Where could I rest but in your hurricane?
— Erica Jong
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Him
She's not a bruise to his skin-- those marks fade with time. Neither is she a wound to his body-- they heal no matter if leaving scars behind. She's the never fading bruise to his heart, an open wound to his chest. She like fractures in his bone and a tremble in his blood. She's a knot in his throat, keeping him from breathing.
Maybe he's obsessed. Maybe love isn't supposed to be cruel like his. But she's that most precious part of his past which he never thought he'd find again. And now when suddenly he has, he's afraid of losing it again. A woman with ablazed eyes and fire on her tongue has turned him to ashes. How effortlessly he discards all reasons when it comes to her.
Maybe someday he won't be this crude, but for now this is the only way he knows. Maybe someday Noura will teach him how to love properly. But until then, he can only hope to conquer her heart. Then maybe someday, she'll allow him to rule it too.
That day, the kingdom and its riches won't be any superior than the throne of her heart to him. Only then, he'll truly become a king.
Her
"I knew you wouldn't stop at anything from coming here."
Adam stalks towards her, hands empty but his sword at his hip, too close in his reach for her liking. Her heart thuds but she's quick to shush it, her fingers only clasping the lantern and the dagger more tightly.
"I had to see how the caliph looks being locked up behind the bars," she replies sarcastically.
"Looks like you're disappointed then."
"You would wish. But I knew you're all liars."
"Am I?" He stops only a little distance away from her. "Didn't I tell you the truth about the caliph wanting you to be here, with him, and that not because of the theft?"
Noura scowls at him. "Whatever it is that he secretly desires, I won't bend to it."
"I've no doubt, stubborn lady." He smirks, extending a hand to her. "Give me the lantern. I mean no harm."
Noura laughs in disbelief. "You think I'll trust you?"
"Haven't I given you a reason to?"
"By putting a dagger to my throat?"
Adam unhooks his sword from his belt and her breath hitches. But to her surprise, he throws it to the ground and kicks it towards her.
"I mean no harm, sayidati. You just need to leave."
Noura hesitates, making no effort of handing him the lantern, dragging his sword with her foot towards herself. He takes a step towards her and she warningly waves the fire in front of him.
"I'll burn you," she threatens. "I'll bring down this place to ashes."
He halts, raising up both palms as an act of surrendering. "You'll burn yourself too."
She slowly inches away from him, sheathing her dagger and swiftly leaning down to pick up his sword. They start moving in a circle, until she's near the lantern holder and Noura puts it back in its place, holding the sword to him to keep him away, never once wavering her eyes from him. Adam flicks his tongue between his lips, a sly grin crawling up his face.
"Move away, Adam," she growls. "I won't hesitate putting your sword through your own heart."
Without a word, he takes a few steps back, and Noura moves closer to the stairway.
"You can't keep running away forever," he says, and she stops midway. "At some point, you've to face it all, sayidati, without general Eskander or anyone else to help you against the Khalifa."
Noura frowns. "What does your caliph want from me?"
"You." Adam once more inches nearer. "He wants you."
Noura feels as if being thrown into a bottomless ocean, having no anchor or sailor to keep her from floating into nothingness or drowning. She stares at him blankly.
"Why?"
"He fancies you."
She blinks, only getting more lost into her confusion. "Why?" she repeats.
This time, Adam doesn't answer.
"I don't know Al Shafay," Noura utters. "I don't fancy him either."
To this, Adam searches her eyes, as if solving a puzzle there, before smirking. And suddenly he's too close. Noura didn't realize when did he get so near. But before she could react, he grasps his still sheathed sword and pulls it towards himself. She doesn't let go of it and goes crashing into his chest before quickly stumbles away.
Adam twists his sword and she has no option but to let go when her arm twists at a dangerous angle with it. Noura quickly pulls out her dagger and attacks him without thinking. He jerks out of her way. She nimbly swirls on her feet and tries again. He doesn't unsheath his sword at her but simply dodges each of her attempts.
It's as if he's playing with her, grinning-- as if enjoying their little duel together. And then as Noura flies the dagger towards his head, he skillfully ducks before catching her wrist, flipping her towards the wall and locking her between it and himself, ending the show.
She uses her full force to free her hand from his but he brings the dagger to her own throat, and Noura gasps before biting her tongue, glaring murderously at Adam.
"I know you fancy the general, sayidati," he says with displeasure, eyes glowing unnaturally with the fire reflecting from the black halos of his orbs. "But do you know what can happen to the general if the caliph finds out?"
"Anything happens to Eskander, God forbid, and I claw out your caliph's heart with my bare hands," she hisses menacingly. "I'll paint the palace wall with his blood. I'll decorate his throne with his cut off head. Yours too."
Adam chuckles in amusement, looking a little baffled. "How barbaric. How wild. What is this angelic face? To fool people with your innocence?"
"You underestimate me, Adam." She scoffs. "Lower the dagger. You don't scare me."
Another chuckle, and he licks his lips. "You've said that to me three times now, and for each time I say, I don't intend to scare you anyway."
"Then you need to stop putting this dagger to my throat. Or someday I might bury it in your skull."
"You need to stop attacking me with it then."
"I might if you stop being a bastard."
He loosens his grip over her hand only for her to release the dagger. "Drop it."
Gingerly, Noura lets the dagger fall from her hand to the floor. He puts his foot over it, still not letting go of her hand.
"Why did you come here?" Adam asks. "When I told you there was no theft, then why endanger your life by going against the caliph's orders?"
"Because your caliph is a thief," she spits. "The man he sent to my house to drop the seal stole my pendant."
He arches an interested eyebrow. "A pendent?"
"Yes, and I want it back," she demands. "That was my baba's last gift to me. Go tell your caliph to return it, because it's more precious to me than this kingdom to the Khalifa."
Adam gazes at her, once more his eyes searching hers. She defiantly stares back, lifting her chin.
"I'll forward your message, sayidati," he says after a moment.
Noura finds herself a little amazed at his reply, watching as he hooks his sword to his belt again.
"Would he listen to you?" she questions and he gives her a half smile.
"I don't know, but he would definitely listen to you."
"Then tell him I want to go home too."
Adam laughs lightly, almost to himself, and she feels her blood boil at gesture, feeling ridiculed.
"This is the reason I pull out my dagger at you," she says. "You provoke me."
"And what good has that dagger done you so far?" He shrugs. "You tire yourself for nothing."
Noura loses it again. She takes the other dagger strapped to her waist and lunges at him. In one brisk movement, Adam spins out of her way and clutches her forearm midair, not giving her a chance to retry. He pushes her against the wall once more but doesn't bring the dagger to her throat this time, holding her arm above her head.
"The general has failed to train you well," he mocks. "He disappoints me, as usual."
"You're just bitter, Adam," she retorts. "Because Eskander is better than you. You can never be like him."
"I would never want to be," he huffs. "I'm loyal to the crown. I would never want to betray my caliph in any way."
"Are you accusing Eskander for being a traitor again?" Noura glowers at him. "This is what you do when you've no grounds to belittle him, you blindly shoot arrows in the air."
"And what do you know? Nothing." Adam returns her heated glare with the same intensity. "I've nothing against you but the general. I mean well for you. And I told you, you either make an enemy of me here or a friend. The consequences will depend on your choice. The general chose to be my enemy himself and I'm only reciprocating his choice."
In that moment, Noura realizes his grip on her arm has loosened. He's standing facing her, and she'll be helpless if she attacks him from the front. He'll read her movements like always and trap her instead. But if she attacks him from behind, then there's a greater chance of her injuring him, whichever direction he moves in, he'll still be in a close enough range of her dagger.
Like a lightning bolt, she swings her arm towards his back. Adam definitely did not expect it. His eyes widen in alert but it's already too late. She buries the blade lower between his shoulders and twists it. He groans out loudly in pain and she pushes him away from herself. He falls back on his knees and hands, the dagger still embedded in his back.
"I choose enemies, Adam."
He looks up at her, the loose strands of his long hair falling over the void of his black eyes, the anguish in them only amplifying demons dwelling there, as if fighting to break out.
"Noura," he grits against his agony. "How dare you."
This time, she smirks in his face, already moving backwards away from him towards the stairs. He doesn't attempt to get up and go after her.
"Eskander certainly didn't train me well. I'll ask him how not to miss a shot at the heart, so next time I can hit you there."
With that, she turns on her heels and runs up the stairs. She doesn't hear him following after her. Despite that, her legs won't stop at anything. Noura feels her heart beating maddeningly against her breastbone.
When she's out of the dungeon, she rushes down the corridor where Saleh is waiting for her. As soon as he sees her, he seems to come to life.
"I saw Adam--"
"Run!"
She doesn't wait for him to respond and he simply falls into steps with her. Noura makes way towards her chamber and Saleh calls after her frantically.
"Sayidati, the Amira will be waiting for you."
Noura finally halts in her tracks. Her whole body is shivering as if suddenly cold, covered in sweat, and flushed. The events that have unfolded and what she has done is now crashing down on her. She has never done something like this before, there never had been a need like this one. But now all too at once out of a peaceful life to the one between beasts, everything has changed. What if in her haze, she kills someday? What if the situation demands a kill, will she be able to do it? She's afraid what this palace might make her do.
"Saleh," she speaks with shaking voice, "tell princess Maysoon I'm fine. I'll come to see her later."
The guards eyes fall to her bloodied hands and Noura curls in her fingers, feeling conscious of herself.
"Adam is fine too," she chokes out somehow. "Go now, inform the princess or she'll be worried."
Saleh nods and leaves and Noura strides towards her chamber, desperately praying not to find anyone there. She wants to be left alone. She wants to absorb it all in and accept it-- not just her stabbing Adam but also the consequences of actually making an enemy out of him, and about what he told her regarding the caliph. She's not Eskander-- not so strong neither accustomed to this all. She doesn't know how to handle everything, or what tomorrow might bring. But this is how the palace works. She has to fight to survive. This is not her neighborhood in Isfahan.
To her disappointment, Hafez is waiting at the door for her. He stands in attention as he sees her approaching, opening the door for her. Noura rushes into the chamber and Hafez follows after her.
"Sayidati, the Amira sent me back here while you left with Saleh somewhere. The general came to meet you and found you gone without me. He wasn't pleased. I tried to explain to him that it was the Amira's order but he got upset with me."
Noura can barely register Hafez's rambling as she focuses on her hands. She has to get the blood off them.
"General Eskander was really worried," he continues. "I'll go inform him of your return."
"Hafez," Noura stops him before he could leave. "Don't."
"But sayidati--"
And his eyes bug out as he catches sight of her hands too, the horror in them only making her more apprehensive of her actions.
"Rabbi (my God), what happened?"
"I stabbed someone," she utters as audibly as she can, voice still glitching, and Hafez seems to have seen a ghost, going speechless.
"I... What?"
"Should I be afraid?" she asks anxiously and he shakes his head.
"Not you, sayidati, but I should be afraid." Hafez stares at her. "If general Eskander comes to know of it, he'll behead me."
"For what I've done?"
"No. For having your life endangered while it's my duty to protect you." His gaze flicks to her hands before back up. "Did he die?"
"No." Noura releases a shuddering breath. "But what if I had killed him?"
"If it was to save your own life, that's what you would've to do."
She closes her eyes for a moment. "My Lord." Then opens them again. "Hafez, you know the deal, right?"
"For the sake of my own life, yes, general Eskander won't know of it. But you need to stop gambling on your life, and mine too."
Noura only chuckles softly at this.
Hafez brings her water and a cloth to clean her hands. She washes the blood off them before drying them. Her skin comes out clear from the red.
"Who was he, sayidati?" Hafez inquires curiously. "Did you know him?"
Noura nods slowly. "Adam," she mumbles.
Hafez stills, looking at her as if to make sure he has heard her right. "Adam, the queen's guard?"
"Yes."
"Ah."
He seems troubled, wanting to say more, and Noura tilts her head.
"Say whatever is on your mind, Hafez."
He clears his throat uneasily. "Sayidati, I'm not doubting your skills. You're general Eskander's sister; he must have taught you well. But Adam is a merciless killer. And if you've managed to injure him somehow, he must have put down his guard around you."
Noura knits her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"I mean he probably didn't intend to harm you, maybe because of the caliph's order. And I don't know what happened between you two, but I'll repeat myself, be wary of him. In this palace if there's one man who can get away with anything, it's Adam. And not only because he's the queen's guard, but also because he's the caliph's messenger. The Khalifa sees and hears through him."
Her jaw falls at the his last statement in incredulity. "You mean he knows who Al Shafay is?"
Who has she even made an enemy of?
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How bad is Adam?
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