Previously...
"I am the king, after all."
"Right, Adam, come meet your inlaws..."
"I thought..."
"They were lost?"
"Well, like I said earlier, put on the tea.
"We`ll be here for a while."
Chapter 8
Grandmother served us tea and asked Adam to sit down next to my father. I may have been his daughter, but the man was scary. I dared not make even the slightest eye contact with him.
"Now, sweetheart, tell us,
"how have you been?" the woman asked.
"I`m sorry, but who are you..."
"Your mother."
"I...didn't know that you were still alive. There aren't many pictures of you and the mafia king."
"Please call me Dad or, even better, Papa."
"I'm sorry, it's a bit too soon for that," I replied, "Anyways, tell us why you have appeared."
"Because it's time,
"The treaty is drawing closer. We`re hoping Adams's father will appear so that we can officiate the wedding and move on with our lives."
"Wediing between?"
"You and Adam, sweetheart.
"That is the only reason we didn't allow you to join the army at such a young age.
"You were the perfect age and height and looked similar to the women of his colony."
"So i was a science project."
"A gem, not a science project," Grandmother said.
Strained eyes filled with bloody tears, "This war is horrible, dear, and you are the key to its ending."
"I reject."
"Millions will continue to die!" mother yelled.
"Whats the point, his father isn't around."
Adam was quiet. He observed and did not share thoughts until my father asked him to.
He smiled weakly and turned to me with much uncertainty, "We can't force her to marry me."
"Traitor!" my father yelled, banging the coffee table. His fist hitting the table sounded like an iron mug being banged onto a surface. He was furious.
"You and your colony have taken everything from us, and now you're destroying our only hope."
"Sir, I mean lord, I mean no disrespect. I would be honoured to marry your daughter; she's one of the most intelligent and beautiful women I've seen. However, forced marriages are forbidden in our tribes."
My mother took my father out, and I was still seated next to Adam, relieved that he stood up for me. My father returned, calmer but not entirely, shunning Adam out of the hideout and threatening to kill him and his brother if he returned unbetrothed to me. I, too, was shunned with the same warning.
My grandmother pleaded, begged and scorned my father until she left with me.
"My dear, he's just a bit hotheaded; we`ll talk to him when he's calm."
"There is nothing to talk about. I will not marry Adam."
"It was never my intention to burden you with something like this, my dear, but to be a hero, you must sacrifice yourself."
I left my grandmother and chased after Adam, who I could spot walking down the road.
"Thank you," I said, grabbing his hand.
"For?"
"For standing up for me."
"You're welcome; anything else?"
"Why..."
"Because I care about you."
"You...care?"
he took my hand gently, "I know your father told me not to touch you, but I can't help myself."
My heart played jumprope as i looked towards the gesture and his dark eyes. This man, indeed, had many sides to him.
"Anyways, I did it because, for some reason, while I was chasing after you and you were running away from me, I started to understand you better.
"I don't want to force anything onto you.
"Now go back.
"You`ll make everything worse if you follow me; in fact, you should also move out and resign."
"Adam..."
"Salama, whenever I see you, all I think about is my duty.
"Why I was raised, I'm not as rebellious as you; I'm filial to my parents."
"What about your own desires."
"Like I said, I wasn't raised for me but for a nation... I'll never be allowed to put myself first."
"Finally caught up to you." Daniyaal said, gasping for air, "What are you guys doing in this creepy alley?"
"I was just leaving," Adam said.
He was right, unfortunately. Suddenly, I wish I had not thanked him.
"What do you want?"
"Following an order good mam."
"Am I seemingly the only one who doesn't follow orders."
"You're just a little naive.
"You'll realise the seriousness of your situation soon."
"Not you, too; now tell me when you are leaving."
"Never. Not until Adam marries you...
"I never leave a mission unfulfilled.
"OH and i get to train you."
"Train me; I'm not interested now. Go back."
he did not go back even after I had chased him away more than once. Until I gave in and listened. If my fathers staff are so stubborn i can only imagine how my father is. It explains a lot about my character.
"And who was that lady who claimed to be my mother?"
"she's the mafia queen, and she's not your mother.
"You were born to a concubine, one of the spies your father's army captured.
"She was killed shortly after your death because of your father's cruelty."
"So what you're saying is.."
"What I'm saying is after your father was told about the treaty, he went looking for spies women; that year, many women were captured but released later.
"He was looking for the fairest maiden. Once your mother was found she signed a contract, where she conceived, birthed and raised you until she passed away suddenly. That however only happened after she betrayed your father, before that it was said that he loved her very much even more than your mother."
"Why didn't they send my sister instead."
"She's beautiful, but not to the men of the spies.
"You meet their beauty standards and that's why it was easy for you to study and live amongst them, you're features are softer and you're fairer."
I think I've heard enough. I need to process what I've heard.
"Yes, mam, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Thats why i was appointed.
"For your safety and enlightenment."
Who am I?
Three months had passed since the incident, which meant that since my resignation, I had not seen Adam and spent most of my time in isolated training with Daniyaal. The more Daniyaal told me, the less happy I grew. I was told things I wished had remained a secret; on the contrary, I could not stop thinking about Adam.
What he told me that night really stuck with me. I was being selfish by putting myself first.
"Thats all for today, we`ll resume later."
"Isn`t it a bit early for training to end?"
"Well, you've progressed quickly, and Adam wants to meet you."
"Why?"
"We`ll see when we get there."
"I didn't necessarily agree to meet him now, did I..."
"Your face said otherwise when I mentioned his name, but princess, if you wish not to, we don't have to."
"No..."
"No?"
"No, I want to meet him."
"Great, you have an hour to get ready. I'll take you to his office."
The meeting of and with another soul is never coincidental. It is destined, orchestrated by the lord himself.
It's bliss if you consider how beautiful it is to meet someone knowing they were intended for you at that moment, that the Lord had placed your name into a few of their pages.
I arrived at the office. It was the tallest building in town, but for a man of his stature, it was nothing. I waited outside with Daniyaal until he came down. He asked his driver to park near us and opened the car door for me. Daniyaal left with his men but instructed that if something bad happened, I must beep him or my father.
"Asalamualikum."
A child-like smile painted his face. He had two dimples. Beautiful.
What was I thinking...
He then turned towards me and smiled at me, and I felt my heart drop. What was wrong with me?
"Walikumsalam."
"You look beautiful, mature too."
"It's been a rough few months; I'm still failing to fathom what's happened."
"Me too."
"I'm sorry for making it hard for you."
"It's okay, it's not really as bad as I made it seem that night. I was just pissed about having to swallow my pride."
"You mean honour.
"You have no pride, you're as humble as they come."
He looked at me at that moment and let out a little cough before handing me a flower and saying, "Thank you for coming to see me."
"Anytime, what can I do for you."
"It's about the upcoming battle near the border I heard that you'll be a part of the army."
"Daniyaal more than me. He was instructed not to leave my side, so I have to follow him everywhere."
"I see, lucky man. He sees you every day and gets to protect you."
"I think not. He`s life is a lot more difficult with me around, for some reason i seem to be more of a problem then a solution."
"I have a solution."
"Not this again..."
"I really need this favour, I beg you."