Sidratul Muntaha

Chapter 103

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu

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Rushi yawned as she watched Murtaza talk with some of the men. It was almost three days ago that they had begun the journey. Now they had covered quite a lot of distance from the safe house. She turned her head around to see Sidra practicing with Arsalan. Nazlee was sitting on a stone near them, awaiting her turn. She shook her head with a slight smile. Sidra had been practicing non stop since they started. Each chance she got, she used it for this.

Finally when Sidra retired to Nazlee's seat and Nazlee took her place before Arsalan, Rushi walked towards her and settled near her.

"Don't you think you are pushing yourself harder than usual?" She enquired gently.

"I have heard a lot about this prince. I do not want to fall short." She replied.

"Yeah... In Anazirah even we used to hear about incidents pertaining to Prince Jaleed's cruelty. When he abducted Marwah and proposed Amiza, we were in shock. Amiza though decided that she couldn't let Marwah suffer and herself agreed to the wedding. Murtaza didn't even have an idea. When she went to the palace, she said she was treated badly. And long after we departed from that place, the marks of their inhumanity remained over her. I still don't understand how she seemed to have faced all of it..." Rushi sighed.

"She is quite strong. Even though she disagrees. I just want to face this man, who took away her freewill and forced her into this... Such marriages are not even allowed." Sidra frowned. "She might have escaped from there but the marks of his decisions are still present on her soul."

"And about Salwana? What are their plans regarding her?"

"Plans are to make Jaleed stop so he can talk to the princess and sort out his head himself." Sidra told her. "But other than that I still have no idea..."

"I feel uncomfortable on leaving Amiza there Sidra. This is the first time since we began from Tardees that she will be without either of us."

"I know. But I couldn't let her come with us. I want her as far away from this man as possible." Sidra whispered brokenly, remembering Amiza's last gaze at her when they rode away from the safe house. She had seemed very lonely and that didn't sit well with her. Amiza appeared to look at her with a shattered heart and tearful eyes and when she had attempted to smile for her sake, it had appeared like a grimace on her face. Sidra had since then been wondering if her decision to leave her there had been safer or foolish. Her intentions had been right, but things didn't usually happen according to what we intend, did it?

"We can return to her soon In sha Allah." Rushi said as she gently patted Sidra's hand. Sidra smiled sadly and turned back to see Nazlee at the tip of Arsalan's sword.

"You lost... Again..." Arsalan declared. Nazlee narrowed her eyes.

"I can see that for myself." She huffed. Arsalan smirked.

"It could have been avoided, if you had not been paying attention to those birds out there." Arsalan commented lightly. Nazlee seemed to blush within her veil but glared at Arsalan who shrugged. She marched away from Arsalan and came towards Sidra and Rushi, leaving Arsalan to shake his head at her irritation. He then nodded towards Sidra and walked away to join Muntaha and his men in a tent not far away.

"Sometimes I feel, he is just toying with me. Like he could defeat me within some seconds and yet he let me go on." Nazlee mumbled huffily.

"He could." Sidra said. "I have seen him fight and he could destroy both of us within some minutes if not seconds."

"You have improved a lot though." Nazlee commented. "Not me."

"You have just began training. I have a little more experience now." Sidra shrugged.