Princess Anna

There is a man in our home who rushed to meet Adam. The doorman, Daniel, told me that they were friends from when Adam went travelling to study. Apparently, they have known each other for years.

Friends? Is this a confusion? Does Daniel perhaps have this friend confused for another?

I was peacefully enjoying some time with Madame before she left to rest. Then, when the guest came I decided that I would review my notes as Adam would be busy. I usually took some lessons with Madame in embroidery, Islam and mathematics in the mornings and spent my afternoons with Adam. Visitors were apparently rare in winter, but in summer there was more of a busyness around the castle. This is what I had come to expect from what Adam's Father told me.

I have not been able to think since the visitor has come. My mind has frozen like the ice outside and become muddled like the stepped on snow.

"You lot think you're the greatest thing, you know? That's why I can't stand these religious people anymore! You are all insane, I don't know why you still study, look at these books, I doubt you can even find solace here Adam! You're lying to yourself, you know? This place is hell! Who are you kidding?" The man takes a deep breath and his trembling angry voice smacks the walls and echos right to my insides.

I hear the pacing angry footsteps pick up in speed.

"You probably have your head in knots judging me right now, you know! You promised we were brothers and I see that look in your eye, you know, like we have nothing in our past. Like you have no hope in me. Well I'll tell you what! I'm great, you know. I've got plenty in my life, you're the one whose missing out. You're the one Adam! You can't even answer me! Answer me!"

I clutch my heart and pull my knees to my chest. My thick dress suffocates me as I breathe deeply into it.

I look up and stare at the wall that holds Madame's embroidery of a blazing sunrise. The threads that hold it up, if they came undone as I am, how simply they would undo the picture she worked so hard on. Finish the job that she struggled on. The tight orange and blue strings that are only stitches away from each other are tightly placed. They do not unravel in one moment. It would take ages of painstaking work to shred that masterpiece.

I glance at the wall that connects to Adam's office. Silence wafts around the house.

Adam speaks.

I wait.

The moment becomes too much. I cannot hear his response. I run to my room an throw myself onto the carpet.

The mauve is cool in the setting sun while my body is running hot. My face is streaming tears and my mind is running through my fears.

I stare at the ceiling and watch as the stone's rough edges make patterns for my unfocused eyes. A tree. A house. A wolf. A tiger. An elephant. A monstrous ape. A...A...my mind has no more ferocious animals in its stocks. I will have to ask Madame to describe more animals for me as I have seen very few in my life. Always living in a kingdom, a bustling place. A protected place.

Perhaps Adam will be fine. As a prince, I am sure he has dealt with this before. Angry people, raging worries, and the like.

I am such worrisome one! I shouldn't have let myself become so overturned. Worrying over something like their argument. People argue all the time, they don't always mean it. My heart calms down.

The door opens. Adam trudges in with his white shirt slightly unbuttoned and his face slightly flush. He drops himself face first into the bed.

I lean up on my elbows. My heart races at how disheveled he appears. I stand and walk across the room to sit on the bed and pull his head into my arms. He hides his face in my dress.

"Anna." He says my name with a sigh so trembling and frustrated that I hold him tight.

The white wool blanket sinks beneath us softly as we rest on one side of the bed. The bed will simply swallow him up if I'm not careful.

I turn him around to face me. He covers his eyes with his arm.

"Don't look at me Anna." He chokes.

I brush my fingers across his face and his arm flops to one side. He shuts his eyes.

I wait.

"Adam, what happened?"

The sun sets.

In the darkness of the room he speaks.

"I tried my best Anna, that's all I can do right? It's Allah who guides the hearts. I could see, the second he came in and started speaking he was looking for something else. He said so many angry things and... I held in any reaction until he was done." Adam takes a deep breath as the weight visibly floats off him.

"He then wanted my response. After his rant I had only a simple response. I told him that you can't judge Islam by people, but by the religion. But Anna, I don't know if I spoke enough, I tried! I don't want him to feel his thoughts were dejected, we...are like brothers. I can't believe he was in such despair and-" Adam sighs and stares at me.

"Adam, you talk to much," I say and kiss his deep enchanting grey eyes. "You did your best and that's what counts."

After a few moments he sighs and leans up on his elbow.

"Let's pray the sunset prayer. There's no use in worrying extraordinarily. Our only solace and helper is Allah." He smiles lightly and wraps a strand of my hair around his finger. He kisses my palms and he swings himself off the bed.

I pray with Adam.

When we finish I raise my hands to supplicate a special prayer.

Oh Allah, Lord of the Worlds, please by every name of yours that we know and those that we do not, help us be on the straight path to achieve your pleasure and please guide us. Please guide the entire Ummah. Please help us not to lead ourselves or others astray. Please give us heaven. Ameen.

Three weeks pass and a beautiful spring Friday arrives, the birds chirp to announce it. I glance out the window that morning to see a world sprinkled with green. Could this winter mountain come to life?

I busy myself with going through a vegetation journal a previous gardener left that I found in the library. According to the journal we could begin planting seeds on the East side of the garden in-

"Anna! I've received a letter from Brandon! Listen, he says he was impressed with how we spoke last month. He's gone to Jummah for the first time in two years! Anna, he's come back to Islam. He's come back!"

I smile at Adam.

"See Adam, I told you not to worry. You did your best and didn't yell at him when he needed you. Now look, he's thanking you when you didn't expect it." I say.

My heart brims with pride. Adam strides towards me and lifts me up and spins. I hug him lightly. My face hidden in his chest, right next to his rhythmic heart.

"It's all thanks to Allah. I read once that one scholar had treated his angry companion with calm versus his anger and that man become a true scholar a few years later himself. And this example instantly came to my mind with Brandon." Adam breathes excitedly.

His face is light with excitement and hope. He takes my hand and kisses it. I blush.

"SubhanAllah, Allah is indeed free of all faults. One message delivered with humbleness and care can change a man's life." I say.