Prince of Knights Chp17

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Faris opened his mouth to protest but refrained himself when Jazee, his youngest sibling gazed up at him and grinned. He clenched his jaw then exhaled. What has he gotten himself into? The knight thought as he made his way down the narrow passageway, halted by the door and cleared his throat to get their attention and stepped in. Shouq stood alongside his wife in the middle of his room, at once he noticed the change in Raghad's clothes. It was a dark maroon gown his father's brother had bought from Saudi Arabia for his bride.

"About time ya Faris. I must leave now, do hurry and join us. Father does not tolerate tardiness." Shouq directed her smile at him, then murmured something to Raghad and departed from the room.

Faris peered at his wife, his eyes narrowed at her bowed head. He pursed his lips then sauntered towards her like a vicious predator and stopped in front of his bride. Faris was tall, broad and his woman barely reached his chest. In the light of the sun her skin gleamed and those big brown eyes resembled honey. "Your sibling will be present here once we break our fast." he verbalized the words in a glacial, dark voice.

Raghad did not reply nor did she nod her head and that caused a deep frown to materialize between Faris's eyebrows. "Did they not educate you to respond when your husband asks a question? Did mighty Sheikh Faisal neglect to teach his beloved daughter some essential manners?" Faris Al Fursan growled.

Here Raghad raised her head up to meet his cold, lethal eyes. "Yes they did. I was apprised to disregard fools who pronounced nonsense and ignore animals." Raghad spat sternly.

Faris's eyes narrowed into slits as storm began to brew behind the veil of his eyes. How dare her? How can she converse in such a discourteous manner? Wrath mounted in his heart, the beast of a man stepped forward his frame towered over Raghad's form.

Raghad did not apprehend how could she provoke and taunt such a monster like him? Her tongue slipped when he mentioned her dearest family. Ever fiber in her being quivered under his poisonous gaze that ripped her fortitude. Tears clouded her eyes but she propelled them away when Faris lowered his head to come face-to-face with her, at his proximity Raghad felt a fierce wave of vertigo wash over her.

"Do not, I repeat do not test my forbearance bint ash Sheikh." He snarled in an undertone glaring in the irises of her big beautiful eyes.

"Or else what? You have committed enough already, nothing you do now will effect me." Raghad hissed, aware of the goose flesh that rose on her skin from the smirk that appeared on his lips.

Like a flash he grabbed her right shoulder in a firm grip, his long, lean fingers pressed on her small, delicate shoulder. "Indeed you lack manners, Sheikha. You seem to have forgotten the rules I mentioned." his breath fanned her face. 

Raghad opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Shouq's voice. "Faris, father demands your presence this instant."

He remained there in that position an inch away from her. Indeed, he desired to teach her a lesson for her impudent demeanour, but not now, not when his father waited for him. Few seconds trickled down in the form of invisible morning dew, Faris stood to his full height, pivoted on his heels and marched away.

Raghad breathed out a sigh of relief, her attempts to control her beating heart failed when tears escaped her eyes. She fluttered her lashes a few times, wiped her cheeks as Shouq walked in. "Come, we must eat." the sister-in-law offered her hand for the bride.

They stepped out of the chamber, made their way down the narrow passageway to where her father's enemy sat. The moment when the family gathered around the sufra came in view Raghad's world crumbled and turned into cinder right before her eyes. "Ya Allah." she murmured, petrified.

Shouq squeezed her fingers tenderly and did not let go of the bride's hand when they sat down. Raghad kept her eyes downcast, Shouq's consolation felt like a pillar of courage that kept her straight. Without even a glance she knew her husband sat on her right, mainly because of the clenched fist she saw from the corner of her eyes and the tall, sturdy form that did not slouch. Power, dominance and rage oozed from Faris. She knew there was not a man in this world who possessed a heart so pitch black and barbarous like his.

Instantly, her eyes fell on her trembling fingers in her lap, Raghad curled her fists and prayed no one witnessed her agitation, that would gift her foes yet another thing to be contented of. Water began to slash at the windows of her eyes when Sheikh Mubarak conversed. Ya Allah, the man who yearned to annihilate her beloved father, the man who decided to terminate her happiness sat before her. That thought constricted her heart until it began to bleed in her chest and streamed down the torrent of her misery.

Shouq placed a tortilla in front of her then glugged camel milk in a mud pot for Raghad to drink. The sister-in-law then questioned if the new bride desired to eat something else, but Raghad shook her head in denial. She did not touch her food, she could not. Her heart thumped in her ears and blood turned cold just by being near them, her enemies. When at last, Faris rose to his feet a brick fell in her belly and daggers twisted the knots of her heart.

"I must excuse myself, Father. Adel is waiting for my arrival." Faris vocalized in that dark voice that pierced souls.

"Fe aman Allah." recited the others but Raghad remained hushed. Nasser accompanied his elder brother without another word and beckoned for Fahd to follow him as well.

Sheikh Mubarak surveyed the girl, he knew she attempted to veil her terror, the quiver in her hands, but to a man of his age and wisdom, he could literally taste her dread. By Allah, he will not display his fury to a sinless child. The war was among the tribes, besides Mubarak did not posses great quality of time to spare on Faisal's daughter. However, if the woman brought forth unwanted complications in his family he will not remain silent.

"Binty," Sheikh Mubarak began to speak, his sharp eyes noticed how Raghad flinched. After a moment he smiled ever so slightly when his daughter-in-law did not look up to meet his gaze. "I hear your father will be our guest today," the girl nodded, at her reaction Bu Faris carried on. "They will arrive soon and shall come to visit you by the noon." he finished in a tranquil voice, patted Jazee's head then stood to his feet and departed.

Raghad's brain was benumb, no matter how severely she endeavored to propel the fog she could not. Her mind was lost, the man who was the prime ground of her misery chatted as if nothing had occurred, as if Raghad was merely another woman. There was no trail ahead of her to walk on, no yarn to grasp and no light to illuminate her path. She was in a deserted land, accompanied by her desolation and anguish.

Ya Allah!

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Short chapter I know but there is more of Faris and Raghad to come in the new chapters. It was my cousin's wedding and my friend kept dragging me to malls that's why I did not have much time to write. Did you guys like this chapter? Let me know in your COMMENTS and do VOTE guys!

Do you guys like the new cover?

Allahu Akbar= God (Allah) is Great.

Bu Faris= Fari's Father.

Binty= My daughter.

Sufra= a sheet, a picnic sheet, a table clothe.

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