His Queen

Chapter 5

Queen Banafsha’s POV

The next morning was a chilly morning, I woke up and got ready for battle, Junnut had helped me dress in silence, she had said nothing, she had just helped me dress with a somber expression on her face, I couldn’t blame her because I had also woken up with a feeling foreboding, I was beginning to feel like things might not go as planned, but I had fought the feeling back and assured myself that everything will go as planned.

Once she was done, she had said nothing, she just bowed and walked away. I felt it was better to say nothing, there was nothing to say, whatever it was that needed to be said will be said after the outcome of the battle had been determined.

I had joined Jawhar and the soldiers at the barracks, I given a speech to motivate them, I wasn’t sure if they were motivated enough but it was the best I could do,

Jawhar had a grim expression on his face, I knew he was not in support of this war but he wouldn’t say anything, that was just how he was, he always supported whatever it was I did, he usually gave me his advice first and when I rejected his counsel, he would let see the consequences my decision will bring.

And I was too proud to ever accept whatever it was that he told me, I was not a woman that easily bent to the will of others, I had my own will and I stuck to it no matter what, Junnut had rebuked me on that particular behavior countless times but my pride never let me listen.

We had ridden to the battlefield amidst the cheers of the people of Marwa, under my veil, I couldn’t help the smile that stole into my lips, I was glad to see that my people still had faith in me, they were not judging me for condemning the to a war that we had no chance of winning.

The faith they had in me gave me the strength to believe in myself and my soldiers, I suddenly felt strength in my veins and renewed desire to win this battle and get justice for the bereaved family, with a new sense of determination, I rode out of the gates of Marwa, Jawhar by myself, my soldiers behind me and Saiful Azman hung by my waist.

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King Humair’s POV

It was a very unusual day for bloodshed, the sky was clear and the air was cool, we had ridden to the battlefield very early in the morning, right now, we stood on the other side of the battle field, the soldiers of Marwa stood on the other side of the battlefield, their dark blue and white uniform was visible even from the distance and in the middle of it was their queen,

She was dressed in black and gold, she was seated upon a black stallion, she had a black cape on that fluttered a little in the gentle breeze, her head and face were wrapped with a black veil and even from the distance, I could see how dark her eyes were, from where I stood, they looked like pits of coal, she looked so different amongst the rest of all and the most intriguing part was the fact that she looked like she totally belonged here.

I still didn’t want this war, I decided to give her one last chance to surrender, a chance for us to reach an agreement and decide what was best for sides,

“Queen Ifza, I urge to rethink this decision one last time, think of your people and what’s best for them, this bloodshed can be avoided, no one has to die today, we can just end this with diplomacy, you stand to lose a lot more at the end of this battle, so please, I ask that you reconsider your decision.” I said, my voice travelled across the battlefield, all was silent, no one said a word and I will be a liar if I said I was not waiting with bated breath for the queen’s answer, Nihal stood by myside with a ridiculous smile on his face.

The silence stretched on for a few seconds then her voice rang out “Soldiers of Marwa, you heard what he said, are you ready to surrender to your enemies? Enemies that hide and protects murderers, are those the type of people you surrender to?” she said,

Her voice was velvet smooth and deep in a way that was just perfect for her character, I had expected that answer from her but I thought she would at least consider my offer,

For some reason, a smile played at the corner of my lips, I had never met a woman who was so stubborn, she was a woman whose type I had never met before, she intrigued me and I was interested in having further interactions with her, I wished we met under different circumstances.

Taking a deep breath, I said “You have made your decision and the consequences will be yours to bare”

“I will bear whatever consequences with pride” was her reply from across the field.

I muttered the words “Ignorant woman” under my breath but Nihal was somehow able to hear it because he turned to me and said “I was just thinking that your majesty”

“You know what you must do general” I said,

Nihal gave a short nod of the head and then raised his clenched fist into the air, the soldiers behind us were suddenly at attention and ready to attack, he waited a few seconds before releasing his clenched fist,

A loud cry filled the air as the soldiers charged forward ready to attack, the soldiers of Marwa were also charging towards us,

Nihal charged forward with a battle cry and soon got lost in the crowd, I pulled out my sword, my eyes focused on only one person, the warrior queen who fighting my soldiers with great skill, the sooner I was able to defeat her, the sooner this battle will be over.

With a deep breath, I charged into the battle.