Unedited, not revised. I know y'all are waiting. So here it is but please tell me what you think.
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"One hundred years ago..." Sadiqu, Maleekah and Mimi sat properly and gathered all their attention on her.

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The serene-ful atmosphere was what most people found accommodating. It implants a feeling of bliss within their being. The sun was up, not yet bright as it was overshadowed with cloud.

Soft and cold breeze blew over the face of prince Muhammad Isma'il. He smiled and looked at his personal maid, Raihanatu.

"Please tie the turban for me fast Raihanatu, Hanif must be waiting for me!" He said, quite excited. He was only seven years then. He was wearing an embroidered alkyabba that matched with his little size.

"M.I, please sit." She said, while she squatted on a woven local, royal mat to tie the turban perfectly for him. Raihanatu was a slave from the slave's chamber. When Muhammad Isma'il was just five, he stopped allowing his former maid that had been taking care of him since infancy to touch him. He said she was too wrinkled and he doesn't want her to transfer the wrinkle gene to him.

Gimbiya Saratu, the Queen whom was his mother ordered for him to be taken to the slave's chamber so that he will pick a new maid. After seeing almost all the maids and declining them, he finally chose Raihanatu whom was then just sixteen. She was bought and brought to the emirate to serve the king.

Heaven opened for Raihanatu because whatever M.I got, it goes to her. He loved her so much because she took good care of him. Sometimes the king often gifts her in courtesy of his son. That spiked a flame of jealousy in Fulani Zainaba's heart, the king's second and younger wife.

But nonetheless, nothing changed as Fulani Zainaba dared not to confront the king on such matter. Instead she resorted to telling M.I that Raihanatu was evil. That rather fell on deaf ears.

"Look into the mirror my little cute prince and tomorrow's king, do you like the look my honour?" Raihanatu beamed, tucking in an end of the turban fabric to the back of his head.

Prince Muhammad looked into the mirror and smiled. He carried his shoe and gave Raihanatu.

"I am going to be a great warrior. I will be a just king. I will have so many horses and swords to find my enemies. Raihanatu I  am going to grow up and inherit my father right?" He asked as he slipped his foot into the animal skinned shoe.

Raihanatu yawed their curtain up and blew away the candles that were glistening of light. The room oozed of traditional setting. It was thatched with woven items and pottered stuff.

"Yes my prince. You're going to be our next king by Allah's grace." She replied him.

"Yes! Raihanatu pray for me. I and Hanif are going to learn how to ride horse today at the back of king's palace. Pray I learn faster than Hanif."

"May Allah help you M.I. Allah is with you." She prayed as the prince just smiled and stepped out.

"Wait for Bakar to come and fetch you," Prince Muhammad Isma'il was already out of sight to hear her. Raihanatu smiled and continued what she was doing. She was amidst sweeping the room when Jakadiya knocked at her door.

With no exchange of pleasantaries, the Jakadiya's hard face greeted her. "The king summon for your presence tonight. Before then you should hurry to come and clean yourself." She left almost immediately.

Raihanatu sighed and sat down remembering the threats she received from Fulani Zainaba. But who was she to say no to the king himself? She knew she was exposing herself to risk. It was as good as loosing her life once Zainaba knew she's serving the king secretly. There's nothing she could do, howbeit.

*****

"Bakar take us out please. Please take us out!" Both Hanif, Muhammad Isma'il's cousin, the waziri's son and Muhammad Isma'il the prince, jumped after they had just finished the day's session on horse riding.

"His royal highness doesn't allow that." Muhammad stopped to think. On the way to Waziri's house, although within the palace, there's a door that leads out of the kingdom.

"Let's go and greet Hanif's Inna then. And I want to see little A'eesh." Bakar agreed to that. On their way, M.I peeked through the door and saw a man roaming with doves on his hand.

"Bakar see dove!" He drew the attention of Bakar, his male personal servant.

"Do you wish to have them?" Bakar queried.

"Yes! I will like to have them as pet!" Bakar called the man and asked him of how much he's willing to sell them.

"Give me your ring for an exchange!" The man said.

Bakar settled him off while they sprinted off to Waziri's chamber.

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When they came back, Yarima(Prince) Muhammad Isma'il's dove were already in a wooden cage gifted to him by Hanif's Inna. The dove were three. Prince Muhammad Isma'il gladly walked into the King's chamber in order to show his father his new pet.

He met Jakadiya dressed in blue standing by the door.

Prince Muhammad grimaced. "I want to see my father!" He whined at her.

"He's having a meeting now. And after that, he's having a guest." She informed. Nabilah was her name. She hardly smiled even at young children. All she wanted was for one day the king to notice her daughter and choose her among his concubines.

Although it was her duty to arrange the concubines for the king, the king normally chooses them himself and yet, her daughter, Safiyya was yet to be chosen.

Waziri peeked through the window and told Jakadiya to allow Prince M.I in. The metallic door was wide opened as M.I found his way in. Without minding anyone, he ran to the king. The king tried to stand up, hence the slaves around, spread their baggy clothes up in the air to cover the king.

The king's name was Muhammadu Bashir. He was a just and fair king but he's known to love women a lot. He loved little kids too as one couldn't differentiate the way he treated the prince and all other children around the kingdom.

"Baaba, I got dove. Bakar bought it for me and I want to rear it!" He then jumped down off his father's hold and went out to bring the wooden cage. The king started walking towards him with a smile.

"Where do you want to keep them Ismail?" He asked pinching the kid's cheeks.

"Behind my chamber!" M.I answered after a first thought.

"No, Ismail. That place belongs to me. I am building a new chamber. A private one." M.I frowned and pursed his lips.

"I am going to tell her royal highness!" He ran out to Gimbiya Saratu's chamber.

He's her only son while Fulani Zainaba  all had female children. The day Gimbiya Saratu gave birth to Ismail was her darkest day. She spent almost a year grieving before she finally relent and poured cups of patience over her heart.

"Baaba won't allow me to rear my dove. Maami, I want to become the king so that I will tell Zubairu to chain father. Everyone must do what I want! Because I am the prince." He complained and boasted altogether. That night Ismail didn't sleep properly. The next night turned the same. He's hellbent on having the yard behind his room.

Raihanatu was worried. Hence when the king sent for her, she presented her request. After a day of persistence from Fulani Zainaba and co, the king agreed to let prince Ismail have the yard as he willed.

It was thick and bushy and hence, it had to be cleared.

Some slaves were assigned to clear it to a fine land while prince M. I stood by their side as they worked.

"Dalhatu stop, I see something! A cat!" Prince Muhammad Isma'il stopped one of the workers.

"No, the cat is black and it means evil. Plus it's found in a bush thence it's bad luck I am killing it!" Dalhatu raised his axe up with the intention of killing the cat.

"No!" The prince wailed and thus, the cat was left for him due to the fear of hurting them. They knew what the little boy could cause. The king may decide to have a slave's head rolling on the ground if they hurt the prince.

Muhammad Isma'il took care of the cat like his life depended on it. He fed it only milk and fish. The cat was always with him. Until when it died when giving birth. It gave birth to four kitten. Those kitten gave birth to kittens and so it went on.

Unknown to him, the first cat was Xurannah and the yard was were the jinns kingdom was. In the reality and in the eyes of humans, the cat was dead but to the jinns, Xurannah was still alive and it kept transferring into the body of the kittens given birth.

Xurannah was happy of the way Prince Muhammad Isma'il took care of it. It was happy of the way he saved their kingdom from destruction by the king. So M.I became their favorite person. And with Allah's will they shielded him away from all harm by fellow jinns and from all sort of witchcraft.

******

Twenty years later.

The prince stared into the mirror as he waited for the slaves to bring his alkyabba. Two beautiful girls brought it in. When they brought it and were about to drape it over him, Muhammad Isma'il stopped them and collected it. The alkyabba was adorned of rubies and bits of pearl.

He had grew up into a young man, his peeking eyes through his turban were fierce, gushing of sheer and intense power. The side of his lip titled to a smirk because he knew with just a look A'eesh his cousin and the Waziri's daughter will be blown away. Although their marriage had been arranged as per rite of the kingdom, he wanted to have her swooning. He wanted her to fall in love with him before their marriage.

He adjusted his turban and headed out of his chamber. He met Hanif by the door waiting for him.

"Barka da rana ranka ya dade, Allah ya taimaki yarima Muhammad Isma'il dan mai Martaba Muhammad Bashir kuma sarki a gobe. Amincin Allah ya tabbata a gareka, Allah ya ja da ranka. (Compliment of the season your majesty, may Allah help prince Muhammad Isma'il son to his royal highness Muhammad Bashir, may peace be upon you, may Allah prolong your life." Hanif greeted slightly bowing. Prince Muhammad Isma'il waited for him to finish before he fisted his hand and landed it on Hanif's back.

"This is for violating my rule Hanif. We grew up together. You're my friend, I told you to stop this." Hanif giggled and acted like he didn't heard what Yarima Muhammad Isma'il said.

"We're going to greet Maami first, then mai Martaba, then to A'eesh. I hope my letter reached her yesterday."

"Your highness the king of tomorrow, I gave her the letter myself." Yarima smiled and continued walking to his mother's chamber while some slaves backed him.

*****

"May Allah's peace be with you my able prince. Actually, when I received your letter yesterday I found it hard to comprehend the content." A'eesh smiled covering her face with a silky fabric. She was fair with a long Fulani nose which she inherited from her mother.

"Where's it?" Yarima Muhammad asked.

"Here." She gave him. Yarima Muhammad opened the light yard that allowed one to write with black ink. His ajami writing was inscribed perfectly on the yard.

"Are you finding it hard to read?" He asked with amusement laced on his voice.

"I read it my majesty, the words are just so hard to be understood." She said shyly. The prince gestured for all the slaves around to move away and grant him privacy. Despite born in a royal home, he loved privacy especially when he's about to talk long.

"To you my heart belongs. To me your soul belongs. A sense of belonging has been sparked within me. I want to own something." A'eesh's heart melted once more but she pretended not to understand what his words meant.

Xurannah then sat by Yarima's side. He turned and looked at her but didn't said a word. After he lost his kitten at twelve, Xurannah made appearance and because of how bold he was, he wasn't shaken a bit. She became his companion.

Even before he comes to see A'eesh, Xurannah told him she doesn't like A'eesh or Hanif one bit. Yarima dismissed her.

"Are you still finding it hard to understand?" This time he untied his turban and smiled.

"Look at me A'eesh." On reflex, she looked.

"Do you wish to spend your life with me?" A'eesh ran off to her mother's chamber. Yarima smiled sheepishly and shook his head. He was in trance when he heard the salam of Hashimu.

"The King'smen sent for you! Tuba nake ranka ya dade, ana neman ka cikin gaggawa. Jikin mai Martaba ya tashi! Tuba nake yarima. Ba a son raina na kawo wannan labarin ba, Allah ya huci zuciyarka sarkin gobe. (Pardon me your highness, you're needed in haste. His Majesty's sickness is persisting. I am saying this news against my wish. I pray may Allah cool down your heart, tomorrow's king)." The slave laid by the ground waiting for permission. He knew the punishment for bringing bad news but he had no choice.

On hearing that, Yarima knew what the news was howbeit, he headed to the king's chamber.

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