7| Sabar Hayat! Sabar!

S A B A R     H A Y A T!    S A B A R!

Hayat's foot had involuntarily retreated but he chased her, his fast pace proving her attempt to recede futile, so she stopped.

His eyes beheld her gaze, if only looks could kill.

She expected him to use his brute force on her but he paused right in front of her.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Hayat wasn't sure whether the question was for the general or the two guards behind her, who for sure had only accompanied her wherever she went because they were asked to keep an eye on her. Leila had maintained her distance. Hayat hadn't exactly expected Leila to defend her.

The two guards stared at each other with bewilderment.

One wrong word and they would probably live the rest of their life in the Zindaan prison.

Fortunately for them, Umar had intervened.

"Tayyab! I can explain. You need to calm down fir.." Tayyab didn't wait for him to complete his sentence, for he demanded again, "Who?" He seethed.

Hayat had felt the lump in her throat the moment she'd seen him but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't gulp it. She was afraid of him.

She was ashamed of herself. Was this what she could do?

Tremble at the mere sight of him.

"The king." Umar had replied and in the very next moment Tayyab caught her wrist in a tight grip and dragged her along with him in the direction of the throne room.

Hayat almost fell as she tried to keep up the pace with him. The General walked behind them hurriedly. Hayat's wrist was already paining yet she didn't even try to free herself because she knew it was of no use.

Look innocent. Look harmless. She repeatedly said in her mind.

The ache had forced her tears to fall. Tayyab just dragged her like she was a rag doll. He barged into the throne room along with her, ignoring the bow of the two guards at the entrance.

The king was already talking to a man who looked like he was in his late forties. At the sound of their footsteps, the king had paused the conversation.

Tayyab stopped right in front of the dias. He let go of her hand and she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"My beloved nephew!" The man who had been talking to the king greeted.

"I need to talk to you father." Tayyab had said. "Privately." He further added. Tayyab had completely ignored the greetings of his uncle. Hayat didn't even want to look at any of them. She had felt pathetic, useless.

"I will come later my King." Tayyab's uncle had taken a hint and began to leave but before he did, he walked towards Tayyab and glanced at Hayat. He'd put a finger under her chin to raise her head, "What a pity! You could have done better than this Tayyab." He remarked with distaste.

Not just Umar but Tayyab too glared at him. Tayyab had shoved his hand away from under her chin, "Do not touch her." He spat, making his uncle grit his teeth in response whilst covering it up with a fake smile. The king had simply watched.

"Very well!" Altamash huffed, "I must leave then." He announced before bolting away.

Hayat had felt his words pierce through her heart. She knew she wasn't beautiful and definitely in no way worth being called a queen. She had dusky complexion and she was curvy too. She would often feel insecure about her looks.

You have wonderful features. Her amma used to say as if it was a consolation. She would call her attractive.

Hayat wouldn't have believed her mother, if the others in her Qasba had not praised her features too, Her eyes looked innocent and they were striking, she had a small, pointed nose and full lips that were naturally a shade of pink.

Every feature on her face had looked perfect but she was still insecure of her complexion, of her figure and Altamash had just toyed with it. The people of her kingdom were racist and she had known it. She tried to harden her heart, to not feel the jab of his words.

"Good that you've finally decided to leave your chamber." King Zubair commented.

"Why did you stop her execution?" Tayyab asked and it seemed to have infuriated the king. "Marriage is no game. You have searched enough for that girl of yours. Despite my warnings you continued to make your reckless decisions threaten my throne. This is your punishment. If you want to become the King you have to learn the consequence of your decision. You will keep your promise to ALLAH. Fulfill your obligation towards her. Train her, mould her so that she can become the queen of the kingdom and provide you with heir to the throne." The king had stated.

Tayyab's chiselled jaw had only twitched in response. "You've made a terrible mistake son and you must learn." Hayat had heard the king talk about some girl that Tayyab had been searching for. She noticed the change in Tayyab's posture at the mention of her.

"Father with all due respect, this girl is a spy. She has to be executed." Hayat's heartbeat had sped up in an instant, she felt that she was busted.

"Enough! I have more information about her than you. I need no further discussions. Your excuses won't be entertained. She knows the consequences of her own deeds. You should know yours too. Don't waste your energy, try to work on your relationship instead." The king's brows had furrowed in agitation. Tayyab hadn't replied. All he could do was stare at the floor in surrender. Hayat had felt good, she had felt happy seeing Tayyab getting robbed of words. She realised she derived happiness from his failures.

"It's good that both of you are already here. I  am going to throw a ball the day after tomorrow, to introduce her to the people of my kingdom. I am done with all the rumours circulating the streets of Hudaan. I expect both of you to be at your best behavior." Hayat didn't fail to notice the threat in his words. Hayat had almost forgotten that the general had been standing right behind them quietly.

"But Father.." Tayyab's voice had been calm but the King ignored his plea.

"Tayyab walk her to her chamber. I have to talk to the general. You both may leave." The King had dismissed them. Tayyab had only bowed his head once, Hayat copied him before moving back.

Both of them exited the throne room together. Hayat couldn't help but smile smugly. She knew Tayyab had been embarrassed. His father had treated him like a stubborn child.

She kept on walking in the direction of her tower, Tayyab had walked silently beside her. She knew it was the calm before a storm and she had been right because the moment she took a left turn, leaving behind the corridor of the throne room, Tayyab had pushed her to the side wall, caging her with his arms. Not even a tip of his finger touched Hayat, yet she was scared. She was terrified of him.

He looked at her with disdain. "Do not think that you won. I will make sure to uncover every piece of secret that you've been hiding. You have not escaped death, you are just living on borrowed time." He snapped. Hayat had felt the pit of her stomach burn. She felt anger surge at his words.

"How dare you?" She shouted, pushing hin back with all the force that she could muster. He stumbled back and shock was ebbed on his face. He hadn't expected it from her.

The fight.

The fire.

"You put allegations on me and my family. You wrongly accuse them and murdered them in cold blood. You are a monster. You are worse than it. I curse the day you were born." Tears welled up in her eyes and he stared blankly at her.

"Oppress as much as you want but do remember I will seek justice on the day of judgement. You will burn in hell. You will pay for every crime you did and do whatever you want to, I am no more afraid of death. I hate you and I will hate you till my last breath." She didn't even give him a chance to speak, for she sprinted away like a bolt of lightning.

She knew he didn't follow her nor did she wait to see him completely baffled at her words.

She didn't realise where she was heading because her tears, her pain hadn't let her think. The loneliness that she felt wouldn't leave.

She paused when she could no longer run, and instead collapsed on her knees. She cried at her fate, her helplessness. Her breath had been unsteady. She was panting from her little marathon. She felt as if her heart would give up on her. It was thundering against her chest.

"Are you alright?" A shaky voice of an elderly man had her stumble out of her trance. She got up almost immediately, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

"Yes! Yes I am." She repeated, still panting. The man looked like an angel, his beard was as white as pearls, and his face as pale as it. He had noor on his face. His robe and his turban were undyed too.

"My name is Humza. I am the sheikh of the royal family." He smiled.

"Assalamo alaikum Humza efendi. I just lost my way to my chamber. Forgive me if I entered your tower." Hayat had replied.

"Walaikum assalam. I don't mind it child but If you don't mind, will you walk with me for a while?" His smile had somewhat made Hayat feel at ease. "Of course." She walked beside him in tranquility, passing through various corridors and chambers.

Her rapidly beating heart slowing down itself after each passing second.

"Can I ask you something Humza efendi." Hayat questioned. She knew he was probably the most wisest man in the entire kingdom. "Yes you may."

"Why is my Rab testing me? And what if I failed?" She choked on a sob. Humza effendi had only beamed like Hayat had asked him his favourite question.

"ALLAH doesn't test anyone beyond what they can bare. He will bend you but he will not break you." He explained to her like you would to a child. They continued to walk in an unknown part of the tower.

"But I already feel broken. I feel lonely. He took away my family. Everyone has somebody who loves them, looks after them, cares for them but I have no one. No one cares if I haven't eaten. No one cares if I can't sleep at night. No one cares." Tears soon caressed her cheeks, she was weeping.

"Nobody but ALLAH does. It is he who gave mohabbat in the heart of your family so they may look after you when you were an infant, you didn't even know how to speak but he provided for you even before you were born. Not a leaf falls without his permission. His rehma fill find you. Your soul will feel broken, nothing will satisfy it till it finds its master. No matter how lost you are, know that you are not alone. He will send someone who'll guide you back." This made the emotions stir in her heart, it felt heavy. Hayat was overwhelmed. She didn't even realise that she was standing right in front of her chamber.

Humza efendi paused and bowed his head a little in greeting, he then twirled around to leave. "Humza efendi! When will he send someone?" She questioned even though, she remembered answering a similar question the night before her marriage to Tayyab.

Humza only laughed, "Sabar Hayat! Sabar!"

He ambled away soon after he had replied.

Hayat had watched him go, a moment later she was bemused to realise that Humza effendi had called her by her name despite the fact that she hadn't mentioned it nor had she mentioned where her chamber was.

Muhabbat means love.

Rehma means mercy.

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