The Two Kingdoms (Completed)

51.

The Hakim had inspected Noor and informed them that Noor had gone into an early labor due to stress and emotional trauma.
Noor was rushed to her room and the mid wife was fetched immediately.

Avantika meanwhile had informed everyone about Kanika and Zulekha, she told them how the two had set Meera up, how they attacked her and how Kanika had pushed Noor to the edge with her words.

Haider took in all what Avantika had said, he felt his knees buckling, what had he done ?
He wanted to fall on the floor and break down or hide his face in his mother's bosom and cry, but he held himself together by a thin thread, his emotions had to stay in check till his family needed him.
He had disappointed Meera as her husband he wasn't going to do the same to his sister or mother.

Haider looked at Tahir sharply, if he could kill someone with his eyes, Tahir would have been dead, Tahir looked at Haider with guilt, shame and regret, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Lock them up." Haider said in an emotionless voice to Abhishek who too had come in after Avantika's new state of consciousness had been announced to him.
"I want both of them locked up in their rooms, no one enters their room or entertains them till I say so." Haider seethed.

Abhishek gave a curt nod and left them immediately, he too was burning with rage, these two women had made his life hell for the past three months, they had almost taken away the one woman he loved, they were the reason he was dying in guilt for not trusting Meera.

Kanika's unconscious self was locked into her room by the guards where as Abhishek himself had gone to fetch Zulekha.

The guards had informed him about seeing her last in the garden so that's where he headed.

He saw Zulekha walking around the bushes of rose in her fine silken gown.

Zulekha unaware was happy and humming to herself as she bent down to sniff the rose.

"You look happy." Abhishek said from behind her making her jump in fright.

"Oh Allah!" Zulekha said turning around to face him a hand on her chest. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Don't take his name from that dirty mouth of yours." Abhishek spat making Zulekha scrunch his eyebrows.

"I don't like your tone Treasurer." She said. "Don't forget whom are you talking with."

"I do very well know with whom I'm talking." He said holding her by her wrist in a tight grip and started dragging her towards the harem.

"Leave me ! Leave me." Zulekha screamed. "You have no idea what you are inviting for yourself. Leave me." Zulekha shrieked.

All the women of the harem stood on the side lines and watched as they saw the mad queen being dragged, none of them wished to help her.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you." She screamed. "Leave me."

"You'll kill me just like you tried killing my Avantika." He said pulling her towards her room. The guards standing in front of her room opened the door for him.

He pushed her inside the room as she glared at him.

"You are done Zulekha Ejaz, you are done. He knows everything." He said. Her pale and panicked face was what he last saw as the doors closed.

Zulekha watched the closed doors for a minute, Abhishek's last words to her resonated in her head.

She shut her ears with her palms as if to block out the echo of his words.

"No."she screamed. "No no no Allah tala you can't do this to me, I've just got him, please don't take him away." She said looking up.

"What will I do if he hates me, what do I do ?" She cried. "I will kill you Meera, you destroyed my happiness, I'll rip you up, I'll kill you." She roared.