Mir Jafar paced around the room in deep thought. His steps became quicker and his brain whirred faster. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in", he said.

In entered his 3 sons. Mir Faseeh, Mir Tabrez and Mir Saleem. Mir Faseeh was the army general and around 30 years old, Mir Tabrez was 5 years younger and as cunning as his father where as Mir Saleem was the softest of the three and around 23 years old. Only Mir Faseeh was married and had a little daughter.

Mir Jafar pointed at the table and they took their places obediently while he continued to pace.

"What happened father?", asked Mir Faseeh. "Someone is interfering with my plans", he said turning to face them.
"Who is it?", asked Mir Tabrez.
"That is why I have called you here, to find out who he is. Shehzada is a very foolish lad. Who convinced him to change his chambers? Who asked him to replace my bodyguards? There is a very intelligent brain behind this, I know it". He stood in front of them, his hands resting on the table.

"Let's see", said Mir Faseeh "who could be this man who is so clever to understand your plot? So loyal to the Shehenshah? So brave to face the risks? And so bold to fight against you?"

"It has to be someone among the 7 vaffas that served the Shehenshah, no one else in the entire kingdom are as brave and loyal as they were", said Mir Jafar.

"Abu Fazal, Faizi Muhammad, Noor Ali and Maqsood Ahmed are dead for sure", said Mir Faseeh.
"Khan Baba is dead as well", said Mir Tabrez.
"He disappeared Tabrez, we didn't kill him so we don't know for sure if he is alive or not", said Mir Jafar.
"But still as far as we know he's surely not here in the capital", said Mir Faseeh.

"That leaves Hammad Khan and Mahmood Hassan", said Mir Tabrez. "Guards!" yelled Mir Jafar. "At your service Wazir-e-aala" they said entering.
"Bring Mahmood Hassan to me immediately" he ordered. The guards did aadab and walked away.
"We have only 15 days to narrow this down" said Mir Jafar starting to pace again.

Everyone in the chamber was very quite and serious. Everything had been running exactly according to their plan. It had just been one victory after the other. This sudden black cloud looming above them from no where was giving them warning bells.

"It will just take some thinking, observing and interrogating. In the end I will have him for sure. Anyway I have already made arrangements. Shehzada will be joining his father very soon. Till then I need to find his supporters and eliminate them as well so that we can rule in peace", said Mir Jafar with a malicious smile. His sons mirrored his smile except Mir Saleem who seemed to be in an entirely different world.

"Saleem?"
"Yes father", he said startled.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes father."
"Something is running in your head, you haven't said a word since you entered."
"I was just thinking over the situation at hand", said Mir Saleem.
Mir Jafar didn't look convinced with the answer. He knew his sons well and he knew when something was up. Fortunately Mir Saleem was saved from further questions with the entry of guards.

"Aadab Wazir-e-aala, Mahmood Hassan is here."
"Bring him in", said Mir Jafar.
He was brought in.

"Assalamualaikum warahmathullahi wabarakatuh, Wazir-e-aala", said Mahmood Hassan.
"Walaikumassalam warahmathullahi wabarakatuh, when was the last time you met the Shehzada?" asked Mir Jafar.
"On the night Shehenshah was buried"
"Did you talk to him?"
"No. How can I when you have so clearly banned me from getting in touch with him through any means?"
"Where is Hammad Khan?"
"Wherever he is I hope he is in a better condition than I am"
"Stop giving witty answers and tell me where he is!" said Mir Jafar angrily.
"He is exactly where he is supposed to be Wazir-e-aala, in his home in Gharib Kothri"
"Did you contact him?"
"No I did not"
"Is Khan Baba dead?"
"I hope he is not"
"Do you know his whereabouts?"
"He is not in the city. If he is alive then may Allah bless him for he escaped from hell"
"Do you know that the Shehzada has shifted his chambers to the servant quarters?"
"Yes, I heard the rumors that the Shehzada is turning into a new leaf. Good for him"
"You were there in the court when Shehzada made the speech, what do you think of it?"
"I think it was very brave of him to stand up for his birth right. The speech was not eloquent but it's simple words portrayed how pure his heart is. He may look like an angry bull but actually he is an untrained warrior with immense bravery. Be warned Wazir-e-aala, you stand no chance if that bull is trained"
"Think twice before you speak like that before me you animal! He stands no chance against me. He will be gone before you will see the next full moon"
"I think not"
"You vile creature", said Mir Jafar giving Mahmood Hassan a tight slap. "Did you forget what I did to your son?"
"I will never forget it. Never! I could easily avenge you but I have left my matters in Allah's hands. Because whatever I do to you will be very less when compared to the punishment Allah has in store for you. When Allah seeks his due Mir Jafar, He will take in full. Get ready to pay your debt"
"And who is coming to collect this debt?"
"I do not know him or his name but he is here. I know why you called me here Mir Jafar, you want to know who is behind Shehzada's sudden change. I do not know the answer to that. But whoever he is may Allah help him in every step and bless him with success"
This sentence won him a series of slaps from Mir Jafar but Mahmood Hassan continued to smile.
"Hit me all you want. Go ahead. My body has got used to the abuse. My heart has got used to the pain. I am but a dead man whose breathing hasn't ceased yet. I have nothing left to loose now except my own life which means nothing to me. I will greet death like an old friend with open arms for it will unite me with my loved ones and separate me from grief. All praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Who will compensate me for my losses and who has given me a glimmer of hope. A new sun is about to rise. A new dawn is coming"
Mir Jafar could take it no more.
"Take this man away before I kill him with my bare hands", he growled with anger.

"It's clearly not Mahmood Hassan who is guiding the Shehzada, that leaves Hammad Khan" said Mir Jafar once Mahmood Hassan was taken away. "Faseeh, call Abdul".

A servant girl entered the chamber as Mir Faseeh left.
"What brings you here Tasleem?", asked Mir Jafar.
"Shehzada has refused to join the royal family during meals. He said he is much too busy with preparations to make journeys to the dining hall, instead he has ordered all his meals to be served in his new room"
"And is he eating his meals?" enquired Mir Jafar.
"Yes, Wazir-e-aala. He empties all the dishes".
"Foolish girl, I only care if he eats his food or not. I don't care where he eats it. Are you following my orders exactly as I told you?"
"Yes, Wazir-e-aala. I am following them to the last sentence".
"Good. You do remember the reward you will get when the work is done and the punishment if you fail, don't you?"
"Yes I do, Wazir-e-aala"
"Notify me as soon as the Shehzada falls sick. Now leave and do not trouble me unnecessarily"

"How do you know the Shehzada is going to fall sick?", asked Mir Saleem.

"I did not know I had a brother as foolish as the Shehzada" said Mir Tabrez with a mocking laugh. "He will fall sick Saleem because we are making him fall sick"

"Father, Abdul is here", said Mir Faseeh entering with a young boy.
"Abdul, what have you found out about Shehzada's new bodyguard Ali?"
"He was sold by a renowned slave trader called Amin who has been in business since 25 years. He buys the slaves from Arab caravans that cross the north desert. He has a high reputation and is a respected man. But no one knows where he bought Ali from. A single caravan hasn't crossed the desert since 6 months which means he has bought Ali before that but the mysterious part is in the past 6 months not a single person has seen Ali in his store. Where was Ali during that time no one knows".

"What news do you have regarding Hammad Khan?", asked Mir Jafar.
"There hasn't been a single change in Hammad Khan's schedule in the past 4 years except he has stopped going to the forest early in the morning for his walk. I have heard it is because he has developed knee pain".
"Continue your vigil. Notify me as soon as you feel something's amiss. Tabrez, give him his payment".

Once Abdul left Mir Jafar took his place on the table among his sons. "It just gets mysterious and more mysterious. Where did Ali come from? If it's neither Hammad Khan nor Mahmood Hassan then who is it?"

"Father, you need not be worried", said Mir Faseeh. "Whoever is trying to help Shehzada will never succeed. What is the use of helping and preparing a man to ascend the throne when he will not even be alive to ascend it? Once Shehzada dies our path will be clear. So what if his well wishers continue to live? They will be helpless after his death".

"We still need to be prepared for unseen circumstances. What if the Shehzada escapes death somehow?", said Mir Tabrez. "What do you think Saleem?" He was trying to get Saleem involved in the conversation.

"I think the power behind Shehzada is very strong", said Saleem.
"In that case my sons I have a back up plan. If I can't rule the kingdom then I will make sure there is no Kingdom left for the Shehzada to rule".

His sons looked at him in bewilderment. He had clearly not shared this part of the plan with them.

"What do you mean father?", asked Mir Tabrez with curiosity.
"I will tell you when the time is right, it's late now. You need to leave".

As they all were leaving he pulled Tabrez aside. "Keep an eye on the Shehzada and the things he is learning to prove himself. Not that it will matter. Whatever he learns, how much ever he trains he will never reach the throne. But still it's better to know what the enemy is up to".
"I understand father", said Mir Tabrez turning to leave. Just as he reached the door his father called him again.
"Tabrez"
"Yes father", he said turning back.
"Keep an eye on your little brother too. His mother has too much influence over him, I fear he will turn on our plans". Tabrez nods and exits the room.

Mir Jafar sat back at the table turning things in his head. His success depended on the death of Shehzada Sher Shah. And if he escaped death Mir Jafar had two options. Either trace the guiding force behind the Shehzada and eliminate it or destroy the Kingdom itself.

He reached the far corner of the room and pulled out a loose brick from the lower end on the wall to reveal a secret compartment. From here he removed a diary and took it to the table. This dairy held all the details of his life so far and the way he had executed his plan. He updated the dairy and placed it back in its compartment.

He took a piece of parchment and wrote,

"I will be coming tonight"

He folded and sealed it.

"Guards!" he called.
"Aadab, Wazir-e-aala"
"A man is waiting by the grocery cellar on the right, send him in"

A really ugly man with long hair walked in.
"Aadab Wazir-e-aala"
"Aadab, deliver this to your master". The man nodded and left.