The Queen's Justice (Sequel To Prince Heartless)

chapter 3: Maktoum.

One month later 1953:

What am I doing here? Why am I here? I'm stuck! I want to go home! Am I dreaming?! No, I keep pinching myself now and then to be sure. The size of my left arm is slightly larger than my right. It may sound funny, not when I am stuck in a different timeline. Clueless of how to get back. By now I know how I got here. Something that old man did to me in that weird drink that I came here. The weather is getting chillier here, and I'm sitting at Mohammed...or little Mohammed's as everyone calls him, his secret hideout at the rooftop.

Her first two weeks went bawling, confused trying to figure out what happened. She knew she wasn't dreaming. After the encounter with that old man, she concluded that he did some hocus pocus thingy on her. Why may you ask? Remembering the time where she was complaining about Sheikh Mohammed not being sensitive enough to his people. Well, she was here now. She sort of half expected that she would meet the adult one rather than an eight-year-old. Why an eight-year-old was a question beyond her imagination. She was unable to convince anyone about who she was or where she came from?

"Urgh...I take back. I take back my complaint...yallah put me back to 2011...!", I won't complain again... Why meeeeeeeee!", she whined.

Her rants were interrupted by someone's footsteps. She quickly turned to find out the teenage Maktoum holding what looked like blankets and a ceramic cup of coffee. " Oh didn't know you were here Aairah mam."

"Hey. What are you doing here?", she asked the youngster.

"Nah just like that. Wasn't sleepy.", he shrugged and sat beside her.

" then I guess you shouldn't have coffee; it will keep you up all night then.", she countered.

He smiled and sat quietly. "Hey, have this. I have the coffee." He said handing her the blanket.

"Uh-uh, kid. Nope let the adult have the coffee and you keep the blanket. You have school tomorrow.",she quickly snatched the mug and took a sip. " Now you can't have it. haha." Maktoum face fell. "Not fair.", he complained.

They sat there in silence enjoying the view. And damn it was so beautiful. The Zabeel palace in 2011 looked something else. The little city that it was. The stars were so clear strangely it was supposed to rain.

Maktoum's thoughts were interrupted, " are you here because of what your dad said today?"

He just replied,"mhmm."

"Hey, you do know he was saying it for your good. Right?", she tried to get him into getting comfortable.

" yes I do know that mam, but it does sometimes hurt you know. I mean I'm going to rule after dad. And I want my father to be proud of me. But it's just so..so.."

"Hard...well it always is... I don't know what it is like to be a royal but all I can say is that thing will be hard but when you do something for people and see the smile in their face because of you... I think that's one of the best feelings."

He was quiet for a while, "yeah I get that... But sometimes I don't want to do it... I want to do something I like whenever I like...does that make me selfish?"

Aairah scoffed, "of course not. That makes you more human. I mean it's good that you think that way...because I thought that you were an all-rounder machine...come on you are just 15! You are supposed to make mistakes. It's okay you know. It is. One day people will talk and they will forget. Mistakes are fine, and blunders are not. Besides you have your father and your Zayed uncle to help you."

Maktoum sighed. "I want to do right by everyone. How are you so sure of everything.?"

She chuckled, "Aaw you kiddo. You are such a good kid. Really at 15 kids at my time are so irresponsible. Remember any decision you take to think of Allah. If that decision doesn't keep you awake, Then you, my prince have done the right thing. Or...I wing it."