Malika-e-Sultana

SIMILAR

Adisha's POV-

The creaking door and Kareem's sister's presence woke me up. I was too shocked to see her here.

She walked in with a plate of food,"Aapi... I know we are the same... please let's talk..."

I was confused what's she talking about. I got up from the bed and felt a stinging pain in my wrist. It might be because of the bangles but to my surprise it was already bandaged properly.

Before I could think about this, she came closer and kept the food on the table,"Please join me."

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you here? What do you want?" I asked calmly.

"First of all my name is Ruqsan and please tell me what happened to you." She looked in my eyes determined to know.

"As if you are not the part of the plan!" I exclaimed in obvious and turned away.

She let out a big sigh,"I also eagerly wait to meet my husband, my family..."

"What?..." I asked softly turning towards her.

"Yes... that's why I said... we are similar...."

I kept my silence not knowing what to do.

"Please trust me... I swear to help you... I don't wish someone else also to end like me..." She said holding my hands and lowering her gaze to hide her tears.

"But you are his sister..."

"Yes true. But I promise as a woman I don't wish for you to end yourself in the same insanity like me." She said in soft sincere voice.

I sat on the couch thinking there's no harm in telling her that day's event.

"That day it was your and Rehman Bhaijaan's wedding and the girl who was there at your spot sat as the bride."

"M-my wedding....?.." Her eyes were surprised and her hands shaked in anxiety.

I let out a sigh,"But everything turned upside down that day with the sudden invasion. Sudden attacks were made and I stepped forward with my waist knife and letting the women escape first."

"I didn't know it was your brother and the girl we thought was the bride fell down while getting inside. The moment I took her hand to help her stand, she got her chance and attacked my wrist with my knife falling away."

"And it wasn't long enough that we heard Kareem's voice from the other side of the partition. I looked at the bride in disbelief and was about to run for Haider, my husband as he must be alone facing them but that girl stopped me by capturing Ammi and the other females."

"I had to protect them first but here I was only one and them so many. I knew it they had some kind of poison on their silver swords which even affected Sulaiman bhaijaan when he came to protect us. But we ultimately failed. She captured me by pointing that same poisoned knife on my neck which even distracted Haider who was by then the only fighting."

"I know who she was..." Ruqsan spoke softly with no expression,"She is Bhaijaan's most trusted soldier... many says she is in love with Bhaijaan that's why she reached perfection to get his affection."

After a brief silence I spoke again,"Whoever she must be, she is no more."

"What?!" Ruqsan almost jumped out of her seat covering her mouth in shock.

"Yea... the moment your brother was holding me as the hostage, Bhaijaan held her in hostage instead in demand of freeing me. But she chose to suicide by slicing her neck at the same knife held against her."

"I'm sorry for such a chaos..." She said lowering her gaze.

"Your sorry will not fix anything, I don't even know what happened to my family and that's all your brother's fault!..." I said in anger.

"Your anger is obvious. I know how it feels..."

"How will you feel it? Have you seen all your family on the edge of death just because some jerk wished to satisfy his political ego?!" I almost shouted at her.

"Yes...!" She said with a breaking voice,"Yes but not just at the edge of death had them die in my arms!"

"What...?..", I was in pure disbelief.

"I and my brother are twins born to a maid and the former Sultan of this Sultanate. Our father never wished for us and hence our mother left this palace went somewhere peaceful to live with us. We were barely adults when she left this world but still Bhaijaan did everything to keep me happy."

I sat in silence.

"Soon I fell in love with a commoner, Bhaijaan got us married. We were a small happy family when God gifted us with a son too. My brother was over the moon seeing his nephew... but suddenly the night changed and the next day the ministers of my father came to take us with them."

"Then...?.."

"Then what? They made Bhaijaan the Sultan because the former ruler had no 'legitimate' children and I was crowned as Shehzaadi but they wanted me to cut all connections with my husband and son."

"Why is it so?"

"Because they didn't wish anymore impurity in the family. Hence, I wished to cut all relations with the royals but Bhaijaan didn't wish to let me go and hence his ministers did what's to be done...."

I gulped in fear when she continued,"They stabbed my husband a thousand time just infront of me! UNTIL THE FLOOR WAS A POOL OF BLOOD!"

I gasped in horror.

"And my child... he was just an year old... he was snatched from me, I begged them to not kill him! So they just left him in an orphanage. Now he must be four... and must be resenting his mother for abandoning him..."

Tears were streaming down her big doe eyes and I couldn't help but held her hands in mine. Maybe I don't know the sorrow of a mother but I know the absence of a child.

She wiped her tears and smiled faintly at me,"But trust me... my brother is not cruel. It's the title of the Sultan and pressure of ministers that made him look so cruel."

I turned my face away,"You think kidnapping a Sultana, a wife and almost killing my family isn't cruel?"

"No Sultana-" I took my hands back.

"I feel sorry for you. You have gone through so much. My past wasn't also the brightest after so many bitter nights I finally found happiness in Haider... and it's again taken away."

There was a brief silence before she spoke,"Sultana, let me help you sneak out of the palace."

My jaws hung in shock,"Will you?! But why?!!"

"Maybe my good deed will help me meet my son..." She said looking down.

"If I get out of here, I promise to find your son and take you to him!"

She instantly looked up at me with a hopeful smile as if her rose cheeks glowed up.

Hence after that, she advised me to not act recklessly and be as normal as I can as if I accepted my defeat so that I get out of his suspicion.

I agreed to her plans and maybe smiled for the first time after coming here. It was as if I instantly found a friend in her.

At the end, when she was leaving,"Thank you Ruqsan and thank you for bandaging my wrist too." She is the only one worried about me here, hence she must have done it.

"Umm I didn't do it... but maybe... bhaijaan did it... because before coming here I saw him coming out of your room."

I was in utter shock that that monster will first hurt me and then act to heal me?!

Just you wait Kareem, I'll even everything between us!

~~~~

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

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