❝My love will drown you to the depths of the sea.❞
Furat bin Kiyan, the fleet admiral of Al Andalus, is a spy and a rebel on a mission to kill the caliph of Cordoba and claim the throne for himself. But finds himself in trouble at the hands of Rahaf...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"SO MY HUSBAND has decided to visit Gharnatah?"
Hamama is chasing after the kitten Rahaf has adopted and Qailah is chasing after her. The caretaker has Humran in her arms and he worries about the children not to get hurt. His attention is split between them and the queen speaking to him.
"What is with this sudden plan of his?" she inquires.
"The Ameer merely wishes to visit the palace of Gharnatah, Malika," Marrar lies smoothly, not allowed by the caliph to reveal his true intentions to anyone neither willing to worry the queen about it.
"Nothing is ever without a reason with Aswad, that I know," she refuses to believe him. "Do you think I do not notice what has become of him? I've been married to him for seven years. The man I married and the man he is now are two different people."
Marrar lowers his gaze before her. No matter his ability to lie or deceive, he has served Adara bint Nurahan as dedicatedly as he has served her husband, or sometimes even more. And his reasons for it has been rather personal that the queen is unaware of. Yet he feels an obligation towards her and thus remains dutiful towards her.
"I worry my husband is drifting apart from me, Marrar," she expresses her concern, a level of trust she has in him that makes him feel guilty of himself sometimes. "I dread what if he takes a wife besides me."
This is a fear she has expressed many times before to him. And each time he has assured her that Aswad bin Motassem only belongs to her. This is the truth Marrar holds no doubt in.
No matter if he cannot look into the caliph's heart, and no matter the change of feelings the queen speaks about, he's well aware that even if Aswad bin Motassem was to take a hundred more women besides Adara bint Nurahan, yet still none will ever close to her in comparison. And that isn't merely because of her beauty or because she's the caliph's first love, but because if it wasn't for her, Aswad bin Motassem would long have been dust and bones in his grave. He owes her his life and Marrar knows she has a special place in his heart even if she questions it sometimes. A place even Bareera couldn't take.
"Why do you stress over it, Malika, when I promise you nothing such is the reason for his visit to Gharnatah?" Marrar tries to assure her. "You know I wouldn't have kept it hidden from you if so was the case."
"His calling for a meeting and this sudden announcement bothers me," she says with her expressions passive but her grayish hazel eyes both icy and burning. "I've heard that the governor of Gharnatah invited him for a feast and that he has a young daughter he wishes to marry to my husband."
Marrar smiles. Only if she knew her husband's true intentions weren't to meet a woman for himself but that he has set up a trap for his grand advisor and has planned his execution. Only if Marrar was allowed to speak of it.
