The Imperials

Sacrifice

Musa POV:

The night wore deeper and deeper, almost hitting ten. I yawned and swiveled the car in the next lane jerking all the passengers in the car. Harun flashed me an irritated look, and I smirked shrugging him off my mind. Well, if he wanted me to drive, he should have considered my... let's call it 'chaotic' driving skills. 

During our journey, once Harun was fatigued, he switched seats with me at the crossing of the national borders transferring the wheels in my hand. Halima, on the other hand, cornered herself to the edge and slept soundlessly in the backseat of the car. Unmoving, her head rested on the window seal, her arms hugging her figure. Thank god she was asleep and I wasn't looking forward to waking the beast anytime soon. Otherwise, I'd lose the only semblance of sanity myself and live like a caveman for the rest of my life.

Here in the roads of Saudi, it wasn't as chaotic or thronged as it was back home. The yellow moon shone above us smuggled under the dark cloud, and the road resembled a running chainsaw with automobiles whooshing everywhere—nothing out of the ordinary. Thousands of photographs and illumination were displayed on high-rise buildings, billboards, and storefronts, keeping the night alive.

"Turn left on King Fahd Rd!" My GPS screeched. 

I sighed and let it command me around the kingdom, hearing Harun's impatient drum of fingers on his window seal. "To reach our destination, twenty more minutes right?" he grumbled, keeping his eyes glued to the scene outside with boredom.

"I don't know!" I shrugged, swiveling through the maze-like roads every now and then seeing pedestrians in their Saudi Arabian uniform-- white thobe and red-and-white checkered headgear. 

Through the rearview mirror, I noticed Harun turning back to the backseat to gently place his jacket over Halima's sleeping figure. 

"Ewww," I grunted loudly, wrinkling my nose. "Why don't you two get married already?" 

Seriously, why? Why was I even here to witness the wrong moments?

I guess I was too loud, Halima instinctively jerked up and defensively punched Harun in the face before he could give her his jacket. "What were you.. what were two of you doing?" She screamed, her voice breathless and muffled from sudden awakening. 

Harun cradled his bruised face, while I resisted the urge from bursting out of laughter. Harun was a real idiot to even think about caring about a beast!

"Halima, calm down!" Harun tried to reassure her as Halima tried to regain herself back to reality. "I was just giving you my jacket. I thought you were cold!"

"Why would I receive a non-mahram's jacket?" Halima scoffed, narrowing her eyes dangerously at him, challenging his actions. 

"She's got a point!" I blurted, watching interestingly the drama unravel through my rearview screen. 

"Please, think twice about what you do next time!" She turned towards the window, watching the lightened city and the cars that crowded over the lane racing to their destinations. A huge billboard advertised Saudi Arabia's newest McDonald's dish with a few celebrities posing in the ads. 

"Are we in Riyadh?" Halima asked us after some silence, viewing the scenario outside. 

"Yup," I nodded, keeping my eyes on the road. 

"How long will it take to reach the palace?" 

"Twenty to fifteen minutes," Harun answered. 

Halima POV:

"Oh," I answered as I watched the streets skid past us with the speed of the car, the street lights, and the building lights all passing by with an array of colours.