"What were you doing?" was the first question Roy asked after dragging her away from the front of the crowd. "You were practically inviting danger!"
Ella didn't say anything, her mind conjured on the faith of the people of the Prince. It would be too difficult to convince him in meeting Cora because she was sure that the girl was with the Prince. And the way she went missing could have only meant she was brought without consent to stay here as long as the Prince wanted her to.
Roy shook her shoulders bringing her out of her thoughts, "I have been talking to you for the past ten minutes." He managed to keep his tone down, holding her intimately to appear as a couple but he was agitated for her. "Are you alright?" He took her face in his hands concerned for her. "We can leave now; you just have to say it."
Ella was breathing too rapidly, until she heard him, she explained, "I-I have never been through such a mission." He blinked. "What if something goes wrong and then affects the girl?"
Roy felt conflicted to let Ella meet the girl, according to him it was a possibility that the girl was important and related to Ella, all the mishaps following the Prince fell into place on his assumption.
"We will do it. I trust you will do it." Holding her to meet his eyes he spoke, "Remember we used to believe in each other for any tests taken by your Dad. 'He' wasn't the one to bring us together, 'we' were the ones who believed in each other. We knew we were compatible together." Knowing that he held her attention he continued, "I know you will grace this very well. It will be the first mission for you to accomplish."
"I haven't done anything to achieve your trust."
"You have done more than enough. And if you think it isn't, we have this assignment to prove that. Don't we?" Roy asked her permission, when she nodded, he gave a wicked smile. "Let's do this."
"Let's," she agreed.
The occasion was paused to hear the Royal speaking, looking around the Prince, Ella found he was the only one in attendance. Suddenly wishing that he had brought the girl they were searching for, Ella acted in the crowd accordingly.
Zayn Khan spoke loudly, "We haven't yet celebrated the festival more graciously than today!" There were cheers from the audience except for Ella and Roy who were perched alongside together in the corner, eyeing the man in his decorative outfit. Giving a glance from the top to bottom, Ella was glad to have not married the man. She could hardly tolerate the dress she had worn for the night; she didn't dare think of wearing it every day of her life.
"The year started dramatically for me as we all know. There is no point in hiding it out. I had loved someone and been left broken in a matter of minutes." Ella went rigid next to Roy who placed himself behind a pillar of the stalls. "It was my fault that I engaged myself into believing that my love would be given back, but Allah didn't seem to agree with me. But out of all the complications, I am happy to have the support of my people here." The crowd rose again.
"Yet," Khan continued, "I will love her all my life of existence. She was the light I always looked up to in my dark moments. When we love, we love completely; that is what I believe. That is what Allah wants us to believe!" The crowd chorused for the Prince again.
"Amyr Zayn! Amyr Zayn! Amyr Zayn! Long Live Prince Zayn!"
"And..." the noise dropped again to hear their Prince, "If she will have me again, I will not say no." Ella felt disgusted hearing him say about her shamelessly in such an auspicious occasion. She felt Roy's hands clutch her fingers tightly, staring at him she knew he was keeping his anger in check with the way his jaw was ticking. Ella placed her other hand around theirs interlinked ones, he calmed down instantly on contact. No words were needed then.
Putting her attention back on the speaker she was thankful for him to have stopped announcing anything else about her or their annulled marriage. When the Prince went ahead to sit in one of the seats made for him and other prestige guests, Ella felt Roy tug her hand, she let him take her away from there towards the other end of the event.
Their footsteps were silent when approaching the cars parked, none making a sound until they happened upon the car of the Prince. They recognized it well because of the value it pertained which included the guards and the plating on the front windshield to signify the car belonging to the government of Dubai. Roy took hold of Ella, hiding behind the nearest wall from the guarded car, he left her there reassuring her to stay put, with just a look. Reaching close to the car, he casually walked to the car deliberately making his presence known to them, who poised their hands inside their jacket or behind their back in position. Roy didn't need to ask them what they were holding on to.
"My friends! My beloved partners! I have been searching for you for a long time and my legs have been aching." Roy announced in the area. Counting up in total he found four of them guarding the one car together which was clear that they arrived in two cars. One for the Prince and the other for the guards.
"Who are you?" asked a gruff voice in Arab.
"I don't speak Arabic much but I know what you asked me now. I am a sadiqi of your Amyr Zayn? My friend! He sent me to search for the car to drop me to the castle." He continued walking forward as if he was conversing with his long-lost friends while Ella was having her heart near her mouth with what she was observing behind the wall. She had taken off the scarf to avoid it rubbing against her face constantly.
"Zayn. Me. Sadiqi. Friends!" Roy repeated with a big smile on his face. It felt so unnatural that Ella wanted to roll her eyes at his obvious pretense. But the expressions of the men meant something else.
"Wait out." Another guard spoke, who was supposedly the only one among them knowing English.
Roy laughed aloud surprising everyone including Ella, he opened his mouth in between his laugh, "You say English funnily..." Then he continued laughing. At that point Ella was panicking as the onlookers were clearly not pleased to be laughed at so openly.
"You know, Zayn used to say English funnily too. Like a small child!"
"Stop. Out!" The same man who was speaking in English repeated his command.
"Now, now easy everyone! I am a friend. We have shared many things together since we were together." Roy spoke pointedly at the man who was conversing with him then he continued, "Which changed as we grew close. We wanted the same girl. The same issues you know." A pause later he uttered, "And you know who won? The girl?"
He left the question in hanging, observing the guards' curious faces until gunshots resonated among the festive crackers, dropping the bodies one by one.