10| He Will Kill You

Quick question:

What's your nationality?

Please answer so it would become easy for me to know which word I have to explain below.

H E   W I L L   K I L L    Y O U

Hayat had tried to move first but her body seemed to not be co-operating. She hadn't thought about the next arrow that would hit her. She hadn't thought about the pain that she would have to go through because of him. She had just wanted to save him so she could kill him later.

The pain had lessened, and when she stirred in her sleep, she heard footsteps surround her.

"Shukar ya rab!"

"She's awake! Inform the King." Someone had shouted.

"Bring water." Another woman embarked orders. "Call the Hakeem."

Her eye lids still felt heavy, she felt as if she hadn't had a proper sleep for a couple of days whereas on the contrary she had lied in an unknown chamber for three and a half days.

Her wounds hadn't been that deep but it had been poisoned. She was sure there was someone other than the rebels who had conspired against the prince.

As she started to gain more conscious, she was being able to move her fingers. She tried opening her eyes and with a lot of efforts finally succeeded.

Her eyes had hurt trying to adjust to the light around her and the unknown faces that looked at her expectantly.

Her lips had been parched and her throat ached for water.

"Wa.. ater" She had merely whispered when a maid scuttled away to bring her a glass of water. Hayat's eyes were barely opening.

When the woman brought her water, she tried to get up but an acute pain shot up through her shoulders making her vision blur.

"Aaghhhhh! Ya Allah." She groaned. "Please my lady don't move." The woman on her left had tried to usher her.

Salim efendi, the hakeem of the palace had just walked in. "Move away. Let me see." He rushed to her side, dispersing the crowd. She tried to recognise the room she was in but had failed.

Slow whimpers had escaped her lips while the Hakeem surveyed her. "My lady, please try to open your eyes." Hayat had tried to open it again but it felt heavy, despite her efforts she felt no stamina and within moments she drifted away into slumber once again.

She woke an hour later. Whatever medicine they had given her had worked wonders, the fatigue that she had earlier felt had vanished this time.

As she opened her eyes, she looked around for familiar faces.

Hakeem Salim efendi had still been there. Her maids had surrounded her along with two other maids whom she didn't recognise. They were all catering to her needs.

The Hakeem had been talking to the King.

"Your highness she is awake." Hayat recognised that voice. It belonged to Heba jaan.

The King had moved swiftly, he was by her side in seconds. "How are you my girl?" Hayat had been puzzled with the newfound concern that laced in his voice.

"Umm.. Good.. Alhamdulillah..your Majesty." She had felt better, honestly. The last time she woke, her head had been swirling but this time she knew she was finally awake.

"Shukar ya rab!" The king raised his hand towards the sky. He mumbled some dua in arabic and then passed his hand over his face.

Hayat had been staggered. He had genuinely looked happy to see her fine.

"I want to thankyou my daughter for the bravery and courage that you manifested at that very moment. Not everyone is as fearless. You saved the future of Hudaan. The entire kingdom had been praying for your speedy recovery and alhamdulillah ALLAH has been merciful to our kingdom. I am forever indebted to you. We all are." Hayat had just gaped. She didn't know how to respond or what to make of his words.

Fearless.

He had called her fearless.

What a wicked sense of humor did fate have!

All her life she had believed that she was a craven, always dependent. She wanted to fly high but her abba had never allowed it and nor did Ahmar. They were too protective of her.

Right now, listening to the King of her kingdom call her fearless, her heart had swelled with pride and she didn't even know why.

Hayat didn't know what to say. "The maids will look after your every need and guards will be appointed outside this chamber at all times." The king then patted her head lightly, "May Allah give you health. Ameen."

The King left the chamber soon after that. "My lady you need to drink and eat properly. The medicines will only work with proper diet." The hakeem instructed.

"I have given you antidotes for the pain. Insha Allah the pain will decrease but we will have to change the bandage everyday or the wound might get infected. I would recommend you to limit your activities and to stay in the chamber." Salim efendi packed his belongings and began to move out.

Hayat stared at the ceiling, the art engraved on it told stories of wars and stuffs she couldn't understand.

If she had felt that her chamber had been lavish, this chamber was extraordinary yet similar to the one that was allotted to her. She missed her own chamber. She felt uneasy here.

"I want to go back to my chamber." She grumbled.

"Habibti you can't. You heard Salim efendi. You have to rest and try not to move a lot. The stitches are still fresh." The pain was bearable and Hayat knew it was because of the medicines.

Her stomach had grumbled from hunger and Heba jaan fed her. Another maid had checked her temperature from time to time. "Thankyou for taking care of me. I am very grateful." It was true, they cared for her in ways only one's family would and Hayat could see it in their action. "My lady it's us who should be grateful. You proved to everyone that the future of Hudaan is in safe hands. You saved the prince, our future King." Leila had praised. All of them were singing praises of her.

Good! This made her job easy.

A while later they heard a knock on their door, the maids had stood up in attention. A second later two men walked in. Both of them wore a similar attire to  the general, Umar. Hayat stared at them with scrutiny. Both of them were warriors.

One of them nudged the other one in the shoulder pushing him forward. The one with shoulder length hair had walked further and the one with short hair had walked behind him.

He looked embarrassed. When they neared her round bed, they pulled out their sword. For a minute Hayat had been scared to death but then they knelt on one foot, placing the edge of their blade on the ground. "My queen!" they bowed their head.

"We are here to apologise for the mistakes on our part on the night of the ball. We are responsible for the pain that you are going through." One of them said as they both got up.

"This is Ali and I am Yousef. We are Tayyab's closest companion and we were responsible for the security that night." How could someone even be a companion to that demon was beyond her.

"You don't have to apologise. I am glad nothing bad happened." Hayat replied. "How is your pain? Do you feel better." Yousef, the one with shoulder length hair had asked.

"Yes! Alhamdulillah. Everyone has been taking good care of me." Hayat had assured them.

"Consider us as your brother for life. We owe it to you." Ali said. If they knew her motive, they would have gladly killed her. Hayat gulped the lump down her throat and forced a smile that looked genuine enough for they beamed in response. Hayat had pondered, why the people in Al Qasr were so happy that she saved a cruel monster, they should have been angry at her for saving him, for not freeing them of his tyranny.

"I am glad I can say I have a family." Hayat had felt the blow of her own words that had hit her hard. Maybe these warriors were innocent, just like the maids, they were just obeying their King and prince. Hayat knew they trusted her and she felt like she was only exploiting their innocence.

She was seen as a hero in the kingdom. They would all hate her when she'd finally kill Tayyab.

You will not get attached to anyone of them. She thought adamantly but knew she'd flunk.

"Ahem! ahem!" Ali and Yousef had immediately turned around to find Tayyab standing near the door, his face gave away nothing of what went in his mind. He looked prim and properly dressed.

"Sayyidi!" Both Ali and Yousef placed their right hand on the left of their chest, bowing in respect. Tayyab had simply nodded. "I need some privacy." Ali and Yousef had stared at each other for a moment but without any protest walked out. The maids had walked away too.

Tayyab ambled towards her and sat on the bed beside her. Hayat could hear her own heart pounding against her chest.

His silence was unnerving and Hayat found curiosity get the best of her. His fingers leisurely moved towards her bangles, the one that she had still been wearing since the party.

He moved his fingers over it, drawing an unknown pattern. Hayat wanted to pull back her hand but her body seemed to have froze. He leaned back on an elbow, with an unfathomable expression. "I've been thinking." He said calmly. "You hate me." He further stated. "If given a chance you will gladly kill me." Hayat's throat had felt dry. She wanted to run away from him but she was speechless. He pulled back his fingers and heaved a dagger from his boots. She took a moment to steady herself.

Hayat's eyes had narrowed in that moment. Her instincts had begged her to flee.

"The question is, to what extent would you go?" He flaunted the blade right in front of her. Hayat's breathing had been uneven.

He will kill you.

She convoked every last bit of energy that she could, and despite the pain that shooted up her spine, she tried to get up from the left side of her bed, the opposite of where Tayyab had been seated. She was fast but Tayyab was a trained warrior, In one swift motion he pulled her back and shoved the edge of his blade over her throat, "Tell me! What was your motive?" He shouted.

"I am innocent. Please! Stop accusing me. Help!" She cried. His eyes blazed with hatred.

"Do not take me for a fool. What were you doing in the library?" He was interrogating her and Hayyat assumed this was his way of interrogating his captives too. Hayat snapped her lips shut, swallowing her nerve-riddled fury.

"Speak!" He pressed his other hand on her wound. Hayat had bellowed so hard, she began to struggle against his hold. Her stitches were opening and the silk sheet was getting soaked up in blood.

"I am innocent wallahi! I am innocent. I didn't send those assassins." She screeched back. The pain becoming unbearable with each passing second. He angled his head, a muscle ticking along his jaw.

Tayyab ruthlessly pressed harder onto her wound and she bawled, "No! Please! Helpppp!" She heard the door to her chamber open but no one came forward to help.

"Then tell me what your were doing at the Library?" Tayyab further catechize without caring about anything. "I don't know. I just came accross it. After you left the dais, your brother came to talk. He reminded me of my parents, how you murdered them. I couldn't breathe and I walked out. It was then that i came to the library. I went in to check the books. I heard two men talk in there about killing someone. I wanted to inform but I didn't known who should I have talked to. I didn't know they were talking about you until I saw them aiming their bow at you. Wallahi! I had no hand in it." She panted hard and held her breath as his upper body froze. The knuckles in his hands stretched white for a harrowing instant before he released his grip.

Hayat watched the tension leave him, a swirl of emotions colliding in her chest, wreaking havoc on her mind but in the next moment Tayyab was pulled back harshly as he staggered to his feet and Hayat watched in horror as the King of Hudaan slapped him hard accross his face. She tried concealing her trembling hands in the folds of her shamla.

The King was enraged. Tayyab's hand had immediately touched his own cheek, rubbing it lightly, his cheek had turned a shade of crimson but he stayed quiet, his head bowed low as if in shame. "You are an ungrateful man. Do not invoke the curse of an innocent. You should have been grateful to her. Is that how you honour the person who saved your life?" Hakeem Salim scurried into the chamber along with her maids.

"Ya rab! The stitches have opened again. She is bleeding a lot." The Hakeem announced soon after assessing the damage done to her wound. It only made the King more angrier.

"Bring me a cloth and warm water." Salim efendi ordered and one of the maids rushed out to bring it. Hayat only trembled as the pain escalated. She hated him and it was crystal clear.

Tayyab remained tongue tied. "Leave Tayyab. I would like to speak to you in my chamber." Tayyab had glanced at her once and then he left, the King had fallen short of words and so he followed Tayyab out.

Hayat had been crying incessantly, her tears were not ceasing. Salim efendi had stitched her wound again and she screamed out of pain. Her maids had then helped her off the bed so they could change the blood stained sheets.

"I want to go back to my chamber." She had announced. The maids had accepted her request and helped her back into her room. She had to walk through the corridor and slow whimpers kept on escaping her lips but when she had felt the familiar silk sheets under herself, her body had immediately relaxed.

She blinked back her tears and forced herself to not cry anymore.

You have to learn to endure. She told herself.

At night Heba jaan tried to feed her but Hayat had lost her appetite. She had refused to eat at all. The  elderly woman had then warned her that she would complain to the king but Hayat hadn't listened.

At midnight she was trying to sleep but the pain wouldn't let her. Her maids had fallen asleep in the other room of her chamber, Hayat had practically forced them because they had been serving her night and day but they were humans and they needed rest.

Hayat had assured them that she would call them if she needed something. Hayat tried to change sides but the wound wouldn't let her.

She groaned inwardly. She had risked her own life for someone who didn't deserve it. At the very moment, the door to her chamber opened and in walked Tayyab, his eyes full of shame and his hair disheveled..

Hayat had tried to get up but he had stopped her, He inhaled through his nose, the corners of his eyes tightening in thought. "Please don't. I just came to apologise for my behavior all along." Hayat couldn't believe her ears but the disdain that she had felt towards him made her turn her gaze away.

When silence befell, Tayyab further added,

"I would never be able to repay what you did for me but I would like you to ask me for anything and I shall grant it to you. Any jewellery, any sword, anything at all, anything you love. I want to express my gratitude." He said, his face a void of any emotion. When Hayat didn't speak at all, he understood. "You can take your time. When you are ready you can come to me." He added.

Hayat tried to change her side. She wanted him to know that she would never forgive him. Her back faced him so she failed to see the regret that gleamed in his eyes and how his steps retreated before he left her chamber without another word.

That night Hayat had dreamt of Ahmar.

I get so frustrated with wattpad at times. Wattpad deleted my draft without saving it. The chapter was lost. I had to write it again and then I've been trying to upload this chapter but wattpad won't allow it either 😡

Hoping it's gonna get posted this time.

Anyway vote and comment please.