Acceptance Is Treachery

Chapter 22

Once the two ladies had reached the end of the spiral staircase, Hadija noticed Faizabad soldiers at the entrance.

"Queen, look! Sultan Azman has sent soldiers to escort you to Faizabad! I think the treaty is going to bring peace and stability to the Pawar and FaizalKingdoms!" Hadija yelled in joy while she tugged on Nazia's decorated forearm.

Nazia smiled back in response and proceeded to walk at a slightly faster pace to the entrance of the Palace.

Once, the soldiers saw Nazia approaching, they immediately dismounted themselves from their horses.

"As-Salaam-Alaikum, Shahbanu Nazia." The soldiers greeted Nazia with their heads bowed, they brought their palms to their eyebrows thrice.

"Wa-Alaikum-Salaam" Nazia replied back to the five soldiers, laughing slightly.

"Why did father send so many of you to bring me to Faizabad? Is he afraid something is going to happen to me, again?" Nazia laughed.

The five Faizal soldiers remained silent.

"Queen, if I may." A soldier asked Nazia for the permission to speak.

"Proceed." Nazia replied, smiling slightly.

"Sultan Azman has been murdered." He informed with his head still bowed.

"WHAT!? BY WHO?!" Nazia yelled, shocked and upset at the same time.

"Him." The soldier replied, signalling two guards to push the culprit. Making him fall near the feet of the Queen.

When Nazia, saw the culprit, she was in shock. Her mind could not process what she saw in front of her.

The man had rusty metal handcuffs on him. His hair was unruly and covered in sand and mud. The man's body had whip marks, gashes of blood marked his skin with fragments of sand present in each cut.

Though the man was a man she was supposed to hate, it was the man that she loved.

It was the King of Uttarakhand who was now the murderer of the Sultan of Faizabad.

Ram struggled to get up from the floor, the shackles prevented him from getting up.

Nazia's face was plastered with disbelief and shock.

How could the epitome of righteousness and ultimate goodness, commit such a low and filthy act?

Nazia just continued staring straight ahead at the horse carriage that stood in front of her.

The green flag of the Faizal flag, was at half-mast. However, the flag still swayed from side to side with pride.

It seemed to call her repeatedly.

A tear slipped from Nazia's eye down her sculpted cheekbones and it fell.

It fell pathetically onto the palms of her beloved.

Nazia walked towards the horse carriage with Hadija by her side, sobbing. To Nazia, where she was seemed like a blurry image, even the repeated cries of King Ram denying the act was muffled.

She could only think of one think now

That was Faizabad.