Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
S arah hadn’t imagined she would be returning to the city so quickly. But the talks with her family had led them to agree that there was only one outcome. No one wanted to see a repeat of the last massacre. They all wanted peace. But, until her pregnancy had been revealed, no one could agree on what course of action to take. But now it was clear. Sarah must marry Kadar.
Despite her underlying feelings for him, Sarah had no wish to marry someone who she could never trust. To her, trust was as important as love in a relationship. But, like him, she’d now discovered there were other factors involved in her decision making. Like her new family. Like peace.
Kadar stood at the end of the formal reception room, surrounded by his advisers and watched Sarah and her family enter the palace. He couldn’t help thinking how different it was to her first entrance into his country. Then life had been so simple. Sarah had needed rescuing, and he’d rescued her. Then they’d fallen in love and consummated their feelings. For anyone else, what would have followed would have been predictable. But neither he nor Sarah was like anyone else and he knew their life would be anything but predictable. As Sarah and her family were about to find out.
“Your Highness,” said the Al-Barriq family elder. “Thank you for agreeing to meet.”
He inclined his head. “It is my pleasure.” He refused to look at Sarah. Not yet. That would have to wait, as was tradition. “Please, be seated.”
They sat around a conference table. This was no informal meeting of one tribe to another, but a long overdue council of peace. Both sides understood that, but only one person knew the outcome.
“We are here to offer the hand in marriage of our beloved daughter of our tribe, Sarah Al-Farriq. You know her lineage, Your Highness, and you know that such a marriage would be unequaled and in all our interests. Your union will bring a long-overdue peace to our lands.”
He nodded in agreement, and silence fell as everyone waited to hear what he’d say. But he didn’t speak immediately, just turned to look at Sarah, who had sat in silence.
“Sarah,” he said. Gone was the time for formalities. Everyone knew of their relationship and he had no wish for pretense any longer. “Do you wish to marry me?”
His question startled her. “Yes,” she paused. “I do.”
“Why?”
The quiet was thick with expectation. “Because…” He held her gaze. It all turned on her response. “Because it is my duty. Because, as my uncle says, it will bring peace to our country.”
He smiled. “Our county,” he repeated, liking the fact that she now regarded Sirun as her country. “Right. But, of course, no marriage should be entered into unless there is trust on both sides. Do you trust I will always speak the truth to you?”
She licked her lips and he could see the struggle she was undergoing. And he equally saw when she gave up that struggle. She shrugged. “How can I? You wanted to trick me into marriage.”
“And yet you’re here, now wanting marriage.”
She nodded. “It is right.”
“For whom?” he asked gently.
“For us all.”
He glanced around at the others. “Leave us,” he said.
And the room emptied, leaving only Sarah and him, still seated at opposite ends of the table.
“Tell me, Sarah, what is it you truly want?”
“Truly? If I were just a woman, and you were just a man. If we were both free to choose with nothing to gain, then I’d know. Only then could I trust again.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
He rose and opened the door to the others. “I need more time before I give you my answer, but thank you for coming. My office will arrange a further meeting on the subject in a few weeks’ time. In the meantime, I suggest you return to your city. I will be in touch.”
“But Your Majesty!” a furious Nabil exclaimed.
“Nabil! We need to talk.”
Sarah and her family had returned home immediately. There was confusion among her people around Kadar’s reaction, but also some degree of hope. It wasn’t a hope she shared.
She spent the following weeks with her family, discussing plans for the future and learning more about their culture and history—things of which she was sure her grandfather would approve. In private moments she thought about her baby, regretting she hadn’t had time to tell Kadar. She’d intended to tell him when they’d visited the palace, but she’d had no opportunity. But, whatever the outcome of their discussions, she promised herself that next time they met, she’d tell him.
It wasn’t until the third week that Sarah and Amena entered Amena’s parents’ house to be greeted by a group of relatives amid earnest discussions.
“What is it, father?” Amena asked.
Sarah’s uncle frowned. “Something is going on,” he said. “We’ve had word from our contact in the palace that the king and his ministers have been in meetings all day and the vizier is looking furious. Also, the king’s brother has made an appearance. And he prefers the high life in Europe and the US.” The old man shook his head. “He hasn’t been in Sirun for years.”
“I wonder what that means,” Sarah said.
The old man's furrowed face settled into a deeper frown before turning to look at her. “I don’t know. But it is undoubtedly connected with the current situation.”
Sarah hated that her future marriage had become a “situation”.
“What do you think is happening?”
“The appearance of the king’s brother is interesting and suggests he might be involved in the king’s plans.” He turned to her. “You know that the king is in love with you, don’t you?” he asked, almost casually.
She nodded. “Yes, I believe he is. But it’s not enough. He demands to know if I trust him, but how can I when he tricked me, when he would deprive me of knowledge for his own gain?” She shook her head. “I can’t trust someone like that. I simply can’t.”
“But you agreed to marry him.”
“Because it is the best solution for our country. But if trust is demanded as part of the marriage settlement, then I cannot agree.”
“Of course,” said Amena soothingly.
Sarah was glad of her cousin’s support because she knew some of the elders of the tribe were impatient with her stance. But, pregnant or not, she couldn’t give them what they wanted.
“Well,” shrugged the old man, “no doubt we will find out shortly. Such urgent talks can mean only one thing.”
“And that is?” asked Amena.
“Whatever it is they’re discussing, it’s important to the country.”
Amena’s father was proved right. Barely twenty-four hours had passed before news arrived that Kadar had abdicated the Crown in favor of his brother, Crown Prince Zachariaya.
Amena came running into Sarah’s room, a broad smile on her face as Sarah paced up and down, waiting for news.
“Have you heard? Last night, the king abdicated! What do you think it means?”
Instinctively, Sarah pressed the flat of her hand against her chest, as if trying to control the pounding heartbeat and surge of hope. “That he doesn’t want to be king, I should imagine,” she said eventually, forcing herself to give a light-hearted reply when she’d never felt more serious in her life.
Amena rolled her eyes and caught hold of Sarah’s hands, forcing her to stand still.
“You know it’s more than that.”
“That’s just the trouble, Amena. I don’t know anything.”
“Has the king been in touch with you?”
Sarah shook her head and closed her eyes, desperate to hide the emotion which threatened to sweep away the last threads of rational thought. Because hope was like that. Apparently, it refused to die. But when she opened her eyes again, a tear slid down her cheek instead. “No,” she gulped. “Oh, Amena! What on earth is going on?”
Amena looked around at the sound of approaching cars. More than one. “I don’t know. But I think we’re about to find out.”