Fibs and Fables

Chapter 8

With the most anticipated wedding just two days away, the entirety of Hyderabad was buzzing with a myriad of activities. The villagers, irrespective of gender, age, or social class, all participated in the festivities and chores. As the sun blazed in the east, the chaos on the Malik side came to a momentary halt as a convoy of black SUVs and armed guards cruised through the border, the Khan crest etched on each of their bonnets gleaming proudly.

Mariam Khan sat on the rear seat of the Mercedes as she raced through the village roads, flanked by her brother's guards. With her eyes wide and mouth set in an ever-curious pout, Mariam took in the landscape.

She had lived her whole life, except for a few days spent on routine family vacations, in Hyderabad, but had never set foot in the Malik's territory before. Yes, she had visited the previous day with the rest of her family, but then she had bigger problems to worry about. Mariam laughed at herself when she recalled her nervousness and slight fear of meeting her Bhabi yesterday. Fortunately for her, she was one of the few who were blessed with an angel in the form of a sister-in-law. So here she was, at her Bhabi's request, to help her get ready for the mayun.

Mariam brought her attention back to her surroundings. The landscape was, at the same time, very strange and equally familiar. Well, she was not expecting a drastic change just as she crossed the border. The fields were similar, the crops identical, and the vigor in the people the same. But yet she felt a change in the air—the anticipation one would have on entering a foreign land. She felt a sense of pride as she recognized the respect and warmth in the faces of the onlookers as they slightly bowed to the passing convoy, sending regards to the Khan princess.

But as the cars traveled deeper into Malik territory, she could recognize varying shades of wariness and scorn in the faces of the people. To her surprise, the village folks were still respectful but shuffled away quickly as the cars approached. She spotted an increased number of armed guards in the area, their hostility plain and clear, and she knew that she had entered the lands that were supervised by the Alis. Both the Khan and Malik territories were too large to be managed by a single family, and thus the leader always divided power and authority and assigned lands and duties to allied families. But unlike the Khans, the Maliks had internal conflicts—conflicts that had worsened with this marriage decision.

For a second she felt the car slightly jerk as her driver tensed. Mariam looked in the rear view mirror to spot a second convoy trailing behind their cars. The newcomers positioned themselves evenly so that they were forming a loose circle around the Khan party. With a slight squint, Mariam could spot the Malik crest on their bonnet.

Mariam observed how the stationed guards begrudgingly lowered their heads and abandoned their threatening posture as soon as the second convoy showed up. With a slight smile she reclined back, realizing it was just the Malik's step of precaution to prevent any harm from being caused by the Alis, given that it was where they were the strongest.

Mariam has never been one for attention or the spotlight. She considered herself to be more of a supporting character than a protagonist. She was someone who loved to spend her day in bed with a good book, a steaming cup of tea or coffee, and just good company in general. She would be lying if she said that she did not enjoy the fruits of the Khan's almost infinite wealth. Yes, she did. She was also immensely grateful for all that she was set to inherit and for the pampering her family bestowed upon her. But what she did not understand was the relentless pursuit of power.

She did not mean the Alis alone; her brother was also a prime example, and she had seen what it had done to him. With a glaring seven-year age gap, though they had a loving bond, she could not say that they were exactly close as siblings. Would they go to war for each other? Yes, they would. But would they share their thoughts and worries with each other openly? Now that would take some time and external force—namely, their mother.