Khaled's amazement was evident on his face as he entered the city of Washindi. It was a beautiful city with magnificent buildings and the clothing of its people had a unique and unusual style. The city's women were also beautiful, and their clothes were embroidered with precious stones, and even the men of the city looked handsome and manly. Khaled wondered who these people were, and why this city was not visible to them and they didn't know where it was located. Everything was fascinating to Khaled, and he asked himself how he could overcome these people, who seemed to have powerful weapons, as their city was very advanced and the buildings were huge and decorated. Khaled arrived at the guesthouse, and the two men told him to rest and they would bring him food, and then he could sleep a little until tomorrow when the new mission would begin. He could read the rest of the mission in the book.
The two men left Khaled to rest, and he was still in awe of the place where he was sitting. He found a comfortable bed and cushions in his room, and suddenly the servants brought him food. He was afraid to eat the food, thinking it might be poisoned and they would kill him, but hunger gnawed at his stomach. He found a note with the food that said, "Don't be afraid, there's nothing in the food. Eat it while you're safe." The mission was not over yet, and the war had not begun. The mission would last for a month, and he had to stay in the city. The last day was the decisive day between them. Khaled relaxed a little when he read the note accompanying the food and started to eat to satisfy his hunger.
In the Palace of Ti'am :
The two men went to the Palace of Ti'am the Seer to inform him that they had completed what was asked of them, and that Khalid was now in the guesthouse where food had been served to him and he was resting before continuing his mission tomorrow. The Seer thanked the men and allowed them to leave. Ti'am sat on his huge throne, decorated with golden lion heads, and behind him were two banners with the red flag of the city of Washandi, with a tiger head and a lotus flower in the center. He ordered one of his servants to go and tell Queen Hatoun to come to him. One of the servants went and told Hatoun what the Seer had said, and after a quarter of an hour, Hatoun came to Ti'am and said to him, "What can I do for you, my lord? You ordered me to come."
Ti'am said to her, "The war has begun, Hatoun, and Khalid ibn Qasim has arrived in Washandi after receiving the book, and he is now in the guesthouse. Tomorrow, he will complete the mission."
Hatun asked, "What is the mission, and did you tell Nalan to be prepared for war? I am afraid that one day he will find out that Khalid is his twin brother."
Tiam replied, "Do not be afraid; he will never know. They do not resemble each other at all, except that Nalan has adopted our manners and way of life. He has become like us in everything. And do not forget that he is the Crown Prince of Washandi and our son, wahaj"
"But you have not told me what is in that book and what is the secret of the war that will last for the next eight hundred years, and what victory will both tribes sing about if one of them wins?" said Hatun.
"The war between us and them is not like traditional wars. Everything has become new in my city. When the Salmaniyin expelled me from the tribe because I learned magic and divination, they thought I was an evil person and that I would use magic for evil purposes to become their king. But that was not my intention in the beginning.
I learned magic to reach knowledge that I could not reach in a normal way. With the help of the jinn, I learned all the sciences of the earth and learned from their sciences what humans did not know. My goal with magic was to gain more knowledge and create my own city as I desired, but I wanted it to be a city based on science and knowledge, with a population different from all other peoples. That's why I made the city of Washindi hidden from sight, and provided it with all the means of comfort, science, and knowledge for its people, spreading justice among them. My goal was noble above all else, but when Ibn Salmani fell in love with my daughter, I wanted him to marry her so that I could return to my tribe. But Salmani didn't give me a chance and killed my lovely daughter without any guilt. So I swore to build my city, be its king, and make the Salmanis taste the bitterness they made me taste.
Hatun asked, "But why did you choose to fight them with one of their own, raise him as your own son, and make him your heir, even though he's not of your blood? Are you planning to harm our son, Nalan?"
"He is now our son, not theirs," said Tiam. "And I know how to distinguish between the two. And don't forget, Hatun, we also have a son and a beautiful daughter who God has blessed us with. Nalan was a source of goodness for us. I thank you for treating him the same as your own children and not differentiating between them.
Hatun said, "Don't say that, my lord. It was Nalan who made me understand the meaning of motherhood before Allah blessed me with my son, Hajj, and my daughter, Yasmina. Now I have the most beautiful family and a life I never imagined. All of this is thanks to you, my lord, and having Nalan in my life. I hope that the war between him and his brother will not involve bloodshed or killing..."
Tiam smiled at Hatun strangely and did not respond to her, but she did not understand the meaning of his smile. She did not know whether he intended good or evil, as she knew that the seer never forgets his revenge and he will not accept defeat except by humiliating the Salmani tribe. She was not reassured, and she did not yet know what kind of war would take place between the two brothers.
Tiam told her, "Don't worry, but go now and tell Nalan to come to the hall of judgment." She said to him, "Very well, my lord," and left the hall to tell Nalan to go to his father for an urgent matter.
On the other side, Khalid had fallen asleep while sitting on the couch without realizing it. While he was sleeping, he saw in his dream a beautiful girl riding a horse with a crown on her head, as if she were a princess. Then she got off the horse and approached him, giving him a strange-looking dagger and saying, "Be ready, the time has come." Suddenly, Khalid woke up from his sleep and did not understand what he saw, who this girl was, and why she gave him the dagger. He did not know whether she was from this city or if it was just a figment of his imagination due to his constant thinking about the book and implementing the first law.
Khalid got up from the couch and began to walk around the guesthouse. He found a window overlooking the outside and approached it, opening it to look out at the city and inhale some fresh air. However, it was still nighttime and morning had not yet arrived. Nevertheless, the calm of the night, the clarity of the sky, and the stars shining in it were truly enchanting. The air of this city was beautiful, and the design of its houses and streets was really amazing. Khalid was mesmerized by what he saw in this city and wished deep down that he was from this city and its people, they must be truly unique and different.
Khalid felt sleepy again, so he went to bed to rest until morning, ready for the task ahead that he did not know what it would look like or what type it would be. But he decided not to occupy his mind with anything and leave everything for its time.
Ali and the Elder
After the elder told Ali half of the story, he said to him, "That's enough for now, Ali. I will tell you the rest of the story tomorrow." Ali said, "But grandfather, I want to know the rest of the story. My curiosity is killing me. I don't have the patience to wait until tomorrow to find out what happens." The elder replied, "I must stop here for today and continue the rest of the story for you tomorrow. But now, go to sleep. I have some important business to attend to, and I also have to prepare you for your mission. However, we don't know what kind of mission you will have because each mission from the previous rules was different in nature."
Ali's curiosity was piqued, and he asked, "Grandfather, did we always win, or were there times when we didn't defeat the fortune-teller?" The elder replied, "We didn't win every time, my son. There were three times when we didn't win, and the victory was theirs. Don't ask too many questions now, go and rest, and I will answer all your questions tomorrow."
The elder left Ali in a state of confusion and curiosity. He didn't want to rest, but his grandfather's order was absolute. Ali headed towards his room to go to sleep, but on his way, he passed by a large mirror where he could see his full reflection. Khalid stopped at the mirror and began to look at himself, wondering if he resembled his grandfather. Suddenly, he saw a picture of his wife, Jana, in the mirror. Ali was frightened by what he saw. It seems that his soul remembers her and how he suddenly forgot his love for her and became preoccupied with his story and the book. But his love for her still beat in his heart despite everything, and his soul refused to forget her. She was the love of his life, which would never die.
Ali left the mirror and opened his room. His mind was still wandering in Jana, and he was asking himself what had happened to her when she received the divorce paper and how she received it, what she thought about it, and what she said about it. Many questions occupied his mind, especially after he saw Jana's picture in the mirror. He found himself crying involuntarily and saying, "Forgive me, Jana. What I did was not of my own will, and I was forced to do it. But I promise you, my dear..."
© Doaa Khaled
Washindi laws