Mahmood Hassan stood watching as the rain fell. He marveled at the beauty of nature as each drop fell pitter patter on the dried sand.

The whole kingdom was rejoicing welcoming the first shower of the season. As the rain washed away the grime and dirt of the past year, he hoped that it will also wash away all the evil and injustice with the crowning of the new king. The soft drops reminded him of an ayah from Quran. He slowly recited it to himself.

And among His Signs in this: you see the earth barren and desolate; but when We send down rain to it, it is stirred to life and yields increase. Truly, He Who gives life to the (dead) earth can surely give life to (men) who are dead. For He has power over all things (41:39)

It is a beautiful kingdom, he reflected. There were 24 provinces in all. The capital city was situated in the north, right at the border, surrounded by forest on one side and vast empty wilderness on the other three sides. It was through this wilderness travellers had paved their ways to connect with the neighboring kingdom.

"Surely the rains this year will yield more than just good crop", he said as his eyes followed a drop that was slowly sliding down the petal of a rose in his front yard. He had continued to stay in the Shahi housing even after all that he had been through. His peace was not derived from the huge house or its lawn or its furnishings. It was drawn from the fact that he knew his son was somewhere close, that he could keep an eye on his enemy and his every move and that he could assist in the rebellion that the other vaffas had cooked up. He had been waiting for this for a long time. He knew it wouldn't be long before Allah sent someone to uproot evil, and he had decided that if he should see such a day he would do his best to help. And just like he had expected there was a silent uprising and he was sure Hammad Khan was behind it.

He remembered the good old days when all the vaffas enjoyed each others company and worked together as one in the interest of the Kingdom. Khan Baba used to be the soul of such gatherings. He had an amazing sense of humour and could easily put a smile on anyone's face. Then there was Abu Fazal, the bravest of them all, his best friend Hammad Khan, who was more loyal to Abu Fazal than to the Shehenshah. He recalled one particular incidence when they all had sat down for lunch. One of the servants spilled curry on Shehehshah's tunic. He lost his temper and before he could react Khan Baba quickly poured a spoonful of curry on every ones tunic. All of Shehenshah's anger evaporated as he laughed and praised Khan Baba for his presence of mind.

The heavy pouring reduced to a drizzle and he noticed lone figure of a man walking towards his house. He squinted to see who it was, even as the man came closer he wasn't able to recognize him.

"Assalamualaikum Mahmood", said the stranger as he extended his hands for a shake. The voice sounded familiar.

"Walaikumassalam. Do I know you?". They shook hands.

"It's better we talk in the cover of walls". His dress was damp from having walked in the rain. Mahmood led him in.

The man removed his brown beard and brown eye brows to reveal black ones beneath!

"Hammad Khan! That was a scary updo. It did not suit you at all", said Mahmood Hassan laughing.

"An honest man has little choice in such times. One must do what one must do to survive". Now that both of them faced each other did they realize they were meeting after years. Tears sprung into Hammad Khan eyes as they hugged each other.

"How I have waited for this day", said Mahmood Hassan as he broke the embrace and pulled a chair for his guest.

Hammad Khan sat with his long lost friend. "I knew we will end up joining hands against Mir Jafar. And he knows that as well, that is why he made sure we never met all these years".

"Hammad, how is Saeed?"

"How do you know about her?" He was startled.

"Surely you didn't expect me not to notice things around me? I was actually waiting for something of this sort to happen. When Shehzada started changing I knew something was up. I put two and two together and understood you had trained Abu Fazal's daughter and she was entering the palace through the tunnel in servant quarters. In fact I have kept a lookout for her and saved her on no less than two occasions"

Hammad Khan's eyes grew wide. "How? When?"

"First I hit a guard with a marble sling shot when he caught her in the palace grounds and second when Mir Jafar found out about the tunnel I re-sketched it to open well outside the city limits".

"Truly you have done your part. I need more of your help. Mir Jafar is going to conduct 3 tasks on the crowning day. The one who succeeds will be crowned Shehenshah. Mir Faseeh will already be trained for the tasks while Shehzada will not. To avoid this you will have to change those tasks with the ones I have here at the last moment and make arrangements for them. Shehzada knows nothing about them and the game will be fair and square".

Mahmood Hassan scratched his beard as he glanced over the tasks. "What if Mir Jafar doesn't go ahead with these tasks?"

"He will have no choice. He should realize all the tasks and their arrangements have been changed only after stepping on the pedestal. He can't back down in front of the whole kingdom. Make sure to leave a note that says Shehzada is just as unaware of them as Mir Faseeh is".

Mahmood smiles. "I don't think that information will be of any consolation to Mir Jafar. He knows very well now that Shehzada is far better than his own son and he had wrongly judged him to be useless".

Hammad Khan rose up nodding. "It's better I leave. You can't fool Mir Jafar's spies for long". He put on the false beard and eye brows. Mahmood Hassan stifled a giggle.

It is nice to see that smile on a pained mans face thought Hammad. A man who had lost so much. "How is your wife Mahmood?"

"She is recovering tremendously after having learnt our son is alive".

"How did you know that?", asked Hammad surprised.

"I got a letter a few years ago that my son was alive and well cared for. It was written by the hand of a woman and she has promised to return him to me when the time is right. I am looking forward to that day".

Hammad Khan was so happy he felt scared. Now that happy times were returning he feared they might leave again. Having lived in the shadow of threat for so long happiness seemed like a rare comfort. One vaffa was still missing.

"Any news about Khan Baba?"

His friend shook his head.

"I hope he joins us soon", said Mahmood as he hugged goodbye.

************************************

A/N

I mistakenly referred to the wilderness as desert in the previous chapter. I was trying to explain its dry nature but it is not a desert that borders the capital city.

My chapter names feel like they do not relate to the content, but there is always a subtle relation that connects. Everyone has their own thinking and each one of us will be able to relate the chapter to its name in a different way.

I am sure all of us have marveled the beauty of rain one time or the other. Though there do exist sunny people who hate squishy, wet and dark days, there also exist people like me, who love the gathering dark clouds and the breeze that comes with it. Women rushing to gather their drying laundry, kids running about enjoying the change in weather and adults trying to find shade before they are drenched. The initial drops that dampen the earth and spread its muddy scent prompt me to take in deep breaths. At last it pours heavily, the darkness thickens and thunder roars. I love the sound of raindrops as they hit the roof and flow over the glass panes. When the environment is favorable I run in the rain spreading my arms, letting it soak me as I face the sky. Otherwise I just curl up snug with a good book! Truly rains are lovely!

In this beauty lies a lesson for us. Allah sends down rain to reawaken the dead earth, similarly he sends down problems to reawaken our sleeping souls, so that we turn to him and seek his help. The following nasheed expresses another good parable of rain! You guys will enjoy it!

PS: I am no writer and I am not pretending to be one. I am just a simple girl who gave a shot at writing because wattpad made it so easy for me. The plot of my story might be nice and I value all your love and support but I also know what I am producing is no where up to the mark. Spinning stories is easy, even our grannys do that but to give it eloquent words and present it in fine language is not something everyone is cut for. Certainly not me! Now when I re-read the chapters I have published I feel like hiding in some hole embarrassed at my sloppy writing. I am terrible at hiding dialogue tags and my whole chapter is filled with "says" and "said". Tense is another thing I have messed with. Excuse the shortcomings please. Though I want to go back and correct all of that, I don't think I can, for I am training to be a good doctor not a good writer. I still hope you will continue to enjoy the story if not the language!

Lots of love!
Dr Mystic