She joined a group of guards, blending in with them, and no one suspected that she was actually a princess. She carefully tried to adjust her walk to resemble that of a man, watching how the others walked.
Suddenly, a well-polished car inside the palace stopped beside her. Her heart pounded violently—she thought she had been discovered.
But it was only one of the palace security officers driving the car. He said to her:
“Hey! Get in. I’ll give you a ride to the Royal Center.”
Ayat entered quickly, though her body felt weak and uncomfortable because of the tight chest binding she was not used to.
The security guard asked again:
“Are you among the team going out today?”
Ayat was afraid to speak, worried that he might recognize her voice despite her training. She remained silent.
The guard snapped angrily:
“Hey! I’m talking to you and you’re ignoring me? Should I throw you out of the car?”
Startled, Ayat quickly adjusted her voice into a soft masculine tone.
“Uh… yes… I’m among those going out.”
The guard replied:
“Hmm… your voice sounds strange. Do you have a cold?”
Soon they arrived at the Center of the Kingdom.
Ayat’s eyes wandered everywhere as she admired the magnificent structures inside the palace. She wondered in amazement:
“So this is how huge the palace truly is?”
At that moment, a group of guards was preparing to leave the palace.
Ayat stepped down from the car, filled with excitement, and quietly joined the group heading outside the palace.
As soon as she crossed the palace gates, she released a long breath from deep inside her chest.
The wind of the outside world struck her face.
The wind she had dreamed of feeling for twenty-five years.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
She whispered softly:
“World… here I am.”
---
The River
After passing the first test with the security driver, Ayat quietly slipped away from the group and wandered alone.
She secretly took one of the horses and rode to the back area of Alhamra, a place rarely visited by anyone.
There she discovered a beautiful river flowing through a quiet valley. The place was peaceful—only the sound of birds and the calm movement of the water.
She sat by the riverbank, dipping her feet into the cool water while still wearing her male disguise.
Suddenly—
Something fell behind her!
She jumped in fright and screamed in a woman’s voice, forgetting her disguise in panic.
When she turned around, she saw a beautiful white bird lying on the ground. It had been struck by a spear from the sky.
She ran toward it, holding her chest painfully because of the tight binding.
Soon a group of young hunters approached. They had been the ones who threw the spear.
But when they saw Ayat wearing the royal security uniform, they panicked.
“Oh no! One of the Alhamra palace guards! Run!”
They fled immediately.
Ayat looked down at the injured bird with sympathy.
She sat beside the river and took out a needle and thread from her turban. Carefully, she stitched the bird’s wound and treated it.
Then she gave it water.
When she released it, the bird managed to fly—but not very high.
Ayat followed it.
The bird landed on a tall tree where its chicks were waiting in their nest.
Ayat smiled with joy. Saving the bird made her incredibly happy.
She gently stroked the bird and said softly in her disguised male voice:
“So you’re a mother. Thank God I came at the right time. Is this where you live? Near this beautiful river?”
She continued:
“Don’t worry. I will visit you again and protect you.”
“My name is Ayat, but in this disguise my name is Inuwa… meaning your shadow. The one who will protect you.”
“When I come back, I’ll tell you my story… a story filled with destiny.”
She covered the nest with leaves so no one would notice it and turned to leave.
---
Trouble at the Palace Gate
Suddenly she realized the sun was setting.
Her eyes widened in panic.
“Oh no! They close the palace gates at this time! My servants will soon look for me during dinner!”
She quickly mounted the horse and rode back toward the palace.
The gate was already about to close when she arrived.
One of the guards shouted angrily:
“Hey you! Where are you coming from?”
In her disguised male voice she answered nervously:
“The horse… ran out of strength.”
The guards exchanged suspicious looks.
“You broke the king’s rule. You must come with us and explain to the king.”
Ayat’s heart pounded.
She jumped off the horse and began apologizing.
In desperation she grabbed one guard’s hand while pleading.
The guard suddenly froze.
Her hand felt soft… incredibly soft.
He felt a strange sensation pass through his body.
He asked suspiciously:
“What is your name? I’ve never seen you in this palace before.”
Panicking, she stuttered:
“Musa… Kabiru… Iliyasu… Shafi’u…”
The guard frowned.
“Are you crazy?”
She quickly corrected herself.
“My name is… Inuwa.”
The guards laughed at her strange voice and feminine manner.
One of them even kicked her playfully and said:
“Move along, you useless fellow!”
They mocked her and nicknamed her “Dan Kwakur.”
---
Meeting Princess Maayah
On her way back, a senior security officer stopped her.
“Hey! Come here.”
He handed her a book.
“Take this to Princess Maayah. She requested it.”
Ayat accepted the book nervously and rode toward Maayah’s palace section.
She had never been there before.
After passing several guarded gates, she finally reached Maayah’s luxurious residence.
Inside the room, she sat on the bed while waiting.
The book was an English romance novel.
Ayat shook her head slightly.
“Everyone has their own worries,” she thought.
“Her worry is romance…”
At that moment—
Princess Maayah emerged from the bathroom, wearing only a small towel across her chest.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, with the elegance of her Hindu royal heritage.
Seeing a stranger inside her room startled her.
She slipped—
But Inuwa caught her.
They both fell onto the bed.
Maayah landed on top of her.
For a moment they stared at each other.
Maayah noticed his soft lips, large eyes, and delicate skin.
Believing he was a man, a strange desire stirred inside her.
Slowly she leaned forward to kiss him.
But Ayat panicked.
She pushed her away and fled the room immediately.
---
After the Escape
Maayah sat there in confusion.
“No man has ever entered my room before… and this one ran away from me?”
She looked at the book he had brought.
“That beautiful guard… I must find him.”
---
Ayat Returns Home
Ayat rushed back to her secret underground passage.
Exhausted, she entered her room.
She quickly removed:
the turban
the fake mustache and beard
the heavy boots
the male clothing
and finally the tight chest binding
When she removed it, she finally breathed freely again.
She hid the disguise and hurried into the bathroom.
Moments later, she returned wearing her royal princess attire and veil just as her servants knocked on the door with dinner.
She smiled quietly.
“I succeeded… on my first day.”
---
Suspicion Begins
Meanwhile, the guard whose hand she held—Ibrahim—was deeply troubled.
He stared at his hand.
The softness he felt was nothing like a man’s touch.
“What kind of man was that?”
“I must find this Inuwa,” he decided.
---
Maayah’s Obsession
Princess Maayah also could not forget him.
She ordered her servant:
“Find the guard who brought me the book yesterday.”
But the palace records showed no such guard.
This made her even more fascinated.
---
The Second Escape
Two days later, Ayat prepared to leave again to visit the river.
At the gate, some guards mocked her again:
“Oh look! The strange guard is leaving again!”
But she signed the gate register as INUWA and rode away.
---
The Battle at the River
When she reached the river and approached the bird’s nest, suddenly—
An arrow shot past her face and struck the tree.
She turned quickly.
A mysterious man stood on a rock nearby.
He had long silver hair and an aura of immense power.
It was King Diamond, though neither of them recognized each other.
Ayat shouted angrily:
“Who are you trying to kill my bird?”
She drew her sword.
“If you want the bird, you must go through me!”
King Diamond summoned a silver sword through magic.
Their swords clashed violently.
Sparks flew as they fought near the river.
Ayat fought fiercely to protect the bird.
Diamond fought calmly, studying the mysterious fighter before him.
Finally he seized her wrist and threw her into the freezing river.
She resurfaced moments later—but he had already vanished.
“Coward! He ran away!” she shouted angrily.
---
Rumors Spread
Back in the palace, rumors spread everywhere.
A mysterious guard had entered Princess Maayah’s bedroom.
Soon the story reached the ears of the Lion King himself.
The king ordered that all five princesses be summoned to the royal court.
Her Appearance Inside the Great Palace
She joined a group of guards, blending in with them, and no one suspected that she was actually a princess. She carefully tried to adjust her walk to resemble that of a man, watching how the others walked.
Suddenly, a well-polished car inside the palace stopped beside her. Her heart pounded violently—she thought she had been discovered.
But it was only one of the palace security officers driving the car. He said to her:
“Hey! Get in. I’ll give you a ride to the Royal Center.”
Ayat entered quickly, though her body felt weak and uncomfortable because of the tight chest binding she was not used to.
The security guard asked again:
“Are you among the team going out today?”
Ayat was afraid to speak, worried that he might recognize her voice despite her training. She remained silent.
The guard snapped angrily:
“Hey! I’m talking to you and you’re ignoring me? Should I throw you out of the car?”
Startled, Ayat quickly adjusted her voice into a soft masculine tone.
“Uh… yes… I’m among those going out.”
The guard replied:
“Hmm… your voice sounds strange. Do you have a cold?”
Soon they arrived at the Center of the Kingdom.
Ayat’s eyes wandered everywhere as she admired the magnificent structures inside the palace. She wondered in amazement:
“So this is how huge the palace truly is?”
At that moment, a group of guards was preparing to leave the palace.
Ayat stepped down from the car, filled with excitement, and quietly joined the group heading outside the palace.
As soon as she crossed the palace gates, she released a long breath from deep inside her chest.
The wind of the outside world struck her face.
The wind she had dreamed of feeling for twenty-five years.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
She whispered softly:
“World… here I am.”
---
The River
After passing the first test with the security driver, Ayat quietly slipped away from the group and wandered alone.
She secretly took one of the horses and rode to the back area of Alhamra, a place rarely visited by anyone.
There she discovered a beautiful river flowing through a quiet valley. The place was peaceful—only the sound of birds and the calm movement of the water.
She sat by the riverbank, dipping her feet into the cool water while still wearing her male disguise.
Suddenly—
Something fell behind her!
She jumped in fright and screamed in a woman’s voice, forgetting her disguise in panic.
When she turned around, she saw a beautiful white bird lying on the ground. It had been struck by a spear from the sky.
She ran toward it, holding her chest painfully because of the tight binding.
Soon a group of young hunters approached. They had been the ones who threw the spear.
But when they saw Ayat wearing the royal security uniform, they panicked.
“Oh no! One of the Alhamra palace guards! Run!”
They fled immediately.
Ayat looked down at the injured bird with sympathy.
She sat beside the river and took out a needle and thread from her turban. Carefully, she stitched the bird’s wound and treated it.
Then she gave it water.
When she released it, the bird managed to fly—but not very high.
Ayat followed it.
The bird landed on a tall tree where its chicks were waiting in their nest.
Ayat smiled with joy. Saving the bird made her incredibly happy.
She gently stroked the bird and said softly in her disguised male voice:
“So you’re a mother. Thank God I came at the right time. Is this where you live? Near this beautiful river?”
She continued:
“Don’t worry. I will visit you again and protect you.”
“My name is Ayat, but in this disguise my name is Inuwa… meaning your shadow. The one who will protect you.”
“When I come back, I’ll tell you my story… a story filled with destiny.”
She covered the nest with leaves so no one would notice it and turned to leave.
---
Trouble at the Palace Gate
Suddenly she realized the sun was setting.
Her eyes widened in panic.
“Oh no! They close the palace gates at this time! My servants will soon look for me during dinner!”
She quickly mounted the horse and rode back toward the palace.
The gate was already about to close when she arrived.
One of the guards shouted angrily:
“Hey you! Where are you coming from?”
In her disguised male voice she answered nervously:
“The horse… ran out of strength.”
The guards exchanged suspicious looks.
“You broke the king’s rule. You must come with us and explain to the king.”
Ayat’s heart pounded.
She jumped off the horse and began apologizing.
In desperation she grabbed one guard’s hand while pleading.
The guard suddenly froze.
Her hand felt soft… incredibly soft.
He felt a strange sensation pass through his body.
He asked suspiciously:
“What is your name? I’ve never seen you in this palace before.”
Panicking, she stuttered:
“Musa… Kabiru… Iliyasu… Shafi’u…”
The guard frowned.
“Are you crazy?”
She quickly corrected herself.
“My name is… Inuwa.”
The guards laughed at her strange voice and feminine manner.
One of them even kicked her playfully and said:
“Move along, you useless fellow!”
They mocked her and nicknamed her “Dan Kwakur.”
---
Meeting Princess Maayah
On her way back, a senior security officer stopped her.
“Hey! Come here.”
He handed her a book.
“Take this to Princess Maayah. She requested it.”
Ayat accepted the book nervously and rode toward Maayah’s palace section.
She had never been there before.
After passing several guarded gates, she finally reached Maayah’s luxurious residence.
Inside the room, she sat on the bed while waiting.
The book was an English romance novel.
Ayat shook her head slightly.
“Everyone has their own worries,” she thought.
“Her worry is romance…”
At that moment—
Princess Maayah emerged from the bathroom, wearing only a small towel across her chest.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, with the elegance of her Hindu royal heritage.
Seeing a stranger inside her room startled her.
She slipped—
But Inuwa caught her.
They both fell onto the bed.
Maayah landed on top of her.
For a moment they stared at each other.
Maayah noticed his soft lips, large eyes, and delicate skin.
Believing he was a man, a strange desire stirred inside her.
Slowly she leaned forward to kiss him.
But Ayat panicked.
She pushed her away and fled the room immediately.
---
After the Escape
Maayah sat there in confusion.
“No man has ever entered my room before… and this one ran away from me?”
She looked at the book he had brought.
“That beautiful guard… I must find him.”
---
Ayat Returns Home
Ayat rushed back to her secret underground passage.
Exhausted, she entered her room.
She quickly removed:
the turban
the fake mustache and beard
the heavy boots
the male clothing
and finally the tight chest binding
When she removed it, she finally breathed freely again.
She hid the disguise and hurried into the bathroom.
Moments later, she returned wearing her royal princess attire and veil just as her servants knocked on the door with dinner.
She smiled quietly.
“I succeeded… on my first day.”
---
Suspicion Begins
Meanwhile, the guard whose hand she held—Ibrahim—was deeply troubled.
He stared at his hand.
The softness he felt was nothing like a man’s touch.
“What kind of man was that?”
“I must find this Inuwa,” he decided.
---
Maayah’s Obsession
Princess Maayah also could not forget him.
She ordered her servant:
“Find the guard who brought me the book yesterday.”
But the palace records showed no such guard.
This made her even more fascinated.
---
The Second Escape
Two days later, Ayat prepared to leave again to visit the river.
At the gate, some guards mocked her again:
“Oh look! The strange guard is leaving again!”
But she signed the gate register as INUWA and rode away.
---
The Battle at the River
When she reached the river and approached the bird’s nest, suddenly—
An arrow shot past her face and struck the tree.
She turned quickly.
A mysterious man stood on a rock nearby.
He had long silver hair and an aura of immense power.
It was King Diamond, though neither of them recognized each other.
Ayat shouted angrily:
“Who are you trying to kill my bird?”
She drew her sword.
“If you want the bird, you must go through me!”
King Diamond summoned a silver sword through magic.
Their swords clashed violently.
Sparks flew as they fought near the river.
Ayat fought fiercely to protect the bird.
Diamond fought calmly, studying the mysterious fighter before him.
Finally he seized her wrist and threw her into the freezing river.
She resurfaced moments later—but he had already vanished.
“Coward! He ran away!” she shouted angrily.
---
Rumors Spread
Back in the palace, rumors spread everywhere.
A mysterious guard had entered Princess Maayah’s bedroom.
Soon the story reached the ears of the Lion King himself.
The king ordered that all five princesses be summoned to the royal court.