Zayn walked through the familiar halls of his father's palace.The very halls he had spent most his childhood wandering in.
He was on his way to Mariya's house when he received a call from his father, ordering him to report to the palace right away.
Judging from the way his talked to him on the phone,it didn't require a genius to figure out what the problem was__ definitely,his marriage.
He could hear the indistinct chatter of the members of the royal council as he neared the royal court,where most discussions regarding the Emirates takes place.
He stopped right in front of the huge door, leading to the court room. Two guards who were situated at each side of the door greeted him and he responded with a curt nod.
There's already a lot on his mind and that's all he could offer to them.
They opened the door for him and he walked in gracefully,as if he owned the place.
Well, he's the one to run the place in years to come so a little practice won't hurt.
Everyone in the court room except Sultan Lawal stood up on their feet to acknowledge Zayn's presence in the house.
Most of the members of the council were fascinated by the sudden change of events __ Zayn's sudden coronation as crown prince. Even the reason has not been disclosed to them yet.
The others quite expected it because they believed Zayn had more qualities of a true Sultan than Emraan.
" Sultan,you called." Zayn addressed his father after everyone in the court had settled down in their various seats. He was seated right beside his father.
Zayn threw a glance at the only empty seat in the room. It was meant for Emraan but he has really washed his hands from most affairs regarding the royal administration.
" I'm sure you have a hint about what this meeting is all about." Sultan directed to Zayn. Clearly,the meeting had commenced without him.
" Yes, Sultan." He said.
" Perfect!" The Jakadiya remarked.
She was one of the few women who occupied seats in the royal court,and Zayn respects her immensely." After thorough analysis with Sarauniya Aisha, we have chosen Aaliyah, Senator Sanusi's daughter as the woman who's fit for you and all of Kano,and I suggest we send a proposal to her father's house as soon as possible. What do you think,your highness?"
Zayn just stared blankly at the Jakadiya who thinks he's actually going to agree to marry Aaliyah. He's got a lot of things on his mind and getting married is the most stressful of them all.
He's been trying to avoid it for a long, though he is well aware of the fact that it's inevitable.
It's definitely is one of his duties as the crown prince to secure the sultanate with an heir even before he becomes the emir and it's high time he realizes that it can only be possible through marriage.
He should fulfill the responsibilities that comes with accepting to be the emir.
And of course, Aaliyah would be the woman in question as long as his father has left the responsibility of finding him a woman into the hands of his mother and the Jakadiya.
Spend the rest of his life with Aaliyah? No. Spare him the trouble.
He's had a bad history with Aaliyah.
" Sultan, I can't get married to Aaliyah." Zayn voiced out,much to the dismay of the royal council.
Unlike the royal who expressed their views towards Zayn's rejection of the choice made for him, Sultan Lawal just stared at his son. He knew his son still bore the loss of his late fiancee but he has agreed to become the emir and it's a must,that he considers the responsibilities that come his the title.
Why the sudden rush?Zayn wondered.
The whole court is behaving as if his father's days are numbered. His father has spoken to him about the importance of getting married as soon as possible and all but the court seems to be in too much rush. Just hoping they are not hiding anything from him.
" Why, Zayn?" His father questioned, raising a brow at him.
At this juncture, he's agreed that there's no turning back. Getting married is inevitable in his case so it would only be right if he chooses someone his heart sits right with and Aaliyah is way out of his league.
Forgetting the question that once posed to him earlier,Zayn delved deep into thoughts. The woman he needs to get married to shouldn't only qualify as his wife but someone will help him rule in the future together. After every single thought,the only person that popped into his line of thoughts was Mariya.
Silly, right? Considering she's so mad at him to the extent that she does want to even see him,yet there's no woman who fits into his laid out standards for a wife more than she does and only Allah knows why.
He's ready to do anything to convince her into marrying him. It would be a dare devil move but at least it's better than getting married to Aaliyah.
May Allah give her someone who will suit her but it can't be him. He's had a long history with that woman. An unforgettable and probably unforgivable one.
He'll have to make a move. Talk to Mariya to dissolve their conflict and convince her into marrying him. It will be hard task but the out of it is through.
" Sultan,I won't marry Aaliyah because I have someone else in mind. Trust me, she's good." Zayn finally answered Sultan's question.
" You've got someone in mind and and you never told us? Wait till your mother hears this." Sultan beamed. He was relieved." Who is she,by the way?"
Zayn hesitated a bit before speaking.
" Mariya Malika Gidado. The one Hassan was engaged to."
The smile that Sultan once sported disappeared,so did that of most of the people in the court.
Zayn felt someone's eyes boring holes into his head and he swiveled his see Hamza, Hassan's father, glaring daggers at him.
Zayn only chuckled at the man's marred features as if frowning at him will make him change his mind.
Guess, that was beyond their expectations. Well then, newsflash!
" My prince, I'm afraid this decision of yours is going to give rise to unnecessary rumors in the sultanate." It was the Jakadiya who spoke first. The whole of Kano was eagerly anticipating Hassan's wedding with Mariya before it got called off. It was meant to be one of the best weddings in town but alas,it never came to pass.
Zayn getting married to his cousin's ex-fiancee is definitely going to bring about unnecessary dirty rumors amongst the people, which is not good for someone like him who is the next in line to the throne.
Lately,the royal family of Kano seems to have adopted a habit of dropping the hottest news in the sultanate and beyond.
Emraan's abdication,Mariya and Hassan's wedding announcement and it's termination and now,Zayn is planning to marry Mariya,all in less than a month.
Sounds like some fascinating royal scandal. They keep getting hotter everyday.
" People never get tired of small talk,
Jakadiya." Zayn stated." I've agreed to get married as per the court's advice. Let's just hopes she accepts the proposal."
" Exactly!" The Galadima countered, flashing Zayn a smile." The lady is good,she comes from a prestigious family, What else can we ask for? I think his highness,the prince has made the right decision. Moreover,for how long will the people continue to talk?"
The Galadima's speech kind of had an effect on the court because slowly but sure,the members of the council also put forward their views, supporting Zayn's decision.
" It's a done deal then, In Shaa Allah." Sultan Lawal announced, getting up from his throne.
He reached out a hand towards Zayn and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.
"I'm proud of you,son." He muttered to Zayn before dismissing the court.
*~**
" Don Allah, please stop talking to me about that guy." Mariya begged Saratu again for the umpteenth time.
The two women that were seated in a gazebo that was situated in the floral backyard garden of the Gidado mansion,with the sole aim of spending some time together but Saratu has turned it into a ' Zayn fan club '.
It's always Zayn this...Zayn that. She's had enough of that man, honestly.
" Keh!" Saratu glared at her playfully." Last time at the restaurant,you two were getting all cheesy together and now you can't tolerate just the mention of his name. What did the poor guy do?"
She placed her bottle of Pepsi on a table in front of them to concentrate solely on what Mariya regarding her recent attitude and towards Zayn.
She wanted to know how the spark between Zayn and Mariya died down. She saw how Zayn looked at Mariya while she kept on rambling onto Zayn,only God knows what. It didn't look like Zayn was a mere acquaintance as Mariya had told her.
" He's simply a jerk." She shrugged.
" Mariya,you shouldn't say that. He's our crown prince." Saratu cautioned and the began to scan the area to see if someone else heard the words that just slipped out of her best friend's mouth.
Her widened at the very first human figure her eyes landed on.
Speak of the devil.
When did he even get there?
Her breath hitched while trying to call Mariya who was engrossed in savouring her Pepsi other than her surroundings.
" Assalamualaikum, 'yar mata", came Zayn's deep voice that took Mariya by surprise. She didn't realize her beverage had slipped from her grip until it made contact with her toes, creating a slightly painful impact to her toes.
She resisted the urge to hiss in his face.
" Who gave you the permission to see me here?" Mariya asked, annoyed. An instinct to hide her fear for Saratu finding out what's actually between her and Zayn.
" Your father did. I spoke to him before coming here to you." Zayn answered, walking towards the two women.
" Well,I don't want to speak to you." She rolled her eyes at him.
" Mariya,I advise that you let go of your anger so we can talk about this privately, without creating a scene. I'm sure you wouldn't want to spill out some words out of anger." Zayn voiced out, gesturing towards Saratu.
Saratu raised a brow at Zayn. She deemed it right to support Zayn if he's going to clear the sudden grudge between he and Mariya but he just referred to her as a third wheel, indirectly.
'So I'm a third wheel now,eh?" She wanted to ask but she decided to give them some privacy, making a mental note to settle scores with Mariya for hiding her beef with Zayn from her.
" I'll be in your room until you are done with him." Saratu waved at both of them before leaving the gazebo to Mariya's room.
" I told you to forget about what happened. Just forget,okay." Mariya spoke up when Saratu was finally out of sight.
Trying to use her fear to trap her.
" I didn't come here to talk about what happened with you and Hassan. I came to talk about us.
" You and who?" Mariya gave him a deadpanned look." We are not a thing." She scoffed.
Zayn wanted to tell her that the reason he came to see her wasn't only to clear their misunderstanding but also to propose an alliance but he doubts he'll be able to do both at the same time, considering Mariya's anger has gotten the best of her.
"Mariya, listen... I'm sorry for not making you aware of the fact that I'm the next in line to the throne the day you agreed to take up the deal. You deserved to know. I know you trusted me, even after considering the fact that I am related to Hassan. You trusted with me,the job of keeping your family safe,the responsibility of keeping your secrets safe. I might not have handled it up to your expectations but I tried my best and beyond. I never intended to hurt you but someway,somehow,I did. It wasn't intentional. I wasn't using you for my own gains. It would degrade me to even think of doing that to you. I apologize, sincerely."
Zayn kept on rambling on and on, hoping this lady he wants to wife up will forgive him after spilling out his heart.
Mariya simply stared at him as he spoke,her anger dissipating along with every word that escaped his lips.
She couldn't help but notice the gentleness in his voice and the sincerity in his dark eyes. They were literally pleading with her to forgive him.
Zayn sounded vulnerable,a part of him she's never seen or head of before.
She then took a moment to reflect on the reason why she's angry at him and after he had carefully explained himself to her,her reason sounded so strange to her. That was when she realized she was the one at fault yet he's the one taking his precious time to apologize to her. She had let her anger issues get the best of her. He might have chosen not to tell before the announcement was made due royal protocols.
Mariya face-palmed at her own act of stupidity. She was fascinated about how he got her to understand him though she was so angry she didn't want to see his face.
" Zayn," She called his name, softly.
He quickly raised his gaze to look at her. He knew things had fallen back into place at the way she called out to him. It was only filled with tenderness.
" I should be the one apologizing,not you. I'm sorry for any inconveniences caused and for calling you a jerk. I just realized I'm the real jerk." She apologized and quickly dropped her gaze down to her fingers,that were resting on her lap. She couldn't bare to look into his eyes for long.
Zayn let out a throaty chuckle. He's at ease as long as the misconception has been cleared.
" No worries,as long as the deal is still on." He smiled.
The type of smile that assured her that indeed, everything is going well now.
" I'm glad you are this much understanding."
Zayn then sat beside her and picked up the bottle of Pepsi that fell on her toe and placed it on the table,beside Saratu's own.
She couldn't help but smile shyly.
After his engagement with Khayra,Zayn never thought he would find himself proposing to another woman but life had other plans.
There it goes...
" Actually, I've got someone to tell you...more like ask you." He corrected himself.
" Go on." Mariya urged.
" You know, today I told my father that I'd..."
Zayn paused and chuckled awkwardly. He wondered where all his brain cells had run off to , leaving him with no words to actually propose to her. He felt very much confident while proposing to Khayra but he seems to be at a loss of words when it came to Mariya.
Probably,he never pictured himself doing it again.
Feels like a student walking into a staff room, filled with mean looking maths teachers.
" Go on, I'm listening to you,Zayn." She urged,yet again.
' Zayn,you can't miss this chance. Let's do this.'
His subconscious mind nagged him, and he did exactly what had to be done.
" I told my father I'd wife you up..."
Zayn stopped again after seeing Mariya's widened eyes.
Zayn must be joking, right?
He thought of giving up but no, he'll say what he has to say and leave the rest for her to decide.
" I realized you were the one,the night you asked me to meet you at the restaurant. I could feel my old self resurfacing again after months. The very old me that was buried with Khayra. You made me feel alive again, honestly,and it felt great. I don't mind feeling like that again for the rest of my life. So, Mariya Malika Gidado, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife? Will you stand by my side to rule our sultanate? Mariya,may not have fallen in love with you yet, but I promise you forever. It will be an immense blessing to have you as my wife."
Mariya couldn't believe what her ears were telling her. This guy is full of surprises. He wants to marry her?
And what did he say about not being in love with her yet?
His proposal wasn't extravagant
It was simple yet heartwarming. She's never felt this way before and she couldn't ignore the heat that came rushing up to her cheeks.
This heartwarming proposal would be hard to reject, honestly, but she can't just rush into marriage like that...
Or?
Unknown to Zayn and Mariya who were now chatting,while enjoying the shade of the gazebo,two pairs of eyes were watching them from a balcony of the three-storey mansion.
"Do you think your daughter will accept his proposal?" Zayn's father asked his old time friend as they watched their children from a balcony." Zayn told me there was some tension between the two of them."
Alhaji Farooq took a sip of his drink, before answering his friend's question.
" My daughter can be unpredictable sometimes. Let's just hope for the best."
Hey lovely people 😊
Here's an early update for you guys so don't expect one tomorrow.
Please,you people. Us there any website I can order a man like Zayn cos Biko, I've fallen for the man.
* Lemme run before Mariya comes to catch me.*
You all lovely people, don't forget to vote and comment.
Voteeeee la.
See ya.