warrior's heart

chapter 25

#Dedicated to my MJ reloaded sisters,for the special bond we share !#
Pardon mistakes please!

Marliyyah woke up for Fajr feeling overwhelmed and anxious at the same time. It was a Fajr like no other,the last Fajr she would pray in her room. Today was the day she would belong to Nawfal Al-fateh, to become his wife and companion. She stood up and went to her hamam to make wudhu and then prayed two raka'ah Nafilah before praying her Fajr salah. After her taslim, she rose her hand to pray.

"Oh Allah, owner of this perfect world and the Creator of this universe, today by Your special Grace,I shall get married to the one You have chosen for me. Ya Allah, I ask You to bless this union for us and guide us to help each other work hand in hand for Jannah. Ya Allah,I ask You to make us the coolness of each other's eyes and if it Your wish for us to have children, I ask You to bless us with righteous children who would be sources of happiness and joy to us, Oh Allah, I humble myself before You,please accept my dua."

She concluded her dua and got up to fold her mat and hijab. She went back and lay on her bed unable to sleep. She was going to become his wife and had promised to give him all his rights and by all she meant all, including.... She used her pillow to cover her face as she was feeling mortified after having a very embarrassing discussion with umm Jaafar about what was to happen when she was alone with Nawfal. To say she was embarrassed and uncomfortable was an understatement. She was all but looking for a way of escaping from umm Jaafar last night. She knew it was important for her to know about those things and to prepare herself for what was to come but she was just not ready.

She had told him she would give him all of his rights but was she really willing to do so? Could she bring herself to let him touch her? No. The mere thought of him being so close to her made her shiver in fear. She would just have to speak to him about it. She needed time to emotionally and physical prepare herself for such a step and she hoped against hope that he would understand.

A knock on her door jolted her from her thoughts and she sat up before getting up to open the door. Umm Jaafar and safiyyah entered along with three other maids who were to get Marliyyah ready. The palace had been abuzz with activities as people went here and there to make preparations for the guests arrival,the Nikkah and walima. The traders of Misrah declared buying free for the whole week to show their happiness that the Princess was getting married for it was the least they could do for a precious person like her. Rooms had been cleaned and the palace re painted and decorated for the guests. General Farouq had soon to it that the guards had been strictly and diligently trained to be on alert and to ensure nothing went wrong on that day.

Sheikh khalid had returned and as he expected,his absence was questioned and he had told them he went to visit a distant relative. No one questioned him or showed any sign of suspicion, much to his delight, or so he thought. Apparently,the sultan had a nagging feeling about his sudden return after his disappearance and had asked General Farouq to keep an eye on him.

Umm Jaafar on the other hand,had seen to the decorations,cleaning and food and had ensured everything was as perfect as it should be before the guests arrived.

As umm Jaafar,safiyyah and the maids got in,she closed the door and instructed them to get the bath tub to the middle of the room. They brought the tub as instructed, filled it with hot water before adding rose incense as well as rose petals in it. She then gave Marliyyah a tunic to wear and after changing into the tunic behind her dressing screen, came out and sat in the tub just as umm Jaafar had instructed her to.

The maids bathed her with a lavender,milk and vanilla sticks made soap that Umm Jaafar had made herself, by pounding the ingredients together and moulding it into a bar. After the bath,they then massaged her body with liquid humrah, a perfume her father had gifted her. Umm Jaafar then lightly sprinkled a liquid like substance on her raven black hair which Marliyyah thought smelled of different fruits extract.