Chapter 7 - DURBAR

OMNISCIENT

"I have been trying his number but it has always been the same response, not reachable," Junaid complained as he held the phone to his ear.

He was dressed like the ideal royal he is in a dark blue and white babban riga, with a silver metallic form of waistcoat called silke. It is usually made of iron and always makes some noises whenever the person wearing it moves. A white royal turban was perfectly perched on his forehead with specially made dark blue royal shoes that had sophisticated designs on his feet.

"I didn't go to the hospital today so I can't figure out if he went," Turad paced back and forth in the same form of clothes, they were the Crown Prince's group so according to tradition, all of them must wear the same form of clothes except for Zafeer who is the Head.

"All of you just do something, anything. The security agents are looking for him all over the state and guests have started arriving," Her Royal Majesty, Queen Umaiza spoke with a worried expression on her face.

She was clad in the most expensive form of lace, embellished white and silver Sheraton textile featuring a halter strap neckline and bishop sleeves, her face was decked up lightly due to her fair skin and natural beauty. She finished the look with the same colour of royal thobe and shiny silver stilettos.

Nobody knew about Zafeer's disappearance till in the morning when Umaiza came to his chamber and found two of his cousins and his brother sleeping on the couch with their cellphones in hand. They didn't let the king know about it, the man would have felt disturbed which would not be good for his health.

"Where on earth is Ya Zafeer?" Sabreen came in with Eshaal and Zayn trailing behind.

The boy was dressed cutely in the same outfit as Junaid and Turad, he had no idea about whatever was happening, all he knew was that he would be riding a horse later that day. Sabreen and Eshaal were clad in ruby-coloured lace that had flecks of teal green, the princesses were adorned with gold jewellery and both of them looked exceptionally beautiful with their lightly decked-up faces.

"He disappeared yesterday night and nobody bothered to tell me about it," The king's voice boomed through the hallway before he stepped inside the living room.

Haroon Baghdad and his wife followed behind with a triumphant smirk on their faces, they succeeded in separating the father and son for fifteen years and now that he is back, they will make him disown Zafeer so that Haroon will find an opportunity to have the throne in his possession.

"We thought he went out for some air so we didn't make a fuss about it, Dad," Turad cascaded down his head.

"You should have told your father about it, do you want them to have a misunderstanding again?" Hamida Haroon Baghdad tried to spice up the tension.

"Don't go there, Mom." Junaid knew his mother's evil intentions, he was just being obedient as a son so he kept his mouth shut.

"Zafeer has been a very stubborn boy up until now, I am just telling the truth. Who knows, he might even decide to travel out of Kano so that he can disgrace our respectable family," She added when no one talked again.

"Hamida, stay within your limits!" Umaiza warned, the two ladies to have a very strained relationship, Umaiza has her reasons which she does not want to tell anyone till the time is right.

"Eshaal and Zayn, let's go," Sabreen dragged them out, she felt like crying because she hated it when her mother tried to create a rift between the father and his son just to gain authority.

"I will never disgrace my family but I don't know about you, Aunt," Zafeer muttered coldly as he came in still dressed up in the clothes he went to the hospital with earlier, he got delayed by a traffic jam.

"Zafeer where did you go to? You even switched off your phone. Don't you know how important today is?" Umaiza worriedly talked, watching as he glared at his cousin and his brother.

As for Hamida, she kept her mouth shut. Only Zafeer is capable of making her feel so small and scared, she is even afraid of the guy's voice which is why she succumbs to his domineering mien every time. And to think that person is her nephew.

"Ummi, I went to the hospital of course. Now let me go and get dressed, the guests have started arriving already," He hugged her back and was about to walk away when his father stopped him.

"Why did you go out of the palace without the guards?" Harith asked.

"Because a certain someone taught me not to depend on anyone for either love or security, Your Majesty," Zafeer retorted coldly before storming out, leaving his family members with a sigh, knowing he was never going to change his cold behaviour towards his father.

*

The Crown Prince showered again, this time with turmeric, milk, and rose petals then later rinsed himself with hot water. He stepped out of the shower and wore a plain black kaftan as five male servants came in with huge trays containing his attire for the day.

One of them blow-dried his hair, the other helped him into a black babban riga with golden silke, another was trying to fix the hand gloves and wristwatch in his hands while he sat there with a face stoic as ever. One was dealing with his socks and black royal shoes with golden intricate designs. It took a good thirty minutes to finish draping his royal turban flawlessly, leaving only his eyes and eyebrows uncovered. He wore his black Ray-ban sunglasses and two of them draped the royal thobe on him.

"We are done, Your Highness," The five of them bowed after spraying his Chanel Imperial Majesty perfume on him.

It was as if the hauteur in him had increased tenfold. The guy felt way too big to talk, he knew he looked very handsome, not that he cared. He stood up and exited the dressing room, just as he heard the traditional drummers praising him and calling his name as though he was the most important person in the world.

He was angry with Marwa but when he realized she was just trying to open up to him, he felt delighted which made him rate her ten to get him on her good book.

The praises continued as he walked to where all of them were waiting for him, his father handed him the sword which he took without a word, the cameramen were more than ready to capture the moment.

He climbed his Argentinian horse as a guard held a golden umbrella to shield him from the sun. Behind him were the three princes, Zayn has been grinning from ear to ear. The horses moved in a particular form of gait, following the rhythm of trumpeters and drummers.

*

Zafeer was more than tired, they were on their way back to the palace now and he had been ignoring them, except for Zayn. They were positioned amid other groups, he didn't miss even a single glance at how people kept raising their hands in a form of respect to greet him even though they couldn't see his face. He was happy.

"I am very sorry, Bro, we all are," Turad spoke.

"It is not that we don't care about you. We were so carried away by the happiness that we didn't get to ask if this durbar was in your approval," Junaid gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"And you know Dad, very headstrong," His brother sighed.

"Ya Zafeer, can you please forgive them before their deep voices destroy my eardrums?" Zayn rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you two are lucky Zayn bailed you out," Zafeer grumbled.

"Ya Junaid, I want that new white horse of yours and Ya Turad, my PlayStation 6 today," He smirked.

"So you bribed him?" Zafeer glared at them through his shades.

"Forgiveness cannot be taken back," The naughty twelve-year-old giggled but soon frowned when he saw the stern look the Crown Prince was giving him.

"How was your session at the hospital? Dr Fiona was nice and patient with you, yeah?" Turad asked with a grin.

"I didn't meet Dr. Fiona," Zafeer answered giddily, the fact that he was happy made them nonplussed.

"What do you mean?" Junaid inquired.

"Dr. Fiona was busy with another patient and I couldn't wait so I threatened the receptionist to find another therapist for me real quick. Much to my surprise, it was Marwa Kabeer Hassan," He couldn't help but grin happily, suddenly feeling the tiredness dissipate into thin air when he remembered the conversation they had earlier.

"Wait what? You mean Marwa Kabeer Hassan is the newest intern in my hospital and I don't even know about it?" Turad couldn't believe what he just heard.

"I am warning you, do not approach the girl. She hates royals and might lash out at you," Junaid laughed out loud, he knew what Turad was thinking.

"Let him invite trouble to his life," Zafeer stated sarcastically.

"I can't wait to see myself at the therapeutics department tomorrow," Turad shrilled as they entered the palace.

Zafeer was welcomed by all, even the Sultan of Saudi Arabia came to congratulate his grandson. He was later crowned as the true heir to the throne. Many people, some he knew and some he had never seen from Adam congratulated him and the day was spent dining and socializing with people, they also took family pictures even though Zafeer was forced by his mother.

*

It is Marwa's second day at the hospital, the said girl just arrived for work thirty minutes before the scheduled time. The tricycle driver dropped her off and she took her time to ogle at how beautiful her workplace looked.

"I bet you are admiring the beauty of this gigantic place," A voice interrupted her and she turned around, her eyes clashing with a cute slim girl's.

She was taller than Marwa, slightly darker than her but that didn't make her look any less beautiful. From seeing her, a person would know that she is not the one to keep her mouth shut which means they will get along with Marwa.

"How did you guess?" Marwa chuckled.

"Trust me, I do that every day. I'm a member of the healthcare team here, working in the cardiology department. I arrived just a week ago, let me show you around. That is if you want?" She talked all in one breath.

"Yeah, sure. My name is Marwa Kabeer Hassan, also an intern at the therapeutics department," Marwa smiled.

"Sorry, my bad for not telling you my name. I am Ummulkhairi Abdulrahman but you can call me Khayr," She retorted, her eyes filled with so much warmth.

"Shall we, Dr. Khayr?" Marwa giggled.

"Sure thing," She intertwined their hands and they walked inside the hospital as Khayr started explaining things to her.

"This hospital is world-class, everything here is considered priceless because it is owned by Prince Turad Ibn Harith Baghdad—" Khayr started rambling when Marwa cut in.

"You mean I am working under a royal?" She whisper-yelled.

"Yes, a half-Arabian prince at that. That man is so beautiful that everyone wants to spend the day looking at him, let us not talk about his voice, so soothing and melodious," She silently listened as her new friend fantasized about a royal.

"Thank you for showing me around, I'll see you later," Marwa was barely able to control her temper as she sprinted away to Dr Fiona's office, she should report to duty before she exploded.

"Good morning Doc," Marwa forced a smile.

"Morning to you too, Dr. Marwa. You came at the right time, here are the files of some patients, you can check the ones you think you will be able to handle," Fiona handed her three stacks of papers.

"Okay Doctor, I will take my time," Marwa collected them before sauntering to her office.

"What on earth is happening to me? Why the hell didn't I do my research on the hospital beforehand? Let me call Miss Victoria and ask if I can get a transfer because there is no way I would work under those egoistic royals," She jabbered before dialling her lecturer's number.

"Good morning Marwa, are you ready to submit your weekly manuscript yet?" She heard Victoria's voice.

"Miss.Victoria, morning. Well, the thing is I want a transfer to another hospital if possible, please Madame," She sounded very desperate.

"Why, my dear? That is the best hospital in Kano, it also pays interns dearly," Victoria tried to goad her into accepting it.

"I don't want the money, please just do everything you can to get me a transfer document," Marwa nervously bit her lips.

"Unfortunately, it is too late Marwa. I might lose my job if I try to favour a student, that is partiality," The lecturer was helpless, she loves Marwa but her job means everything to her.

"I understand, thank you, Madame," She sadly replied before hanging up.

Marwa leaned on her office chair, trying to think hard of what to do next, anything that would get her out of the hospital for good. In the end, she managed to come up with one idea, and for that to work, she had to come face-to-face with the owner of the hospital.

"Turad Baghdad or whatever the hell your name is, I am coming for you," Marwa defiantly uttered then adjusted her lab coat before furiously matching out of her office. It is Turad Ibn Harith Baghdad's turn to experience the troubles of a simple chubby tomboy below the middle class.