Washing his teary face, and making himself presentable, he went downstairs to offer greetings. Lady Frieda was like a second mother to him, and took him in with kindness, though knowing the possible danger she had exposed herself to, if his own past caught up with him. She had once said he reminded her of her lost son, and he had great respect for her. "Ukashah!" Mother Ashyaa called out excitedly.

Even as she did, a young boy with refined handsomeness stepped down from the top floor. He wore a deep blue thobe which had its rims embroidered in gold arabesque, reaching to half-shin, and some navy coloured pants down to ankle level. Even without his previous adornments, he still exuded the refined aura of a royal.

He greeted the salam politely as he saw the veiled lady down below. He reached the down floor, and gently offered some water which Mother Ashyaa in her excitement, had forgotten to do. Lady Frieda responded to the salaam, and smiled at his refined manners and composure. "I won't be here long though. It's been a while since I last visited. So I came to see how things were. How are you doing, Ibn Sulaymân?" She asked in a dignified tone.

This was how she was at school, and also when facing the council members. Since Ukashah became the Boys' head prefect of her school, she also took to communicating formally with him. This was to help him develop certain diplomatic qualities he'd need for the future.

"Alhamdulillah, everything is well by the will of Allah." Ukashah answered courteously. He had been thinking of how he'd meet with the Lady Principal to talk about accommodating Arkaan in the apartment. And yet, here she was...

Allah certainly does things in His own mysterious ways.

"and Hayât?... "Lady Frieda asked, her voice suddenly softened. She remembered his piebald horse he cared for, more than many things in life. In the past, it was that horse, flanked by its parents that achieved a gallant feat to save Ukashah from his pursuers, at the loss of the white mare, the Queen's own horse. All this, Ukashah had told her.

Sometimes, when Ukashah would reminisce as he'd wash Hayât's coat when he was still little, he'd mention that memorable day to Lady Frieda.

She couldn't understand his fondness for the horse until then...

"He's been doing well, and is becoming better by the day. The injuries he sustained from that time when you offered us help, even though they're still there, are much stable than before... Currently, he's in the back stables." Ukashah answered.

"You should take him for a stroll once in a while, okay." Lady Frieda continued,"I think that'll do him a lot of good as regards his health."
Ukashah nodded. With his lowered eyes, he looked like a gentleman facing his revered mother.

Lady Frieda looked at him and remembered her own son whom she cherished."I brought some apples... " She said, offering him the one which she held. She kept it on the table next to him, as she removed more from her basket to present, with motherly affection.

She well-knew how much Ukashah loved apples. She couldn't forget that day when she offered him apples, and tears suddenly spilled from his eyes uncontrollably.

Until that day, Lady Frieda had never seen Ukashah cry or complain, neither had Mother Ashyaa. Since the moment she saw that boy with listless eyes, and after she aided him, he also seemed unlike other kids; composed and reserved without much emotion to show, at that time he could have passed for any statue in someone's backyard. Those tears, and the relish with which he ate the apples even amidst tears, those were the first 'normal' childlike emotions she had seen Ukashah show.

The only other time he showed happiness and opened up, was when he was in the South district's Circle of the Qur'an, 'Inâbah'. Lady Frieda had come to know that he joined the Circle even before he had met her. Also, apart from her, the scholar of the Circle was the second to know his identity. He had been going to the Circle until then, and leaving without enough communication with the Ustadh to communicate his situation. It seems he had only opened to her because of motherly love, and then later to his Sheikh. Whenever he was there in their circles, those feelings completely resurfaced in him. He had friends there, and they were probably his first and only ones, Lady Frieda surmised.

Occasionally though, he'd relapse into his mood changes, becoming quiet and lost in deep thoughts. But thanks to Allah, he found his way of coping by turning to the Qur'an - to recite his heart out, with all his emotions and uncertainties. This happened not only at those times, but most other times too.. He loved the Qur'an.

Ukashah looked at the apples piling in front of him, and he couldn't help but remember...

A richly adorned woman endowed with everything of beauty, carrying her little son on her fair neck. They would be there like this, in the large royal courtyard trying to reach for the apples on the tree, both mother and son, giggling as they enjoyed the sport where they spent time together... time as precious and invaluable as ever...

This was especially because - the King, Queen Ashyaa's husband and Ukashah's Royal father had prohibited them, saying that they could get hurt, and why would they need to do that when servants were around at their beck and call.

"Quee- Lady Ashyaa,..." a maid servant tried to complain, remembering how the Queen had forbidden them to address her too formally whilst they were alone, far from the blaming eyes of the nobility.
But the mother and son duo were enjoying themselves too much to bother with any response.

"Yaa Qamari(My moon)..." a powerful voice sounded, and yet, not lost was the passion and charm it contained. A prime aged man in majestic garbs approached, having just sighted them. With a thick brown beard, dyed slightly at its edges with henna, he had an impressive countenance that made it seem as if he were the Monarch of many empires.

"Yaa Habîbi!, come help us pluck these sumptuous apples. They're certainly ripe, don't you agree?" Queen Ashyaa laughed in excited wariness, as if oblivious to the King's disapproval of their act, her gleeful voice, light as a feather.

Even as the King took noble strides to approach his wife and son, the Queen suddenly began to run around, Ukashah giggling cheerfully, in gleeful mirth as the soft wind caressed his perfect jade-like face.

The King seemed to have forgotten his etiquette as he also suddenly began chasing his two most beloved treasures, in and around the trees in the courtyard, any of the nobility who would have spotted this would be left with their mouths left open in horrified shock!

Since Ukashah's father was the King of the country of Sulaymân, he was almost always occupied with his duties in the administration of the country as he faced his court with the decorum and decisiveness that could sever nails and chop iron. He rarely ever had such time to spend with his family.

"Abatii, Yaa Malik-ul-Baladus Sulaymân, isn't this inappropriate for a King to do, as you taught me before? " a silver and silky eloquent voice called out from the peripheral corridors. A youth stood, perhaps a couple years elder to Ukashah, he had such an elegance to him as he radiated the intense aura of the scholarly nobility that any would grade him the epitome of propriety and royalty. This was Ukashah's elder brother and crown prince, Ihtisham!

"Yaa Akhii!... " Ukashah called from atop his mother's neck.

"Not now, Ihtisham. Come join us, help me catch your mother and brother!" the King laughed uproariously. He was certainly having fun chasing his wife and son.

Ihtisham stood with his mouth agape, unable to think of how to respond to that.
Thus, he didn't see when his mother reached out to grab him suddenly, pulling him into the fray.

"Mother... " Ihtisham cried, embarrassed amidst the cheerful laughter of his family, and their affectionate playfulness.
This was one of the rare times they spent together as a family, and not just a 'Royal' one.

This was one of the happiest memories as a child, that Ukashah carried with him. He cherished these memories so much, even though he'd try to deceive himself that he had forgotten...

No, he had not forgotten, not those moments nor what had happened after, he had not even the luxury of forgetting them, those people who snatched everything away, from him... Even now everything would play back to him occasionally, within his mind, evoking his dark and moody moments.

"JazakAllah Khairan... "Ukashah said to the Lady Principal in a form of frozen melancholy and reminiscence.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of them! I've always loved apples too, those scrunchy things..."Mother Ashyaa said, her face staring in pleasant reverie as her slightly wrinkled mouth made a funny expression.

She spoke with such liveliness, and her usual extroverted and hysterical excitement that made her look funny even in her old age.
Mother Ashyaa was famous in her own right for being a good house keeper, cleaner, nanny, and more many. She was a almost a Jack of all trades when it came to house work.
She called herself as 'one capable of all odd house jobs', and people took her word for it, as she seemed capable of all type of house work. She was particularly grateful to Lady Frieda for offering her a permanent place to stay, out of her usual transverse of one house to another, during her menial work.
She never had a permanent abode to call home by then.

The air was enlivened again. "Ahnn.. Lady Principal, there was something that I wanted to talk to you about. " Ukashah said, noticing that the burqa lady was about preparing to depart.

"There's a boy... " Ukashah began,"He got cast ashore, from the mainland. Presently, he has no permanent place to stay. So I was wandering if he could stay here. My room is already spacious enough for more than one person...an additional person wouldn't be much. "

"Ukashah, I do well trust your judgement on people, even though I'd usually warn you about that, especially due to your perilous situation. If you say this new person is suitable to be your companion here, why not?! "

"In shaa Allah, I'll see to the arrangements, and get another bed and other room necessities for your new roommate, so don't worry about it." At the end, her voice sounded visibly exhausted from the day's stress, and tired.

Ukashah could see that the Lady was fatigued, and wished to return home before the night went deep, and yet here she was, thinking about others, her eyes lost at such a time in fleeting hope...always
Ukashah couldn't help but remember the time she helped him too. Arkaan seemed to be in his shoes like oh those many years ago. She really had a heart of gold, and admirable benevolence.

Lady Frieda felt incredibly tired, which had somehow increased all of a sudden. She was ready to retire home, and hoped Ukashah wouldn't prolong things.

"Mother Ashyaa and I would be communicating on that. When will he be coming? "She asked, almost in concealed haste.

"In shaa Allah, this Monday or Tuesday..." Ukashah was already happy at the prospect of having a new neighbour of same age with him, and it was the obtuse Arkaan. Ukashah had subconsciously started calling Arkaan obtuse, out of fondness.

Since he felt grateful to Allah for where he was today, he could only also make efforts to help another for Allah's sake.

"In shaa Allah, I'll try to get things fixed latest by tomorrow evening." Lady Frieda spoke softly as she took her basket, heading for the door. "Don't bother seeing me off. Have a lot of rest, and don't spend time worrying about too many things... " Perhaps, she'd need that advice more than all else, she thought.

"Mother Ashyaa, could you kindly see me to the gate."

"Na'am, Lady Frieda " Mother Ashyaa responded as she rushed energetically to grab Lady Frieda's basket, who obliged out of stress.

As they walked out, Ukashah followed and stood by the door. "JazakAllah Khairan, he'll be really grateful. "Ukashah said politely, to the retreating figure of Lady Frieda and Mother Ashyaa.

Lady Frieda nodded, suddenly turning back to - watch the top floor of the other half of the conjoined apartment, where the foreign couple lodged.

"That's strange... I thought Dr. Henry and his wife weren't around for a month now... Have they returned? "

"What? That would be impossible... " Mother Ashyaa answered in obvious conviction." There has not been anyone in that apartment for a month now as you said... I'm almost always around, and I'm positively sure there's absolutely no one there. The lights are out throughout, as you can see. What is it that you saw, Lady Frieda? "

"I felt like someone was up there, at the top floor, watching us..."

"Don't mind me, maybe it's just the stress... "Lady Frieda said with a weary sigh as she walked out of the entrance gate, accompanied by Mother Ashyaa who offered to escort her a little further.

Ukashah looked at the top floor of the adjacent apartment where the lights were off. Even as he turned his gaze away, his keen eyes espied a youthful sombre face.

He quickly turned back with squinted eyes scrutinizing, just to realize that the once raised curtains had dropped down.

"I couldn't be imagining things, right?... Just now..." Ukashah murmured.
From what they knew about their neighbours next-door, they'd never seen them with any children or youth, but just now what he saw was...

Unable to figure things out, and believing it was just his imagination, Ukashah retired for the night.

____________________________________

Who was the youth who talked to Arkaan about Khidr, would he appear again? Has Maryam really forgotten? Who is it that Lady Frieda lost? Why is she so sentimental about that apartment? What really was Ukashah's story, and who are after him? Who's the sombre faced youth lurking in the apartment next-door?
Finally, let's not forget the blackhooded boy - because, I've not forgotten =)

Once again, happy Eid!