Love someone who will wait for you like someone waiting with a bowl of water in hand to break his fast.
— Jalaluddin Rumi
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Her
It has been drizzling all evening and now the rain has gotten a little heavier and the night has blanketed the sky. She stands in the door of the veranda watching Eskander struggle with Laleh to bring her inside the house. She insists of enjoying the rain and he worries she'll catch a cold. Noura smiles at them as Eskander tries to shield her with his body from the rain.
Coming inside, she wanders towards her mother's room and knocks on her door, waiting until she's granted permission to come in.
"Nour, come over, janem."
She walks towards the bed where her mother is sitting, knitting something. She takes a seat beside her.
"What are you knitting, maman?" she asks her mother.
"A sweater for Eskander and Laleh's child."
She chuckles and circles her arms around her mother, putting her head on her shoulder.
"Isn't it too early for that?"
"Not at all. I've already knitted them socks and a cap. I've waited so long for this day. So let me be happy for my grandchild, aziz."
Against her mother's ecstatic expression, a small laugh escapes her. Her mother pats her on the cheek and places a kiss on her forehead.
"You'll know when your time comes."
She flushes at the remark and hides away her face. Although she wonders if her mother will be as ecstatic as now? She assumes she will be. She wonders if Adam will be as happy as Eskander? Again, she assumes that he will be.
Suddenly, she misses her husband. Does he miss her too? Suddenly she longs for him. She cannot wait for tomorrow when she returns to him.
Him
He cannot sleep tonight. It wouldn't come to him. If not for her empty spot on the bed, his wife having set out for her home at the first ray of sun piercing the dawn as if having waited for the opportunity all her life, leaving the bed cold and empty for the night to come, it's the weather as well creating the chill in the air.
The rain has been falling for some time now. He had listened to it earlier when he sat down to eat dinner alone in their chamber, and now on the divan on the balcony as it keeps pouring. He wishes she could've stayed a few days more before visiting her home, rather than fleeing away as soon as they arrived in Baghdad. Maybe they could've watched the rain together.
He looks up at the sky where there are no stars in sight. He wonders if she's watching the rain fall too, like she watches the stars. He wonders if she misses him as he misses her. Adam smiles to himself.
There's a knock at the door and he leaves his balcony, walking back into the chamber. The fireplace is lit but aside that, only a few candles light the room. He grants permission to whoever is at the door to come in.
A maid walks in. Tamara, he recognizes her. She holds a tray in her hand.
"Your tea, sayidi."
"Thank you. Place it on the table."
She does as she's asked before clearing the table of any remaining dishes of the dinner. Adam studies her keenly as she does her job. He hasn't been ignorant to his servant's interest in her. He has noticed Daud multiple times stealing glances at the woman and acting sheepish around her. But he didn't bother pointing it out to him.
As if sensing his gaze on her, Tamara looks up and catches his eyes. Blushing crimson, she quickly looks back down and hurries to clear the table. Her movements become jittery and in her nervousness, she hits the cup she has set for him.
"My apologies--"
"Don't bother--"
But before he could stop her, she has already spilled the tea and burnt herself. Jerking away, she nurses her hand to her chest and stands up.
"I'll bring you another cup--"
"No need," he cuts her, going to hand her a napkin. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, sayidi. Thank you."
"Tamara," he says, and her gaze snaps to him in surprise. "That's your name, right?"
She nods stiffly, timidly, glancing down.
"Why didn't you accompany my wife to her home?" he inquires.
"She asked me to stay behind. Her other handmaiden, Roya, went with, sayidi," she explains.
He nods. "You can leave."
She hastens to pick up the tray and run away. But like before in her haste, she ends up stumbling, this time upon the hem of her dress, and sends the tray flying to the floor with a clatter and her following face first after it.
He leaps to save her of the fall and manages to grab her elbow, but loses his own balance and falls after her. A hiss leaves him as he tries to avoid crashing into her and accidentally cuts his palm over a broken saucer piece.
"My Ameer!" Tamara rushes to press the handkerchief he has given her to his wound. "I'm so ashamed to have caused you the trouble. Please forgive me."
"It's fine." He carefully retract his hand from hers. "Go tend to yourself."
"I'll clear this mess."
"Kindly send someone else to do it," he suggests instead, not wanting her to add more to the mess, but realizing he has embarrassed her when her cheeks redden. "For your convenience," he excuses.
He gets to his feet and offers her a hand, helping her up up too. She keeps her head down. He doesn't know if it's his presence making her anxious to the point of losing coordination, or the woman is just inexperienced in general with her tasks. He doesn't bother lingering on the thought for now, but makes it a point to address it to Noura how she works with an unskilled handmaiden.
As if reading his mind, she says, "I'm not usually this inept. But you make me--" she purses her lips, gaze flicking to him as if caught guilty before stealing it away, "... nervous, since you're the Ameer," she finishes awkwardly.
"Does the Amira make you nervous too, since she's the Amira?" he asks blatantly, cleverly, trapping her.
"No, but-- I..." She looks confused, struggling to answer, before admitting silently, "She doesn't, sayidi."
Adam doesn't comment on it, and she finds her chance to escape the chambers. His calculating eyes follow after her until she departs. Another thought occurs to him, but he rests it for now.
Leaving his chamber and making his way to the library as sleep is far from him, Daud joins him since Noura has decided to give him a break as well and taken the other guard with her instead. Azar, he recalls. He's a man of few words, but Adam is sure he fills Eskander on everything he finds to be of advantage to him. Though he too has been careful to not let out anything that can be used against him.
Adam glances behind him to Daud as they walk through the hallways eerily lit by the orange glow of the torches at midnight. The only sound is of their footsteps and the rain, until he calls his guard.
"Daud?"
"Yes, sayidi?"
"Who assigned Noura her handmaiden in Qahira?"
"Tamara?" he asks incredulously. When Adam hums, he replies, "I did, sayidi. Why, is there a matter with her?"
"I just had to know the reason she was chosen."
"She volunteered herself to serve the Amira. Since she had experience working in the palace of Qahira, I thought her fit for the job and agreed to keep her for the Amira's service."
"Are you sure there was no other reason you favored her?"
"I b-beg your pardon, my Ameer?"
Adam stops walking and turns to him. Daud stops too, uneasily meeting his gaze.
"I trusted you with my wife. I hope you realize the implications of any careless mistakes made in your duty towards her or me."
"Of course, my Ameer."
"Then don't make it unforgivable for me. If that handmaiden interests you and you seek more with her, then speak to her and do it properly rather than notifying half of the palace of your fancy with your not so subtle ways of pursuing her."
Flustered, Daud doesn't know how to respond. He turns back around and continues his stroll to the library. Daud remains close behind him.
"However," Adam continues, "something about her makes me wary."
"Why would you say that, sayidi? Did something happen?"
"Nothing so far. But I had a hunch." A smile plays across his lips, teasing and mischievous as he glances at Daud. "I would've asked you to keep your eyes on her, but you're already doing that."
Daud can only gape at him and tries to hide his face from his master. Adam chuckles lowly to himself, shaking his head in amusement.
They enter the library, their footsteps muffled by the carpeted floors as they make their way around the lines of tall shelves filled with books. He searches for something of interest to him. But before he can continue his hunt, he hears a feminine voice coming from the opposite side of the vast room.
"Do you think I can find more books on herbs here?"
He shares a look with Daud, both of them surprised to have a woman here at this hour. But seemingly they're not alone, and neither is she, as her company responds to her query.
"I'm afraid there's nothing you've left unread."
The woman laughs pleasantly. But it is the voice of the man which has left him stunned.
Adam stalks in the direction of their voices, making sure his shoes make no noise. Daud keeps up with him equally as stealthy.
They reach the second pair of doors on the opposite side of the library where he notices the woman first, standing a little away from the entrance and studying the book in her hand. She's in a night gown which covers her appropriately, her hair down in a braid over her shoulder and no veil covering it. The man is standing by the entrance, partly hidden as Adam cannot see him completely from where he's hiding behind a shelf, but he doesn't need to know who the man is for he has already recognized him.
"Do you mind if I keep this book?" the woman asks without lifting her eyes off the page she's reading.
"No, but you can read it in your room, not here."
"I wish to stay longer."
"Jumana."
There's a command in his voice, a scolding, yet it remains soft. He walks up to her, into the glow of the torches, and Adam can now see him as he steps into the clearing.
She shuts the book and turns to him. There's a casualty between them which is difficult to swallow. An aura of ease with which the woman deals with him. An attitude which no one else is allowed to show him. Adam cannot make out the relationship between them.
"Sulaiman," she says his name like he has said hers, and the fact that she can use his name without any formalities only leaves him more bewildered.
"I'm not listening to your whims," Sulaiman says, like one trying to deal with a child, and puts his hand on her back. "Come, let me escort you to your room."
"Sometimes I forget you were ever fun," she huffs but obliges, hugging the book to her chest as she walks towards the door.
"Those days are long gone," he remarks to her.
"Well, I wish they weren't."
"What do you wish for then?"
"A lot of things."
"I don't mind you listing."
Adam doesn't get to hear more of their conversation as their voices fade away once they're out of the library. He steps out from behind the shelf and turns to Daud, who seems to have seen a ghost. Truthfully, he himself feels as if he has seen one. He looks in the direction where they've just left.
"Now," he pauses and contemplates as devilry weaves him ideas, "I think I might want to know who is the lady."
Daud gives him a knowing look. "Shall I inform syed Zahir to do the investigation?"
"Uh huh. Let me know everything you can find about her. The last thing I want is a woman involved in my scheming. But if Sulaiman has a weakness," his jaw ticks as the image of Noura flashes before his eyes, "well then, he should rather not exploit mine."
The following morning he runs into Eskander on his way to the courtroom. Sulaiman has called for a council meeting on distribution of the new ranks and discussions on the political affairs of the kingdom. When his eyes connect with Eskander's, he tips his head in greeting and Adam nods back in acknowledgement. And before Eskander could enter the courtroom, Adam stops him.
"General?"
He turns towards him, his expression quizzical. The things Noura will make him do. Adam sighs mentally.
Clearing his throat before he could lose his wits and make a fool of himself, he utters, "Congratulations."
When Eskander continues to give him the puzzled look, he frowns. This is extremely difficult for him, almost physically painful. He isn't on any friendly term with the man to exchange more than a few nice words in a conversation.
"Noura told me you are to be a father, by God's grace," he clarifies, and his confusion slowly dissolves. Noura also made me do this, he thinks, but doesn't word his thoughts. "May the child be born with health and goodness, and may they bring you joy."
"Ameen." Eskander gives him a barely perceptible smile. "Thank you, sayidi."
He wants to ask him when his wife is coming back to him. It's been one day and one night. She should be with him before evening. But feeling silly for some reason, he doesn't put forth his question and enters the courtroom instead.
He spots Yusuf and proceeds towards him, only to be stopped by someone.
"Ameer Adam."
"Daryush."
Daryush greets him with a deceptively warm grin. "I was hoping we could speak for a moment?"
"How about we delay it until the convention," he tries to dismiss him.
"I thought you would want to know before that." Now he gives him an apologetic smile. "I must say, and please excuse me if I'm crossing my limits, but your wife is rather wiser than you, my Ameer, and a rather pleasant company as well. The few times I had the pleasure of speaking to her, she was quite patient to hear what I had to say, unlike you. My favor will only benefit you, mind you. So I only held back any objections towards you because of her."
Adam fists his hands, all the blood suddenly rushing there and urging him to punch the man dead. Daryush must have seen the hell flaring up in his orb, because his smile falters and he composes his expression into a serious one.
"My sincere apologies," he bites out the apology in the most insincere tone. "I didn't mean to be rude."
"Say what you have to say and leave, Daryush," Adam grits, barely able to control his fury in the face of this man. Only if he wasn't a member of the royal council and holding enough authority to oust him from any rank of power, he would've buried his dagger right into his temple.
"Well, I only wanted to tell you that the names you suggested to Al Hadi for the available ranks in Qahira, I made some changes to them." His smile is back, wicked this time. "I thought since I had spent that time with you there and judged enough of the situation, I had the right to suggest who I thought were more suited for those positions."
Adam feels a vein in his head throb. Daryush indirectly has taken any blame from Sulaiman upon himself for not appointing the men Adam had suggested for those posts. Now Sulaiman will be appointing those who support him to strengthen his rule, upon the claim that Daryush saw it fitting as such. This snake has helped him dismantle his plan.
He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself, before paralleling his stare. It's clear who's side he has chosen to stand on, and it doesn't surprise him.
"Very well then." Adam returns his smile, equally as wicked, making sure it portrays his twisted intentions as a threat to him. "I hope you know what you're doing, because I've a tendency to spin things in my favor." He drops the smile, voice taking a dangerous edge as he leans in to whisper, "Then whether someone supports me or opposes me, Daryush."
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A bit more drama in the next chapter. Hope this one interests you for now.
Any theories? Since it's time to start with those.
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