It was three hours later that the man, Ali Bari was free to accept the visitors, Ella hardly got a wink of sleep but acknowledged she wasn't here for resting. Leaning in her seat she greeted the man with a smile, who apologized, "I am sorry Mistress, I couldn't receive you faster." With his heavy accent while speaking reminded Ella of the Prince. Not minding his apology, she said, "You don't have to. I hope there isn't too much trouble here. Do not hesitate to relay your needs you might want from the corporation. If the matters get worse, I expect you to be asking for our co-operation."
"You are kind, Mistress. I will ask if needed."
She nodded at him after which Roy started, "There is a reason why we are here, Mr. Bari and it is not for the hotels, you know that." He let the statement sink into the in-charge's thoughts, "We are in search for a woman about 19 years old. We have a reason to believe she might be somewhere here and that the Prince Khan would be knowing about it." The direction of the question popped out the eyes of the calm man who was clad in his Arab attire.
"Ser, I don't know how can I help?" The man seemed like wanting to be anywhere but here under the intimidating scrutiny of Roy. "It is simple. You have to fix an appointment with the Prince and we need some people good at sneaking in his mansion."
Mr. Bari stood up from his seat, "Ser, please keep your voice down. If anyone heard that you are trying to infiltrate in the holy place like the Prince's mansion, then they will have our heads. I have children, Ser!" He was hurriedly glancing at the empty office from time to time, as though expecting someone to rush in with arms and cuffs.
"I think you are mistaken Ser. There is no such girl you are searching here, and if there is, she would have been here on her own consent." As if he had said too much, he clamped his mouth shut but Roy and Ella had already caught on to his slip.
"Now, Mr. Bari, if you don't co-operate you shall be considered a protestor, who believes that the Prince keeps people without their consent to himself." The man was visibly shaking now, sweat dripping from his uncomfortable look of long beard and the cloth covering his face. Roy was daunting his stare with a glint in his eyes, which Ella wasn't able to see but could imagine that with the expression from Ali Bari.
He changed his focus from the dangerous man to the lady like the last resort of water in a desert, "Mistress, please do not do this. I will be in trouble if we get caught. The Prince will know it is us and he will come for me. I have children, Mistress." Ella frowned at the last sentence that man was intent on repeating. Ali Bari was in front of her with his hands clamped together and eyes blinking rapidly, pleading her to listen to him. Roy was infuriated with the way each person would go to his Elle with adoring eyes and scared faces.
"I would not have come across the continent to see the whereabouts of this girl if she wasn't important to me Mr. Bari. If you know something, I will like you to help us. I won't be leaving the city without her." Ella stated her decision to the audience in the room, much to the dismay of the men.
"We just need access to 'check'. We aren't sure, but we will leave after confirming it." Roy corrected the orders for the in-charge. Ella tried meeting his eyes but he didn't turn to her, knowing her thoughts for the matter. She wouldn't rest until she was absolutely sure that the girl wasn't here. It may also lead to encountering with the Prince and putting her life in danger. Gritting his teeth, he looked away, his veins pumping out of his forehead from fury.
After a while of consideration, the man dejectedly accepted, being left with not much choice from the job or his position as a loyal Arab for the crown, he could only compromise a little. "There will be a banquet held in the Royal arena for the festival. It is a very auspicious festival we celebrate each year an-" "I suppose you should arrange for our costumes to be invited. When will be that?" Roy interrupted his chitter. He gulped turning to the man answering, "In three days. The festival will continue for a week, but Prince Zayn would be present in the first few days."
"We don't have to meet the Prince. We are talking about the girl."
"Yes. Yes. The Prince will be in the arena, and then you can get inside... um, the castle. But I cannot help you more than that. Please have mercy, Ser. I have children!"
"Another word about your children and I will drag them with me to tour the castle." The man was horrified with the thought, he was almost on verge of tears that Ella felt pity for him, interfering, "We will take your help Mr. Bari. As much you can give." Ali Bari's eyes shone with admire for the woman sitting facing the two of them, that Roy wanted to gauge his eyes out to throw away in the desert.
"Make preparations Bari. Don't let your name mean your fate." Roy made the man clearly understand his intentions, who nodded continuously, while taking his leave from the office room.
"You are being too harsh on him."
"You are going too soft on everyone." He opened a bottle of scotch, hungry to soothe his throat with the bitter shock.
Ella didn't speak anything else, wondering she should leave the room for him, she rose from her seat to leave when he stopped her to. "You have to go through my ways Elle. And that includes not questioning them."
"The man has his family to look after. His fear is valid-" Her words got stuck in her mouth when he walked up to her in long strides, making her step back until gasping and bumping into her seat again. He supported his hands on the armrests staring in her eyes, "You seem to care about every other man in this world. Are you doing this deliberately?"
"What?" She was confused with his stature, looking up at him with uncertainty. "You are keen on helping every man except me. Have you forgotten about me?" His voice told that if she made one wrong choice, she will lose him forever. "In such case, help me Elle, but I have a problem." He leaned closer, she didn't move at all, frozen on her spot.
"I want a woman so much that I cannot have her be anyone else's. What do you suggest I do?" What a drastic situation, Ella thought. She wished she had left the room earlier with that man, she could have escaped this awkward moment. "I-I"
"Help me Elle. You know I can't work properly if my mind is not settled." He held her from behind, carrying her up, to settle on the seat where she was sitting previously. He brought her closer to sit on his lap. Ella hesitated, he ignored and made her do what he wished, holding her firmly to prevent from slipping out. "I am waiting." He said while putting pressure on her waist, demanding her attention.
"You cannot force her to be with you." "She wants to be with me."
"How do you know that?" She argued clutching her fingers tightly to stop them from trembling. Her arm was supporting around his neck with her fisted hands, when he replied, "I just know. She knows I know."
"You said you don't believe in marriage."
"I did."
"And the girl will be yours only after marriage." Ella declared deadpanned, knowing that would be the end of this discussion. She waited for him to let go of her, or maybe yell at her to go away for being unreasonable. What he did next was to lean closer to her almost touch their lips, she was reminded about the time in the store room, giving a pleasant shiver to run through her spine.
"If I married her, she will be mine?"
He was considering this?
"Roy, why-"
"Will. She. Be. Mine."
"Not unless you married her." She focused on the word 'marriage', hoping he heard the gravity of the matter.
"Alright I will do it."
"No! Don't be ridiculous. You don't believe it. It will be futile if you married anyone, it won't last." She was over him by now snatching his collar to shake him understand.
"I don't believe it because I know marriage isn't a bond to keep two people to each other only."
Ella felt like crying for his thoughts. It was genuine to fear about whether your partner is being true to you and you only. "You're right. But marriage is also a witness to signify their bond together, one they both consent to. I won't agree to anything less." She whispered the last sentence with tears at its bay.
"I will do it. Anything you want." She was shaking her head before he could complete, loosening his collar to rest her hands on his chest, "It won't work. You don't believe it."
"You do! You believe it. It will be enough for both of us." He saw her falling silent to say anything, just staring at him oddly. "Sometimes I feel like I don't know you."
"I am full of surprises. You will unravel it more after our marriage."
The tears fell at last, he wiped them for her, "You are considering this?" she asked in disbelief.
"Everything for you, Elle." He enclosed her to hit his chest where she continued crying, wrapping his arms around her to calm her down. Astonishingly he felt like a weight was lifted from his chest and the last barrier between them broken. If he had known that vows held so much power, he would have agreed to it a long way back. Being a fatherless child, he had never seen a marriage in good conscience, always seeing it as a burden tied around people; another example being Mark and Emma, they had a married life filled with secrets and unsaid words to each other. He didn't ponder about it but he could feel their resentment towards each other at point in time. Sighing he wondered what it would be like to be a victim of the same event.