Talking to the Moon ✔

-Chapter: Twenty-six

"Take her away or I will kill her."

I could hear my blood pumping to my brain. I could feel my heart beat sporadically. This is the first time someone had threatened my life and it was the Monarch of Alam. I felt my eyes widen; a part of me wanted me to run for safety, towards Omar. But another part of me willed me to stay. I could understand his reasoning behind threatening me, he thought that I would take his child – the pillow – away from him. I wanted him to know that I had no intention of doing that.

I saw Asad and Aqib move a little, maybe they were coming to help me, I shook my head. I did not want to startle the Monarch and provoke him to do something that he would regret later.

He continued staring at me; dark grey eyes that sought vengeance. It was nothing I had ever seen before and I did not even know if I could relate to it or understand it.

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I took a small step towards him. I noticed that his body was trembling – maybe it was rage or maybe fatigue – I did not know.

"Ayah, don't." I heard my brother whisper but I chose to ignore him. This was between Qamar and me. He needed to know that he could trust me. I wanted him to trust me.

Qamar blinked and maybe I was imagining, but for a moment, he looked confused.

I was about to take another step towards him when something unexpected happened – Monarch Qamar fell to his knees with a soft thud. His bed creaked and his mattress bounced a little. He was shaking his head and was muttering incoherent words. I could not understand what he was saying. He curled within himself still clutching the pillow – his baby.

"No, no, no, no..." Was all I could manage to comprehend, "Please..."

I do not know from where I got the confident, but within seconds I was sitting on the edge of his bed and placing a reassuring hand to his arm. He moved away from me staring wide-eyed. I could see the tears ready to overflow. His lower lips were trembling and I could see him begging with his eyes, pleading that I do not take the baby away from him.

A tear slipped from my right eye and hurriedly wiped it with my dress' sleeves.

"Please..." he said quietly to me and I shook my head. My heart went for the man in front of me – the Monarch of Alam. He was in such a vulnerable state mentally and physically. His grief had overtaken his senses and he could not distinguish between what was real or not. How did it feel like living his life that? It was almost like being haunted by the same nightmare again and again and again. Only that his nightmare was his reality.

What all of them could not see was that he was strong. Monarch Qamar was trying, he was trying to fight it. I did not need any proof, I could feel it, I could sense it.

Deep in my thought I did not realize that he was staring at me and something had changed – almost like something had snapped within him. I should not have left my guard down. I should not have assumed that showing compassion to him would make him trust me.