One Thousand and One Nights (It so happened...)

Six feet under

  "It so happened that Rabia travelled with the band. They all were going to the capital and hence it was easier to travel with them rather than alone.

Rabia loved travelling with them. They walked all day and at night laid under the starry skies.

But something niggled Rabia, she shared a tent with Sanah and often when she stirred in her sleep,she would find Sanah missing.

This didn't seem suspicious as much as when she caught the group whispering. Rabia felt a bad feeling. That day she had heard Fatim say to Sanah, something about meeting at the same place and same time.

That night, Rabia acted as if she had fallen into deep slumber. After a while, she heard Sanah rustling. Rabia was careful not to move and keep her breath steady.

She heard Sanah leave the tent. Rabia waited for a bit and peeked out of the tent. Sanah had long left. She walked out and checked the boys' tent too. All the tents were empty.

Rabia stood still and smelled the air. The air smelled of smoke. She looked around and saw smoke from the tress a bit far away. She walked in the direction of the smoke.

  She found the four surrounding a camp fire deep in discussion. She couldn't hear them as they were whispering. Doubt settled in her mind.

Rabia had made her mind to listen in to their conversations but not today.  She noted the path to the place and made a mind to return to it later.

***

There was a brief silence between them. Dilruba found her eyes heavy and she couldn't keep them open anymore.

As she was swinging between consciousness, she felt a flutter of warmth of her cheek and in her hair she stirred to lean closer to it and it was gone before she knew.

The morning sun shined through the curtains when Dilruba woke up. Her chest felt heavy as if a brick was settled in it. She felt no motivation to wake up.

She curled up in a ball. She wanted to sob, she wanted to scream but she had no energy to do so.

The doors opened and she peeked out of her covers. The servants had set the table and before she could talk to them, they left.

The food smelled divine but she was in no state to get up from her bed and eat. The bed chained her body and soul. Soon  sleep found her again and she surrendered.

***

She had stirred a couple of times awake throughout the day and then at dusk, she was wide awake.

Her door opened and she found him entering her chambers. She slumped back on the bed. His footsteps evhoed the chambers and the bed dipped.

  "You need to eat."

She didn't deny that his presence was comforting. She sighed and sat up from the bed and found herself walking to the table. The maids had brought in her dinner. It was cold but it still looked delicious.

   She sat in the low mattress and dug in the food. She found her hunger come back in full force.

While she ate, she saw him pace the room. "You're giving me a headache. Please settle down, your majesty." He heeded her and sat in front of her. He leaned back on the pillows, playing with the ring on his finger.

  She didn't know whether she was asnine but as she observed him unabashedly, her thoughts took a sinful turn as she took note of his nimble fingers, the mass of his limbs sprawled out, his chest taunt around the tunic.