QAIS

Chapter 2: Cracks and Crevices

"ℑ𝔣 ℑ 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔩𝔢𝔰𝔰, ℑ 𝔪𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔟𝔢 𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔞𝔩𝔨 𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔦𝔱 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔢."
𝓙𝓪𝓷𝓮 𝓐𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓷

♛

The flag hung up high, fluttering in the wind. The symbol of eagle laid on it dauntingly, it's sharp eyes piercing at the land it represented. Its wings always shadowing over the nation. Either like a kind shelter, or a looming axe.

It was the flag of the Mirs. The ruling family of the nation. Mir Ghazanfar was the beloved Monarch. The Mirs were a large family. Mir Ghazanfar was known for his extravagance. Having 3 wives and 10 sons. He was as powerful as they came.

In that federal province there was a small city near the capital. Being both near to the Capital and the rural areas, it had both modern and conservative people. The town had nothing special about it. It was a boring, uneventful city with barely any landmarks.

And within that city in a small conservative neighborhood lived Layla Mustafa.

She lived in a joint family system with her uncle's family, who was the patriarch of the family. Layla was the only child of her parents, Mustafa and Arfa. While her uncle Mujtaba had one son Ali and daughter Ruhi who was like a sister to Layla.

Mujtaba was a man of feudal views. He was a cleric at the local mosque. Unlike Mujtaba's staunch conservative views, Mustafa strongly valued education and held kinder views. But most times he fell silent in front of his brother because of respect.

Growing up the girls were always restricted to the four walls of their homes aside from a girl's school. they weren't allowed to play outside with other kids. they weren't allowed to eat before the men. They weren't allowed to speak before the men.

Layla never had any problem following rules. Ruhi was a troublemaker on the other hand. So Layla would automatically become her partner in crime.

Ruhi always wanted to be a princess. With freedom and power. Layla didnt really want anything, she was content as long as everyone around her was happy. which is why Ruhi called her a pushover. According to Ruhi dreams were important. You must have at least one dream. Layla often pondered over it but never had a dream. Until she met Zaviyar.

Sometimes her and ruhi would peer from the rooftop and pretend they see could see the castle. of course they couldn't. but they pretended the silhouettes of large trees on a faraway mountain were the tall turrets of the mir castle.

Ruhi would say she'd live in the castle one day. Married to a prince. The king did have 10 sons so statistically she believed she had a lot of chance. Layla would just listen to her daydreaming with endearment. For some reason, the confidence of Ruhi made her actually believe it. She imagined Ruhi nothing less than princess in the future. She didn't have any interest in princes and castles. She only wished for Zaviyar.

Life had a weird way of messing up things for someone. As ambitious as Ruhi was about her future she only achieved education upto high school because of her staunch father. But because Layla's father was a man of lenient views, and not having any son, convinced his brother to let his only daughter attend university at least.

Layla refused to go to college. It felt like she was doing wrong by Ruhi. Like she was stealing her dream. But Ruhi was the one who convinced her to go. At least one of them could have a better life.
But then Ruhi began to live voraciously through Layla. Whatever she couldnt experience herself, she enjoyed through Layla's stories.