Not Edited
Even with the morning sun far out in the clouds it was bitterly cold. Omeed hated the cold weather and it irritated her. Unfortunately for Afsoon, non have warned her an irritated and angry Omeed shouldn't be your opponent.
'Here it was.' Omeed thought spitefully as she slowly turned towards a scowling Afsoon. 'This just might be my chance at taking my anger on a willing participant.' Omeed chuckled within. 'Her blood calls to mine and I'll be damned if it didn't spill.' She smirked coming to a conclusion.
Amir could literally feel the wheels turning in Omeed's head. He knew she was having an internal battle with herself. When he had heard what had happened at princess Zubaida's birthday, he had wished he had a front row seat.
There was a reason the adage goes 'know thy enemy' too bad not very many pay heed to such advice. Afsoon being one of the stupid few. "Concubine Afsoon what did you say?" Omeed asked her sweetly. She didn't want to come off as the aggressor not with so many witness.
"Ah, she's deaf as well." Afsoon threw her hands up gesticulating as she spoke. "There's nothing special about you." She gave Omeed a full look over as a few concubines snickered. Omeed had a smile plastered on her face baiting Afsoon on. She needed her to get physical.
"You are the daughter of a traitor!" Afsoon jeered Omeed,circling her with a wicked glint in her wild blue eyes. "The ministers are probably having a field day in court attacking his majesty. All because you returned! You are a smear in his otherwise untarnished reign."
Everyone fell silent as Omeed laughed. Zoya and Feriha joining her knowing Afsoon has put the final nail to her coffin. "Deaf you say?" Omeed smiled. "I heard you loud and clear. Just wanted you to hear your own voice when you speak." Stopping in front of Afsoon, Omeed standing several inches taller than her looked down at Afsoon.
"I am better than you concubine Afsoon." Omeed spat. "There's a reason why you are a mere concubine and I, the crown princess of Persia." Moving closer in a deathly voice Omeed says. "Persia needs me, his majesty needs me." She smirked seeing Afsoon flinch at her words. "I don't need them! That's what makes me special."
"The next time you call my father a traitor you just might never move concubine Afsoon. There are hundreds of acupuncture points in the body and I know the deadly ones." Omeed said in a sing along voice.
"I trust his majesty to handle the ministers while I deal with the back palace. For every hassle the ministers put his majesty through, you will pay the price since your father spearheads them." Speaking seriously with every traces of laughter gone, Omeed says. "I doubt he'd be pleased to hear his little girl suffer at my able hands. Don't you think so?"
She watched Afsoon's face turn from a scowl into that of rage. Her eyes glaring at Omeed's. "Looks like I hit a sore note. You don't like hearing terrible things about you father do you?" Omeed grinned.
"Too bad, you should have seriously considered that before you spurt your nonsense." She took a deep sigh hoping her final words will be Afsoon undoing.
"I am better than you Afsoon, you are nothing but a spoilt little girl who has been handed everything her entire life. You are nothing without the former prime minister. And you will remain a mere flower. Beautiful on the outside nothing on the inside." Omeed had spoken loudly and had punctuated every word as she spoke down to Afsoon.
Afsoon shook with so much rage, she has never been this angry in her whole life. She regretted not having Omeed killed after princess Zubaida's birthday. From the first time she had laid her eyes on Omeed something about her had irked her to no end. She should have acted upon it.
Unfortunately for Afsoon it was a little too late to bask in the joy of eliminating her. But it wasn't too late for her to strike Omeed. No one speaks ill of her father and gets away with it. She thought with anger as her hand rose to make it's way to Omeed's face.
Omeed had seen it coming, heck she had wanted and yearned for Afsoon's retaliation. So when Afsoon scowl had deepen, she knew she had succeeded in her plan. She smirked as Afsoon brought her tender looking hands towards her face.
Faster than Amir could say the word 'STOP' Omeed had grabbed hold of Afsoon's hand and had twisted it expertly making it pop out of her joint. Everyone except Zoya and Feriha had gasped and with mouths opened wide they watched Afsoon's knees buckle in pain.
Omeed's face was clear of any emotion as her hand remained on Afsoon who tried to breathe through her agony. Tears streamed down her cheeks but she couldn't cry out. Her mouth was opened in shock from the pain Omeed was inflicting on her now dislocated shoulder blade.
"Never! Ever! Raise! Your hands! On! Me! Again!" Omeed ordered Afsoon with a sardonic smile on her face. "You won't be this lucky big sister Afsoon." She spoke sweetly once again as everyone stared in horror. Afsoon nodded her head unable to form a word.
Letting go of her, Omeed rid her face of any emotion as she watched Afsoon writhing in pain. "Feriha, are you going to help her put it back in place or do I have to do it?" Omeed asked Feriha who just snickered seeing the big burly Amir with opened mouth.
"Alright, looks like I have to fix you myself since Feriha wouldn't touch you. She's too busy laughing." Omeed said to a horrified Afsoon as she placed both her hands on her dislocated shoulder. "There you go." She said popping the joint back in place.
This time Afsoon screamed in agony. Amir couldn't interfere, there was only so much his jurisdiction covered and stopping Omeed from hurting Afsoon wasn't one. Omeed had been a revelation, her eyes shone with kindness where it was due and fire when she was provoked.
"His majesty has met his match." He murmured to Zoya and Feriha who were stood fairly close to him. "Is lady Omeed---?" He was cut off by Omeed's voice asking.
"Amir, we wouldn't want to keep the dowager queen waiting, would we?" Omeed reminded Amir they had originally been on their way somewhere else.
"No my lady." Amir said leading the way. He couldn't wait to tell Hafez what had transpired knowing Hafez would be tremendously proud of Omeed.
"Oh and concubine Afsoon, you are my inferior. Never look me in the eyes when we speak unless permitted to." Afsoon agreed meekly. "You'll do well to remember that." She finished with a condescending scowl as she followed Amir into the dowager queen's pavilion.
Hafez had hurried back to his chamber after court hoping to break the good news to Omeed before taking a stroll with her around the harem. He had been a little saddened to find her gone when a eunuch informed him Omeed had been summoned by the dowager queen,
He made his way towards the harem taking long strides hoping to catch her before she heard the good news from a different source. What he hadn't expect was to find Afsoon sprawled unceremoniously on the floor bawling her eyes out.
A eunuch announced his presence as everyone bowed in acknowledgement. "Your majesty, I am glad you are here." Afsoon cried as Hafez willed himself not to bark in response to her aggravating tone. "Look at what lady Omeed did to me." She cried
Hafez approached her slowly, gripping both her shoulders as he lifted her off the floor. "I want her punished, how dare she defame a royal concubine!" Afsoon leaned against Hafez. This is the closest he has ever been with her and he already felt violated.
Afsoon seeing this as the opportunity she has craved all these years she's been in the palace, pressed her body on Hafez's chest as she tried unsuccessfully seducing him. "Outside your father controls most of the ministers, but right here lady Omeed controls the harem concubine Afsoon."
"W--what do you mean your majesty?" She stuttered afraid her worse nightmare might just have come true.
"What do you think concubine Afsoon?" Hafez spat with disgust evident on his voice. "Lady Omeed will be crowned queen of Persia as soon as a date is fixed for our nikah." Hafez announced proudly to the harem before storming off into the dowager's pavilion.
"Your majesty, lady Omeed is here to pay her respect." A eunuch announced as Omeed waits to be invited inside.
"Send her inside at once! It is cold out there." Omeed smiled gratefully. 'Perhaps the dowager queen isn't a bad person and she's considerate'. Omeed thought to herself as she was lead inside the elaborately furnished pavilion.
"Your majesty." Omeed bowed deeply as a sign of respect for the aging former queen. At ninety years old, she was the oldest member of the royal family and her opinions were highly regarded.
"Come closer child let me look at those eyes." Her croaky voice commanded. "I want to see if they're still as pure as they once were when you were only three years old." Omeed slowly approached her as she frailly laid on the bed.
She took Omeed's hands looking in Omeed's sceptical orbs then said. "Hafez chose you from when he was only a boy. And I can tell he chose right." She cracked a painful smile. "You had given him a scar on his nose when he suggested you move into the palace." The former queen chuckled.
Omeed wondered if the elderly lady before her was crazy. She had no idea what she was talking about but listened anyway out of respect. She shivered suddenly aware of Hafez's presence behind her.
"Grandmother." Hafez greeted the frail lady with kisses on the forehead. "Are you feeling well?" He enquired about her health.
"I am fine child, your bride was just keeping me company." Hafez and Omeed blushed at her words looing away from each other. "I was telling her the story of your encounter as a child." Hafez frowned.
"Looks like you've also forgotten. Omeed here gave you that scar on your nose." For as long as Hafez can remember, he has always had the scar on his nose bridge.
'Does this mean he had already met Omeed as a child long before he met her on the streets of Isfahan?' Hafez asked himself as he stared at his Grandmother in amazement. "Why did she hurt me?" He asked sneaking a peak at a playfully scowling Omeed.
"A marriage had been suggested by the elders, but you were too anxious to have her in your harem wall before she was ready to part from her parents." The lady coughed with a happy glint on her eyes watching the deep blush on Hafez's face.
"You had told her she wouldn't be returning home with her parents so she hit you with the wooden sword you had given her earlier while you both played." The servants and eunuchs around secretly laughed as they listened to the dowager's story.
"Her words then had been 'if you come near me again I will beat you up' and we had all laughed watching the pair of you cry." Omeed couldn't hide the look of horror on her face. She was embarrassed and rightly so.
The couple's eyes met both held admiration, love and respect as they wondered what in fact did the heavens want from them. Why have they always been so close yet so far.
Author's note: Short update, thought I should get this out of the way.
Photo of Omeed on the side....