He was walking around the palace, towards the pool he had loved once. It was very close to the hall, and he prayed there were no partiers there. But as soon as he approached the pool, there were pool of young lads standing, some where sitting while a cool music was blasting softly. He noticed a circle of young girls, but his eyes didn't wander at them for a second. He walked directly to an ottoman at the far end of the pool, there was a lady seated there, in a black dress that truly complimented her skin. But he felt nothing, because he wasn't supposed to feel anything.

He walked directly to where she sat, on the ottoman by her side and sat down. He loved, or so he thought, staring at the pool as the coll evening breeze cooled his mind off. He brought his phone out and began playing a game, that's something he hardly do, but he knew Umma would not let him out of this palace until it was night, and he had nothing to do. He had no friend in his life to call and converse with. He failed the stage he was in the game and hissed softly, "Come on, young lady. You shouldn't have done that." He spoke to himself and existed the game, putting his phone back into his breast pocket.

At the mention of young lady, Fatima Zarah opened her eyes and she abruptly turned to look at the vvoice she heard. He was the one! She didn't know when she stood up and moved to where he sat, silently looking at the fall and rise of the pool. "Acp. Al-mustapha Muhammad Maccido?!" She couldn't believe this. What brought him here? In an attire...that looked royal?! She didn't care, he might be the Sultan of Sokoto for all she cared, but she was truly going to take her revenge now.

He looked up at her and scrunched his face, she looked like the girl he had locked up and only released hours ago, right? He folded his hands over his chest and waited for what she had to say. But surprisingly, she stopped a waited and collected two cups of black drinks. What Al-mustapha had never expected happened, because she poured the first cup all over his chest and the second one got spilled on his face, dripping in slow drops over his chest, yet again.

She stood over his head with hands at akimbo, Fatima Zarah didn't mind about the gasps she heard from the people or how the crowd had slowly turned to them. She looked at him with a smirk on her face and spoke, "Do you think being a police officer gave you the right to do whatever you want? Just because I shrugged you off without me knowing in the court you had me locked up in your stinky cell for the whole night. Now that I've spilled a drink on you, what do you think you'll do? Have me lcoked up there for eternity or you're going to kill me right away?" She thundered, the rage that was on her face was evident that even Ammi couldn't stop her from doing what she intended to do, and if he was going to take her to the police station because of this, she's also not going.

Al-mustapha looked at the crowd then to Fatima Zarah's face. He groaned silently and thought about Umma that was far away from them with barely ten inches. He had to do what he knew Umma wouldn't want him to, but he can't disgrace himself and deal with this fickle of dust here, would he? Not that he would fell embarassed, but Umma, atleast for her.

The crowd did all they can to muffle their suprises and they eagerly waited for him to speak, to take action, to retaliate. Some where even there to see who the lady was, whom spilled a drink on the body and face of Al-mustapha. He brought his phone out, and he began dialing Small's number when Fatima Zarah snatched the phone away and she looked at it with a snicker.

"So you can't do anything on your own? When you're no more a police officer and you have your royal attire on, you're no more the merciless police officer huh? Does you khaki gives you the strength you need to do whatever you like? I'm not understanding. Are you a coward? Aren't you a police officer? Why can't you act up on your own without getting help from your seargents? That's truly a shame, Acp. Al-mustapha Muhammad Maccido." Now that she mentioned his full name again, she remembered the late Sultan of Sokoto, his name was Muhammad Maccido. So he was his son?

She laughed in an enraging tone and threw the phone into the pool and she looked back at him, "Get into the water, bring your phone out and then after it gets back to life, call Small and tell him that you have a lady he might kill for you, since you're a coward that can't act up to his problem, always hiding under the thick flesh of your khaki!" She rolled her eyes angrily at him, and by now, Al-mustapha had himself brewing with anger.

She turned to leave, just when Ammi and Umma rushed to where they were and Ammi rushed to her. "What are you doing, Fatima Zarah?!" She asked in a voice that spoke her bewilderment and anger.

Fatima Zarah shrugged off her shoulders and she replied Ammi, "I did nothing, Ammi. I just revenged on what he did to me and it turns out he's only strong when she had his khaki on. Such a shame. I'll wait for you in the car, this place is making me nauseous." She took the car key from Ammi's hand and walked away with a gait even a gazelle would envy, and eyes followed her until she disappeared from her sight and that was when Umma ordered for everyone to leave.

They all did, but Ammi stood there looking at how Al-mustapha had been clutching more to his knees and Umma kept hushing some words into his ears, but he didn't act as if he heard what she had been saying. She looked at Ammi with a hard expression on her face, "What are you staying here for, Dr. Summayah? I'll call you to tell you how to clean up the mess your daughter made. Thank you for coming."And Ammi nodded her head, muttering a soft 'sorry' before she left to the car. She prayed what Umma would do would never harm Fatima Zarah, because there's nothing Hadiza Kabir Muhammad Mai Turare could not do for her son. She was the great granddaughter of the 14th Sultan of Sokoto, royalty ran through the locks and corners of her veins.

❀

"You can't do that, Fatima Zarah! How can you do that to him and say all those hurtful words? Do you know who he is? I knew he was the one that had you locked up that's why I didn't even bother to speak for your release. Do you know what you've caused because of this, Fatima Zarah?!" Ammi was taling in a high pitched voice and Fatima Zarah stared at her with eyes that spoke her anger too.

They were seated in the living room, and despite the food that was placed between them, none of them gave it. asecond look. They were both angry, the atmosphere was truly densed. "I don'y care whoever he is, Ammi. But what he did to me was truly injustice. Why don't he go and learn human irghts first before getting into the force? He can be the Sultan of Sokoto for all I care. I'm sorry if I disappointed you, but I did what he deserved."

Ammi stood up, picked up her handbag and veil before she pointed her index finger towards Fatima Zarah, "Just so you get yourself prepared, miss I know my legal rights, whatever happens, whatever the decision Hajia Hadiza has come to, I won't beg for your forgiveness. You will be the one ot clean up the mess you did, Fatima Zarah!" She thundered with a tone of finality and walked to her room, Fatima Zarah stayed rooted at her spot and her mind swirled in confusion. She didn't understand why Ammi was like that. She had never turned her back at her no matter what she did. What's with her and this Family?

She left the living room as well, leaving their food also untouched. On arriving into her room, her phone rang and she hissed softly before she pullled the phone out of her handbag and she picked the call, it was a lawyer, she met him at the court some day. And ever since he saw her, he had been on her neck with calls and messages that she sometimes had to ignore delibrately. But she knew he would be use to her someday, and that's why she hand't unleashed her fire on him yet.

She picked the call, "Hello, Barr. Aliyu Hammad Jabir." She fell on her bed with a thud and began massaging her temples. She hated it when she fought with Ammi, but this wasn't her fault, it was Ammi's fault.

"Fatima Zarah, how are you? You missed the court trial today." He sai with a voice filled with amiability and she faked a smile too, as if he could see her.

"I have a coronation party to attend and I woke up feeling sick that's why. They took the attendance right?" Her voice had a pitch of sadnes at the end and he chuckled softly.

"You know there's no way I'll let them write that attendance without your name, I wrote it for you." This, the little things he helped her with at the court, that's one of the reasons she couldn't unleash her fire on Aliyu.

"You're such a sweetheart, Barr. Aliyu. Thank you for saving my life today, I owe you." he laughed and they conversed for a few minutes before Fatima Zarah excused herself and she got into the bathroom to take her bath. She wanted to go and apologize to Ammi, but something was holding her back, the hatred she had for this Acp. Al-mustapha Muhammad Maccido. She couldn't believe they had a fight with Ammi because of him.

She got into her night dress and went to the kitchen to warm the food they left untouched. After she was done, she proceeded to Ammi's room with a small smile on her lips, Ammi was checking some files in her room when she entered, and the moment she saw her she closed the files and turned to look at her.

"I brought you dinner to eat, Ammi. We can talk while we eat, right?" Ammi smiled softly, something she loved about Fatima Zarah. She was fire, but truly she had water in her that smothered the fire whenever it came to her.

"Come here, Fatima Zarah, you know you melt my heart whenever you do this, right?" Fatima Zarah giggled before she dropped the tray on the center table and rushed to where Ammi was, she embraced her into a hug with a beautiful smile on her lips.

"I'm so sorry I raised my voice at you, Ammi. It was totally wrong of me, please forgive me." Ammi broke their hug before she pinched her cheeks and guided them over to the cneter table.

"I know of the fire that resides within your soul, Fatima Zarah, but don't you think it's time to douse it a little bit? Carrying such hatred and grudge along, all your life will do more harm than good." Fatima Zarah served them in one plate before she loked at Ammi with the presumptous expression she had always used when Ammi brought up that conversation.

"You know I won't give up now, Ammi, not until you tell me everything and I decide wether to let go or get revenge done. Let's eat unless you want me to lose my appetite." Ammi shook her head with a smile on her lips, she didn't know how she was going to melt down the rock in Fatima Zarah's heart. She had fire in her that was supposed to do that, but it seemed as if the fire was spurted by a volcano made from the rock.