The perfection of beauty bound inside a frame, a frozen moment captured to last an eternity.

"Mama! Mama!" He rushes through the vast gardens, his heart now a wild horse beating against its confinement, sweat drenching every inch of his outfit.

A blue scarf disappeared once again behind another tall jasmine bush. "Mama?" Her laughter blends with the sweet floral air, forming an intoxicating amalgam. He runs to her, but she goes away further into the gardens. A loud thud echoed as he hit the ground, scraping his head against the stoned pathway.

The unmistakable dark irises, that changed to a coffee brown in the sun, dominated his drowsy view. "Mama?" Her thin lips curved in what seemed to be a smile, flattening the signature heirloom of a button nose,contrast to his sickled one. "Mama?" The small patterned diamonds, a perfect boundary on the neckline of her navy dress, reflected on his dark orbs, nearly blinding his strained gaze.

She leaned in, using her silk scarf to wipe a thin bloodstream. Thin strays that once framed the familiar face caressed his skin ever so slightly. Creases formed on those perfectly curved brows as she blew on the wound. Then, he gently strokes his head, repeating words that were inaudible to him.

"Mama! Mama!" Her voice faded, as did she, to the unseen wind that only took and never gave. His gaze returned to the portrait in front of him. He shifts and continues walking. The guard behind him follows him as he makes his way to the gathering hall.

~~~

"Shukria" Zainab's trembling hand handed Khalid a tray; carefully balancing on her walking stick. Slowly lowering herself, joining him on the large cushions. She peeked at the fairly aged woman crumpled up in the corner of the room, peacefully asleep, clutching an old dirty rag doll. Khalid follows her gaze and tries to say something but refrains. "Yalah! "Speak up, boy, do not be shy. " Khalid weighed his thoughts. He poured the coffee into the two cups, giving one to her.

For a long time, these things have bothered his mind. Should he ask, was it too inappropriate? He sipped the coffee, staring at the old lady on his right. Her cup fell into the rhythm of her shaking hands. "What happened to her?" Zainab puts down her cup and examined him. Her eyes widened, enhancing a faint milky blue in them. "In this world, nothing is unexpected; disasters, betrayal, loss, even death. It's how prepared we are to accept that makes them unanticipated. " She wipes her mouth with the cream scarf that rests neatly on her shoulders.

"Allah knows what has befallen her. I don't wish it upon anyone." Her speech was a bit cluttered with most of her missing teeth. Khalid always struggled to get what she was saying; it took him a minute or two to finally understand her. "I am sorry." Khalid apologized after a while of big gulps from his drink. "Do not be; time is but a fragile guest; it erases everything as it goes."

"And Munir? What happened to him?" She looks at the woman again. "You have been good to me, Khalid." All these years, I cannot thank you enough. " Zainab adjusted her cushions, fluffing them up. "I will only tell you because I think you are a good man." Khalid refilled his cup, ready for the revelation. "UmmMunir, was the never mentioned sister-in-law. She just showed up one day on my doorstep. Luckily, my Hajj was home and affirmed her story.

She wiped her mouth again." Hajj, allowed her to stay with us; until her terrible death. She died from the plague, you know? The boy was only twelve, " she sighs, then continues after a long sip of the now cold drink. "He could not treat it, and blamed himself. The guilt changed him." Her eyes closed for a moment, taking in the cold breeze that played in and out of the house, freezing the coals of a leftover blaze from an earlier meal.

Khalid thought that was all he was getting until she opened her dropping lids again. " I didn't blame him for favouring him more than my Tariq. I understood. I saw how her death tolled on him silently. I could not blame him when Tariq chose a sword and Munir his tonics. Yes, a part of me broke to see him so close to Munir, teaching him the art of his life's work while his son was away sacrificing his life. " Zainab released her breath, straightening her jubbeh. "Munir is a good person you should know." Khalid shook his head in agreement.

"When Hajj proposed his union with Faiza, I refused; Munir was a famous young man. He treated wazirs, sultans, and even kings at times. I was naive, and I cannot lie that I did not feel any hatred towards him. That day they received a letter commanding their presence in mahdiya, we came to this land to serve the Mahdi. It was a time when the northen prince ran away, the start of the Fatimids conquest invasions were frequent in which there were many casualties. I lost my Hajj to them.

News, which proved difficult for my Faiza, the girl used to shadow her father. She was better than Munir in everything. You should have seen her bragging about the list of tonics she had already made compared to him. I was proud, though I knew she would be heartbroken one day, when she would discover her place in society. The disappointment did come sooner than I thought; when she could not be allowed to tug along with them anymore; when she couldn't treat people like Munir did, when her father demanded she taught Munir rather than do anything herself.

She paused just as poor Faiza turned in her sleep. Zainab sniffs blinking back the fogging dew, Khalid gaped at her, but now she seemed different, as though he could see her beyond the insanity, beneath layers of insecurities; a victim of the cruel world. No longer the crazy woman who confides in a rag doll. "I thought the marriage would console her and heal the empty hole left behind, though only for a moment it did." She fiddled with the protruding threads from her scarf. " The wedding was quick. The invasions finally coming to an end, Munir got a permanent position as a court physician in Mahdiya.

Of course, from my Tariq's recommendations; my boy was the acting general in the Madiyan army. Through numerous letters, we kept in touch. Faiza delivered a week before the Queen; unfortunately, it was a stillbirth. She blamed Munir for everything. She said she heard him crying before passing out; He says it would have been too painful if she saw the body and got rid of it before she awoke.

After that, Tariq went missing for weeks,markig the beginning of her demise. She would often scream and cry in the middle of the night. I heard that the queen, God rest her soul, used to help console her. From that day she adopted the doll, it became Tariq and even my Hajj at times. Eventually, Munir got tired; after the Queen's dreadful death, Faiza came back here . Forcing me to humer her ideas, which proved tiresome with age.

Zainab turns to her audience to see the silent shock on their faces. Khalid tries to speak, but words fail him. Instead, he stood up and made his way to the stairs. Zainab watched him curiously as he disappeared.

~~~

Mina gracefully glided into the room, unfashionably late. She stealthily made her way to the others, all eyes glued to her. She assumed her position next to the other girls. "This humble king welcomes you princesses of the east, north, and south." He gestures to each one in order. "Madyan is pleased to have you." Suleiman bowed a little, and the women did the same. Suleiman ushers Ali forward, placing his arm tightly against his back.

"My son" is The expected crown prince of Madiyan. " Ali never lifted his head. He bowed, then reassumed his position behind his father. "This will be your attendant, Rawiya. She will see to anything that you may need." The aged woman in front of the crowd of maids acknowledged him with a bow. "My guests, I shall leave you in her capable hands. I hope everything will be to your liking." He leaves the room with his son and most of the guards.

No sooner had he left when the princesses giggled and whispered. Talking shamelessly of suleiman, then dragged on about how shy Ali was. Rawiya cleared her throat to get the attention of the women. " Every Amira shall be assigned a hand-maid." her voice boomed above the noise,motining to the gathering behind them.

"This afternoon, all Amira's are to attend the castle tour, which will start after this meeting. Samia seems disinterested, curious eyes on the amira beside her. " Which kingdom are you from?" The quiet girl hesitated "east" " Strange; I thought you were betrothed?" She felt the sweat rise from her body, stomach churning, limbs became numb. "well..." She searched her mind for an excuse until her head hurt."Abb insisted I attend." She turned around just when the crowd started to move out.

"Don't worry, we know who it will be." Her eyes point to a silent Aisha in the lead. "It's beyond me why the king continues with this. My sisters have hope for it,they think they might change his mind. Foolish, don't you think? " Mina was shaken, just wanted to be invisible to get over this task. She regretted her decision. But with everything, that Munir had done it was impossible to deny him this. She nods again to show interest in the conversation. Thinking of what Munir and the rebels could have done with the actual princess.