"The flower that blooms in adversity... is the most rare and beautiful of them all."

- The Emperor, Mulan

...... prologue ......

"Tum bilkul apni maa jesi ho. Nalaik aur nikami. Sirf apna naam badnaam karogi."

The heat from the fluorescent lights burned her skin. They were bright... so bright that she could not only see her flaws but hear them too. The voice that always made sure she knew she wasn't perfect. The voice that made sure she knew she was a

disappointment no matter what. No matter how much she scraped her skin off and put at his feet, he was still never satisfied.

"What you are doing is haram! it is not allowed in Islam. Apna deen imaan sab kharab kar rahi ho."

She looked up to the ceiling, the light pinched her eyes by directly crossing into them, yet she put her faith in the One above all. He was the one who put talent in her hands so how could he burn her in the darkest pit of hell.

"Iss ki sab doston ki shaadi ho gayi hai aur yeh ussi shadiyon mein miraasi bani phirti hai."

She tightened her hands around the while. The wires bit into her palms. The bow hung loosely in her other hand.

"Elanur!" Husam yelled at her. She turned, her eyes devoid of anything. No dreams. No wishes. Nothing. She blinked, her breathing shallow. "ELANUR!" She only read his lips. The thoughts mixed with reality. She couldn't tell any apart.

"This is you. If you abandoned this, then it will be like you are ripping your own heart and throwing it away. And without a heart a person is dead. And we have enough people walking around in caskets with their dreams buried six feet under. Don't do this to yourself, love."