✵ featured ~
❝Once upon a time in Baghdad, a street girl teaches the Khalifa of the kingdom why a king needs a queen.❞
✵
Started: June 5, 2021.
Completed: March 30, 2022.
✵
cover by @xniftykayx
featured on wattpad historical fiction, undiscovered...
Except for your eyes, no blade can control me, no sharpened knife.
— Vladimir Mayakovsky
✵
Him
"Butterflies and roses / Nightingales in proses," she sings to herself as she chases butterflies around the rose bushes with a stick. "All the world fades away / Love is only what must stay." She then starts skipping in his direction. "She is who he chooses / He is who she chooses."
She grins and waves the stick at him. "Do you remember the next part I taught you?"
"I do."
"Sing to me then," she demands, reminding him of his teacher who comes to teach him lessons.
"Caliph to his queen proposes / The army marches on horses," he sings for her and she beams, nodding her head in approval. "All the world may betray / Heart is what you shall obey," she joins in with him as they finish together, "She is who he chooses / He is who she chooses."
She claps happily for him. "You're a good boy, Joojoo."
And a coy smile blossoms on his face.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Her
The heart is a wild little thing, caged within bones and flesh, treacherous and rebellious. Too often even if mad or breaking, it stays strong to live through the miseries inflicted upon it. But so is the heart a fragile little thing, emotionally chaotic and too often frantic than serene, sometimes feeling too deeply that it does crack, the pain close to death if not death in itself.
She says still as he drapes his cloak over her body, his usually nimble fingers having a quiver in them as he hurries to pull the hood over her head and leads her to the very small balcony of his room outside. The brisk night air bites her face and her nose instantly numbs from the cold. She puts her arm around herself and he holds her shoulders to turn her to himself and meet her eyes.
"Stay here. I'll see what Arwa needs."
"You, obviously," she cannot hold herself from saying, any previous warmth between them evaporating in the chill of the night.
"I'll try to make it quick--"
"Then go already." She steps away from him. "It's freezing out here."
"You could've stayed in the room--"
"And have your lover made a fuss about finding me with you at midnight?" She scoffs. "No, thank you. You might have an excuse to give her, but I wouldn't have any explanation for Eskander if he finds out about it."
Adam grimaces at her reply but doesn't say anything more and leaves to receive the queen. Noura goes to stand by the wall so as not to be spotted by any guard on duty. She hears Arwa's voice as she enters the room.
