Chapter 13

     Eva     She was with Robb, they were laughing together. They were in a very beautiful gorge. The landscape was covered with flowers. Robb plucked a flower from a shrub and fixed it in her hairs which were tied in a braid. They were looking at each other, with eyes filled with fondness. Robb pulled her towards him and was about to kiss her when she pushed him and ran away from him giggling.

            Robb ran after her, trying to catch her. They were running for a while when the landscape changed into a dark gloomy graveyard. Eva got scared and halted, she looked back for Robb but he had disappeared. She started looking for him, calling him by his name. "Robb, where are you?" She cried out.

       But he didn't answer. She kept looking for him. And all of a sudden she heard a gunshot. She started running in the direction of the sound. There she saw Robb with hands over his chest from where blood was flowing out, she ran towards him in terror. He was sitting on his knees on the ground, his head bowed in the front.

       "Robb, what happened? She cried, holding his hand." Who did this to you?" She asked him horrifyingly. She couldn't believe what just happened.

      Robb raised his hand and pointed in front, Eva looked in the direction where Robb was pointing. And what she saw there froze her in terror. Taimur was standing there holding a gun still pointed at Robb laughing hysterically.

         "Nooooo" she cried in pain as she jolted up from sleep, and looked around, it was still dark, the night lamp was glowing on the side table of her bed, and she was sitting on bed sweating profusely.

     "It was a dream, just a nightmare". She tried to calm her senses. Her hands were still shaking and her heart was beating so fast and loud, she could hear it in her ears.

     " Thank God" she exclaimed as she poured water in the glass and drank it in a single breath.  

        When she had calmed down slightly. She started remembering the incidents from last night. She was sure she drifted into sleep on the couch. Then how was she now in her bed? If Taimur had brought her in the bedroom where was he right now? She got up from bed alarmed, was he sleeping on the couch if he was not in bed. He had told her that he will stay with her that night.

    She hurried into the living room but it was empty, he was not there. She couldn't understand why he didn't stay. Or was he mad at her for falling asleep like that? She glanced at the wall clock, it was 4 a.m. She dismissed the idea of calling him.

       She came back to bed thinking about the nightmare she had. "Why did she dreamt about Robb now, after so many years of his death?"

         And why it had to be Taimur who shot him in the nightmare. "Did she have a nightmare because of the constant stress she was in?"

       What she was doing was not easy for her. She was involved emotionally with her target. She was in love with the man, who might have killed her fiance. The constant stress was taking a toll on her mental health.

          She was caught up in such a situation in life, where she didn't have any idea regarding in which direction she should go.

        Her heart was completely in Taimur's spell. She wanted him. She was madly in love with him, understanding very well the consequences of it. But she couldn't stop herself from loving him.

       She didn't dare to think about the future. What would she do if the Interpol arrested him? How will she live without him?

       Her heart stopped beating just thinking about losing him. No this can't be true, he cannot be a criminal. She tried to reassure herself. The Interpol is mistaken, RRH doesn't exist if they might have caught someone in the last century.

        She kept on turning in bed. Trying hard to sleep without any success. She couldn't stop thinking about Taimur and how he had changed her colorless life.

      How his touch made her feel alive. How it set her whole body on fire. She loved everything about him. The way he walked, the way he talked, and how he addressed her.

    The Arabic adjectives he used to address with. The way he touched her, the way he caressed and kissed her. The way he made her feel. She never felt like this for anyone, not even Robb.

      She loved Robb but what she felt for Taimur was completely on a different level. It was as if he connected to her soul. She can't live without him.

      What if Taimur failed to convince the Royal Council, what if his father and his uncle the King of Azmaayir didn't agree to their match. And what if Taimur found out the truth about her? How will he react? Will he ever forgive her? There were infinite questions in her mind and she didn't have the answer for any single of them.

        The sun had risen and sunlight started coming in through the window. She took her cell and dialed Taimur's number hoping he was awake. She was worried why he had left like that.

   "Salam Alaikum, Ya Qalabi". He replied as he received her call.

     " Where are you? And why did you leave? I was so worried" she told him in a single breath.

        "Patience sugar, I had to leave because of an urgent business". He answered smiling at her concern for him.

        "Ohh, Thank God. I thought you were mad at me" she sounded relieved. " I woke up in the middle of the night and you were gone, I thought you were mad because I slept," she said.

       "You know something, I am not as cruel as you think I am. I understand you felt safe and relaxed in my arms that's why you fell asleep" he said amusingly.

      "I don't think you are cruel" she replied annoyed.

     "Then tell me what do you think about me?" He challenged her.

      "Now I think you are trying to take advantage of me," she said laughing.

       "Then you are mistaken" he disagreed with her.

     "Will you come over today?" She asked him, changing the subject. It was just a few hours since she didn't see him and she was already missing him.

     "I wish I could, Umumi (my mother)  has arranged lunch for the family and I have to be there. I also have some business to discuss with my father, so I might stay over". He murmured.

    " It's okay, you should go. I see you every day but you meet your family only at the weekend". She tried not to sound disappointed.

    " I can't tell you how much I am missing you already". He whispered     "I miss you too, Ya Habibi (My Love)". She replied     " I will have to go now, I will call you when I am free". He said as he disconnected the call.

      Eva took a deep breath. She wanted to be with him. It was in his company that she forgot everything. And she felt like a woman.

   Eva couldn't agree more with the person who said "It's a man who makes a woman feel feminine" And Eva only felt like a woman in Taimur's company.

     He was unlike any other man she had ever met.    

   $ Chapter 

  Chapter 14

     Taimur "So what's up with your girl, how is she? Talal asked Taimur picking up the coffee mug the maid was serving them.

" Which girl?" Taimur asked, pretending as if he didn't have any clue about what Talal was speaking.

They just finished lunch and now were assembled in the living room. All his four siblings were present with their families, his father had just retired to his study. The kids were running all over the place wreaking havoc.

"Your date on the night of Abi's birthday celebration". He said with a little smirk.

" She was not my date that night". Taimur denied his claims.

" Who are you trying to fool? The moment she arrived you started acting like a teenager". Talal snapped back at him.

Taimur gave out a little laugh and said." I was not expecting anyone to see through my actions so easily".

"Are you kidding yourself, the royal circle is filled with the gossip that Taimur Jahaan has taken a girl for himself"? His sister Sidra intervened in their conversation.

" Soon they will be filled with the news of my wedding with her". He said carelessly.

All the voices and movement in the room came to a sudden halt. Like everyone just had frozen in their place. They were looking at Taimur with disbelief.

He was expecting this reaction from his family. He understood that they were glad that he had a girl in his life but didn't expect him to be serious enough to get married to her. They always assumed whenever he decided to get married it would be a calculated decision as usual and he would get married to someone from the Al Jahaan clan to strengthen his claim on the throne.

He knew his decision to get married to Eva was not going to go down well with his family or the Al Jahaan clan. They looked at him as their future King and they will never accept a foreign Queen consort.

He knew very well if he married Eva he would have to give up the claim to the throne completely. There was no way the Royal council would ever approve his marriage to her.

His uncle the King will also never consent to their marriage. Taimur knew very well how much Waleed wanted Taimur to ascend the throne after him, despite having three sons of his own.

Waleed Al Jahaan knew very well his sons didn't have it in them to rule Azmaayir. The history of Azmaayir was filled with tribal wars and bloodshed. Each tribe tried to establish their rule over the others until Taimur's ancestor Khalid Al Jahaan had united them into one kingdom and established the rule of the Al Jahaan clan over Azmaayir four centuries ago.

The Al Jahaan have been ruling Azmaayir since it's formation. The throne was passed down to the eldest son as mostly was the rule in most of the monarchy, until ninety years ago when a council was formed to choose the ruler.

It so happened that Taimur's great grandfather Osman Al Jahaan was the first king chosen by the council. Osman's elder brother Aabid Al Jahaan was a very feeble ruler. He was the eldest son and had descended the throne after the sudden death of their father.

Osman was merely a year younger than Aabid and he was ruthless and ambitious but because he was the second born he was left in distress by the actions of his elder brother. Aabid was going on making one wrong decision after another.

The enemies of Al Jahaan were getting strong by each passing day. And unless any drastic steps were taken they would have lost the reign on Azmaayir. Osman had tried to warn Aabid on many occasions but Aabid in his arrogance didn't pay Osman any heed.

At last Osman with the help of his mother and other siblings overthrew Aabid's rule. And Osman was crowned the new King. Osman established the Royal council and made it a rule that all the future rulers will be chosen by this council on his ability to rule.

"You are not serious are you", Taimur's elder brother-in-law Suleiman asked, recovering from the shock.

" I don't understand why everyone is looking at me like I have grown horns on my head". He lashed out at them, "As far as I remembered all four of you were given the freedom to marry whom you wished and choose your profession to your liking. And I, on the other hand, was groomed to take over the business since childhood, no one asked me what I wanted to do with my life. It was assumed I would be running the family business for everyone while you were all out to do as you fancied and spend your life any way you wanted and marry anyone you wished. And as if that was not enough mistreatment, I was betrothed to that slut without my consent and was raised believing I will marry her and live happily ever after".

" But it didn't go as it was planned and I was made a laughing stock for the whole Azmaayir for being ditched at the altar". He exclaimed bitterly.

" And I have been bugged by each one of you from the last many years to choose a girl for myself. And finally, when I have found someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. You want me to give her up just for the sake of ruling this damn country" He was not in the mood to take it anymore.

" I will marry her sooner or later and only her. Whether anyone in this world approves or not" he said rising from the sofa he was seated on and stormed out of the room enraged.

" You will have to stop him from marrying that girl", Sidra said to her mother as soon as Taimur was out of the room.

"Yes, only you can convince him," Talal added.

The other two siblings Mariyam and Taalib were still not in the state of taking part in the conversation. They had never seen Taimur behave like this. No matter how ruthless he was in the outer world, he was always very kind and loving with his family.

Their mother looked at them with grief and said:" I will do no such thing".

" How can you say this, you know very well the council will never approve this marriage and hence he will have to give up the claim," Talal said annoyed "I think Talal is right and there is not one in a million chance the King will consent for this marriage, " Suleiman added.

"My son has already suffered enough for being the firstborn and I don't want to increase his suffering". She said.

Taimur had shown her the mirror today, yes she was guilty of all that he accused along with her husband. They have always assumed he would grow up and take over the family business. On the other hand, their other sons were given the freedom to choose their profession. Talal had chosen medicine, he was an established cardiologist in Azmaayir and their youngest son had chosen military. He was a military commander of Azmaayir.

All her four children had chosen their spouses, even their daughters. But Taimur was betrothed with her brother's daughter to strengthen the bond between the family. After what Sehar had done to Taimur she had always regretted that decision.

And now when he finally was in love with someone and wanted to marry her how could she forbid him from that. Her heart ached enough for him. Taimur had always been an obedient child. He always had obliged to their wishes and never had asked anything in return.

And now when he was so close to being happy in his life, how could she snatch away his happiness just because everyone wanted him to be the King. She was his mother and she loved him more than she loved any of her other four children. And she was not going to do this to him.

" Think about the greater good Umumi, Azmaayir cannot have a better ruler than Taimur, " Talal said trying to make his mother realize what was at stake.

"If Azmaayir doesn't care about my son, I don't care about Azmaayir. If he can't have what he wants, Azmaayir can't have him, " She said in a commanding way and left them to the discussion.

" Why do we have to forbid Okhuya (brother in Arabic) from marrying that girl, he is allowed four wives, isn't he? He can marry her and will have to take another wife from Al Jahan and then he won't have to give up the claim". Taalib suggested Everyone in the room looked towards him with admiration. He gave an excellent solution and now all they had to do was to convince their parents to make Taimur take a wife from the Al Jahan family along with Eva.

After leaving the living room where his family was assembled he had come straight to his room. Maybe half an hour would have passed when his mother had joined him. He looked at her and said in anger, " You are here to convince me not to marry Eva, aren't you?

" No, I am not. Instead, I am here to tell you how happy I am for you". She said sitting beside him and taking his hand in hers.

"And I also wanted to apologize to you, for the suffering our decisions have caused you, " she said teary-eyed "Ya umumi I am sorry if my words hurt you, I never meant to cause you pain. It's just that I am not my usual self these days, I don't know what has taken over me. But the mere thought of losing her drives me crazy". He said miserably.

" She has taken over my senses, and if I don't make her mine I will lose my mind". He said to her battling inside.

"I know, I owe Azmaayir. It's my duty to lead my people, but I don't think I will be able to perform my duty to the best of my abilities if I am not content and happy" He was trying to convince himself more than her.

"You don't owe anything to anyone and you of all people deserve to be happy, " she told him.

" I want you to be happy. And I want you to think only about your happiness when you make the decision". She said pressing his hand.

"You think Abi (father) will agree with my decision?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Damn him and damn those, who think they can trample your happiness for the fulfillment of their wishes, " She whispered Taimur smiled at her words. " I don't know what I would be without you Umumi (mother), " he was overwhelmed with affection for his mother.

"Just marry her and make her the luckiest woman in the whole world," She said, tapping his cheek with affection.

"Bet I will," he replied smiling.