"Father, that boy has been hanging near our house since morning", observed Daniya while serving her father Hammad Khan his dinner.
"Do you know him?", asked her father.
"No I don't but I have a good mind to go and ask him who he is and what he wants".
Her father smiled at her agitation. "Don't worry Daniya, he is here to keep an eye on me and not on you".
"Keep an eye on you, but why?"
"Because Mir Jafar suspects me. And he has sent Abdul to see who comes to visit me"
"He is called Abdul. How do you know that?", she asked surprised.
"I know a lot more than what you see".
"Right. What if he notices Saeed coming here?"
"That is only the problem with Mir Jafar. He doesn't keep an eye on women. He thinks it beneath him to think of women as powerful beings. Saeed will face no danger by coming here"
"Good, I am looking forward to seeing her tomorrow", replied Daniya with a smile. "What did you do for so long at the Jamia Masjid Father?".
"I went to see Shehzada Sher Shah start his first lesson with Hazrath Fakhruddin Mulla today afternoon".
"Shehzada Sher Shah! He came to the Jamia Masjid. When? How come no one noticed him? People are desperate to see him as no one has seen him appear in public. God bless the rumours that are flying around about his looks".
"He came to the Jamia Masjid dressed as a commoner and for once I must say the rumours are true. He certainly is good looking".
"A million hearts will shatter when we finally have a Malika* then"
"Let him become a Shehenshah first. The poor lad is barely 21 yet. All you girls ever think about is pairing"
Daniya blushed red at his words. Just to change the topic she said. "I would like to visit Hadiya tomorrow. I heard she is unwell"
"Sure go ahead. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) always visited sick people. It's a very virtuous act". And thus their dinner came to an end.
************************************
"Someone is knocking", said Nilofer sitting up on bed. Her husband jerked awake as well. He sat on the bed looking at his wife too afraid to move. They were under enough danger to be scared of an untimely visit from someone. It just meant trouble.
The knocking just became louder and more urgent. The Shahi Hakeem got out of bed, pulled a robe over him and opened the door. The figure outside immediately entered in and banged the door shut behind her.
"Who are you?". He quivered, while his wife watched from behind him.
"Father, it is I" said Meher, lowering the hood.
He stood transfixed taking in the face of his daughter whom he hadn't seen since two years.
"Meher", screamed her mother. She ran and circled her daughter in her arms. "Meher my child, my daughter, my princess", said her mother holding her tightly to her chest. Tears flowed freely from both their eyes.
Meher freed herself from her mother's hold and went to her father who looked at her with pained expression. New bruises clearly showed on Maher's face.
"What have I done? Oh what have I done?", wailed her father. "I handed over my daughter in the hands of a beast. My delicate flower is living in death. It was all my fault! Oh what have I brought upon myself?"
"Father, it's OK", said Meher wiping away the tears. "It wasn't your fault. It was our destiny. What was meant to happen will happen no matter what. The choices we make are guided by unseen forces"
Nilofer got water for all of them.
"How have you all been?", asked Meher.
"Just breathing. Life goes on", sighed her mother.
"How are my brothers?"
"Alhamdulillah. All are asleep now.", said her mother indicating to the 6 bundled up figures on the mattress.
"It's good they all are small or Mir Jafar would have taken advantage of them as well. He already has eyes on them" said her father.
Meher slowly walked to them and looked at all of them in turn planting kisses on their cheeks. How she had missed them. She used to run around the house helping her mother feed, clothe and bathe them. They were just as loving towards her and used to get her sweet smelling flowers and bright coloured stones. Tears threatened to drop again. She wanted to hold all her siblings in her arms and never let go! Those innocent sleeping faces that she was seeing after 2 years were paining her more than Mir Jafar's wounds ever did. This was her family, her home.... A broken home.
"I did not know I had a sixth brother as well!", exclaimed Meher uncovering the last face. It was a young girl!
"Who is she?"
"She is the daughter of Ravi. He died 6 months ago, so we adopted her. Her name is Ahalya but we call her Ammarah with love".
Predominantly being a Muslim kingdom people of other religion were but a minority. But the Shehenshah's gave them equal justice.
"Maa, she is a non-muslim"
"But Islam teaches us humanity. So what if she doesn't follow our religion? She is a human like us and her heart beats like ours"
"Don't we have enough on our plates already? Now we have an extra member to look after?", asked Meher.
"Meher, child, have you forgotten everything I taught you? Just because our life is difficult doesn't mean we can't make someone's life easy. She is just like you, Aamir or Arhaan to us", said her mother.
"Life with Mir Jafar has made me bitter. Sorry Maa"
She took her place next to her father.
"What if Mir Jafar finds out you are here?", asked her father scared.
"I don't care anymore. I am tired of living my life under the shadow of fear. Tonight I have come here with a reason. Father, I need your help".
Her father looked at her daughter in disbelief. Was this Meher? From when had she found courage?
"What is it you need my daughter?"
"I want to know how the Shehenshah died"
His face turned as white as chalk and his throat became dry.
"What has this got to do with anything?", he asked.
"It could be our ticket out of this hell"
"What do you mean Meher? Tell me in detail".
"For the first time in 2 years I met someone who embraced me as my own. Someone who showed me love, care and affections. A true angel. She gave me hope and courage and guided me to free myself and my family through her help. This is exactly what I am doing. She said this evidence of Shehenshah's death can be used to convict Mir Jafar".
"What a foolish girl. Meher, I forbid you to associate with her whoever she is. She has no idea who Mir Jafar is. He is a demon. Its impossible to bring a case against him. He owns the whole court. Who will stand up in support even if a voice is raised against him? No one Meher, no one. Every official is terrified of him. They fear for their families and the hold he has over them. Abandon this silly mission right now and go back home before Mir Jafar finds anything".
"Father, you are saying all this because you don't know Saeed. I have met her. Believe me, she will stop at nothing. A fire for justice burns inside her. Allah helps those who fight for justice. Have some faith. This is the only chance we have against Mir Jafar. Do you want all your children to become his slaves like I am? Today you cannot tolerate seeing my bruises and tomorrow you will find the strength to see all your sons in the same condition?"
"Nooo!", Nilofer screamed. "Not more of my children please". She wept bitterly.
Shahi Hakeem Javed Ansari looked at the two women in front of him. One was frail and weak from all the years of hardship, dark circles around her eyes who was crying with desperation. The other was a beauty with fine lines of stress on her face making her look older than she was. A delicate flower turned into a bold woman due to all the trails she had passed through. A single wrong decision of his had landed them here. He did not want to make another wrong decision and regret it again.
But.... But how could he own up in front of his daughter that he was as much responsible for the Shehenshah's death as Mir Jafar was? She thought him to be a good person. How could he tolerate his daughter know his darkest secrets? No, he couldn't bear it.
"Who is this Saeed and where can I meet her?", he asked.
"She lives at the edge of Shahi Jungle. I am supposed to write down what I find in a letter and hide in the crate of eggs that the farmer will deliver early morning".
"I will meet her in person Meher for the evidence against Shehenshah's death is but for her ears".
"As you say father. Get me paper and ink"
In the name of Allah, the most beneficent and the most merciful.
Dear Saeed,
Mir Jafar is planning to kill Shehzada Sher Shah, through what means I know not. He is sure the Shehzada will call for a Hakeem tomorrow which means he has done something to make Shehzada sick which will lead to his death.
He says there is a guiding force behind the Shehzada and he is going to find it and eliminate it.
He is keeping an eye on two people called Mahmood Hassan and Hammad Khan. He left for some place on a horse back in the night.
Father says he will directly give you the evidence of Shehenshah's death.
That is all for now.
Yours truly,
Meher
Her father stood behind her as she wrote reading her every line.
"Shehzada is going to call for me tomorrow?"
"As per Mir Jafar, yes"
Mir Jafar is killing the Shehzada the same way he killed Shehenshah thought Hamid. Another cold blooded murder and all because of him....
He fainted.
"Father! Father!" Meher shook him awake. He sat fazed looking blankly at a wall.
"Father everything is going to be alright. Do not worry yourself this way".
"I will wait for the Shehzada to call me tomorrow morning and after that I will pay a visit to this girl called Saeed you say. Go now Meher. Go before you are found missing".
Meher took the letter, put on her hood and crossed the two lanes that separated her house from her parents.
5 November 2016
**********************************************************************************************
FOOTNOTES
*Malika- Queen
A/N
Islam is a religion of love, compassion and peace. It doesn't breed hatred. It happily braces everyone that steps in to its arms. Islam doesn't like associating partners with Allah but does not preach it's followers to hate people of other religions. It's positive and spreads positivity! :)
There are people out there who call themselves Muslims but do everything against Islam says. The company is manufacturing perfect cars but its the drivers that are at fault. Blame the driver and train him than trying to close down the company. That's a foolish thing to do.
Lot's of love, hugs and smiles
Dr Mystic