Queen of Persia ✔️

chapter twenty-eight

The funeral was rather a heartbreaking sight. For the people of Persia to find out that the Shah had a grandmother, was a huge milestone. The whole country was mourning the loss of a woman who was too pure for this world.

Denial.

That's what Darya felt when she watched them bring in her grandmothers' casket. She cried in Arman's embrace screaming for Aziz to come back.

Grief.

It was the emotion Parisa felt when she saw the casket. A woman so pure fading away because of the monster set within this palace.

Acceptance.

That was the countries feeling. They accepted her death like it was nothing.

And finally, devastation.

That final emotion belonged to Arman. He was broken. He was destroyed. But what made her death worse was that he didn't even get to say goodbye. He didn't even get to say thank you. She just left him, just like everyone. 

At the funeral, every man and woman in the court had arrive to pay their respects to Aziz Banu. When they finally carried her casket towards the royal cemetery, Parisa held Darya within her arms to keep her safe. She too was apart slowly.

The winds were calmer than usual. Silent yet deafening. That itself was the biggest and most disturbing feature of death. It was the beginning of spring. The blossoms had begun to rise and decorate the gardens. It was almost as if with Aziz Banu's death, she had given the blossoms and flowers life like no other. Funerals were never a great experience for neither of them. The people they had lost were people they never thought of losing.

Arman was first to speak in her honour. He stood up in his military outfit, in front of thousands of people. This was the first time in almost seven years that the people had seen their Shah again. He carefully cleared his throat, eyeing every single person in the room as they wept in grief.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming," he spoke with a soft tone. A tone that was breaking up in pain. Parisa gave him a reassuring look before he spoke again. "I am aware many of you didn't know about my grandmother's existence, but she was a wonderfully optimistic woman. After my mother, the old queen, was murdered she was the one who took care of me and my sister. And for that I will forever be in her debt," he finished with tears setting in his eyes. As the crowd cried and applauded his small speech, he stepped down from the stage avoiding the tears that were about to crash down on his face. Darya, however, didn't seem pleased. She seemed rather angry. But she didn't have the energy to speak, so instead Parisa spoke for her. She wore a long black gown decorated in gold embroidery. She wore a transparent shawl on her face as respect, and once she was on the stage, the crowd went silent.

"Our lives are stupidly short," she began, "we never know when our last day is. We never know if the demons hiding within us are going to kill us or not. But what we do know is that everything has an end. Everyone has an ending," she paused to look at Darya who seemed hooked. Parisa fixed her posture before beginning again, "when I arrived at this castle, my life had already been set to be destroyed. I was to die at dawn like every woman who entered this castle. But I didn't. Here I stand, not knowing if this very second is my last or not. Aziz Banu was one of the most wonderful women I had ever seen. Optimistically challenged. Over these times, she taught me that life isn't just waking up and living. It's much more. Its surviving. And so, I will survive for her. We all will. I want you all to join me in a march towards the ocean for her memorial," Parisa announced. The guards and Vasirs' seemed shocked, unaware of the sudden plan she had created.

Darya was shocked too. She had not expected such turn of events, but she appreciated them. To her knowledge it was better than the awful speech Arman had created. Together in unison, everyone stood up sending a short prayer to Aziz Banu. Parisa was sure she was watching them from above. With Parisa's command, every single person in the room marched out of the palace cemetery, towards the Persian Gulf. For the first time, a woman had survived dawn. For the first time, the Queen had become the one in charge. In silence the whole city waked for hours towards the sea, not stopping even for a minute.

Once they arrived, they set a small boat on fire, placing the casket into it. With flowers and jewels, they pushed the boat into the water watching it burn into ashes. For the first time, Parisa had finally seen the ocean. She knew seeing the ocean was Aziz Banu's wish too, and so she obeyed it. In whispers, the people said goodbye once and for all, respecting someone so pure. And now, it was almost dawn. Most of the crowd began to leave, paying their respects as they left. Everyone left until it was just Parisa, Arman, Darya, Jahandar and Leile. The last of their family standing.

"Do you think she has found peace?" Darya blurted in sobs. Everyone turned to look at her nodding in agreement. Everyone besides Arman.

"There is no such thing as peace," he explained with honestly. Darya's face lit up in anger. Parisa could see the pain and anger painted in her eyes. The same eyes Arman carried. Parisa knew Arman wasn't trying to be inconsiderate or disrespectful, but rather that was the way he dealt with grief. But Darya couldn't control her anger any longer.

"Die in hell Arman!" she suddenly screamed at him, "you are the reason she is dead. You do not get to destroy our hope in life just because you have thrown yourself somewhere dark. This is all your fault. Where were you?" she yelled. Arman didn't answer. Jahandar looked uncomfortable and Leile was weeping. Parisa held the space between the two siblings, avoiding a fight.

"Where were you?" she yelled again repeating her question, "For years she spoke of you highly. She waited and waited for you to come and visit her, but you never did. You were too busy creating a war that didn't need to be there. Your family was beside you all along and you didn't even try. I was here. Aziz was here. Parisa was here but you never came. You destroy everyone around you, and I will never forgive you for that," she concluded in a loud cry before charging towards him. He finally stood up to look at her. She was right and he knew it. He was late. He wasn't even able to protect the ones he loved. Just like Parisa had said before, he was a swamp dragging everyone down with him into an undeserving darkness.

Everyone stood around them, watching Darya punch Arman's chest screaming at him.

"You are a murderer!" she cried repeatedly until she finally passed out from exhaustion. He allowed the tears to fall. The sorrow in his sister's eyes brought him pain like no other. He held onto her motionless body, feeling the pain in her heart.

He had failed to keep them safe. He had failed.