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Ruhani POV

I saw him walking away. The tears fell from my eyes with intensity with each of the steps he was taking away from me.

It was like my heart stopped beating and an unbearable pain erupted in my chest. My hand fisted on my clothes to control myself. It was not because now he knew, it was because now he was hurt again. And even beyond repair.

He was once again vulnerable, with no one to share his feelings with. He shared every bit of himself with me and now his trust was broken. His thread of love got broken.

I lost his last image from the front of my eyes and I lowered my teary gaze back to the floor. I did not know what would I do now. How would I gain his trust and love back?

But I knew that he needed time. He needed time to digest that he was in love with a person who was the reason his father died. He had all the right to be angry and mad and hurt and broken.

There was no excuse for what happened. There was nothing that could cure what happened over time. I knew explaining anything or talking could not even improve things.

Because he did not accuse me of killing his father. He asked me if I was the reason his father died. And, I surely was.

That means, he knew that I did not kill his father, it was the wild animal, the tiger who killed his father but now he knew the reason.

I was the reason because his father protected me. His father saved me. It was simple.

And, honestly, I could have saved or protected him. But, in the heat of the moment, I thought the knife might harm an animal that was not wild or harmful in eyes of a four-year-old naive child. I could have easily passed on the knife to him but a four-year-old could not think and protected that tiger from getting killed.

Then, my innocence cost me something I could not get even in seven lives.

I never even gave an excuse to even myself because I was wrong. And, this was a memory I never forgot. It haunted me and still does.

He was not wrong either. How could you feel love for someone and see someone's face knowing that she was the reason your father died?

He needed his time.

Or maybe it was over.

I cried even more.

"Begum,"

I heard the voice of Shaheen as she ran towards me and held to console me.

"Hold yourself,"

She said and I looked at her with a crying face. Her eyes also turned wet. And, she muttered slowly.

"Begum, you have to behave calmly and smartly. There are people in the Sultanate who can use this against both of you,"

She said and I took a deep breath. I tried to exhale and normalise my breathing. She was right. I really had to control myself and I knew he would soon come back to me.

He would understand and surely come back. I believed.

He had to come back for me.

I closed my eyes shut and tried to calm myself down but suddenly.

Suddenly, I felt like throwing up.

I immediately stood up from the floor, keeping my palm against my mouth. I pushed Shaheen aside and ran towards the empty bowl kept in the corner for spitting and waste liquid.

It was not my food but seems like my body wanted to throw up. Just the saliva came out and I cleaned my face afterwards.

Was I taking stress?

"Are you okay?"

I looked at Shaheen as she passed me the dry towel cloth to wipe my face.

I nodded and unknowingly tears still travelled down my eyes.

"You should rest, Begum. The late nights are costing you your health,"

Shaheen told and I nodded lightly. 

I walked back towards the bed and sat on the edge. My brain consisted of thousands and thousands of different thoughts. 

The very first was where did the Sultan go?

The second was that Rabia did not come along now. That means it was all over between them.

The third was how did she accept it this soon?

And the others were the reason why all this was happening in the Sultanate. I needed to talk to him and clear whatever the misunderstandings were. But not now, he needed time and if I were in his place, I would have also liked to have some of the free time to clear my mind and think straight.

"Bhabhijaan,"

Suddenly.

I looked at Adeena.

She walked closer to me. Her face looked scared and it seems like she sneaked into my chamber. Her fingers trembled as she sat beside me and made me look into her eyes.

I gulped and held her fingers to calm her down.

"Bhabhijaan, that Rabia. She just turned the tables,"

She said and my heart sunk deep listening to her name. My brain unknowingly thought about something that Sultan might have done in anger and my heart beats raced in fear.

"What happened Shehzaadi?"

Shaheen asked in my place and Adeena broke into cries. Her tears did not dare to stop and I just spread my arms to console her.

"Bhabhijaan... Rabia's father, the Sultan... he as... asked Bhaijaan to lead his war against...,"

She managed to say and now I could feel the actual fear and danger around me.

My body turned cold and Shaheen further questioned.

"Against whom?"

She sobbed into cries and muttered in a slow voice.

"Against Hamid Bhabhijaan,"

The world before me actually shattered and my brain oozed with hearing it. My body felt lifeless for further few moments and she clarified in particular.

"Against Rehman Bhaijaan,"

I pulled my hands back off her and looked at her. I could feel the anger, pain and cries breaking me into pieces.

"And Sultan accepted?"

Shaheen asked and Adeena looked at me.

"Bhabhijaan, A lot happened there, a really lot,"

She managed to say between her hiccups and I pleaded to her, voicelessly to tell me everything.

"Rabia's father is a no-good man,"

She sobbed and I cupped her cheeks to calm her down.

I did not know what was more in there.

"He said that if Bhaijaan would not accept Rabia, he would seek revenge against her lost daughter,"

My brain burned now.

"Lost daughter?"

Shaheen questioned and I looked at Adeena with pleading eyes.

"Ghazal,"

She managed to say.

"The younger sister of Rabia, the only child of Sultan's youngest late wife,"

"Ghazal? and why is she lost?"

Shaheen asked and Adeena looked at me.

"And, what does Hamid has to do with Ghazal being lost?"

Shaheen further questioned in my place and Adeena inhaled a deep breath to explain everything.

"Rabia's father Ayzan Sultan is the elder brother of the Late Hamid Sultan. And, when your father Rafiq Sultan killed him and conquered Hamid Sultanate, he made Rehman Bhaijaan its Sultan,"

Adeena said and now everything was clear before me like a mirror about why was he interested in attacking Hamid Sultanate.

"He attacked the Hamid Sultanate with few of his good soldiers to know about the power of the Sultanate. He was with the idea of conquering the Hamid Sultanate which once belonged to his younger brother. And, in that war, your brother Haider also fought along with Rehman Bhaijaan. Ghazal is a really sweet, naive, innocent girl. Ever since her mother passed by giving birth to a dead baby, she yearned for his father's love. And, maybe she thought that if she could make peace between these sultanates, her father would start loving her again. She managed to sneak out of her fort and then they found her in your brother's tent. Her father believes that your brother forced her and that is why she is missing or maybe your brother kidnapped her. But, he wants his daughter back,"

She breathed and trembled to say that. 

I remembered when Haider told me about this incident. He also told me the same but did not tell me that the girl was the daughter of Ayzan Sultan.

"The missing daughter is just an excuse Bhaijaan. He just want to win Hamid Sultanate and now used Bhaijaan against his own family,"

Adeena said and I looked at Shaheen to signal it for me.

"Shehzaadi, has Sultan agreed to the war?"

Adeena looked at me and a few more tears slipped from her eyes.

She nodded with immense pain and my heartbeats stopped.

I froze and my brain stopped thinking anything clearly.

"Why? Why did not he deny?"

Shaheen asked.

"He could not. There is a written agreement signed between the Sultanates and it has been fifteen years since these two Sultanates helped each other in war,"

She said and now I could understand everything clearly.

I palmed my face and looked at Shaheen to ask about the whereabouts of the Sultan.

She nodded and left to seek knowledge about it.

I waited until she came back with the most heartbreaking news.

"Begum, Sultan already left,"

She said and I looked at Adeena.

"Rabia's father did not even want him to leave but he just came back to see you for once,"

She confirmed and my heart sank deeper. I stood up from the bed and walked towards the door. But, my steps stopped in middle and I did not know what to do now.

Should I run after him?

But, what would I tell him?

I could not stop the war and neither he would change his decision about leading the war against my family.

And, moreover where the hell was Ghazal?

"Bhabhijaan, do not worry. I trust my brother. He would not harm your brothers,"

Adeena said and I looked at her.

For the God's sake, It was not just my brothers I was worried about, it was Sultan too. He was my lifeline, my love. I cared for all of them. He, my brothers, my father, my family, everyone.

All I wanted was to tell him that he was standing with the wrong people. I had to show him what Rabia's father did to his Sultanate in the name of help.

Wait a moment.

I breathed.

I looked at Shaheen and instantly asked her to fetch me a map of the entire Arab.

My instinct was telling me that it was not about Ghazal, not about even Sultan's mother, not about even Rabia. A man like Ayzan did not care about women. Why would he seek such an act of big revenge and rage war against us? Yes, it was us.

Hamid Sultanate was one of the wealthiest and most powerful Sultanates. And, he knew that if he would rage a war against Hamid Sultanate, the Darmiyan Sultanate would not stay quiet.

And, if Aahil's father was alive then the number of Sultanates against him would be three. Three dominant powerful Sultanates against one. Kainat, Hamid and Darmiyan against Ayzan.

The reason was clear how the death of his father benefitted him. And, he also sought revenge against Ibrahim Sultan for choosing the girl he liked to wed.

He knew that if he would directly attack Aahil, Rehman Bhaijaan and my father would join the force to kill him and then he would be left with nothing.

So, he decided to win his trust and claimed this Sultanate with politics.

And, in all of these Rabia played an important role. He offered his daughter for marriage with him. He ensured his win in both ways, either marrying his daughter or hollowing the Sultanates. Both ways keep the Sultan enslaved for him and use him against us when the time comes.

Now, the time came and he played his last step.

"Begum,"

Shaheen came back with a map in her hand and I took it from her.

I opened the map in front of me and Adeena looked at me with thinned eyebrows.

"Bhabhijaan?"

I inhaled a deep breath and closely read the vast map of Northen Arab.

I found Kainat Sultanate on the map and looked at our neighbouring Sultanates.

And, my guess was absolutely right.

There were four main Sultanates in the northern Arab. Ayzan, Hamid, Kainat and Darmiyan. The rest were the small princely states under them.

The much I knew about Hamid was that it only had three states under it. But, all were wealthy and rich.

And, Darmiyan Sultanate, had five states under it. I knew it. My father was the Sultan of the Darmiyan Sultanate.

Then I closely looked at the Kainat Sultanate which legitly belonged to my husband. 

I gasped to know that Aahil conquered more than seven states and now owned eleven in total. While Ayzan was the biggest Sultanate but still held only eight.

Now, everything was crystal clear before me.

The reason why did he send Rabia here was clear.

Because he knew Aahil's worth before anyone else could see it. Because he knew how he channelised his pain into the sharpness of his sword. Because he knew that Sultan Aahil Aashiq Ibrahim Khan was the next in line to be the true Badshah-e-Sultanates of the entire Arab-e-shamal after him. The one true Badshah, the powerful, the slayer, the Aahil.

And, I knew that he would not lose the war at any cost and it scared me to death.

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Aahil, My boy is full of surprises, I do not know but I just want a face-off between Rudra and Aahil. Both the boys are slayers and fathers of their fathers. I mean what would happen when everyone will be invited to Nandani's wedding with that old man, Surgami? And, Rudra will invade to break his ass off and marry Nandani. The scene gives me chills.

Ahhh, just like you all I am also excited for Ruhani's Climax and Nandani's beginning.

Love You All ♥️♥️♥️