(Part 1)

That same night, even as Rashid--out of sheer panic and fear--was pleading to be allowed to sleep in his mother's chambers again for the first time in years, Leia (already curled up in her own) was practically burning with rage.

"That wretch..." she cursed in a whisper. "She doesn't want Akhi to properly pass the more-than-well-deserved judgment to her sorry excuse of a mom, so she actually harmed him! Akhi was right: that get of an outcast really should have known her place! Now, with my remaining brother Rashid having been rendered awfully shaken 'cause of that second attempt on his life and this takedown, I should be the one doing the protecting; and I will! Heck, there may be only one way to this: they all should be put out of the way... permanently, if need be-"

"Leia?" she heard a voice outside her room, but no knocks. "You in there? If you don't mind..."

"Who goes?!" this princess screamed; she who had for so long been associated with grace.

"Lei, we need to talk. Now." The voice was firm, but gentle.

Getting out of bed, the girl found her fury half evaporating, taken over by curiosity and wonder. "A-Akhi, is that you..? But how on earth... I saw you being-"

"I won't ask again!"

Images of her wounded brother outside, trembling with pain as he waited just to be admitted in, were already dancing in her mind. Knocking might well be too much of a strain for him; not now. "Alright, one moment..."

With a trembling hand she unbarred the door and, finding strength, pushed it outward.

"Akhi, I'm really sorry! I did not manage to-!"

"Lei, darling," she looked up to see a woman on her doorstep. "It's me."

"Mother." The princess gazed at Vestra for just over three seconds, before lunging for a tearful embrace. Someone to talk to! "They did it... they finally did it, Mother!"

"Sssh... it's late. Yes, darling, I know that... which is why I'm here."

Lei sniffled, still not letting go. "I thought you were... attending to Rashid."

"I figure I can get to that later. He's starting to see himself to be the prince now, either way; such a belief needs no cuddling on anyone's part. Meantime, we might as well make this talk count, alright?"

"After you, then..."

As was the case with Mirani, here too the real talk began after the door was properly closed. Vestra seated herself before the mirror that her daughter would ordinarily have used to select and consider which dresses she would be wearing for certain occasions.

"You might be thinking of fingering Azalea right now but for courtesy's sake, dear," the Amir's first consort began.

"Oh, 'tis no longer a 'might', Mother! I saw it all; she was standing over Akhi's person with that bloody dagger, even as she screamed for aid. Such a hypocrite!"

"Now that's... not the right position to start this with, daughter."

"Why not?! That's what I've seen with my own eyes!"

"And what you'd seen may have been deceiving; has that occurred to you?"

"It has occurred to me that Zal's the deceiving type, oh yes. She stole my doublet once, Mother, you might recall that still. She's always sought to make my life a trial in almost every turn! Beating me at swordplay; calling me names given half the chance, time after time... and now she's taken Akhi from me, pretty much..."

"She's taken nothing from you that you couldn't recover, just think about it," Vestra reasoned. "In Mu's case, we've seen him treated, we'll continue to pray for him in the meantime... As to accusing Azalea, mark my words: that might result in things you'd have wished not to have tried messing with."

Lei narrowed her eyes. "Why am I getting the feeling that you're defending Zal now, Mother? Why this shift? Earlier you warned us to be and remain wary of Mira's lot, said they're the conniving type..."

"That was years ago; even then that might have been a gross mistake on my part," this queen admitted. "Nowadays I can sense that they're really starting to improve, Lei, believe it or not. Methinks we need to step back and give them that chance, not pounce in to hurl fresh accusations of which we have almost no proof. Really, is that so much to ask?"

"Akhi is still wounded, come what may!"

"True. His present wounds will be healed in time, though... but the wounds inflicted through sheer prejudice now will take that much longer, perhaps for the span of entire generations, to even be patched up. That's not what any of your brothers would have wanted too, you know that, right?

"Besides," Ves went on, "Zalea and yourself had spent more hours together these days, that's a good thing: a shift from my and Mirani's used-to-be confrontational nature, I now realize. You can't always get to blame Zal if most of those encounters had ended in your coming off worse, daughter--maybe you're the one that needs improving, for once; and while you're at it, why not do that side by side with the sister that you know and love? Hmm?"

Leia exhaled and was silent for a full minute. "Fair enough. One more thing then, Mother, and this is what's been nagging at me most..."

"Relate it."

"I had learned for these few days that Zal's mom has been waiting for a decision of Akhi's concerning her fate," this princess went on, "a decision which, in view of her own past records and realizing Akhi's oh-so-strong sense of justice, could be expected not to have been very gentle. Methinks Akhi's current indisposition would certainly benefit those wishing not to see that judgment passed anytime soon; my 'sister' being one of them. What do you say to this?"

"I say that you have no right to decide on what should have been Mu's case. Mu is currently wounded, very well, then this case is being put on hold... and you shouldn't be making further assumptions about who else does or does not benefit from it for the moment; that would be surmise at best and slander at worst, especially against your own sister."

"Get to the point! Are you suggesting inaction?! You know I must protect Rashid too from here on!"

Vestra decided to overlook this instance of indiscretion; much better to vent out the pressure than pretend it did not happen, at times.

"If you are that keen on protecting him," the mother replied, "then I'd suggest you team up with Azalea to clear things up; she might have better insights on such matters. Find out who did stab your eldest brother; track them down..." Vestra's stare was quite stern at that particular moment even as she rose for leave-taking, "and avenge him. That way you'd have helped safeguard not only Rashid, but Dastra too... Oh, and before I go: do you need to have the guards to your chamber doubled just in case?"

The princess thought on this. "Best take that advice for yourself tonight, Mother; Rashid too might feel a tad more secure that way. My best wishes for him."

"Sweet dreams, then, Lei. Stay safe."

"To you as well."

***

Even as Lei was unexpectedly receiving encouragement to act, her counterpart was experiencing a somewhat different stance. Here too Mirani and Dastra were at hand, the latter practically jolted out of sleep.

"I freakin'-told ya!" Zal blasted, referring to her mother. "That vermin shouldn't have been spared, first chance we got! Now Akhi's down, the finest 'mong us; our inaction made it possible! Worse, that pighead Lei's seen me extract that blasted dagger! Heck, minds ain't gonna be at their clearest in such moments as these, misjudgment abounds... Who knows what the next hour might bring? Huh?! God Forbid, my sister and I might soon be at odds once again!"

"I get how you feel, Zal, but this is not the hour for rash actions... yet," Mira replied with a degree of pragmatism that to lesser-practiced minds might have come off as pure ruthlessness. "As irksome as it may sound, Razin is still one your father's 'esteemed' courtiers; if we were to try bruise him now, Urdin might in turn feel slighted... and that will reflect poorly on all of us, no thanks to my scheming reputation. Razin must first be removed from such a light."

"Well, what's so freakin'-hard 'bout it? His heir is wounded; his other kids on the verge of quarreling; his wives grieving! How can Dad be so deaf to all these and still refuse to let that suckling earthworm off the hook?!"

"Not that simple, believe me. Being an Amir's never easy work, darling, and power has its perks. Razin learned part of it from myself, never forget; he could be ubiquitous when needed, ruthless when compelled."

"Are you having us believe we are not being compelled to be ruthless at this very moment, Mom?" Dastra put in, flushed. "Wouldn't want Big Sis Zal to be fingered again for a crime she didn't do, right after she's helped you. Some bloody gratitude is kinda due here, no?"

Zalea smiled with pleasant surprise at this. "Well said, smartass."

Mirani sighed. "Look here, Das. As tempting as that kind of solution is to be acted upon posthaste, such an alternative would not be yours to suggest in the first place."

"Whose, then?" the royal kids asked in one voice.

"Rashid's. With Mu rendered out of the way for the foreseeable future, I gather he'd be the one Urdin would be asking for opinions in this matter, if only to serve as a readiness test."

"That weak-willed punk..." Zal facepalmed. "Freak it, Mom, ya gotta be joking. That one's a cat beside Mu's lion, and we are up 'gainst a damnably-seasoned fox! We really supposed to listen to his mewing now?!"

"For freak's sake, Azalea, just shut up for a second and listen! There are moments when your best bet is what ya have, not what you wish you had; this might well be one of 'em. Rashid's your bro too, in a sense, and he's got a sister that's proven to be more than a match for yaself: he's a damn-fine choice under the circumstances, just give 'im that chance he needs. Meantime, have a care ya don't muddy the waters more by talkin' trash to Lei when next you meet, alright? For now, our objective is to make damn-sure that fox got what he deserves. Dig that, kids?"

Dastra nodded earnestly following a minute's silence. "For Akhi."

"Aye. For Akhi!"

***

Each princess having thus been given pep talks by their respective mothers, the probably-anticipated clash of minds and opinions did not take place the morning following Mustafa's takedown. Instead, Vestra seemed to appreciate the apparent cool-headedness with which Azalea was regarding such an event.

"I always thought she's the fiercest in her love to Mu, among your get," Ves related to Mira when they had a chance to be alone together following that day's morning repast. "Either way Zal's composure is something to be admired this time around... but you must have had a hand in it."

"A mother's concerns." Mira shrugged. "There are those who're hopin'--even cravin'--to capitalize on the likely rift between us and by extension our offspring, Ves; that much can't be denied, and ya better trust me on this one. Zal, thankfully, needed little prodding to reach that conclusion. Gotta say I'm just as glad that your Lei is not messin' up, either."

"Thanks. It's Urdin I'm more worried about right now, though; like as not, he might still be too royally preoccupied in going over arrangements on how to welcome those northern... guests... with his new vazir. Little does he realize that more emphasis should be put on how safely that could-be-fateful meeting might progress-"

"Eh, they might come to that safety bit soon--that Ebrahim fellow doesn't strike me as such a dullard not to bring that up at some point. In any case, should he somehow overlook it, our kids would not, and our lovely Amir of a husband's gonna get 'nother mouthful on that. Should be fun to watch, no?"

"Let's hope he'd take their words as seriously as he would Mu's, then."

(Part 2)

While Urdin's queens were happily concluding their own conversation with visible accord, their kids were just starting with theirs.

"Look, I don't wanna sound like I'm pleading here, Lei, but we best start clean," Zalea began. "Yes, I took that dagger outta Akhi's back; doesn't mean I were the one to stick it in the first time, alright?"

"Forgive my sister for suspecting you, Zalea, but she has reasons to," Rashid put in. "You did not sound too happy when Akhi made it clear that your mom's gonna get punished, to start with..."

"Nor would you, Pipsqueak, had ya been in my place! But Mu is still my eldest sibling whom I love and respect, just like yaselves; and like you, I think he's been through too darn-much to still have to endure this kind o' betrayal at his own home!"

"So let's punish whoever did that to him," Dastra proposed, "and the only way we should be able to accomplish that, is together. Oh, we are but a bunch o' defenseless kids by ourselves, sure... but Akhi has had so many other friends, let's not forget; quite a few o' them with better sense than my own lovely sister."

Azalea crossed her arms at that, huffing. "Ya just have to do that, don't ya, runt?"

"What? I thought ya love truth, Sis."

"So let's begin by contacting those friends," Rashid pointed out while Das was being comically side-kicked in the background. "Big Sis Lei, do you have any idea who might be the nearest?"

"That would be Sir Azumi," Leia replied. "I've never seen him too far from Akhi; might have come to learn part of what our brother's got in mind."

"Visit him, shall we?"

"Then what?" Zal wanted to know.

"Then we ask around some more, find who else is willing to stand for Akhi. Only then can we go to Father and find out his take on it."

"We'll cover more grounds by splitting up," Zal suggested. "You go for Azumi n' those with 'im; I to Dad. I know some things ya don't, that would be darn-useful for him."

"You realize that'll render us weaker too, right?" Lei countered. "Were that seven-times-blasted shadowy assassin to strike again, and if even one more of us were to fall... that'd ruin our chances to ever drag them in."

"We are already weak without Akhi, see..."

"Nonsense," Rashid interrupted, far from being witty at that point. "Akhi is our backbone, yes, our uniting glue even... but, all said, he's just a prince, and we still have two more. His being out of the picture shouldn't render us clueless: he wouldn't want that, nor would I. Would you?

"Besides," he continued, "I agree with Zal this time 'round: speed is important. Father's gonna entertain northern envoys anytime soon, and I hope to wrap this up before those northerners get here. Wouldn't do to let them get away thinking that we're still not capable enough to hold ourselves together."

Dastra whistled. "Seems to me like you've done yer homework, Big Bro. Quite?"

"I... I've been thinking, yes. My bow broken, my brother wounded... Feel I gotta start doing my part in this family, as well as a fellow prince. I may still be untrained in battle, unlike Akhi, but I hope to help in other ways."

"Well, what do ya know," Zal joined, "not every prince need be a warrior... though he does need to not disgrace himself in wieldin' a sword to say the least. Blight of our times, let's just say. My mom told me ya need to be given a chance... and havin' listened to yer plan just now, I think I will. This is gonna prove to be our first real teamwork, so let's each give their best." She offered her hand, palm facing downwards. "For Akhi."

Three more hands were soon put on and atop it. "For Akhi!"

(Part 3)

Fired with a new resolve, the siblings set out as planned: Lei and Dastra went to seek out Azumi while the other pair made their way to the Amir's throne room.

Azu was having a conversation with a mubarizun officer when he was interrupted and given to understand what was expected of him.

"Ah, yes," he acknowledged, "the prince did relay some of his plans to this humble servant... but if you would permit me saying, such information might not have too much use in your possession."

"We'll have to see," Lei said. "Had he been conscious, Akhi too would want to see this issue resolved in the shortest possible time. Do you presume to stand in the way of that, Sir Azu?"

"I presume I'm seeing to our prince's wishes, Princess... and they do not, I'm afraid, include sharing any sort of information that might have put others in danger; least of all his siblings."

"Akhi would laugh in the face of danger," Dastra suggested.

"Because he would know how to handle it, most of the time, and often skillfully so. The same could not yet be said of yourselves, now, could it?"

"Are you saying we can't go help our brother, sir?"

"You might do so in other ways."

"There is no other way, sir, not this time," Leia asserted. "Akhi Mustafa aside, I am now the one responsible to look after my siblings, and I'm not going to let a humble servant's reluctance prevent me from doing just that. Azalea might tell you this in less amiable ways, so be grateful it's not her you're dealing with."

Azumi blinked. The Amir's girls had grown up. "What do you have in mind, then, Princess Leia?"

"The lingering threat to my brother, and to the rest of us, must be removed. Soon. Permanently. We were hoping you've been given indications to that end."

"Unfortunately, all that Prince Mustafa had managed to indicate to me shortly before his takedown concerned only Queen Mirani. I assume you would not be so indiscreet to stand up to her?"

"If I should!"

"Whoa, easy there, Big Sis," Das rejoined. "I was there too, Sir Azu. I listened when Akhi suggested to my mom that there might just be a 'third option' in view of her upcoming verdict... but aside from that, were there no other instructions? No new names, like, at all?"

"Hold a moment... stay, now I remember.... Yes, our prince did mention to have a certain Razin watched..."

Das winked at Lei. "Got 'im."

"Be that as it may, excellencies," Azu hastily put in, "he's only starting to come under closer surveillance! You don't mean to..?"

"Yes, we do," Lei replied shortly. "We have been doing more than enough surveillance of him ourselves, and he had long been found wanting."

"With due respect, the Amir might disapprove."

Dastra grinned. "Oh, that can change. Have a nice day, Sir Azu; relay our warmest regards when next ya get to see Akhi."

***

Even as Azu was still pondering whether or not he had done the right thing by passing the name of a fellow courtier to such youngsters for 'permanent removal',  Urdin was just preparing for that particular day's audience. The Amir was mildly surprised to see his own children being the first visitors, but kept his calm.

"Dad," Zalea began by way of greeting. "We gotta talk."

"What about?"

"Ya heard what happened to Akhi?"

The Amir's countenance hardened. "How could I not? Never expected that to happen. How is he?"

"Still abed, most likely," Rashid replied, trying to remain dignified at such a reaction. "Wasn't there at today's morning repast, remember? But what we came here for is-"

"To ask if you'll give us permission to deal with the worthless scum that did it," Zal finished.

"Who?" Urdin demanded, rising from his throne.

"Razin. Mom's lapdog gone freakin'-rogue."

"Any witnesses?"

"Many. Takes time to call in, but Rashid here was at the wrong end of his blade once."

The Amir glared at the boy for confirmation, and the latter nodded. "Broke my bow, that one."

"Broken bow's not good enough, Ras. You sure that didn't break during training?"

"Oh, p'raps you'd like broken bones better?" Zal snapped. "How many?"

"You know I've little time for empty claims, girl."

"The fact that Akhi could be dying as we speak, you call that empty?!"

"I've checked with the healers; thankfully the dagger was not poisoned. Considering how expressly your brother had been attended to, I think we can breathe a little easier. In the meantime-"

"In the meantime you'll play the part of a darn-civil host for those godless northerners in due time, is that it?" Zal stomped forth. "Whom the freak do you think had worked tooth and nail to ensure that such a meeting could have taken place at all, huh?!"

"Azalea, don't provoke me."

"She's right, Father," Rashid put in. "For months on end we've been wishing for few else beyond seeing Akhi get to us with 'well-deserved' victory. Well, he had... and this is how you would thank him? Is his use to you limited to how long he could stand to wield weapons? Hmm? Would you be treating me that way too? Or Das?"

"You are people, Ras, not pawns! Stop acting like-"

"Then treat us like people, darn you!" Zal exploded. "Far as I could recall, you've almost never asked any of us such personal things as what my favorite pet could be, or even if it's still alive; which craftsman Rashid might have gone to engineer his first bow ever; or what Mustafa, that 'lion' of yours, might have been doing to pass time during that freakin'-siege, or with whom... You only seem to care for the fact that your colors remained fluttering on the highest parapet, the death toll be damned, am I wrong? Really, Dad, has so much power rendered you so misdirected? Get the freak up!"

In one of the rarer moments of his years of reign, Urdin was stunned speechless.

Azalea's frankness he could understand, but to think the usually-compliant Rashid would also lend his voice... That was rather unexpected, and the Amir's personal pique was now roused to figure out the 'why'.

On keener reflection, moreover, he could see Azalea's point: his children were all growing up, which meant less and less time to talk about more 'childish' matters. All the same, ruling could be tiring work. True, he had such state apparatus and all, including a new vazir, to handle all that... but might it not be wiser to start engaging his children on more personal bases from here on?

But to do that, the father realized he would first have to earn the kids' trust, starting with these two.

"Alright," he re-seated himself, "so you are concerned about Mustafa as are we all... and now you want me to seek Razin out and bring him in for questioning, is that it?"

"Too kind," Azalea complained. "We want you to end him."

"That's deep. On what charges?"

Thus prompted, this now-smirking princess proved to be every inch her mother's daughter.

"First," she began, "direct implication in the nocturnal assault three years prior that had resulted in the deaths of two palace maids... one of whose families had been confirmed to still be making demands for the evildoer's life. On this one you might wanna send for Sir Azumi, Akhi's aide, for elaboration.

"Second, the poisoning of Sir Yasnar, yer vazir before this one and my darn-near mentor, as well as the unprovoked dispatch of his aide Zaeed. Go for a servant named Aska for details.

"And third, was yet another attempt on Rashid's life. Only the brand-new bow was lost, as he said, but my bro Dastra's been a fellow sufferer also. We had thought that scum would've ceased at that, having gone so far so wickedly fast, but no: Akhi Mustafa had been his very next victim, we know what followed. Unless Razin's tricks are put to rest soon-"

At this point Zal stopped speaking; the Amir was holding up a hand.

"Back those fanciful narratives with any shred of hard evidence," he pointed out, "and we might talk again. Otherwise it's you who shall be put on trial for trying to tarnish my courtier's good name. You want to be treated like people, this could be a fine start. You may leave."