PLZ COMMENT!!!
The four days passed by in a blink of an eye. Thankfully I didn't see Arsalan any of these days. I spent most of my time with my parents and siblings. These days were a turmoil of emotions as the reality of moving out was hitting me and my family hard. My siblings would frequently cry and beg me to not leave but there was nothing I could do except let them know everything would be ok. My sister even drew our family on a small piece of paper to the best her little hands could draw and gave it to me as a reminder. My parents would talk in the most sentimental manner which would bring tears to my eyes as well. God forbid it sometimes felt like I wasn't just leaving my home but rather the world.
Finally, my most dreaded day arrived- The day I would leave my family behind. My bags were packed with the necessities I would need and I was ready in my most modest outfit of warm colors so as not to stand out from the crowd. I had tied my front hair back in a small ponytail while the rest hung loosely behind. I put on my head scarf and any jewelry that was important to me. I didn't wear my wedding ring but put it in my bag incase Arsalan asked. I walked out of my house towards where the carriage awaited. My family walked with me and I cherished every moment because these would be some of the memories that would remain with me for the next few months. Once we arrived at the large carriage, I saw Arsalan standing beside it in a surprisingly dashing outfit which did make him look quite princely. There were several guards around mounted on horses.
I hugged my parents tightly and then my siblings. I let my sister know that I had her drawing with me in my pocket and then turned towards the carriage door. My eyes were teary but I had managed to keep those tears in. One servant who stood by the carriage door opened it for me. Without looking back, I went in and took a seat on the right side facing the front of the carriage. Arsalan followed in and sat to the left. The servant then closed the carriage door and I heard a series of commands from the guards and coachman. Within a few seconds, the carriage started moving with a jolt and I gave a final wave to my family through the window before we disappeared around the corner.
I wiped away the tears from my eyes while looking out through the window at the gorgeous mountainous sights. The misty air filled the carriage and a chill ran down my back at the sudden cold breeze. I tried my best to ignore Arsalan sitting right there a few inches away but my mind kept reminding me of his presence.
"Don't worry, we will be back before you know it" Arsalan said, adding some sound to the silent ride.
"Uhmm" I said while still looking out trying to gather myself and remind myself there would be lots for me to see ahead.
"Do you like to travel?" He asked and I could feel his gaze on me. I finally turned my head straight to look at him sitting opposite to me a bit to my right.
"I do" I said in a slightly hoarse voice
"Well, you are basically going to see every different part of the world on this travel" Arsalan said with awe and a smile while still looking at me. An unconditional yet weak smile formed on my face.
"So you haven't forgotten to smile!" he said jokingly and I shook my head trying to suppress my smile from getting bigger at his goofy words
"Can I ask you for something?" I said suddenly and he looked at me in surprise as if I had asked something unusual.
"Of course. What is it?" He said curiously
"I... I have been wanting to go to Kaylock for years. Would we be going there?" I asked and his expressions suddenly hardened and he looked away.
"Kaylock isn't the best option for travel. Besides, we do not have great ties with that kingdom and do not have any official business to attend to with them"
"Can we still visit please?" I said hopefully and he just looked at me with a look that gave away his answer
"Please! If you don't already know, I am from there. I want to go there at least once more to see my real home" I insisted and he sighed
"I know and I also know that you are the princess of Kaylock but I can't risk your life like that. I'm sure you know how they treat Maruv people" he said and I looked away in disappointment. I was little surprised that my baba had told him about my past but then again, he was my husband according to everyone.
"I thought you were the Shehzada. I thought you had enough power to make such visits possible" I said trying to trigger his ego but he just looked at me with raised eyebrows as if he knew what I was trying to do.
"I do have that power but that does not mean I am going to risk our lives. This is complex politics that you do not know yet" he said and I sighed. I then turned my head to look out through the window again. I guess I would never go to Kaylock.
"However, if you must go, I will think about it and perhaps we can pay a short visit to their palace" he said and I quickly turned to look at him. A wide smile formed on my lips.
"Really? Thank you so much! " I exclaimed and he smiled with a little nod. I was so happy he agreed. I'll finally get to see my home kingdom. I was very scared about coming face to face with my monstrous brother but my desire to find out about my mother was enough strength for me to keep me going.
"Isbah" Arsalan called which caught my attention again
"I know you have many reservations about our relationship but I hope to change that for you" He said and I looked down with a hint of guilt. He was really trying to make this work but I was just pushing all his effort down. It wasn't all my fault though.
"However, for that you would need to know me as a person. And, I would love to know you better as well. How about we call a truce during our travel and leave behind the past. We could start anew and treat each other like friends at least rather than be complete strangers?" He offered and I looked at him with a questionable look thinking of what to answer. Honestly, he was not a bad person from how much I knew him already, I just disliked him because I hated our relationship. I was definitely not going to fall for him but there was no harm in accepting him as a friend. However, even thinking of him as a friend felt weird because all my friends had always been girls. But no matter how much I denied it, he was husband and there was nothing wrong with being friends with him. For the sake of a good and peaceful expedition, being friends would not be too bad of an offer especially since I would see him all the time now and couldn't just ignore him.
So, I hesitantly gave him a little smile and said, "We can try". He smiled back.
"So, tell me a bit about yourself" he asked trying to start a friendly conversation from somewhere. It now felt a little less weird talking to him though I was still cautious with my words
"W...What do you want to know?" I asked not knowing what to say or where to start
"Anything!" He exclaimed, "Maybe some interests, something you are good at? Some things you want in life..." He said in excitement which made me smile a bit more. He was like a kid talking about his favorite topic.
"Well, I have always wanted to become a healer. I had been working as an apprentice with the village healer for the last three years. There is this joy I feel when I work with and help people through their roughs times which keeps me motivated to do more" I said and then took a small pause before continuing, "That is also one reason I want to travel the world. I want to see new forms of medicine and healing so I can help more people in many different ways. I don't want to be restricted in my healing methods" I explained with a dreamy look
"You are quite an ambitious dreamer" he said, "and I hope you bring these dreams to life". I smiled at his words. He was being so sweet all of a sudden and it was had to tell who he was anymore. This version of him reminded me more of the man I had met at the Basant festival years ago.
"What about you?" I asked somewhat knowing the answer already
"Well" he chuckled, "I had dreams of becoming an inventor full time when I was younger but my duties are beyond my desires. I have royal duties to my kingdom and my people which I hope to fulfill till my last breath. However, being second in line to the throne still provides me with a considerate amount of time for myself to do the things that I want. With power, comes great responsibility so I really have to balance it all" he said and I stared at him, quite impressed at his maturity and selflessness.
"You speak of your duties as a wise and responsible person" I complimented and he gave a modest smile
"Life teaches you a lot and I do have twenty six years worth of experience with that" he said
"You are 26?" I asked abruptly, a little surprised. He did look older but most young men did too. I didn't really think he was that much older.
"Yes I am and don't worry. Me being seven years older will not make me any less fun than you" he said jokingly and I smiled slightly. There was a short silence that followed.
"What other activities do you like?" He asked
"Umm, I really like riding and archery though I'm not the best at it. And other than that, I know how to stitch so I often mend my own dresses or add something extra if I want to. I can cook but it is not really my favorite task. I do it for the sole reason of necessity, not to say that I don't like eating if someone else cooks" I said looking at him. I now felt much more comfortable talking to him than before as the barrier of awkwardness had significantly lowered though I was still a little fidgety at times.
"You have some really unique interests. I have never heard a girl say she truly likes riding or archery for the fun of it" he said with an impressed look, "I myself love riding. It is like opening a window for cool wind on a hot day. It liberates all my worry. And, though archery is quite fun, I am more interested in fencing and handling the spear" he said and I smiled.
"Do you live at the palace in the capital?" I asked changing topics
"Yes that is my home but I often travel so I don't stay there for long periods of time. Have you ever been there? To the capital I mean" he asked and I shook my head. As far as I remember, me and my family had only remained in Rysore or cities closely.
"No worries, it is going to be your home now and you can explore it as much as you want once we return from our travels" he said happily and my smile dropped. Before he could properly notice, I turned my head to face the window indicating that I didn't want to talk anymore. I believe he understood because he didn't say another word for the rest of the two hour ride. I could not believe he was planning our life ahead when he himself gave me the option to leave if I wanted. Does he want to see me suffer in guilt?
I saw the sunset through the carriage window as it vanished into the horizon bringing a dark yet thick twinkling blanket behind it. The air was very chilly by now and my body had began to shiver a little. I guess Arsalan saw this because he pulled up his seat reveling a small cabinet under it which held a few shawls. He took one out and unfolded it, hanging it from my shoulder. He then instructed me to wrap the rest around myself as he noticed I wasn't comfortable being touched. Once I wrapped it around myself, my shivers slowly died down.
Our carriage came to a halt a little while later and one of the guards pulled open the door. Arsalan walked out first and extended out his hand to help me down. I didn't want to shame him or make him felt embarrassed infront of the guards so I placed my hand on my heart and said I was good as a gesture. It meant that I didn't need his help and so he put down his hand. The carriage had parked in front of a small cottage which seemed quite old. It had plant veins growing all around it along with moss in many different places. It had a triangle roof and old brick walls. Honestly, it looked really pretty as if it were out of a fairytale.
Arsalan walked in and I followed behind unsure why we were here. One of the guards had handed him two glowing lanterns so we could see the path ahead. Once at the door, he handed one lantern to me and opened the cottage door. The inside was quite dark with only the moonlight coming in through the windows. The lanterns were the only other source of light and they made it much easier to see. The guards followed us into the cottage as well with their own lanterns. Arsalan led me up the creaky stairs and towards a corner with an open door while the guards remained downstairs. Once we reached the door, he walked into the room while I stayed at the doorframe. It was a a rustic yet average sized bedroom with a cabinet and some shelves. There were some paintings on the wall and two nightstands by the double bed. There was a small chaise lounge by a corner as well enough for two people to sit on side by side comfortably.
"Why are we here?" I asked worriedly in a low voice from the entrance
"Our ship leaves early morning so we will be staying here for the night" he explained as he placed his lantern on the nightstand while I still held mine hanging low.
"OK, then can you show me to my room?" I asked
"This will be your room for the night" he said as he roughly dusted off the quilt on the bed.
"What about you?" I asked
"What do you mean?"
"Where will you be staying for the night?" I asked innocently hoping he would answer how I wanted
"Here of course. This isn't exactly a mansion and we have a lot of people needing a good night's sleep" he said in an as a matter of fact tone while setting the quilt as it was before. My eyes were wide with surprise now. What did he mean by staying here? We could not possibly stay in the same room. It seemed so wrong. My heartbeat began to race and I felt spiders crawling in my stomach as I though of how to tell him to leave.
"Is there a problem?" He asked kindly looking at me and my nervous expressions
"We can't stay in the same room" I said bluntly
"And why not?" He asked wanting to know my reasoning
"I'm not comfortable sharing a room with a man" I hurriedly said without thinking
"What do you mean by that? I am not any man, I am your husband" he said while looking at me and then he tilted his head slightly to look behind me.
"Come in and close the door please" he said with a flat face while looking away from me but when I didn't move, he looked at me once again and glared which made me tremble.
"Come in and close the door" he said a little sternly emphasizing every word while still looking at me. By now, I was scared by his budding anger but my mind said to listen to him before things got heated so I hesitantly stepped in and slowly closed the door hoping someone would come to save me but no one did. Once the door was closed, I slowly turn around to face Arsalan. He began to walk away from the bed towards me. I backed up in response but my back hit against the door, trapping me. There was nowhere else to go except out but my hands could move in fear.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?