. She looks at me with confusion, lines forming between her eyebrows. "I haven't gotten everything I want."

That makes her still.

I tuck her hair behind her ear. "But I'm about to." My head dips closer and my lips meet hers.

It's been a while since I've kissed her, and I craved it. Her soft lips, the little whimper she makes to let me know it feels good and, most of all, the feeling of knowing she is here and she wants me too.

She pulls away from the kiss and I involuntarily lean in. "There's nothing for me to do here. Do you expect me to sit around looking pretty?"

"You'd do a good job," I tease, still looking at her lips. She laughs and pushes my shoulder. "You do have a place. I need someone from Wadi, who knows the land and the ways that it can improve."

Her hand is still on my shoulder. "I can do that."

I shake my head, pressing my finger to her lips. "And, I want you to be by my side. You know, in case you get nightmares and I can protect you from big bad monsters like I always do." I grin from ear to ear, knowing that'll irritate her.

But it doesn't irritate her. She steps closer, so that her chest is against mine. "You want one night together?" she asks, knowing the implications of that.

That is far from what I want. I want her smile in the morning. I want her words of comfort when things get tough, which they will. I want her to be there to sit beside me when I read stories to Saad and Aya. I want her.

"Arghabu fi an akoona ma'ak ila al-abad." أرغب في أن أكون معك إلى الأبد. I crave to be with you forever.

~~*~~

The end <3
Thank you so much for making it to the end. I appreciate you and hope that you enjoyed this little adventure.

T w i t t e r : xPineappleGirlx
I n s t a g r a m : laylaawrites
Y o u t u b e : xThePineappleGirlx

Lots of love and jelly tots - xThePineappleGirlx