Shatranj | D. Al Ghul

[01]

The soft sound of windchimes drifted through the long corridors as she walked to the Darbaar, the royal court where her father and his courtiers were seated, her entourage of ladies following behind her. Delicate curtains of silk woven with gold thread hung on both sides of the corridor, preserving the privacy of the Zanaan Khana.

The Zanaan Khana was part of the palace for the use of the women of the royal family and as such it was covered and hidden from external eyes. Only the female servants were allowed into the Zanaan Khana and whenever the women of the royal family had to visit other parts of the palace such as the Darbaar or the gardens, extra caution was taken to preserve their grace.

She stopped at the gates of the Darbaar where the guards bowed respectfully and parted the gates for her. She entered the Darbaar, a veil covering her features as she proceeded straight to the throne where her father, Shah Nourez, was seated.

Shah Nourez was the current ruler of the Persian Empire and had been bestowed with the throne by his elder brother Shah Nasir. The Shah had a son who was the heir to the throne but he had not returned from the war waged against the League of Assassins years ago. As a result, Shah Nourez had first been the caretaker ruler as his brother was ill himself but then received the throne after his brother's death as the oldest living member of the royal family.

He did not have a son to be the heir to the Persian throne after him, instead, he had a daughter, Mayrah Shah.

And right then that daughter, the princess of the Persian Empire, had been called into the Darbaar for a very significant meeting.

Her cousin and the previous Shah's son, Saahir, had returned.

She had heard from her father a few days earlier that the lost Prince had been living in Tabriz and was called to Isfahan upon the Shah's orders. Nourez did not harbor any ill will toward his kin, instead, he just wanted him to come back to the seat of the Persian Empire and claim his birthright.

The Shah was fully aware that after him, the people would object to Mayrah being his heir and inheriting the throne. So it was convenient that Saahir hadn't died and could take over in her stead.

He planned to make sure that his family, wife, and daughter specifically, would be taken care of even after his death. And for that, he needed to return the throne to its rightful owner and prove that even after so many years, his loyalty lay with his brother and their family's traditions.

The power of the throne had not corrupted him and he had no intentions of murdering Saahir or treating him as a rival for the throne.

Therefore, he had invited him to Isfahan himself in order to introduce him to his court and declare him the rightful heir who would inherit his throne. For that, he needed to take one very important decision regarding his daughter's future as well.

But that was something he decided to deal with in a few days. He did not want to pressurize his nephew immediately.

Mayrah had reached the throne and she stepped up to the golden chairs set for the Shah and his family to be seated on. But before taking her seat, she bowed her head to her father who acknowledged her with a gentle smile.

Taking his hand, she kissed it reverently and then took the seat to her father's right.

Through her veil, she could see the splendor of the court and the people flocking to catch a glimpse of the princess whom they had only heard of. To the nobles present there, she must seem like the perfect child; someone to be envious of as she probably had everything her heart desired.

And seated on that throne, there was such a huge difference in their positions that the other people could almost forget that she and her father were humans too, just like the rest of them.

Perhaps that was the price that came with bearing the weight of the crown jewels. No one expected the royals could have any issues and thought of them as gods walking upon the Earth.

No one expected them to have feelings or hearts and that had been the way of the world for years.

Deep down, she too was curious to see the long-lost Prince of Persia who was returning to the palace at last. Shortly after the gates parted and the Darbaan, the man in charge of announcing the people coming into the court, stood up to announce the arrival of their prince.

"Long live Shah Saahir, son of Shah Nasir and commander of Battalion Zulfiqar. We welcome him to the royal court of Persia. Long live, the Shah and his family."

Mayrah's eyes were fixated on the path in front of them, watching in curiosity as her cousin entered. He was not accompanied by any guards but he seemed to have a commanding presence of his own such that the people seated in the Darbaar began to rise in his respect.

He also didn't seem to care about the honor and respect that the rank of being a prince demanded from the people. He came to the throne and Nourez had risen as well to embrace his nephew.

"Saahir, my dear son," he stepped forward and Saahir bowed his head respectfully, resting his hand on his chest as a sign of respect to his elder. And then he let the Shah embrace him heartily, returning the gesture as well.

Mayrah was seated gracefully and knew she shouldn't make any sudden movements. But she wanted to see the man she had heard so much about. Through her veil, as she stole a few glances his way, she saw that he was much older than she had thought.

Of course, the people and his family had seen him years ago before he had left for the battle at Nanda Parbat. Back then he must have been the strikingly handsome and chivalrous youth they described.

But youth falls prey to time and it seemed as if the prince had suffered much in all those years of being away from his homeland.

However, now he had returned and her father had accepted him with open arms. He would have his place in the court and his right on the throne as the Prince.

He would be the next heir to the Persian Empire. And she would just be another princess forgotten among the silks and brocades draping over the Zanaan Khana, hidden from the rest of the world.

"Seeing you is like seeing my brother before me," Nourez exclaimed, looking at his nephew closely, "how much you have changed in all these years. From the boy I remembered to my brother's reflection... It is almost as if I see him before me."

Saahir nodded, accepting the warm praise and affection from his uncle. And then Nourez introduced him to his daughter and vice versa.

However, Saahir's next action made the Shah's happiness falter a little as he reached out and placed his hand on Mayrah's head, in a gesture that elder brothers used with their sisters.

"A pleasure to meet you, my dear sister," Saahir's voice was deep but gentle and Mayrah smiled, nodding her head in acknowledgment.

Shah Nourez paused, knowing that brotherly gesture in front of the entire court had made his next decision almost impossible to be carried out. And he was proved right when Saahir turned to face him, bowing his head again as he spoke, "my Uncle, allow me to introduce to you my family as well. My wife and my siblings have come with me to pay their respects to you as well."

"Your wife?"

"Yes and the children of the family who accepted me at my worst. I hope you will receive them with as much kindness as you have shown me."

The Shah could not object in front of the court and he gave his permission for the family waiting outside to be ushered in. He accepted their greetings but seeing that the prince had gotten married already and brought his family with him made it difficult for him to proceed with the decision he had in mind.

Surely, he could no longer ask Saahir to marry his daughter after he had publicly addressed her as his sister and brought his wife with him too. There must be another way for him to ensure that even after Saahir ascended the throne, his daughter would have just as much of a claim on the throne as he did.

***