Hey guys AnimePrincess069 here! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I've had all kinds of crazy things going on from fracturing my wrist, computer troubles, and switching to online for the rest of my college semester because of COVID-19. I hope all of you are doing well despite this weird time we're living in.

On another note, I plan to finish this story all the way through and will hopefully be updating more frequently as school is out. I also have a Tumblr called magininja in case you guys wanna get in touch with me. I also would like to thank everyone that has messaged me, followed or favorited this story so far. Without further ado, here is the third chapter of Amani.

Chapter 3

"Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that is the one that is going to help you grow." ~ Caroline Myss

Amani's POV

I blink the sleep from my eyes as I wake up for the day. As I become more aware of my surroundings I realize that Mama and Yunan are talking behind me. 'That's weird. Mama usually isn't up this early unless she has a coughing fit,' I thought. Then I glanced up to look out the window only to realize that it isn't dawn, but close to noon. I immediately sit up and turn to face Mama to apologize.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry Mama! I didn't mean to sleep in….." I said as I rambled on and on in embarrassment.

Mama looked confused then started laughing softly, which made me pause. "It's alright sweetie. We let you sleep in because Yunan said you had a hard time falling asleep last night," she said smiling at me.

I looked to Yunan who nodded his head at me with a smile. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and looked down at my lap, my face heating up in embarrassment at my outburst. "Thank you," I said smiling up at them.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

"It's terrible!" we heard someone, who turned out to be Auntie, shout from a distance. The rukh around her was fluttering around frantically, almost in a panic. We all turned to the doorway as she stopped, panting heavily "Quickly Esra! We don't have much time! It's Sinbad!".

I widened my eyes, quickly getting up to run outside. " Mama please stay here, I'll go check on Sinbad," I said.

" I'll go with her," Yunan said as he stood up.

I looked towards mama and saw that she was upset. I walked towards her and held her hands,

"It's ok mama. I'll bring Sinbad back ok?"

She nodded her head once before Yunan and I ran out the door. I began to panic as I saw a crowd and heard someone introduce themselves as the Western Regional Military Commander. 'This is bad. Why would they attack Sinbad?... Unless they found out about me.' My racing thoughts came to a halt when Yunan grabbed my hand.

"It'll be ok Amani. I won't let anything happen to you or your family," he whispered to me.

My eyes widened and I nodded my head, though I was still a little nervous. He let go of my hand and put it on my shoulder to lead me through the crowd. We heard someone get kicked as we made our way through and saw Sinbad on the ground surrounded by men in military uniforms. "You don't have the right to refuse. This is an order from the military," one of the men, who I'm guessing is the military commander based on the confident air he carried around him, said. He had dark green hair, golden eyes, and wore a red cape over gold armor.

"Why are they being so harsh with him," Yunan asked in concern.

A young woman who stood next to him answered. "Sin has been ignoring the draft notice for a while now. So they've come after him."

I gasped quietly in shock. Sin never told me he received draft papers, and now he's being hurt because of it. 'What do I do? What can I do?' I thought.

No sooner had one of Auntie's kids ran over to Sinbad. "What are you doing to Sinbad," he yelled as he got kicked by a military officer.

"Shut up!" the officer yelled as Auntie ran towards him.

"Easy boy. Give yourself another five years or so and you can put that energy to good use as a soldier for your country." the commanding officer said.

I nervously looked around and noticed the other officers were holding other people in the crowd back. ' I have to do something,' I thought as, without thinking, I ran in between Sin and the military commander. My heart was beating in my ears as I slowly raised my head and made eye contact with the military commander.

"Please stop," I said softly.

I heard everyone around me stop and felt all of their eyes on me, which made my heart beat even faster. 'There's no turning back now.' I studied the military commander and found him surprised at me for standing up to him. I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice even.

"Please don't hurt my brother anymore. It's bad enough that you're trying to take him away from us, but please..."

I was going to continue but I saw the other military officers attempt to grab me before their commander held up his hand to stop them. His surprise had melted away, but now he held what I believed to be amusement in his eyes.

"You must be Amani I presume."

I nodded my head once in answer.

"Tell me, Amani, why do you believe that it's a bad thing for your brother to join the military? The only reason he ended up like this is that he ignored the ten draft papers that have been sent to him. In all honesty, I'm surprised that he did such a thing as your father joined before him and I thought that your brother would have wanted to continue his legacy," he said, "Wouldn't your father be disappointed in how your brother is behaving?"

I sadly looked down at my feet as I answered him.

"I wouldn't know I didn't have a chance to get to know him. But from what people have told me about him, I know he wouldn't want Sin to fight. I was told he fought in the war before this one and realized that war causes nothing but despair for all those involved. So please, can you leave us?" I asked as I fidgeted with my fingers and looked back up at him again to gauge his reaction.

He looked at me with a look of superiority in his eyes.

"Unfortunately we can not afford to do that. It's normal for people to be of service to their country. The citizens here are an extremely important workforce in the war against the Reim Empire. Not one person can be spared."

I was going to respond, but Sin beat me to it.

"We're not tools to be used in your war, got it? It's just as Amani said, our father, along with the rest of the men were sent to die. This war has brought us nothing but pain from the sacrifices you've forced us to make. I'll never join the military, understand?!" He said while slowly standing up.

After that, the whole crowd joined in.

"Exactly! Sin and Amani are absolutely right! This pointless war has brought us nothing but suffering and anguish!"

"You can't fool us!"

I looked around in amazement. The rukh surrounding everyone was vibrant, flying around with a sense of determination and life, more so than I've ever seen. I was so mesmerized by it that I didn't look back to the military commander until he addressed my brother again.

"Tell me, Sinbad. Your mother is still very alive and well yes? She, along with your sister, will suffer whatever punishment you receive for the crime of rejecting your military duty."

It felt as though the world stopped as the statement silenced the crowd, and based on the rukh, they became apprehensive. Then the commander turned to the crowd.

"Surely you people know of the legendary dungeon? The magicians of this country say within it lay a power that is beyond human comprehension. That is why we've come here. We must obtain this power no matter what the personal cost. This is the directive from our king in order to serve this nation, and better protect its people from the Reim Empire. Reflect on what I've said." Then he and the two soldiers accompanying him walked away.

I looked over to Sin to see him glaring at the ground. His fists were clenched and he was covered in scratches and blood.

'No matter the personal cost? Only we have been making sacrifices, not the royal family who started this war. This isn't about protecting us. They're delusional. It's about greed and power not protecting us. If it were we wouldn't have to make these sacrifices in the first place.' I thought.

As the crowd dispersed, Yunan came and told me that he would talk to Sinbad and take his leave with the promise to visit again. I nodded my head as a thank you and walked back home to tell Mama what had transpired. And even though this event was incredibly overwhelming for me, I feel assured that no matter what happens next not only will I not be alone, but that I might be stronger than I originally thought.

This was the longest chapter I've ever written. Feedback is appreciated since this is my first fanfic ever. Thank you for reading Amani and continue being awesome!