"sometimes when you are in a dark place, it feels like you've been buried, but you've actually been planted- afra"

The chirping of the birds echoed through the silent house . The sun had started to set , emitting hues of reds , oranges and yellows into the darkened sky . Everyone seemed busy enough to not have the time to notice the breathtaking sunset .

The doorbell's blaring sound alerted almost everyone . Elsa excused herself quicky from the kitchen and left to check up on who would have come at a bizarre hour as that .

She carefully swung the door open , only letting her eyes be seen .

"Assalaamualaikum . I am Mr.Haamid , Minister of internal affairs and public relations ." He spoke in thick Arabic accent .

Elsa opened the door wider and frowned at the men he had brought along ."Wa-walaikumussalaam ." She stuttered , eyeing the men suspiciously .

"Are you Mrs . Elsa Alexander Varghese ?" He questioned again and this time , Elsa frowned deeper clutching her hold on the door's edge .

"That would be me , yes ." She answered slowly , calculating her words carefully as she told . He gazed at him with squinted eyes , slightly feeling relaxed at the crisp Thoub he and his men had wore .

Mr.Haamid seemed to notice her tensed expressions ."No , Mrs . Elsa , please relax . I apologize for turning up at such a late hour . Also , here is my identification card ." He extended his arm over to her , as she kept her gaze focused on him for a second more before snatching the card and examining every minute detail .

Sure enough , the card seemed to have the esteemed signature of the present king in green coloured ink . Other details included Mr . Haamid's educational and professional qualifications .

Once she handed him the card back , he smiled a little . "Shukran . We have come forward to inform you of a matter that may be a source of potential danger to Miss Afra , if you do not comply with the royal orders ."

Elsa's lips slightly parted in shock ."Would you mind explaining more clearly ?"

"Can we maybe come in ?" He asked , and Elsa contemplated a few minutes before letting him and the assistants in .

"So what you are saying is some prince wants my daughter to come stay over at his palace ?" Elsa repeated his words slowly . They definitely didn't make any sense to her and as absurd as it seemed , she had to confirm what she had heard was true after all .

She had made sure to send away Valerie, Victorb, Franklin and all the kids away from the room , lying to them that some government people had come to take Alexander's interview .

Mr . Haamid had his arms on his knees , his hands interwined . He nodded slowly , almost studying her a little differently .

"And what if I say that's bizarre and totally impossible ?" Elsa almost challenged , an eyebrow raised .

He sighed deeply ."Like I said again , Mrs . Elsa , the consequences she'll face will be potentially dangerous ." He sounded very serious and Elsa could not help but believe his threat there .

"And what if I tell you I can't trust my daughter with just anybody ?" Elsa questioned , her voice low and deep .

"Mrs . Elsa , I cannot disclose to you the reason as it is highly confidential . But there are some reasons that require her to stay within the royal boundaries under constant protection ." He paused , stroking his beard thoughtfully ."Besides , no mother would want their daughter to be in danger ." He causally added , crossing his legs and relaxing . He looked like he had won very shrewdly .

Elsa had to admit that he held manipulative power over getting what he wanted . But she also knew that she was a mother and there was no better protector than herself .

"How can I trust your words ?" Elsa raised her voice with authority , squaring her slumped shoulders .

He seemed amused for a second before quickly replacing it with a curt nod of his head . "Here's the Prince's letter and request ."

She slowly pulled the large envelope out of his grip . Pulling open the seal , she took the paper out and almost gasped .

It was a gold leaf . A letter on a large gold leaf .

She had this urge to look up at him and confirm that it was a pure gold leaf , but she resisted when she could feel him and his men pretty much looking at her entertainingly .

She tried to concentrate on the words rather than on the elegant calligraphy that the letter was adorned with . Until now , everything dispelled her doubts regarding the authenticity of all of these men .

The letter even had a large seal , probably as a proof of it's realistic owner .

Her eyes skimmed through the words like an avid reader , before resting upon her thighs as she carefully pushed the letter back in to the envelope .

Mr . Haamid seemed to look at her empathetically . He had a soft look on his face and his eyes suddenly held warmth .

"Look , Mrs . Elsa , I know what it feels like to send away your child to some random place . I'm a father to five girls myself so I'm assuming you could get my point . I have known the Prince personally from a long time and I can guarantee that Miss Afra is in safe hands . Please trust me on this . It's a promise of a Muslim ." He sounded very confident and convincing .

But even then , Elsa just couldn't send her daughter away . It was all too much to take at once .

After a couple of minutes , Mr Haamid cleared his throat loudly and Elsa voluntarily looked up at him .

"We don't have much time Mrs Elsa . I'll be back in a maximum of two days to take her with us ." He stood up , the other men standing up along with him .

"What ? Just two days !" Elsa's eyes widened in surprise . "But I need to talk this out with her father ." She pointed out , her voice raised .

Mr Haamid nodded . "I'm sorry , but that is for her best ."

He started to walk for the door . His other men following his back briskly ."Assalaamualaikum . I'll be back soon . Masalaama ."

Elsa was stuck to the floor as she looked at the man who nodded at her once before stepping out and shutting the door behind him along with his men .

Who was trying to hurt Afra ?