I run to the aid of the Shehzada forgetting all about my own safety. I jump right into the water, grab hold of him and pull him out with me in a minute. I have a good look at him. He isn't harmed in anyway just shaken up from shock.

"It was very irresponsible of you to run behind a ball, Shehzada. You could have drowned", I scold him.

He doesn't reply, just stares at me with wide eyes. His cute innocent face fills my heart with love. He was too adorable!

"You are a malak (angel)", he stutters finally, still looking at me with wide eyes and dripping wet.

"No, I am not Shehzada. I am as much a human as you are", I reply.

"You saved me. You jumped out of nowhere. Maa says Allah sends malaik (angels) to protect us", he says.

"Well, malaik do protect us, but in this situation Allah sent me to protect you", I say. I am getting edgy from the fear of being spotted. I quickly pull out the golden ball from the fountain with the help of a stick, gather the Shehzada in my arms and move beneath the mango trees for more coverage.

"Where are your gaurds Shehzada?" I ask.

He gives me a mischievous smile. "I gave them the slip".

"That was a very dangerous thing to do. You could have been killed", I say angrily.

A sad and guilty look overtakes his face and his eyes well up with tears at my strict tone which immediately melts my heart. Little boys and their charms!

"Its OK now sweetheart, you are safe. Come let's find your guards or your Maa", I say extending my hand towards him. He takes my hand and I carry him lovingly in my arms.

"Point the directions to me Shehzada", I say and he nods.

"What's your name malak?" he asks.

"Saeed", I reply.

"Saeed", he repeats. "Can I see your face?"

"Yes, you can", I say facing him. He pulls off my veil.

"Pretty", he comments. I smile back at him, kiss his forehead and put back my veil in place.
"But remember Shehzada, you should keep me a secret", I say.

"Secrets! I love secrets!", he says jumping in my arms. "I keep lots of secrets. Don't worry Sa'eed, I never tell my secrets to anyone except Monu."

"Who is Monu?" I ask in wonder.

"She is my kitten, she sleeps, eats and plays with me".

"Where is she now?"

"I hid her in the cupboard and ordered the gaurds to look for her. I ran away while they were looking". He gives a merry laugh.

"Now the gaurds will be in deep trouble for the mistake you did", I say walking in the direction he had pointed keeping to the trees and shadows. I have a sudden sensation of being watched. It's the same feeling I had got on my first night in the palace. I look all around but there's no one here as far as the eye can see. I shake off the feeling and continue.

"They are bad guards. I want them to go away", he whispers. "What do you mean Shehzada? Guards are meant to protect you". He shakes his head like as if I was a dumb student unable to understand a simple equation and he was my intelligent teacher. "These guards don't want to protect me Sa'eed, they don't like me".

I look at the little boy in wonder. "And what makes you think they are bad and they don't like you?"

"They are bad because they like to hurt. They don't work to protect me, they work to keep an eye on me. They don't allow me to go anywhere. They are afraid of Vahash (beast)"  I look at him dumbfounded. He was much too intelligent for a four year old boy! Or maybe he was just too imaginative.

"And who is vahash?"

He looks right and left. "It's a secret Sa'eed" he whispers. "I am your malak, you can share your secrets with me" I say. He nods, and comes close to my ear with a serious look on his face. "Vahash is their master" he whispers.

"Is his name vahash?"  I ask, still wondering if all this had any basis or if it was just a figment of the little boys imagination.

"No. I call him vahash. Maa told me story of a man called vahash who used to kill and hurt people. In the end Allah sends a malak to destroy the vahash. Their master is just like that, that's why I call him vahash".

While training Hammad Chachu always told me that the best source of information were children. They never lied or hid the facts. What Shehzada was telling me sounded exactly like how the situation of the palace was right now under the control of Mir Jafar. If I am not wrong, the man Shehzada Firoz Shah called vahash should be Mir Jafar. And he is correct when he says the guards work for Mir Jafar and not for the Shehehshah. But how the little boy came to realize such fine details and had managed to classify these things as secrets was beyond me. Truly children notice things more than adults do.

"Does anyone else know about vahash?"  I ask.

"No, only I do. And I know many more secrets" he says proudly.

"Really Shehzada? And what other secrets do you know?"

"Aiza hides behind the well to watch akhi whenever he is training in the grounds", I burst out laughing at this one. "Who is Aiza?"

"My cousin, she stays in the harem with Maa".

"And does your brother know about this?" I ask. "No, he doesn't". His expression changes at the mention of his elder brother Shehzada Sher Shah. Clear adoration is written all over his face which slowly morphs into concern.

"What happened?" I ask. "Akhi  shifted to a servant room today morning. Maa doesn't allow me to visit him because it is far and he is always busy now. I miss him. He is the only one the gaurds are afraid of".

"Don't worry Shehzada, your brother still loves you like before. He is going to become a Shehehshah now that is why he is busy. He is preparing himself. Once he has steadied everything he will find time for you again".

By now we have covered quite a distance and there is a ringing of Shehzada's name everywhere. People are looking for him.

"You will have to find your own way from here Shehzada" I drop him to the ground. "And take this", I say handing him a locket. "In case of danger just open the locket and place it under your attackers nose. He will faint immediately giving you enough time to escape. Wear it around your neck always".

"Shukran Saeed". His little form runs towards the shouts of his name carrying his golden ball. I climb a nearby tree to make sure he reaches safely.

"Maa.... Maa.... I am here, I am alright", he shouts.

His mother immediately takes him in her arms hugging him tightly. "Where were you naughty child? You are all wet!" she exclaims. "I fell down in a fountain and a malak came to save me just like you said".

"You and your stories" sighs his mother. "Its true! Its true! A malak did save me" he protests jumping in his mothers arms. "Yes sweetheart, a malak did save you. All that matters is that you are with your Maa now. The guards found Monu. She was in your cupboard. It's late now, no more playing outside". She carries him with her rest of the way to the palace followed by guards. I jump down from the tree. It's when I am alone now that I realize what a great danger I am in. I was so busy in conversation with the Shehzada that I hadn't realized how far into the palace grounds I had walked. The fact that no one had noticed us on our journey was a mere fluke. I couldn't be so lucky twice. If someone caught me now I was done for. I swiftly walk away in the direction I had come. The feeling of being watched is stronger now. I start sweating. You can be bold enough to face dangers but you can't stop your body from reacting to them. In my anxiety and hurry to escape I walk right into a guard patrolling the grounds.

"Hey, you there stop" he commands. "Who are you and how did you enter the palace gates?"

"I... I.." I stutter. I wasn't close enough to attack him nor was my mind functioning enough to come up with an excuse that was neither a lie nor a truth. The guard became highly suspicious and swiftly held both my hands behind my back. I kicked him hard enough to loosen his hold and gave him a few more punches. He re-strengthened his hold and tried to push me down.  My position was really bad. I had to either kill this fellow which I couldn't or harm him enough to make him faint which would take a lot of time as he was a sturdy man. Like an answer to my prayers a marble from a slingshot came flying out of nowhere and hit him right at the back of his neck and down he fell. The help came just in time for in seconds other guards would have joined him and I would have been caught for sure. I run to the opening in the Shahi housing through which I had come. I don't stop even for a second till I have climbed over the tree and jumped back into the street and run straight back home. Thankfully Maa is asleep.

Panting and out of breath I sit down and run the days events through my head. Finding Mir Jafar's home and meeting his wife was a total accident. Sometimes we are just playing into the hands of destiny. We are still figuring out how to get things done when it has already been destined for us and we end up doing it even without having been prepared for it. I was still figuring out how to access Mir Jafar's home when Allah so easily made a way for me. Alhamdulillah.

Meeting Shehzada Firoz Shah was also a fluke. Anyway I had to get acquainted with him, it just happened sooner than I had expected. Now I came to the most disturbing part of the day. I was almost caught. By now the security would have tightened and the news of an intruder would have spread like fire. How could I have been so careless? But what troubled me more was where had the marble come from? Was someone keeping an eye on me? Maybe I had my own malak  like how Shehzada Firoz Shah had said. Ha! A likely story.

With no time left to rest I offer my Asr salah and pack food for the Shehzada. I pull Abbuji's tunic from the trunk and dress myself. Maa is awake now and her keen eyes are taking in all my preparations. I put on a black turban and take one side of the hanging cloth to cover my face leaving my eyes open. I hide the dagger under my shirt and turn around to face her.

"You may look bold and strong but behind that hard exterior lies a very soft heart", she comments from her bed. She looked weaker and paler. No drug seems to be having an effect on her. Her pain and fever came down for a few hours with the intake of medicine but what was causing this pain and fever Hakeem Hamid couldn't say.

"And that's why it is said appearances can be deceptive", I say with a wink. I move over and hug her. "I'll be careful, don't worry yourself".

The sun had just set and I left home in the spreading darkness taking the same route I had taken yesterday except I am carrying extra luggage, that is food for the Shehzada.