This was a chapter that brought tears to my eyes while writing it. Best of luck.

~*Be patient when you sit in the dark. The dawn is coming~*

Badr sprint forward to where a dozen brigands fought his knights. Running, he moved his head right and growled to see that some of them had long gone invaded the inner circle of the tribe, and his men endeavored to stop them. Badr took off his cloak and flung it aside just when he reached the bandits. Scared, enraged, and perplexed at the unforeseen audacious invasion, Badr swung his ax in such speed that the blade caused a sharp hole in one of his opponent's chest.

Why was his tribe attacked in the middle of the daylight? Thieves attempted to loot at night and be discreet. However, this was war. Puddles of crimson water littered the tribe. Badr's knights were expeditious to gain their wits and strike back. He had trained them infinite nights for this.

Defend the women, children, and elderly. Always keep a weapon close. And if attacked while asleep with a blade to your throat, do not perish without a fight.

Just when the last scattered cloud unveiled the sun, the last of the bandit fell. Badr watched the man fall to his knees and crumble. Badr extracted the ax from the man's body and turned. Chest heaving, sagr al fursan scanned around for more like an unhinged animal. There was blood on his clothes, blood on his hands. Badr could not tell if it was his blood or the blood of the men he had just terminated, but he knew that it was warm. The depletion of the war; caused his ax to shake in his hand, and before Badr could drop the weapon on the ground, his blood ran cold.

"BADR!" cried a woman's voice. His mother's voice.

As he turned to the voice, his whole world tipped to the side. With a cry of absolute horror that tore from his chest, Badr ran; he ran as he had never before. His sandals slipped on stones, but he did not stop.

He had to run faster.

Badr ran.

Ya, Allah!

The wind sprint alongside him, taking sand and dust with it, causing trees to sway in their roots. A sharp stone bit his left foot, and Badr: for a few ominous seconds stumbled but quickly gained his balance and ran towards his mother.

However, in the seconds that he wavered, something occurred. Instead of walking the last few steps, Badr froze. His form went rigid, and he merely stared. It was then; that a deadly monster roared in Badr's chest, scalding him to his core.

Suddenly screams from around him erupted, and people crowded, but Badr could not move. His body commenced to tremble, and sweat dripped down his frozen spine. Jabbir took the last steps for Badr, seized the last of the bandit, and drove his sword through the man's heart. Even then, Badr stood there, but his eyes gradually traveled to the other body that lay lifeless next to his mother's feet.

Its cold eyes looked at Badr with a smile on lips, and what caused bile to rise in Badr's mouth was the slit on his father's throat. Sheikh Faisal lay there, in the pool of his blood, eyes on his son who could not reach him. Who could not shield him!

A woman was sobbing; her cries were louder than the tribe that gathered around. Her screams felt as if they wrapped a cord around Badr's throat and strangled him. Her screams caused goosebumps to rise on his cold body. 

Mother.

There was a ringing in his head, and bile rose in Badr's stomach. Trembling, he took a step forward, then another. The weeping crowd parted for the leader's eldest son. Slowly, Badr reach his father's body, and Jabbir's scarlet eyes met his, but Badr was not seeing.

He was late yet once again.

If he had run faster, he would reach and save his father. Something stung his eyes, and he blinked twice to ease the first glimpse of pain. Finally, Badr stopped by his weeping mother, who held Sheikh Faisal's face in her hands. Her husband's blood smeared on her clothes, and her tears trickled down her eyes and mingled with her spouse's blood.

Badr doubled over in agony and emptied his stomach. He could not see, the world was blurry, but he could hear shouts. Voices were calling him. Voices were calling his father.

His mother.

A hand on his shoulder lifted him. "Badr. Badr." Jabbir's voice penetrated the haze.

Wiping the back of his bloody hand over his mouth, Badr dropped his ex on the ground and turned to his mother. Swallowing, he took the final three steps and landed on his knees, on the right side of his father's body. He stared into Sheikh Faisal's distant eyes. After a moment, Badr lifted his right hand and closed his father's eyes. Sitting there with no tears, or grief he gaped at the sagacious face.

More and more people gathered, and the voices grew louder. However, Badr sat there on his knees on the stones and watched, taking in every feature of Sheikh Faisal's face. His eyes, his gray hair, and his beard. The fact that he would never open the eyes his son just closed caused Badr to inhale a sharp breath.

If only he were faster, if only he had not stumbled. Badr's gaze dropped to his father's smile, and here a single drop of tear dribbled down his face. He bit his lip, feeling desperate. His heart tore open within his chest and bled, and Badr knew he could not stitch it back.

Someone was on their knees next to Badr, and when the person hugged Shiekh Faisal's body, Badr somehow discerned that it was Salim. His sibling. He watched transfixed, his blood turning colder with every second as Gaith took off his headdress and tenderly placed it on the slit on Sheikh Faisal's throat. Another tear burned Badr's eye and hid in his beard as Gaith's white headdress turned red from his father's blood.

Badr tore his gaze from his father and looked around; tribesmen looked at him with tears flowing down their eyes. Women eclipsed their faces, unable to face him. Was it because they knew that Badr was late? That, if he had been quicker, Sheikh Faisal would have been alive?

He felt tiny arms encircle around his midriff. Looking down, Badr gulped to see Maha, his younger sibling, embrace him. She should not be here. As if reading his blurry thoughts, Jabbir gently grabbed Maha and pulled her away from her beloved father.

"No. No. Let me see my father. I implore you." Her voice reverberated in Badr's brain, but he could not register the words.

Someone was attempting to pull Umm Badr away from Sheikh Faisal's body as well. Khalid held his hysteric mother's shoulders and pulled her. The action unleashed such drastic cries from her that finally, Badr broke down. Everything registered in his wretched brain. His pillar was gone.

The shadow over his head was gone.

Sheikh Faisal was gone.

His mother's cries felt as if sharp daggers seized veins in his heart and slit them open. Grieve, so ardent encased Badr, his cold blood now kindled, searing him alive. Blinking away the water in his eyes, he gently held his father's head and lay it on his lap, staring down.

"Badr. Badr." A voice to his left called. "We must move him. The tribe cannot witness more of this. Badr." His friend Khalfan held his shoulders.

Swallowing the burning lump in his throat, Badr nodded. Khalfan leaped to his feet and called for his brothers and cousins. Badr lowered his gaze to his father again, and this time the air sucked out of his lungs. Abruptly, the world around him became pellucid, and the enormity of the situation hit him hard, almost strangling him.

The tribe ambushed by an enemy he did not know. They had dared to not only enter his tribe but slaughter the leader of the Rashideen tribe in front of them. Once again, he looked down; this time, instead of puzzlement, anguish, rage, vehement fury began to crowd his senses.

Badr felt his body quiver to such an extent that his shoulders shook. He slowly rose to his feet as the muadhan and; his cousins placed his father's body on a wooden stretcher and made their way to the main masjid in the center of the tribe surrounded by the tribesmen.

Sagr al fursan ran his bloody fingers over his face in despair as he stood there watching the men walk away. The wind came to a standstill. Nothing moved, not the wind nor the trees. The sudden veer of events had caused a termor even among the wind.

The wind bent low to look at Badr, and it shivered. Something just behind the rust-colored veil of his eyes, a beast lifted its head and regarded the wind straight in the eyes. An imp the wind knew even Badr was not aware of, for it had just raised its head.

However, this was just the inception of downright mayhem.

**

An inky sky loomed over the Rashideen tribe. The wind had long gone ceased its movements for the day. Up ahead, the stars twinkled rather quietly, for the misfortune of the Rashideen tribe reached them. After the Maghrib prayer, the body reached its final destination in the graveyard behind the tribe. Everymen of the Rashideen tribe and the members of the neighboring gathered for Janaza.

Men from around the neighboring tribes had gathered in a large tent. Badr's cousins and Rashideen knights build up the open tent right after Duhr prayer. It was a large open tent with lanterns hanging from every wooden pillar. The knights either stood by the large tent waiting for orders from the elders or sat on the ground on palm mats. Yasser, Badr's eldest cousin, took it upon himself and his siblings to manage the water and food for the people who had descended upon the tribe at such a piece of news.

The sun had just veiled itself behind the mountains, yet it felt that seconds stretched to excruciating hours. Khalid sat on the place where once his father sat in the middle of the tent. He was among men he did not know. It felt as if the whole desert mourned with him, and, yet, Khalid desired to be alone. He had just buried his father with his own hands. There was soil under his nails and blood, still warm on the place his father had died.

Khalid wanted to see his mother. He yearned to hide in her embrace from the gawking world. Khalid sat with his feet beneath him so that there was enough space for the countless men in the tent. He did not have a headdress on him; his hair touched his earlobes as his head hung, not wanting to look at the men, leaders, and knights in the tent.

Warm tears filled his eyes when Khalid recalled his last moments with his father, lowering him in the grave. Tears dropped on his clenched fists that lay on his thighs, and he swallowed. Blinking rapidly, Khalid lifted his head to see his sibling, Badr. Ever since the burial, Badr had vanished. Khalfan had appraised him that Badr had gone to see their mother, but he should have been back now.

Badr was the leader. He had the heart to confront the eyes of innumerable men in this tent, not Khalid. The second son of Sheikh Faisal wanted to flee, to hide from the sympathetic looks the men had on their faces. Khalid wanted to weep, but at the same time, he desired to grab his sword and slaughter everyone behind his father's death.

His uncles sat on either side of him. Brothers of his father and mother sat there to provide him strength, but Khalid felt as if his backbone had shattered, his spine thinning every second.

Badr. Where was he? Khalid needed him.

The Rashideen prince slowly rose to his feet, aware of how every man in the large tent looked at him. He watched his shadow flicker from the light of the lantern placed a foot away from him. Swallowing, Khalid made his way to the mouth of the tent, taking deep breaths to calm himself. As he came out of the tent, Omer, his dearest friend, leaped from the circle of knights sitting on a palm mat and sprinted towards him. "What is the matter? Do you require something?" Omer asked, his voice concerned.

"Badr. Where is he?" Khalid's voice sounded hoarse as if he had screamed for hours.

"Badr is by the well." A new voice joined them. Khalfan, Badr's knight, and one of his closest friends appraised them. "He does not wish to join."

Khalid's eyes narrowed. Badr never shied away from anything. No matter how tough the situation, he was always there, stern, unyielding. This behavior disturbed Khalid immensely. "I must see him."

Khalfan nodded. Just when they turned towards the well, a voice called for Khalid. Khalid stopped to look to his left and saw Salim running towards him, frightened, lost.

Terror enveloped Khalid at once. Salim was supposed to be with their mother. What was he doing here? "What is the matter, ya Salim?" He demanded as Salim came to a standstill before him.

"I tried." Salim gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"Tried what?" Khalid asked again, terror clogging his throat.

"Mother. She-She is sleeping. I tried to rouse her, but she would not." Here Salim's voice shook, and Khalid bit his lip.

"When did this happen?" He held Salim's shoulders.

"She was weeping, and suddenly she fell asleep. I was there to watch over her as Badr instructed me, but she would not listen. She is sleeping soundly, but she would not open her eyes." Tears brimmed Salim's eyes, and Khalid clenched his jaw at the fear in Salim's innocent eyes.

His shoulders eased a little as he comprehended Salim's words. He knew his mother had lost consciousness, and Khalid knew it was the grieve and pain. He wanted to go to her but knew that women from the tribe were in their house, and he could not leave the tent when Badr was nowhere.

"Salim, go back home with Omer," the younger sibling's gaze drifted to Omer, who gave a nod of assurance. "Take Maha with you and go sleep in Omer's house. Instruct Fatma to never leave by Mother's side until I come back. I will be there soon." Khalid tenderly patted his brother's shoulder, who nodded vigorously.

Once Salim and Omer were out of his sight, Khalid turned to Khalfan, who led the way to where Badr was. After a few minutes, they reached the well where once Khalid had seen prince of knights wash his horse, Tufan.

Badr sat on the wall with his head hung low between his clasped hands that rested on his forehead. He looked defeated, torn. Jabbir and Gaith stood either side of him with anxious faces, looking at Badr. Khalid stopped in front of his brother and peered down at him.

After a short while, Badr withdrew his hands from his forehead but did not lift his head. "Did you send for Raghad?"

At the mention of their sister, Khalid felt his throat tingle with emotions he was fighting to keep at bay. His eyes burned again. "Yes. I sent a messenger right after dhuhr prayer."

"She," Badr cleared his throat. "She would have wanted to see him for the last time. Raghad would never forgive me." Badr ran a hand through his hair.

Jabbir settled a hand on his shoulder. "We could not wait any longer. I am certain, knight of knights is on his way as we speak."

Badr did not respond. He stared at the earth in front of him. The events of the day displayed in his brain like an ominous spell. He felt desperate, helpless, and the person he knew he would find his strength in had not arrived yet. Raghad. His precious sister.

"How is Mother?" Khalid did not respond at once, and this was when Badr finally lifted his head. "How is Mother?" Fear flickered in his voice.

Khalid shook his head. "Not well."

"You need to be with her," Badr told him.

"And you need to be present at the tent." Khalid sighed.

This time Badr shook his head. "I am not going back."

The four men looked at each other and then at Badr, muddled. "What do you mean, Badr. I do not comprehend." Khalid frowned.

Badr slowly rose to his feet, looking at Khalid. "I am no longer the Sheikh of the Rashideen tribe." He glanced at Jabbir, Gaith, and Khalfan. "You three stand here as witnesses to my verdict," he straightened his spine. "I name Khalid as the heir of Sheikh Faisal."

The men gaped at Badr, not assimilating his words and intention even the wind perked up. "You are the heir, Badr," Jabbir stated.

Badr nodded. "And now, from this moment on, Khalid Al Rashideen is my successor and the leader of the Rashideen tribe."

Khalid took a step forward, lips in a tight line. "Where are you going?"

Badr did not respond; he merely stared at his sibling for a few seconds. His fists clenched, and Badr exhaled. He had made his decision, and now there was no turning back. "Sheikh" A new voice joined them. It was Hassan, one of Badr's younger cousins. He was holding Badr's sword and Ax. "You asked for these." Hassan stopped on Badr's right.

It was then Khalid took note of Badr's attire. Garbed in a black kandoora with a black robe, he was ready for war. Badr took hold of the ax. "Thank you, cousin," Badr told Hassan, who nodded and walked away, leaving the men to gaze at Badr in utter bewilderment.

"Where are you going, Badr? You cannot leave now. The tribe needs you," Khalid took another step. "I need you."

Badr bit his lip and placed a hand on Khalid's shoulder. "I cannot stay in this tribe knowing that those who assassinated my father roam these lands freely."

"You are going alone?" Khalfan asked.

"Where?" Khalid demanded.

"You cannot go alone, ya Badr," Gaith added.

"To terminate them, the very last one of them. I will be back once I am content with the blood my sword has savored." Badr hissed, fury bubbling in his blood. His eyes moved to the hand that rested on Khalid's shoulder. His jaw clenched so hard that his teeth hurt when he saw dried blood around his nails.

His father's blood.

"Where will you go? You are but a man. Alone you cannot do anything." Gaith continued.

"I am certain that there are men in these lands who crave to destroy them just as passionately as I desire. I will locate them." Badr let his hand drop to his side, disregarding the twitch in his fingers.

"And then commit what?" Khalid directed, vexed. He also yearned for vengeance. However, this was not the time.

"Exterminate them all."

"You are voyaging for revenge, Badr. You must reconsider this matter with a clearer head. Remain here tonight, and we shall discuss this early in the morning." Gaith articulated.

Badr looked at him. "Spoken like a true merchant. Gaith. They invaded my tribe in the daylight, with my trained knights guarding the tribe. Where every man was wide awake, and yet what transpired, "His voice rose slightly with every word. "And yet they slit my father's throat right before my eyes." The last words were pronounced in a low voice as if Badr was incapable of uttering them.

Gaith dropped his gaze, unable to look Badr in the eye. There was a moment's silence. "Do you even know where to commence from?" Khalfan urged.

"I do not know where I will start from, brother. I do not know what brought those men here in the first place," Badr's grip tightened on his sword. "I do not have any information whatsoever, Khalid. However, I will find them, and, by Allah, I will kill them all."

Khalid felt a shiver cascade down his spine from the look that materialized on Badr's face. The man in front of him was not Badr but rather a fiend in the place of his sibling. The breathless silence in his eyes rose the hairs on Khalid's arms. He knew nothing he could say or do would prevent his brother. The evil in Badr's eyes would only depart by killing those who assassinated their father.

"If you ever need me, go to the furthest farm, and you will see my man stationed there. He will deliver your message to me." Badr informed.

"At least stay for tonight." Khalid attempted.

"I cannot, ya Khalid. Looking at Mother kills me. It reminds me that if only I had been quicker, father would have been still breathing," Badr threw his head back and looked at the murky sky, his adam's apple bobbing. "Do not request of things I cannot give you."

"I cannot do this without you, Badr." Khalid's voice shook.

"If it is someone who can do it, it is you, ya Khalid. I have faith in you." Badr held his brother's neck to assure him. "Protect Mother. Tell her I will come back. Do not- do not let her weep. Be her strength, Khalid. I know I am demanding for too much, brother, but, by Allah, I cannot stay here." Badr murmured only for Khalid to hear who wrapped his hands around his brother.

"In Sha Allah," Khalid whispered back.

The siblings parted. "I will accompany you," Gaith provided.

Badr shook his head. "Your mother has just decorated her eyes with your sight, do not loot the shine from those eyes. Stay here."

"Then I shall accompany you," Jabbir added. "You are my leader, my friend, and Shiekh Faisal was my father as well. This journey you wish to voyage, it should not be alone." He crossed his hands over his chest, leaving no place for an argument. His eyes held a challenge.

"Very well." Badr gave a single nod of his head, aware that Jabbir would stay true to his word. "We must depart now."

"You need to take food, clothes," Gaith suggested, worried.

"I have already prepared them for myself and Jabbir," Badr responded.

"You knew I would come?" Jabbir frowned.

Badr glanced at him and nodded. If there was a man in this tribe who would accompany Badr to the end of the world, it was Jabbir.

Just as Badr took a step to depart, an announcement from the boundaries of the tribe caught their attention. "Prince Faris has arrived." Everyone looked at sagr al fursan, who stood frozen to his place for a while.

Sagr al fursan inhaled. "We must depart," Badr looked at Khalid. "Take care of Raghad." He turned his back on his sibling, walking away from his home, his tribe.

Khalid felt his body become stiff. He inhaled and then exhaled. The sibling watched as Badr handed Jabbir his ax as they stopped by two horses and mounted them. How on earth was he going to lead a tribe without his father and Badr? It was one thing to lose his father, and now Badr's departing had extended the void in his chest.

"We must go back, ya Khalid." Khalfan's voice brought him back to reality. He had a tribe to protect, his mother and Raghad, who had just arrived when her knight just departed to slaughter those who killed her father.

Ya, Allah! 

___________________________

How was it?