Golden Jasmine: The Ameer's concubine.

3️⃣. The letter.

        Love makes you blind.💝

Yasmine sat on the floor in her mother's room while Sahreefa read the Quran. The lantern shrouded the mother and daughter pair, the night as calm as ever. Sahreefa kept her Mushaf and raised her hands in prayers before rubbing it on Yasmine's hair.

"Jazakillahu Khair maman," Yasmine raised her head and smiled. Sahreefa returned the smile and asked, "Is Najwa asleep?"

"Yes, she drank quite a lot of milk," Yasmine chuckled and stood up before helping her mother to arrange the bed. She pulled the duvet to cover her bosom but stopped seeing the frown on Shareefa's face.

"What is the problem Maman?" she asked worryingly.

Shareefa shook her head and clasped her daughter's hand. "I just thought of how it would be when you leave us. I'm going to miss you,"

Yasmine smiled wryly and said, "I am not leaving you maman. Why worry?"

"Your baba will surely come with some proposals again. Won't you accept one and get married habibty?" Shareefa returned. Her daughter has come of age and it was her dream to see her get married.

Yasmine clasped her mother's hand in the palms. "Don't worry maman. I will get married before you grow old," she assured and they chuckled.

"Have a nice rest," she kissed her forehead and walked out, closing the door gently. Yasmine went to the kitchen and took a cup of water. She gazed through the large window at the moon. Her parents never showed bias between her and her sister and raised them properly with love and care. She studied from a young age, learning Islamic literature. She got a job as a teacher last year in the madrasa to teach children and this was her second batch. Having come of age, Yasmine knew that she would soon start getting proposals on marriage. Her father had brought five already from the palace but she rejected them. Yasmine knew that she had to pick one sooner, especially if her father insisted on it but she didn't know what was holding her back. Not to mention that the other gender was annoying sometimes. She has seen that from her cousins and can't fathom how she would survive with someone like that. Her thoughts couldn't help but drift to that miser from the flower shop. She was sure the voice belonged to a young man and there he was, rejecting a kind request.

Yasmine scoffed and dropped her gaze. She turned around to leave but scrunched her brows together. She saw something.

Yasmine turned back and her eyes narrowed at the ajar gate. Confusion loomed over her because she was certain that she locked that.

"Calm down Yasmine. It must be a mistake," she whispered to herself and exhaled. She first rushed to the door and was surprised that it was locked which means that….she shook her head and first went to check on her mother. Shareefa was sleeping already which made her relieved but when she checked Najwa's room, no one was inside.

Yasmine was flabbergasted as she took gradual steps into the room. The window was slightly opened too which means, the girl went out through there. But why? Her eyes searched the room and stopped on a paper lying beside the drawer near the window.

Yasmine hurried over there and picked it up. She gasped and covered her mouth as she read the content, her eyes widened and fingers shaking.

'I have planned out what to do next, Najwa. I promise that our future will be bright. Since your father wouldn't let me come to your house, I want us to meet. Come to the Khamis store line in the market by 11 tonight. Please come or you won't see me again. Much love from Ismail,'

The letter crumbled in her hand as she tried to stop her rapid breathing. Being sixteen and the teenage hormones rushing through her veins, Najwa became a curious girl. They didn't know how she met Ismail, but Najwa expressed her desires to her sister who told their mother. The woman advised her to tell him to come to their father but he hesitated for weeks before their father met him. Saeed showed his displeasure after finding out about of some the bad characters the man had and warned him to stay away from his daughter. Saeed didn't mention what it was but his family abided by it even though Najwa cried for some days.

She returned to normal but who knew that they were still in touch. Yasmine knows that her sister can be stubborn but not this stupid. Doesn't she know that it's haram to meet a nonmahram alone and dangerous too? That too at night.

"I can't alert maman," Yasmine thought and checked their mother first before rushing to her room. She wore her abaya and secured the niqab. She opened her drawer and took out a wooden box. Inside was a pair of short swords with golden hilts. Her eyes gleamed with determination before she took them and wrapped them on her waistband.

Yasmine rushed out of the house, not forgetting to lock the gate. She trod carefully as she rushed to the market because there were soldiers on patrol at night. The Khamis stores came into view and she reduced her steps. Yasmine stopped behind a store when she heard footsteps walking over.

"I can't agree with this Ismali. I'm going home," she heard Najwa's panicked voice.

"Listen to me Najwa," there came his gruff voice with a gasp from Najwa. "Let me go!" she shouted and Yasmine almost pounced from her hiding place but she managed to hold back.

"Escaping now will be futile habibty," he snickered and the air became thicker. "I have given you a great plan but you are refusing. It's easy you know? It's just one attempt and we will use that against your father. That old man surely won't let it known to the world and quickly agree to the marriage and we will be happily married. Isn't that what you want?"

"I don't want to marry you anymore Ismail," Najwa cried out. No matter what, she was still young and she realized the big mistake she just made by coming to this wolf in sheep's clothing. Her rationale was broken. "I thought  you would fight for me the halal way and prove that what they say about you is wrong but you just broke my trust in you!"

"And you think that I will accept that rejection so easily!" he growled. Also, footsteps sounded meaning that Najwa was likely stepping back.
"I didn't call you out here tonight to just let you go. Since you also won't agree to my request, I will just have to satisfy my desires with you. That will also be a payment for the disgrace your father caused me,"

"Please let me go, Ismail. Allah is watching you," Najwa cried bitterly. There was no way she could outrun this man.

Ismail guffawed and a yelp from Najwa came again. "That's for you think but over here, no one will know because I made sure that all the soldiers around are asleep. Let's see how your father will disagree with the marriage now,"

"Leave me! Help!" Najwa yelled.

Ok, that's it. Yasmine snapped and came out of hiding just to see that beast trying to pull her sister away. She reached out for one of her short swords and threw it aimed at his hand.

"Ah!" Ismail groaned in pain and moved back, holding his hand which was bleeding now. Najwa gasped and whipped her head at her savior just to see those eyes. She gulped but still ran toward her sister.

Yasmine didn't answer Najwa who was keeping a distance but fixed her cold gaze on Ismail.

The man straightened his back and hissed.
"A rescue from a woman huh? Seems like I got another meal," he snickered.

"Beasts like you deserve hell, Ismail!" Yasmine seethed and drew out her other sword.

He laughed and drew out a blade from his waist. "I wonder what a weak woman like you can do against me. Better don't lose so easily or it won't be fun,"

Yasmine smirked underneath her veil and stretched her hand. "We will see about that,"

Can she save her sister?🥺