Albela - Sajan

From the darkness, a voice answered: "Four… five… six…"

"You're counting wrong," he said. "You're counting his beats. The dead king's beats. The court's beats. What does your heart sound like?" Albela Sajan

By the time the lights came back, Leela was laughing. She hadn't laughed in seven years. She was sitting on the floor, her royal hair loose, and Ayaan was tying the genda flower into her braid. From the darkness, a voice answered: "Four… five…

"Give that back," she hissed.

And somewhere behind her, Ayaan began to sing a new song—one about a river that learned to flood a desert, and a fool who taught a queen to dance like no one was watching. From the darkness

But before the guards could move, Ayaan began to sing.