Power: the word seemed ridiculous in my mind. Why would anyone feel that I possessed powers? What sort of powers would someone like me have? I stared at my reflection and then at my hands. Master Wali said that the powers were not extraordinary but they were present in me. He said he could sense because he found something odd about me. But he was not the only one who found me odd. How could he expect to believe him based on that reasoning?

I tilted my head and observed myself. Maybe, he was simply playing with me, a punishment for waking him up in the night. But he did not seem too alarmed when I ended up in his house. It was almost like he was expecting me.

I wanted to smash the mirror in frustration. I wanted to go back to my village, back to my simple and routine life.

"Ayah, are you coming with us?" Asad entered my room and I saw his reflection in my mirror. Did he grow taller? His hair was longer and he was wearing it in a different way. He looked healthier and happy. There was a glow about him that I had never seen before. Could it be that he liked it in the palace? What if I decided that I had enough of this? Would he feel bad leaving the palace?

"You're staring Ayah." He smiled at me kindly and I noticed his gaze fall on my neck for a brief second. I felt better now and my neck was not sore anymore. After that night, I went to meet Qamar regularly. He did not talk. He just stared outside rocking back and forth. Sometimes, he would be enraged by my presence and I would have to move out as soon as I entered. Other times, he would just accept me as one of his visions.

But there was no progress being made and that infuriated me too. I wanted to help the Monarch but I also did not know how to. Omar was nowhere to be seen after my outburst and Aqib had to remind me that Omar was the current head of the kingdom. I could not possibly think that he would be free all the time to handle my issues. Aqib had not taken my outburst very well and it was only fair that he didn't. Omar was his childhood friend. I would not like it either if Aqib shouted at Asad.

I had apologised to him but he still was wary around me. Laia had mentioned that it was just their bond. Apparently, even she could not come between them if she tried.

Coming back to reality, I nodded my head. Aqib had decided on a whim to train Asad how to swordfight and had invited both us to the training ground. I was glad because I would get to meet other people and Aqib had mentioned that the stables were near the training ground. Maybe, I would get some quite moment with Ra'ad.

My brother blinked at me confused then shaking his head, he said –

"Come on. It will be fun. You will see me getting humiliated."

I smiled at him and followed him.

_

A warm breeze touched my skin as I entered the training ground. I could hear the clanks of metal against metal as the soldiers practised. The heat was not too much but one glance at the people training made me feel bad for them. They were drenched in sweat from head to toe. They gritted their teeth and huffed every time they made their move. I knew I was not capable of this. But I admired the strength of these men who were not much older to me.

Aqib was no more the carefree young man that we knew. He barked orders at his people as they trained. I could see fear in their eyes as he came near them and the drive to impress him. He was not harsh or rude. He complimented men who did well, gave tips to other men.

"Ah Asad," Aqib grinned as he caught sight of my brother, "my second."

"I told you, I am not sure about it. I have certain responsibilities." Asad said quietly glancing at me.

"I know and I remember telling you that it is fine. I am very fickle minded regarding my second. There is a reason why I don't have one after all these years."

Did Asad really want to join Aqib? Why did I never hear this from him? I stared at my brother confused. It had been a long time since Asad and I had a proper chat like we did back in the village. I did not even know what he did in his time in this palace when he was not around me. I just assumed he was with Aqib.

"But come on," Aqib motioned, "Let me see what you can do." He then turned towards me and smiled his brown eyes amused, "Ayah, the stables are there. I know you won't be so thrilled to see men fighting while reeking of sweat. You would prefer horses." He winked at me and I smiled. Could it be that we were in better terms? I did not know. But I appreciated his kindness.

I nodded and followed where he had pointed, I could see the stables and a boy pulling a wheelbarrow filled with big black baskets of horse food. Maybe it was feeding time right now. As I moved closer to the stables, I could hear him whistling a strange tune. The boy was younger to me, maybe fourteen years old. He walked barefoot and I could not help but notice that he had large feet.

"Which horse do you want, miss?" He grunted as he noticed me. I shook my head in response. I did not want any horse. I could smell the food and I could not help but wrinkle my nose.

The boy nodded and continued whistling. I followed him inside. The stables were big and well maintained. There were so many horses! My eyes widened at the sight of them.

"These are just the Royal horses, miss. There is another stable for the Guards and the Knights, that one is huge. Father tends to that." The boy informed me without even looking at me as he gave each horse their food. The horses neighed and blustered at his presence, stamping the leg to grab his attention. He did not even care if the horses nudged his head or breathed on him as he went on giving them their food.

"Oh boy, I am glad," he said as he stared at an empty room in the stable right beside Ra'ad. I noticed the horse and a wide smile spread on my face. I was not too sure if I would find him here but I was so happy I did.

I looked at the boy again, slightly confused by his reaction to the empty room. Every room had the horse's name written. But I could not read them so I simply ran my hand on them as I made my way to Ra'ad.

"You know Ra'ad, miss?" The boy asked as he bent to give Ra'ad food. I nodded as Ra'ad began to eat.

"He is not friendly so that is surprising. But he isn't as bad as his brother."

The thing that amused me of this boy was that he did not even fully look at my face but had started conversing with me. He did not care if I was mute as long as I heard him. I could not help but feel fond of him.

I did not know Ra'ad had a brother! But that seemed like a tiny detail because I was distracted by his presence. I ran my hand on his long neck as he continued to eat.

Thunder; his name was so perfect for him. I had no idea from where Omar got the inspiration to name his horse but I was glad he did. Something told me that Omar had spent quite the time to name his horse. My hand instinctively went to my locket and I smiled. I still had to name my horse. I wondered what I would name him.

The silence of Ra'ad's company made me feel calm. I ignored my thoughts as I let the quietness envelop me. I could feel his presence and innocence and decided to bask in it. Once he was done eating. Ra'ad out his head up and breathed on my hair. I rubbed his snout and smiled at him.

People say you're not friendly, but you seem all right to me, I thought to Ra'ad as I scratched the portion in between his eyes. He stamped his foot in response and moved away only to come back to me.

I did not know you had a brother either, I smiled at him.

We remained silent, lost in our own thoughts. I wasn't really thinking anything specific but I knew was thinking something.

I wish you could speak, I told the horse, "Because I know you would be honest with me. Tell me Ra'ad, did I change?

I stared at him for a response, any response, any indication that gave me an answer. I know I could talk to no one. If I asked this to my brother or Nala, I am not sure whether they would answer honestly. Who else did I have?

Ra'ad just stood there blinking at me and I rested my cheek on his face. He moved slightly but then remained still. We stood like that for a while when a sound caught our attention and we looked up to see.

"Ha!" Prince Omar shouted as he pulled the reins of another horse. The horse seemed to be revolting against him making it tough to control him. The horse was magnificent brown coloured with black hair with the same tinge of brown like Ra'ad. Omar patted the horse's neck and whispered something but the horse moved his head to the other side. It was almost like the horse wanted to break free. I could see that Prince Omar's was drenched in sweat too and so was the horse.

"Come on." He grunted and the horse took a step forward. In the background, I could see the boy running towards the stable at full speed.

"Pull his reins once I mount on him," Omar instructed as he mounted on top of the horse in a fluid motion, still unaware of my existence. The boy did as he was told and Omar kicked the horse. Rather than moving forward, the horse moved backwards.

Ra'ad, who was standing still all this while, became restless at the sight of Prince Omar, trying to grab his attention. But the Prince's attention was fixed on the other horse.

"Hand me the whip and make sure he sees it," Omar commanded the boy and he nodded as he handed Omar the rein. The boy grabbed the whip and then his gaze found mine and he said,

"I told you his brother is a nuisance."

Omar noticing that the boy was talking to someone looked at me. The horse moved again and he kicked but he smiled at me, "We need to stop meeting like this."

The boy ran in front of the horse again and handed Omar the whip. The reaction was as Omar had expected, at the sight of the whip the horse stopped rebelling and marched forward. Omar kicked him and ran the whip against the horse's neck as a warning. I had seen Master Maha use this trick. It was a statement made: Please don't make me use this on you.

The boy and Prince Omar made the horse go to his room and then Prince Omar jumped from his back towards me.

"So you know who this horse is," Omar asked me as he put the whip carefully against the wall. I nodded my head. I knew who the horse was but I did not know who he belonged to.

But the most important question in my mind: why was he being nice to me? I know I would not have been this kind if someone got angry with me the way I did with him. But then again, I was mute, so maybe the words did not impact him the way it should.

"Do you know his name?" Omar rubbed Ra'ad nose. He was trying so hard to grab Omar's attention that it was adorable. I shook my head again.

"His name is Barq." Omar gave me his small smile as he looked at me with his deep black eyes. His hair was windswept but I liked it that way. At that thought, I felt my face warm up and I looked away.

I stared at the other horse that had his back facing us. It showed clearly that he was not pleased with being confined to the stables. Barq meant lightening; both the brothers were named thunder and lightening. It was sweet and...

Then it hit me, my eyes widened. The horses were brothers and they were in the Royal Stable, so that meant that Barq belonged to Monarch Qamar.

"He has been quite lonely, so I take him to a ride whenever I am free much to Ra'ad disappointment," Omar explained and again it could help but marvel at the fact that he understood me so well. I looked away guiltily. How did he manage to make me feel so guilty?

"Yes, Miss Ayah," Omar said, "I am aware of the fact that you owe me an apology and I owe you one too but I have decided to ignore that moment completely." He turned towards me and suddenly I felt a bit intimidated by his presence.

"The truth of the matter is: I need you. Yes, Ayah, I know that you have been meeting Qamar. I know everything that happens in the palace even when I am not there. One needs to be aware of everything and you need to start from your home; at least that is what my brother taught me. But strangely, Qamar is not reacting the way I had expected him to with you. He seems mellow, calm. I am not sure if that has to do with you or not but I am going to take my chances. What surprises me most that ever since you came, he has not attempted to break free. Which he had been doing every week previously; it may be coincidental, but again, I have no other option."

I stared at the man incredulously. He was fine with me humiliating him and accusing him as long as it brother felt better. Did this type of a man really exist in this world? How could someone be so selfless? Maybe it was the love that he had for his brother. Maybe he was simply too desperate to cure him. I did not know.

"I am also aware that you went to meet Master Wali," he continued, "Please do not scare Nala that way again. She cares about you. And as for that revelation regarding people possessing powers, they have always existed even during my father's time. They are mostly desert-people – nomadic. It is the reason why the desert-people riot against us. They think they are special and they need special treatment and authority. We cannot give that to them. We cannot keep them above us. They never were too strong but after what they did to Queen Iqra. They are growing stronger and still are a possible threat. I need to focus on them. Please, Miss Ayah, can I have your word?"

Prince Omar took my hand in between his and I stared at him dumbfounded. He had never dared to do this before and I did not know what to make of it. I gulped as I stared at his hand pointedly but he did not let go. I could feel my heartbeat increasing and I stared at his eyes. His eyes were pleading with me desperately. I felt my mouth go dry.

"Please tell me that you will do everything in your power to help my brother."

And without thinking of the consequences, I nodded to him, giving my word.