by Tee, Marian
From the other end of the room, Ella heard the king bellow, “Who dares interrupt my son as he makes his choice of bride?”
The words had Ella crying out. "Wait!"
The crowd parted in an instance, and soon after Ella saw Ruth running towards her.
"Oh my God, Ella!" Ruth looked close to fainting. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
Ella squeezed her mother's hand. "I'm alright," she said shakily.
"But—-"
Ella shook her head. "I'll explain everything later," she whispered, "but right now I have something to do." She turned towards the king, and even with the whole length of the ballroom separating them, the look on his face had her swallowing. She knew then Henri had more than an inkling of what she was about to say – and he was giving her the chance to say it.
“Your Majesty.” Ella's voice shook. “Before Sheikh Khal makes his choice, I’d like the chance to present myself as well.” Amidst the cries of consternation and protest erupting from the crowd, she lifted her chin and said fiercely, “I would like to be considered as a possible bride for His Highness."
The Truth
“Arrest that woman!” Panic had Dezza shouting the words as she rushed down from the dais. "Arrest her," she screamed again, but the dozens of guards stationed around her didn't move a muscle. "Have you not heard me? I said—-"
The sound of the ballroom doors being kicked open cut her off, and the crowd erupted in gasps when they saw Sheikh Mik'hail by the doorway, a bloody heap of unconscious soldiers under his feet.
Dezza's panic turned into full-fledged terror. "You are Ella's accomplice, aren't you?" The words were meant to incite the crowd, and it worked splendidly as she saw many of the women hoping to become the sheikh's bride throw hostile looks at Ella's way. "Whatever's going on," she babbled wildly, "Sheikh Mik'hail and Ella must have—-"
“SILENCE.”
Despite the softness of Khal's tone, the power and authority in the single word he uttered was such that Dezza and the entire crowd was cowed by it, no one even thinking to defy his order.
Ella watched with dazed eyes as the sheikh came to stand right in front of her. Again, every inch of him was perfection, which made her all the more acutely conscious of how much the opposite she looked next to him.
Her gown probably had more tears and holes than someone who had gone to war, and she probably had more dirt on her face than she was like a walking mud woman. And to cap things off, she was also barefoot, and with her bloody and bruised feet staining the carpet with red footprints.
The sheikh motioned for a soldier to come forward, murmured something under his breath, and when the soldier returned, it was to hand over a First Aid kit to the sheikh.
Khal walked to where Ella was. “Sit down, milady.” Albeit gentle, the sheikh's voice was not at all intimate, making her nervous and wondering if the sheikh had once again changed his mind and she had read everything wrong.
When she was seated, the sheikh knelt down and placed the First Aid kit on the floor.
"Your Highness—-"
The sheikh silenced her with a look, and Ella could only bite her lip as he started cleaning the wounds to her feet. The crowd around them was just as stunned, but they, too, fell silent when given the same hard look by the sheikh. Only after cleansing her wounds and bandaging her feet did he finally look up, and it was then she saw the look in his eyes.
Ella's lip started to tremble.
Love.
That was love blazing in his blue eyes, was it not?
The sheikh said quietly, “State what you have come here for, Lady Ella.”
She didn’t even think of refusing. How could she when he was looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world for him?
Her voice ringing with sincerity, she said, “I came here to ask if you would take me as your bride, Your Highness. I know it may not seem proper for so many reasons, but I swear with all my heart, if you choose me, I shall work hard to become a most suitable bride...” A smile wobbled on her lips. “I have nothing to offer, Your Highness. Just myself and my love.”
Before the sheikh could answer, someone from the crowd of guests shouted, “Immoral slut!” It was a nobleman from another kingdom, and he had his sister with him. Like all men in the ball, he had hoped that his kin would be the sheikh's bride. He started to say something else, but the words died in his throat when Khal's gaze snapped towards him.
“Lady Ella and I are not related by blood, milord," Khal said in a terrifyingly soft voice. "So if I were you, be very careful with your next words unless it is your express desire to face me in a duel."
The nobleman's courage wilted at the face of the sheikh's threat, and lips tight with impotent anger, he could only grab his sister's hand and drag her out of the ballroom with him.
In the wake of the nobleman's departure, another voice called out to the sheikh, this time a waspish-looking lady who had also hoped to be Kivr's future queen.
"You cannot fault us for being concerned, Your Highness. The kingdom has been rife with scandal ever since she came to live in the palace."
A good point, the sheikh thought idly, and it was also exactly what he wanted to hear.
Restless resentment ran through the crowd as they waited for the sheikh to respond, and Ella wanted to shrink and disappear. It wasn't as if the other woman had said anything untrue, and maybe the others right as well.
Glancing up at the sheikh, she whispered his name, but Khal only shook his head.
"I know what you wish to say," he murmured under his breath, "and my answer is no. I will never let you go."
Her eyes widened in shock, but before she could figure out what to think of the sheikh's incredibly possessive claim, she heard someone else speaking. It was the sheikh’s right-hand man, Luke.
“If I may be permitted, Your Majesties, Your Highness, my lords and my ladies, I would like to have the opportunity to present compelling evidence that might shed light on Lady Ella’s character.”
The king nodded. “Proceed.”
A full-sized screen lit up on the wall behind the royal thrones, and Ella was rendered speechless when she saw herself, along with the rest of the family. This video was taken the day before the ball, when Lady Dezza had asked her if she wanted to become the sheikh's bride.
The second clip that Luke showed was another surprise. It was that time when Lady Dezza had seemed to set out to ruin her dress, and even now, she couldn't help but flinch as she watched her dress rip. The crowd was similarly affected as well, with the way everyone gasped in outrage.
The final clip revealed that moment before the ball, and the sheikh had acted callously towards Lady Ella. When angry glares on Ella's behalf came his way afterwards, Khal was far from bothered. The tides had definitely turned, and it was exactly what he wished.
"Lastly," Luke said, "I have a witness to present.” He stepped back, and that was when Ella saw Lord Barton, Sheikh Mik'hail's aide.
The nobleman wasn’t quite able to meet anyone’s eyes as he said in a stilted fashion, “I previously worked as an envoy for His Highness, the Sheikh of Layla.” Taking his hand out of his pocket, he showed the crowd several letters, all bearing the sheikh’s seal.
But that wasn’t the only thing Ella noticed. This close to the former aide, she also noticed the man lacked one finger, an injury he hadn’t had the last time they had met.
She glanced at Khal, and seeing the question in her eyes, the sheikh said under his breath, “People who dare hurt the woman I love must be made to learn their lesson.” His voice was pleasant still, but coolly so, as if he wanted her to know that on this matter, he would not budge.
Meanwhile, Lord Barton was still confessing his wrongdoings.
“All of these are the letters I stole. I had hoped to blackmail Sheikh Mik'hail with it, knowing they would cause a scandal.”
White-faced the moment Lord Barton appeared, Lady Dezza was no longer able to bear being silent. “Why are we only quest
ioning him?” she demanded shrilly. She had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before everyone started pointing fingers at her, and she was not going down without a fight. She pointed at Sheikh Mik'hail, demanding violently, “Why do we not question him? That man dares to enter our kingdom, committing violence against our soldiers—-”
“And I would do it again in a heartbeat if it means protecting a woman from harm,” the Sheikh of Layla answered her coldly. “And besides, let us not forget that it was your men that had gone after Lady Ella—-”
“Lies!”
“And I have the means to prove it. They are waiting outside the palace as we speak. If you insist on denying the truth, I can have them presented here.”
Knowing there was no way out of that one, Dezza desperately changed tacks. “You would say anything just to protect her. After all, she’s the one you’ve been writing sappy love letters to—-”
“Those were sappy love letters,” Sheikh Mik'hail acknowledged, “but they were not from me.”
Ella tried to control her shock at the other man's words.
Mik'hail slanted a look towards Khal. “Rather, those letters had been entrusted to my care, being the bridge between Khal and Lady Ella."
The crowd's shock was palpable, and one duchess even made a fuss as she swayed in her feet, saying that all these scandals were close to having her faint.
Amidst the chaos, however, Khal only nodded, saying simply, "Sheikh Mik'hail speaks the truth."
This time, even Dezza was stunned speechless.
“Not many know that Sheikh Mik'hail is a close friend to both Ella and me, and it was why we trusted him with our secret." His voice became grim. “However, we must now speak the truth. Too many lies had been spoken, and all of them had only succeeded at hurting the only innocent one involved—-”
Dezza charged violently, “You lie! Sheikh Mik'hail wrote the letters himself—-”
Khal only raised a brow. “And you would know this how, milady?” His voice turned mocking as he asked, “Perhaps you have read the letters we’ve exchanged? Perhaps you were even the person who had paid Lord Barton to steal the letters?”
At the mention of Lord Barton’s name the second time, Dezza knew that her game was up. She knew her half-brother well enough to the subtle warning in his tone, and those last words of his were definitely a threat. If she uttered another word against the American nobody, she knew the sheikh would reveal all her crimes in its entirety. But if she played nice, she just might escape being exiled from the kingdom.
Self-preservation had Dezza forcing herself to bow deeply, a symbol of abject apology in their kingdom. “My greatest apologies, my brother. Everything I did was only to make sure you have an ideal bride.”
“I understand.” As she straightened, the sheikh continued, “However, it is not me whom you should ask forgiveness from.”
Dezza’s teeth gnashed at the answer, but she knew she had no choice. Facing Ella, she bowed again and forced her next words out. “My humblest apologies, Lady Ella. It would be my greatest honor if you were to be my...future queen.”
“You are forgiven.” Ella didn’t even think twice about her answer. Lady Dezza was an evil bitch, but she hadn’t forgotten that the woman had a young son, and the child did not deserve to suffer because of his mother’s mistakes.
"And now..."
Ella turned at the sheikh's voice and was stunned to see him down on one knee.
"It is my turn," Khal said gravely, "to beg for your forgiveness.” His tone was humbler than anything the crowd – the entire world – had heard from the sheikh. “All my life, I was devoted to doing the right thing and perform my duty to the crown. It was all I thought of and cared about...until you came to the palace. I fell in love with you at first sight, but I chose to be cruel and aloof in hopes of driving you away. And yet, despite everything, you never gave up. While I tried to hide my feelings, you had the courage and strength to wear your heart on your sleeve.”
Tears were again running down Ella’s cheeks when she saw the way the sheikh breathed hard to control his own emotions, and judging by the sniffs from the crowd, she was not the only one who was affected by Khal's moving words.
"I am done running, milady," the sheikh said tautly. "If you will have me, I shall be yours to command forever, and it shall be my greatest pride to have you as my bride."
Luke stepped forward, and in his hand was a small velvet box. The sheikh took this and opened it, and Ella along with the rest of the crowd gasped at the dazzling sight of the heirloom engagement ring that the sheikh now offered to her.
"Will you be my bride, milady?"
"Yes," she said tremulously, and tears rushed down her cheeks as the sheikh slid the ring down her finger.
The sheikh rose to his feet. "I love you, Ella."
"I love you, Khal."
And then the sheikh was finally kissing her, in full view of everyone, their love no longer a shameful secret but one that the whole world celebrated.
The Happy Ever After
The sheikh and his betrothed were in his suite that night, with no one the wiser about it, thanks to the secret passageway between their rooms. He was on the bed, still fully dressed, and his beloved on his lap. She was gazing at him with wide-eyed incredulity, having just been told of how Khal and Mik'hail had worked together to save her.
"I thought you hated him!"
“He is another man, unmarried, and dared talk to you without my permission.” The sheikh's tone was icy. "Of course I despised him, and I will continue to despise him until he is safely married."
"And yet you begged for his help—-"
"Shut up," the sheikh snarled, not liking to be reminded of how desperate he had sounded when he asked for the other man's aid.
Ella burst into laughter, and the sound made the sheikh grimace, thinking it an omen of days to come. Clearly, she was no longer afraid of him, but strangely enough, it didn't bother him at all. In a way, he found it amusing that his bride, tiny and young as she was, had always found it easy to defy him while the rest of the world tended to tremble in fear in his presence.
“I do have a question to ask, ukhayyah,” he murmured darkly. This was the only thing that had never become clear to him, and he hated having any loose ends. When she turned to look at him, the sheikh asked, “What were inside the letters?”
A saddened look crossed Ella's face. “Oh. That.” She took a deep breath. “You must first promise that what I’m about to tell you shall remain our secret.”
The sheikh said icily, “If this is a prelude to an admission that he’s kissed you—-”
“No, no.” She shook her head hastily. “You misunderstand, Your Highness.” With a sigh, she continued, “There truly was nothing between us, and those letters are proof of it. You know about Sheikh Mikhail's first betrothed?”
Khal frowned. “Yes. What about her? Did she and her family not perish in some kind of accident?”
"One survived, or rather Lady Aretha's younger sister had been at the palace with Sheikh Mik'hail when the accident happened. The girl became the sheikh's ward, and she goes to the same school as I do."
"And?" He still did not see what this had to do with the letters.
"I caught them kissing one day."
Khal's brows shot up.
"So that little fib Sheikh Mik'hail said? It was inspired by my role, since I was their bridge in real life." Ella frowned. "And now, it's my turn to ask you a question. How did you know where to send Sheikh Mik'hail to find me?"
“Your shoes.”
She only blinked at him.
“It had GPS.”
“Oh.” sheikh pause. “Oh. So it was really you who gave me—-”
The sheikh rolled his eyes, asking sarcastically, “Who else would have given it to you? Your fairy godmother?”
Ignoring the jibe, Ella said feelingly, “Those shoes saved my life.” She shivered. “I don’t think your half-sister’s completely evil, but she must have bee
n insane at that time when she gave the orders to her henchmen—-”
“You need never worry about her again.” The sheikh's voice was hard. While he had not gone as far as having Lady Dezza imprisoned, he had taken precautions to ensure she would never have the power to hurt his beloved again.
And it had been such a close fucking call, the sheikh thought savagely. If Ella hadn't brought those shoes with her...
The sheikh shuddered at the thought of what could have happened to her, and his fury resurged anew.
Ella started when the sheikh suddenly turned her head his way, and she paled when she saw the anger glinting in his eyes. What had she done this time?
Her expression was extremely easy to read, but her cluelessness only made the sheikh grind his teeth. “Do you know you almost killed me with worry when I found out you had willingly gone with those men?”
“Umm...”
“Nothing would have happened if you had simply followed me and did not come to the ball,” the sheikh growled.
“But...” She wasn’t quite sure what to say, she only knew she had to start defending herself before the sheikh snapped and committed murder. And that was her murder.
“I would have taken care of everything on my own. I would have taken all the blame, and you would never have—-”
It came to her then, and Ella quickly placed a finger on his lips to silence him. “You're right. If I had not forced your hand about attending the ball, I would never have had to dodge bullets, run into a forest, or have dogs coming after me.”
The sheikh sucked his breath sharply at the love suddenly shining so brightly in her eyes.
“But don’t you see, Your Highness? If I hadn’t chosen to come to the ball, the world would never have known how much I loved you either. The world would have always thought I was after your money, your crown – and I just can’t stand the thought of that.” Removing her finger on his lips, she said softly, “And that’s why I think all that happened was meant to happen. I want the world to know how much I love you, and now they do.”