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Masha'Allah so many comments that my hands started to hurt when I replied to them, still 30% of the comments are unanswered. Sorry about that, wallah I wanted to reply to everyone.
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~Faith is an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking~ Khalil Gibran.
The call of prayer woke Faris from his light slumber, he was exhausted from the activities that occurred the day before. The knight sat on his cot, ran his palms over his head to push his shoulder-length hair behind and sent a prayer to his Lord for bestowing him another day to live. Faris stood to his feet, the thobe he wore brushed the ground, he rotated his body to the left and lit the lantern on the shelve and turned around to vacate his room. However, something came in his line of vision, by Allah he had forgotten about Raghad, his bride, his woman.
That moment there was a soft knock at the door and he knew Shouq waited for Raghad. Faris ambled forward then came to a standstill few feet away from her. The woman had fallen asleep on the mattress, her form curled, the veil she wore also encased her body against the bitter cold, her head lay gracelessly on the round pillow.
Faris exhaled.
"Bint ash Sheikh," He called in a low voice. When the words left his mouth, Raghad's eyes opened wide and she sat straight at once. Faris spun around, gave his back to the girl and provided her time to sober. "Shouq is by the door. I shall pray and come back," he paused and a smirk lifted the corner of his lips. "Although, I am certain you desire for me to not return but let me assure you, ya Sheikha, I will return." he uttered the words then strode out of the room for Salah-al-Fajr.
A dark, inky curtain had cloaked the sky with incalculable stars that beamed at the moon. Tribesmen woke to perform their Fajr prayer when roosters crowed. Faris knew Badr would be present at the Masjid along with the men of Al Rashideen, so he halted by a palm tree. Badr's actions had generated gossip in the tribe that twisted his senses and kindled his brain. Not in his lifetime had Faris seen a man who stayed by his sister for that long. He comprehended the circumstances, the obstacles of their situation, but that did not mean Badr would rebuff his command and stay by Raghad. Faris knew Badr was shrewd, his actions warned the Borkans that he was remarkably tough and did not waver before them. He committed actions on his free will even in the tribe of his sworn foes.
Faris performed his prayer then leaned against the palm trunk, his eyes observed when a child followed his father to the Masjid. His fingers were pallid and numb, little did he fret about that. Winter breeze danced around him, it swirled his shoulder length hair, gently. Soon the sun broke over the horizon and peaked over the mountains, the herds nearby mooed and snorted, birds around him yawned and took their flight.
"Allahu Akbar." Faris sighed when he rose to his feet. He had to return back to his family and break his fast. At that moment, there were no afflictions on his shoulders, behind him the sky was a shade of dark purple and few stars still smiled down at him, ahead of him the sky was dressed in an orange robe. At times like this when his enemies were absent he came out of his house without his sword, completely unarmed.
"At last, he graced us with his presence." Nasser's voice reached his ears when he ambled in the house.
Sheikh Mubarak along with his wife and children sat around to break their fast. Faris took note of the fresh butter and tortillas with goat milk in silver mugs on the sufra. The windows were open to allow fresh air in the house "Bring your wife, Faris." Sheikh Mubarak ordered his son.
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.