Arabian Nights - The city time had forgot - completed

Chapter Fourteen

After breakfast the following morning, they packed up ready to head back, although, he eyed off her bag that she carried over to her camel, which he attached to the animal, without looking into it. "You were not coming back, were you?" He asked softly, glancing at her sideways.

She crossed her arms in protection and shook her head. "Not if it meant leaving you again, it was easier to leave from here."

He turned on her sharply, resting his hands on her arm, making her look up at him, and into his searching, desperate eyes. "Surely you were not planning to leave here by yourself."

She frowned at him. "Surely Imad told you, he was sending my men here, when they arrived back to collect me."

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "No, because he did not have the time to, once I heard you were here, I just left again."

"I couldn't face going back Hassan, I just couldn't," she whispered. 

He gathered her in his arms. "I am so sorry, beloved; I would never hurt you intensely. I was trying to protect you from an unsure future, my unsure future."

Caressing his chest with her hand, she stepped in closer against him, warming all over. "No one knows of their future Hassan, not you, and not me. However, we can face it together."

"Yes, I can see that now, once I got over the shock of it all. Do we head back now or tomorrow, it is your choice."

"Now, I think would be best. I have already said my goodbyes to father." Nodding, he helped her up on her camel, while he climbed upon his horse. Together they headed back, towards the palace. She looked across the magnificent figure, he made on the horse, such a proud man, yet had the most gentlest heart, and it belonged to her, she could never doubt that, not now.

Arriving back to the palace, she went back with Hassan to his room that had been fixed as best it could at this stage. The door to the balcony permanently closed and shuttered, until the glass door could be fixed. All the torn curtains taken down, leaving a bare four posted bed that looked bare and exposed. She dropped onto his bed, while he went to get changed out of his travelling clothes into new robes.

He exited, finding her lounging on his bed, looking around, saddened. "Do not be so forlorn, my love, it would all be put back to its formal glory." His eyes rested on something on the side table, crossed over, removing an envelope, opened and took out a hand written note. Not a letter, but a very brief note. Her eyes widened. She had forgotten about that and far too late to remove it from his hot big hands.

"What is this?" Hassan demanded to know, waving the open letter at her. She reached for it and ripped into pieces.

"Nothing." She looked around for a bin.

"Is that all you could say to me, goodbye and our time was done?" He asked curiously. Trembling, she turned slowly around, licking her suddenly dry lips. She couldn't show her true feelings, how leaving here had broken her heart. She had never felt so miserable, lost, and shattered.

"That was all that needed to be said. It was you who sent me away, not me."

He sank down onto his bed. "Yes," he said factually, frowning, although sounded disappointed, let down by her lack of feelings, just facts.

She reached across and placed her hand on his that barely covered his larger one. "I could never express how I felt about leaving you Hassan. It broke my heart." He glanced across to see it in her eyes, cradling her face into his other hand.

"As mine. I did not want to, but I needed to keep you safe."

"I am safe with you Hassan, or my father would never have put his trust in you." He stretched out on his bed. She stayed where she was, watching him. He looked tired, as if the whole world was upon his shoulders, and she guessed it was. "So what are you going to do?" She asked as she lay at Hassan's side on his bed.