Sa'eed - The Warrior

The Soothsayer

Mir Jafar sat at the table drumming his fingers in impatience! Where was Faseeh? The sun had already set.

"Meher", he screamed.
"Yes zouji*". She came running in.
"Has Faseeh come yet?", he growled.
"No, he hasn't", she replied scared. This fellow terrified her. She never knew when the beast in him would wake up and start thrashing her. She slowly moved back trying to slip away.

"Who asked you to go you vile woman?". He threw a vase at her. She stood their shivering and praying to Allah to send Mir Faseeh soon.

"A foolish daughter of a foolish man! I regret the day I appointed him as the Shahi Hakeem. Worthless fellow. I'll be done with him once I find a replacement", he muttered.

"Saeed was right", Meher thought. "This man has already made my family's life a living hell and he will not rest until he has squeezed the last breath out of them. It is better to die trying to bring him down than to suffer this torture day after day. I will do exactly as Saeed says". She strengthened her resolve.

"Assalamualaikum father", said Mir Faseeh entering. He was sweating all over.

Meher stood not knowing whether to leave the chamber or stay behind.

"Walaikumassalam, Faseeh. A fine time you took to just find out trivial stuff", hissed Mir Jafar.

"Father is angry. His ears are smoking. Not a good sign", thought Mir Faseeh. "By the time I finish telling him what I have found out he will be angrier and wilder with rage. I had better run away right after giving my report".

"Start your report immediately! Do you need an invitation?", he growled. "And what are you standing her for? To eavesdrop? Get lost filthy creature". He threw a plate at Meher and the poor woman ran away as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Father, the people of Maidan-e-Khushk organized a rally and paraded the streets singing praises of Shehzada Sher Shah".
Mir Faseeh gulped, afraid of the reaction.

Mir Jafar's eyes turned red.
"What praiseworthy quality did they find in that ragbag?"

"Shehzada dug 3 wells for them in a single day where as the court had failed to dig even a single well in the past 13 months".

"How dare the treasurer release amount without my knowledge? I will hang the man first thing tomorrow morning"

"No no Father. The treasury did not release a single coin. It was done with the Shehzada's personal savings".

"I am telling you Faseeh, that fool doesn't have a mind to think of such things. A cleverer person is behind this. If the Shehzada had shown even a slight inclination of being such a thoughtful person I would have taken his life long ago. I let him live because my intellect is better than his. But", he kicked the foot of the table "some one is interfering with my plans".

"Do not worry Father, we will find out who he is and torture him to death".

"What else did the Shehzada do today?"

"Early in the morning he prayed Fajr Salah in the Shahi Masjid and had a long conversation with the Shahi Imam*. After that he visited his Mother in the Harem. He then sent men to dig wells and trained in martial arts for 3 hours with his new bodyguard. After his breakfast he studied literature and philosophy with Ustad* Nazeer. After lunch he retired to his chambers. He just came out for his Asr Salah and went back again. What was he doing inside no one knows. I sent a servant inside his room with tea just before I came here to check and he said Shehzada was sleeping".

"Didn't he call for the Shahi Hakeem even once?"

"No, he did not"

"Did he appear to be sick?"