His Queen

Chapter 26

General Nihal’s POV

I had feared the king will not be in attendance for today’s event, the activities were about to begin and he was yet to arrive, just as I was about to send someone over to his chambers, he had looked like he was really bothered yesterday night, he looked like he was barely keeping himself together,

I wondered what had made him ask me those questions yesterday, I had wanted asking him but I had felt it better to just let him be, he didn’t look like he was in the mood for questions so I knew better, despite being an easy going person, there were some moods that I saw Humair in and I just knew it was better to leave him alone.

From the questions he asked yesterday, it was obvious that he had heard about something between queen Banafsha and general Jawhar, I had been hearing rumors since the soldiers of Marwa merged with the main army, they were saying that general Jawhar would surely had ended up marrying queen Banafsha, I had felt it unnecessary to tell that part to Humair yesterday.

And from Humair’s behavior yesterday, it was obvious to see that he was thinking of queen Banafsha in an interesting way, he was beginning to care for her, it was obviously the reason why he had been like that yesterday, I had seen the way he had looked at her during the days she was unconscious, I had seen that he cared for her but it was also obvious to see that she was not interested in him,

It was a sad scenario, Humair was not someone to give someone his affections easily, in all the years I had known him, there had never been a woman he had been interested in, queen Banafsha was the first, Humair had always told me that he wanted a woman who was unique and different in every way and queen Banafsha was exactly that, so it was not surprising that Humair was attracted to her,

I personally felt she was the right one for him from the start, that was why I had supported their marriage to each other, Queen Banafsha was strong and confident, she was the type of woman that was perfect for Humair, he was strong and powerful, his kingdom was growing with each passing day, he was acquiring new enemies, he was not someone that showed when something bothered him, he was used to fighting his battles alone,

But if a woman like Banafsha was by his side, she could support him and give encouragement to go on, I knew queen Banafsha was a difficult woman but I had faith that she would see the goodness in Humair and develop affections for him.

The arrival of the king was announced, I turned toward the entrance, he was smiling and he looked nothing like he had done the previous night, general Jawhar walked beside him, this was an interesting sight to see, I believed I was going to hear the story of how this situation came to be later in the day.

I walked over to greet the king and his most unlikely companion,

“Welcome your majesty, general Jawhar, I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it” I said with a smile,

A chuckle came from Humair and he said “Well I almost didn’t make it but general Jawhar here made me interested in going”

General Jawhar smiled a smile that I would have classified as cold but who was I to judge,

“Well we are glad you could make it, the soldiers were beginning to think you would not be attending” I said and led the way to where the soldiers were waiting.

Humair followed behind me and once we were on the raised platform, Humair took the lead, once the soldiers saw him, they began chanting his praises,

He raised his hands signifying for silence, silence immediately descended, Humair cleared his throat and said “I am honored to be here with all of you and I want to thank to you all for your service to the kingdom, I thank you all, so today lets enjoy the tournaments and go home happy”

The soldiers cheered and hailed, a smile on Humair’s face, he said “Let the festivities begin”

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Junnut’s POV

After my discussion with Banafsha I had felt down so I was moody and dull, Rihanna and the rest had noticed my mood so they had come over to come to talk me,

“Junnut you look so dull, what is the matter?” Rihanna asked me, her doe like eyes staring deep into mine with concern,

I managed a smile and said “It’s nothing, I am just feeling a little down that’s all”

They looked at me like they didn’t believe me then Asin, a fellow maid, said “You must be worried about the queen, that’s for sure, but you don’t need to worry so much, the royal physician had said she was out of danger already”

I smiled and said “Of course I am worried about her, I have always been worried about her and I always will be, that’s just the way things are”

The other maids looked at me with admiration in their eyes, then Leila said “It must be nice to be so close to the queen, you and her are just like sisters, I wish I was you Junnut, I really do”

Leila was tall and skinny, she had narrow eyes and a face that reminded one of a lynx, it was no hidden fact that she the palace gossip and she also very loud when talking,

I simply smiled and said nothing to her,

“Her majesty is asleep right now and Gemma is with her, let’s go someplace where there is some activity, we will be back before her majesty wakes” Asin said, a bright smile on her face,

The others nodded their heads in agreement and each had bright smiles on their faces as well and they also had a twinkle in their eye which told me that whatever they were up to was not something we should be doing,

“Where are we going?” I asked, caution very evident in my voice,

I was not given an answer but instead I was dragged away by a bunch of giggling ladies, I smelt trouble.

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When we arrived at our destination, I understood why they had been giggling like they doing all the way here,

We were at a hidden corner behind the army barracks, an event of some sort was currently going on, the soldiers were celebrating something and there was cheering everywhere, it was loud and noisy, I could not understand what was so exciting to the others, I wanted to be back in room or watching over Banafsha, this was too noisy for me,

“I don’t understand why we are here” I said to Rihanna who was busy peeping at the cheering soldiers,

She smiled and said “You will, very soon”

That sounded ominous and mysterious and I was someone that loved mystery so I decided to stay for a while and see what this was all about,

Soon the cheering stopped and from where I was standing, there was a clearing in the middle, the soldiers made a circle around the clearing, I watched as two soldiers stepped into the clearing, I immediately knew what they were going to do, it was a duel, a smile curved my lips, I had loved watching the soldiers of Marwa duel during the tournaments, this was interesting indeed, I was suddenly glad I was here.

The first set completed their round of fighting, then another, and then another and at the end of every round there was a winner, we were cheering behind the barracks but of course, no one heard our voices because of the loud cheering from the soldiers.

The soldiers completed their round and victors were cheered, the victors were excellent swordsmen and archers, it was interesting to watch.

Well it was over and we must return now before Banafsha woke from her sleep, though it was unlikely she will be waking soon, the tonic the physician had prescribed usually made her sleep for a long time, so I knew she won’t be waking up soon but still we should return soon.

“Looks like the tournaments are over, we should return soon” I said,

Leila laughed and said “The best is yet to come, general Jaan is participating next and perhaps the king might join in as well, I used to pray that I could marry the king but now, he is married so I am going for general Jaan, he is so strong and handsome” she had a dreamy faraway look in her eyes,

Asin shoved her away playfully and said “General Jaan was always mine, stay away from him” she said and giggled,

Rihanna scoffed and said “You girls know you don’t stand a chance, I am a lot prettier than you are and if he should choose then I am the obvious choice”

The others scoffed and turned away from her playfully,

I couldn’t help but laugh “Who is this general that you are all fighting over if I might ask” I said,

“Only the most handsome man in the entire army, he is the king’s closest friend and also the general of the army” Leila said and she had the dreamy look in her eyes again,

I was getting very interested in seeing this famous general that had obviously captured the heart of all the ladies in Atrabad, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, he could not possibly be better than Jawhar, Jawhar was the best in the whole of Marwa, so there was no way he could be better than Jawhar.

“For today’s tournament, I will not be competing but a warrior with greater skill will be replacing me, General Jawhar of Marwa will be competing with General Jaan” King Humair’s voice filled the air,

This was becoming more and more interesting, Jawhar was also competing and it was against none other than the famous general Jaan, this was already promising to be interesting in many ways,

I stretched forward to see them as they entered the clearing, the first to come in was Jawhar, he looked magnificent in his black and deep blue attire, his hair blew in the slight breeze, Jawhar always had an aura for captivating people,

“I change my mind, I don’t want General Jaan anymore, I am going to marry general Jawhar, you will put in a good word for me right?” Leila said, she was looking at me with a hopeful expression on her face,

I gave her a smile and we quickly returned our attention to the tournament, the next to enter was general Jaan, he steeped in, he was dressed in an attire of ash and black, he was tall and had the build of warrior, he looked familiar, looking at his face closely, I realized I knew him, he was the arrogant man from the gardens,

He was general Jaan? I could not believe this, well I was glad he was fighting against Jawhar, this was a fight he was bound to lose, I was going to enjoy this, I was going to enjoy this so very much.