Layla

Chapter 1

Layla

I laugh freely my veils flowing in the wind behind me and my steed galloping beneath me. I feel alive riding with my friends around the deserts of Arabia, the sand scratching my skin softly and the heat of the sun on my golden locks. My brothers holler and hoot, cheering on my antics from beside me.

"Layla! Slow down you wild woman!" My good friend Shakeel calls out from behind me.

I've known him since childhood and though he never approved of my crazy way of living, still, he is always right by my side through the good and bad. Shakeel's riding more cautiously so that we do not run into the bandits that live in these parts, he is probably very concerned for my well being.

Only because Shakeel asked that I tug on the reins of my stallion, urging him to slow to a steady trot. The others, Zaid {Zaydd}, Amir {Ah-meer}, and Khalil {Kha-leel} fly past me, not expecting the sudden change of my speed. But soon they gain control of the animals and wait patiently as Shakeel and I catch up to them.

"How much longer till we reach the city?" Zaid questions.

"It should be about a days ride." I answer looking at the sky. The sun is slowly setting and it is dangerous to ride at night. "We will set camp by those dunes and set to ride again at the break of dawn." I instruct them. They all nod in agreement and set off to where I had pointed.

I really appreciate the respect that I receive from them. I love them each like a brother and they've treated me like a little sister since I met them as a young girl. I lost my mother while she delivered me and shortly after, my father passed from an illness, leaving me an orphan.

I was put into an orphanage home where I met Shakeel, we immediately bonded and he would protect me. The owner was a drunk and occasionally abused the children when he was in a sour mood. Me being the sassy girl that I am would always argue with him and stand up to him, and he would try to hit me but Shakeel would take the beatings. I would yell and cry for him to stop defending me but he was an honorable young boy and never allowed the man to touch me.

When I was fourteen and Shakeel eighteen we escaped the orphanage and set off on our own. We would steal food and hide out in abandoned buildings to live. One day while being the thieves we were, we had an encounter with Zaid, Amir, and Khalil, they were also thieves. Stealing so that they could be able to survive, we decided to join together and have been inseparable since.

I smile at them as we stop and begin to set our tent. Working quickly we finish right before the sun disappears and settle down to rest after a long day. I remove my lace veil, along with my sandals and take a couple of sips from my canteen. Sighing as the cool liquid passes through my throat; it felt refreshing after riding through the heat all day.

"Layla you really must be careful when riding. You don't know what you can get into, especially around these parts. There could be bandits and if you go straight at them with that speed there's no telling what they'll do." Shakeel advised.

Amir hums his agreement, "He's right, as much as we love watching you do insane stunts, it isn't safe in these parts. Now that we are nearing the city there will be more criminals hiding out and doing their dirty work. You could get kidnapped or worse-"

He abruptly stops not wanting to voice the word out loud, raped. In this society once a woman loses her virginity she's pretty much useless. Regardless of how it was taken, no man wants a woman that is impure.

"We will never allow that to happen!" Zaid exclaims and Khalil nods his head from beside him the lanterns casting a glow on each of our faces.

"Yes I know, I'll be more subtle from here on out. I'll make sure to stay in between you four while riding and I will lay low, for now. But until then get some rest. I'll take the first watch."

●••

Morning came quicker than I expected and all of us were up and packing for our last ride before we reach the city of Jabbah. It's one of the bigger cities and has been around for a while. We had decided to move there and hopefully lead a decent life with the money we made over time. I whistle and call out for my horse Asad {Ah-saad} (lion). He gallops forward and stops in front of me eating the carrot I hold in my hand. He is beautiful and I loved him the moment I set eyes on him. I stroke his mane and he huffs in response. "Good boy," I coo kissing his head. I climb on and wait for the others to mount their horses and we were off.

The ride this time seems much longer and more boring. We're riding at a medium pace and I have two guys on either side of me. We continue at that pace until we run into some trouble.

There're three men sitting on camels, holding their swords high in the air and yelling at us to stop. We oblige and slow down. The men are in rags with their faces hidden behind cloths.

"Who do you think you are, stopping us?" Zaid questions them with vigor.

They laugh seemingly unfazed. But I know better than to get Zaid angry. His father was a warrior for a king and was a very skilled fighter. He taught Zaid how to yield a sword at a very young age and Zaid had learned well. Sadly, his father had died in a war when Zaid was fifteen years old and his mother was remarried to the king. After three years, he didn't want to live in the kingdom with his new step father anymore so he left and met Amir and Khalil and the rest is history.

Zaid un-sheathes his sword, "Do not mock me bandits for I will have your heads. Let us pass and we will be on our way."

Again they laugh getting down from their camels. "Do you think we are afraid of you? We could easily kill all of you."

Zaid also gets down, "Fine then let's make a deal. We duel, one on one, the three of us against the three of you. If we win you let us past, no harm done."

"And if we win?" The man to the side asks. He looks around his eyes traveling until they land on me. "If we win, we get the girl."

Simultaneously Zaid, Shakeel, Amir, and Khalil voice their disagreement. I simply pull off my veil, "Deal."

¤¤¤¤¤

Well there you guys go. I hope you enjoyed it! My stories are usually fast paced and not overly overly detailed,  so if you like those kinds books,  I hope that you still read this one. Even if it's not your type of writing.

The image is my idea of Layla. The lady is a Syrian actress, I believe, by the name of Heba Nour.

Name meanings-
Layla- Dark haired beauty, night sky.
Shakeel- Handsome
Khalil- Companion
Zaid- Growth
Amir- Prince

Please Vote, Comment, and Like!

×○×○
Angel.