"I wish to speak with his majesty, the Sultan," Lady Raiha demanded.
"What do you wish to see him for, My Lady?" A royal guard asked.
"What I want to see him for is no business of yours!" she screamed angrily.
"I apologize, My Lady, but my Sultan is not available." The royal guard informed her. "He has gone to the imperial council court to take care of some pending matters at the moment and not expected to come back for a while."
"Are you denying me entry? You do know who I am and I shall not tolerate any sort of insolence from you." She grabbed one of the royal guards by the collar furiously and with threatening eyes.
"Please stop all this, My Lady! The Sultan is really not in his chambers."
The chief eunuch appeared and warned her after seeing how rudely she was behaving in front of the Sultan's personal royal guards. It was his job to control her actions and send her back to the Harem before she did something worse than that.
He grabbed Raiha's hand and pulled her aside completely angry with her. Not that she cared.
"Lady Raiha, please I humbly urge you to go back to your chambers. My Sultan is currently busy at the Imperial Council Courtyard. If there is something urgent you would like to say to him, I would gladly relay it to him." The chief eunuch was offering courteously.
Lady Raiha took a deep breath before she could reply to him, "There is no need for you to do that. I will be back again tomorrow."
She turned around and left the presence of the three souls still watching her.
*************
As she was walking down the royal palace harem hall, she heard her name being called. She turned to look as her dark fiery ginger red hair swung to the side.
"Lady Raiha,"
Raiha angrily narrowed her eyes.
Lady Irfana, an emerald green-eyed warm ivory woman wearing a maroon satin long-sleeved fishtail dress, approached Raiha with her strawberry blonde hair crushed over her shoulders. She was being accompanied by her two chambermaids who walked behind her. She and Raiha were of the same age, both twenty years of age, but the only difference was that Raiha was the Sultan's favourite and Irfana had already sired a royal princess.
"What the hell do you want?" she retorted aggressively.
"Oh my, that was a fast response...how have you been?" she looked left and right before continuing, "Are you here on your own?"
"I lack the time and energy to entertain you today, Lady Irfana...I have somewhere else to go."
"Still seeking for his majesty, the Sultan, I presume?" Irfan probed mockingly.
"Is there perhaps any valid reason why I should not seek him?" Raiha rudely asked her flashing her an indignant look.
Irfana smiled at her but said nothing still maintaining eye contact.
"No need to look at me like that, Imperial Consort Raiha," Irfana replied smiling. "Is it not obvious, that My Sultan has completely lost interest after having satisfied his sexual curiosity about you."
Raiha looked at her with a strangled expression before she could reply, "Do you not feel like you are being too arrogant, Lady Irfana?"
Irfana could detect disappointment in her voice, and anger, but also worry. Which was what she wanted. Her words were as enlivening as a slap in the face.
"I am truly sorry if I hurt your feelings, Imperial Consort, Raiha. I sincerely did not notice."
Raiha gave out something like a sigh, "Tell me, Lady Irfana…What is your motive for approaching me today?"
"Do you still need me to say it more clearly? I just do not like you…that is all." Irfana said in a calm, unhurried voice.
A thick layer of clouds masked the beautiful shining sun, filling the harem walls with darkness. The mood between the two Imperial Concubines became more ominous in an instant.
Raiha turned to look outside the beautiful high arched palace windows, how the rain ran down unpleasantly before turning her head to gaze at Lady Irfana.
"I am indeed honoured by your confidence," Lady Irfana, "I am quite certain it must have been so hard for you to keep that a secret."
"I am entirely content as I am," Lady Irfana said sarcastically, "You do know how to amuse me...I like that about you"
"If you define what is the amusing part, I might do that more often..." Raiha's voice was clipped and filled with a dark rage. "Having a conversation with you is like trying to teach someone the process of creating fire using a piece of paper," Raiha frowned and walked away.
"My Lady, she screamed at your face, yet you are not upset?" One of Irfana's chambermaids stated as they watched Raiha leave.
"What is there to be upset about?" Irfana smile grew wickedly. "Only a fool tests the depth of a river with both feet." She looked at Raiha like a predator watching its prey.
*************
"Where are you taking me, Hathi?" Arshi struggled to free her hand from Hatim's grip. "Please, let go of me."
He ignored her pleas and continued walking towards his carriage. Mohammed followed behind holding a small red box in his right hand. Some maids were carrying her luggage to Hatim's carriage. She wondered what was going on and why her belongings were being carried out of the house. Did she anger Abdulkareem to that extreme that she ended up being kicked out?
"I will never let go of this hand, Arshi. I will never let you get hurt in any way," Hatim quickly added, "We're going to get married."
"Today? How did you convince my father? Hathi, I am to go to the palace a day to come remember? He would not easily agree to this." Arshi stopped walking, pulling his hand to force him to stop as well then looked at him, "What did you do him?"
"I told him what I came to say and he agreed," he turned to look at her
"Just like that?" she asked still unconvinced.
"Do you think I am the type to hurt my own father-in-law? Arshi, is that how view me?"
"Hathi." Arshi smiled as she leaned towards him, instinctively placing her head on his chest. His chest was so wide and warm. "I am just surprised with my father's sudden change of heart. Please understand." Hatim smiled as he leaned over to kiss her. She clung to his body, feeling every hard muscle, returning his kiss with her own passion.
"Your father agreed and that is all you should be worried about, my love." He kept her pinned close and intimately to him.
"Umm." She agreed as she moved from Hatim to listen to a sound that was coming near their entrance. "Did you hear that?" she listened carefully.
From a distance, Arshi could hear Kaseem's voice. He sounded like he was struggling with something and that made her worried. She automatically grabbed Hatim's hand and rushed to where her brother was. Upon their arrival there, they found him held down to the ground by two of Hatim's guards. Her eyes went inwards.
"What are those people doing to Kaseem?" she rasped. "Hathi, please ask your men to unhand my baby brother."
Hatim frowned and gave out the orders to release him.
"Brother! Are you okay?" Arshi asked worriedly checking his body for any wounds. "I do not like how your men have treated my brother, Hathi. Who do they think they are?"
Hatim stared at the guards with a warning look avoiding Arshi's gaze.
"We sincerely apologize for our rude behaviour, Our mistress and to you as well, Gentleman Kaseem." They said briefly bowing their heads and left.
Arshi turned to look at her brother still worried. "Are you sure you are not hurt anywhere?"
Kaseem stared silently at her with a look Arshi had never seen before. She was surprised because he had never made such an expression before. Was he sad?
"Are you okay?"
"No," Kaseem replied flatly.
She sighed and reached out to her brother, resting her hands on his cheeks. "It is okay to be sad, brother. I am leaving home today and finally going to get married to the man I am in love with."
Kaseem's eyes widened. "Do you really have to go?" he looked at her still confused. Why was she leaving him so soon and why was she leaving without informing him? He was so confused.
The more he pondered into their current situation, a tear rolled down from one of his eyes. He touched his face shocked and felt the watery substance that had come out of his eye. It was like he had never seen his own tears before.
"It is okay, brother," Arshi whispered as she hugged him. "I will be going to my new home and you all are welcomed to visit me anytime. So, please do not cry."
Hatim watched with jealous eyes how Arshi, his soon to be wife, was hugging another male before him. He did not like it at all.
"You would not forget your mother while you are away from home, will you, my precious pearl?" Qanniyah said while approaching them.
Arshi exclaimed. "Mother." she reached for her hands and received blessings. "Why are you out here, Mother?"
"Silly girl! Why should I not be here when my precious daughter is leaving home?" she said, sadly. "Please take good care of my daughter for me young man. She is my precious angel and deserves all the happiness in the world."
"Sister, please do not leave. In this state, I feel like you are making a huge mistake. Please stay." Kaseem begged her.
"Brother, I do not think I made a mistake. He is the man I have chosen to stay with for the rest of my life." She said smiling without looking at Hatim.
Kaseem clamped his mouth shut after hearing that. What else could he do or say?
She could feel Hatim looking at her and sensed how happy he was to hear those words.
"My Liege, we are ready to depart." A guard informed Hatim. "Arshi, it is time to take our leave now." He said softly to her.
"But I have not said my farewells to father yet. Will he be coming to send me off?" Arshi asked worriedly.
Qanniyah looked at Arshi with a sad expression on her face and Arshi immediately understood what was going on. Her adoptive father was still upset with her and could not dare to go out and see her off. Against her will, sadness locked her throat.
She bid her farewell to both Qanniyah and Kaseem then left with Hatim. Her life was going to change when they married. That is what she thought to herself as they left.
In the carriage, Hatim noticed how sad Arshi was and placed his hand on hers. "You will be alright, my love. I am quite certain that your father will come around soon. Just give him some time." He kissed Arshi's hand. "Cheer up! since we will become husband and wife soon."
"But you are certain this is also what you want, Hatim? You have no hesitation about this marriage?" she stared through his eyes eagerly waiting for his response.
Hatim smiled at her and pulled her closer to him. Wrapping his arm around her neck and landing a short kiss on her temple. "You already know the answer to that, Arshi."