Barq's heavy breath hit her face and she heave a sigh.

She closed her eyes as she realised it wasn't Hala, but Barq.

"Me," she pointed herself and then at the plate. Her voice coming out weak and broken

"You." She said making Barq's eyebrows shot up in air.

"Is it true?" He questioned when he saw her pointing out the words and gesturing what she meant.

"She is telling the truth, Hala had began to trust Layla. But just as much as burning candle trusts the wind." Nazreena whispered nearing them.

"I can't even believe this, I should be offended by you all on your actions.  But I don't have time for that instead we should act fast. Remember this, always do what I tell you to." Layla's face formed into fear as she heard the footsteps nearing her room. She hastily let out the words and and stood up.

"Finish this all," she said to them and stood.

Hafsa jumped on the plate and devoured the food infront of her.

"Layla, we have to go somewhere." Hala's voice resonated in the room before she even entered the room making Layla's breath hitched and she stood up suddenly and pushed Barq away from her.

"In the hot noon?" Ayla questioned back instead of approving her sudden demand. It made Hala tilt her head on Layla's words as she stared at her, with her eyes gripping the strong words 'you deny and you die'. No going back.

Layla took in a sharp breath as she nodded and stalked out of the room.

"You all should come with us." She called to Barq, Nazreena and Hafsa. But then her face turns into an ugly frown as she stared a little longer than Hafsa and turned to Nazreena.

"Make sure that she doesn't come looking like this. She is like a speckle of dirt in my pure white palace." She ordered to Nazreena who was on the verge of scoffing then nodded her head in approval and turned towards Hafsa. A laugh threatened spill out of Nazreena's mouth as she saw Hafsa's mouth covered in gravy and her cheeks full with food as she chewed it slowly and stared at Nazreean with wide eyes.

"Hurry up." Layla said to them as Hala gestured her to walk out of the room.

Jafar was already alloted to guide them where they were going.

Hala's eyes longed with something as she stared at the huge white pillars and the high ceilings, pure white intricated with gold paints.

"I have built this palace little by little, spread out it lands far away into desert." Hala said as she walked with slow yet elegant steps. Her every steps breathed life into the palace as if palace was nothing with out her.

"Isn't this your husband's palace?" Layla questioned her voice echoing into the corners of the corridors.

Thick velvet white and gold curtains draped across the huge windows and doors.

"Zaid had gifted me this peice of land. This was his palace, but Zaid had given up everything for me. He loved me too much for my liking. He was too clingy. He was everywhere I didn't wanted him to be." There was a sudden strain in her voice as she told Layla about Zaid, her husband.

"But, he loved you." Layla said, her voice low, fearing Hala's reaction.

"What an odd thing to say?" Hala sighed as she walked ahead making Layla sprint upto Hala to catch up with her speed.

"Tell me Layla does love comes with boundaries?" She questioned Layla her voice growing cold and her eyes turned darker.

Layla stayed quiet and just waited for Hala to speak up more.

"Does love comes with the right of controlling?" Hala questioned her words coming out through her teeth as she whirls around suddenly and stared at Layla.

Layla felt it the depth of her words, her minds wolhirling her reality as she realised she was stopped to complete her dream, because she was the eldest. The eldest sister of them all, who had look after every sibling because she was an example for them. Her throat went dry as she realised it, the reality of the scenario, the reality of herself. When was the last time she had dome something for her own?

Oh, she did. She did something for own. She killed  someone to save herself. But how did she felt when she stood against cruelty of the world? She couldn't remember the only thing she remembered was the way she had felt numb after seeing the disoriented face if that stranger who had tried molested her.

"If you don’t know, then let me tell you." Hala whispered, her voice breaking the connected threads of her thoughts.

"Love comes with nothing but with freedom."

Hala didn't said those words, in fact Hala was surprised when Lyala spoke out those words. What Layla wanted from her family was freedom, she had wanted to explore the worlds and learn different languages.

And Layla's freedom cam with the price of her family.

"Now, I can truthfully say that you have mastered the art of letting go." Hala said, her words strong with a hope that Layla was turning into the second Sultana.

'Did she really mastered the art of letting go?' A question rang in her mind and she realised, if that was the case then she wouldn't have been here planning to rescue here planning.

"And here is the treasury." Hala sighed and pushed the door open.

Layla's eyes widened with something. What was it fear, surprise, anger or terror?

The sleek white marble was carved into the form of statues. Various of them, in numerous poses and with different emotions. Most of them mirrored the expressions of fear.

"These are my creations." Haka spread out her arms and walked into the middle of the statue admiring her works.

That was when Layla realised, those weren't satues but the people.