His Queen

Chapter 4

King Humair’s POV

It was nothing short of a blessing when I was finally able to retire to my chambers, today had been hectic, I had a general assembly with the members of the court, the ministers had given their complete support for the battle tomorrow,

After that I had attended a war meeting with Nihal and the commanders of each section, they were very optimistic about our victory tomorrow, in the words of Nihal Jaan “The only way Marwa will win this war is if their ancestors rise from the dead and fight with them”

There had been a roar of laughter among the commanders when he said this, I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me,

I felt more at home in the barracks than in the throne room, I had spent most of my time here when I was younger, I had trained with them side by side for years, we had fought together, it didn’t matter if I was the royal prince to me,

My father had nothing to say on the matter, he believed that to be a great king, you had to be a great warrior as well, you couldn’t just be a king who just gave orders, a good king should be skilled in both the sword and politics and that was what he had taught me,

My mother on the hand was always complaining about me spending so much time in the barracks, she was afraid I will end up getting hurt and wounded, I remember countless times when she would come to barracks while I was training with the others and demand and returned to the palace at once, it would take me a while to pacify her before she would finally sulk and return to the palace but on some days she was completely unrelenting and I would have no choice but to go back with her so that her mind would be at rest.

My parents had loved each other greatly, my father was strong and powerful while my mother was beautiful and graceful, they were complete opposites but they were simply perfect for each other.

It was a sudden blow to my mother when it was announced that the king had died in battle, she had collapsed on hearing the news, I had her attendants rush her to room and the royal physician was summoned,

He came immediately and vanished into her chambers, I waited outside her chambers until he finally came out, he told me the queen was in shock and that her heart was weak, he told me that he had given some medicine to her attendants and that will help her remain calm,

Those days were one of the trying days of my life, my father had just died and my mother lay on a bed unconscious and everyone was looking on to me become the next king of Atrabad, I was barely 19 at the time.

On the third day after receiving the news of my father’s death, the royal army returned, they had been victorious but the king was dead, there was no celebration only mourning, the whole of Atrabad mourned for the loss of their king,

The king was laid to rest with ancestors in the hall of kings, I hadn’t shed a single tear on that day, I had to remain strong for the sake of my people, I had watched the entire process with a blurred vision not really believing it was all happening.

The biggest blow was when my mother passed away in her sleep just a day after my father’s burial, the pain was one I could not describe, this time I had cried shamelessly, I would not be human if I didn’t , it was no small fit to lose both parents in the span of one week.

The worst part was when just a few days after the queen’s burial, I was asked to ascend the throne, I had known it will happen eventually but still I felt it was too sudden.

Everything had happened so fast and before I knew it, I was the king of Atrabad, I remember my coronation as the worst day of my life, I had hated the fact that everyone was so happy and celebrating when my world had simply been turned upside down, it was terrible and I hated every moment of it but I knew I had no choice, so I accepted my fate and swore to do the best I could to rule Atrabad fairly and justly, just like my father had always done.

I lay down on my bed looking up at the ornate design on the ceiling, tomorrow we will ride out to battle and I will finally see the famous queen of Marwa.

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Queen Banafsha’s POV

It was late at night, the stars were all twinkling brightly in the sky and the moon was big and shining and I lay awake, I could not sleep, I could never sleep a day before a battle, my mind could never be at ease, I always kept thinking about different scenarios

I sat on the window seat sharpening Saiful Azman, Saiful Azman was my father’s sword, he had given it to me when I became 15 years old, I had always been interested in learning the skills of the sword and my father was my first teacher, he had taught me many things and for that I was very grateful,

He had told me that when I fought with Saiful Azman, I fought for the whole of Marwa and that when as long as I wielded Saiful Azman and it was steady in battle, Marwa will never fall and we will always be victorious, I held fast to that belief and had carried it with me all this years.

Saiful Azman glistened in the bright moonlight, the golden hilt had carved designs on it, it was an inscription written in our traditional dialect, the inscription said “Only justice will bring peace” and I strongly believed in this saying, it was what I lived by and what I will continue to leave by for the rest of my life.

Once I was sure that Saiful Azman was clean enough, I put it back into its sheath and hung it in its usual spot on the wall above my bed.

I lay down on my bed and said a short prayer for guidance and victory over those who sought to oppress my people and I before closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.