"deal with love and compassion and all the major world problems would suddenly seem like childish games - inaya."

Afra may have not been fond of large mansions and open spaces , but she couldn't say she didn't enjoy the view that was making her squeak with excitement . The large mansion stood against the sidewalk , towering over her . The cream coating of the mansion shined as the sun beat down on it . She noticed a unique fold of wires encaging the mansion in a protective manner . The roof was peaked , slanting down at an angle . She could make out a total of twelve , floor length windows , with maroon curtains drawn so that the sunlight could stream through .

As she walked further , the whole of the large lawn was covered in thick grass and a few flower beds embedded on each side of the thin pavement , making the colourful hue pop against the dark green . She almost missed the large , marble fountain sitting at the left of the lawn , with a princess holding an apple . She squinted her eyes to make out the face along with the clothes , before her eyes widened with joy .

"Isn't that snow white ?!" She almost yelled , her face snapping to meet Sulaaymaan's gaze .

It looked like he had been staring at her . Afra cleared her throat loudly , making him shake out of his daze . When he faced her again , he had a soft smile .

"I'm sorry . Can you come again ?" He questioned .

Afra squinted her eyes at him a little incredulously .

"Isn't that snow white ?" She pointed at the fountain and a low chuckle escaped his lips .

"Of course , that is her !" He paused , his eyes fixed on it . Afra could make out the sadness and a swirl of emotions that reflected off of his eyes as he kept staring at it longingly . "Baba had this prepared for mama as her first wedding anniversary gift . She had always been a very big fan of snow white . Not because she was beautiful . Rather it was because she loved the way her life was shown . Death was never an ending . It was the most beautiful blessing . Yeah , it was a fairytale ." Sulaaymaan chuckled , his eyes diverting to meet Afra's . "But after all , fairytales can always be made to come true ."

With one last look at her , he landed his gaze back at the fountain .

His voice left Afra with an enchanted thrill . She had not heard him speak with strong emotions within the last few hours they had met . This kept her wondering on why he looked sad and lonely . Somehow , his smile remain unfaltered . Though it didn't reach his eyes . It was all just a show . A show to let people around him stay away from the deep pasages and doorways of his clenched heart . He kept something hidden from the world but mostly from himself . A secret that was associated to the fountain .

A secret he preserved as a sad memory .

"The Queen must be very wise ." She spoke softly , looking at him to catch any change in his expressions .

He half smiled , half grinned ." She is ! More than you can think ."

Afra shuffled , causing him to snap his gaze at her .

"Oh I'm so sorry , Miss Afra ." He urgently spoke , palming his forehead ."Let's just get you inside so you can meet the others ."

Afra nodded and watched him take the lead in long strides . And she noticed his jeans folded over till a little above his ankles . A small impressed smile curved her lips . He followed Islam . Not that she didn't think he did . Perhaps , it was all a result of seeing too many well off Muslims slowly plummeting along the path leading away from Islam .

But she was truly impressed .

She slowly followed him , watching every inch of the large glossy brass doors that he swung open effortlessly . She almost stumbled back because she tried to push a single door a little more but she felt her bones neatry get dislocated . Those doors were heavier than she had anticipated but that was not it . She found the prince very weird .

He had effortlessly swung the gigantic doors open and she sort of broke her fingers . She shook her head and followed him into the large area with glistening marble tiles that stretched across widely . Her abaya and Hijaab reflected over the tiles along with the small lights that were embedded in the ceiling .

However , the moment her eyes landed on the large chandelier dropping down from the ceiling , she slipped and fell .

"Is that a monster ?" She pointed , staring between Sulaaymaan and the chandelier .

Sulaaymaan bit the insides of his cheeks . "It is called a chandelier ."

"It looks more like a monster to me . What if it falls down ?!" She whispered , carefully getting back on her feet and resuming her tour . The chandelier hung wide and large , displaying clearly the several shiny stones and embellishments on it . As she proceeded , there were several noticeable things . The kitchen lay to the right after a hallway and there was a room on the other side , with yet another hallway . Two large spiral staircases connected at the first floor pavement , from where she figured , the chandelier could be easily touched . Contemplating on where to head , she chose to walk down the large hallway that lead straight though the space between the flights of stairs . 

Large photo frames decorated the beige coloured hallways , making Afra study each one of them . It all had so many people standing with smiles etched on their faces . All the men were dressed in white thoubs with a black jalabiya drawn over it . Their heads were covered in some long shawl , with red and white strips and a black ring that positioned the scarf over the crown of their heads .

The women were all dressed in black abayas and Hijaabs . What seemed peculiar to her were the large number of girl children without the sight of even a single boy . That seemed a little off .

She brushed her thoughts away and resumed studying the paintings and headed all the way to the large living area attached to it . Long and huge cushions were discreetly situated in the middle of the room with several flower pots and decorated alongside the windows and a few chimes hanging down from the ceiling .

"Your mansion is splendid ! Ma Shaa Allah ." She spoke , feeling the couch dip in from her weight .

Sulaaymaan adjusted on the edge of a couch by her side , casting a quick smile at her . "Jazak'Allah ."

She fidgeted with her fingers and watched him for a while longer . "Pardon me , but I think I've seen you somewhere ." She dreamily spoke , making him squirm in his seat .

"Uh , I'm a really popular figure . Perhaps you've seen me on the television ." He pointed , clearing his throat.

Afra shook her head ,"No ! I would remember . You look really familiar but I can't point out ." She seemed frustrated , as she leaned in a little closer by the armrest to get a better look at him .

He almost jerked in his seat under her calculating gaze . "Hmm....I'm pretty sure - "

"SILK is here !"

Afra's eyes snapped to a side as she made out the silhouettes of three tiny girls , their strawberry blonde hair falling down across their shoulders in soft waves . Their eyes , she noticed , weren't the same colour as Sulaaymaan's . They were a dark hazel with a hint of brown shining against the well lit room .

"Who's she ?" The one standing in the middle pointed a tiny finger in her direction .

Sulaaymaan sighed ."She's Miss Afra and she will be staying with us from now on ." He spoke softly , earning a wide grin from all three of them .

"And where's the ice cream ?" One of them asked , as Sulaaymaan's smile was replaced with a pout .

"I'm sorry . I'll get that later for you guys ." He apologized .

One of the girls waved her hand at him , her eyes fixed on Afra . "I like this ice cream ."

Sulaaymaan frowned . "She's a human Kat ."

She shook her head , a few of her hair strands falling across her face . "No no , I love her eyes . Like ice cream ."

Sulaaymaan rolled his eyes and looked apologetically at Afra ."I'm sorry , kids could be weird sometimes ."

Afra hadn't spoken yet with the girls and she was already happy that she had kids as company .

"That's alright . I don't mind kids ." She smiled her eyes squinting .

"Assalaamualaikum , I'm Afra ." She cheerily extended her hand .

The girl Sulaaymaan had addressed as Kat pushed her tiny hand in Afra's and shook gently . "Walaikumusslaaam , I'm Kat ."

Afra smiled wider at her cute little voice . As she faced the other girl , she shyly replied ,"Walaikumusslaaam and I'm Jazz ." Her tiny head ducked low .

Afra pulled her closer , finding the girl's cheeks turn into a light scarlet . "You're a really pretty lady Jazz ." Afra's niqaab brushed against her cheek as her small eyes widened with shyness .

Afra let her go and she immediately ran , clutching her floral gown in her palms . The sisters shouted behind Jazz who paid no heed and just ran till she disappeared within the hallways .

She turned around with a small smile  to face the two girls intently staring at her .

"Walaikumusslaaam . I'm Dandelion ." The last of the triplets , she presumed , sounded the most enthusiastic .

Her gaze shifted to Sulaaymaan for a moment and she found him looking in their direction with a silly smile on his face .

"Psst !"

Afra turned her gaze back on Kat who had scrambled closer and pulled Afra's head closer to her mouth .

"We asked him , to get ice cream . But he didn't . He's such a meanie ." She whispered in Afra's ear , or that's what Afra thought because her small voice quite surprisingly echoed .

Afra burst out into a loud laugh . She couldn't say what was more funny . The way Kat was huffing with her tiny nose red with anger or the way she shot dangerous glares in Sulaaymaan's direction or the way she stood on her tiptoes to reach Afra's ear .

"I'm sure he is ." She managed to choke out , huffing for air .

Sulaaymaan looked challengingly at Kat with a elegantly raised brow before he scrambled to his feet , his large figure towering like a giant over the little girl as he neared . Afra watched as he took ahold of his sister and flung her into the air , catching her back as she toppled down . Kat let out delighted giggles and tried to get him to stop .

"Okay , Habibi , that's enough ."

Afra turned around on her couch to find a graceful short woman , standing by the exit and holding up a hand threateningly at Sulaaymaan . Her face held a warm smile as her eyes stopped at Afra . Her head was covered with a black scarf and she had on a pair of flowy pants and a long shirt . Afra found a very shy Jazz stuck at one of her feet and stealing glances at her . She quickly scrambled to her feet and stood up facing the Queen .

Sulaaymaan put down his sister as his mother came closer to him , slapping the back of his head .

"Don't trouble your beautiful sisters !" She sternly scolded him and pulled Kat closer to her .

Afra and the girls stuck together at one couch with Sulaaymaan making space for his mother beside him .

As they all settled down , she extended her hand forward towards Afra .

"I'm Queen Basmah !" She cheerily greeted .

<< Assalaamualaikum . It's great to be back again . I apologize sincerely for being gone away for pretty long . But now that I'm back , I'll be sure to update regularly . A hearty Jazak'ALLAH to everyone following the book patiently . Please do leave some feedback so I can know what my readers think . And of course , pressing that star wouldn't be much of a headache fight ? So pretty please .

With love ,
Arabian Jasmine ❤