Inscribed In The Stars

Chapter 3

"What of the Princess? Does she still refuse to return with us?" Musa asked.

Abbas gave a deep sigh, combing his hair back with his fingers.

"I hate to admit this, but I do not know how to proceed."

Musa hummed in thought.

"Well, I would have assumed that out of us, you would know how to get through to the heart of a young woman,"

Abbas laughed.

"The heart of my wife, yes, but not a stubborn hot-headed Princess."

"I wonder what your brother would make of her,"

"I wonder too. She is the complete opposite of the Queen,"

Abbas slumped himself on the majlis beside his friend.

"Have you thought about asking your wife? For help?"

"I cannot bring her here,"

"Of course not, what I mean to suggest is that have you written to her for help?"

Abbas sat up in his seat.

"Have you not sent her one letter since we arrived?" Musa asked again.

Abbas blinked.

"You heartless brute, have you not sent any correspondences since we left?"

"I sent one," Abbas mumbled.

Musa sighed. "If I had a wife, I would be sending her letters every day,"

The General wiped a fake tear from his eyes. "You married men take your spouses for advantage,"

Abbas bit his lip to hold his laughter. He patted his poor friend on the back. It was only recently that Musa had suffered from heartbreak, dissolving his dream of marriage.

"We really do. Don't worry Habeebi, the right time will come,"

Musa shrugged off the Prince's hand and lept up from the cushions.

"Your wife will be the best person to ask about this, so write to her, and we will go and post it together," he said, crossing his arms.

"But how can I trust it will reach her?"

"We must try," Musa affirmed, with a huff. A moment of pause drifted between them. "Go on,"

Abbas gave his friend a questioning look. "Right now?"

Musa grabbed him by the arms and pulled him up. "Yes, right now! We don't have time to waste!"

***

Since their previous encounter, Dalia had not seen the Scarred Prince again. It had been almost four days and clearly, his time was running out. So why had he not attempted to seek her out? Dalia would have thought he would be on his knees to her, but it was quite the opposite.

He really wasn't going to seek her out, or force her.

Dalia should have been focusing but the lull of the warm afternoon roused her mind to wander off, and all she could think about was the Scarred Prince and how to unscramble his iron personality.

From the moment the contingent from Balqaas had arrived, Dalia was afraid she would have to start tiptoeing around her home to avoid being approached, but it was quite the opposite. The Prince and his men did not intrude on anyone. It was like they had already left.

And to add to her list of worries, her father had not discussed the situation with her any further, let alone required her presence. Dalia felt unsettled. If there was something going on that she did not know about, Raysa would have collated information about the Palace for her.