A month had passed since my brother's death.

A month, since I last touched him. I was scared that he would become a memory and it was the reason why I was holding onto everything related to him. I did not want him to become a memory, I needed him to remain a part of me.

It had also been a month since I had a conversation with the Moon. I had tried to call out for her, used everything in my power to seek her, but she hadn't come and I, for the first time, felt hollow without her and Imad.

My mother had improved, she was willing to talk now and even had started doing chores. But I knew that when she thought everyone went to sleep, my mother would sneak out and weep for her baby.

"How is she?" My neighbor, Aunt Khalida, entered the house when I opened the door, she had a tray full of food that she had brought with her. In reply to her question, I managed to smile. She smiled back, she was one of the few women in our village that I liked. She was my mother's best friend and they shared everything with each other.

She was not there when Imad had died, she had gone to visit her son in the city. He was a daily wage labor there and he had been sick.

"Ayesha!" Aunt Khalida called out and my mother appeared from the kitchen wiping her hands in a piece of clothing, her eyes widened in surprise by the visitor.

"Khalida!" My mother said softly, that was the maximum her voice went now. She barely said anything and when she did, we could hardly hear.

"Yes, it is me, dear woman." Aunt Khalida put the tray aside and embraced my frozen mother. I watched from a distant. Somedays, it was hard to face my mother, knowing that I could never understand what she went through. She tried to be strong, but we knew she was hurting. We all were. I was happy to see Aunt Khalida, mostly because, my mother would finally have someone to confide in.

I left the friends and sat on the stairs, I could hear my mother sobbing softly. I imagined Aunt Khalida crying too. I felt a stray tear emerge from my eye and I quickly wiped it away.

I let them be, my mother could do with someone who was not her family. I thought back to each of my family members and their way of coping up with this. My father had given in to work, hoping that it would prove to be a distraction. He went early and came home late. He was no more jovial, he did not tease, he did not smile. My eyes might have been deceiving me but it did look like he had become old now as if the burden of Imad's death was too much for him to handle.

Asad had grown distant too. He did not talk anymore, silence had become his friend. He did his duties as any responsible son or man would but he had changed. He did, however, attend to me, he hovered around me, giving me extra attention as if he was scared that he would lose me too if he was not around me. But we did not talk the way we did, I did not expect that we ever would.

I, on the other hand, did what I could do best. I stayed quiet, minded my own business, did as I was told and tried my best not to be a hindrance. I barely left the house, I helped my mother cook, I helped my brother clean and when everyone fell asleep, I sneaked to the terrace in the hopes that the Moon would forgive me and talk to me. I needed someone that I could talk to. I needed a friend now more than ever and she had left me.

I knew I was responsible for it.

I wrapped my arms around my torso, comforting myself. I thought back to the day Imad had died, to the day Asad had hugged me and comforted me. I had felt protected, sheltered. I still did whenever he was around, Maybe, we did not talk, but I knew that he would be there for me as I would be for him.

"....crying will not help you, Ayesha!" Aunt Khalida's voice jolted me and I leaned in to listen.

"What else do you want me to do?" My mother whispered exasperated, hoping that I was not listening.

"I want you to stay strong, for your family, for your beautiful children, Ayesha. They deserve it."

"Oh, they have been so good, Khalida. You have no idea. It is as if both of them grew in the past month. I do try to be strong but I cannot help myself." My mother's voice shook and I felt tears in my eyes again.

"Oh yes! Oh yes!" I heard Aunt Khalida move, "They are good kids and they are relying on you, my dear woman. You cannot expect them to be in control forever, they will lose it and they need you to be with them when they do. They need you to hold on to them as they did to you."

"I know."

"You cannot continue this..."

"...I know." My mother sighed and I could imagine her. Her hardened jaw, the faint wrinkles in her face. She was beautiful. I could imagine the burning intensity in her eyes as she took a resolve. She needed to be strong, for us.

I closed my eyes. Aunt Khalida's was right, my mother was the string that kept our family together. She was our backbone, she was the one who carried our burden for us, Maybe it was selfish to expect so much from her, I did not know.

I wiped my tears and tried to look normal as I entered the hall. Both of the women looked at me as I entered and smiled, I returned it but my eyes never left my mother's face.

Can I go for a walk? I signed. Staying in the house was affecting me, maybe the heat of the day or the dry wind could help me know that there were many out there suffering even more than me.

My mother smiled, it was forced, but it was nice to see her smile. She nodded, I went to my room to grab my maroon shawl and left.

I strolled aimlessly in the village, it had been long since I did that. I had no idea what was happening around anymore, we were so deep in mourning. It hadn't rained and the supplies were running short now. I learned that as I walked listening to people to talk to each other, as I went past some houses, I saw two men sitting on a mat outside their house sipping kahwa. They were older and jobless as no one would want men their age. They seemed to be deep in conversation and I stood around to hear anything that caught my interest.

"Any news circulating around?" One of them asked.This man was taller than the other, he was plump and had a missing tooth.

"Nothing that concerns us." The other man sipped kahwa from his cup, he was shorter, leaner and had completely white hair.

"Did you hear about the desert people?" The tall man sat up straight, apparently excited to tell whatever he had learned. I stepped closer to them but hid behind a large and empty cart.

"What about them?" The other man enquired.

"It seems that all of those nomadic tribes are uniting to join forces against the Monarch. The drought has affected them the worst, no rain means that no water has been accumulated in the oasis. Apparently, some women, children and old people have died too, their animals are dying." The tall man said it so fast that I had a hard time understanding. But I did and a question formulated in my mind as I heard the news.

"What says the Monarch?" The lean man questioned.

"No news from the City. The people of the City are ignorant fools, but some of the daily wage laborers that come from the City have said that the Monarch has been silent for the past three years, really. No one has seen him and no one has heard from him. The advisors rule for him while he does whatever he wants."

I stood there confused. Had the monarch been silent for the past three years? That was a lot of time to remain silent, especially when his people were suffering. I couldn't help but feel bad for the desert folks. They had hit the worst, they did not even have what we in a village did. They were nomads, they slept wherever they got shelter. They were scavengers, surviving on whatever they could find. The oasis in the deserts was heaven for them and if that was drying out, they would die.

"You speak treason." The man sipped his kahwa again as he warned.

"I am merely saying what I've been told."

"Well, when he took over from Monarch Shams I had high hopes for the lad. He was young but he seemed to be just as good a leader as his father. Apparently, I was wrong then." The lean man shook his head in disappointment and I could not help but agree with him. Everyone in the kingdom had high hopes from the current Monarch, but it seemed that we were mistaken.

"As did I. He did show potential and seemed just."

"Any news of the exiled Prince?" I perked up at the mention of the Prince, there was only little said of him. No one knew the reason why he was exiled and if they did, they kept their mouth sealed.

"None, whatsoever. I wouldn't be surprised if it was he who gathered the desert folks to take over the throne if I am honest. Vengeance can drive people to extremities."

"He could do that to his own brother?"

"They don't have the sense of family like we do. Anyway, what the rich folks do have no concern with us. If we are to die of starvation, then we will. They cannot do anything for us, we are dispensable to them." The tone of resignation made me sad. But the rational side of my mind told me that there was only so much a Monarch could do against natural calamities. He had an entire kingdom to take care of and if things were not working in his favor, then he could not do anything.

I wanted to believe that the Monarch cared for us, that he could not see his own people die.

"Have you heard about Master Maha?" The man sipping his kahwa suddenly said after a long silence. I was about to leave when again their conversation caught my interest and even worried me. What had happened to Master Maha? How come I did not know?

"My grandson had gone to the town to get us some things, he walked past Master Maha's house and apparently saw a strange looking carriage approach his gates. The driver was clad in rich clothes."

"Master Maha knows a lot of City folks." The tall man said bored, not impressed by the news.

"Yes, but my grandson said that the carriage was strange. It bore no mark, no symbol of the House the man belonged. You know how these City folks are. Instead, the carriage was splattered with black paint as if a deliberate attempt to hide the symbol."

"When did he see this?"

"In the morning."

"Indeed, it is strange."

I stood rooted behind the cart. A rich looking carriage had arrived in Master Maha's house. Why would any nobleman want to hide his symbol? It did not make any sense, City-folks always loved to boast about their lineage. It was their strange custom. Every family apparently had an insignia. The only reason that I could think was the man did not want to draw attention to himself. If so, why was he in Master Maha's house? Most importantly, who was he?

I looked at the sky and the heat it was pouring down upon us. I could feel the beads of sweat form under my shawl. It would have been nice if it was not so hot, then I could have gone to Master Maha's house. Maybe, have a look at the carriage.

What if this man was the same one Asad and I saw that night?

What if the reason he tried to hide his symbol was because it was the Insignia of the Monarch?

What was he doing here?

I had so many questions and no one that could give me the answer. I wondered if Asad was able to link this up, but then maybe I was overthinking and it was nothing.

Whatever it was, I was determined to find out. I wanted to have a look at the carriage and I was going to do it that night.

___

I lay on my bed, my eyes wide open with no hint of sleep.

I had never been so determined to do anything in my life, the way I was determined to have a look on this carriage. Maybe I was acting on impulse, I could not deny it, sneaking outside in the night without telling anyone was a risky move. But I wanted to do this. I did not even know what I was looking for, there were chances that I might not even get the answers to my questions.

I turned to my side and stared at the empty bed of my brother. He had gone out with his friends, straight from work. He had told my father that he needed some sort of distraction, my father had let him go. Everyone in our family could do with a distraction.

However, that meant that I could not tell my brother what I had learned. I was hoping that he would want to be part of my silly impulsive plan. The idea of doing something together might be able to ease the communication gap between us.

After her conversation with Aunt Khalida, my mother looked more lively or pretended to be. She had tried to start up a conversation with my father and my father noticing the initiative had entertained her. She had asked about his work and he had replied. But there was only so much they could talk about and both of them had retired to their bed early.

It meant that I had ample amount of time to  sneak out and then sneak in without getting noticed.

Once, I was sure that my parents were asleep, I grabbed my maroon shawl, wrapped it around myself as a failed attempt to go by unnoticed and made my way out of my house. There was no moon in the sky and therefore no light in the streets. The only way I could make my way was due to the lights inside the house.

I tried to be as cautious and quiet as I could and tried to plan ahead. What would I say to the guards of the gates? What if someone caught me? What exactly was I looking for? What would I do if I came across the carriage?

It took me a while to reach the gates of Master Maha's house and till then I had decided nothing. I had no plan of action and I relied on my impulse to get myself safely inside and outside. I knew that I could not get inside through the main gate, so I walked around the boundary of Master Maha's house towards the back gate. The servants were fast asleep in their quarters and no one would be awake right now. When I approached the back gate, to my surprise, it was already open! Maybe luck had decided to favor me.

I walked inside, my skirt sliding against the pavement. I wrapped the shawl tighter around my face. I did not want anyone to recognize me. The entire mansion was deserted and eerily quiet. It made me feel uncomfortable and awkward, I felt like a thief.

Maybe that is what people would think if they caught me.

I walked inside the stables through the backdoor. Master Maha did not have any place to keep the carriage, he kept it under the open sky and I decided to go on the front lawn through the stables as it would keep me hidden.

I was scared, however, that the stable boy might appear. He would need to check up on the horses but I had to do it anyways.

A soft neigh caught my attention as I walked past the horses and I stopped. I turned to stare directly at a pair of gorgeous black eyes. What was Ra'ad doing here? I had expected Master Omar to leave by now. Nevertheless, I was happy to see the magnificent stallion.

I did not have time but I could not help but step closer to the horse and rest my forehead against his while my hands stroke his body. He smelled clean and I smiled.

How have you been? I asked him, foolishly hoping that he would reply.

He simply blinked and breathed on me.

It did feel nice to be with him. I had missed him. Being around him made me calm and gave me this weird sense of strength, something that I felt when I was around the Moon. It was mild, but it was there and it made it easier to clear my head.

I kissed in between his eyes and stayed there like that.

I stepped away from the horse, reminded of the task at hand, if it was up to me, I would stay with him forever. The horse took a step towards me and stretched his neck. I smiled, he was amazing and I was in love with him.

I have to go, but I will come meet you soon. I told the horse and maybe he understood because he did not do anything when I left.

I ran outside the stable and towards the carriage. It was placed where I hoped it would be, right on the lawn. The side that was facing me did not have any paint splattered on it. The door was smooth brown and shining. I went to the carriage, my eyes fixated on it, searching for anything that could tell me something. However, what I did not see that there was someone else on the other side of the carriage, bent as if inspecting something. His head collided to my shoulder and a large hand covered my mouth to stop me from screaming, which I couldn't. The man was behind me and he was strong as I struggled but he did not let go of me. As a last resort, I bit his hands and stamped his foot with my heel. He had to let go of me and I turned to face him as he let out a soft cry.

"Ayah?" He said when he looked up at me and my eyes widened.

What are you doing here? I wanted to hiss at my stupid brother.

"I can ask you the same thing!" He growled while rubbing his hand where I bit him.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was my brother! It was no one else besides my stupid silly little curious brother!

You scared me! I signed at him and he rolled his eyes. However, his focus went back to the carriage and I could not help but smile. We were very much alike. He must have seen the carriage while working but he could not inspect it because  it would look suspicious. He was able to link the carriage to the Insignia of the Monarch too and had decided to sneak in the night, he had lied to our father as an excuse to come back.

"Do you see what I see?" Asad asked and I shook my head.

He breathed and then took out a small knife from his pocket and started scraping out the paint from the wooden door of the carriage. It took him a while, but when he was done, I could see what he did underneath all the paint - the golden crescent moon.

"He is from the palace," Asad said softly.

Did you see him? I asked.

"No, I was in the market the entire day, buying whatever the mansion needed."

I stepped closer to the carriage and tried the handle of the door, it opened and I smiled at Asad, who nodded at me to climb inside. The carriage that Master Maha gave us for transportation was small and wobbly. This one was grand, it's window had beautiful velvet drapes, The seats were made of cushions and were soft. I could live in it for the rest of my life, comfortably, if I was allowed to do so. While sitting on the seat, my legs brushed past something cold and I bent to retrieve it.

"Wow," Asad said as he leaned inside to examine what I had found.

I was holding a dagger, famously known as the Khanjar. It was a small blade but a lethal weapon. It was rare to find, but it did not surprise me, whoever this man was obviously owned the best of the best.

"Ah! I do not remember asking anyone to retrieve this for me." A man's voice suddenly spoke and I stood up stupidly, hitting my head in the process. Asad turned and opened his mouth to speak up, but closed it.

I rubbed my head as I climbed out of the carriage with the help of Asad, who looked a little dumbfounded. I turned around to look to put a face to the voice and I found no one.

"Down here." The voice said and Asad elbowed my ribs, I followed the voice and gasped loudly.

"Oh good. You did not scream, usually, that is the expected response. Now, can I have that?" The man that was talking to me only reached my waist. He may have been older to us but he was the size of a seven years old child. He had stretched his small hands towards me, with his tiny palm facing upwards. I carefully placed the Khanjar on his hand.

"Thank you. If you may follow me, I think I need to wake up Maha. I always knew he needed to add up to his security, he simply trusts too much." The man said and turned away from us. He wore a satin night robe that easily went below his feet. I had never seen a man like this in my entire life.

"We work here." Asad finally opened his mouth and said. 

"Really? At least you did not say that you are related to Maha." The man scoffed, obviously thinking that we were lying.

"I am Asad Beizeen and this is my sister, Ayah Beizeen. We are the children of Hashim Beizeen, servant to Master Maha." Asad said loudly and firmly. He would not go down without a fight. None of us wanted to go meet Master Maha. 

The man stopped walking and turned to directly stare at me. He had big eyes that somehow looked enormous due to his small features. I mentally chided myself as I reframed my thoughts. He was small and I was mute, I could not be the one to judge.

"This is Ayah Beizeen." He looked awed and I nervously took a step backward. It was not a question but a statement. 

"Yes," Asad replied.

"Then I am afraid, we will have to wake up a different Master."

Finally, the chapter is unedited so please bear with me :P Do let me know your thoughts below. A new character, yay!

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Khanjar - It is actually pronounced Kandjar and is a beautiful blade. ( Image above )

Kahwa - It is a special type of coffee.

Maghrib - It is the time when the sun sets.