INSEPARABLE II

XXV

Noor woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. It took her a moment to recognize she was not in her own chambers and suddenly the events of the night before flashed through her mind. Startled, she sat up at once looking around. Prem had not returned. Or he had and she slept through it and he headed out in the morning again? But he would not do that. He would never leave if he had the opportunity to lay next to her instead. Confused, she threw on the mustard blouse from the night before and climbed out of Prem's magnificent bed taking notice of his royal chambers for the first time.

His chambers were much larger than hers, they belonged to the Chief after all. His bed had an intricately designed backrest made of gold, reaching almost eight feet high. Next to the wall on the right side of his bed, was a gold pedestal with the eagle crest of Kurral embedded on it. His jeweled sword laid atop it. It was sword of the Chief passed down from one Chief to the next, generation over generation in Kurral. There were other weapons below it, all of supreme quality and impeccable taste. Further still laid a row of silver chests, most likely carrying Prem's valuables. Towards the front were a few large, cushioned chairs, luxuriously padded with red velvet cushions, their backs made of gold and studded with rubies. Taking a step on the cold marble floor, Noor walked towards the hall leading to the private garden but a section expanding deeper in the chambers pulled her eyes instead. He had an indoor pool, Noor had completely forgotten about it. He had mentioned it to her years ago when he was describing the heat of Kurral to her. There were transparent drapes on all four sides of the pool and through them, she could see a beautiful mosaic design wrapping around the pool. The water was clear and inviting but she kept moving. On the opposite end, she could see another room. From her angle, she could see piles of silks folded neatly above larger gold chests. It must the room where Prem kept his wardrobe, she decided.

A row of plants were lined up neatly in the small hallway leading to the garden outside. Noor stopped to admired them just briefly on her way out. She walked quietly through the garden into her own chambers. Her mind so preoccupied by Prem and his whereabouts that she hadn't even realized how late it was in the morning and how desperately Charno must be looking for her.

"Your Highness!" Charno exclaimed rushing over to Noor. "I was so worried. Thank God you're safe." 

"I'm good, Charno." Noor nodded at her removing her chunni and setting it aside. As Charno and the maids rushed to begin her morning routines, Noor stared into space wondering what had happened to Prem. She surely would have woken if he had come. What if he truly hadn't? Her mind raced. What if he and Hakam took off to face a dire situation on their own and...something untoward had happened. What if Prem had been harmed? Panic washed over her and she hurried to the doors of her chambers. Not realizing she was still wearing Charno' clothes, Noor stepped outside.

"Nihal!" She exclaimed.

"Your Highness!" Nihal straightened out at once and bowed before her. When he recovered his position the confusion her attire triggered in him was visible on his face.

"Is everything okay?" She asked worriedly.

"Your Highness...everything is well." Nihal was unsure what that question meant. Was everything okay with who? He thought.

"I mean..." Noor rushed to find words, "has there been any news about a potential threat in the area? Did all of our patrolling guards report well this morning?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Nihal answered assuredly. "There are no news of any threats or mishappenings around the palace at all."

"Have you seen the Chief?" She then asked.

"I did, Your Highness..." Nihal hesitated, "by the stables this morning."

Noor let out a sigh of relief. Prem was safe.

"Your Highness, is there something you would like me to look into?" He asked. "Did you get a report of anything suspicious?"

"No, no." Noor waived at him. "I was just...wondering." she shook her head. "Thank you." She said and walked back inside her chambers.

Nihal looked at Dharam to his side. As always he was looking straight ahead with no expression on his face. He thought of the Queen's clothes and suddenly wondered if the plan she and the Chief had made to sneak out several nights ago had actually manifested last night. But why was she asking if he had seen the Chief?

Stepping into her rose petal bath, Noor let the warmth of the fresh water consume her skin. Needing time alone to process her thoughts, she dismissed her maids. Closing her eyes, she laid back breathing out the exhaustion from the long adventurous night. Prem...had taken her to bed last night after...she...had shamelessly asked him for a night. They didn't have sex but they came as close to it as possible. She replayed the events in her mind. The laughter on the swing at the river, their walk and the flowers that had rained down on her, the mango she had eaten and the way Prem had wiped her lower lip. His eyes had spoken to her, daring to say everything they had suppressed for so many days. She recalled herself jumping up to grab more mangos, and then Prem's expression when he had first seen the scar on her rib. 

She got goosebumps as his words from that moment rang through her mind – "let me see your scars, Noor." He had said with more passion than Noor had felt in years. The way his hands had traced her rib and the manner in which he had withdrawn when he realized he was overstepping. Noor thought of her kiss on his cheek – the only hint he needed to understand that she wanted it as much as he did. A pulse similar to the one she had fought last night become alive between her legs as she recalled herself impossibly asking him for a night and his unforgettable response to her. "Do you have any idea of the godly level of self-control that is required when the woman you dream of while you sit, sleep, and eat is within an arm's length and you're not allowed to lay as much as a finger on her?" He had said, dispelling any doubt in her mind that from day one they had both been suffering the same insanity that their proximity to one another brought.

She clutched at her thigh when the scenes from the hallway ran through her mind inhaling deeply as the sensation from his fervent kisses drowned her mind. Her lips tingled and a chill ran down her spine. She thought of how desperately his hands had explored her chest and her thighs. "I need you." Prem had breathlessly said into her chest. "I need you so fucking badly." Noor could feel his warm breath on her ear even in that moment and then suddenly, a thirst arose within her, an unbearable ache as her mind offered her all that had transpired in his chambers before he was called out by Hakam. "You're mine." He had declared with a beast like thirst shining in his eyes. She thought of him removing her blouse, taking her to bed and diving in ready to take all of her. Noor's body was on fire and she suddenly craved for his flesh so powerfully that she thought would burst if she didn't get her hands on him right that second. Instead of tracing his touch with her own hands to ease her anguish, she placed her arms on the edges of the bath, and laid with her eyes closed, letting every inch of herself strain and burn in longing for him.

Prem... Her insides called out to him. Come to me.