Tell me then, does love make one a fool or do only fools fall in love?

—

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"Ah, these conspiracies the palace has taught me, do they make me a bad man, Buraq?" He runs his hand down the forelock of his horse. "Maybe they do. But at least everything is going as as I want it to."

When caliph Khalid ibn Al Malik passed away and her father left the advisory council, soon afterwards he departed from the world too; her family left everything behind and moved to Isfahan-- her mother's hometown. That was when the first big rebellion shook the kingdom and he lost his everything, all signs of the golden days only part of his memories and none to live anymore, until he fortuitously found her again-- a souvenir of his golden days. So he has decided if there's anything left of his past-- his home-- he will reclaim it.

"How fortunate to be reunited with you again. But I've overstayed my welcome here." He gazes out at the desert, its dunes resembling the waves of his life. "Baghdad is your home, and it's time to take you back there, malikati (my queen)."

The evening is in its late hours of survival when the troop of men unload their horses at the outskirts of Isfahan. Despite the exhausted looks on their faces they move fast to build up tents for the night and prepare dinner to eat. No minute has been wasted ever since her abduction from her home-- Noura gathers they must reach the palace in a short timeline. Within a few days, she knows she will be too far away from here to simply run back around to the comforts of her home. Her heart has been grieving over the tragedy every second of their journey but she feels bounded by the circumstances.

The commander of the troop, Muawwiz, unmounts the horse and offers her his hand. She ignores his help and gets down the horse herself. He chuckles lowly and clicks his tongue. Noura daringly lifts her chin at him and parallels his stare. He reaches behind her and hold the noose of his horse, trapping her between himself and the animal.

"Men," he calls out whilst keeping his eyes on her. "Prepare a good meal for our guest."

Noura clenches her jaw and bites back her tongue, never once letting her gaze cower in fear of the man in front of her despite the chaos within her chest from the fear of impending fate.

"We don't treat thieves very well, little one," Muawwiz speaks calmly. "But you're the general's family, and unfortunately him and I come a long way together."

From the choice of his words and the tinge of venom in his tone, he doesn't really sound fond of Eskander to her. They must've some rivalry between them, and sadly she has become a piece in the puzzle.

"What is your name?" he asks her.

She purses her lips, not responding, glaring at him. He lets go of the horse and steps back from her.

"Don't tell me then. But how did you get the caliph's seal?"

"I'm not answerable to you," she finally speaks up. His lips twitch.

"Who are you answerable to then?"

"The caliph. It's his seal, not yours."

To this, he laughs an amused laughed and Noura frowns at him. "In all my years serving the Khalifa, I haven't once seen him. What makes you think you will?"

Who is the Khalifa? Her curiosity resurfaces again. Al Shafay. Why hasn't anyone seen the ruler of such mighty kingdom? How is it even possible? Noura swallows back her questions and bores her eyes into Muawwiz's hard ones.

"The fact that no one before me has had his seal." She smirks. "Does the caliph feel threatened by a girl to take her away from her home like this?"

Muawwiz doesn't reply to her mockery. He stares at her and Noura tentatively moves a little more away from him.

"So you admit that you stole the seal?"

She clenches her jaw. Whatever explanation she gives him, even if true, she knows he won't believe her.

"How did the caliph know I've the seal?" Noura dares. "How among these countless houses, it didn't take long before you dropped at mine?"

"Why do you think he's the caliph, girl?" Muawwiz challenges back. "He knows what goes on in this kingdom."

"I wonder how his seal was stolen then? Or if I'm purposefully framed."

"I wonder if you're actually so naive, or you pretend to be?" He latches at her arm, taking her by surprise, and yanks her to himself. Noura flattens her palms against his chest and pushes back but to no avail. "Eskander did it, didn't he?" Muawwiz grits. "I knew he's a traitor."

The blood runs cold in her body at the allegation. She looks up at him wide-eyed. He thinks Eskander stole the seal. Her minds jumps to connect the dots. Eskander works at the palace; he's on a high rank and has access to many things. This incidence has turned into a plot against him, especially with her connection to him. It will certainly make things difficult for him. An eerie feeling takes over her. Maybe, just maybe, this incident of the seal was actually to frame him and she was only used as a pawn for it. Her sanity goes haywire at the possibility.

"We'll see what the Ameer has to say about it now." Muawwiz smirks wickedly. "The vizier is very fond of him. He must realize now that promoting him to the rank of the general was a mistake."

She cannot hear Muawwiz bad mouth Eskander anymore. Noura exhales in a hiss. "Eskander's family has served the royal blood for a time more than the hair on your head," she snaps. "I think your jealousy of him is only making you bitter towards us."

Muawwiz abruptly takes her jaw in a strong grip and lifts up her face closer to his. "Insolent girl," he rebukes. "Wait till we get to the palace. You'll make a fair slave for me if the caliph spares your life. And Eskander will have his head on a spike in the middle of Baghdad."

"Not if I dig out your heart with my dagger first," she roars, losing any remaining patience with the threat placed upon Eskander.

Before Muawwiz could retort, an arrow flies between their faces, barely missing their noses. Muawwiz jerks away from her. Noura stumbles back and loses her footing, falling on her bottom on the sand. She looks in the direction of both her assaulter and savior and so does Muawwiz. A scowl forms on the commander's face upon seeing the interrupter.

"Slave," Muawwiz spits. "How dare you?!"

A man sits on a white horse with a bow in his hand and his shot arrow stuck beside her in the sand. In the faded daylight, Noura cannot make much of his face. But like the rest of the soldiers, he's well-built, wearing a cloak the hood of which is pulled down, and his shoulder length hair blowing in the desert wind.

"Move away from the girl, commander."

Despite the fact that Muawwiz had called him a slave, the authority in his tone shakes the earth beneath her. All the men in the troop are suddenly attentive and watching the show.

Muawwiz unsheaths his sword, vibrating in rage. "Who are you to order me?"

"I'm here on the command of the caliph to escort the girl safely to the palace. You and your men's duty end here."

"Ameer Zakariya made me responsible for the job."

"You take your orders from the Ameer, commander. But I take mine only from the Khalifa. And this is the order of the caliph himself."

When Muawwiz doesn't make an attempt to move, the man takes another arrow to set in his bow.

"The first shot was missed intentionally. But remember that I never miss my target. So don't test me."

"This girl is from Eskander's family," Muawwiz says. "And we found the caliph's seal with her. I can't simply leave her in the hands of a slave."

"If she's from the general's family, then you better keep your distance from her. Have you forgotten so soon that not long ago the general nearly sent you to your death?"

Muawwiz fumes at his comment. "Since when are you the Eskander's pet? I thought you didn't even want him as the general."

"Ever since the general and I made a common enemy," he bites back and puts away his bow and arrow, unmounting the horse. He walks towards them and comes to stop in from of Muawwiz. "Camp here for the night, then leave in the morning with your men. The girl comes with me to Baghdad. Here," he hands him a letter case, "is a written order for you from the Ameer, in case you still want to defy me."

Muawwiz takes the case from him and opens it to read the letter. The man patiently waits for him until he's done. Without further protests, Muawwiz sheaths his swords. He throws him a despicable look before taking his horse with him and walking away towards his tent, having his ego definitely crushed from the turn of events.

The soldiers return to their business and Noura gazes up at the man. She's still sitting on the sand, being too shocked from the scenario to collect herself and get up. He finally turns to look down at her and at last she gets to have a clearer sight of his face.

He has a impenetrable eyes, two parallel scars over his left eyebrow which divides it in three parts, striking masculine features seemingly amplified by the ruggedness of the battles, and thick stubble covering his jaw. He returns her stunned gaze with his wooden one, meeting it over the sharp angle of his nose.

Then shocking her some more, he takes off his cloak and throws it towards her.

"Warm up. I'll get you food to eat."

Noura seems to come to her senses and swats away at his cloak. "I won't eat. I'm not a thief. Take me back home."

"Your stubbornness will only trouble you, lady. Eat and sleep well. We've a long journey ahead of us."

Before she could protest anymore, he strides away to the fire where the meal is being prepared. Noura watches him for a few seconds, contemplating, before looking around and finding herself trapped amidst dozens of men blocking her escape. And even if she manages to escape, where does she go? If she goes home, they'll find her again. If she doesn't, they'll torture her family. She feels herself at loss in any case.

Gazing up at the sky, she sees a million stars shining in the halo of darkness. Even in the black hollowness, there's always light somewhere-- maybe it's far away, but it's there. She needs to keep going. She cannot give up. If she runs away like a coward, what will they do to Eskander? She'd rather die herself than have him suffer. Sighing dejectedly, she hugs her knees to her chest and buries her face in them. Despite the chill in the air and shiver of her skin, she refuses to wear the man's cloak.

"Why must you be wounded and I shall be the cause?" she mumbles to herself. "I cannot allow it to be, Eskander."

Her fingers grazes over her breastbone where once her pendant would rest. She longs to have it back. She misses it-- she misses her father. Her mother is left without them both. She longs for her home and the safety of Eskander's presence. She has lost too much too soon.

Ya Rabbi. She calls to God in her heart.

The shuffling of feet has her head lifting back up. She watches the bow man coming towards her with two plates of their meal. He sits down a few feet away from her and pushes her plate towards her.

"Eat," he simply commands.

She doesn't bother moving a finger and petulantly stays her ground. He gestures towards her plate again.

"Eat," he asks her again.

"I don't have an appetite," she refuses.

"We begin our journey at the break of dawn," he tells her. "You'll need to be on full stomach and well rested."

"I didn't steal the seal," she utters, pleading with the man. "If I tell you how I got it, you won't even believe me, so what use is it? But I promise I didn't steal it. Some man left it with me and stole my gold pendant while I caught him trying to break into my house. The real thief is still out there. I'm innocent-- Eskander is innocent. Please take me back home and don't put the blame of it on Eskander. He's loyal to the throne," she rambles helplessly.

He stares at her, a moment too long, before blinking away. "You don't owe me any explanation. I'm ordered to bring you to the palace, willingly or unwillingly. I'm only abiding by the orders."

Noura digs her fingers into the sand. Fury boils her blood as she narrows her eyes at him. "Ordered by whom?"

He ignores her and starts eating his dinner.

"Al Shafay?" Noura scoffs. "Your caliph is a beast if that's how he rules."

The man shifts his attention back to her. She lifts her nose defiantly, flaring her nostrils. He finishes chewing his food leisurely and swallows it before answering.

"You don't know him."

"And you do?"

"I serve him."

"Then you're a beast too."

Slowly, a sinister smile creeps up his lips; it scares her. Noura gingerly drags herself away from him. He notices her movements and tilts his head.

"You're right. So considering this, you shouldn't try to outsmart me and look for an escape. Because you cannot run away from me."

She hears the warning in his words. Against the thundering of her heart, she barely manages to keep her chin up. He won't harm her. He cannot. He's ordered to take her to the palace safely after all.

"I'm not scared of you," she says, somehow succeeding in keeping her voice steady.

"I don't want you to be."

"Yet you threaten me."

"Whether the Khalifa is a man to you or a beast solely depends upon you." He leans slightly forward, speaking meaningfully, "Betrayal deserves no mercy in punishment. But the rest can be forgiven."

She grinds her teeth, frustrated at being pointed fingers at. "I didn't steal the seal. Even if your caliph puts my head under an axe, my answer isn't going to change."

"Again, I'm no one to ask you for clarifications," he dismisses and goes back to eating his meal.

Noura turns her face away from him back to the sky. The night is turning darker, blanketing the surrounding. But the sky remains beautiful, tragically so, with its black and silver woven intricately. Is Eskander looking at the stars too? She knows how fond he is of them.

Look at the sky, Nour. Look at the stars in it. They're my light in the dark nights of the war. They remind me of you. How your name means the same-- light. They give me hope that I'll return home.

A smile graces her lips and she closes her eyes. She feels tears floating behind her lids but doesn't let them fall. At least in palace, she'll have Eskander. She lulls her heart and turns back towards the man, surprised at finding him watching her. They stare at each other quietly, second after second stretching too long, before she starts feeling awkward and decides to interrupt the silence.

"Who are you?" she inquires after a moment.

He seems to come out of his reverie and blinks, then tears away his gaze from her down to his plate. "You ask for my name or my designation?"

"Both."

"Adam." He connects eyes with her again. "Guard of her ladyship, Arwa bint Atta."

Noura tips her head in confusion. "Who is she?"

"The wife of the former caliph, Yusuf bin Khalid." He pauses, as if thinking something, then adds more for her. "The queen of the palace."

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Thoughts?

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