Chapter 6
Woman of light
The moon is a friend to lovers, creating a bond between them as they both marvel at the same light. No matter the distance between them, they share a sacred connection so long as the night continues.
We see the same moon,
And through the moon, I see you.
The soft light which once comforted her was now tormenting.
Would this night not hurry?
Sleep was unheard of as Laila tossed and turned, her mind clogged with images of her husband. He was intriguing. And she hated it.
Even when closing her eyes, images of him consumed her. She begged to be free of him, refusing to close her eyes whilst sleep insisted on conquering. Despite her battle, a short slumber was soon welcomed.
Only when the sun finally appeared, did Laila regret her actions.
The noise outside the tent was deafening, heavy marching and the sound of manly laughter echoing around the camp.
Lifting herself from the bed, Laila walked towards the small mirror and almost screeched at her appearance. A certain handmaiden would have admonished her for it.
"May I come in?" Maryam's voice disrupted as Laila found herself grateful for the distraction.
"Yes!" She replied, hoping that her young friend had also joined. A smile graced her face when the little boy came racing in, laughing as he embraced the princess.
"Morning Isa," she greeted, planting a kiss on his cheek. Maryam followed close behind, holding a small breakfast.
"Good morning." She placed the food down, revealing a dress.
"We will be leaving the camp after this, so I have bought you some food and clothes." She informed, showing off the patterned abaya. Laila noticed it was not from her own clothes, the embroidery far too elaborate to be from her simple collection.
"That is not familiar?" Laila questioned.
"We did not unpack your stuff as we intend on leaving today. Do not worry, this dress is yours as a gift from the sultan!" Maryam offered a smile, foolishly hoping for her excitement to be shared.
Her expectation was diminished upon seeing Laila's scowl.
"That was quite dense of me," she admitted, watching as Laila pulled Isa onto her lap.
She collapsed onto the bed, embracing the young child.
A selfish request, a need to not wear the clothes of the enemy.
"I am being difficult" Laila bit her lip, holding Isa closer as she felt her conscience fighting against her.
Maryam sighed, dropping the dress in defeat.
"You can have one of mine if it should ease your heart?" Laila looked up, surprised.
Maryam was different. She was kind. Perhaps it was the heart of a mother?
Laila felt herself nod, almost ashamed as she watched the woman leave.
Momentarily returning with a simple cotton dress in her hands, Maryam ushered Isa away before placing the clothing on the bed.
Another woman soon joined them, a large basin of water in her hands. Laila stared at the younger girl, nodding in greeting when she looked up.
"Thank you Sana" Maryam thanked as she left.
"This is supposed to be a war camp, why are there many women here?" Laila asked, finding herself confused yet comforted.
Maryam bought the basin forward, urging her to wash herself whilst emptying the basket of food. Fresh bread with olive oil and dates caused Laila's stomach to grumble, she held her breath, not wanting it to be heard.
"Quickly wash and then you can eat," her friend offered her a miswak, turning to give her some privacy.
"The women you see here are the wives of the soldiers. They offered to come as they knew you would be on the return journey." Maryam sighed.
"I will not lie to you, I do not know whether they did it out of compassion or curiosity. You would know how ladies love to gossip." She felt a hand on her shoulder, turning around to see a refreshed Laila.
"I imagine it will not be an easy journey. No matter their reason, I am grateful for the company." Maryam scrunched her brows, her cheeks warming in surprise.
She did not expect the new princess to be... compassionate towards her enemies.
"You are different from what I expected." Laila stifled a giggle. Likewise.
"Does your body ache?" Maryam suddenly asked, causing the girl in front of her to freeze. Laila feigned laughter, turning to bite into the piece of bread.
"Why would my body ache?" She asked after painful swallowing.
"Did you not consummate?" Laila looked away, embarrassed.
"My apologies" Maryam smiled, reassuringly stroking Laila's shoulders.
"You mustn't tell anyone," she pleaded, unknowingly wanting to save face. Maryam nodded, her hands delicately plaiting Laila's hair, silence falling upon them as she slowly perfected her art.
"Please finish eating and feel free to join me when you're done. For now, I need to tend to my child!" Maryam bowed, leaving Laila with her thoughts.
The curiosity of women would destroy her.
Perhaps Usman had only done worse for her by not giving in to his temptation.
He was... unlike what she believed him to be.
-
As the day continued, the four walls of her tent warmed until Laila felt compelled to accept Maryam's offer.
The camp was almost dismantled, the men around her finding joy in taking down their temporary home. Upon noticing her arrival, they stepped out of the way.
Regardless of their politeness, Laila kept a straight face, grateful for the veil she had decided to wear.
Her eyes never wavered from the way forward, refusing to acknowledge the men who were responsible for her current plight. She only followed the sound of women.
"Welcome Laila!" A soft voice shouted from the makeshift oven they had created. She was packing and smiled politely at Laila as she walked towards them.
A small hand suddenly grabbed hers and tugged, causing her to stumble. Isa stifled a giggle as he gestured forward, dragging Laila with him.
"Come with me" he ordered, mimicking a grown man. Laila allowed his actions, following the boy till they reached his mother and some other women holding waterskins and buckets.
"Ah Laila, I see Isa invited you already. We are going to collect water for the journey ahead, would you like to come?" Maryam asked in hope. Laila instantly nodded, hesitating only when thinking of her new husband.
"Where could you get water from here?" She asked as Maryam passed her a bucket. She pointed towards the end of the camp.
"There is a well nearby here." Laila nodded, only looking back once to wonder if Usman should know.
He was her protector now. Her wali, her mahram.
Yet, he did not have the right.
She tried to convince herself, despite knowing she was wrong. Laila compelled herself to stop worrying, forcing unkind thoughts towards him as she surrounded herself with the others.
"So, Laila. How was your first night in Usman's bed?" The girl called Sana asked, a cheeky smirk on her face.
Laila swallowed, slowly returning the smile.
"I'd rather not speak on it," she replied, attempting to not sound deflated.
The women around her erupted with sighs, wishing for her to spill and feed their gossip.
How else would they fuel future rumours?
"Come on! We just want to know if he is capable of passion," another woman insisted, inciting the others to join. Laila shook her head, looking down in embarrassment.
The regret of joining them was now strong.
Maryam tutted at their behaviour.
"That's enough ladies, not all things have to be shared. Stick with your own stories." Her words held disapproval as she offered a reassuring nod to Laila.
Grateful for her interference, Laila couldn't help but return the gesture.
"You're a bore Maryam, we just want to know why the girl seems fine despite being with Usman, the great man himself." They began to laugh as her face turned red.
Can I turn back? Laila thought, or more so, began to wish.
"Enough." The harshness in Maryam's tone silenced their laughter. She stopped, facing her companions.
"Must you be so shameless on your first meeting with the princess?" Her disappointment was evident as she turned back, creating silence for the rest of the journey.
Some quietly approached Laila, whispering apologies, whilst others gave looks of dislike.
It was truly hard to please everyone.
They finally arrived at their destination, only to see a large caravan surrounding the well.
The women around her instantly covered themselves, stepping away from the men who encompassed the water well.
They were talking amongst each other, wearing discoloured thobes and odd rings of gold.
Their heads were covered with dark shemaghs as their beady eyes suddenly turned towards the women, staring at them with gazes that forced a shiver up Laila's spine.
"Stay close." Maryam whispered, taking hold of Laila's hand and bringing her near.
Laila relaxed as the men eventually moved towards their caravan, making way for them. Her hand dropped as the women went forward and began to fill the buckets with water, forgetting the presence of the strangers besides them as they happily chatted away.
Laila stepped back when it became crowded. She looked around, purposely avoiding the eyes of the men when a figure suddenly captured her attention. Unlike the strangers, it was thin and small and beckoned Laila closer.
"Who's there?" She asked quietly, curiosity hitting her when a whimper was heard.
It was silent aside from the sound of heavy breathing when Laila reached the back of the camels.
Almost not believing her eyes, she held in a gasp upon seeing a young girl hid behind the animal. Her eyes were wide with fear, hands tied together with rope attached to the camel bed.
Instinctively, Laila rushed to the girl and struggled to untie her.
Looking no older than sixteen, and yet her hands and feet were chafed from the hot sand of the desert.
"Who did this to you?" She asked in haste, worried for the life of this innocent child.
The girl could barely stifle a reply, thirsty and exhausted from hours of walking in the heat.
As soon as the child was released, she fell onto the floor and moved her hands in freedom.
"Thank you," she struggled to form the words, creating an ache in Laila's heart as she forced her own tears back.
Who could hurt a child like this?
A large hand suddenly covered her mouth, taking hold of her waist.
Laila screamed, shuddering in disgust whilst fighting against the tight grip.
The body is so cruel. When panicked, it forgets everything that could protect itself.
She was unable to remember any moves of defence as she was man-handled.
Laila screamed, the sound muffled by the hand on her face.
Why could no one see this happening?
She managed to open her eyes only to see the image of the young girl in front of her, another man had grabbed her hair and slapped her hard against the face, forcing her to the ground.
The one in front of them nodded his head as Laila felt a hard blow.
And then there was darkness.