Chapter 3

'Janaab, your kurta'

The emir smiles at the servent and indicates the chaise lounge in the corner of the room before turning back to his reflection. He leans it to the miror, dips the tip of his pinky ito the kohl pot and gently applies it to his waterline.

Safa is still in the town for some reason - when she evidently isn't from around here.

Why?

This kid is so painfully unaware of how appealing she is. Strolling around like she owns the palace in her silky patialas*, regularly visiting the palatial area with Lewis? Laurence? Luftwaffe? ~ she's so hot. Javaad shakes his head, pull's back from the mirror with smudged fingertips.

'Stop thinking like this- you're an emir. She is commoner!' There's a knock at the bedroom door and Jawaad grabs the ironed kurta from the arm rest, before slipping it on. He starts to button it up as he calls out 'pesh aao'**. A litlle, blond woman slips in and smiles coyly at Jawaad in the mirror. Her body adorned with finest silk of the land, the most ornate gems and scented with authentic honey and jasmine parfumes. She is, after all, the land's princess.

'Gigi' The emir grins, turns to face her with open arms.

' Jaaneman!'*** she smiles and rushes over, enbracing the prince with ease, before pulling away and fiddling with his kurta buttons.

The prince tuts, frowning

'Roshni^- you're not mine anymore - you're Daniaal's to-be'

She rolls her eyes, 'hush baba-you just called roshni!'  but steps back nevertheless .

'Trish- sorry, Rani Sahiba is calling you out for Ahmed's dahej^^ ceremony thing. I'm going to go out to the bazaar. Don't look for me later!' The emir nods and turns back to the mirror as she exits. He makes quick work of the kurta and gels his hair back leaving the shorter strand to sit over his forehead before slipping on his khussas^^^ and rushing out of the room. He enters the private darbaar° and the first person  his eyes land on is-

Safa.

He can't help the smirk that tugs at the corners of his mouth, or the way his tounge darts out to lick his lips because Safa i blushing and squirming and trying to act nonchalant but it's not really working he just looks exceptionally hot in her silk robes-

'Jawaad beta!' Trisha - Rani Sahib - is walking over with a smile on her face, her eyes shining. 'This is sultana Ruth's family

Galib,Kaya,Nejra and Safa'

The emir clasps his hands behaind his back and bows foward as Ruth's family greats him. Safa meanwhile sits stock-still and bites his lips, looking around awkwardly. Jawaad likes too see that look on people who screw with him. ' So now that everyone is present, sall we proceed!' The Raja°° says interrupting Jawaad's train of thought. The Emir simply nods and takes seat opposite of Safa and her sister

Nejra,who seams to know someting is up.

'Mangalwaar dus baje -dahej°°°' the pandit• says, starting the meeating.

¥time skip¥

Jawaad zones out most of discussion, in which time the Saud's have agreed to give a portion of money, property, jewerly, trade income and cattle to the Malik's.

'Finally - a man, or women who is marriegeable age. Another member of the  Saud family, who is eligible for a suitable bachelor or spinster from the Malik clan needs to be handed over. With his final condition, the mariage certificate will be singed officaly'

Kaya gasps and Galibfrowns.Nejra looks sufficiently, as does Ruth. 'But we only have one unmarried child!' The Emir's mind starts ticking. If Nejra and Ruth are both married, and they have only one unmarried child and  Safa is the only other child -

' Safa shall marry me' Jawaad decides out loud, his eyes on Safa burning holes into her lithe body. Safa gulpsand everyone turns to Emir, shocked. 'But Jawaad beta-'

'No Safa will marry me and only me'

Yaser smiles  tightly to Jawaad, that 'we need to talk' look in his eyes. '... Fine. With Raja and Rani and Kaya and Galib  permission Safa          will marry Jawaad  Eldar Malik'

Safa stands up from his seat, livid. 'But I don't want this!' She says raising her voice. She turns to her parents when no one says anything.

'Mum? Dad?'

Kaya looks down at her lap, fiddling with a ring on her finger and Galib gives Safa pleading look, something along the lines of "can we not discuss this later?" 

Safa looks close to tears when she turns back. She throwns Jawaad a carefully blank look and chokes back a sob, before storming out of the darbaar. Nejra stands up next, fire dancing in her eyes. 'Are you even interested in her or are you planning to use Safa as another one of your whores?'  Kaya  gasps and wispers loudly "Nejra!"  but she's alredy storming after Safa.Kaya then turns to Raja and Rani, looking ashamed and worried  to no end.

'Forgive her - she is young and dosen't know what she's saying - I'll go talk to them' and then Kaya Saud rushing after her kids and an air of awkwardness settels over the court room. The room is quiet for a second before Jawaad awkwadrly coughs and chuckles, breaking the silence.

'So ... um. Wedding dates?'

¥ Translations¥

*- palatials are puffy bottoms with cuffed ends.

** - ' pesh aao' literally means 'present yourself' so he's asking them to come in

***- 'jaaneman' is and endarment. You've heard jaan, and jaaneman means 'the life of my soul'

^- 'Roshni' means 'light' as an endarment it also can mean 'light of my life'

^^-'dajeh' means dowry.

Dowry is something that in some cultures is/was traditionally given to the groom's family by the bride's family. Almost like an agreemeant.

^^^-'khussas' are those curly-toed Aladdin shoes.

°-'darbaar' is a courtroom so private darbaar is a private courtroom- a room where only the highest and most respectable members of assembly gather.

°°- Raja means king and Rani queen so in this case Jawaad's father is Raja and mother is Rani

°°°- 'mangalwaar dus baje- dahej' means 'tuesday 10'Oclock - dowry'

•-' Pandits' are like gurus. The Hindi vearsion of vicar or priest.