INSEPARABLE I

XVII

The grand hall serving as Prince Udam's court for the day was packed with the most important families of Doab. The guests chatted excitedly waiting for the special assembly to begin. It was when Noor entered the hall surrounded by Kurrali guards that the room fell dead silent with the guests utterly stunned. Noor's cabinet, her parents, as well as Prem all rose to their feet at once. Hakam fumed from behind Prem at the sight of the man leading Noor in. Noor gestured at her cabinet members to be seated as she passed them.

"May I ask why my daughter is being brought to court by Kurrali guards?" Noor's father questioned Prem from across the room with his hand clenching the handle of his sword. Noor took a step in her father's direction to go speak with him but a guard stopped her by placing a spear in front of her. Noor shot him a deadly warning look in response. Swallowing, he immediately withdrew and she walked over to her father.

Placing her hand above his on the sword. "Relax." She said gently. "I'll take care of it." She motioned at both of her parents to take a seat before retaking her position between the guards. They carried on to the front of the room towards the raised platform upon which sat the Prince with his bride, the King and the Queen, as well as Prem and the six other chiefs. Noor recognized the empty throne across Prem's to be her own.

Unable to hold himself back any longer. Prem stepped down the few stairs and faced the man at the front. "What...is going on?" He asked in a lowered tone and a clenched jaw before waving at the guards to disperse. Noor too gestured at her bodyguards to leave.

"She...she attacked our men, Ch...Chief," stammered the visibly frightened man.

"You didn't think of discussing it with me before bringing the matter to court?" Prem took a wrathful step forward sending the man nearly shaking in fear.

"She b...broke the treaty...between Kurral and...and...Basher." He barely managed looking helplessly to his side. Prem traced his eyes to his cousin, Veer Dhaliwal.

"Chief, at least hear him out." Veer stated getting up and walking over to them. "He must have his reason."

"I don't care what the reason is. Now is not the time!" Prem exclaimed. "I want this drama ended right this second. All of you...disperse!" He ordered pushing the man to the side. Taking a step towards Noor, he bowed his head a little before apologizing. "I apologize on their behalf, Chief." He said looking down.

Noor gave a disapproving look to the man at her side for forcing her into the court in that manner before nodding at Prem and beginning to follow him up the steps to her throne. They had just made it up the stairs when Prem's cousin spoke, "that's not fair, Chief. You didn't even let my man speak. He clearly said she broke the peace treaty between Kurral and Basher by attacking our men and if that's the case, this deserves an immediate hearing in the court of the Prince." Veer climbed up the stairs as well to speak directly to the Prince. "Isn't that the law, Your Grace?"

Prince Udam exchanged a look with Prem before slowly nodding yes. "Please." He began looking at the men below. "Tell us what happened."

"She attacked our men, Your Grace." The handless man repeated his earlier statement pointing to the bloody arm of his associate. "She interfered in the internal matter of Kurral and made an attempt to deliver justice on the spot."

Prince Udam shifted his attention to Noor. "Is that true, Chief?"

Noor nodded at Sevak and he motioned at her Basheri guards at the door to come in. They were followed by the group of distraught dancers. "Your Grace." Noor bowed before the Prince. "These two men were forcefully taking two of the dancers along with them. Though it involves Kurrali civilians, it's not an internal matter of Kurral as it took place in Sauli and I had to attack them on the spot because I could not wait until after they had violated the women."

"They are courtesans!" Veer scoffed. "You attacked our men for them? A rather weak excuse."

"They are women!" Noor rumbled. "And these women are not courtesans, they are dancers but I wouldn't expect you to know the difference." Noor took a step forward looking at him in the eyes. "When a woman says no, it means no. Then it doesn't matter if she's a lady of royalty, a dancer, or a courtesan."

"Anything done to a person against their will is punishable by law." Prince Udam confirmed.

"Your Grace..." Veer spoke again. "They're just petty dancers. But these are my loyal men. And men get hungry!" He made a sad attempt at a joke. "So, they found themselves a feast. Let them be."

"No." Noor smiled. "That's the thing about the Prince's court...everyone's equal here. They committed a crime and will be punished for it."

"C'mon, Chief." Veer eyed her in a lowered tone. "Not everyone can have you now...so they went out to find alternatives."

Noor noticed Prem's hand clench into a fist while her father and Prince Udam immediately rose to their feet. The air of the courtroom suddenly tensed up as every pair of eyes widened in shock at the audacity.

"Apologize." Prem furiously stepped in front of his cousin. "Now." He said impatiently.

"Why, Chief?" Veer asked in a malevolent smile. "What did I say wrong? Wasn't she in your bed just last night? We all have needs..."

As the hall seemed to have frozen in shock by his revelation, "that's enough!" Prem shouted grabbing him by the collar before he could finish his sentence.

"Prem! He's you cousin." Prem's father requested rising to his feet in shock.

"And she's my..." Prem yelled in the moment only to catch himself midway. Noor stared at the ground speechless and frozen.

"She's your what, Chief..." Veer continued in the spiteful smile. "Friend? Lover?" Veer annunciated each word. "Wh.."

"WIFE! She's my wife!" Prem thundered knocking the man to the floor with a punch. His voice echoed through the pin drop silence in the room.

The fathers of both Prem and Noor fell back into their thrones at his announcement as the worst of their fears played out before their eyes. Veer's men rushed to help him back up. The guests sat frozen until a glass shattered somewhere towards the back of the courtroom. It had escaped Chand's grip in reaction to Prem's words.

Still faced down, Noor rubbed her forehead unable to believe her ears when Prem placed his hand in hers and guided her in the center looking towards the rest of the court. "Noor Sandhu is my lawfully wedded wife. She and I married two years ago in the presence of the Prince himself."

Prince Udam made his way next to them. "It's true. I was the sole witness of their marriage." Noor looked up at him in eyes filled with tears. He placed his hand on her head as if both blessing her and comforting her.

Noticing her watery eyes, Prem slowly turned Noor towards himself. Cupping her face, he wiped away the first tear that escaped her eye in a gentle smile, "Congratulations, Mrs. Dhaliwal. I solved all of our problems. I told the world I'm yours."

"Yes." Noor laughed between her tears. "You solved all of our problems by adding countless more."

"Hey, at least they'll stop asking me to get married." He joked with a small shrug wiping her other cheek and withdrawing his hands to look forward again.

Noor laughed between her sniffles shaking her head at his inconvenient timing. There remained a deafening silence in the court as the guests simply watched them interact while making attempts to fully digest the news. 

****
PRECAP - "Let there be war!" Prem roared lifting his sword and pointing it at the Minister sending chills down the spines of every man that stood before him. "Hakam!" He announced eyeing the bodyguard to his side. "Send the news of my marriage to Chief Sandhu to every corner of Doab. And tell them..." He thundered looking around the entire courtroom in a voice powerful enough to visibly frighten the onlookers. "That Prem Dhaliwal stands in the court of Prince Udam Brar ready to fight every last man in Doab but he will NOT..." He shook with rage, "...let go of Noor Sandhu."

****