As he sat next to Huriyah in the darkness of her chambers, Harith tried to confirm how he felt. Was he angry that Huriyah had lied to him? Maybe. Afterall, he wouldn't have been so frustrated about her voice had he known that she was a woman.
"Harith..." Huriyah mumbled in her sleep. Harith gazed at the woman in her sleeping form. Why did she lie to him? Why did she lie to everyone? Surely there must have been a dire situation for her to have done something so desperate. His thoughts were broken by a knocking at the door.
"Mister Harith, can I come in," Aasal asked from behind the door. Harith quickly pulled the covers to Huriyah's neck. There was no need for anyone else to find out her secret. He would confront her about it some other day, but for now, he would protect her identity.
"Come in," he said. Aasal opened the door and carried a tray with food in.
"I know you told us to stay out of the room so that we don't get sick, but you have to eat something," Aasal said as she placed the tray down in front of Harith. "It's already night time and you have yet to leave the room."
"It's already this late?" he asked her incredulously. Aasal nodded.
"How's Hur doing?" she asked. Harith checked Huriyah's temperature.
"He's doing much better," he assured the girl. "She'll be fine by tomorrow." Aasal smiled in relief.
"Thank you so much Mister Harith," she said gratefully. "You came and took care of Hur even though you're so busy. How can we ever repay you?" she asked. Harith smiled.
"It's okay," he said. "Hur is my friend. Helping him in his time of need is my duty." Harith realized that this was true even if his friend had lied about her gender. Even if Huriyah was a woman, she was still his friend, his apprentice. She was still important to him.
"Would you like to stay the night?" Aasal asked Harith. "I can lay out some blankets for you right next to Hur." Harith debated with himself for a moment. If he stayed over, he could keep taking care of Huriyah until she felt better. But that would mean sleeping in the same room as a woman, and even though right now she was a man, it was still wrong.
"I think I'm going to rest at home," Harith said. "Hur should be fine for the rest of the night, and if anything happens, you guys can just come and get me." Harith stood up and prepared to take his leave. "I'll come tomorrow morning to check up on him," he said before walking out of the room. "Goodnight everyone," he bade before leaving the hut and walking to his home. That night he laid awake restlessly, thinking about Hur and her true identity.
...
"I have the poem ready," Huriyah said to Harith as she put her stylus down. Harith put his scroll down and sat with his arms crossed.
"Let's hear it then," he said. Huriyah took a deep breath and began reciting the poem she wrote. Her recitation was flawless, changing the tone of her voice when necessary, pronouncing every word properly, and conveying deep emotion with her performance. Harith was amazed. As soon as she had finished reciting, he started clapping. "That was incredible!" he exclaimed. Huriyah blushed.
"It's nothing compared to the way you recite," she said bashfully. Harith grinned.
"Nope, your recitation is better than even mine. Well done, well done," he said. "I think you're ready for the banquet."
"I can't wait!" Huriyah exclaimed.
...
The day of the banquet had finally arrived. Huriyah and Harith were bedecked in their finest clothing. As they sat at the far end of the tents where the banquet was to be held, Huriyah was trying her best to calm down. Naturally she was very nervous, as this was her first time reciting for a large audience. Harith tried to assuage her fears.
"You're going to be great," he told her confidently. "Don't worry about a thing and just recite."
"But what if I mess up!" she quivered. "What if my voice cracks or I forget my lines? What then?" she asked him, feeling sick. Harith sighed. He knew that there were more to her fears, more that she couldn't share with him.
"Your voice won't crack, you're better than that," he said, "and you won't forget your lines, you practiced and memorized your poem until you could read it in your sleep." Harith patted her back. He was very hesitant about touching Huriyah since finding out about her true gender, but right now he needed to calm her down. "Take deep breaths," he whispered. Huriyah closed her eyes and followed his instructions. She inhaled deeply then exhaled a few times. Harith's warm hands on her back also helped calm her down immensely. By the time she opened her eyes again, her nervousness had completely disappeared.
"I'm ready," she said. Harith smiled.
"Good. They're going to call you any minute now," he told her. True to his word, a servant came to them and ushered Huriyah to the platform. Huriyah stepped onto it. The sounds of laughter and happy chatter from the banquet guests were quieted to a hush. Huriyah cleared her throat. Her eyes searched for Harith's, and when they finally met his eyes, she took a deep breath and began. The guests listened in wonder as she recited. Just like she had practiced countless times, she changed the tone of her voice. She spoke with passion and emotion. She conveyed feelings of deep loyalty and respect. She recited flawlessly. When she finished, she didn't pay attention to the words of appreciation from the guests. She sought out the opinion of only one person. She quickly made her way him.
"Harith," she called out to him. He turned around and smiled.
"That was amazing," he told her. Huriyah tried to hide a blush.
"Thank you," she said shyly. Her heart raced at his smile and compliment.
"Shall we get going?" he asked her. Huriyah nodded, and the two made their way to their homes.
...
Huriyah and Harith were at his home reading each other's poems. As she admired Harith's beautiful handwriting, a thought crossed her mind.
"Harith, who taught you how to read and write?" she asked him. Harith looked up from her poem.
"My father," he replied.
"Oh really. He must be really proud knowing that you've put your knowledge to good use," Huriyah thought aloud. Harith grew quiet.
"I highly doubt it," he mumbled. Huriyah immediately knew that she touched on a sensitive topic.
"Lu'ayl, Malik, and Aasal are all learning how to read and write!" she blurted. Harith looked up.
"Really? Are you teaching them?" he asked. Huriyah nodded.
"Yeah. Lu'ayl and Malik both dream of becoming scholars one day," she said with a smile. Harith grinned.
"Knowing the persistence of those two, they'll make it, I'm sure," he said. He seemed to be in a much better mood, clearly forgetting what it is that had made him upset before. Huriyah smiled in relief.
"I'm sure of it too," she said. A comfortable silence followed as the two continued to read each other's poetry.
"I'm going to Mecca," Harith suddenly said.
"What?" Huriyah asked, startled.
"I'm going to Mecca," he said again. "My father lives there and I want to see him." Huriyah stared at him without blinking.
"Okay. When will you be leaving?" she asked him.
"In a week. I'll be back after a month," he said. Huriyah felt a bit sad. She wouldn't be seeing Harith for a whole month. "I want you to come as well," he said. Huriyah nearly choked.
"WHAT?" she gasped. "Why?" Harith scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well, you are from Mecca and I've never been. I was hoping you could show me around," he said embarrassedly. Huriyah wanted to reject his offer and leave him alone. But after all that he'd done for her when she first came to Medina, a city she'd never been to, how could she deny him the same service?
"What about the kids?" she asked him. "I don't want to leave them alone for a whole month."
"I think they're mature enough to be left alone for a while," Harith said. "And I have a friend that can drop in on them to make sure that they're doing well." Huriyah thought about it for a bit.
"We're only going to stay in Mecca for two weeks, right?" she asked him.
"Yeah, we won't take to long," he said. Huriyah resolved herself. If it was only two weeks, then she could comfortably avoid the people she knew.
"Okay then," she said. "I'll come to Mecca with you." Harith sighed in relief.
"Great!" Harith said. Huriyah smiled at his enthusiasm. But deep down, she was doubting her decision.
"I hope I'm doing the right thing," she thought.