Thurayya smiles from the other corner and comes to us, bowing in deference, stopping her by taking her arm and l put my arm on her shoulder, kissing her cheek, my Thura, I owe Thura the milk and the breath If it were not for her, I do not know what would become of me.
-You're going to bend down for what, with that stuck column, Thura?
-You offend me by calling me out of date?
I think of the answer and smile, she opens the best of her grumpy smiles and patters Bianca's hands, while cowardly she reaches my weak spot.
-Then this old hag here will leave you for a week without mahrmoul and halawi, Your Majesty.
Narrowing my eyes and rebounding, growling between my teeth:
-Do not you dare, Thura, the way you're up to it, it's still in the dungeon.
She laughs loudly, throwing her head back, going out into the kitchen to check on the course of dinner.
I walk slowly to the kitchen to see with my own eyes whether the finishing of the dishes is in order as I asked for. Before I enter the kitchen, I hear footsteps approaching me and as I turn to see who it is, unfortunately I am not surprised to see that it is Mohamed, who stalks me, "inviting me" to speak to him in the hall.
-Thurayya Abdul, can I say good night?
-At least for me, the night is great, do you want something?
He stands in front of me, intimidating me with his cold stare, but I do not let my discomfort show.
-Faithfulness, that is what I desire, faithfulness Thurayya. You did not stick to the deal, how should I feel? Betrayed, I detest traitors, Thura.
I rebound firmly.
-I don’t have anything to do with your laity's people, Mohamed, and it's interesting for you to say that, because Nahan also hates traitors, remember that.
Mohamed took my arm hard, he is a man of courage, or he has no notion of danger.
- Remember my words: when Nahan kicks you out of this house, and I will make sure he will, as soon as he knows all that you were able to do, do not think of looking for me shelter, I will let you be humiliated in the public square, all over the market, treacherous, as you have no place in our midst. I still have expectations that you will wake up and see that what I propose is the best thing to do, for all of us, think well Thurayya.
-Is there a problem, Thurayya?
Why the hell was Mohamed holding Thurayya's arm? I come toward them both, annoyed to see Thura's look of helplessness, after all, what is going on here?
I hold Thura's arm and she's cold, her whole body shaking, she looks at me with watery eyes and tries to reassure me.
- Mohamed came to support me, I almost fell in the hall, it must be a pressure drop, do not worry my king, it's old people's thing.
I don’t like to see her frail like this, I'll remind myself to tell Jafar to arrange for a doctor to come and take a look at this stubborn old woman, she thinks she can still handle this lot of responsibilities in the house, and her age no longer allows her to stress like this, I need to hire more employees, I do not want Thura getting tired.
-Thank you, Mohamed, why do not you rest in your room? Tomorrow without fail a doctor comes to see you, did you hear Thura?
-It's not necessary, Nahan.
-It's not a request, you're the roof of my palace Thura, now go back into the hall and keep Bianca company.
Thura nods and leaves, leaving me alone with Mohamed, he looks at me uneasily, looking away and when I go back down the hall, he asks me to speak to him quickly.
-It's fast, Nahan, I promise I'll be brief.
I am not willing to listen to your litany, today is the day of my engagement, I do not intend to waste my precious time with Mohamed’s complaints.
-Then say, Mohamed, I left Bianca alone, and she knows few of the guests.
-That's what I wanted to talk to you about, I understand that you're delighted with the foreigner, she's really beautiful, but Nahan, you must admit that this is all crazy, what you intend to do about Qataris, even when you think they will not find out that the kidnapped girl is here in Bahrain? And what do you think they will do when they discover this affront? Send us flowers? Or maybe congratulations on your engagement? They will attack us without mercy or pity. This is what you want? Declaring war because of an ordinary woman?
I interrupt him, furious over his daring, with whom does Mohamed think he is speaking?
-Let's start at the beginning, I will not admit interference in my personal life, I marry or leave, only for me and no one else, when Ishna died, I do not remember at any moment that you suffered with me, how many times have you gone insomniac by my side? That I remember none, so Muhammad, the woman I choose to be mine is my business. Another point to clarify, you are still ignorant of the laws of this country, here is not a democracy, I am the king of this country, I do not have to submit any decision of mine to your vote or veto, my dear, and finally, never dare to call my fiancée, any woman, for you, she is Mrs. Bianca, I hope you have understood my message Mohamed.
Mohamed exalts himself and raises his voice:
- I also emphasize to you, my king, that although this country is a monarchy, to govern it is necessary to have support, allies, to keep the enemies contained and this is my function in this country, at least as long as it is your will, for me to stay by your side. First, I supported you in revenge on the people who murdered your wife, but apparently you have forgotten what happened, after hijacking that woman on Qatari soil with the sole intention of killing her, with your mercy, now you decided to marry her. We expect a response to the height of Sheikh Hafiq and I do not know who will be at your side when the war comes to our lands.
-Apparently, I must begin to find out now, you Mohamed, will you honour your allegiance to your king? Will you be by my side when the war comes? Think about your answer, according to it, I will decide if I accept your resignation request.
Mohamed bowed without looking into my eyes.
-I will honour you with my fidelity, but I sincerely desire my king, may you wake up from this reverie. The laws of our country allow you to have another wife, who knows, if the war comes true, you do not need to build a stronger alliance with local leaders? We are exalted, we will talk more calmly on a more auspicious day, congratulations on your happiness, my king.
I go back to the royal hall and stand beside my princess, her eyes looking for mine and I smile at her, trying to disguise how much the discussion with Mohamed stirred me.
Mohamed is a cunning snake, a man who knows no bounds to stop the power, but I have to admit, he is absurdly insightful ...
For every action there is a reaction, I have hijacked Bianca on Qatari soil, Sheikh Hafiq is a righteous man, but a hard, mortal leader, he will never leave that affront unanswered, the approach of war is imminent, once it reaches his ears that Bianca is on Bareinite soil and committed to me.
I will try to postpone the leaking of this information as much as possible, but I know the timing of my confrontation with Sheikh Hafiq and King Omar is near.
I will think of something and if there is no other way to keep my halawi here, then the war will come to us and I will not back down, if facing a fight.
BIANCA
Dinner was served and Jafar called everyone's attention, toasting for our happiness. He didn’t take his eyes of Sapphira, I do not know what caused Jafar's distaste for her, but I feel that it is so strong that it is almost palpable.
Sophie and Rosa, the wives of Mohamed and Sayd, flank me and smirk at the end of the dessert, Sophie whispers in my ear:
-Princess Bianca, forgive me the trouble, but Sapphira asked me to speak to you.
I do not even want to get close to this woman, only to jump on her neck and squeeze it very slowly.
-I have nothing to talk to her, Sophie, but still, thank you for passing me the message.
Sophia nodded and the desserts were served, creme brulee and cassata with dates jam.
Everything delicious, impeccable, as always are, the dinners organized by Thura.
As soon as I can, I'll speak to Thura, I do not like to see her like this.
Talking to Sophie and Rosa, Sophie unintentionally bumped into a glass of wine and a little fell on my dress, I excused myself the two and I went to the bathroom to wipe the mess.
When I finish retouching my lipstick, I look in the mirror and Sapphira enters the bathroom, locking it.
I look at her irritated and command her to open the door, she leans in an ironic deference and begins to speak:
-Forgive me, princess, but unfortunately it will not be possible, I would really like to speak to you.
I stare at her so she realizes she does not scare me, and I respond:
-Well, I've already told you that I have nothing to talk to you about, except that your innocent little visit, again did not have the expected effect, please open the door.
She comes closer and I can almost hear the sound of her rattle.
Do you really think Nahan is going to take this silly engagement forward? Will he choose to declare war on Qatar when they come to rescue you, Miss Bianca Mattos? A country with the military strength of Qatar? Is he really going to put the lives of so many innocent people at risk because of a foreign girl? I thought you were less foolish, but apparently you believe in fairy tales. Well, I warn you, in this story the bad witch will win, my sweet princess. When this country becomes a chaos, King Nahan will need a second wife born on this earth, he will need me, an influential woman to patch up this government when it will fall down like an old rag and you can be sure, Princess Bianca, when Nahan needs me to become his second wife, I'll be here to serve my king, have a good night, excuse me.
I passed by Sapphira raising my chin and staring into her eyes, before opening the door and leaving.
-You must really be a very incapable and very unhappy woman to dream about leftovers, have a great rest of the night Sapphire, because I'm going to meet my fiancé, excuse me.
I walked along the corridor still trembling from the strength of Sapphira's words, I didn’t look weak in front of her, but she touched the exact point of my skinless wound: I do not want my happiness to be a reason for war, Of innocent blood shed, I think of a solution to this imminent threat and I do not encounter. But as soon as I look at Nahan and he smiles at me, I get strength only God knows from where, to smile at him.
I love this man so much that it is no longer possible to go back, the only feeling that chills me is hope, hope that one day I can experience this love with Nahan without threats and without fear.
I believe in the power of love and the miracles that this feeling is capable to reveal. To the best of oneself, a solution to this ancient war, a new time for peace.
CHAPTER 18
NAHAN
After facing the wild sea on our engagement party, I look at my halawi through the mirror as she meticulously removes the makeup to sleep.
Her face is serene, but I know that it is still a long time before her smile is going to be "free": "I am happy, but ...", "I agree to be your wife, however."
I know the main reason of her anguish, for days on end I have broken my mind to find a solution and I think I'm already close to bringing some of the peace that my Bianca needs.
Seen something comfortable for me to lie down in, my pyjama bottoms of shabby cotton and I lean against the door, curious to know what is going on in my beautiful bride’s head.
-Are you happy, halawi?
Bianca turns and comes to me, pulling me by my pants belt. She stands on tiptoes to kiss me, nibbles at my lip hard and the pernicious bite on my lip, reverberates in my groin, quickly lifting my concentration.
She continues to tease me, rubbing the soft pink mouth on my beard and brings my hip against her warm body.
Allah! I love your hands on me, especially when Bianca takes the initiative and seduces me blatantly.
-Very happy, did you know that you are crazy?
I nodded, brushing my lips against hers, tightening the cheeks of her rounded buttocks.
- Yes! Crazy for You.
We both know why she says I'm crazy, no matter how optimistic I am, I know that I will have to face the disagreement of my allies and enemies as to the choice of my queen, as well as having to deal with retaliation, Revenge of the Hassan as soon as my engagement news arrives in Qatar.
I did not do what I should, but what my heart led me to do.
The right thing would be for me to marry a Bahraini woman and that our commitment would seal important political alliances and contribute to the harmony and solidity of my government.
But since my eyes met Bianca's, plunging into myself, into my innermost feelings and desires, I see that there is no other possible way for me to follow, other than to make her my wife, my queen.
I remember in my memory my last months of mourning: the indescribable pain of loss, slowly corroding me. My lonely voice echoing in my empty room, the torture of my insomnia nights, where I watched the sunrise, embraced my girl's toys.
Everything became more bearable with the arrival of Bianca in my life, and suddenly, no more than suddenly, Bianca opened the doors and windows of my soul and invaded my eyes, my thoughts, my skin and my heart.
I was never a romantic man, I was raised to be a statesman, rational, pragmatic and why not say warrior ... but romance? This is frighteningly new to me.
However, if I can take something as fact, it is that I have never wanted and loved a woman as hard, as true as I love Bianca.
Bianca's love wiped away my tears, rescued me from the darkness, captured me from the emptiness and I can’t envision living the rest of my days without waking up and sleeping next to this woman, my halawi.
That night we made love unhurriedly, lazy in the brush of our bodies, in the lurching of our hips, and when we enjoyed and moaned our names, we also fell asleep unhurriedly ... Wrapped in this sweet twilight of corresponded love.
Bianca woke up late, and I had already had coffee, read and answered a mountain of e-mails, discussed on the phone with two secretaries of my government, when she slowly stretched and smiled at me with a sly look, hiding her face in the pillow.
Ah! What do I do with this woman, my God!!!
-Good morning Nahan, why didn’t you wake me up early?
-Good morning, Bianca, you were sleeping so good that I felt sorry to do it.
She gets up hurriedly and covers her naked body with the sheet, going to the bathroom. To tease her, I pull the edge of the sheet, leaving her naked, just to please my eyes. She covers up her sex, cursing me softly, and punishing me for the mockery, the teasing lady locks the damn bathroom door, leaving me with a ridiculous erection before going to work.
I speak loudly so that Bianca can hear me even with the noise of the shower:
-I have to go, I have two very important meetings today, I will be back early, take care.
- Okay, bye, baby.
Bianca opens the bathroom door and comes out wrapped in a towel, I was already leaving, but I could not resist ... As soon as I saw her, I returned and curled the back of her neck, bidding me a delicious kiss, torturing both of us.
Sayd was waiting for me in my office, and as soon as I entered, he congratulated me on my engagement.
- Nahan, once again, congratulations on the engagement, it was unexpected, given the circumstances that you met your fiancée, but life is like that, who rules the heart, isn’t it?
I nodded, sitting down on the couch next to her, wondering what the answer of my political enemies will be when I confirm that I will marry a foreigner.
Yesterday, Mohamed gave me one more of his speeches about weakening Allied support, but I made it clear that I want to distance myself from my personal issues, with the acts of my government. For me the fact that Bianca is a foreigner is irrelevant, and the problems with the ruler of Qatar is something that I, as king of this country, have to solve. I will not allow my allies, my en
emies and my people, to choose who I am to marry, this decision is up to me and no one else.
Sayd crossed his long legs as I explained what I thought about all this and he accepted the coffee Semira offered him, agreeing with my point of view.
-I agree with you and I understand, I only worry about the offensive way that the Qataris will certainly respond to this act of yours, after all, let's go and agree on Nahan, you invaded Qatar using military force and captured a guest of the government. All this to put into practice your revenge for the attack on your family, now I wonder, can this attack have not been orchestrated by some of your political enemies from here in Bahrain? The way everything was done, with no vestige of the entrance of any military or mercenary of Qatar, on Bahrain ground , I find this strange.
Sayd's remarks about the Ishna and Amira bombing left me confused. An investigation was carried out to verify the participation of leftist groups in the death of my family, but the evidence that was found pointed out Sheikh Karim Omar as the principal suspect of this crime. But after all Sayd has spoken, I will talk to Jafar, so that he will be in charge of further investigations.
I called Jafar and talked quickly about this, and I also told him what I had in mind to ease Bianca's afflictions and what I wanted him to do. I also sent Semira to contact a Madinat'Isa jewellery store to confirm that my order was ready.
I hurried up the stairs to Bianca's room, but she was not there, so I left the package, with my surprise, on her bed and I walked around the palace, finding her in the library with several books open on the thick oak table.
I took advantage of the fact that she was distracted among the books and filled my eyes a little more with her beauty: her hair tied in a loose ponytail, with fine locks escaping from the back of her neck. She stopped her reading and looked up, smiling and coming up to me.
No trace of makeup, in a white dress with thin tops and discreet neckline, up to the knees.
Barefoot, loose and more beautiful than yesterday. Bianca hooked my neck and leaned her head back, offering me her lips, sweetly. The kiss that began chaste, when awakening from our tongues became urgent. I brought her hips to my groin and rubbed blatantly aroused on her belly, making her laugh loudly.
Lovely Concubine Page 16
