!!

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@Haya : And I will teach my daughter to plung her claws into any man who tries to touch her, without her letting him. Because it's high time for men to realize that women are not objects, but beasts, who are strong enough to tear apart the soul of any man who tries to violate them. - - Slaying demons, Mahin Ismail.

@Haya : No woman in our country or even in the entire world should be violated without her consent. An eighteen year old girl got raped last night by three foreign tourists from America and France. There is no way that Buredaan is going to allow them to seek protection by going back. They will be punished and justice will be brought to eighteen year old Sana.

Haya x Amir

"I haven't heard from you since last night, Haya. Really that busy for me Princess?" The Prince teased, relishing in the comfort of hearing her voice.

He hadn't heard from her since a day or so and he hadn't contacted her on his own either. But as the new day had set in and Haya still hadn't called or even sent him a text, Amir had dialled her number without any hesitation.

She was supposed to be his wife in the future. He had every right to call her.

As he heard her soft sigh, Amir frowned just a little. Had something happened?p

"Salam Amir. I'm sorry. I was just occupied."

He didn't miss the fact that she had been saying Salam quite often these days, he hadn't heard her do it before but now that she was saying it, it was the sweetest greeting he had ever heard.

"Walaikum Salam, Haya. It's alright. Are you fine?" He enquired, knowing that she sounded a little worried and he needed to know why.

"Have you heard about Sana?" Haya asked back, swallowing as she recalled the dread she had felt last night when visiting the eighteen year old girl.

Amir hadn't really heard Haya say the name before so he didn't know who she was talking about.

"Sana? I don't recall." He replied, hearing his woman take another deep breath as she spoke up.

"She's an eighteen year old girl who got raped last night. She got raped by men, not a man but men. She was an Uber driver, Amir." Haya insisted.

She knew Sana wasn't the first woman to get raped and she probably won't be the last. Women got raped, even men got raped. It was the most cruel reality of life.

"Haya," Amir softly called out her name, not even knowing what to say to make her feel better.

"I know the world is cruel and these things happen, Amir. I just don't understand how people can be this disgusting." Haya rambled, not hearing Amir say anything as she kept talking.

"You know, she was driving these tourists back to their hotel and they forced themselves onto her." She recalled the dreaded scene, hating how she couldn't do anything to save the girl.

Haya didn't remember the last time she had been affected so much because of something like this. She reckoned it was because she wasn't being given censored information among golden walls.

She was seeing and feeling the ugly truth.

"Some humans are worse than animals." Amir agreed.

Humans were the most superior beings created by God. But they sometimes retorted to the worst kind of behaviour.

"They don't even deserve to be compared to animals. I visited her this morning, Amir. She's so broken. She's in such a critical position." Haya replied, swallowing.

"Have the men been arrested yet?" Amir asked.

He truly did not have any information about any of this and even if it was the kind of case that had stirred an entire country, the news had not been big enough to reach his ears.

Still, knowing that something like this could very well happen to any man or woman, knowing that consent was the one thing that made us all human beings, that getting your personal choice ripped away from you was one of the worst feelings in the entire world, he knew that this was not just a news for Haya.

She was passionate about human rights and fighting for justice, it was one of the many things that he appreciated about her.

"Yes. They got identified easily but the US embassy is insistent on asking for them back. They say that the men will be punished as per US law."

He could argue that the government of Buredaan had a valid and strong stance and could make the criminals stay but he did not want to say something that could get him and his country into trouble.

The US and Maraaish were friendly allies. He wanted it to remain that way.

"Sounds right." He murmured, hearing Haya scoff.

"Please. They'd hardly be punished. They're white men. Why would they be punished for violating a Muslim woman?"

She shot back with passion and in a high pitched tone, the kind that would never be tolerated by most men in Maraaish but Amir knew Haya, he understood her.

She wasn't misbehaving with him, she was complaining about how unfair things were.

"Haya, they will get punished." He insisted, trying to get her to feel calm.

She hummed in agreement.

"Yes, they will. And they'll be punished here. They violated our citizen. They deserve to die in our country."

"The US is a superpower. Are you sure that you want to issue statements that might sabotage them as Buredaan's ally?"

He could not help but voice his thoughts out loud and he made sure that his words were balanced enough.

He trusted Haya, he did. But she was still the daughter of Buredaan, not the wife of Maraaish's Crown Prince.

"I don't care, Amir. I'm not going to let them leave."

She was stubborn, he didn't know if her stubbornness would cause trouble after marriage or not but he did know that Haya would never be an obedient wife. She would have an opinion and she wouldn't ever hesitate in voicing it.

"It's not your decision, Haya." Amir reminded her.

She wasn't the leader, she wasn't the second in line to lead, not even the third or the fourth.

"It's not. But I've got enough influence to change decisions of people." She responded, he frowned.

"I admire your courage, I always have. I just don't want you to speak without thought. Act, Haya. Don't bash."

He still advised, continuing as he heard her say nothing.

"And don't be upset. They'll be punished here and Allah has prepared hell fire for them." He reminded her, Haya couldn't help but agree with that.

"What is the punishment for rape in Maraaish?"

She suddenly asked, because she hated that rules in Buredaan regarding such subjects weren't too clear and had too many loopholes.

"Death by stoning." Amir told her, not even hesitating as he told her that.

The strict rules in Maraaish were the reason for the low crime rate.

"Good." She murmured, continuing as she told him her agenda of the day.

"I'll talk to my father. I don't care how but I'm not letting him send them back." She insisted, Amir sighed.

"Haya.."

He cared about her. He didn't want her to get into any more trouble or try for something that might not be possible.

He knew that the US would go easy on it's citizens and it was quite shit that things were this way but Haya had to understand diplomacy and world politics.

Superpowers were egoistic and while Maraaish had enough oil to shut them up, Buredaan had to resort to diplomacy even more. They weren't a poor country but they didn't stand a chance against a superpower.

"I'm not asking you, Amir. I'm telling you." Haya finally said, tone sharper than usual and it pricked Amir more than ever.

She didn't like that he kept trying to tell her to change her mind. She had made it already, there was no changing it back.

Besides, she was doing a good deed here.

She heard the silence over the phone call before she heard his voice again.

"If my opinion doesn't matter to you, you shouldn't even tell me your plans, Haya." He was quite straightforward and firm with his words, so unlike the usual Amir whose voice was filled with warmth.

Haya knew that he hadn't liked her sharp tone. She sighed, not willing to disturb the one thing that she thought was quite precious.

"Your opinion does matter, Amir." She whispered, closing her eyes as the sudden craving of enveloping him in her arms reached her mind and heart.

"Take care, Haya." He replied instead, voice soft and warm and making her understand that everything was just okay.

"You too." She ended the call, putting her phone on the side table as she stood up, ready to go and talk to her father.

"You're sending them back?! You're sending them back?!!" Haya yelled as if she wasn't talking to her father but some random person.

The news of the two American rapists being sent back was quite shocking to her. How could her father agree to it so damn easily?

She didn't understand and she felt like biting someone's head off.

"Haya, stop." Her brother, the crown Prince Yusuf came forward. His brows furrowed as he tried to stop his sister.

"No, I won't stop." She shrugged him off, looking at the King again.

"No dad! How can you even agree to this?"

"We're only sending the Americans back. The French one will be punished on our soil." She heard her father say.

Unlike Haya, he looked absolutely calm. It was not the first time his daughter was questioning him. It was just her high tone that he didn't exactly appreciate.

"I can not believe you agreed. Amir was right, they're a superpower and we can't do anything." She mentioned the Crown Prince's name and felt her brother look at her in surprise.

"You talked to Amir about this?!" He exclaimed, Haya rolled her eyes.

"So? We're going to get married. Why shouldn't I?" She said back, staring at her brother with a bored look on her face.

"Because he's the fucking crown Prince of another country and can use this information against us."

While Yusuf knew Amir was a good man, he also knew that he was at a similar position like him and any news from another country could be used easily for personal gain.

Haya looked at her father again, who didn't appreciate his son cursing right in front of him and his daughter.

"Yusuf."

That only made the Buredaan's Crown Prince turn towards his father again.

"She needs to stop being so whiny, Father. Women get raped all the time. Men get punished for it as well. Get over it, Haya."

Haya gasped.

Since when had her brother grown to be so damn insensitive?

He wasn't insensitive though. It was just the fact that Yusuf had already seen life past the golden walls and Haya was only seeing it now. The life that inspired her to do something in London was still nothing compared to the life of several human beings in their country.

"Women get raped all the time? What if it was me? What if eighteen year old Haya had got gang raped by three men?" Haya asked, not even bothering to lower her voice or have some shame in front of her father.

"Would you have sent the Americans back, Father? Would you have said that women get raped all the time?" She directly questioned the King this time.

"Haya, watch who you're talking to." His brother reminded her of the tone and she swallowed not backing down.

"I'm not being disrespectful to you, dad." She said, continuing.

"I just think that people don't know how it feels to be violated without consent, how helpless one can feel. That woman is the citizen of this country." She took her stand the way she had to, without any fear.

"She was in such a critical stage but she still had hope that justice will be brought to her."

She remembered the hope in her half open eyes, the way she had squeezed Haya's hand with all the strength she had, the way she had been trying to speak to tell her that she just wanted the animals dead.

"Haya, the American government has assured us that they will punish their citizens." The King stayed quiet, observing his son and daughter.

"He did not rape an American woman on an American soil. He raped a woman from Buredaan, in Buredaan."

Haya said back, narrowing her eyes.

"What can you do? Father is the King, he has made his decision." Yusuf replied, crossing his arms.

Haya scoffed, knowing that she had enough knowledge to tackle her brother. He might have been a pro at politics as a Crown Prince but she had also been taught by the very best people in the world.

"I'll go to international court, I'll campaign against American government, I'll take this issue to the UN human rights committee. I won't sit freely and that is a promise." She announced and not even once did King Najaf doubt that his daughter wouldn't do all of it and more.

It was Haya. If she made her mind about something, she made sure that she did her best. It worried the King. His daughter had a good heart but she was stubborn. Not every one could deal with such people with tenderness.

"Haya," He called his daughter's name with affection, knowing her intentions and understanding her heart.

He knew his daughter didn't mean to disrespect him. She didn't say a word during the meeting, she remained quiet untill they were alone and then she burst like a volcano.

Haya swallowed, taking two steps towards her father as she took a hold of his hand.

"Father, I've always looked upto you. If you agree to this then I'll be disappointed in you for the very first time." She whispered to him, continuing as she felt her voice shake.

"I never want to feel disappointed in you, Dad." She further said, swallowing and gulping and trying to remove the sudden feeling of crying that she had developed within herself.

"I'll talk to the President one last time." King Najaf decided, giving in.

Haya nodded, hoping that the outcome would be different this time.

"Thank you." She squeezed his hand even tighter and her father only shook his head, patting her cheek as he walked away.

As Haya was just about to leave the room, she heard Yusuf's voice directed at her.

"You might interfere in our world here Haya but you can't do the same when you get married. It'll ruin your life." He told her, Haya only chuckled at that.

"Watch me."

She replied, leaving the room herself.

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@AmirBinAbdullah : Light upon light.

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@Haya : Our Royal Carrier.

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Amir.
I heard the weather was changing in Buredaan.

Haya.
It is. But the capital is still quite warm.

Amir.
I also remember you telling me that you hadn't really explored your city.

Haya.
That's true. Why the sudden thought?

Amir.
Your recent photograph shows that it's still summer in Buredaan and well, you seem to be in a crowded area.

Haya.
It's a gated community near Aaliya's place. She thought I needed to relax a little bit.

Amir.
Alright. Feeling better now?

Haya.
Yes, Amir. I am. What about you?

Amir.
I am a little uncomfortable, Haya. I know that I can not tell you what to wear or not but if you could avoid posting pictures like that on social media atleast, I would really appreciate it.

Haya.
You can call and say this directly to me, Amir.

Amir.
I said what I needed to say. I have to be in a meeting.

Haya.
Are you upset about the picture? I told you all about everything when you asked me to marry you.

Amir.
I am not upset. We'll be announcing our arrangement to the world real soon, Haya.

Haya.
Yes, I know that.

Amir.
I don't want people to see you with naked legs on a bicycle instead of seeing the courageous woman who just fought the battle of justice for a citizen of her country.

Haya.
I don't even know what to say to that, Amir. You know I don't really care about what people say.

Amir.
Princess Haya might not care but my wife will have to. I'm not putting a burden on you, I'm just asking you to please avoid such things at this point of time.

Haya.
I feel like you're dictating me on what to wear.

Amir.
Not at all. Don't think of it like that.

Haya.
Okay.

Amir.
Haya, you're half of my heart. Please don't think that I'm dictating you.

Haya.
I'll be careful, Amir.

Amir.
I'll call.

Haya.
I'll wait ❣️

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Thoughts??