Saturday, February 21, 2015

Black Keys Chapter 29




Chapter 29
Isabella Marie

My eyes closed, my heart settled down a bit, and my tense body relaxed in his arms. The feel of his body pressed to mine that way did such wonders in calming me that I almost hummed, or maybe I really did, but it was quiet to even my own ears.

I liked it there. In his arms. I liked his hug. I liked his closeness. But most of all, I liked what I felt. The same as I always felt whenever he took me in his arms. But this time it was doubled. A bit more than doubled, even.

Safety and comfort.

A moment later, my eyes snapped open, and I was suddenly aware of what I was really feeling. Something flashed in my mind, telling me how wrong I was for doing what I was doing. What I was feeling. And I had to pull away, instantly feeling empty and missing the sound of his heartbeat thumping against my ear as I pressed my cheek to his chest.

My back faced him as I turned away from him, and my hand came up to touch my temple, rubbing it softly. My head was pounding and my heart was hurting. In my ears, I could hear the sound of my grandmother as she told me how disappointed in me she was. And if I didn't know any better, I would've sworn I could see the judging look in her eyes judging me for being a traitor, to her and to my grandfather's memory.

I felt his hand pulling me to him again. He was silent this time, didn't tell me to look up at him or gaze into his eyes. He just held my face between his hands, and gave me all of the time I needed until I looked up on my own and stared into his beautiful green eyes.

"Stop running away from me," he whispered softly. "Stop running away from me, Beautiful Princess."

My eyes welled up with tears, and I closed them, freeing a tear that told of the struggle inside of me. I think he was able to see clearly how I was in a war with myself with how I was acting – he was so smart, I knew he was.

Maybe I confused him a bit, but now after hearing my reasons and why I felt this way towards him and his people, I was sure he knew it wasn't easy for me to admit even between me and myself that I trusted him.

"Talk to me." His voice was a hushed whisper, tender calmness and quiet coolness.

My eyes opened and found his again, getting lost in them instantly, my heart warming at all of the beautiful feelings they were sending me, and all of the kind words they were silently telling me.

"Tell me all about it, Princess," he breathed. "Tell me everything you feel, tell me what's in your mind."

"I want to trust you," I said, still not able to voice that I did trust him, still not able to admit it aloud, "But – I feel like a cheater."

"Because of your grandfather?"

I sucked both of my lips inside of my mouth, took a deep breath in through my nose, let it out, then nodded.

It was the prince's turn to nod, but his nod was in understanding, not in response like mine was. He moved my hair out of my face and offered me a small smile. "Would you like to sit down?" he offered softly.

I nodded again, and he led me to sit on the nearest couch, sitting beside me then taking my hand in his – which I gave him willingly, was comforted by it even.

"We're talking about 9/11, huh?" he asked, and my chest swelled just hearing the date.

"Yeah," I said in a quiet voice, then started chewing on my bottom lip.
The prince nodded; apparently he had remembered me telling him about my first panic attack happening almost fourteen years ago, and with what I'd just told him – he put two and two together.

"I remember that day very well," he said. "It was a horrible thing to watch, my father was really pissed, called it animalistic act."

"He did?" I wondered, a hint of surprise lacing my voice. Yeah, the King was nice, kind and seemed like a great person, but was he really mad or even frowned upon it?

"Yes, Princess," the prince replied, "I think the entire world was, not just my father."

"Well, not Muslims." I shook my head, then rested it on the back of the couch, sighing. It just couldn't be that they were upset; I found it unbelievable for any Muslim to be.

"Yes, we were," the Prince insisted. "Princess, the ones who did it – I have a hard time calling them humans, let alone Muslims."

"Really?" I looked at him. "You're telling me your religion doesn't tell you to kill? Please!" I rolled my eyes. He couldn't just convince me otherwise; I knew that to be a fact about Muslims – they kill in the name of their religion.

"It does," the prince replied, "But only when defending your life, your family, your land, your money, and only if your life was threatened in those cases – not innocent people who did nothing to you."

"They were innocent," I nodded, feeling the ache in my chest as I said the words. "They had no right to kill them." A tear escaped my eyes; the pain of that loss had never ever lessened through all of these years.

"Princess, don't always look at Muslims to judge Islam. Muslims are humans, they make mistakes. Look at Islam, it's from Allah, and it's perfect," he told me, and to be honest, I had to think for a minute about those words.

Humans make mistakes, it was true, but their religion … I mean, just look what they wanted to do to his sister.

"And it tells you to kill girls for making mistakes?" I asked, not waiting for him to answer it, for I knew he couldn't – I’d just proved him wrong.

"It doesn't, Princess," he replied. "It's a sickening tradition that God only knows how much I wish to wipe out of the kingdom forever."

"You're a prince, you're the next in line to be a king. You can."

"I’ve told you before, Princess – we only obey rules, we don't make them up, not even my father has the power to do that," he paused. "Well, he does, but people's reaction could be really bad."

"And could be really good," I said. Something in me wished so hard that they would do something about it. It was such a bad thing, and the excitement I felt at it being true that they might stop doing that was so big that my stomach fluttered at the thought.

The prince sighed. "Could be. Back to the topic we were talking about," he said, maybe trying to avoid talking about Honor Killing any further – or maybe not, I didn't know. "I was ten when it happened."

"Yeah," I said, not really getting the why he was telling me his age at the time.

"I was only a kid," he said, once more pointing at his age.

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm trying to let you see that it wasn't me who did it," he replied, and I looked at him as if he had two heads.

"I know that!"

I think …

"It wasn't me, or the rest of the one and a half billion Muslims on Planet Earth, Princess," he said. "And I can assure you that all of us are ashamed of the fact that those people called themselves Muslims, because if they truly were, they wouldn't kill an innocent soul. They never would, not even one, let alone thousands."

I sighed. "Yeah, maybe you’re right, but – I just find it really hard to believe." I pressed my lips into a thin line and shook my head, looking down at our joined hands resting on the prince's knee, my eyes following the soft, slow and soothing motion of his thumb over the back of my hand.

He's a Muslim, of course he'd say something like that … I thought.

I'd been told all of my life the exact opposite of what he was telling me now. Removing all of that and just replacing it with what he was saying wasn't the easiest thing to do, not at all. The prince was an honest and noble person, so he couldn't just be fooling me – but, it was still so hard to believe him. It was just me.

"I know," he said. "I know it's hard, but I hope that someday you can believe me." He didn't sound disappointed in me or anything like that. He was actually very patient, like always, and his lips held the soft smile that I’d grown so fond of over the past few days.

I rested my head back on the back of the couch once again, but this time my face was turned toward the prince, my eyes gazing at his, my fingers tangled with his own, and my thoughts busily trying to figure him out – or at least trying to make up my mind on all of those feelings I was having about him but didn't like to admit.

One more time, his hand pushed a lock of my hair out of my face and behind my ear, his eyes staring deep into my own for a moment too long before he said, "I'm sorry I said you were judgmental and prejudicial. I guess I needed to find a black key myself."

His words reminded me of the ones he’d said to me the night before last, right before I fell asleep.

"May you find the black keys, Troubled Princess."

"What do you mean by a black key? What does 'Black Keys' mean?" I frowned slightly.

"You don't know?" He looked surprised.

"Not really, no," I admitted.

"Knowledge is the key, Princess," he said. ''The mind has blank, dark and empty spots when it doesn't know about something, and knowledge is the key that opens the door to fill this empty space. Once you find that key, you see rooms and rooms in your head brightening with the knowledge you just found. That's why people say 'I was in the dark regarding this or that' – meaning they didn't know about it," he explained.

Huh!

"I see. But – what make them black?" I wondered.

"Knowledge is all around us, keys waiting to be found. They’re easy to see and use, but not when they are black, because in the darkness, you can't see black items. Only if you know in your heart that they’re there you might find them, and to find them, you have to work hard. Those keys are there, and at some point they were easy to find, but assuming and judging made them black. The kind of knowledge that those keys give you has to make it to your heart first to be able to pass through to your mind."

"Wow, that's really wise," I said, and got lost once again in my thoughts, thinking about what he said now and before, about the black keys and if I really needed to find them myself like he’d told me the other night when he thought I was asleep.

Was it really true that I had black keys around me that I needed to find? But if it was true, why would I need them? Would they give my mind peace? Would I be able then to be friends with him? With any Muslim? Would I be able to accept them? And Arabs? Did I even want that? I didn't know. I just wondered, always coming up with something that meant to me that I didn't want them. I didn't want those black keys, maybe I didn't need them at all, maybe I didn't even have them. I was just as confused as ever and I didn't like the feeling.

I had to admit that since Alice had told me about what Emmad did to her, slapping her across the face and wanting to kill her, I’d only thought of him as that bad, illiterate savage who doesn't care about his sister's safety and well-being as long as his country's traditions remain obeyed. But after Mona told me the truth behind his actions, my thoughts changed, and just like the prince had described, it was like something brightened in my mind at the awareness of the situation from another side. Maybe that was a black key and I had found it. But I didn't think there were any more black keys to find and put in my head – or were there? I seriously had no idea.

I thought I might have dozed for a bit, because I was sitting on the couch, buried deep in my thoughts and wondering about all of my feelings that I was having from here and there, and the next thing I knew was the feel of the familiar touch of his hand over my hair, messaging my scalp softly, oh, so very tenderly. I was still on the couch, but my head wasn't resting on the back of it like earlier – it was now pretty much lying on the prince's lap. From the feel of the tingling on my temple, I knew it had been this way for a while.

"Hey," I heard him saying, and I looked up at him, finding him smiling. I smiled back and got up, back into a sitting position, rubbing sleep out of my eyes, but it was no use, I was pretty much sleepy, very sleepy.

"Hey," I said back, "I guess I dozed a bit."

"I guess I finally managed to bore a girl into sleeping," the prince smiled. "Thank God I was only talking to you; otherwise I would be very insulted if you slept while we were doing something else," he – to my surprise – joked.

I chuckled and playfully punched his shoulder, my fogged with sleepiness mind drifting to draw an image of what he’d said. I was actually shocked that I didn't find that image disturbing at all. But then the thought of him getting back to his playful and light nature – joking around with me and slightly teasing – made me smile big at the idea that maybe everything that happened last night would be forgotten soon, or already was, and I wouldn't feel any impact from it.

"Sorry, I'm just really sleepy," I told him. "Haven't slept all night."

"It's okay, you can go back to sleep, I don't mind," he smiled.

"Nuh, I guess I'll go back to the bedroom. It has been a very long night."

"Tell me about it," he sighed.

"Won't you get some sleep yourself?" I asked.

"Not now, I can't sleep before I'm told that Alica has landed safely," he said. 

When I looked at him without a reply, he continued, "She's on her way to the US."

"Oh," I said, trying to hide the fact that I already knew that and hoping that I was successful. "Okay, I'm gonna go get some sleep." I smiled and got up, feeling my head spinning right away so that I swayed a bit.

"Whoa!" The prince was standing by my side right away. "Easy there. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I think I got up too fast, or I'm just really, really sleepy."

"Let me take you back there," the prince said, and didn't wait for me even to grasp what he was saying. The next thing I knew; he was carrying me bridal style, taking me back to our room.

"You like doing this, don't you?" I teased.

"You have no idea," he smiled brightly and I chuckled, pressing my head on his chest even more, seeking warmth, comfort and safety – all of the things that his closeness always provided.  And I did feel it all in those moments it took him to carry me from the living room to the bed, where he tucked me in like you would a little baby. So kindly and sweetly.

When he was about to step away from the bed, I pulled him by the hand, stopping him, swallowing thickly before I let out the words I knew I should've said long ago. "I'm sorry," I said, and not surprisingly, the prince looked surprised. I could clearly see it when his eyes widened slightly and his eyebrows shoot up towards his hairline. "For everything that happened last night, me leaving that way without saying anything other than lying to you – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, or anyone else, or even cause you any trouble. Please, forgive me," I told him sincerely.

The prince was silent for a moment before he brought his free hand – that I wasn't holding in mine – to touch my cheek tenderly. "There's nothing to forgive, Beautiful Princess," he said. "I completely understand. I didn't before, but now I do. And I don't blame you for wanting to leave."

His reply, though assuring, made a new thought occur to my mind. Now that he knew I’d wanted to leave all along, and had sworn that he wouldn't have made me stay had he known I didn't like it here – would he send me back to the States now?

The answer to that was obviously 'yes' and just realizing it made my stomach twist in a non-pleasant way. Of course he would send me back now. He said he would've come up with something had he known I wasn't okay with staying here.

Confusingly, I found that I wasn't that attached to the thought of leaving the palace anymore, and the confusing thought was more confusing than anything else. But then I got even more confused when I started wondering how long it would take him to come up with something to let me leave without making anything look suspicious to others about my departure. I found a part of me wishing it would take him long enough for me to be able to gather my thoughts together. After all – why would he want me here if his sister was finally safe, as well as her reputation?

My stomach twisted again.

"Wait," I said when he was getting up, once again stopping him. When he looked at me again, waiting to hear what I wanted to say, I didn't really know how to say it.

A moment or two passed before I found the will to tell him, "That kiss I gave you before I left? It was real." For some reason, I begged with everything in me for him to believe me. Even if I wasn't able to believe what I was saying myself or found it hard to admit it, I still wanted him to believe me.

The prince kept his eyes locked with mine for a few seconds before his lips drew a soft smile and then he leaned down and pressed those beautiful lips of his to my forehead, kissing it softly before pulling back the slightest to look closely into my eyes.

"I know that very well," he whispered. "Sleep now, My Princess."

That moment, I found that through all of the words he'd used before, 'My' was the best word he'd ever chosen to put prior my title.

~BK~

  


41 comments:

  1. been waiting forever for this scene. Amazing work as always. Thanks

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  2. Love this!! Thank you for letting them talk and move forward. It is nice to see the what and why she is so against Muslims.. Loving that they are moving forward! :D

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  3. Things definitely seem to be getting better for them. I hope it stays that way.

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  4. I loved this chapter!! please update ASAP!!!

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  5. awww..the most awaited chapter.*sigh* I feel like I am floating in the clouds..such a dreamy chapter.

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  6. IT is best to judge a person by their deeds not someone else's by association. :-)

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  7. Aww, he is so patient with her..... more so than I would be......!

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  8. Glad they've finally talked, beautiful chapter, though I'm confused, if Jasper grew up the same as Bella, why wouldn't he also be prejudiced against Muslims?

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    1. I pointed that out on the past chapter. Please, take a look. :)

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  9. Loved it soooooo much!! Things are getting better between them and it makes me so happy!!!! :)
    And thanks for finally clearing up that 'Black keys' thing ;) It used to drive me insane :P
    An amazing chapter Rose.. Thank you so much for sharing this with us l!!
    Love you!!

    Xoxo
    M

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  10. That was amazing. Excellent job. He wants her, he know she wants him. He is so amazing.

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  11. So Rosa...you must and I mean this YOU MUST publish this after it's complete or whatever.
    Seriously do you even see what your writing?
    Your say with words, the way you evoke emotions from your readers.
    You've taken a touchy topic and made it into an educating story.
    A lot of folks, especially Americans DO feel that way about Muslims so reading Marie's story isn't shocking.
    Example the KKK on a rise in Anerica now, they are devote Christians too. We keep hearing statements that this is not the American way, this does not represent us. As a black person should I believe them knowing the history of America then and NOW? Food for thought on how any country, race and religion can be generalised in a negative way.

    Now great chapter, loved the communication between them. Absolutely loved Mazen saying he was only 10, like seriously lol.
    The King nor Mazen can change people's views like that, it takes time so glad Mazen made Marie see the realism in that.
    As long as they both keep it honest and open they shall form a very strong friendship.
    Again, thank you and UPDATE ASAP lmao *mwuah*

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    1. You made a great point about kkk. I think schools should teach about all races and nationalities because like Marie I think a lot of people are told things not true. Before I read this chapter I was studing with my daughter I learned we didn't take all the land from Indians the British paid for it in pa, where I live until Penn died and the English brought slaves over and even in early Times before we became America Penn was one person trying to change it. I always wondered why it took so long, but I guess all the facts aren't always right that we are told. I thought we killed and stole all land from Indians and not exactly true. None of this behaviour is good, but I guess it show there are always be Apples and not all of anything is ever an accurate statement.

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    2. They technically paid in some circumstances but it wasn't fair payment and the native peoples were tricked in some instances to not realizing what was being bought. They interpreted things from a different cultural lens also. Still be wary of anything taught in school as its pretty whitewashed to seem not so bad, unless the teacher really knows history well.

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  12. I really LOVED this chapter! I hope they move forward in their relationship and she learns to accept him and his people. Please update soon.

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  13. I would like to see Jasper get some real punishment for all that he has done.

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  14. Finding the black keys was very clever. It looks like so much has been said that we are finally on the right track to move Marie and Mazen forward. I can't tell you how much I'm in love with this story. Amazing job as always, thanks so much for sharing. Mwah xoxo

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  15. I found the discussion about back keys and knowledge to be thought provoking. I have really enjoyed reading your story and appreciate that you share your creativity and talent with us.

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  16. Please update as soon as possible. I love to read more. Maybe upload 2 chapters ?

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  17. Cant wait for more chapters!! I loved this chapter, hope that they start to see that they have feelings for each other. And do sonething about those feelings!! 😀

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  18. Yes! This makes me so happy! It is very difficult to overcome long-held prejudices, but she is on her way. The prince so obviously loves her and she has finally admitted to her attraction. They are on the right path. So glad to have the explanation for the black keys. :)

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  19. Angelik Angel
    Hi
    I loved this chapter, he needed to know where did Marie hatred of Muslims and needed to know that she can not blame all Muslims, the king and the prince himself repudiated the Muslims who made the attack. Masen now can see why she fights both with herself, he realizes that a part of it like him and another fight with her remembering what happened with his grandfather and making it back and get suspicious. I hope that from now on the prince can win once the confidence of the princess and they can get to know each other. Xo.

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  20. I love it! Can't wait for the next one.
    I just wanted to ask you how do you know so much about Islam? Is is just research or what?

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  21. Love me tender...love me true. Never let me go... hadving an Elvis moment. Loved the update!

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  22. Im glad he know that the kiss is real. I hope this is the start where they let their love to grow

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  23. Best chapter to date. Loved it. Thanks for the update.

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  24. So delicious. He seems so open...almost transparent. I hope the breakthrough comes soon.

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  25. Honestly I started reading your story two nights ago on fanfiction and just beautiful I can not wait to see these two admit their feeling for each other, and for bella to contuine to find those black keys! Also if you publish this I will buy a copy of the book!!

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  26. This is a great story and the person has a great point about the kkk.

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  27. I thought really clever the meaning of black keys.

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  28. I really want to see Jasper get his comeuppance. I hope this gets covered.

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  29. I can finally breathe! It was well worth the short wait for this amazing chapter. You have such a gift for writing! I'm glad you're sharing it with us. Loves!

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  30. beautiful chapter and just wandering if the princess will be able to leave when the time comes, if she has such strong feeling now how strong will the be in weeks of months

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  31. One thing that has not been addressed, regarding Marie's attempted escape, is what Jasem was up to?
    He found Marie and took her back to the palace but what was he doing stopping the car in the first place?
    He thought at first it was Alice, what did he intend to do to her?

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  32. Hi, I was just rereading the whole story again and I wanted to tell you a saying that Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) said that goes along with this chapter. Be aware that I am paraphrasing. "Kill one person and it is like you have killed the whole of humanity. Save one person and it is as though you've saved the whole of humanity".

    Samira Salihu. Sorry couldn't be bothered to log in

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    1. Hey it does ...for Jews...

      Quran 5:32:
      Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.

      The next verse however....

      5:33:
      Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment.

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