14| My Brave Lioness

A big sorry to you guys. My mind had been caught up into something's that needed my immediate attention.

Hope you missed Tayyab and Hayat❤

M Y   B R A V E    L I O N E S S

A week later, Hayat tried to write the words written in the paper that she had received from Tayyab. A khadim delivered sheets to her every night, and he would collect her previous nights work and give it back to Tayyab for him to check.

Tayyab himself wouldn't come to teach her. She received daily lessons from him with instructions written in her language and a paper where he'd write a sentence that she was supposed to repeat in the same way till the entire paper was full. She didn't know the meaning to those words, all  Tayyab would instruct her is that it's how she was supposed to practice writing.

Hayat was done with her lesson for today regarding the alphabets of Arabic. She then tried to copy the line that he'd written, his writing so neat, she had stared at it reluctantly for a minute.

زوجي هو الرجل الأكثر وسامة في الممالك السبع

(My husband is the most handsome man in the 7 kingdoms)

She would copy each word carefully, trying to make it as perfect as Tayyab's. Neither Leila nor Heba jaan would disturb her when she studied. Hayat worked hard. She loved to learn anything new.

Her defense classes with Umar were going well. Apparently Umar was a good teacher and she had been learning a lot from him.

When she was done writing one page, she had flipped it to the other side. She sighed with relief to see that this one was a small sentence.

أنا لا أكره زوجي

(I do not hate my husband.)

She kept on repeating it line after line despite the constant pain in her arm from writing so much.

When she was done with it, she compared her writing with Tayyab's. She had tried to do it neatly but Tayyab's writing was beautiful.

She was glad she could now identify the alphabets.

At night Tayyab's khadim had delivered another set of sheets and he had collected her previous sheets.

Exhausted, she decided to sleep and complete her work later. She placed the sheets on her table and reclined back to sleep.

Once she pried open her eyes to the morning light, she rolled over and shoved her face into a cushion, feeling the bitter exhaustion settle between her shoulders.

Leila’s merry laughter lilted around her, clear as a bell and just as annoying.

Hayat had been late for her defense class. She roughly tied her hair and rushed down to the courtyard without eating at all.

When she reached the ground Umar was already there, dressed in his usual attire. "You are late." He smiled.

"I am sorry. I had been studying up late." She took her sword from the general and began to warm up.

"How are your Arabic classes going on?" "It's going good." She replied. Hayat had questioned him further about Naaf, the creature she had seen in the hallway.

The only reply she had received was that Naaf was a hundred year old creature. He was captured by their efendi in madrailm at the kingdom of Qalb and Tayyab had won him in a deadly competition.

He had freed Naaf but Naaf was so grateful, he refused to leave. Ever since then he has served Tayyab, by being his loyal spy. The astonishing part was that Tayyab had ordered him to be visible to no one other than himself and Umar but yet somehow it was visible to her.

Hayat had felt her legs wobble the moment she had heard the word spy.

Was Naaf spying on her?

"Why was he visible to me?" Hayat had questioned, trying to avoid the tension.

The general had said that he had no clue and nor did Tayyab.

Umar and Hayat moved back and forth, ready to attack, Hayat threw an overhand cut. Umar parried quickly, reflexively. Hayat cut from the other side, and Umar again parried but this time a look of sheer surprise passed upon his face. "You are a fast learner." He had commended.

Hayat had only smiled smugly, feeling proud of her own self. "But." Umar said before retaliating and  throwing her sword away. "Don't ever be distracted. You have to be alert till your opponent is dead because till then he can retaliate."

Hayat had only groaned in frustration. "Don't be dishearten. You are learning really fast." Umar tried to cheer her up.

That's how her days would pass in the palace. She would often wonder if she'd be allowed to visit her Qasba, her people.

Her hopes would die a second later.

Tayyab wouldn't visit her but often during her practice, Tayyab would pass by along with a few of the council men. He wouldn't spare her a glance, at least not when she would look at him with hatred.

She had been delivering information to the person behind the kitchen door on a regular basis. She had learnt about the map that was out there somewhere in the palace but she hadn't dared to look into the king's study chamber once again, not after what had happened with Naaf.

She had to be extra careful incase Tayyab had been sending Naaf to spy on her. She had burnt her previous letters, not leaving a trace of them at all.

Her classes with Umar kept on getting better. Umar had been honest when he had said that she was a fast learner.

No! She still couldn't defeat Umar but she was now able to fight him for a few minutes before her sword would be forced to drop.

She had received more lessons and exercises from Tayyab which she sincerely completed right on time.

The writing part was more difficult because she had to right two pages in a day and she was not used to it.

Words became more complex and the sentences became longer.

أحاول الابتعاد عنك. لا تجعل الأمر صعبًا بالنسبة لي.

(I am trying to stay away from you. Don't make it difficult for me.)

Hayat would repeat it several times without any complain because all of this was helping her. Her writing had drastically improved and it had almost become similar to Tayyab's if not exactly the same.

Two weeks later, she had been practicing with Umar when Tayyab visited them.

"How is the training going on?" He asked playfully. Tayyab was in a good mood, she noted. Hayat didn't turn to give him the attention he demanded. Umar however had ceased all the fighting to bow down to his prince.

"I can't believe Sayidi that she is the girl from our first day of class. She has improved so much. She is both attentive and strong." Umar praised her and Hayat couldn't help but grin inwardly.

He had thought of her as a coward.

"Is it true?" His voice was polite, she Turned to find him looking at her expectantly. "Umar is a good teacher." The corner of Tayyab's mouth had immediately curled up into a smile.

"I'd like to see her fight!" Hayat had felt the anger surge at his words.

Who did he think he was? He might be dominating to others but she didn't count herself amongst them.

"Perhaps how about you see it for yourself? It's obvious I am no match for the general but maybe I could take on you." She challenged and the corner of Tayyab's eyes gleamed with mischief.

"Hayat, my lady!" Umar had begun but Tayyab raised his hand to silent him.

Hayat only smirked. Good! He had taken it upon his self respect.

"I'd love to." Even if she'd lose, she'd learn something about his way of fighting which would come in handy when the time comes, when she would have to fight him to kill.

Tayyab didn't pull his sword out, he instead took one from Umar. The general had moved aside only to be a spectator along with the other courtiers who were watching the duel with curiosity. She shifted on her feat with a frown. She’d tried to forget there was anyone else there, ceasing all her attention to his sworn enemy alone.

They began by moving back and forth, Tayyab stood a few inches taller than her. She waited for him to attack first but when he continued to walk in a circle she decided to attack first.

Hayat threw an overhand cut which her husband dodged away very easily with a triumphant smile, she attacked again, without giving him the chance to recover, but Tayyab was swift, for he darted again moving behind her.

She felt the tension in her body and the rapid thumping of her heart. The next moment Tayyab had his front pressed against her back, he placed his sword against her neck and Hayat went still.

She could feel his steady breath on the back of her ear lobe and his fingers that barely held the side of her waist, "Never turn your back on your enemy."  He whispered and she shuddered at the mere contact.

Since his fingers were not gripping her waist but barely touching, She used her elbow to shove him back while dodging his sword. Tayyab was startled as he stumbled but he smiled nonetheless.

Their spectators had been whispering and cheering but Hayat didn't wait to see whom.

"I will kill you." She glared at him with fury, and the courtyard had suddenly gone silent. Hayat thought whether she had crossed a line but then Tayyab laughed. A hearty and exuberant laugh that was mesmerizing even to her, "I'd love that." The crowd had immediately started laughing.

Their laughing seemed to have hindered Tayyab's laugh. He had stopped laughing instantly, his jaws set.

Hayat could only clench her teeth in response.  She attacked him again, and this time Tayyab's sword met her's, metal clashing against metal once again. They dueled for about a minute, Hayat felt her confidence grow as she easily counter attacked him everytime.

Tayyab had begun panting too, the crowd had now switched sides as they cheered for their future queen, Umar's voice had been the most prominent one.

Hayat had only felt like she had been floating through the clouds. The happiness, the adrenaline that she had felt couldn't be compared. Tayyab had tried to save himself from one of her cut by kneeling on one leg, Hayat had seen it as her only chance at winning, she didn't give him a chance to get up, he tried to dodge it but Hayat had swiftly made a move so brilliant that Tayyab's sword had plummeted out of his grip and it fell on the ground with a thud.

Hayat had beamed triumphantly while putting the tip of her sword on Tayyab's neck.

Tayyab had only stared at her, puzzled, his hands were raised up in surrender and it only gave Hayat a strange sort of satisfaction to watch the scenario unfold.

She had been yearning for this day, a day when she'd see him helplessly kneeling before her. If the sword was real, she would have pierced it through his skin then and there even if she had to be executed for it soon after.

People all around her were applauding and cheering. She withdrew her blade and Tayyab stood up. His smile had vanished and he looked perplexed.

"As a teacher I am proud of you." Umar grinned. "You've defeated a lion." He laughed further.

"Well played." Tayyab had said, a hint of a lopsided grin shadowing his face. He had soon left his brief appraisal so Hayat couldn't confirm his smile. She however couldn't forget the moment, not even in her room as she sat upon her bed to complete her Arabic lessons at night, that she had received a moment ago from one of Tayyab's khadim.

The half-moon over the kingdom of Hudaan was a milky color, framed by a thin haze of clouds.

She had been smiling at herself the entire day and almost everyone she met had praised her. Apparently it was the talk of the palace.

She began her writing by first copying the sentence for today. She had decided to do her learning part later. She copied each word carefully smiling at the memory, smiling at his vulnerability of the moment completely unaware that the prince of Hudaan had been secretly giving her love notes.

أنت لبؤتي الشجاعة

(You are my brave lioness.)

He had written and She could only wonder what the sentence meant this time.

Today is my best friend's birthday. Please remember her in your duas. She is an amazing human❤

Now my two favourites have made a cover for the story and I'd like for you to see their beautiful work.

The above one is made by a talented friend  ziyaabram 💗

These two are made by another gifted and skillful friend, arham_manal 💗

Guys do follow them, they are beautiful souls. ❤