Sultan
It was the fourth day of Ramadan already, and all I have been doing so far is praying. I have been praying fervently to Allah to grant me my heart desires, of marrying Khairi, because right now I could not imagine a life without her. I don't know how it started when or how, but I know that I love her so much, more than words could express.
I'm in a dilemma, I know that any decision I will take will hurt my Abba in the end, if I marry Khairi, Abba will be hurt and if I marry Batuul, I won't be just to her. I know she will not be happy with me, because my heart already belongs to another and marrying both of them is totally out of the question.
The problem now is that I don't even know if Batuul has been told about the whole marriage issue, if she is aware of it then what's her answer, is it a yes or a no.
Then it occurred to me that just like me she doesn't have a choice
But knowing Batuul to be a very stubborn girl, if she doesn't love me she will speak up, she won't agree to be forced. That's Batuul, she gets whatever she wants. Thinking of this I turn to Allah in supplications once more because all I need right now is Allah's guidance, His Mercy. I pray Batuul does not accept
I have been avoiding Mama lately, because I know we have a pending issue to discuss, I promised to tell her the girl I love the other day after telling Abba. Things did not go well as I planned and now I don't even know how to tell her, how to explain to her that Abba has chosen a wife for me but my heart is with another. Umma being the loving mother she has always been to me, I know she will understand, but I didn't want to get things more complicated than they already were.
We took turns with Khalil and Sameer to lead tarawii Ramadan evening voluntary prayers for the females in the Palace, because in this Royal home of ours, it is a rule that the females do not go to the masjid for tarawii, they are being led at home, same goes for Eid prayers, they stay at home while the men go and offer the prayers. I remember back then when I will buy dates after Eid prayers as Eid gift for Batuul and Qudsiyya, my beloved sisters, how time flies.
Today is my second time of leading them in Salah and I observed that Batuul was missing, she was not here on the first day also.
Maybe she is avoiding you because she doesn't find you worthy of being her husband.
My mind spoke, well I will be the happiest man on earth if that should be the case. Her rejection is the only solution to my predicament now.
After the prayers I left the masjid in a hurry so as to avoid Mama once again, I was on my way back to my chambers when one of the guards approached me, and after all the formalities of greetings told me that Abba said I should meet him immediately. My heart was already beating furiously as I didn't know what to expect this time.
I walked to his sitting room with the guard trailing behind me and entered with a Salaam. Abba looked up from where he sat reciting the Quran and answered my Salaam, then signalled to the guard to step out. After about five minutes, he finished reciting and turned to face me with a smile.
"How are you Sultan?"
"I'm fine Abba, Alhamdulillah"
"And how is the fasting going, I can see you have started losing weight already" he teased, I just smiled and said Alhamdulillah. We sat in silence for a while before he spoke.
"Have you started seeing Batuul about the wedding?"
"Not yet Abba"
"What are you waiting for, time is going, the wedding will be a few days after Eid remember"
"Yes Abba" I nodded
"Anyway there is little or no need for that since you have known each other all your life, just for formalities though"
"Okay Abba" I nodded again before we drifted into the topic of my coronation.
***
The next day, I sent a guard to tell Batuul that I wanted to see her after tarawii prayers. I begged Sameer to come with me but he refused, for reasons best known to him.
Later that night after prayers, I waited for her not far away from the female's masjid. I sat on the carpet that was laid by some maids who later on brought all varieties of fruits for me.
For Allah's sake it shouldn't be this formal, I live in this Palace too.
I waited for almost an hour as I was thinking of how awkward this meeting will go, what am I supposed to tell her? Am I supposed to say 'Hey Batuul you know Abba arranged for us to be married right, okay let's get married already' or I'm I supposed to be expressing my undying love for her, which I know doesn't exist?
It was more than an hour and Batuul was still no where to be seen, I hissed and got up to go when I saw her approaching with two other girls trailing behind her whom I could not see clearly.
I sat down back and took a moment to look at her, Batuul was a female version of Abba, she looked exactly like him. Tall, dark, prim and proper and fearless. Her presence alone screams royalty, she is beautiful, when she smiles her gap tooth shows. I was just seeing now how much she has grown, you will hardly know she is just seventeen, there was only one word that could describe her, elegant. she could fit for a queen any where. But all those thoughts will vanish the moment she opens her mouth and starts blabbing, she was such a child at heart, she talks too much for royalty.
My mind drifts back to Khairi, regardless of Batuul's beauty and elegance, Khairi was my choice. She was beautiful in her own way too .
Batuul took tiny steps to where I was sitting, as if she was a bride walking down to meet her groom. She wore a red abayah and had a black veil rapped around her head. I imagined Khairi in that outfit, she will look prettier I'm sure.
I knew that if Batuul could read thoughts, mine wouldn't please her. Even if she doesn't love me, she won't be happy that I'm thinking of someone else when in fact I should be paying attention to her. I quickly gulped my thoughts down with a cup of water.
It was only when they reached where I was sitting that I saw who the two others were, Maryam and Khairi. Batuul and Maryam sat down while Khairi remained standing, she greeted me while I asked her how the Ramadan was going to which she replied with Alhamdulillah and stood in silence, I was about to ask her to sit too when Batuul suddenly snapped
"And what are you still doing here, will you leave this minute? You gossip" she barked
What!!!
It took a while and reciting multiple azkars prayers in my mind to calm down, the reason why, I know if I'm to scold Batuul, I will tell her what she will not forget in a hurry because right now there were so many things on my mind. Khairi apologized and immediately left.
She was used to that.
I made a mental note that I just have to marry her, even because of Batuul's bondage that she is presently in.
I turned my attention to Batuul who was whispering something to Maryam and was giggling. She had black henna on her hands, and sprayed that perfume, what's it called incense... or khumra I'm not sure. More like she bathed in it, because it was too strong it already gave me a headache.
She turned to face me and spoke before I did
"So Yaya you wanted to marry all this while and you never told me anything, what if someone came to marry me already" she giggled again.
"Well I want an elaborate wedding, I want people from all walks of life to attend more especially royalty, you know it's a double celebration, our wedding and coronation "she spoke with glee.
My God! I'm in trouble. SHE ACCEPTED!!!
I was taken aback but I answered anyway "Does that mean you consent to the marriage? " I asked cautiously
"Of course I do, who in her right state of mind wouldn't?" and then Maryam whispered something to her and they started giggling again, I faintly heard her saying we look cute together.
Now I understand why Sameer refused to come with me, maybe he knew that his sister will be here too. Though I wish he was here because he would have been able to control this two giggling teenagers sitting before me now, Maryam herself was a handful, they made life miserable for me back then when we were kids, always coming up with one prank or another, the only person that could talk to them and they will listen was Sameer.
They didn't even allow me to talk, they were just blabbing on and on, they are all the same.
I have never seen any friends that are more compatible than hers and Batuul.
I went back to my chamber that night very angry, those girls just made me look stupid. I would have appreciated if the meeting was awkward even, but they had to show me that they are still the Batuul and Maryam I used to know back then. When exactly will they grow up?
Is this how I will marry Batuul, with all this childishness and bossy attitude of hers? And to think that her best friend and confidant is just as worse, who will advise her. What kind of a queen would she be to my subjects. We are just not compatible. On a second thought, I know I'm seeing her flaws because I don't love her, or because I loved another. If I loved her, I would have been willing to marry her regardless of all her flaws because I wasn't without flaws too.
With all this thoughts, I couldn't sleep, sleep was for those without problems, mine was a handful, so I had to pray to Allah especially in this month of Ramadan, so I performed ablution and started praying to Al- Malik, for his guidance.
My meeting with Batuul didn't go well with me.
~~~
Hello readers, sorry for the late update. Thank you for reading Sultan, I love you all
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