That's the thing about love they don't understand. It shapes you in its absence too.

—

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He holds up her pendant in the air and stares at the name of God glinting in gold. He has kept it hidden with himself, no matter how petty the act might be considered, but happy to have something of her in his hands. And now, she wants it back.

Noura wants to go back home. And she wants him to return to her the gift her father has given her. His lover wants her old life back-- without him.

And though he loves her, he wants to live too. But he doesn't know how to make her understand that a man as mighty as him has come to the mercy of a woman so savage as herself-- she doesn't care about him at all.

He places the pendant on his palm and pecks the name of his Lord.

"Of the two things you've asked of me, I can give you one. But the other will cost me my life, habibti, so forgive me for denying you that."

It doesn't take long after Eskander's departure for the havoc to break lose. But it doesn't come crashing down all at once. Instead, little by little something new comes up-- something more concerning than the last time.

Noura wakes up to jasmines and a note: Jasmines remind me of you.

She doesn't need to know who it is from. Keeping the flowers, she burns the note to ashes. Next time she goes to the bazar, she'll need to tell him to stop sending her these. They can create a misunderstanding that might very well become a sword at her throat.

But now when Eskander isn't here, he has left behind more guards at her service. She can convince Hafez to her liking, but she cannot trick everyone. And even though they don't follow her around everywhere, they're still there with their eyes on everything. She cannot keep everything from them. Yet still, she doesn't know how the notes are ending in her chamber without anyone's knowledge.

Who is the man? How does he have access to the inside of the palace?

Nothing makes sense to her, and she cannot bring herself to mention it to anyone either. She's alone, on her own, and she's in no position to be taking risks. Besides Eskander now if there's someone she trusts, it's Hafez. Princess Maysoon and Fereydun come later on the list. But this isn't something she looks forward to discussing with any of them. And no one might be able to help her until they know the man themselves.

Then again, any scandal will imperil his life, given she's resident of the palace now. And she doesn't want that.

She's having lunch in her chamber when one of the maids enter the room. She presents a fancy looking box and a letter to her.

"The Khalifa has send these for you, sayidati."

Noura sits up attentive, the meal suddenly forgotten as she looks at the girl with astonishment.

"Al Shafay?" she asks uncertainly, as if she has heard her wrong.

"Yes, sayidati."

It has been a good while since she has come to the palace. The caliph has send her nothing before now-- no message or whatsoever. And now out of no where him sending her something has stunned her.

Noura takes the box and the letter from the girl and dismisses her. She puts the letter aside and opens the box first. And her breath catches in her throat at what's lying in it.

Allah. The name of God in Arabic, carved out of gold, attached to the gold chain. The pendant her father gave her-- his last gift. The pendant the thief stole from her that unfortunate dusk. She cannot believe she has it back.

Her tears push through and her fingers tremble as she picks it up. Noura gazes at it, dazed, before she brings it to her lips and kisses the name of her Lord. Her Lord has made a way for her and returned her most dear treasure to her.

"Rabbi." She blinks and her tears fall. "Baba, thank God I've your memory back."

She quickly gets up and goes to stand in front of the mirror. She doesn't undo the pendent Eskander has given her, keeping it around her neck whilst chaining her old one with it too. She stares at her reflection, smiling, and wipes away her tears. Her fingers caress the pendant.

Then coming out of her trance, she goes to read the letter sent with the box. Noura sits down on the divan beside the window and unfolds the letter.

To the woman who rules my heart,

I would like to begin with an apology. I sincerely didn't mean to take away something so precious to you. I've only now learnt that the pendant is your late father's gift to you. I simply wanted to have something of you with me. I hope you can forgive what I've done in my ignorance. I'm returning to you your trust.

I've noticed that you like jewelry. I see you wearing something on you all the time. In the bazar of Isfahan, you liked a crystal pendent. I decided to gift it to you but haven't seen you ever wearing it. It would please me if you would put it on too sometimes. It's only a small request which I hope you'll consider.

From the man enslaved in your love,

Al Shafay.

His name is there in his seal-- the same seal which was left with her, used to plot to bring her to the palace.

So that night the pendant that was sent to her was from the caliph. She didn't know of its sender, and so she never wore it. But now when she knows, she still has no intention of putting it around her neck-- any closer to her heart. The Khalifa cannot charm her with riches-- not after forcefully taking her away from her home and plotting to keep her at the palace, scarring her dignity in the process.

She takes the letter and leaves it to ashen in the fire too, watching as the flames eat away the caliph's name.

When there's nothing left of the paper, she goes to take out the crystal pendant he had send her, shaped like a crescent. It's beautiful and she doubtlessly likes it. The jewelry stole her heart right when her eyes fell on it. Maybe under different circumstances, she would've appreciated something like this gifted to her and then she would've wore it too. But now the pendant has lost its meaning to her. She puts it back in its place and leaves her chamber.

"Hafez?"

"Yes, sayidati?"

"I want to meet Adam."

Hafez pales at her command and opens his mouth to protest, but Noura is already walking ahead of him.

"You can come with me, or you can stay behind. I don't mind either of the options."

He urgently follows after her. "You know neither of the options serves well for me."

"Eskander isn't here to kill you," she jokes.

"But your adventures will do the job, sayidati."

Noura laughs at his reply, throwing a brief glance at him over her shoulder. "You're a good man, Hafez. I'm glad it's you Eskander has chosen as my guard than anyone else. I trust you."

"You humble me." He smiles at her compliment.

"Now, where can I find Adam?"

After her stabbing him, Adam understandably had been absent to be seen initially, staying at the palace infirmary. Though now he appears to be getting better as she has run into him twice around, and on both occasions he has ignored her. His attitude pricked her like a thorn in the chest. She has done something wrong which needs mending.

There has been multiple instances since then that her conscience has made her feel guilty. He did threaten her but never once tried to actually hurt her. Maybe that never was his intention, as Hafez had said, yet she had been impulsive. Not to mention making an enemy out of him which totally proved foolish on her part, given that the man is the caliph's special.

Now, she has amendments to make and she doesn't know how to. Maybe starting with an apology and then showing gratitude for delivering her message to the caliph since he has returned her pendant to her upon his request. That's the least she can do to step up their relationship from this new made rivalry and to dissolve the tension between them. She hopes she doesn't lose her head around him again.

Upon asking a few people she runs on her way, she learns that he was last seen at the stables so she goes to look for him there. Without Eskander around, the palace has become more desolate to her than before. She doesn't get to see his face or hear his voice, but count days until his return not knowing when it might be. Without him, she feels to have lost a part of herself.

After confessing to him her feelings and hearing his, the tangled affairs of their relationship still hasn't sorted out much. She's happy her love isn't unrequited, but at the same time troubled by the concerns he has. She realizes his struggles and how they're creating a barrier between them-- an abyss too deep Eskander is failing to cross yet. Thus, though his touch his tender and his eyes soft towards her, he's still maintaining a distance and not getting too close to her-- as if the love he talked about might really burn him.

Noura sighs and shakes off all thoughts as she enters the stables with Hafez close behind her. She spots Fereydun standing with Annas, the stable keeper, and another man in a cloak with his back towards her. They seem to be discussing something and she manages to hear some of their conversation as she nears them.

"You shouldn't have come here," Fereydun says to the cloaked man. "I told you I'd send any messages to you via Annas. You're only endangering your life like this."

"When does Eskander return? The army needs its general; the soldiers trust him. Without him, there's no victory for us," the other man argues. "I don't know what the Ameer is thinking, but convince him anyhow-- Baghdad is the capital and Eskander stays here."

His voice is terse and heavy-- masculine with a cutting edge. He speaks with authority and determination. His tone has a tinge of frustration and rage she cannot overlook, as if he's actually in a losing battle.

Noura notices how the stranger refers to Eskander by his name and not by his title. She gathers he's either a friend or a man of high rank.

"We don't have time," the cloaked man continues. "There's an uproar among the people. We need to act and turn it in our favor before it gets out of hand. I don't want a repeat of the last rebellion."

"I'll arrange other generals--"

"No," he cuts Fereydun. "Eskander is skilled; he knows the strategy. These are his men; they need to be led by him. I'm not compromising by replacing him with another general."

Fereydun begins to say something but then stops as he finally notices her there. "Noura?"

The other man doesn't turn around-- doesn't attempt to even glance in her direction. Instead, he pulls the hood of his cloak forward, as if trying to mask his face from her, and Annas brings him a horse. He mounts it, keeping his back to her all the time.

Fereydun looks up at him. "I'll talk to the Ameer. Then I'll report back to you."

Without a reply, he snaps the reins of his horse and soon he's just a disappearing figure down the road.

Fereydun approaches her once he's gone and Noura turns her attention from the stranger to him. "What are you doing here?" he asks.

"I was strolling around," she lies, knowing the original reason for her being here might not sit well with him. "Is everything alright?" she inquiries, subtly referring to his earlier conversation and the lines of worry on his forehead.

"Mind if I join you in this walk then?" He smiles as he leads her out of the stables and Noura shakes her head.

The sun is now slipping down the sky towards the horizon. The light is dimming and the shades of day are blending into darker ones. The dusk is to arrive soon.

They walk down cobble stone pathway made through the garden towards a pergola made among tall trees and a fountain nearby. Hafez stays behind them while both of them goes to stand by the fountain. Noura watches their reflection form on the surface and it wavers when she dips a finger in the water.

"I've received news of restlessness among the people and the soldiers," Fereydun begins and Noura looks at him. "Ameer Zakariya has appointed new generals while he has send Eskander and some others to the borders. But these men in the barracks are Eskander's men-- they're trained by him and they fight under him. The command of Baghdad was given to him and he's the one responsible to keep things in check-- recruit soldiers and appoint them their tasks. Now that he's not here, rebels are rising, and these soldiers are not happy with their new general to give us their best."

"I thought everyone fears Eskander," Noura remarks. "I didn't know they actually like him as their general so much."

Fereydun chuckles and dips a finger in the water too. "He's hard on them, but he's a dedicated man. He fights in the front line with his men and he stands up for them when need be. That's why these soldiers can give their lives for him." He nods towards Hafez. "Consider Hafez, for example. He was a slave freed by Eskander. But despite Eskander giving him his freedom, he chose to stay with him."

"Ah, I never knew this."

"There's a lot to know of the general, Noura. And I'd love to keep this discussion going, but I need to go update the Ameer of the rising riots in the kingdom and find a timely solution."

"Of course." Noura turns to him hopefully. "Are you going to request to him to call Eskander back?"

"I'll try to convince him. One day or the other, it'll again come to the fight for the throne. The people can no longer be quiet about an unknown caliph leading them. For the sake of peace, we'll have to give sacrifices. But if it comes to war," Fereydun turns his gaze to the still burning sun in the sky, "then we need our generals with us. And without Eskander, the battle is already half lost."

The night has already fallen when Noura decides to meet Adam at his room. Despite Hafez protests, she manages to convince him and he shows her the way there. They walk through the empty corridors to where his room is located, isolated from the rest at the distant end of the wing, having no guards to watch the area. Noura comes to a halt when they near it.

"It's quiet here," she comments.

"This section is for the royal guards," he tells her. "Adam doesn't mingle much. He stays separate from the quarters down the corridor for the others."

Noura nods. "Alright. You wait for me here. I'll go meet him."

If he has any objections, by now he knows they're no use. So he seals his lips and tips his head. "Please be careful, sayidati."

She smiles at him. "I will be."

Noura walks up to his door and notices it ajar. Before she can knock on it or get inside, she hears Adam talking to someone. He's not alone.

She hesitates, unsure if she should do what she's here for or just leave. Now might not be the right time if he's busy. So she decides to come another time. But before she can turn on her heels, the person with him speaks up, and she stops dead in her tracks-- a feminine voice she recognizes very well.

"How can you be so reckless?"

Noura swallows, frantically weighing her options of listening to them or fleeing, and then like always her curiosity gets the best of her. She peeks through the gap in the door inside, guilty of eavesdropping but at the same time dying to know what's going on between them.

"I told you I'm fine," Adam insists.

"Your back doesn't look fine to me. Have you even seen it?" she argues. "I'll find out whoever did this to you and--"

"It's already dealt with, so you don't have to worry about it."

Noura doesn't know why he's defending her but she doesn't get a chance to ponder over it as her eyes nearly drop off their sockets at what she sees. Adam sits on a chair, shirtless, and the queen stands behind him, observing his back. She gathers his long hair in her hands and run her fingers along the edges of his wound.

"Careful," he hisses. "It still stings."

"Whoever did this to you, may they be damned to hell."

"Arwa, please," Adam shushes her, and Noura doesn't know what is it that blows up her sanity-- the queen cursing her or Adam referring to Arwa by her name. "Is the Khalifa ready to show his face to the world?" he asks.

"Later," Arwa dismisses the topic.

And when the queen leans down to kiss his cheek, Noura realizes how sinister are the secrets the walls of the palace are hiding.

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Let the drama begin. Bigger surprises coming. Who's ready?

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