Truth be told,life in the palace was going on pretty well for Mariya. She associates herself with people who without doubt, accept and and cherish her as a new member of the family.
Life in general,comes with trials of various intensity. It's always one trial after the other. There's never a break from the cycle. Never. It's either a trial to see how grateful one can be during good times or how long one can uphold his or her patience during difficult times.
Well,it all depends on faith.
Each and every trial doesn't pass away without leaving a trace of it's prior existence. Be it good memories or nasty scars. For now, she's going through a good phase of her life.
Bad times will come, that's for sure. So,for now she'll just enjoy the quality time she's having with her new family while it lasts.
Leaving all those thoughts behind, she shifted her attention to Yasmeen who was being a chatter box while they were taking a stroll in the garden with Nazeera, Emraan's wife.
Nazeera's warm laughter filled the air when Yasmeen told a funny joke.
Mariya only chuckled. She cherished such moments so much.
" I'll never get tired of your jokes, Yasmeen." Nazeera laughed again.
" I must say,I like this garden." Mariya confessed, taking a brief glance at the flower garden. " It's so beautiful."
" It should. My mother invests a lot in this garden." Yasmeen boasted with a little bit of pride and then handed a chrysanthemum she had plucked to Mariya. " This is for the compliment."
" Thank you." Mariya received the delicate flower with a smile.
Not far from where they were standing,there was a swing that was situated right in the middle of the haven. It had its own roof, right overhead. The swing had green plants, creeping up its support ropes. One could see a few yellow blossoms,blooming out of the greenery.
Mariya was the first to rush to it because she was enchanted by its beauty. She made her self comfortable on the swing and the two other women joined her afterwards.
For some reason,none of the women uttered a single word. They sat in the silence, enjoying each other's company, without any awkwardness. It was comfortable but it would have been much better without the audible chatter of a few palace maids who were working on a flower bed.
" Haven't you heard what's going on?" One asked . Her question seemed to have aroused some sort of curiosity within the two other people she was working with.
" What did you hear again? Queen of gossips." Another sneered.
Looks like someone is stuck with bad habit.
Unknown to them,three pairs of ears were well aware of their conversation.
" Don't get us into trouble again with your gossips." The third of them warned sternly.
" I bet this one is authentic. Rumour has it that crown prince Zayn married his current wife as compensation." She announced.
" Compensation?" The two others asked in unison. Their curiosity had gotten the best of them.
" Yes. A compensation for her broken engagement with his cousin." She added,much to the satisfaction of their itchy ears.
Mariya only sighed in exasperation and shook her head. For Allah's sake,how can someone sit down and device such lies and spread them. For what reason? Whoever started the rumour should have known how destructive such rumours can be. It contains no ounce of truth in it. It's pure balderdash!
Totally absurd!
" Poor woman." The second maid lamented." She must be going through a lot."
Yasmeen was about to give them a piece of her mind. Surprisingly,none of the maids had taken notice of the presence of the three women because they were too engrossed in their idle talk.
She jerked up from the swing with a very effective remedy in mind but Mariya was quick to grab her arm.
Yasmeen halted due to the sudden action. She turned to look at Mariya who maintained a tight grip around her arm.
Mariya shook her head, signalling her to abort the idea.
She sat back reluctantly, wondering why Mariya would let such things slide away so easily.
It's funny how quick situations can change a person. Normally,Mariya was the type to stand up for herself and clear such false rumours even before they catch fire. Now,she only listened to them, having it at the back of her mind that,only a fool would believe such nonsense.
That's simply ridiculous.
As if it wasn't enough,the maid continued to chatter about.
" I heard the reason why the engagement got broken was because of..."
" Would you shut up!" Nana's commanding voice cut through the air, making the blabbering maid halt mid-speech.
The three maids turned towards the direction the voice came from and they were terrified to bits,after seeing the owner of the voice.
Their doom was looming over them.
Mariya and her companions kept silent and watched the scene as it unravelled. It was a sight to behold. She had arrived at the right time and took the situation in her control perfectly. According to her,no false rumours should be spread, against her grandchildren. Not under her watch.
Mariya felt so grateful for having Nana in her side.
" You!" Nana yelled,pointing at the maid who took the job of spreading rumours upon herself.
The labelled ' gossip queen'.
" Na'am." She responded trembling profusely." Please, pardon my mistake."
In the worst case scenario,she could loose her job and that would be the death of her.
"I see..." Nana trailed off. She had taken notice of the maid who had masked her expressions with a pleading look. At the end of the long run, it's all going to prove futile because there's no way the old dowager was going to overlook such an offence.
" Fine. I'll pardon you this time,only on one condition." Nana offered.
A smile made its way onto the maid's face. She would do anything she can to get herself out of her current predicament. Redemption has found her.
Or so she thought?
" I'm ready to comply,your highness." She affirmed. What could that condition be? A suspension from work? At least it wasn't as bad as a dismissal.
Even if she were to exhaust the time span of a thousand days,she still wouldn't have been able to prepare herself to brace herself for whatever that was coming her way.
" Until you personally report the root of the rumour in question to me,you are suspended from work. Trust me, I'll ensure that."
Hearing that,the smile of hope that once rested on her face quickly disappeared. How was she expected to do that?
That's absurd!
" And the rest of you...!" She continued. This time referring to the remaining two." If I hear this rumour from anyone else again,both of you will be dealt with,accordingly"
The maids were frozen in their spots. The old dowager only flashed the ladies a smile and proceeded to wherever she was going to do, prior to the incident.
Mariya's gaze followed the dowager's every movement. The woman walked gracefully,with a train of guards behind her. It was hard to believe that,this was the same woman who is so affectionate towards her family. Age did nothing to eat her confidence and commanding demeanor away. It only seemed to add a bit of spice to it.
Most people say that Zayn inherited that attitude from her,and that's pure facts.
She found herself smiling unconsciously at the old dowager, even though she knew the woman couldn't see her.
It's going to be fun with such a woman by her side.
"Damn!" Yasmeen exclaimed excitedly." Nana is the best. Saw how she shut them up?"
*~*
" Zayn!" Mariya called out his name,just as he opened the door to his private chamber and was about to enter. He turned to Mariya who had beckoned him with a radiant smile on her face as she strolled in the hallway, towards him.
" Where have you been?" She inquired with a questioning look when she finally closed up to him. She has got a lot to discuss with him, however,he wasn't anywhere around the palace after she had woken up.
" At the police station. We were busy dealing with Sa'eed's case." He answered briefly, taking a step back for Mariya to pass through the opened door before he does,and then, he shut the door behind him.
Mariya made herself comfortable by settling in the nearest couch she could find,whilst Zayn sat at the edge of the king-sized bed.
" It's been a long hectic day." He sighed and brought up a hand to massage his temples.
From where she sat,Mariya studied him for a while. He seemed tired but there's something really important that needed to be talked about. He was engrossed in whatever he was doing on his phone. She literally waited for hours to see him in order to talk things through with him,so she'll just go ahead with it.
"Who's Sa'eed? And what's that grudge between you two?" Mariya interrogated.
Zayn only stopped whatever he was doing on the phone,stared at her for a while in amusement and scoffed. This woman would not let such an issue slide,unnoticed. It's not her fault to begin with. He set his phone aside and turned to her.
" Sa'eed is simply a miserable figment of my past,and I don't want to talk about it now. I had a hard time healing from it. Let's not talk about it." Zayn spoke honestly. The kidnapping incident with Sa'eed was way out if his list of possible events. He never thought it would happen and now that it has been dealt with,he should probably shove it under the ground, just like the old miserable memories.
She nodded in understanding to his words. She won't open up old wounds. That would be so selfish of her,since he doesn't want to open up regarding the issue. However, she got kidnapped because of the grudge between them.
For heaven's sake!
" It's rather unfortunate that the very past that I dread the most has caused you immense trouble. I would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused." He apologized. At least, it's better than having to tell her everything about his past with Sa'eed__ those horrible days. Her understanding was much appreciated by Zayn.
" So where is he now?"
" Still on the run. We haven't caught him yet,but we have his associates in captivity." Zayn answered. He noticed a negative decline in Mariya's expressions. She looked shocked. Nevertheless,she wasn't to be blamed. It's only natural to get worried over such a news.
He quickly moved to sit in the couch, right beside her.
" Za...Zayn." She stammered." He didn't kidnap me for a ransom or something else. I was a bait. A bait to manipulate you. He was going to make you choose between the Emirate and my life."
In a matter of a few seconds, Zayn's expressions mirrored hers. He couldn't believe that Sa'eed could go that far with his stupid shenanigans,yet again. That was absurd. He never thought the guy was daft enough to aim at such a position in the sultanate. One that he stands no chance against.
If that's the case,then so be it.
Let's see how he does that.
His father was right. People have their eyes on the throne of the Emirate, even though they know it's way out of their league. Sa'eed's illegitimate freedom only gave him more time to reach his goal. All those people mean no good to the throne. They don't have the zeal to protect the state like the royal family does.
It won't happen on his watch.
This time,Zayn felt more determined to locate Sa'eed before he does anything nasty again. Kidnapping his newly wedded wife was already too much an offence.
' Don't worry,Mariya. I'll protect you from all your fears',
He had wanted to say to her,but the last time he made such a promise to someone,he had failed miserably. Probably,it was the guilt which was accompanied by his prior failure that pushed him to see Mariya to safety. He didn't know where the sudden urge came from,but he wanted to keep her safe in his embrace, away from this bitter world. He wanted to secure her with all the protection that he had unintentionally denied Khayra. She would have been alive if he was available to protect her from her own self. She committed suicide and he failed to see that coming? How could he have seen it coming,when she never showed any signs of depression. She was as jolly as always.
Looking at Mariya's forehead that was creased with a frown,he wished he could straighten that crease with the gentle touch of his fingers and assure her that everything was going to be alright.
Everything about her demeanor reminded him of Khayra and he hated it because,it only proved his incompetence.
Throwing away the turmoil that was growing in his head,he flashed Mariya a genuine smile. The type reaches the eye and sinks down into the depth of the heart.
The one that reassures a drowning soul of a bright abode.
A haven.
She smiled back softly because she had seen it. She had seen beyond this tough man standing in front of her,lost in the depth of her brown orbs. It was only fair because she was equally reciprocating the gesture.
Behind the tough man facade he puts up in front of the world,was a man striving for the best of the people around him.
Yet,this man blames himself for the tiniest adversities that were never his fault.
The eyes are indeed the doors to a soul.
They carry tales of immense pain,yet a bind blowing amount of patience to go through it all.
Those eyes plead for help__ these constant pleas don't get noticed by just anyone and it was hard to ignore the tales they told. She felt a strong urge to to relieve him from his pain. That miserable past he was try to hide from her. The urge... it felt so strange.
Zayn cleared his throat slightly, bringing Mariya out of her little reverie.
" Sorry. I got lost for a while." He chuckled awkwardly.
" Me too." She returned with a giggle.
Yes,they will deny it but that bond they share is a force no man can break. A divine one.
" Ummm... get ready. We'll leave for my house soon." Zayn promoted.
" Sure." She nodded. " Can't wait."
In a few hours, they'll leave for Zayn's house that was situated in the outskirts of the city. Technically,her matrimonial home.
*~*
Somewhere in the sultanate of Kano, Sa'eed halted in the middle of nowhere. He was tired of running away from the police. He bent down slightly and rested his hand in his knees. His breaths came in short pants as he gasped for air.
His plan was to leave the country and come back after a few years but it was impossible with the tight security at the borders. It was even impossible to leave Kano.
Getting away from the police was a close call. Almost impossible.
It's true that,one never realizes the efficiency of the law, until it's after him or her.
Whoever made that statement was speaking pure facts. For now, he'll simply lay low. Just for a while,only to douse the fire he had started.
Albeit, he'll come back. Ready for whatever that comes his way.
Hello 👋👋
Another week,another chapter.
I know... The story has taken a quick turn.
Many hidden mysteries.
Sa'eed don fall into trouble 😂
Omo ball chester.
Ya ga bala'i deh😂
Go and come, we'll be waiting for you.
Guyssss... Don't forget to vote, comment and share!!!
It's really necessary.
Till then,see ya
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