AS soon as she entered, wincing at the noise, she spotted Haqiya waving at her from one of the tables. She sat down beside the other girl. "Haqiya."

"Noor," Haqiya said, grinning. "Where were you all morning?"

Noor shrugged. "Helping out in the treasury. I needed to earn some extra money." She looked around. "Have you seen Amir, by the way?"

Haqiya nodded, glancing around the hall. "I have. He's somewhere over..." She pointed at a distant table. "There."

Noor spotted him eating alone and nodded. "Thank you, Haqiya."

"Wait!" Haqiya said, grabbing her arm. "I was supposed to tell you that we don't have a performance today aside from the night one—" Both she and Noor grimaced— "But tomorrow we have one in the morning."

"In the morning?" Noor asked, her eyebrows furrowing. "Why?"

Haqiya shrugged. "I'm not sure. Something about some foreign dignitaries visiting...Nazrat said they're being shown the 'charm' of the Al-Yauzhan courts."

"Ick," Noor said, grimacing.

"It's not that bad, we get to wear our nice costumes," Haqiya said matter-of-factly. "And we have to learn a new dance for tomorrow as soon as we're done eating, so don't you dare go to the library after this."

Noor sighed. "Alright. Thank you for telling me."

Haqiya nodded. "Of course. Now, go and eat before the food gets over."

Noor nodded quickly and stood up, waving at Haqiya before making her way to Amir, dodging the usual chaos of the room.

He looked up as she approached, shifting enough to make room for her. "Here," he said as she sat down. "I got you a plate."

"Thanks," she said, taking it and beginning to eat. "I was worried I was going to miss all the food."

Amir gave a short laugh. "That's very possible."

Noor looked. "Why are we sitting here today?"

Amir lifted one shoulder. "I came late as well. Our spot was gone."

Noor looked at him then, noting the dullness of his eyes, the tiredness written across his face. "What's wrong?"

Amir let out a breath, puffing out his cheeks. "There was a...problem in the courtesans' quarters today. Sahar and I have had out hands full trying to fix it. She's fed up with everyone."

Noor bit her lip. Sahar Suraksh and Amir were the most popular, well-trained courtesans. She'd rarely seen Sahar, especially, ruffled. The woman had a reputation for being calm during even the worst situations. "What happened?"

Amir rubbed his forehead. "A lot. No one else is supposed to know, all right?" He gave her a hard stare.

Noor nodded seriously.

He bit his lip. "One of the girls found out she's with child. She panicked, because no one wants a pregnant courtesan. She worried she wasn't going to be able to support her little siblings and took the...that particular drink."

Noor let out a soft gasp. "You mean the one that would kill the—"

Amir nodded. "Sahar and I stopped her before she could take it, but the others had heard. Everyone was afraid that the nobles would get to know, Sahar and I were busy comforting her, it was—it was a long day."

Noor bit her lip. She had too many questions. "What happened in the end?"

Amir blinked hard, like he was trying to stay awake. "We managed to get the girl calm, told her that we'd make sure her family wouldn't starve. Then we had to calm down the others. These younger ones, you know, they have no presence of mind. They were panicking and talking about it where all the servants could hear. Our servants are trustworthy, luckily."

"Who was the father?" Noor whispered.

Amir shook his head. "She won't tell. I'm not sure she knows. It's a noble, though. That's for certain."

Noor winced. "Poor girl. She won't come forward, will she?"

Amir scoffed. "Of course not. The man could be married, and then where would she be? And they'll say it was her responsibility to have prevented the child. The girls are supposed to take those special brews, you know."

Noor nodded. "Maybe she slipped up, just once."

Amir sighed heavily. "Of course it was an accident. She wouldn't do such a thing on purpose. But the fact remains that it was her responsibility and she didn't uphold it."

"What will happen to her now?" Noor asked, looking at her plate.

Amir shrugged. "Sahar will get her a job in the kitchens, or serving duties. Maybe under the seamstress. She'll be able to provide for herself and her family. Sahar and I will help out with the money, of course."

Noor smiled and put an arm around Amir, squeezing his shoulder. "You always do the right thing."

Amir's lips turned up slightly. "Anyone would do what I did. Tell me, how was your day?"

Noor grinned. "You wouldn't believe how wonderful today has been." She told him everything, about the money and the books. "The books, Amir! They're wonderful!"

He grinned, his shoulders relaxed now. "I feel like going to the library right this moment."

"So go," Noor said simply.

He shook his head. "There's still plenty of work for me back there. I'll meet you after dinner, as usual."

Noor nodded, giving him a tight smile. "Don't overwork yourself."

He let out a small laugh. "We've both gone too far down that path."

Noor rolled her eyes, not disagreeing, and they put their plates away before leaving the hall. She made her way to the dancers' quarters slowly, knowing full well how long the others took to eat. She wouldn't be late.

She joined the others in the main room. The musicians were already there, but not many dancers. She walked up to a small group talking. "Nazrat isn't here?" She asked.

A boy shook his head. "I heard she's come down with something. Probably because of the cold."

Noor nodded. Nearly everyone was getting ill due to the changing of the seasons. She loved the cold season. She was rarely ill. "Who's taking her place, then?"

"Nihaal," one of the girls answered.

Noor squinted at her. "Are you blushing?"

"No," the girl said, utterly unconvincingly. The others laughed.

Noor sighed. She could understand. Nihaal was Nazrat's twin, and alternated for the lead position with her. He was undeniably alluring. She'd had her share of staring at him when she was younger. She'd grown out of it. He was like an older brother now that she'd gotten closer to him. "But wasn't he visiting his parents?"

"He came back this morning," the girl answered, avoiding Noor's eyes.

Noor grinned. "Alright. Thank you." She nodded at them and walked away, heading towards Nihaal's room. He and Nazrat shared a room because of their position. She knocked on the closed door and waited.

It was opened, softly, and a male head peeked around the corner. He resembled Nazrat—there were only small differences, really, and the hair—Nihaal's was much shorter.

Noor grinned.

Nihaal grinned back and stepped through the door, closing it softly behind him. "Noor!"

"Nihaal!" She said, mimicking his hushed tone.

He held his arms out. She stepped into them eagerly, squeezing him tight before letting him go.

Nihaal pressed a hand to his torso, wheezing. "Were you trying to squeeze my soul out?"

Noor laughed, shaking her head. "It's good to see you again. I almost missed you."

"What a catastrophe that would've been," Nihaal said dryly. He glanced behind him. "Let's not stay here. If Nazrat wakes up..."

They shuddered in unison and began walking away.

"How is she?" Noor asked, with a glance at the closed door.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Nihaal said, with a sly smile.

Noor glared at him. "Honestly, you need to let that go. It's been two years. Or should I remind you of that one servant boy—"

"Alright! " Nihaal said loudly, cutting her off. He shot her a dark look. "There's no need to bring up the past, Noor."

"You started it," she muttered.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Now should we get to the hall? We have to learn a new dance. Nazrat taught it to me, and I will be teaching you all."

Noor nodded. "I was waiting, but no one was there. I came to meet you. How was your trip, by the way?"

Nihaal's smile dimmed. "It was good."

Noor gave him a concerned glance. "How's your mother?"

Nihaal swallowed and didn't reply.

Noor looked away, focusing on the floor as she spoke. "We'll all be with you and Nazrat, you know."

Nihaal visibly forced his smile to get brighter. "I know. And we will always be grateful to you."

Noor smiled lightly. "You did the same for me. All the dancers were there for me when Ma  passed. We're a family, you know."

Nihaal let out a laugh. "I know." He was silent for a few moments before speaking. "How is Amir? Still working himself to death with you?"

Noor scoffed. "I'm not. He is, though."

Nihaal raised an eyebrow but chuckled and looked away. "I'll talk to him. He listens to me, you know."

Noor gave him a wry smile. "I'm not sure he will."

Nihaal's eyebrows furrowed. "Why? Is he alright?"

Noor shook her head, exhaling heavily. "No. It's started again."

"What?" Nihaal asked.

Noor gave him a significant look.

"Oh," Nihaal said, tipping his head back. He shook his head, lips curling up with disgust. "I wish we could do something."

Noor shrugged. "Maybe the Rajkumars will. They're back, you know. But until then, Amir is..."

"Throwing himself into his studies," Nihaal finished the sentence. Noor nodded. He pursed his lips. "And what about the Rajkumars? How are they?"

Noor bit her lip. "The servants seem to think the world of them. But they were there, during the night-time dance."

"And what do you think of them?"

Noor winced. "I, actually, met Rajkumar Vikram."

"What?" Nihaal said, his eyes widening.

"It was awful!" Noor exclaimed. "He was dressed like a servant, and when I bumped into him I was so rude to him! But he was so polite." She glanced at Nihaal, grimacing.

His eyes were narrowed. "He doesn't sound that bad."

"I guess," Noor murmured, thinking back to their brief meeting. The Rajkumar hadn't been angry, though he had full right to.

"Is he handsome?"

Noor jumped, whipping her head to look at him. "I, well...I suppose so. I mean, yes. Both of them are."

He gave her a suspicious look.

Noor looked away, her cheeks burning.

Nihaal didn't say anything until they reached the room. "We're here."

They walked in, Nihaal immediately being swarmed by the other dancers. He gave Noor a desperate look.

She shot him a grin and a wink, and walked away. She spotted Haqiya standing near the wall and made her way to the other woman.

Haqiya looked up as she approached. "Noor." She looked past her, a grin forming on her face. "I take it Nihaal is back."

"Clearly." Noor exhaled, looking at the group of dancers behind her. Nihaal was incredibly well-liked. Unlike his sister, who was more feared.

Haqiya grimaced. "If Nazrat was here, she'd have them all under control in two breaths."

Noor laughed. "True."

They watched Nihaal finally make his way out of the crowd and stand and the front of the room. He cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Silence!" He yelled.

The room quietened, and Noor shrugged. He was almost as good as Nazrat.

Nihaal sighed. "Now that I have your attention, we can start learning the new dance. Pay attention. We have to finish it before dinner. Now, watch me carefully."

They spent the rest of the afternoon learning the new dance. The skies were streaked with dark blue by the time they were done and perfect.

"Disperse for dinner!" Nihaal said loudly, but audibly tired.

Noor blew out a breath, wiping her forehead. She'd have to change before dinner. She was sweating too much. Her dress was damp, and the area beneath her shoulders was visibly dark.

"Here," Haqiya said. Noor turned to see Haqiya offering her a plain dupatta. The color clashed horribly with her dress, but at least it would hide the sweat stain.

"Thank you," Noor said gratefully, putting it around her shoulders and arranging it so that the stain would be fully hidden.

Haqiya gave her a wave. "See you."

Noor nodded and left the room, heading briskly towards the dancers' quarters. She quickened her pace. She didn't want to be too late to dinner. She hurried around a corner—

"Ya'Neqer!" She exclaimed, stumbling back. She rubbed her forehead, looking up, and froze.

Rajkumar Vikram grinned at her sheepishly.