Happy Independence Day Pakistan 🇵🇰🕊
Please read the AN

"How did he reach Agra, how did he know where you'd be." Abhishek raked his fingers through his hair. "If Haider knows I'm dead."

"Compose yourself Bhaisa." Meera replied. She was pale, parched and tired, seeing her first love, the man whom she had dreamt of growing old and grey with in front of her, but yet so far had left her wrecked emotionally.

"Are you okay Meera ?" Kanika asked as they entered the courtyard.

"I'm good I just feel a little light headed." She said wiping the sweat off her forehead.
Her lips were dry and her breathing laboured.

"I'll take your leave now." Abhishek said. "Take care of yourself Meera." He said stroking her head lovingly.

"Everyone nothing out of the ordinary happened today. Am I clear ?" Kanika said.

Hania, Avantika and Jamila nodded.
Although they didn't know who the man was, they knew he wasn't good news.

As they walked across the courtyard, cool wind caressed their faces, more than half the day was over.
Meera felt her legs become heavier with each step, and her balance faltering. Her vision turned blank and she slipped into unconsciousness.

As Meera fell on the concrete floor of the courtyard with a thud, the passers by and her companion stopped. Meera lying on the floor unresponsive had turned their hands and feet cold.

"Meera didi, wake up." Avantika said patting on Meera's cheek as she cradled her unconscious body in her lap.

"Someone get water." Jamila shouted.

"What do we do ?" Hania said in a panic striken voice.

Avantika splashed water on Meera's face but she remained unresponsive.

"Let's carry her to the harem and call the Hakim." Jamila said.
She scooped Meera in her arms and carried her up to the harem courtyard as even the Hakim wasn't allowed to enter the queens chamber without her or the kings permission.

"Someone inform the queen mother and the king about her condition." Kanika instructed.

They laid her down on the diwan and covered her body with a duvet.
Curtains were drawn and everyone was asked to go to any other part of the harem and give the queen privacy.

Ammi be came rushing to the harem courtyard and Zulekha tailed behind her.

"Oh my child!" Ammi Be exclaimed as she held Meera's hand in hers and sat next to her on a stool.
"She looks so pale, call the Hakim someone."

"Already did queen mother." Jamila replied.

"Nadia why don't you check her before the Hakim." Ammi be asked her personal maid who knew a little about medicine and human physiology.

Nadia was a fifty something old woman who had been loyal to Inayat since her time being the reigning queen.

Nadia made her way though the little crowd towards Meera and held her hand in hers checking her pulse.
She palpated her abdomen and looked at for pallor.

"I'm not sure my queen because this isn't my area of expertise, but I think the new queen may soon become a new mother. She might be pregnant." Nadia said with a smile.

"Ya Allah!" Ammi Be gasped.
"I hope this is true." She said making a dua.

Hania and Avantika looked at each other and smiled and squealed making Inayat laugh looking at the two.

Zulekha on hearing this felt like her world came crashing down. If Meera was pregnant she would kill herself because she couldn't see Haider's child being borne by anyone else except her.

She tried to hold on to her tears and rushed outside.

"Zulekha."

"Zulekha wait." Kanika called dashing behind her.

"Zulekha ! Oh god will you just hold on."

Zulekha stopped running, Kanika came close to her and wrapped her arms around her body. Zulekha broke into sobs.

"I want to kill her and her child, I hate her, I hate that woman." She cried.

"Shh.. relax Zulekha bi." Kanika said pulling herself out from the embrace.
"You don't know if she is pregnant or not. And I highly doubt she is."

"What if she is Kanika, what then."

"Then we'll take care of that child. But I doubt we'll have to dirty our hands, the medicine we have been feeding her won't let her conceive till we stop giving it to her, which we won't, so you don't have to worry alright." She said with a evil smirk.

"I hope so."

.
.
.

Haider was in his study going through some account parchments with Abhishek.

A loud knock resonated through his door.

"Come in." He said and his man Friday walked in.

"Yes ?"

"My King you have been requested to come to the harem immediately. The queen had fainted and is unresponsive."

Haider took a few seconds to process the information. He looked at his right to look at Abhishek who looked panicked and tensed just like he was.

"Okay you may leave." Haider said maintaining his composure.

"What happened?" Haider asked.

"I have no idea but we should go and see immediately."

Both the men rushed towards the harem, they were guided by the women to the courtyard.

The Hakim has already come and was placing his medicines and herbs on the small table place in front of him.

He check her pulse and pallor.
She took a small glass vile and unscrewed it and placed it under her nose for a few seconds.

It worked like magic because Meera woke up seconds later groaning. Haider wanted to rush to her side and hold her, scold her for scaring him but he maintained a cool facade.

Ammi Be was already next to her helping her sit up along with her friends who were stuck to her by her hip.

"I'm okay." She said holding her forehead with her hand looking around in confusion.

"What is wrong with her Hakim baba ? Is she pregnant?" Inayat asked wishfully.

Abhishek looked at Haider who looked confused, shocked, like a bucket of cold water was poured on him and Meera held the same expression. Clearly both of them weren't ready to bring and raise a child together yet.

"Inshallah soon, but not now. She is just fatigued and maybe due to stress she collapsed, Meera Bi is also anaemic so she needs a good diet." The Hakim said.

"Oh okay." Inayat said clearly upset that her wish to become a grandmother wasn't being granted anytime soon.
"But she is alright right ?"

"Yes Inayat Bi your daughter in law is perfectly alright. She needs to drink this right now and once after dinner." He said lifting a cup of green coloured water he prepared crushing leaves and roots.

"I'll drink it.. I'll drink it later." Meera said hoarsely her throat had turned dry.

"Take it right now." Haider said authoritatively.

"No I'll take it later I promise." She said

"Do you not understand what I mean by right now." He said his voice raising with every word.

"Haider I promise I'll take it but later please I can't -."

"You expect us to come running every time you pull a stunt like this ? If you were sick you should have stayed home rather than loitering outside, you made us drop everything at hand and run madly to you, gave a scare and now you want to remain sick and trouble all of us ?"

"I'm sorry." Meera said her eyes watering. "I didn't want any of you to get worried sick because of me but I can't drink the medicine."

"Meera Haider Ali Khan don't you dare test my patience." He boomed and everyone visibly flinched.

Meera was clueless why Haider was so angry and she couldn't think straight, her head hurt.

Inayat looked at her son and she knew watching Meera lying unconscious, in a state where he couldn't do anything to help his wife had made Haider scared, her pale lifeless body had scared him to his bones.

"I apologise for speaking your highness." A small voice came from behind Inayat.
"I know it's not my place to speak but Meera didi can't consume anything till sundown and till the moon is visible."

"Avantika." Meera hissed.

"Sorry." She gave an apologetic smile to Meera. "She is fasting, in our culture all married women do for their husband's health and for their happy married life, it's call Teej."

Silence enveloped the harem courtyard, everyone waited for a reaction.

Ammi be cleared her throat. "Shukriya Hakim baba." She expresses her gratitude. "Jamila will walk you back."

As soon as the Hakim left, Inayat had dispersed everyone.

"I'm going to my room, I'll take Meera's medicines with me." Inayat said.

"I too have to be somewhere." Abhishek said awkwardly and left.
Hania and Avantika followed.
Leaving behind Meera and Haider and a thick blanket of uncomfortable silence.

"I'm going to carry you upstairs." He said and scooped her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into his warm chest.

She knew he cared for her deeply and watching her like this would have made him mad, had the rolls been reversed she would have fainted herself seeing Haider sick or injured.

He placed her on her bed and covered her up with a duvet.
He bent down to place a warm kiss on her forehead making her smile.
He turned around to leave but she caught his wrist.

"Haider. Can you stay for some time." She asked in a small voice. Haider turned around and motioned her to scooch over. He got in bed besides her and he held her close to him, her back to his chest and both slipped into oblivion.

AN: Hey beautiful people
Thank you for the votes on the earlier chapter.
You guys are so amazing, I love all the messages and comments you send my way.
And thanks to all those who went back and voted on the earlier chapters as well. You guys are really amazing.

74 years of Independence, 74 of being our own people, not enslaved to men with a whiter skin tone and black heart.
My dislike for the English men is so deep rooted, it breaks my heart to even think about the period before 1947, the struggle, the blood of our people that cost us this freedom .

And even when they left us, they left us broken, divided, thirsty for each other's blood. They drew a line and divided one beautiful land and all of us into fragments.

Lots of love
xoxo