Here we go as promised kinda

Sultan

"Daughter?" I asked because i had to

What is happening?

She broke into tears again that i had to go and hug her and lead her to a chair to sit because she look like she was about to fall when she move without support,

I saw a picture of 2 children in her hand wearing the same type of clothe sitting on a royal chair smiling,

"This..... This" she said and kept quiet as if she was finding it hard to make a sentence

"What is happening Zulaiha?" My dad asked

"Mami call Jadwa immediately i have to talk to her" she ordered and Mami left immediately and within 10 minutes she's back with Jadwa who still looks like she has been crying because her eyes were still swollen,

"Barkan ku da zama" she greeted in a very low tone and sat down

"Jadwa" my mum called her name and she replied

"Who are those in the picture i saw you with?" She asked and Jadwa hesitated before replying "they're my parents your highness"

"Here" she said handing Jadwa the picture she was holding and Jadwa looked at it full of surprise,

"You looked exactly like her when you were a baby Jadwa" she said smiling weakly

"What is happening Umma?" I asked and she looked at me and smiled

"Aaban I'm gonna tell you a story, a story buried deep within me for years now that always haunts me when I remember, a story about Zaitoon my designated twin sister"

"Twin?? I don't understand"

Queens pov 45 years ago my mother the queen of jigawa gave birth to me on a Friday morning at 6am, or so i was told,

Immediately she put to bed a news reached her that her sister who was married to the king of hadeja just put to bed few minutes after her but passed away immediately,

It was a very shocking story for them but solution was found,

"I promise to raise these two children as my own flesh and blood, and i promise to raise them as twins and never to tell them they were separately given birth to, i shall take that to my grave" my mum took an oath

"Zulaiha and Zaitoon Abdulsamad" were the names given to us by my mother,

That was how we kept growing together looking slightly alike but i was somehow darker than Zaitoon,

She was a very fragile child and also quiet even though we were so young i still could remember that,

Every night before we sleep my mum would always give us a bath with some herbal water and rub some things I didn't know for us then and we always sleep with Quran recitation played till morning,

It was after i grew up that I realized my aunt, Zaitoon's mother was intentionally killed, they wanted to kill both the mother and daughter but they didn't succeed so they only killed aunty mariya and they swore to never rest till they make Zaitoon disappear forever in the whole of jigawa or in this world even

All what my mother ever did was to find ways to protect Zaitoon and i from the face of the enemies and she did that so well but for just a little time,

I clearly remember this day like it was stored in my brain, it was during a royal event i cant quite remember what it was but people from several emirates came to our palace that time and everyone was busy including my mum,

She did 2 days without bathing us with the herbal water she use to, 2 days she didn't play the quran loudly in our room for the whole of the night,

I know it wasn't her fault because she was really occupied since she is the kings wife, she left us with her most trusted maid laraba,

I noticed Zaitoon has been more quiet lately but I taught maybe it was her sickness since my mum told me that my sister was sick and that I shouldn't always stress her,

"Sorry kinji Zaitoon, Mama will soon be here" those were my words to her whenever i see her crying in the night,

I was a child then because we were just 4 so i don't really know what is happening to her and she hasn't been talking since the day the event started,

We were seated in our room with her head on my little laps when my mother came in

"Yan matan mama Lafiya?" She asked hugging us

I replied but Zaitoon didn't say a word,

"Zait?" She called but still no answer

"Mummy she didn't talk since" I managed to say

"Subhanallah" my mum said picking her up to look at her then she dropped her and went out and came back with some people that always pray in our house,

They spent that whole day praying for her and later that night when we were sleeping i heard her saying "mummy", i was so happy that I couldn't wait to play with her the next day but the worst thing happened,

Immediately I woke up i saw mum asking me where Zaitoon was and I pointed to her side of the bed but she wasn't there, i went down and entered the toilet but she wasn't there,

That was how Zaitoon left our lives in one night without any trace, for 20 years Mummy looked for Zaitoon in the whole of jigawa and nearby states but she wasn't found,

Every week a new reward is mentioned for anyone who brings her back but nothing happened,

That was how the story of Zaitoon being missing was forgotten by mostly everyone in the state except us,

Zaitoon was buried deep into our hearts, she had a space nothing could occupy because she was an angel, i never lost hope in finding her and Alhamdulillah today I found someone linked to my blood sister,

"Jadwa"

Sultan

"Jadwa?" I asked and she nodded and smiled

"Yes Aaban,Jadwa"

Then she stood and collected the picture she handed to jadwa and gave it to me

"Kagani koh Aaban, this is Zaitoon, and Jadwa is Zaitoons daughter" she explained

"But how" i asked in a confused tone and expression because I wasn't understanding anything,

"I don't know Aaban i have to find out too"

"Jadwa" i called and she looked at me with tear filled eyes

"She's really your mother?" I asked and she nodded gesturing yes

"Jadwa where is she?" My mum asked but before Jadwa replied i did

"Dead" i said looking at my mother and her smiling face instantly became a frown

"You're joking right?" She asked but i said "no" gently massaging her hand that I was holding because she was so tense

I told her the story Jadwa told me from A to Z without leaving any part out,

I gently hugged her wiping her tears away because she couldn't stop crying throughout the story,

"Jigawa?" She asked

"But the whole jigawa was searched for her but all in vain" she said sounding so confused

"Jadwa" she called and Jadwa looked at her

"Do you know anything about this please?" She asked and Jadwa took a deep breath and spoke so quietly,

"My grandfather used to tell me a story about a mute girl who was lost and a farmer found her in the village of maiduguri" she said wiping a tear then she continued

"He always use to tell me this story whenever he visits or whenever we visited him,"

"Malam shehu" i always called him with the name everyone calls him

"Na'am yar lele"

"Don't you have any story for me today?" I will ask but he will smile and hold my hand

"Baiwa daga Allah, with time you will understand this is more than just a fairly tale" he will say touching my cheeks and i will giggle and say "okay malam shehu tell me the story one more time"

And that was how he will always tell me that same story over and over again till the day he was on his deathbed,

"Baiwa daga Allah" he called and I answered

"Would you like to hear that story one more time?" He asked and i nodded and laid close to him and that was how he told me that same story again with his last breath,

"What is the story Jadwa? Please tell me about your mother" my mum begged and Jadwa smiled and wiped her tears and began

"He said whenever I remember this story I should never cry, I should say it with a smile on my face and prayer in my heart for him and for any loved one who is no longer in this world"

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I know y'all will blast me now but the story will come in the next chapter I'm tired for now😘😘 All those who are curious now we all know Jadwa is his Cousin🤦🏻‍♀️😀😅😅😅 with a sad past💔💔