warrior's heart

chapter 6

Marliyyah rushed out of the court in anger. How dare he! How dare he propose marriage to her after all the preposterous things he had done. Why would he even think she would think of an alliance with a man like him, not to even talk of marriage. She rushed into her chambers and decided she would do that which calmed her down whenever she was angry. She would pray to her Lord. She went into her hamam and after making intention, performed ablution. She wore her hijab and stood on her prayer mat to perform a 2 raka'ah Nafilah.

After she finished praying, she rose her hands to pour out her heart to her Lord. "Ya Rabb, I am here before you, a humble servant , asking you to ease the burning rage in my heart . Ya Allah, I have with Your guidance, always tried to do my best for my people. I cannot marry a man who has no respect for You or value for life. Ya Allah, please bless this decision for me and continue to protect my people. Ya Rabb, please continue to take charge of all my affairs and do not for once leave me Ya Allah."

She felt peace after she had concluded her prayers. While folding her mat, there was a knock on her door and after repairing her veil, she called the person in. To her pleasant surprise, Umm Jaafar, general Farouq ' s wife, entered. She walked into her open arms and hugged her. She was like a mother to her and had been so since the disappearance of her dearest mother queen Noorah.

No one would have believed she was the general's wife for while he was an intimidating figure, she was a small plump woman with a very sweet smile and cheerful nature. She was beautiful and in every bit motherly. Allah had recently blessed them with jaafar after 35 years of marriage. He was an intelligent child who was now 10 years old. There was no doubt that she and her husband loved each other immensely. General Farouq was a different man when he was around her. His love for her was there for all to see and age had only strengthened their affection for each other. He never blamed her for not having a child and believed that Allah would bless them at the right time. He had been right as jaafar was living proof of that.

After breaking the hug, they sat together holding hands. "Dearest child, habibi told me you were upset after the meeting and I came to check on you.what burdens your heart so?" She asked, referring to Farouq as habibi, her beloved." Ya umm jaafar, can you imagine that insolent Fazil Beig! He had the guts to send me a marriage proposal! .I rejected his proposal right that instant. That is not what bothers me though." "Tell me habibti, what bothers you then?"

"After beig' s entourage left, sheikh khalid said something which I haven't been able to shake off. He said I was inviting trouble upon us all. Ya umm, is he right? Was my decision foolish?" She said in a panicked tone. "No habibti, of course not, you have done nothing but take care of us all. You stepped into your father's shoes and fought against all odds to protect and provide for your people. You decision is not foolish at all. We know sheikh khalid spoke out of bitterness. It is no hidden knowledge that he is against you leading us until your father gets well by Allah's grace. He has always dreamt of being the sultan. To start with, he believes your family shouldn't be the royal family but his. So my sweet Marliyyah, do not fret. Allah is with you and so are we. Do not forget habibi is around to set everyone straight!" She said with a laugh. They both laughed heartily at the mention of general Farouq before Marliyyah got serious again.

"Umm Jaafar, I'm grateful to Allah for blessing me with you and ammu. Alhamdullilah I have both of you to look after me. " Umm Jaafar hugged her and kissed her hands and said" oh habibti we love you like our own daughter and it is our responsibility to be here for you. You are making me feel too formal with all the gratitude. We are always here for you. I should leave now and tell Farouq that his liyyah is fine and there is no need to worry. Now rest dear and we would see you later In Sha Allah. Fee Amanillah Marliyyah." She hugged her once more before leaving her chambers.

After her talk with Umm Jaafar, she felt much better. She could however not shake the feeling of the marriage issue. Perhaps one day she might consider getting married. For now, her commitment was to her people and no one else. She removed her veil and wore her sleeping dress before laying down. She resumed her Tasbeeh and shortly afterwards fell asleep.

Umm Jaafar let out a yelp as she was lifted off the ground by strong arms after leaving Marliyyah ' s chambers. "Put me down! Habibi! Put me down!." To her mortification, the guards and kitchen staff were walking past them and smiling in amusement at the loving couple." Put me down this instant Farouq Al-Basha! Everyone is laughing at us!" Let them laugh noori, it's called love and I am not in any bit ashamed!" Replied a laughing Farouq who kept walking with her in his arms towards the palace garden. Once they had gotten there, he placed her gently on a bench and took his seat beside her.

She punched him lightly on his chest saying" I feel as though I have two sons instead of one! When will you grow up habibi?! " "there's no young and old in love noori, and I have no problem loving you at all." They laughed heartily and sat in companionable silence. "So how did your talk go with liyyah? I hope she is better now? He asked, intertwining their fingers.

"Poor child, she was worried at first because of what sheikh khalid said. I reassured her that all would be well Bi'izinillah"."I really cannot believe he was that hostile to her. She has done all she can and is still doing everything within her power to make sure we all live comfortable lives. May Allah bless her. "

"Ameen. Habibi, I hope I am not speaking out of turn but don't you think her getting married would be a solution to this problem?" She held up a hand to stop him before he could interrupt. " No Farouq, Allah forbid, I would never even think of suggesting that Marliyyah should marry Fazil Beig. May Allah protect her from the evil eyes of that man! I was thinking of Nawfal Al-fateh perhaps....." She trailed off. " Nawfal Al-fateh? Ohhh, you mean the sultan of Heman? Why not! He is an Intelligent , brave and humble young man. Even after being so powerful, he's very respectful. He has been of great help to us even though he has forbidden us from mentioning it to Marliyyah.

I think he would be the perfect match for our liyyah." "He's very handsome too!"chimed in Umm Jaafar. They laughed at that before he continued. "How will this happen though? Marliyyah is so stubborn and she would not even listen to the mere mention of marriage. What do we do?"

"We wait and pray habibi", she said with a mischievous smile and laid her head on his shoulder. Well then, it looks as though she is not ready to tell me now, thought Farouq. He knew better than to question his wife but from the look on her face, he knew she was up to something. Allah help us! He prayed before resting his head on hers as they admired the flowers still blooming before the weather took It's complete toll.

# surprise surprise! 2 chapters in one day, I am making up for the long wait, I hope I'm able to update constantly. Enjoy! That's a picture of the colour of Marliyyah ' s eyes.