•بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم.•

A group of ladies were sitting under a tree in the palace on a big vermilion carpet that was spread for them by some of the maids. There were three of them to be precise all dressed up in chic outfits; one of them having a heavily brocade white and golden robe on. That same woman leaned on one of the numerous bolsters that was on the carpet as she munched on grapes taking her time as she does that. The two others were just sitting upright as they ate the fruits too.

The sun was up shining brightly but surprisingly though it wasn't that hot. And, even if it was then it won't bother them that much because th ey were under the shade of the tree.

The one that was leaning on the bolster smiled at something one of the other women said. At this rate you can say that nothing will upset her because she had been in a good mood since the day before when she gave birth to the crowned Prince. The palace was bursting with excitement you can figuratively feel it in the air. The Queen's happiness was evident for everyone to see. She had always been a very kind person but something about her benevolence increased since she has been delivered off the Prince.

Nothing could ruin her mood at the moment.

Or so she thought.

A maid approached the ladies walking hastily; she was walking so fast that she almost tripped but she braced herself till she reached the Queen. By the time she got there, she staggered and was breathing heavily. You can tell that she had been walking hastily for minutes, "My Queen!" she breathed out.

Queen Sa'eemah turned her attention to the maid. Her brows furrowed as she saw how disoriented the maid is, "Jakadiya, what happened? Why do you look nonplussed? Lafiya kuwa?" she asked because it was very disturbing to see her Jakadiya like that. The woman had always been cool and calm in everything she does even if she is bewildered by something she hardly shows it. She's always composed. So her being like this is odd. Even the two other women stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on the woman that's heaving in front of them.

Jakadiya breathed in before exhaling slowly. She blinked once, then twice, and thrice before gathering the courage to tell Queen Sa'eemah what happened, "My Queen..." she gulped, "Malika just gave birth" she said her voice shaking at the end.

She saw the trouble coming the instant she heard that the Queen's co wife gave birth. And that too the day after Queen Sa'eemah gave birth. It is something has never happened before and yet now it just did. Everyone knows the hate Queen Sa'eemah has for her co wife Malika. One of the reason she was elated before is because she gave birth first and for sure she knew that her son will be the next king. After all, the throne mattered most since the moment her husband decided to marry another wife.

But that's not the worst part.

It was like Queen Sa'eemah froze at the moment, though her eyes blaze with fury before her body can even react to the news.

The two other women reacted before she did; they recovered from the shock quicker just enough to ask the question that irked the ticking bomb that's the Queen.

"H-how is that possible? I thought she wasn't due till next month" One of the women asked as her face displayed perplexity. They were all without a doubt shocked. Knowing and having the assurance that Malika wasn't due till next month was one of the things that assured the Queen that her son will indeed be King.

Jakadiya sighed, "I don't know what happened. I was looking after the Prince when I overheard some of the maids talking about it. And so, I went to her chambers to confirm it and indeed she is there with the King and some doctors" she said her voice shaking at the mention of the King being there; another thing that will sure anger the Queen. She hesitantly moved her gaze to the Queen whom breathed in and exhaled slowly.

"What did she give birth to?" Queen Sa'eemah asked calmly which only scared the three other women more. Her calmness when she is angry is just scary, because that's her worst type of anger.

"A girl" Jakadiya answered not wasting another second to answer her Queen knowing that'll only irk her more.

Queen Sa'eemah sighed in relief. But it was short lived when Jakadiya's next words escaped her lips.

"-and a boy"

The other woman who didn't talk shake her head as her lips pursue forward, "That is bad. If Malika indeed gave birth to a boy, it only means that there's a possibility her son can be the King"

This made Queen Sa'eemah shoot her a glare that indeed shut her up, "Shut up. Never utter those words in my presence again. Over my dead body will her son be king. Come hell high water Al'ameen must be King. I'll make sure of that" she said with determination lacing her tone.

At this point she was blinded by the desire to have her son be King because she believes that that's the only way he can truly be happy. But what she's forgetting is that he's just a baby. She doesn't know what he wants yet she had already decided his fate.

You see, that, that is what jealousy does to a person. It blinds your foresight to see what the people around you are going through or what they want. All you have is envy of another's advantage instead of being happy and helping each other grows. That is something most women have and this can lead you to your demise.

That day, Al'ameen Suhad's fate was predicted by his mother. That day she made a vow to make sure her son will indeed take the throne after her husband. That day she started to groom him for who she wants him to become.

But, he's human.

He has feelings too.

He can make decisions for his life too. That which will make him happy but is it worth to have it at the expense of having to go against your own mother? A mother who only has your best interest in heart? A mother who believes this is what's best for you? Another who you love so dearly despite everything?

The answer? You'll have to read and find out.

~*~

~J A N N A H~

In life, we have to realize that things never end the way we want. But there's nothing we can do about it but rather embrace it and make it work that way. And another thing is we aren't always lucky the first time, or the second time and maybe the third too. But that's what makes it life. There are also times when we just don't win, we fail. We fall, we cry, we give up but we get back on our feet because we're only humans. We all make mistakes and fall at a point.

Also, we need to know that not all stories end with a happily ever after. Honestly, no story ends with happily ever after it's just that the characters find a way to make things work for that moment because they are bound to encounter obstacles in the future. Obstacles bigger than the ones they've faced before. You never really know.

Another thing is that nothing or no one is the way we see the person to be. There has to be something the person bottles up. Something we tried hard to keep to ourselves for our sake or the sake of the people around us. But, we shouldn't do that. Instead we need to open up to someone we trust, because keeping so much to ourselves can be bad for us.

How do I know all these?

Easy.

I've been through it all.

I looked at where I kept the paper that only has one word on it. It was placed in between the pages of a book, not just any book but the book. To most, it's meaningless but that one word meant and contained everything.

Someday.

~Jannah.

And that was it.