Double update ;) Make sure you read the previous part first. Vote and comment!
When Zamarud reached Sthooriya, the snow was falling heavily. Fearing the Tor Guls harassment and greed, Zamarud hid the food his tribe desperately needed in a cave they found near the pass. Every night, after everyone would else would huddle near fires and prepare to sleep, the Oochaths would slide down the slopes on sledges to smuggle the food in.
Once the winter was over, Zamarud set out to find more emeralds. He soon realized that the peaks the Oochath tribes inhabited were loaded with the precious stones. After the snow melted and travelling became more convenient, Zamarud visited the old man to do more business and learn more about his new religion.
Over the years, most of the Oochath were enriched by both, the treasure of Emeralds and the wealth of Islam. They slowly started changing their ways. Their customs and traditions, their thinking, their outlook on life, their diet, their social dealings and behavior, everything went through a complete overhaul. Zamarud set up many schools to teach his people all kinds of knowledge of science, math, arts, geology, Qur'an and Hadeeth. He also started working on a secret passageway in and out of the valley in form of a tunnel near the Oochath tribe. The tribe of poor climbers soon became the richest and most knowledgeable miners, jewelers and gem dealers, and most independent of all of Sthooriya.
Both the Emeralds and Islam were kept a secret until after Zamarud's father passed away. By then the new religion had started spreading into the other tribes. The Manzannee and the Landhini were not bothered. Most of them accepted Islam and its values of equality, justice and honesty readily. The Tor Guls, however, saw the new religion as a threat to their political superiority over the other tribes. They asked the Oochath to publically denounce Zamarud and to hand him over so that he could be beheaded. The Oochaths refused. The Tor Guls attacked but were taken by surprise when a group of well trained archers effectively repelled their assault.
Finding no other way, The Tor Guls made a peace treaty. Zamarud and his tribe could practice the new religion so long as they did not shelter a Tor Gul Muslim in their houses and return him back for brutal public killings. Zamarud agreed. Clever as they were, the Oochaths started helping the Tor Gul Muslims escape persecution by sheltering them in the caves instead of houses until they could flee out of Sthooriya through the tunnel.
The Tor Guls continued maligning Zamarud publically and did everything in their power to keep the masses from accepting Islam. However, after a Tor Guls killed a farmer's young girl for refusing to marry one of Tor Gul generals, the three tribes united against the Tor Guls and set up a Loya Jirga or Grand Council. The members of the Council named Zamarud as their leader. They wanted to crown him as their king but Zamarud refused. However, upon the people's insistance, he agreed to become the Grand Chief, and the large green crystal of Emerald was polished into a crest as a symbol of his authority. They called it 'The Zamarud'. The Tor Guls found themselves in a tough situation when even their own populace rallied around the Grand Council. Cunning as they were, the Chief of the Tor Gul Tribe got the general killed. He offered to accept Zamarud as the Grand Chief so long as his Council did not interfere in the internal affairs of the Tor Gul tribe. The agreement was called 'Pact of Non-interference'."
Centuries passed without any major conflict. The Tor Guls maintained their bitter hatred against the Oochaths for stealing their crown but they could not retaliate. Most of Sthooriya made much progress especially in the time of The Grand Chief Sulaiman – Salma's grandfather. The valley boasted of many modernized cities equipped with the latest technology. He constructed a Dam over the river making Sthooriya energy independent. He connected the valley to the rest of the world through many well built roads and railways. A number of well recognized universities were established in his time with special emphasis on women education who he believed needed special attention.
The Tor Gul tribe, however, was left far behind due to the manipulation of the elites within the tribe. They forbade their people, especially women and the poor, from getting education and ruled them with the same barbaric rules of many centuries ago. The old pact of non interference in Tor Gul tribal affairs prevented Sulaiman for taking any steps for the betterment of the oppressed tribal people. Sulaiman planned on setting the state on a more democratic pathway, where the Grand council and the Chief would have nominal status as head of State. With this he hoped to revoke the oppressive pact of non-interference through popular vote and alleviate the miserable situation of the common man in the Tor Gul tribe.
The Chief of Tor Gul Tribe, Agha Gul became a bitter rival of Sulaiman upon learning of his intentions to overturn the rulings of the pact. He already detested Sulaiman for stealing his thunder. After the previous Grand Chief fell ill, Agha Gul expected the Council to appoint him as the next Grand Chief. He was oldest of all the Council members, came from a well respected family and was considered quiet intelligent. The Grand Council, however, knew him to be a cunning man and named Sulaiman – Zamarud's descendant - as the next Grand Chief. They argued that they could not trust him to maintain justice in Sthooriya given his tolerance to the injustices done in his own tribe.
Agha Gul made a public show of having accepted the decision but from that day on, he kept conspiring against Sulaiman and the Grand Council. Within the first year of Sulaiman's rule, two of his most loyal Council members were killed, he himself narrowly escaped an assassination attempt and there was an attempt to steal the treasured and much adored emerald crest – The Zamarud. The Sthooriy viewed the 'Zamarud' as a national treasure and symbol of their heritage and success. It was no more worn by the Grand Chief but was kept by his vicegerent, or the 'Guardian of the Zamarud'. The family that housed the Zamarud was automatically respected and held in high esteem.
Shrewd like his ancestors, Sulaiman realized the Zamarud and his family were not safe. The Council members established an army of Green Coats – A group of well trained fighters that were given the task to protect the Zamarud and the Grand Chief's family. Fifteen years later, however, Sulaiman was assassinated on his way back from a graduation ceremony of Sthooriya's first batch of fighter pilots. The batch consisted of a young female and three young male pilots – one of them being Sulaiman's only son, Huraiyra. Three days later, his son disappeared; no trace left what so ever.
Grabbing the opportunity, Agha Gul rushed to the Grand Council, mocking much distress over the loss of all the male descendants of the first Grand Chief, Zamarud. He could see no one stopping him from becoming the Supreme Ruler now that Sulaiman was dead and his son, the Guardian of the 'Zamarud' was missing. Agha Gul walked into the Council Hall with much confidence only to get the shock of his life with the sight met by his eyes.
There, upon the High Chair, where the Grand Chief sat, was seated Nimrah – Sulaiman's widow, and around her neck hung the green crystal of the Zamarud.
"Ah! Agha Gul, you're here at last," Nimrah welcomed him, her heart aching at the loss of her husband and her son at the hands of man who stood before her.
"Lady Nimrah?" he murmured the name, his eyes zeroing on the Zamarud around her neck, "You're the guardian of the Zamarud."
"Indeed," she replied, her voice icy. "And as the rules of the High Council reads, 'in case of the sudden death or unforeseen absence of the Grand Chief, the Guardian of the Zamarud – if of age - would overlook the affairs of the state till the Grand Council chooses another Grand Chief. And also, 'In case of a deadlock among the members, the Guardian of Zamarud – if of age - may be given the authority to name a Grand Chief after passing the Zamarud to another Guardian."
She watched the evil man's piercing grey eyes closely, seeing them flash with mad rage and bitter disappointment. He may have been more cunning, but her husband was cleverer.
"So here we are," Lady Nimrah said. "The Council is going to discuss the possibility of appointing a new Grand Chief."
"And who may that be?" Agha Gul asked not able to keep the venom from his tone.
"It has been decided to appoint Azaan Ahmad for the time being," a senior council member informed him.
"Her brother?!"
"Yes," Nimrah replied tersely, "My brother. Do we have an issue?"
Agha Gul gritted his teeth, clenching and unclenching his fists in anger. Azaan was very loyal to Sulaiman. He regretted not taking him out earlier.
"Of course not, Lady Nimrah," Agha Gul growled, glaring at the woman seated on the High Chair that should have been his. "And the Guardian of the Zamarud?"
"After Azaan suggested it, it has been the unanimous decision of the members of the council to keep person's identity a secret," The Lady replied, "and for obvious reasons . . ."
Agha Gul glowered at the people in the Hall, his nostrils flaring, his face contorted with rage.
"Would you like to vote on the matter?" Lady Nimrah suggested, "Perhaps to removed the word 'unanimous' from the written transcript?"
Looking like a snake ready to strike, Agha Gul was barely able to hold himself from attacking the woman.
"No," he rasped. "Matters of such irrelevance are beneath me!"
Turning on his heels, he stormed out of the hall, striking the floor with his staff as he went.
Nimrah, a well versed scholar of Political Science and internationally recognized human rights activist, started taking quick steps to fulfill her husband's dream of a democratic Sthooriya. While her brother took care of the affairs of the state, Nimrah turned to protecting her family. Fearing an attack from Agha Gul, she married her daughter Aliya to one of Sulaiman's most loyal men among the Green Coats – Atif Rahman. Soon thereafter, she sent them out of Sthooriya. She wanted her daughter Farhiya to get married to Dawood but Agha Gul got ahead of her there.
Shortly after her grandson Asim was born, Nimrah visited the U.S to see Aliya and her beloved granddaughter, Salma. On her way back, she was poisoned on the plane. Barely a few months later, Azaan died of natural causes. Grabbing the opportunity, Agha Gul, married Farhiya to his son who was already married and had a kid. He suspected Farhiya to be the Guardian of the Zamarud because her sister, Aliya, was married and she could not become the legal Guardian in presence of an unmarried sibling. Upon learning of his scheme to get the Zamarud through marriage, the Green Coats tried to intervene but it was already too late. Agha Gul had already performed nikkah and claimed that Farhiya had became one of the Tor Guls – a cursed tribe in whose internal affairs the Grand Council or the Green Coats could not interfere. The notion was incorrect and debatable considering Farhiya was a Oochath by birth, but the state's politics was going through such turbulent times that the controversial wedding was placed on the back burner.
Soon after, Agha Gul demanded Farhiya to turn in the Zamarud and announce him as the Guardian. He almost killed Farihya on spot when she told him she was not the Guardian of the Zamarud.
"WHO IS IT THEN?!" Agha Gul screamed, "WHO HAS THAT DAMN SHRAD OF GREEN GLASS!"
Frightened, Farhiya told him it was Salma, the granddaughter of the Grand Chief Sulaiman. Realizing he had been fooled first by the Chief and then by his wife, Agha Gul threw a complete fit. He realized Lady Nimrah had really played him. Salma being just a toddler could not be targeted through marriage, so he could not force her to award him with the Zamarud and make it look like a legal transfer. Also, she was one of the Chief Zamarud's descendant, bestowed with the Zamarud by a previous legal guardian and was unmarried, so he could not challenge out the validity of her Guardianship. Nimrah had cleverly placed the Zamarud in the care of a highly accomplished Green Coat by appointing his daughter as the Guardian.
Burning in his rage and fire of vengeance, Agha Gul set his eyes on his next target, the little freak, Salma Rahman, and this time, he was determined not to fail!
Twenty years later, he had still not forgotten. The political scene of the Sthooriya was weak. It lacked a strong leader who could make the shift to a more democratic system - Agha Gul had made sure of it. Although the other three tribes had passed their own bills and adopted democracy, Agha Gul had done everything in his power to protect the pact of non interference in the affairs of the Tor Gul tribe. He was going to get his hands on the Zamarud and upon becoming its legal Guardian, Agha Gul was going to reclaim what the Tor Gul tribe was robbed off of centuries ago by low caste son of a wood cutter, Zamarud!
"This time there are going to be no killings . . . yet!" Agha Gul whispered to himself, "Some people are more useful alive then when they're dead."
He realized the boy, Asim was his best bet. He could not attack a Green Coat. That would put the entire nuisance of an army on his tail. He could not attack Sulaiman's daughter. He needed her to declare her trust in him to get the political credibility, but he could take her boy out to force his sister to do his bidding and he saw little to face as consequence in doing so.
"Let's see how much this girl values her brother's life," He sneered, "Salma Rahman, welcome to hell,"
Author's Note:
I know it was a long, no Zalma piece, but I hope you liked it and that it answered some of your questions.
I used a lot of foreign words in this chapter, especially the names of the tribes. Someone who is familiar with the terms can hopefully correct me if I've use the terms wrongly. There were a lot of synonyms for each word and I got confused :P
The story of the old man with Zamarud is inspired by the story of real scholar. I don't remember the specifics of his name and the city but this particular scholar was once buying cloth from a woman. The woman was ignorant of the value of the cloth and was selling it cheap. The scholar, who happened to know of the true price, informed her of it and paid her the full price. His honesty really stuck with me, even if I'd forgotten the rest of the story. So this story isn't completely fiction, although the names and the item is different, the act of honesty is true occurrence in our history. If I come across the real story, I will try to share it.
I pray that we can learn something from all the good examples set by our pious predecessors.
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Lots of Love
J.