As I expected, my response earned me his attention. His eyes were angry, but he knew I was right. For a few seconds, there was complete silence around us. With a careful smile, I spoke again.
“You may speak with me. I hear you have a message for us.”
“To a woman?” He spat the words in a way that made it worse than a curse.
“Queen Marie Archer is the second in charge of anything related to the Kingdom of Alfaidya after King Mazen Alfaidy. The first in charge when His Majesty is absent,” Prince Fahd said in a strong tone. “You will show respect to your Queen, or you can keep the message to yourself and deliver our greetings to Sheikh Omran.”
The man looked stunned. “You’re kicking me out of your palace?” he asked in disbelief. It was the ultimate offense for Arabs to kick a guest out or even treat them with disrespect. I was somewhat taken aback with Prince Fahd for making that threat myself.
“I never said that, Sheikh Qapeel. Only reminding you of the manner with which you need to speak to your Queen,” Prince Fahd said calmly.
There was another pause, then the young man spoke again. “Fine. My father – Sheikh Omran, son of Shackir Elbadawy – would like to inform His Majesty King Mazen Alfaidy and yo– Your Majesty Queen Marie Archer that he is pleased neither with the new law numbered 876, nor with the change of law with the number 304. He strongly believes that everything needs to stay the same before the two laws cause damage to our community, and therefore – the whole kingdom. If not, the Bedouins will not be responsible for any consequences that may happen.”
My heart was beating crazily fast as I listened to his message, but I kept a blank expression.
It was a threat. Plain and simple.
“Thank you for delivering the message, Sheikh Qapeel.” I maintained my smile as I spoke. “Inform Sheikh Omran that his concern is greatly appreciated, and we only do what we see as best for our country.”
The young man locked eyes with me for a second. He was searching for any kind of reaction to knowing how I honestly felt, but I kept my expression courteous.
“Of course,” he said.
“Anything else, Sheikh Qapeel?”
“No.” He offered me the paper, and one of the royal guards took it from him. He then turned his back to us, got in his jeep and left without another word. Another disrespectful act. But I had more important things to consider after hearing the message than worrying about that little whiner turning his back to me.
Things could get really ugly in the Kingdom.
It was the fourth day of Mazen’s absence, and my concerns about Sheikh Omran’s message kept me busy, and away from dwelling over how much I longed for my husband.
I had yet to tell him anything about that visit. I wanted to discuss it with him personally, and I had to wait for his arrival tomorrow to do that.
Taking advantage of his absence, I stayed in my main office until late at night, searching for anything that could help me if things got ugly with the Bedouins. I knew exactly what I was going to do. But I wasn’t going to let on until it was time, just for Mazen’s sanity.
After I dismissed everyone from the office, I got up and opened the secret door behind the big painting hanging on one of the walls. I went through a few passages and more secret doors and headed to the small library where an old contract I needed for my research was located.
It was called a library because of how it looked superficially, but the truth was – it held many vital contracts and letters inside its walls. For security, only a handful of people knew that.
Said library was inside the Mother Queen’s quarters, and I thought it would be best to enter through the secret doors. Nobody would even know I was there.
I wasn’t trying to avoid meeting my mother-in-law, I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of an official meeting just to get a piece of paper.
I turned the knob and pushed the shelf that hid the entry from people’s eyes.
I gasped, and my hand flew to my cross when I saw someone going through books which were only there for distraction.
“Jeez!” I calmed down a bit as I saw it was my mother-in-law. “Sorry, I didn’t expect anyone to be here,” Surely, she was as scared as I was, after all – I’d come out of nowhere.
A feeling flooded my chest. It wasn’t just the shock of being startled, but everything about the woman standing in front of me made me feel uneasy. My memory took me back to a couple of months ago when I had this very same feeling as I was going to visit my niece; the sense of someone watching me from behind the doors.
Negative energy. Bad vibes.
Not only that, something was different about her. Something changed, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Her eyes were wide as she looked at the secret entrance from which I came. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was the first time she’d seen it. But, of course, that couldn’t be the case. She knew this place and all its secrets by heart.
“Are you okay?” I had to ask, because she hadn’t uttered a word, smiled or done anything since I entered the library. I was a drama queen and had already snapped out of my shock. Why hadn’t she?
Her expression changed at my words – she looked confused? Maybe. But in the same instant, her gaze went down to my small baby bump, and I could swear I saw her sneer.
Unconsciously, my hand flew to my stomach; the threatening look she gave made me feel like I should run for our lives.
“Your Royal Highness?” I tried one more time, my voice was a bit shaky.
Her eyes snapped back to mine, and a small smile that was what I could only describe as evil drew on her lips. It reminded me straight away of a dark memory that I kept buried. I shrugged it immediately away before it could break my heart all over again.
The Queen Mother only nodded, then left through the main door, closing it behind her with a definitive click.
I stood in place for a few minutes trying to collect my thoughts. What the heck was that? Taking a few deep breaths, I decided to forget about it. I already knew that I couldn’t trust that crazy woman. My guard would stay up around her, no matter what.
It was a challenge to find the exact papers I needed. After all, they were a few centuries old, but I finally found them.
By the time Mazen returned home, I had everything prepared. We sat down and discussed the situation, and decided not to do anything in response to the message we received from the Bedouin leader.
I convinced Mazen that I had a plan, but I didn’t tell him what it was. He trusted me and trusted my judgment, so he didn’t push.
To be honest, I didn’t tell him because I knew he would go absolutely insane if he knew. I was going to meet up with Sheikh Omran himself – in his house.
The decision not to respond to Sheikh Omran’s message wasn’t my idea alone. Mazen thought it would be best as well. I treated the Sheikh’s messenger with kindness and told him that we only do what we believe is best for our country, which was the case now.
A message from the leader of the largest tribe in the Kingdom should not force us to act otherwise or withdraw our decision. It wasn’t respectful for them to assume that.
Mazen and I did what we knew was right. Their objection was expected, but they weren’t the rulers of this country, my husband and I were, and only we got to create laws or stop them.
The day the month-long waiting period ended passed like any typical day, but one thing was new – I felt relieved. I finally managed to get the law in place – no one could force any girl to prove her virginity in such a cruel way without any repercussion.
I felt relieved, but something was holding me back from enjoying the ultimate joy in my accomplishment. I tried my best to ignore those feelings because it was completely normal for some people not to follow laws. At least, now there was a punishment for that.
By the time I returned home, I was too exhausted to even consider doing anything other than throwing myself on the bed and fall asleep. But given that my baby wouldn’t
like the ‘throwing’ part, I settled on the idea of resting on the first available surface, even if someone had to carry me to bed later.
I was surprised when I didn’t find Donia waiting for me by the foyer, but I didn’t think much of it. Since the day we had lunch together, she’d been acting like a total stranger. Donia was always respectful and did her job perfectly, but the small talk and ease between us were gone. We were boss and employee –not friends anymore.
I wondered if she was afraid I’d ask more questions about the subject she’d referred to as ‘indecent’ or if she was upset with the new law like the rest of her tribe. It would be such a shame if the latter were the motive for her change in behavior. After all, she was a big reason behind why the law had been created at all. She was the inspiration.
I didn’t call her, I was too tired to even do that. I felt as though I would throw up if I just opened my mouth. I stripped down to my undies and got under the covers, hoping that this day would end peacefully. I was sick of vomiting, sick of being sick.
My doctor had said that nausea would disappear in my second trimester, but nothing had changed. I had an appointment with her in two days, and I hoped she knew of ways to stop the nausea or at least ease it.
I fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow. Later on, I felt Mazen lightly rub my stomach, and then his arm surrounded my body. I felt his soft kiss on my shoulder before he settled for the night. It was then that I got really comfortable and slept like a baby.
Mazen was very understanding, he never complained, or bugged me about yawning or whining about my aching bones and sensitive stomach, and not once did he try to disturb my sleep.
A few hours later, I woke up when I felt the need to use the bathroom, surprised to find that Mazen wasn’t in bed with me. Glancing at the clock, it read 4:13 AM. With a frown, I got up to take care of business, but before I reached the bathroom, I heard noises coming from behind my bedroom’s main door.
There was no way I wasn’t going to investigate, especially since I was able to hear Mazen’s voice and at least two other female voices. Although I wasn’t able to understand exactly what they were saying, I could hear the stress in all of their tones.
Something was wrong, and worry started to worm its way in my chest.
I donned my robe and went straight to the bedroom door, where I knew Mazen was standing.
Opening the door slowly, I could see Mazen in only sweatpants and a T-shirt with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was hard, and he gazed away while three of the palace managers stood silently in front of him, waiting for his reply to something they’d asked.
Mazen’s frown vanished the second he saw me. I could tell that he was concerned about something even after he offered me a small smile.
“Hey!” I said to Mazen, then turned to the palace managers, “Ladies!”
“Good morning, Your Majesty,” one of them greeted me. “We apologize for disturbing you.”
“It’s okay, Britney. What’s going on here?”
“We’re facing quite a situation, Your Majesty,” Britney said, and my frown deepened. “Most of the servants on the night shift are absent, and many of the servants on the day shift left an hour early yesterday, without telling anyone. Now that the new day has started, the day shift workers haven’t appeared.”
I thought about it for a second, confused as to what could’ve possibly caused that. Looking at Mazen, it seemed like he already knew the answer, but he didn’t say anything. He looked deep in thought.
“How many of them?”
“About seventy percent of them, Your Majesty,” she said, and then it clicked.
“The Bedouins,” I said, realization hitting me, the whole situation clearing up for me.
“That’s true, Your Majesty, all of them are Bedouins.”
I nodded, then glanced at Mazen, and he replied to my silent question, “Sheikh Omran’s response.”
“Figures,” I said.
“How many of the servants, who are here, can we trust in our wing and the main kitchen?” Mazen asked the palace managers.
“I’m afraid we do not have as many as we need, Your Majesty,” Allia replied.
There was a long moment of silence as I tried to arrange my thoughts; I believed Mazen was doing the same.
“I’m sure we can manage the palace with the servants we have, until we can cover this situation and fix it,” I said. “Let yourself in at your regular time of 8:30 and we’ll take it from there. Understood?”
“You won’t need one servant, at least, inside the wing this morning, Your Majesty?” Allia asked.
“No, I’ll be fine,” I replied. “Surely, I can take a shower on my own. I do know how to turn the hot water on.” I offered her a small smile, not wanting to sound rude.
“Of course, Your Majesty,” she smiled nervously. “If you’ll excuse us, Your Majesties.”
Mazen and I nodded and went back to our bedroom.
“What are we going to do now?” Mazen asked, looking desperate.
“Mazen, all of the servants inside the palace are reliable and trustworthy. They’d gone through many tests and deep, multiple background checks were done on each of them. It’s going to be okay for a few days.”
“You have to be very careful about who you allow into our wing.”
“I will. Don’t worry, okay? It’s only for a few days. Everything will be back to normal before you know it – I have a plan.”
Mazen frowned. “What kind of a plan?”
“Well. Right now, your baby is sitting on my bladder, and I really need to pee. We will discuss it later today, okay?”
Mazen smiled, moving closer and placing a soft kiss over my hair. “Sure,” he said, and I was relieved. I’d bought myself a few hours to arrange my thoughts and think of how I would break the news to Mazen about my original plan to meet with the leader of the Bedouins.
“Absolutely not!” Mazen declared. He wasn’t going to back down. However, I wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer.
“Mazen, please, hear me out,”
“You can say what you like, but there’s no way I’m going to agree that you go there. And all by yourself? Are you even serious?” He was looking at me as if I’d just grown a second head.
“As a heart attack. And I won’t be alone. Brad and Mo’taz will be right next to me.”
“Not good enough. If you go there – which will likely never happen – you’ll take one hundred royal guards, at the very least,”
“When I go there, which will likely happen today – I’ll only take my two guards and that will be it. I don’t want to look the least bit threatening. Please, try to understand my point.”
“I can’t try to understand your point when it shouldn’t even be an option, Marie! Do you know how dangerous this is?”
“None of the Bedouins would hurt me; they are too honorable. Even if I weren’t the Queen, then I’m their guest, and they’ll respect that,” I said.
If I was sure of anything, it was that the Bedouins would protect me with their lives if needed – not for who I am or what I represented, but because I would be going there willingly and on their grounds. That was something they highly respected and honored; they’d never hurt a guest.
“Not physically,” Mazen said. “But one of them might offend you somehow.”
“Words can’t break bones, Mazen.”
“But they break souls,” he argued.
I sighed. “I’m a big girl, I can take it.”
“Marie, please, you need to drop it. It’s not going to happen.”
I pressed my lips tightly, already getting frustrated. “I need to do what I see is best for our country, and I believe that my visit to Sheikh Omran won’t be fruitless. You can’t prevent me from doing my duty as a Queen just because you’re worried about my feelings.”
Mazen paused for a moment, and I knew I was close to getting what I wanted, so I decided to press a little bit more.
“I co
uld’ve gone without telling you, Mazen. I have every right to do so. But I wanted your blessing and support. Please don’t make me regret telling you. You know very well that I won’t back down.”
“At least, let me go with you,” Mazen said after releasing a frustrated noise.
“No. This whole thing is my responsibility. I need to do it alone.”
Mazen shook his head, then he sighed. “Are you sure about this?”
“Positive.”
“What am I going to do with you?”
“You can wish me luck.” I smiled.
I suppose I’d focused on getting Mazen’s blessing more than I’d thought through the visit itself. The second Mazen left, all of my anxiety returned. Suddenly, I had the urge to ask Mazen to go with me.
No. This was my battle. I needed to be strong to stand fearlessly for these women. Only my passion for the cause would lead me, and that never wavered.
For some reason that I couldn’t explain, I asked Rosanna to accompany me. She understood me well and didn’t ask many questions, just the necessary things to determine what I needed from her.
Our visit was a surprise, but I believed the Bedouins knew the second our cars made it to their borders in the desert.
I had to stay in the car with Rosanna for a few minutes while our guards secured our way. I took the chance to whisper a small prayer to God for His guidance to do the right thing and say the right words.
When the car door opened, I looked at Rosanna, and her smiling eyes were encouraging. She seemed to be very collected and confident. I might’ve appeared as confident as she was, but on the inside, my worry was a bit too much.
Once we left the car, we were surrounded by my guards and hers. Standing in front of us, in the middle of a line of Bedouins, was Sheikh Omran. Their expressions were hard, but there were no rude looks to make me feel unwelcomed.
With a smile, I called, “Peace be upon you, Sheikh Omran.”
“Peace be upon you, Queen Marie,” he answered.
“I come to you as a guest with Princess Rosanna, daughter of Prince Hamed Alfaidy. Will we be welcomed and safe?”
Golden Chains (The Colorblind Trilogy Book 3) Page 13