Queen of Persia ✔️

chapter twenty

The doors slammed open to reveal the Shah himself. Parisa didn't even bother standing up. Once again, she could feel his presence. She sat down, looking at her feet. Every part of her was angry. She was angry at him. He wasn't even there when she needed him most. Instead, he was God knows where, having fun. She glared into his stern eyes. The same eyes she had seen when she first saw him. The eyes of a monster.

"You need to apologise," he commanded her. But instead, she laughed as a response. With every laugh, she could feel her skin tugging on her stiches. She held onto her wound to avoid it from bleeding. However, enough was enough. She had been scared enough.

"Apologise?" she questioned him with amusement. Amusement buried deep in her anger. He nodded in answer, "for what?" she asked again. There was nothing she needed to apologise for.

"For how you⏤" he wanted to say. But instead, his attention was drawn to the multiple scars on her arm. Suddenly, a deep frown took over his face. He pulled her wrist, lifting her sleeve. It only revealed a million dagger scars painted on her arm.

"Let go of me," she warned him.

"What is this Parisa?" he asked her sternly. Anger had taken over his face. So much anger, flames were rising from his eyes.

"None of your concern, sarvaram," she answered coldly. After days, she had finally called him formally once more. A cold response that would freeze the warmest of souls.

"I asked you a question," he growled, "who did this to you?" he asked with a loud voice. But once more, she looked at him with no expression. She looked at him disappointedly.

"And I gave you an answer. No one of your concern, my shah," she semi-yelled back. Her expression was so stiff. At this point, he was frustrated. He felt mad. Not mad at her, but rather mad at himself. Mad that he wasn't there to prevent such thing.

"You want to know why it happened?" she finally broke the silence, "because of you. Do you remember your trusted Vasir, Jalaledin? Well, he kidnapped me that night. He dragged me down the hallways, and where were you? Nowhere in sight. He told me I was his leverage for getting to you. Poor man had no idea that you didn't care enough to save me. So, while he waited for you to come, he carved millions of scars on my body. Scars that will heal, but their cause never will. He waited for a while, but you never showed up. So humiliated enough, he decided to kill me because I was no use. And he did it. He stabbed me," she explained to him. His expression was different. He felt anger, shock and sad. At this moment, he wanted to hug her. He wanted yell. He wanted to cry with her. But most importantly he wanted get revenge and kill whoever did this to her.

"Parisa⏤"

"don't speak my name," she warned him, "do you want to know who saved me? Azin and Emir. My friend and a stranger, and yet my own husband didn't bother to show up. Instead, he showed up days later, only to ask me to apologise. Well Arman Sassanian, I have one question for you. Where were you Arman? Where were you?" she asked him in a heavy tone. She wanted one solid answer. She wanted the truth, but he stayed silent. He observed her features. He observed her teary eyes. He observed her scared face. He observed the pain embedded in her soul. The pain he would do anything to take away from her. She shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," he managed to say.

"You are too late. Go have your fun with Zaida. Whatever this was, it's the end of the line now," she confessed. That same confession broke her heart a thousand times. She didn't want him to leave again. She didn't want to be apart from him. And he didn't leave.

"I was never with Zaida, Parisa. I promise you," he said with honesty.

"You didn't believe me, so why should I believe you?" she asked him whilst accusing him, "you are a monster. You are everything bad in this world. You are like a swamp, anyone who steps into your life gets dragged down and the quicker they try to leave the faster you drag them down," she yelled at him this time. She had, had enough. She was filled with pain that was overflowing. And only he could help her.

"Yes. You are right!" he yelled back, "Is that what you want to hear? I am a monster. I murder innocent people. I betray people. I drag people I love down with me. I dragged you down so deep in this swamp, you could've died. So yes, I am a monster," he continued. His eyes were filled with regret and grief. All he wanted was her. And all she wanted was him. No matter how long they denied it, their souls pulled them together.

Without thinking, Parisa pulled Arman's dagger out of its case holding it to her own throat. Their bodies were touching, and she could feel the heat. Tears fell uncontrollably as she held the dagger tight.

"How many people would you like to kill today?" she yelled at him. He quickly pulled his other dagger out, holding it to his throat.

"How about two?" he yelled back.

"Sounds nice," she answered, "we might as well die together," she continued.

"My life is useless, my girl," he said. They both lowered their weapons, dropping it on the floor. The sound of blades crashing together was dangerous. Too dangerous. And now only inches away from each other, they didn't dare to look away. Two eyes longing each other.

"Why would you care about my life?" she asked him still in a loud tone, "You obviously didn't care before, so why now?" she yelled in his face. Parisa could feel both her and Arman's heart beating in sync. A fast pace no one could catch up to. He looked at both her caramel eyes. A swirl of hope and happiness. She looked at both his rocky eyes. A swirl of adventure and love. He grabbed her head with both his hands, touching her forehead with his. And now even their noses were touch. A touch so electric.

"Because I love you!" he finally yelled back. His chest fell as the words came out. The words he had wanted to say for weeks. Eight letters, three words, and one sentence. A sentence so meaningful it could change any decision. She looked into his eyes with shock. Those words were the last things she had expected. But life with him was always the unexpected. "I love you so much my heart aches. I care for you so much my body is in pain. Goddamit, I knew about your plan, and yet I fell for you. I fell for you kindness. I fell for the window you built in my wall. I fell for you, Parisa Elaheh. And now there is no going back because I am so incredibly in love with you. I am forever intertwined by your heart," he explained to her. Her heart was beating faster than ever, and her lips were craving his touch more than anytime.

"And I am forever tangled in your soul," she confessed too after a moment of silence, as the tears fell. A confession so heart-warming. The confession of love. "Because I fell in love with you, and I can't stop no matter how hard I try. I fall for that smile of yours every time. The smile you hide. And now we have all the time in the world," she finished.

"Do you remember the bird you used in all your stories?" he asked, reminding her. She nodded. "Well, you are my Huma bird. My blessing," he told her with a smile. But he was her saviour. He was her Huma Bird. And within seconds, she smashed her lips against his, unable to resist his touch any longer. After all they had gone through, they deserved all the happiness in the world. And in that moment, it was all they had. Love and happiness.