His Queen

Chapter 8

King Humair’s POV

I had dispersed the assembly of ministers and I was alone with Nihal Jaan, I had not said anything since the ministers left, my mind was still in shock as to the outcome of the meeting, I had most definitely not expected such a suggestion to be brought up, I had never once thought of marriage with the queen of Marwa,

All the suggestions the ministers had made were indeed very wise, it will solve all our problems and bring about lasting peace but the thought of having such a woman for a wife felt like I was sentencing myself to a life of torture, I wanted a marriage like the one my parents had, if this marriage happened, it will be the total opposite of such a marriage.

“You have been silent for a while now, your majesty” Nihal said to me,

I turned to glare at him “You seem to think that this is a joke, this is a decision that will affect my life forever, this is a woman I will have to leave with for the rest of my life” I said,

I noticed he wasn’t smiling, he had a serious expression on his face “Your majesty, I do not think this is a joke, I think this is a matter to be treated with the highest level of seriousness, I agreed with the ministers because that was truly the best option for everyone, you are king and you need a queen, a strong woman and who best to fit that description than the warrior queen of Marwa herself, she is the perfect woman for a powerful king like you, that aside, this is the perfect option to bring lasting peace between the two kingdoms, the two kingdoms will be at peace and this will benefit both Marwa and Atrabad in many ways, you know what I am saying is right, I will never do something that will cause you ill in anyway, you know this your majesty “ Nihal said,

it was the first time I had seen him look so serious in a long time, there not a single hint of humor on his face.

A loud exhale escaped my lips, regardless of how I thought about it, it was the best option for all of us, if I decided otherwise, Marwa will suffer for it and I had given my word that the people of Marwa will be safe, if somehow I didn’t end up marrying her, she would have to remain with us as a prisoner and there was no way the people of Marwa wouldn’t try to rescue her, resulting in a prolonged war that will end in death and bloodshed, but to stop all that, I had to marry the woman was that was the embodiment of pride.

My father’s words came rushing back to me “Heavy is the head that wears the crown” and those words couldn’t be more accurate at this moment in time,

I walked to my throne and sat, my mind was made up, the decision had been made, I will marry the queen of Marwa.

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Queen Banafsha’s POV

The injury on my stomach was bleeding again, I could feel the wetness through my garment, I was feeling tired and very weak, I rested my head on the prison bars, I felt eyes watching me and even without looking, I knew who those eyes belonged to,

I raised my head and my eyes were met with that of Jawhar, eyes that were filled with worry, it was dark now and the commanders were asleep by now, I had also been asleep but the pain had jolted me awake.

“Are you feeling alright Banafsha?” Jawhar said,

In his voice, I could hear it all, the fear and worry he felt for me and once more, my heart broke for him, he was in this situation because of me, he had sacrificed everything for me and I had given him nothing but heartache,

The shame I felt toward him was too great so I turned away from him, I couldn’t bear to look into those eyes,

“Don’t blame yourself Banafsha, this was destined to happen so there is no use feeling sorry over it, what has happened has happened and it can’t be helped, now that we have found ourselves in this situation, we have to think about the way forward from here, we can’t sit here and feel sorry for ourselves, that is not the way of the people of Marwa, we are strong and we always persevere and you, Banafsha Ifza Ruwayf, is our queen, we go where you go and we follow whatever decision you make, you are a woman with great strength and that strength has given your people hope and strength for years, I believe in you Banafsha” Jawhar’s calm, steady voice rang out in the quiet of the night,

His words were no doubt sincere but I still felt like I had failed them all, I didn’t deserve their love and trust, I was a failure.

When I said nothing, Jawhar also remained quiet, I raised my head again to look at him and he had turned his back to me,

I managed to sit up and rest my back on the bars as well.

I found this situation oddly comforting, we weren’t saying anything but somehow, I found comfort in the silence.

Just when I was feeling a lot more relaxed, the silence of the night was disturbed by the words “The king is here to see the prisoners”

My eyes sprang open and I quickly turned to Jawhar, he looked at me and said nothing, the commanders had also sprang up,

A few seconds later, the king strode in, he looked different from the last time we met on the battlefield,

Tonight he was dressed casually, he was dressed in a white kaftan and white trouser, the clothes were loose on his body and he looked like he didn’t have a care in the world, he had no turban on, his dark hair glistened in the moonlight that poured in from the window,

His eyes were on me, I kept my head high and looked directly at him,

“I will like to have a word with Queen Ifza, if she permits” king Humair said,

“What do you wish to discuss with me?” I said, I tried as much as possible to keep my voice strong and steady, I will not let him see me as weak,

The king exhaled deeply and said “I will very much prefer it if we could speak in private, it is delicate matters which I wish to discuss”

“Anything you wish to say, you can say in front of my people” I answered,

A smile crossed the king’s face “You are in no position to be making demands in case you haven’t noticed, I am only trying my best to remain courteous to you but I ask that you don’t cross the line queen Ifza, my patience has its limits so I ask that you come with me on your free will or you will be dragged out, what is your choice queen Ifza?” he said, his voice was suddenly cold and dangerously low,

I felt anger boil in the pit of my stomach, how dare he try to threaten me?

I opened my mouth to give the arrogant king a reply befitting his arrogant statement when I heard Jawhar’s voice,

“Your Majesty, she will go with you” he said,

I turned to him sharply, his eyes were on me and I could see the plea in them, he wanted me to go with the king,

I suddenly remembered how he had pleaded with me before the battle and I had failed to listen to him and things had turned out for the worst, my prideful attitude was getting in the way of my judgment again,

I turned to the king, he had his hands folded behind him and he was watching Jawhar and I with a curious look in his eye.

I took a deep breath and said “Where do you wish to speak with me?” I asked,

The king simply nodded his head and said “On second thought, I can just say what I wish to say right now, I have come to a decision, the best solution for this situation is marriage”

I was shocked, I had nothing to say, what was he saying?

I turned to Jawhar, his eyes were wide, this was the first time I had seen Jawhar express shock, he had always been so calm and gentle, but right now, his eyes were so wide I thought they might bulge out of their sockets.

I was also very shocked at this suggestion from this arrogant man, it was by far the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard,

“I refuse to marry you, I will do no such thing, I refuse to be joined in marriage with a man like you, I’d rather die” I said, venom dripping from every single word I spoke,

The king of Atrabad smiled a smile that I found annoying and insulting on many levels “Your majesty I am surprised to think that you actually think you have a choice on this issue, this is the only way Marwa will survive and not face s*****y” he said,

“You gave me your word that Marwa will be protected and I expected you to honor your word as a king” I said, my heart burning with anger at just how dishonorable the king of Marwa was proving to be,

“I am afraid this is me keeping my promise, there is only so much I can do, I cannot allow myself be termed weak by my enemies and queen Ifza, I speak the truth when I say, you brought this upon yourself, you brought this upon your people and there will be consequences for a reckless decision” King Humair said, his deep voice filled the prisons,

I gritted my teeth in anger, he was right, I had brought this upon myself and had no one to blame but myself, if this was the only way to save my people, I will do it and condemn myself to marriage with a man I couldn’t stand.

I took a deep breath, to keep the anger out of my voice “I accept your proposal, I will get married to you and my people will be safe and free to live as they please” I said,

As the words left my lips, I felt something I hadn’t felt in almost forever, I felt tears well up in my eyes, I had just sold my freedom and my only chance to avenge my family,

For a while, silence filled the entire prison before the king cleared his throat and said “Then it is settled, tomorrow you will appear the councils and the terms will be stated to you, that is all, I bid you a goodnight Queen Ifza” and then he walked out of the prisons leaving silence behind him, a silence that was indeed very laden with words.

“You did the right thing Banafsha, you have saved Marwa and for that we will always be grateful” I heard Jawhar’s voice say, shattering the silence and my resolve,

Silent tears ran down my cheeks and in that darkness, I cried like I had never done in my entire life, I had let my family down and I will forever curse myself for it.

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King Humair’s POV

I was seated in the throne room and my ministers were also gathered, queen Ifza was standing in the middle of the room, despite her ragged appearance, she still looked proud and majestic, her head was held high, the veil that had shielded her face was long gone and her beautiful face was open for all to see, I was not sure why that bothered me but right at this moment, I wished she had the veil on her face.

Nihal was standing beside me as usual, he had said nothing to me since the previous day when he had suggested I marry the queen of Marwa, despite his silence, I knew he was just as curious as everyone in the assembly, he wanted to know what the final decision was.

Without wasting further time, I decided to get things and over with, I cleared my throat and said “Today, Queen Ifza of Marwa stands here awaiting judgment, you have been offered two choices, one, you are to become my queen and live by my side till the end of your days, your people will become part of Atrabad and will be treated as free citizens free to live as they please or refuse marriage and live the rest of your life a slave in Atrabad and the same fate will befall your people, what is your choice Queen Ifza?”

A hush fell over the throne room as everyone waited with bated breaths for the queen’s reply,

Queen Ifza stood there, her face as proud ever, she raised her eyes to look up at me on my throne, those piercing dark eyes that seemed like they looked into my very soul, those pools of black that looked like they could swallow a man whole,

She kept her steady gaze on me and I kept mine on her, finally her lips parted and the words “I will be your queen” left her lips,

I couldn’t help the smile of satisfaction that crossed my face, I could see Nihal smiling from the corner of my eye, I could also see the smug smiles on the faces of my ministers,

And as for queen Ifza, despite her attempt to look strong and proud, I could see that she looked defeated and that I finally had the real victory.

“Then so be it, we will be wed in three days’ time, your people are free to return home and you are free to bring anyone from Marwa”

She remained quiet and said nothing.

“Hear this people of Atrabad, we have become one with the people of Marwa, they will not face any discrimination and live in peace with the people of Atrabad” I said,

“Yes your majesty” the ministers said,

Queen Ifza looked up at me once more with those captivating eyes of hers, and once again, I found myself wishing she had her veil on.