Golden Jasmine: The Ameer's concubine.

32. Youma.

                      Sabr comes with pain but with hope and trust in Rahman, it's relaxed. Nothing last forever.

The Emperor of Manabad blatantly mocked Sultan Zafarullh of having no heir to defend him which was a clearly a shameless act because the eldest Amir of Qanasiyya Empire was barely twenty then, same age with Emperor Muntasir’s grandson, Sa’ad Al Rafiq. Sa’ad was also Sultana Rasheeda’s nephew being the son of her cousin, Omar Al Rafiq. Omar even declared that he would get her back from Qanasiyya empire right under the Sultan’s nose. The insults to the empire was so much that the war was a narrow escape. It was fierce indeed but this tactic was to weaken the Qanasiyya empire emotionally and seeing that the generals were protecting the future crown prince, the soldier’s morals started dropping. 

Amir Jaasir was still young and that was his first large scale war. Being hotblooded youth and hearing such insults to his father, aunt and empire fueled his anger. He has always being close with Sultana Rasheeds no matter how his mother tried separating them. Many were already blaming her for the war, accusing her of being an accomplice of the enemy. Back at the capital, something huge happened in the court too. Sultana Rasheeda was both angry and disappointed at what her family had done. Betrayal was a huge thorn that pierces the heart of even the strongest. She felt like she was at fault too so, being the free spirited and fearless woman she was, she pleaded with the Sultan to let her go back to the North, so as to appease the rebellion. This act made the court members so angry that they berated and accuse her right there but her gaze was on Sultan Zafarullah whose eyes flowing with anger, disappointment and pain. Even as she insisted, he dare not let her leave, so he put her under house arrest. 

On the battlefields, Amir Jaasir got the news and argued with the generals to let him lead the frontlines but they were worried because to them he was still young and the Sultan was getting ready to crown him the crown prince, so they can't risk his life especially since the enemies were fully prepared to do so. 

But Amir Jaasir had other thoughts. If he as the eldest doesn't stand up for the family and empire, would his younger brothers do. He saw no reason of being the so called crown prince if he can't fight for their dignity in times like this. Also Sa’ad had been sending his message, instigating his anger to fight. Eventually when another loss happened, Amir Jaasir sneaked out to the enemy’s camp and challenged Sa’ad but to their surprise, it was Omar who decided to fight him. Being a seasoned fighter, it was very hard for Amir Jaasir to fight and was inflicted with injury. Despite that, he didn't give up and lastly gave a deadly stroke. Sa’ad was enraged and attacked the Amir in his weakened state which made him loose a lot of blood. If not for the Qanasiyya empire’s troops arriving and one of the generals sacrificing his life to save the Amir, they would have lost him that faithful day. 

The Northerners moral was lost after that fight and they retreated for a while. Meanwhile, Amir Jaasir was stabilized in the camp but he slipped into a coma. When he woke up almost a year after, the war was over. They returned to the capital and instead of praising his act of standing up for the empire with the supposed crowing, the Sultan just thanked him publicly and that was it. He even went as far as saying that the other Amirs can compete for the throne with him. Amir Jaasir didn't care much and was more worried of Sultana Rasheeda who was locked in her palace. 

It was still a disputable decision as many wanted nothing more than for her to be expelled from the empire but the Sultan just locked her up, stopped visiting her chambers and gave his children a maximum of three times to see her in a month. 

After hearing all these, Yasmine couldn't help but sympathize with Sultana Rasheeda. Nothing was her fault but she's facing the burnt of it. And Jaasir too got involved in all these. How does it feel to be the rightly heir to the thrown and make all these sacrifices but to be treated like this? He didn't even look like he cared. 

“Wait,” she called out gently holding his sleeves. 

Jaasir stopped and looked at her eyes that showed immense worry now. 

“You were in a coma for a year then it must have been a very bad injury. Does it….still hurt?” she asked carefully. 

“Is Yasmine worried about Jaasir now?” he asked teasingly instead but what he got was a raised eyebrows and fierce gaze. Oh how he missed that look of hers. The recent incidence made her docile but that didn't mean that she's lost who she is. 

Yasmine did that instinctively because she wondered how carefree this man can be. He spoke about his life like it's a simple thing and doesn't worry even a bit. 

“I did get hist badly then that the doctors suggested I don't get moved from our military camp until I recovered,” he said calmly and grasp her right hand bringing it to his left lower rib area. “I broke a rib then and that's the most painful one. It still hurts sometimes,” 

Yasmine pinned her gaze on where her fingers were and she tried not to press hard. Breaking a bone must surely be painful than anything. Together with other serious injuries, it must be what kept him unconscious for so long. It was a miracle from Allah that he survived. 

Jaasir smiled down at her as he watched how careful she acted lest he got hurt. It was true, it took a long time before he healed but that became less priority to him after that incidence. He still recalled the unbelievable words the Sultan told him the day he returned when they were alone. 

Sultan Zafarullah sounded angry when he spoke those words that Jaasir still can't figure out why till date. His mother was worried, always checking up on him but she didn't personally take care of him like he expected. From a young age, what she taught him was how to be a leader and never brought him close to feel the warmth of a mother. She didn't even allow him to address her directly as Ummi. He got used to it over the years and he only got solace in his second mother. Despite the visible hatred his mother had for her, it never stopped Jassir from being close to Sultana Rasheeda. When he went to meet her after returning, she broke into tears asking him numerous questions if he was alright. She made sure he was specially taken care of that day that he felt healed staying there. There were many times he wished she was his birth mother but fate has other plans. Such is life. 

There were many people relying on him and he can't let them down and that's why no matter what torrent that comes his way, he can't give up. 

“It doesn't hurt anymore. Let's go meet her,” He told Yasmine and she nodded before they went on their way. They arrived in the chamber and Jaasir, wanting to take Sultana Rasheeda by surprise, stopped the servants from informing her. 

Yasmine glimpse at Jassir’s face and the radiant smile he had was different that his usual. What sort of relationship did they have with the Sultana? 

They arrived before the hall door and from inside, her back silhouette was visible. Sultana Rasheeda had her brown hair tied in a rough bun while her right hand was outstretched, an elderly woman massaging it for her. Her eyes were closed but her calm face twitched once in a while. 

Jaasir looked at Yasmine who met his gaze before taking her hand and leading her inside. 

“Assalamu alaikum,” he announced loudly. 

Sultana Rasheeda’s eyes opened and she whipped her head to the door. Her eyes light up and she pulled her hand down, a gentle smile forming on her face. 

“Jaasir,” she called out softly and stood up, looking more energetic suddenly. 

“Youma,” Jaasir smiled back, walking after to her. He lowered his height as she hugged him and he took her hands, kissing them softly. 

“Sabahul Noor. You look more radiant that before,” he said. 

“Well, Alhamdulillah,” Sultana Rasheeda grinned and patted his cheeks before shifting her attention to Yasmine who was awed by their interaction. 

“Sabahul Noor,” she quickly greeted but Sultana Rasheeda just rolled her eyes and pulled her into an embrace. 

“I am glad you made the right decision,” she whispered rubbing Yasmine’s back. “Allah is your strength,” she added pulling back gently. This woman faced so much in life but her faith and trust in Allah was still visible. Yasmine knew now that she has a role model to look up to.