"Where the hell have you been, Mohammed? I have been looking for you all morning."
"I am returning from the Sultana consort's headquarters, My Sultan," he said, closing Hatim's office doors behind him.
"Really?" Hatim rose from his office chair and approached his friend, resting his hands on Mohammed's shoulders and asking, "How did she react? Did she finally accept to come live here at the palace?"
"She didn't appear happy to see me, if that's what you mean," Mohammed shook his head. "You've already been married for a while. I'm not sure why you're begging her for nearly everything, even sleeping with her, My Sultan."
Sultan Hatim shifted his gaze to his Grand Vizier, Mohammed. "I don't compel women," he added, "I want to approach her as gently and organically as possible so that she never runs away from my grasp."
"I understand your reasons, My Sultan, but I can still find you another consort who can achieve at least half of your goal and is attractive to look at."
Hatim shook his head. "Even though I have to make up with Arshi, there are always women like Raiha in my palace."
Mohammed knew better than to respond. Arshi was his first legal marriage, which immediately made her a member of the harem, but with a higher rank than him and the rest of Hatim's concubines. Hatim's marriage to Arshi did not imply that he would disregard his other wives. Everyone knew that Hatim's favourite concubine was Imperial Consort Raiha. So, even if he did not receive what he desired from Lady Arshi, he would undoubtedly have it from concubine Raiha. That's what Mohammed reasoned.
"Would you like us to send one of our royal envoys back to Octavia Kingdom?" Mohammed proceeded with caution, gradually deviating from their prior topic. "Their Kingdom has been on extremely excellent terms with ours, and we truly need them for legume distribution and the battle against the emperor, My Sultan."
Hatim shook his head. "An envoy alone cannot help with this situation since every time we sent them there, they return with insignificant news. It seems to me that their King is testing my patience and it is me he wants to see directly."
"Then we'll have to seek other than the Octavia Kingdom, for I met Grand Vizier, Frank, from the Adelaide Kingdom two years ago, and I swear that when I just received a letter announcing his planned visit to our Kingdom, I was astounded."
"Adelaide Kingdom? What do they want now?"
"I do not know, My Sultan. We will find out as soon as he sets his feet into our lands."
"I see," he groaned, "I feel like someone in that kingdom is inciting trouble among the remaining kingdoms."
"I agree, but you must refrain from waging war on them for the time being. We don't have enough men or stronger tools in comparison to them. We won't make it out of there alive if we go towards their land."
"I would not lose," Hatim replied darkly.
"However, you would lose your edge in this situation. Consider how long it has taken to enlist the support of two of the other six Kingdoms."
"Four."
Mohammed raised his brow. "Four? How?"
"I suppose I should be grateful to the emperor, for when I travelled to the Wicker Empire after he summoned me, I was able to broaden my connections."
His trying to wage war against another Kingdom was never going to be profitable, and least profitable was to destroy that nation. The only thing he would succeed in gaining are slaves and more war slaves. This time he was planning to go after the emperor, who was known to be the strongest man in the world.
The Wicker Empire was one of the strongest and independent nation ever known and it never lacked any resources. He decided to go after all that for his personal gain.
He thought planning to wage war against the empire by using the other kingdoms would strengthen his Kingdom and he would be the only strong ruler in the world.
"And are you certain that the emperor is useless without the help of the other Kingdoms?" Mohammed asked concerned about Hatim.
"Well…yes…I think so?"
Hesitantly, Mohammed sighed and asked, "You do see that now is not the time to attack the empire? You must handle your own nation's problems before you go looking at another's."
"I understand what you're saying," Sultan Hatim remarked cynically. "But tell me what I'm supposed to do. I really need Octavia Kingdom's assistance in dealing with the emperor, but that arrogant fool has been causing me nothing but headaches since he became Octavia's new king and warmed that seat. Our kingdom really needs their resources since we are severely lacking in many areas."
"Perhaps he has sided with the emperor, which is why he has chosen not to join us. I just need some time to think of something that might be effective to us." He responded with feigned exasperation; his expression carefully blank. "I hope you give me a chance to ponder, My Sultan?"
"Very well, if it is going to be of help to our nation," Hatim concurred. "But is it only my permission you require?"
******************
It had been three months since Hatim and Arshi last saw each other. He had not taken her to the palace yet and they were still fighting. He decided to send Arshi to one of his old properties so that she could calm down.
The house Arshi stayed in was big, the kind in which most of Hatim's concubines dreamed of owning. The lawns were always trimmed and was patrolled by armed royal palace security guards.
Arshi was sitting in her bedroom chair next to the window looking outside. Her room was spacious compared to her previous room when she was still living at Abdulkareem's mansion. It had clean white and gold painted walls, a Queen bed covered with a white silky sheet with gold embroidery, a desk with a shiny jewellery box on it, sliding closets opposite the bed, and thick white shag carpet.
She was wearing a long butterfly mint kaftan with gold embroidery at the ends and a golden leather belt tied around her tiny waist. Her long curly hair flowed down to the floor. She did not feel like styling it but still looked more and more like a doll each passing day.
"My Sultana, his royal Majesty is here to see you," the voice of one of her chambermaids was heard outside her bedroom doors.
She stood from her seat the moment Hatim walked into her room. She was unperturbed by his visit and that really stunned Hatim. When she looked at him, she was shocked. He looked terrible.
"How are you lately...?"
He entered the room and sat in the chair next to Arshi's. He appeared overtired, as if he had been working incessantly for days.
"The same as usual... and you?"
"I have been well, thank you for your concern and it has been a while…I really missed you, my Sultana," he said with his eyes fixed on Arshi, "You look pale, are you unwell? Please sit."
Arshi flinched and stared at him warily as she briefly curtsies then sat down.
"It's nothing serious, my Sultan. I am just having a hard time trusting people right now."
"That is rather harsh to say..."
"Seeing as you've come all the way here to see me, Hathi, you must have something to say..." In amazement, she put her palm over her lips before correcting herself, "My Sultan," she replied without looking at him.
"Enough with the games Arshi, I do not get why you are acting like this towards me. We are already married and have been for three months now, yet, you are still treating me like this."
"How do you expect me to react when you lied to me for years and played with my emotions," she said after all, in a small voice, surprising herself.
Hatim narrowed his eyes. "I am still your husband," he told her tersely.
"No," Arshi responded coolly. "You are the man who married me, Hathi… I mean, Your majesty, My Sultan. You are not my husband…you are the man who deliberately deceived me."
And it was a truth that Hatim heard and couldn't refute. He frowned.
"We have only been married a few months and yet we still argue. I do not understand you at all, Arshi."
She sighed. "Your Majesty, do you remember what you said to me before we married?"
―"When we marry, I want you to know that I will respect my wife and our marriage. I want to love you and be loved by you in return. I want us to raise our future children in a safe secure circle of that love. So, please marry me Arshi."
"I was overjoyed at the time, believing I had finally discovered my one and only love. For the first time in my life, I was able to stand up to my father because of your pledge. I'm not sure why you picked me to be your wife since I was previously chosen to be your concubine. Is there another agenda I'm not aware of since you've been misleading me all along?"
She gave him a contemptuous look.