by Leslie North
Chapter 5
Saja woke to an even bigger catastrophe than she had expected. All her clothes were gone. She thought that maybe they had been unpacked. She checked the closet and it was filled with clothes, but not hers. She called the maids into her room to ask what was going on.
“The Prince had your clothes taken away because they were inappropriate,” Mona said.
“Inappropriate, how?” Saja asked.
“Body hugging,” Mona said quietly. She looked up. “His words not ours,” she quickly added to defend herself and Amber.
“He prefers that you wear the more traditional and loose fitting clothes in the closet,” Amber said.
Saja started laughing sardonically. This was getting more and more messed up. “But I am to leave this morning,” she said, fearing the answer.
“The Prince is still not allowing you to leave,” Amber said.
“Fine! He just started a war he will not win!” Saja said. She went to have a bath and prepare. She walked into the closet and analyzed the clothes. They were not her style at all. She grunted as she flipped through all of them. Finally, she settled on a long blue dress. It had a very low v-neck and short sleeves. Smiling to herself, she made some minor modifications before slipping on a pair of gold-coloured sandals. She tied her hair up and let the room.
“Where is the Prince?” Saja asked.
“He is in his quarters,” Mona replied. She was confused as to why Saja had worn the dress. Both she and Amber had expected her to protest.
“Let's go,” Saja heading for the door.
“He will not like that Ma'am,” Amber warned her.
“Perfect.”
Amber and Mona looked at each other helplessly. They quickly followed Saja and escorted her to the Prince's quarters. When they arrived, his guards would not allow her to enter his chambers. They informed her that he was having breakfast with someone and that the Prince did not appreciate unexpected guests.
“I am his so-called fiancé, not an unexpected guest,” Saja said. The guards looked at each other. “How do you think the Prince would react when he finds out that you insulted his wife to-be?” she added. Mona and Amber looked at each in disbelief. It was clear that she was up to something and they did not want any part of it. The guards bowed their heads and let her through. She smiled and thanked them as she walked in.
The Prince was having breakfast with Badir when Saja walked in. He was somewhat surprised to see her but then again, last night she had shown him that she was a feisty one. He was truly surprised to see her in a loose fitting dress. He did not think she would succumb that easily.
“What brings you by?” The Prince asked Saja.
“Isn't a woman allowed to visit her husband to be whenever she pleases?” Saja questioned as she sat down. Badir instantly felt uncomfortable. No woman ever spoke to the Prince in such a tone. The Prince was amused, as he wondered what she was up to. Saja turned her attention to Badir. “Good morning, sir. I am Saja his betrothed slash prisoner,” she said to him with a smile. Badir did not know how to respond to her introducing herself as his prisoner.
“Hello, Miss Saja. I am Badir, head of security,” he replied.
“Pleased to meet you.”
“The dress suits you better than your previous attire,” the Prince pointed out.
“Yes, but it is a bit hot,” Saja replied as she looked it over. It needs some adjustments. Reaching up, she slowly ripped the left sleeve off. Mona and Amber gasped. Badir's eyes widened. Saja placed the sleeve on the sofa followed closely by the right one. Leaning down, she reached for the bottom of the dress, where she had conveniently loosened the seam already and ripped one side of the dress up past her knee. She exhaled loudly. “That feels better,” she said and smiled. The Prince stared at her silently. She was determined to annoy him. She was going to live to regret it.
“You are full of surprises aren't you?”
“Shall I leave?” Badir asked. He did not feel that it was appropriate for him to be there.
“No, do stay with us,” Saja said sweetly. She turned to one of the Prince's maids and asked her to bring her a plate so that she could join them for breakfast. The maid brought out a plate promptly.
“You do not act like how a woman should,” The Prince said to Saja.
“You do not act like a gentleman,” Saja replied as she helped herself to some of the food. She ate looking at the Prince.
“I cannot have you disrespecting me in my home or my city.”
“Then let me go home and you’ll never have to see me again.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I will find a suitable position for you here.”
Saja laughed sardonically. “As your wife?” she asked with disdain.
“Perhaps one of my chamber maids.”
“Maid? You truly have lost your mind if you think I will serve you.”
Badir sat there quietly observing the two of them. This woman was different from the rest. They all yearned for his attention. Even becoming a maid was an honour for them. Saja talked back to the Prince and showed no fear. Perhaps he had finally met his match. Even as she disobeyed him, he felt a stirring in his groin for his furious prisoner.
“Well you aren't leaving without my say so. Therefore, you have no other options but to do as I say. Perhaps if you please me, I will consider letting you go,” the Prince said calmly. It annoyed Saja that he remained so calm.
“What is wrong with you? Just let me go. If you don't…”
“What will you do?”
“You will regret it, I promise you.”
“I do not appreciate threats or your tone. You need to be tamed.”
Saja had gone in there with the aim of being calm and annoying him but she was losing the fight. He was getting to her faster than she was getting to him.
“Tame? I am not an animal!” she shouted and stood up. He was crazy. Tame? Who was he to tame her? This man was more arrogant and condescending than she had initially thought.
“And yet, you are behaving like one,” the Prince replied and took a sip of his orange juice.
“You're the animal! You barely know me. You have no right to keep me here and treat me the way you do. Simply because you're some prince, you think you are something special. Well you're not! You are an ordinary man with control issues.” Saja turned her attention to Badir. “It was nice to meet you,” she said calmly to him and left the room. Mona and Amber shuffled uncomfortably behind her. They had known taking her to the Prince's quarters was a terrible idea.
The Prince threw his glass to the floor after Saja left. She had really done it now and she was going to regret it. “I have never met a more arrogant woman with no home training,” he barked.
“Perhaps keeping her is a bad idea,” Badir said. He found the whole thing amusing.
“I would have let her go in a day or two had she behaved. Now I will keep her longer and I WILL tame her.”
“She is a feisty one.”
“And all that will end when I am done with her.”
The Prince left the room and got ready for his morning meetings. The whole time he was thinking of Saja. She was a different type of species. He had never met a woman like her. Perhaps that was the reason for her father giving her to him without a second thought. The man seemed eager to pawn her off on the Prince. He decided to call her father before his meeting.
“Why did you give me your daughter?” he asked El-Tamar as soon as he said hello.
“You sound angry.”
“Of course I am angry. Your daughter has no manners or traditional values. What kind of bride did you think she would make? You will pay for making a mockery out of me.”
“Your highness, please recant your anger. I had no idea of her behaviour as she grew up in London. If she does not suit the position of your wife, then make her your servant or sell her.”
The Prince frowned and hung up. This was not the response he was expecting. How can a father n
ot want his daughter? Yes, Saja was a handful, but her father’s suggestion to sell her was repulsive. The Prince shook his thoughts away and headed for his meeting.
Chapter 6
Saja spent most of her day reading journals online. She still had a research article that she was writing for publication. If she was going to be stuck here, she might as well do something valuable. It was also the best way to keep herself occupied. Mona entered her room, bowing to her before she started to speak.
“The Prince is on his way here to join you for dinner,” Mona said. Saja laughed and sat up.
“Seriously? He wants to join me for dinner after what happened this morning?” Saja shook her head. He was coming back for revenge. “What's his full name?” Saja asked Mona.
“Prince Basil Al-Qadir.”
Saja nodded and typed his name into a search engine. She needed to know more about him since her current knowledge was lacking. The more she read about him, the more it made sense why he was so arrogant. Being a prince was the foundation for his arrogance. Then all his achievements nurtured that arrogance. Everyone put him on a pedestal.
Amber ran into Saja's bedroom and announced the Prince's arrival. Saja stood up and walked out slowly. She was wearing her pyjama shorts and t-shirt, as those were the only clothes she had left, since she was sleeping in them the night before. The Prince narrowed his gaze when he saw her walking out in her attire. Her legs were bare, it bothered him.
“Were you not informed that I was coming to dine with you?” The Prince asked as he sat down.
“I was,” Saja sat down across him.
“Then why aren't you dressed more appropriately?”
“I'm fine dressed like this,” Saja shrugged her shoulders. She was not going to argue with him about this. The Prince was not impressed. Women were supposed to dress modestly. Mona poured them drinks. Saja picked up her glass and took a sip. She was wondering why he had joined her for dinner. Amber and Mona served them their food. They were nervous, they did not know what to expect. Saja had proven that she had a bad temper; she was bound to explode. The Prince never tolerated any back talk or attitude and they were worried about her.
“Your father won't take you back, unsurprisingly” the Prince said to Saja. He wanted to see how she felt about it. She laughed sardonically before she answered him.
“Why would he?” Saja replied.
“Aren't you his only daughter?”
“He's not my father.”
“Is he not?”
“He never was a father to me. He disowned me from the moment he found out that my mother was pregnant. So, I disowned him too. We had nothing to do with each other for more than 20 years until he contacted me a few weeks ago. Now all of sudden he wants to choose whom I marry?” Saja shook her head. It didn't make sense to her why he'd do that.
“I didn’t know that. You never interacted with him during your childhood?”
“No, Basil,” Mona and Amber raised their eyebrows. It was the first time someone who wasn't close to the Prince called him by his name. The Prince himself was surprised. “Can we not discuss him?” Saja added.
“You called me by my name.”
“What else would I refer to you as?”
“Prince Al-Qadir.”
“Too long,” Saja dismissed him with her hand. For a few seconds, time froze. What was happening? Was she really calling him by his name and dismissing his commands? This woman was like no other.
“You are comfortable showing men your body?” The Prince asked Saja. It sounded more like a statement rather than a question. Saja was just about to bite into her pita. She held it in mid-air and stared at him wide-eyed.
“What the heck? What are you talking about?” she asked him
“You dress provocatively.” Saja shook her head and carried on eating. Maybe if she ignored him, he would shut up. He had some sort of obsession with her clothing and it was really irritating. “You were deflowered,” he said after observing her.
“That is none of your business,” Saja snapped.
“It's disappointing. You westernised women place no value on your virtue.”
“You insufferable jerk!”
Basil saw Saja's face change. She was really angry. He felt a little warmth inside, victory flowed through his veins. He carried on eating his dinner. Saja walked off and went to her bedroom slamming the door behind her. Basil shook his head. That was going to be the last time she gave him her back.
* * *
Saja was relieved to have breakfast alone the next morning but she knew that there was going to be fireworks the next time she met with Basil. She decided to enjoy her breakfast in peace. Lucky for her, she had her laptop. If she did not, she would have gone crazy. Speaking with her mother and her best friend kept her sane.
Basil rode out into the desert with Badir. They were accompanied by a few guards. He had matters to attend to and needed distance from Saja. Even though they had only been acquainted for three days, it felt like three months. She was a lot to take in.
“How is your prisoner?” Badir asked him jokingly.
“She has to be tamed. I cannot believe her attitude. How was she raised?” Basil replied.
“So, send her back to London.”
“After how she has disrespected me, there is no way she is retuning without learning her lesson.”
Badir laughed. That was the friend he knew. Basil always had to have the last word. Things had to go his way. He did not tolerate any disrespect. They arrived at the destination. They were meeting with the sheiks in the region. They all bowed their heads to the Prince. As he was greeting them, his gaze caught a familiar face. It was Sheik El-Tamar. He grunted when he saw him. The Sheik came to greet him.
“I trust that you are well,” El-Tamar said to the Prince with a smile.
“I am well,” he replied.
The sheiks all sat inside a tent. There was peace in that region because of a treaty the Prince had put in place. The treaty needed to be renewed. El-Tamar was running low on funds and land. The only thing he could offer him was Saja. Basil had accepted because his family had been pressing him to marry. The whole idea of marriage was rather insignificant to him. El-Tamar had been good to him over the years, so he did not mind marrying his daughter. However, things were not going as smoothly as he had hoped. Saja was not full Arabic. Royals usually married women with a full Arabic background. He was going to overlook it, but she had no manners nor did she dress appropriately.
During the meeting, Basil could not help but look at El-Tamar. Saja did not resemble him much. She had rounder and softer brown eyes. El-Tamar had dark eyes. There was an uncomfortable mystery hidden in them. He had a longer and sharper nose. Saja had a smaller but rounder nose. Her lips were fuller. They were not too thick or too thin. Basil shook the thoughts away. It was not the time to be thinking about that vile woman.
After the discussions for the treaty were put in place, the meeting was adjourned. El-Tamar quickly approached Prince Al-Qadir in private. He was pleased that El-Tamar had come to him because he too wanted to have a word with him.
“Have you found a suitable position for her?” El-Tamar asked.
“Why did you not fully inform me about her?” Basil asked ignoring El-Tamar’s question.
“What do you mean?”
“Her attitude, her mixed blood, she is not traditional. She does not meet my requirements.”
El-Tamar laughed nervously. “As I said before, sell her or make her a servant if she is unsuitable as a wife to you.” Basil narrowed his gaze at the man.
“She is your daughter, how can you allow me to sell her?” he asked.
“Sheik Al-Qadir, I slept with a foreign woman twenty-four years ago whilst I was married. I regret being unfaithful to my wife. However, I can turn that misfortune into something that will benefit my family. Is that so bad?”
“Yes. It is appalling. She is ill-mannered but nevertheless she is still your flesh.” Basil was feeling unsettled. Thi
s man was showing him a side that he had not met before. Basil did not like it. El-Tamar was about to say something when he dismissed him with his hand and walked away. He could not take part in that conversation any longer. How can a father call his daughter a misfortune? The Prince was disgusted. Part of him felt sorry for Saja. Maybe that was the reason for her acting the way she did?
