The Bound Princess (Dark Romance)

Chapter 56

Emma

"I am fine, Mom, don't worry about me," I assured Mom for the hundredth time.

"Does Dawood take good care of you?" She inquired.

My eyes traveled to Dawood working on his laptop in the living room. He had softened his behavior, but it was nowhere near what it was earlier. Given his past, it was apparent it would take him some time to trust me again.

"Dawood is good to me," I replied, then asked, "How are you all?"

"We are all good and safe, but I am worried about Taimur. I wish I had been there with him in this difficult time. It is comforting that he isn't alone and Mohammed is there with him, but I am worried for their safety," Mom sighed; it was the first time she and Abi were apart for weeks after their wedding. Otherwise, Abi wouldn't let her out of sight even for a few days.

The situation in Azmaayir had worsened for the first two weeks. Abi was hesitant to take any extreme steps to curb the revolt. For him, the nation and the people were his priority. Mohammed went to Azmaayir against Abi's direct orders and stayed even after Abi instructed him to leave. Haami's presence in Azmaayir alongside Abi was comforting. It wasn't easy to trust anyone in such times, and Abi needed men he trusted at his side.

Uncle Haris and Riyadh chose to stay in Azmaayir with Abi. Uncle moved his family to the safe house with Mom and the others while he remained in the capital.

After Haami's insistence, Abi agreed to strengthen his stance on the situation. He decided to be on the offense instead of trying to defend. The change in the strategy helped to get the situation under control. It wasn't resolved fully, but it wasn't as volatile as before.

"Haami will make sure Abi is okay," I assured Mom.

"But who will look after him?" Mom's voice got strained, "He is still young, and I am worried these events will leave a mark on his soul. I know he will be King one day, but I wanted to protect him from the brutality of this world."

Mom was closest to Mohammed among all of us. She would discuss almost anything with him. He was more of a confidante and friend to her than a stepson.

"I am sure Mohammed can handle whatever life throws at him. He is an Al Jahaan and has got a spine of steel. It d take more than these riots to scar him," I said in a determined voice.

Haami was the strongest, both physically and emotionally, of all my brothers. Abi didn't just choose him as his heir because he was the eldest but because he possessed all the qualities required to be a good ruler. He was like Abi in almost everything, and his similarity to Abi only increased as he grew up.

"I worry for Ahmed. How is he taking the events?" I asked.

Ahmed had his demons to fight, and sometimes, he came too close to losing the battle with himself. Mohammed and I used to worry about him constantly. We feared that we might lose him to the darkness that resided within him. We were the only ones who knew about his deepest and darkest secrets. I had no idea how Abi would react if he discovered what storm raged inside Ahmed's head.

"You know him; he wouldn't let me close. But now he has shut himself even from Alia and Fahad since Taimur declined to let him come to the capital," Mom answered sadly.

No matter how hard Mom tried to get past the walls Ahmed had raised around him, he never let her in. Sometimes even I wondered how and why he let me in. Haami was his twin; they were like two halves of a whole, and it was no surprise that he opened up to him. The fact that Ahmed let me in and bared the darkest parts of his soul to me was still hard to believe.