"Hashashins" | Suha, Ismat, Amir, Najib
Suha - Age 12
Ismat - Age 14
“Ukhzaa...” Amir gritted his teeth and looked to the children being drug up to his throne. They were both young, but they’re small bodies flailed violently trying to get away from the soldiers that held them tight. The younger of the two, a female was a bit more subdued, being led by one wrist and hand to the back of her neck. Meanwhile the soldier holding the young male was having much more of a struggle. He had managed to grab hold of both the boy’s wrist, but the boy was not giving in. He twisted and turned, shouting for the soldier to let him go.
Beside the sultan stood another soldier, this one clearly of higher rank with a silver sash tied over his left shoulder. He was older, with short peppered gray hair and dressed in the standard brown and blue military uniform, standing up right, hands by his side, but his eyes followed the sultan’s, looking towards the children as they stopped in front of the throne.
“You two are a disgrace.” He hissed to the children as he rose to his feet.
The emad, now standing behind him swallowed.
“Yalla bina!” The boy screamed, continuing to try and jerk his arms free. “Yalla bina!”
Amir stepped towards the children.
“Silence, street rat.”
His voice rung through the throneroom, and the boy stopped. For the first time Amir could see him as he was, young, in his early teens, with grime covering his skin and higs rags of clothing. There was blood splattered across his front, yet that didn’t seem to bother him.
The girl twisted her wrist, but made no attempt to squirm free.
“It is hard enough trying to run a country in the middle of a rebellion without having my children running around murdering people, let alone my muhasib.” His voice was raised and filled with rage.
The boy furled his brow and looked to the sultan.
“We didn’t know who he was. We were just hungry.”
He glanced to his sister and then back to Amir.
“Hungry? You were just hungry!” He took a step towards the boy and towered over him. “You were hungry so you chose to kill one of the most important men in my country?”
The boy was unable to look at his father at this point.
“You need food to live, you need money for food. We knew he had money, he wouldn’t give any to us, so we made it so he no longer needed it…”
“Savages,” Amir hissed at them, straightening his back, “Both of you.”
Turning around to face his emad he spoke in a more frustrated tone, “I should have both of you driven into the Borax for what you’ve done. This is entirely unacceptable.”
The emad cleared his throat upon hearing that threat.
“A kalima, jalala?”
Despite the glare on the sultan’s face, he stepped towards his emad.
“What it is, Najib?”
The two had turned their backs to the children, but the boy still strained his ear to listen.
“Might I remind you, jalala, that you that the boy you threaten is the only semblance to an heir that you have…” Najib spoke hushed, but with a tone that sounded concerned and caring. He had failed them once, he couldn’t fail them again.
“My country will go to the most qualified person when I can no longer reign, not some, alfiran.” Amir’s tone was louder than Najib’s, and the boy could hear what he was saying. He could hear, but he didn’t understand.
Najib felt his heart sink in his chest. His lips pressed together and he racked his brain for something else-
“You could use them, you know.”
Amir cocked his head to the side.
“The children have already proven themselves to be savages, why not make them your savages and use them to your advantage?”
The emad could see the gears turning in his sultan’s head, he wasn’t going to let this chance slip.
“They could be trained, with a firm hand I’m sure they could be perfect hashashins to to be used in whatever manner you’d need them.”
The sultan’s eye had softened, and after a moment of thought he gave a slight, singular nod of his head.
“I will put them in your care for six months. By the end of that time I want to significant improvement, or I will send all three of you to the Borax.”
Najib felt a silent wave of relief wash over him.
“Understood, jalala.”
Suha - 13 years of age Ismat - 15 years of age The fist hit harder than Suha expected it too, she was too focused on the sting of her cheek to realize a second man was coming up behind her. A cold blade was pressed against her throat and she pulled her chin up. Her eyes narrowed and she looked to the salt and pepper haired emad. “Pay more attention to what is going on around you.” He spoke softly, hands behind his back. “Let her go and try again. Suha felt the metal leave her neck, and before the man that had held the blade could pull his hand completely away, she reached up and grabbed his wrist, jabbing her thumb into the center to cause his to release the blade. With her other hand, she snatched up the weapon and jumped to her feet in order to charge at the emad. She was two steps away from him, blade gripped tightly in her hand and aimed at his gut. But quicker than she had grabbed the wrist of her attacker, Najib reached out and grabbed her wrist, redirecting the weapon away from him and stepping beside her. “One day you and your brother will be able to best me, but today is not that day.” With ease, Najib jerked Suha’s wrist and knocked her off balance, sending her falling on the floor. From his position at the side of the courtyard, Ismat winced. His sister was tough, admittedly, yet he still had a hard time allowing her to get beat up on. “Try again, Suha.” Najib’s voice had hardened. “This time, Ismat, you take Omar’s place as her third attackers. “Nem sayidi.” Ismat rose to his feet and gave a nod. He may not enjoy what he was being ask to do, but if there was one thing he had learned in the past year, it was that he didn’t say no to the emad.
Suha - 16 years of age Ismat - 18 years of age. Ismat dropped the earring into the sultan’s hand, blood still caked over the metal work. Amir’s dark hues looked briefly at the jewelery before turning his eyes to his hashashin. “The emir of Munstasaf’s wife?” Ismat responded with a single nod, the sunlight from the window in the throne room behind him framing his figure to make him look like no more than a shadow. “The emir will believe it was rebels’ doings.” “Good.” His father smile, “And your sister?” “Suha is still Adnah, taking care of your naqib.” Amir only gave a huff. “You are dismissed, then. If you see Suha before I do send her straight to me.” “Understood, jalala.”
Suha - 13 years of age Ismat - 15 years of age The fist hit harder than Suha expected it too, she was too focused on the sting of her cheek to realize a second man was coming up behind her. A cold blade was pressed against her throat and she pulled her chin up. Her eyes narrowed and she looked to the salt and pepper haired emad. “Pay more attention to what is going on around you.” He spoke softly, hands behind his back. “Let her go and try again. Suha felt the metal leave her neck, and before the man that had held the blade could pull his hand completely away, she reached up and grabbed his wrist, jabbing her thumb into the center to cause his to release the blade. With her other hand, she snatched up the weapon and jumped to her feet in order to charge at the emad. She was two steps away from him, blade gripped tightly in her hand and aimed at his gut. But quicker than she had grabbed the wrist of her attacker, Najib reached out and grabbed her wrist, redirecting the weapon away from him and stepping beside her. “One day you and your brother will be able to best me, but today is not that day.” With ease, Najib jerked Suha’s wrist and knocked her off balance, sending her falling on the floor. From his position at the side of the courtyard, Ismat winced. His sister was tough, admittedly, yet he still had a hard time allowing her to get beat up on. “Try again, Suha.” Najib’s voice had hardened. “This time, Ismat, you take Omar’s place as her third attackers. “Nem sayidi.” Ismat rose to his feet and gave a nod. He may not enjoy what he was being ask to do, but if there was one thing he had learned in the past year, it was that he didn’t say no to the emad.
Suha - 16 years of age Ismat - 18 years of age. Ismat dropped the earring into the sultan’s hand, blood still caked over the metal work. Amir’s dark hues looked briefly at the jewelery before turning his eyes to his hashashin. “The emir of Munstasaf’s wife?” Ismat responded with a single nod, the sunlight from the window in the throne room behind him framing his figure to make him look like no more than a shadow. “The emir will believe it was rebels’ doings.” “Good.” His father smile, “And your sister?” “Suha is still Adnah, taking care of your naqib.” Amir only gave a huff. “You are dismissed, then. If you see Suha before I do send her straight to me.” “Understood, jalala.”
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