Dedicated to DanGarrettAuthor

Aamir spent almost a month with his mother and her family. He wanted to know everything about his mother's side of the family - his cousins, their habits, likes, dislikes. He was an over-inquisitive child, always asking questions. There were times when he felt so naïve, and yet, supposedly, as a young man of the world due to his status in society, he had attended high-profile events as soon as he was able to walk.

He was no stranger to such social gatherings, since his playmates had come from royalty. Children of the wealthy and affluent often came to visit, and indulge in the frivolities that came with such events. He missed his mother deeply that he refused to take part in any parties or social gatherings unless forced to do so, by his father. He never understood why his mother left, so much so that he grew to resent her.

Sheila was always there, hanging onto his father's arm. At first, being so young and innocent, he could not understand Sheila's role towards them or to his father, until one evening when they were older, Tarek took his younger brother aside and explained to him what had happened and why their mother had left. Now he finally understood why his older brother despised the woman who made them call her 'mother' when she was not their true mother.

The Crown Prince as a proud father, always took his sons with him to special occasions and events, especially high-profile gatherings that involved visiting heads of state, and of course the rich and wealthy were invited. The two boys were always well-mannered in the public eye and this was all Helena's doing. She had instilled in them a deep respect for others, no matter what their upbringing was; and never to look down on others, and always help those in need.

Their father on the other hand, wanted his sons to grow up as ruthless and demanding in business, knowledgeable in world affairs as he was, and always getting what they wanted. But neither Tarek or Aamir fell into those categories. Both boys, as soon as they were able, insisted on attending public schools instead of private ones, preferring the company of locals as opposed to that of high society.

Such behaviour was appalling to the Crown Prince, and he would end up blaming it on the free-spirited Western attitude of their mother, even when Helena was no longer there to chastise her husband for teaching the boys that wealth and power were everything.

Tarek grew up tough and strong, excelling in different kinds of sports. He was captain of the football team and the polo team, since he loved riding on horseback. He possessed a good head for politics and business, thanks to his brief studies in London, which unfortunately were cut short due to human right protests against his father, which had nothing to do with Prince Tarek's presence directly. But once the city had quietened down, he was allowed to complete his studies there, earning him a doctorate in political science and a degree in business administration and management.

Aamir was more the quiet type, although he enjoyed swimming and was a top athlete in school, just like his older sibling. Aamir preferred to have his nose buried in a good book whenever possible, and had a penchant for writing, literature and music. He often dreamed of running his own film production company.

The month had gone by too quickly, and Aamir found himself preparing for his entry into the university. He had already received advanced notification of his acceptance, and now, it was just a matter of gathering his things together before his entry into the school system.

"Are you sure you have everything, Aamir? I'm not really happy with the way this is going. I honestly think that you're better off living here than in a dormitory or a frat house on campus" Helena could only watch her youngest son separate articles of clothing and toiletries for his first of a four-year stint at Stanford.

"Mother, please stop worrying about me. I'm 18 years old and I think I can handle this on my own. You're literally a phone call away, plus I have my bodyguards with me. Besides, what could possibly happen?" Aamir rolled his eyes.

"A lot of things, Aamir! You're a prince, for goodness sake! Anything could happen! Why oh, why did I even convince you to come here and study? It never occurred to me of the possible dangers of having you here on American soil. Oh My God, I'm so sorry for bringing you into all this..." Helena bit her lower lip out of worry.

"Mother, you gave Tarek permission and blessing to complete his studies in a foreign country – the UK, for goodness' sake!" Aamir protested. But before Helena could open her mouth, there was a soft knocking at the door.

"Come in..." Helena responded.

"Your Royal Highnesses, my apologies for interrupting, but, it is time" One of the security guards, entered, bowing low to both Aamir and his mother, reminding Aamir that he had to get a move on. The journey would take them approximately one hour and twenty-four minutes, and Aamir wanted to be punctual for his appointment with the dean of the university.

"Mother, I must go. Mohamed, please take these downstairs to the car, thank you" Aamir indicated the two suitcases on his bedroom floor.

Once Mohamed took the baggage down, Aamir and Helena followed suit. It was hard for Helena to let go of her son, although the university was not too far from her home. But the doting mother had fought so hard for her sons to be able to enjoy their time with her, only to have Aamir be away from her...again.

"I'll accompany you. After all, Stanford was my alma mater. It's only fitting that I come with you" Helena stated, adamant that she should get in the car with Aamir.

"Alright, but only as far as the entrance, mother" Aamir warned her, shaking his head at this predicament. He clearly didn't want to give his fellow schoolmates the impression that he was a mama's boy who needed coddling all the time.

The ride to the university campus was a sombre one. Aamir had every right to be nervous. He was attending a university outside of state – away from the normal rules and regulations required of a royal studying at a local university. This was a different set of rules to abide by – one that could make or break Aamir's reputation.

Truth be told, both Tarek and Aamir had led very sheltered lives, within the Saudi state. Acquaintances or so-called 'friends', if you could call them that, were more for forging alliances and not true friendship, as Tarek had experienced.

Tarek had opted to study overseas in London, but his father had other plans in mind for his firstborn, especially after human rights violations were cited against the Crown Prince, hence he insisted that Tarek completed his studies at King Saud University instead. But Tarek persisted, and was allowed back into the UK to complete his studies before leaving for home. Tarek had surprised his own father by taking up Arabian economics and industry studies, completing with top honours at Saud University upon his return.

Aamir was extremely proud of his older brother and had hoped to set another standard similar to Tarek, and other royals before him who had studied abroad in prestigious London Colleges. The only difference was the fact that this time, the college he was attending was on American soil, and certain Americans didn't take too kindly to Middle Eastern citizens, Arab ones in particular.

But in Aamir's case, he was a dignitary, a royal one at that, and commanded the utmost respect, especially from heads of state during their visits. The US Government had been notified in advance of his arrival but were told not to interfere unless absolutely necessary.

It suddenly dawned on Helena the significance of Aamir's visit and his ultimate decision to study in the US, which could be seen quite a politically dangerous move. But as a mother who had not seen her own son in years, all she could think about was that this was her boy, her youngest child coming to be with her and study in America, nothing more.

Being the creative and a lover of arts in the family, Aamir had set his sights on majoring in film, videography and photography and being a scholar of the arts, instead of computer sciences, which his father wanted of him. At least, Stanford did have a fairly comprehensive arts program, which enticed Aamir, since his mother had also participated in similar courses which Aamir planned to do.

Moreover, Aamir was looking forward to his time at college, meeting new people other than being surrounded constantly by others who had nothing in common with him, except that they had money.

Aamir wasn't looking to involve himself in anything political at all. He just wanted to make friends, who saw him for who he was, beyond his keffiyeh (Arabian - men's headdress) or his thobe (Arabian - men's long tunic) or his princely title, and treat him like an ordinary citizen from the planet Earth.

Aamir couldn't wait to get into 'normal' clothing such as a simple shirt and a pair of jeans, and be treated as one of the guys.