The Crown in the Storm ✔️

Battle Cry

A knock on the door jolted us from our peaceful interlude. Zaroon got up and went to answer it.
"Zaroon honey, they're here..."  Auntie said when he opened the door. I got up, took the tray and followed him out of the room. I carried the tray to her kitchen. Auntie rushed behind me, her voice anxious.

"Oh no Begum Sahiba, you don't have to do this..."

"Please... you've been so kind. It's not a problem" she smiled. "Is Feroze awake?"

"Yes"

"How's his leg?"

"He has a wound that will cause him trouble for a few weeks. It's right above the bone. He tells me he has a lot of bruises all over his body, but he'll heal" physically. The emotional trauma of the day would take more than a few weeks, I added mentally. Zaroon showed up at the kitchen door, his face set into a blank mask.

"It's time," He said, his gaze on mine. I nodded and walked out to get Feroze. He was in the living room, being helped to his feet by a doctor.

"Will we need to take a detour to the hospital?" I asked the doctor. He started, causing Feroze to lose his balance. Feroze glared at me as the doctor gave me a short bow.

"Begum Sahiba, not really. The stitching on Feroze Sahib's leg seems to have been done by a professional"

"Thank you... I am quite good" Auntie said from behind me. We all laughed but that did little to dispel the seriousness of the situation.

"No doubt. Are you ready to go, Begum Sahiba? Feroze Sahib?" Feroze's irritation grew when the doctor addressed me first. I nodded and Feroze hobbled out of the room. I stayed back to give the living room a last wistful glance.

"You're welcome to come back anytime Begum Sahiba" Auntie muttered patting my cheek. Oh God, what I would not give to live here. Peaceful and quiet, away from all the chaos. Alas, duty came first.

"Of course. Thank you so much for taking such wonderful care of us. For letting us into your home..." she nodded and gave me a bright smile. "You're always welcome to come to visit the castle" I threw out. That would be interesting, watching Ammi Jaan and Mrs.Akram together. Zaroon smiled at my invite. I shuffled, not wanting to leave.

"We have to get going," Zaroon muttered. Busted, I lowered my head and headed out. He stayed back to his goodbyes. I watched as she placed a kiss on his forehead and ran her hand over his head, to give him her blessing. I walked out of the house with a heavy heart.

A line of cars stood in the street, with a contingent of guards. Had Zaroon called in the cavalry? Around fifteen military men stood, armed to the teeth and ready to spring into action.

"Is this necessary?" I blurted when he came up to stand beside me.

"I think you're forgetting that someone tried to kill you... less than three hours ago"

"Where's Feroze?"

"He's with Dr. Jamshed, he'll be riding behind us. You're with me." and with that, he led me to the second car. The driver gave a formal nod to both of us and opened the door. I climbed in the Mercedes, feeling my heartbeat go erratic. I just wanted to go home, behind my walls. I wanted to be safe.

"It's a short trip... 30 mins at most. The roads have been cordoned off, we'll be home in no time" Zaroon muttered in my ear as the door closed behind him. A sigh escaped my lips and I concentrated on my shaking hands.

"Uncle EJ? Ammi?"

"All safe, they're all waiting for you, we're going home Elena" is that the first time that he said my name? I breathed in, feeling some sort of comfort. The car purred to life and we started to move, one car behind the other. Zaroon focused on the screen of his phone. I had not taken mine to the rally so I just stared out the tinted glass. Eventually, my eyelids got heavy and I rested my head on the headrest and surrendered to the darkness.

"Elena... Elena? Wake up" someone was gently shaking my shoulder. I moved, my mind groggy from sleep. My head was in a very awkward position and I could feel the spasm in my neck.

"What... where are we?" I muttered looking at Zaroon's amused expression.

"We're entering the gates, you fell asleep. I had no idea my company was that boring" I gave a short laugh and proceeded to fix my hair.

"Didn't get much sleep last night. Tired..." a yawn broke through the sentence.

"Yeah, when did you guys return?" was that tense note in his voice or was I overreacting? I decided to ignore it.

"Around 4" or 4:30, the details did not matter.

"It's still your birthday"

"Oh, I know... I almost got killed on my birthday" his features darkened. "Hey, we're home, it's all good. Feroze is fine. Now we need to figure out why those arrests did not work and since the New Revolutionaries wanted to talk to Feroze, why would they put him in danger?"

"You think it's someone else?"

"Maybe..."

"Or they wanted to kill you. No one was shooting at Feroze, Feroze got toppled. My men tell me that the destabilizers were placed under the podium. So the person who planned this wanted to injure Feroze, not kill him" chills went down my spine and I shivered. "And they failed. Thank God, otherwise, I don't ... I ..." he muttered, his voice gruff. I saw his hands shake and a lump formed in my throat.

"Hey, hey. I'm fine, you saved me. If it hadn't been for you, I probably would have died."

"I know, that's what I dread. What if there is a time when I'm not with you?" he took my hands in his and my pulse skyrocketed. I struggled to keep my composure.

"Are you planning on leaving?" I hated the way my voice cracked in the end. He wound his fingers through mine.

"No... but if there is a time, you have to know where to go and how to defend yourself. I'll have to find another person who I can trust, who will keep you safe. I'll talk to Uncle Ehsan" he called him Uncle Ehsan too? What was going on? I nodded to show that I understood and we relaxed back into the seats, not letting go of each other.

"We're here Begum Sahiba" the driver's voice crackled from the intercom system. I took a deep breath, as the car stopped. The driver came around to open my door and I stepped out, barely ready to face anyone from my family. However, I was shocked to also find another family waiting for us.

"Mother?" Feroze whispered from beside me. "And... kiddo?" he muttered moving forwards, towards his mother and his son.

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