Disclaimer: I do not own The Wrath and the Dawn. It belongs to Reneé Ahdieh. The two quotes used in this chapter are from the book.

A/N: Hello all! This is about to be a long author's note. Prepare yourself.

So basically, it's a crime that there's hardly any fanfiction for the awesome-ness that is The Wrath and the Dawn. I sought to attempt to rectify that. It also has bugged me thinking about what Khalid must've been thinking in all of his scenes with Shahrzad! I had wished someone would write about this, and whenever someone doesn't write something that I so desperately want to see in the fanfiction world, I decide to just do it myself. So that's what happened here.

This fic will be dealing with most of the Khalid and Shahrzad scenes from the book from Khalid's perspective, and I'll be throwing in some of my own Khalid scenes too. I'm going to try to have all the chapters be a cohesive story, but I think they'd also all be able to be read individually if some of you just want to read about specific scenes!

So here goes!

Chapter 1: Wedding
(Corresponds with pages 9 -11 of The Wrath and the Dawn)

There was something different about her compared to the others.

There was a certain assuredness in her step as she approached him in the throne room that was a stark contrast to the ways his other brides met him on their wedding day. Some of them would slowly make their way to him and hesitate before standing before him. Others would falter in their steps and even begin breathing rapidly in their anxiety over their fate. Meanwhile, he felt like he was dying inside, knowing this was all his fault.

Many of them would look at him fearfully as they walked, and tears would occasionally escape their eyes. Some would cry during the entire ceremony. Some were unable to even look at him. He couldn't blame them for not wanting to look at a monster, let alone marry one. Even he had trouble looking at them, but he was determined to memorize their faces. He wanted to remember the lives he was forced to take so they would never be forgotten. But to do so, he had to train himself to look as if he was void of emotion and pretend he didn't feel like a dagger was being twisted into his heart.

But she was the first one to look completely defiant. From the moment she entered the room, she watched him fearlessly, never taking her hazel eyes away from his. There wasn't a slightest hint of worry in her demeanor. It made him wonder even more about this mysterious girl who willingly volunteered to wed him.

How could she be so foolish to want to marry him?

She knows how this marriage will end at sunrise. Why would she be willing to throw her life away?

He'd been plagued with these questions ever since he received the message saying a certain girl offered to be his next wife. Was she so confident that she falsely believed she could change him and persuade him to let her live?

He would probably never know the answers to these questions, considering he never could bear to see any of his brides again after he married them. It hurt him too deeply to know they soon would no longer be part of this world because of him. He would be too consumed in his own guilt to have to face them again and didn't want to make them any more uncomfortable than they already were. He wouldn't dare to even risk growing any kind of emotional attachment to them by getting to know them. It all pained him too much already.

He offered his hand to her when she reached the dais. She grabbed it and bowed gracefully before him. When her eyes returned to meet his, they remained unafraid. In fact, her eyes looked to be so full of hatred and fury, he almost had to take a step back.

He managed to keep himself composed. "Wife," he said and nodded.

"My king," she replied. Her voice showed no sign of nervousness.

He found himself irked that he would never see his current bride again. He would never receive the answers to all of his burning questions.

Why did he care so much? None of his previous brides perplexed him like this.

Shahrzad al-Khayzuran would have to forever remain a mystery to him.

A/N: A short chapter to begin, but don't worry - the others will be longer! The next few chapters are already written, they just need some major editing. I started writing the first few chapters last week, and then this week I saw Reneé Ahdieh is having a poll about what kind of extra scenes she should write, and one of the choices is scenes from Khalid's POV! So I kinda freaked out and decided I needed to start posting my story before her extra scenes totally nullify what happens in my fanfiction world!

SoI'm re-reading The Wrath and the Dawn as well to write this, and trying to read ahead of what I'm writing about to remember all that happens! There's a part where Khalid mentions that he had only lied to Shahrzad once...does anyone happen to know what the lie was? I'm currently trying to figure it out.

Anyway, please review and add this story to your story alerts if you want to be notified of new chapters!