Acceptance Is Treachery

Chapter 20

"Hadija, were there any letters from, Father?" Nazia asked as she proceeded to take her sword from the wooden table.

"No, Queen. Why do you ask?" Hadija replied while carrying a sheath with her, running behind her Queen.

"Nothing, much. I just miss him. It has been five months since he last came to Uttarakhand. I hope he still isn't mad about that incident." Nazia sighed whilst proceeding to the courtyard.

There, she saw Ram training with his bow and arrow.

Nazia stopped in her tracks, watching how Ram did not miss even a single target.

He was truly a skilled archer.

"Queen, I'm pretty sure he is not angry, with you. After all, you are his only daughter and he loves you immensely." Hadija raised an eyebrow, noticing that her Queen was immersed in her own daydreams.

"Queen, if you have stopped drooling over your husband. May I ask if you remember what day it is today?" Hadija smirked, while she adjusted her hijab at the same time.

Nazia snapped back into reality almost instantaneously.

"I'm not drooling Hadija!" Nazia flushed while she rubbed her cheeks quickly.

"What day is it?" Nazia questioned, looking puzzled.

"It's Eid-al-Adha!" Hadija screamed.

Hadija's shrill voice captured Ram's attention. Ram looked at the two ladies and smiled-acknowledging their presence.

"Are you crazy, Hadija!? We can't eat meat, remember? It has almost been two years since I last ate meat." Nazia chided Hadija before proceeding to walk over to the courtyard to practice her sword-fighting.

"I miss meat, Queen." Hadija mumbled, as she walked away from the couple.

"What was Hadija screaming about, my Queen?" Ram asked as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Nothing, King. Hadija was talking about how Eid-al-Adha is coming and about how she missed eating meat." Nazia mumbled nonchalantly and proceeded to hone her sword-fighting skills.

"My lady, you do know that you're still Muslim right? You can still eat meat if you want to." Ram smiled looking at his wife, who now cut a mannequin in half , with just a single, clean swipe.

Nazia paused her training and chuckled.

"I may be Muslim, but you are my husband. I respect you and I'm willing to sacrifice even a simple desire for you. That is what a marriage is about." Nazia bit her lip while she proceeded to continue with her training.

Ram beamed before he continued with his own training.

"Why isn't Arnav training with you, King." Nazia asked when she realised only Ram and her were present at the courtyard.

"Arnav, doesn't know how to fight in a war. However, he knows how to run a country. Mother sent him to England for two years to learn from the best empires in the world." Ram grinned.

"You are really proud of your brother aren't you?" Nazia giggled, while she walked closer to Ram.

"Arnav was born when I was five. He is my step-brother but I don't see him that way, Queen. I don't see Empress Sheila that way as well. She is my step-mother, but I don't call her 'step-mom'. I love them immensely." Ram looked at Nazia who was beaming.

Nazia knew from the start that Ram was a gem. She never once questioned his good-heartedness and kindness.

"My lady, if I may. Can I ask you a few questions now?" Ram asked, smiling.

"Sure, King." Nazia laughed, while she placed her sword back in its sheath.

"Why do you hold your sword in your left hand? I thought warriors held their swords in their right hand?" Ram asked while he passed his bow and arrow to a servant who was near him.

Nazia shook her head and controlled her laughter.

She held Ram's hand and intertwined her fingers with his.

"I'm a Sufi-Muslim. I learnt subjects in Arabic." Nazia started while she noticed that Ram had a quizzical expression on his face.

"Arabic words go from right to left. Due to that, I'm left-handed." Nazia laughed while she held on to Ram's forearm.

Tears started emerging from Nazia's eyes while she continued laughing uncontrollably.

"I can't believe that you didn't know that!" Nazia laughed in between chuckles causing Ram to blush.

Once Nazia, had composed herself, Ram turned Nazia to look at him.

"I want to tell you something, really important." Ram smiled, causing Nazia to return a grin to him as well.

"Nazia." Ram began.

Nazia looked at him expectantly, what was going on?

"I'm going to go to Faizabad with father, tomorrow. Sultan Azman has asked for me to sign a treaty!" Ram exclaimed.

"A TREATY?!" Nazia yelled back, in utter glee while Ram nodded profusely.

"You mean, father agreed to make an alliance with Uttarakhand?" Nazia asked once more, her dream was coming true.

"Yes, Nazia. Your father sent a letter to me, after a few weeks since he strangled me. He told me about how delighted he was, knowing that you were well taken care of and how he wanted to strengthen the ties between Uttarakhand and Faizabad." Ram explained.

Nazia had tears forming at the rim of her khol-lined eyes. Her dream of uniting Uttarakhand and Faizabad was coming true, she was beyond happy.

Nazia threw her arms around Ram's torso and hugged him.

Ram hugged Nazia back, for the first time.

"Thank you, my King."

"You're welcome, My Queen."