"It is not the mind who regret the choices, it is heart."

♤

Layla and Baraq entered the souq with invisible Za'al, who trailed behind them with his eyes cornering around everywhere. Layla eyes widened seeing the market hustling bustling to the point that she felt her heart thudding aloud. She always had fear of crowd, it made her feel uneasy.

Vendors shoiting to collect customers, the liveli hum in the atmosphere made children giggle with happiness as they ran from one sweet vendor to another. Colorful clothes adorned the small shops which displayed many different kind of precious accessories. The colorful textiles, intricate crapets and hand woven fabrics hung from the shop roof tmfor show casing the material. People crowded the narrow alleyways, in search of goods they preferred.
The scenario hurt her eyes, there was too much people for her liking. Even the rich scent of Arabic coffee couldn't calm her haywire senses. Anxiety churned in her guts.

Hesitation gripped her shoulders into tense hold as she forwarded her step in the market. Covering her veil she eterednthe souq with Baraq behind her. As  soon she entered she took in the colorful sight of souq, her nose was immediately filled with spicy smell of spices and sweet perfumes. 

While Layla felt suffocation in the crowd, Baraq exhaled a breath of relaxation seeing the familiar hustle bustle of the souq. This was a common scene for him. Nothing new.

A woman collided with her shoulder making her lose her step, but she didn't fall. Baraq didn't let her fall. It was now that she realsied he rounded his hands around her waist loosely to protect her from colliding with crowd. Her eyes begged to travel to his face, but she looked away and entered the market. Everytime, whenever a woman would pass by them, he enclose his hands around her waist more closer than before. When a man passed by them he would open his arms around her waist, to not let any na mehram touch her.

"Here, here, take this shawl for your wife." A man called out to Baraq making him ignore the call. He knows it wasn't because the vendor wanted to come them closer, but it was because he wanted to sell his product.

Still, he couldn’t stop the burst of heat filling up into her neck hearing from someone that she was his wife. After all, he totally gave away the hints, when he rounded his hands around her.

"Do you sense any magic?" She questioned quietly leaning back into his chest, so he could hear voice clearly in the sounds of vendors and crowd.

"No, I don't sense anything here." He answers moving his face near her ear making her heat up and sweat under the hot sun.

"You both should have stayed back, if you aren't going to help with the hunt." Za'al rumbled in the voice which could be only heard by them.

"Keep queit." Baraq gritted his teeth and moved into another corner in search of magic. His hands guided Layla. She could feel the hotness of his touch everytime his hand touch her waist. Even in the loose burqa, his touch burned her waist. Blinking away the embarrassment she pointed at the secluded shop, and queried.

"We should ask there, maybe we could get somethings there." Layla muttered close enough for Baraq to hear. He nodded at her and they began walking to the small and narrow shop.

♤

Nazreena walked in the market as if she owned it. Her head held high as she passed  through the beautiful shops. Hafsa walked beside her. Her eyes roaming around them as she clutched tight her dagger beneath her burqa.

"Why did you send Za'al with them?" Hafsa queried. The question  was almost making her hiss as a headache appeared in the back of her mind.

Nazreena's sharp eyes zeroes on the the shop of rugs with beautiful intricate and bright colors, her fingers carefully tracing over the designs.

"They are human from different world than us. And I am kind of sure they will soon end up in trouble." Nazreena snickered passing by shop and going to the food vendor. The spicy smell of kebabs lingering around the shop as they passed by it.

"May be you should know them or they should know, it will make the hunt better." Hafsa advised, knowing that the next second she would lash out. A second passed, but she didn't say anything. Hafsa noticed how this market didn't held any importance in her eyes.  She was a princess of palace, the heir in line. What could this market have for?

"It's better that you all know nothing about me. I am a nobody, from nowhere, and here to do nothing at all. But that one couple? They’re nothing but a joke, always trying to run away from each other. Pathetic, really." Her words echoed in Hafsa's ears, making her stunned.

"They cling to the illusion of freedom, yet they’re trapped in their own tangled web of emotions, running in circles like fools. They think they can escape their pasts, their choices, but life isn’t so forgiving. It laughs at their efforts, watching as they stumble and fall, their love a bittersweet irony. They don’t see it, of course, too busy caught up in their romantic fantasies to notice how their own hearts betray them. Meanwhile, here I am, a mere spectator to their folly, quietly reveling in the chaos they create."

She paused, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. "But maybe that's the beauty of it, while they chase after dreams, I remain untouched, unseen. In their shadows, I find my own light." Hafsa knew why she was saying it, and how deep these words were. Hafsa new it all along.

Just when Nazreena thought that this world could never have any thing to give her. Her ears picked up listening to voice of a man. A man. A huge knot formed in her throat as she breathed sharply and her eyes searched for the source of the voice. She walked into the crowd, as the voices grew louder and her heart thudded aloud. Blood roared in her veins as cold sweat coated her temples. She flared her nose and ran into the crowd.

It was the worst choice of actions she did. Hafsa stared at her dumbfounded and followed her into the crowd.

"Nazreena, where are you going?" She whisper yelled and followed her into crowd. Her head collided with Nazreena's as she abruptly stopped. Her eyebrows raised in question as she stared at Nazreena in shock.

Nazreena was herself in shock, flashbacks of laughter and someone's voice filled her brain as she stared at the man infront of him.

"You purchased gallons of milk from us, I demand my money back." The man's voice rang around them as the crowd stood hearing the heated argument.

Hafsa's face jerked towards the man and she realised why she was so adamant to see the man.