Roaring Hearts

Chapter 5

"I am nothing special, of this I am sure of. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name would soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived. I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough." The notebook, Nicholas Sparks.

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Hasnaa lost feelings in her limbs and body as she came to a halt. But at the corner of her eye, she could see James encouraging her to keep moving. They had been running for hours; since chief Isabis and Hasnaa's father had declared them wanted and a ransom had been promised to whoever brought James' head.
They had found refuge in one of the white man's cottage for an entire day; James' house had become a perilous place to hide in because everyone had become aware of their amour. At daybreak, the chief's men had found them and they were forced to flee away; their destination the port, where they would board the next barge to James' country.

Hasnaa and James had outrun the Chief's men but it was still necessary to keep running because Kalu village had become a locale where peril was lurking around. Never in her wildest dreams did Hasnaa ever think she would be forced to flee from her hometown, her haven like a criminal with her people after her dear life.

Hasnaa would soon remember that dawn has the lengthiest, there had been nothing but sludge, rain, and bad murram roads between the white man's cabin and the pier. Every part of her body hurt and she wished for nothing more than to shut her eyes and find herself in the arms of her dear mother giving her a warm embrace at the solace of her own home. Somewhat, that night she would sleep in the comfort of her bed and the morning she would wake up, spend her day with her family doing the usual things, and at dusk she would retire to her bed.
And everything would go back to normal. But at the back of her mind she recognized those dreams were long gone and she had made her own choice and there was no turning back.

After she arrived at the port, she understood it would be countless nights spent at the discomfort of a vessel traveling to a foreign country, munching on unbearable food which she would never think of giving anyone not even  to her father's attendants. All that and months of being tossed about by the waves during a storm would be enough for her to arrive at the country which would soon prove to be her new permanent home.

As much as she strived to be optimistic about the future; she had nothing to look forward to just the man beside her, the burning question was would he be enough to make her happy for the rest of eternity?

Hasnaa watched as the familiar sights of Kalu village; the trees, the huts, the streams, and the red gravel slowly start to disappear and the sceneries were greeted by the sea and the dock which was filled with a crowd of people awaiting the next ship which would depart in an hour.

Hasnaa and James came to a standstill when they saw the sea and they both took a deep breathe. Hasnaa looked back at the place she had come from and with that one glance she wished to run back to her people and beg for their mercy but she knew going back meant a life of slavery and grief. Saying goodbye to all the memories, her people and her family appeared harder than she had comprehended it to be.

Hasnaa tried to take a step in the direction they had come from but she felt a firm grip on her hand and she dared to look at him. James shook his head at Hasnaa and she could no longer hold herself anymore. Her mind was clouded with reminiscences of her life which barred her from thinking straight.

"I made a mistake." Hasnaa rasped tearfully. She could not believe the words she was saying. "I have wronged my father; who wanted nothing more than my happiness and cared only of my well-being." She added.

"That man cared for nobody else than himself and he has no right to call himself a father." James hissed.

"How could you say that?" she countered him. "It's common decency for you to respect my father!" Hasnaa exclaimed. She wiped her tears with her frail fingers.

"Get a grip Hasnaa!" James pressed his lips together. "If you dare go back to them they will cut off your head and they will not allow you to live amongst them after your liaison with me."
Hasnaa stared intensely at James and somewhere inside her heart she knew he was right. Going back was not an option.

James gently placed his hands at Hasnaa's shoulders and she lifted her face and stared into his eyes.
"If you go back they will kill you and they will hunt me down and as well they shall kill me." Her heart almost stopped at James' last words, the pain she had felt earlier of losing her family increased. Hasnaa felt that pain more keenly and the thought of the mere sight of James' lifeless body broke her heart into a million pieces; at that very moment, she knew she would never want to lose James.

"I will never fill the void left by
your family or your friends and I will never be able to replace them. But if we take care of the moments the years will take care of themselves, I will make sure you will never experience a grim moment when you're with me. I hereby make you a solemn vow, that I will never walk away from you and I will never forsake you, not even death shall separate us." James said.

Hasnaa had always been a realistic person but because she had no other person with her but James she had to compel herself to believe in his words even though she knew life was different from what his words made it appear. She knew she would have happy days, some days she would feel dejected and others she would feel like life had no meaning but still, she was willing to take leap of faith  and be with James.

James reached out for her hand and deep inside he prayed to the heavens for Hasnaa to accept him. He was relieved when she did not deny him. They walked towards the dock ready to board the ship which would lead
them to a better place than Kalu village.

"There they are! Catch them!"

Chief Isabis's men had already caught up with them. Hasnaa and James stared at each other and they took off running amidst all the people at the dock. Although Hasnaa was exhausted, she reminded herself that she only had to reach the ship which was a few meters away from her and half of her worries -- if not all of them
would disappear. All her life she had never felt alive and as happy as she felt as she ran through the crowd hand in hand with the love of her life.

Maneuvering through the crowd, Hasnaa winced as several bodies crashed against her body, making it nearly impossible for them to get to
the ship without letting go off
each other's hands. Seeing the ship before her, she tightened her grip on James' hand, and they both increased their pace and shoved their way through the crowd and they emerged at the other end of the crowd gasping and heaving for air.

James' friend had done the arrangements with the crew of the ship and James only needed to tell them who he was and soon they boarded the ship. As soon as they entered the ship Hasnaa felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulder.

When everybody had boarded the craft it started it's  journey. A journey
to London; James' dwelling.

They journeyed to London in love and Hasnaa wished they would forever remain the same and that she would finally get a new beginning, a beginning filled with happiness and love.