disclaimer: I own nothing i tell you, nothing!
A/N: hey everyone. i just wanted to thank all that reviewed. you've got me writing the next chapter, at least! anyway.....the actual story begins....
~~~~~
The Decision
It was loud.
That was all that Noushzad could think of as he stood behind the door to the arena. This was quite ironic, actually, because what stood behind some other door less than a hundred yards away would kill him. Either way he would be dead. He would be eaten alive by a tiger, or he would be eaten away from the inside out by a woman he didn't love.
What kinds of choices were those? Painful death by a brute, or the ironic fate of the even more painful death by a gentle hand. Love was not supposed to be this way. Love was supposed to come magically, from a woman of your own class who could love you without complication. Love was supposed to be the one thing no one could take. And they were.
These things, Noushzad had pondered them every day since he had been caught. He had agonized over how painful his death might be, or how unequal his new wife would be compared to Gelareh. He had thought of these things since then, but right now, the only thought in his mind was that the noise in this small enclosed space was agonizing. Thousands would be sitting in the arena now, waiting for another exciting trial. How cruel it was, to have a man die before a multitude. He would have to suffer their taunting laughs and their uncaring eyes. And he would have to face Gelareh. He would have to look upon her pained face, knowing that he was about to break her heart, whatever the outcome. She would be the one tender heart among the hundreds of flippant remarks and smirking faces. And he was about to ruin her. That is what disgusted him the most, really.
Actually, that was a lie, what disgusted him the most, was the thought of her seeing him marry another. It made him quite literally sick to know that she would be picturing him with someone else while she was the only one that he could ever love. He began to think of all the things he loved about her and stopped himself, knowing full-well that he needed all the courage he could possibly get to do this thing.
Noushzad tried to remain calm. He turned from the guards, because they were not calming sights at all, and took a few very deep breaths. He took in his surroundings, probably the last he'd see that were not shot through with irony and sadness. Even with the chaotic noises of the crowd, these sights were comforting. All he could see was a simple dirt floor, which his toes sank into, high beams of wood, and a bale of hay. The smells and the light falling in sheets through the slats in the wood helped to ease his nerves as well. What a similar place he had spent hundreds of days in his father's gardening shed. He could almost imagine himself there now, if he tried hard enough. Or lied to himself enough.
Trumpets sounded.
Noushzad turned around, and stared at the last door that he would ever see without the promise of death behind it, and he remembered the last words that he had ever heard from his beloved. Trust me. Ah, yes, as he'd been carried off to the dungeons she had mouthed these loathsome words. And he'd known instantly what she meant. She would find out exactly which door the tiger would lay behind. And somehow she would let him know. How awful. His only love would point him to the door of his wife, and it wouldn't be her. Noushzad almost wished that she wouldn't tell him, and spare him the guilt of her sadness. But he knew what would happen. He would see her in the stands, next to her father. She would point in the direction of one of the doors. And lastly, he would open it to the end of both of them.
Roughly, each of the guards grabbed one of his arms with their huge hands, and opened the door wide, letting him through.
The light blinded him for a fraction of an instant, a time in which he whished he could stay forever, that fleeting moment. But soon his eyes adjusted and there was the scene. It was a scene he'd seen numerous times before, but never from this perspective. He'd never been the victim of this insane judgement, he'd always been one of the sneering faces. Always a spectator.
Before him was a mighty arena. The seats were packed full. This was scandalous, a gardeners son sneaking around with the princess. They all wanted to see what the outcome would be. Why, only a few short months ago this would have seen like perfect entertainment. A few months ago he would have loved seeing the look on a princess' face when she saw her illegitimate lover open a door.
A few months ago.
He began to walk slowly up to the kings box, after being shoved roughly by the guards. He tried to focus on the king's face. He tried with every fiber of his being to study the disapproving lines of his eyes and his strong jaw, but it was no use. He caught his last glimpse of Gelareh. Actually, he did more than catch a glimpse of her, he drank the sight of her in. He cherished every second that he could stare even as he wished he could tear his eyes away.
She was just as beautiful as she had always been. The angles of her jaw were soft but yet strong, and her cheekbones were high without making her face look hollow. Her lips were shaped gorgeously and her complexion was creamy and perfect, though the rosy color in her cheeks was absent. Her hair was long, past her waist and the most beautiful shade of black you have ever seen, with a hint of copper when the sun hit it right. And then there were her eyes. Those wonderful eyes. They were the most huge things you have ever seen, with a light brown, amber color to them. They looked like bottomless pools, with long, feathered lashes surrounding them. Those eyes seemed as if they could almost hold the beautiful person that was inside. And they had to be pretty amazing eyes to contain the richness of her soul.
Noushzad bowed to the king, as was customary, though they both knew that he was not paying the slightest bit of attention to the king. They both knew that the sounds had fallen away from him, and all that was left was her.
Suddenly, he saw her hand flash. Confused he tore his gaze from her face and looked in the direction that he thought she'd pointed. The doors were so similar but he was almot positive he saw which one she had indicated. He smiled a little at Gelareh, his last effort to comfort her, and nodded, so that she would know that he would go where she told him to. The right door. The one on the right.
Distantly, he was aware that the king was ordering him to choose one of the doors, more for the crowd's benefit than Noushzad's. He turned from Gelareh, promising himself that he wouldn't look back.
He began to walk toward the doors. He felt conscious of every step that he took, knowing that each one could be his last, or at the very least his last being faithful to Gelareh. It seemed to take hours, that walk to the door on the right, and yet it went far too quickly.
He hoped she had said the door on the right.
Quietly, he approached his destination, and reached for the handle. He reached for the handle on the right door.
But before he could turn it, a scream ripped through the air in the arena.
Noushzad froze. It was Gelareh. His mind started racing, as he stared at his hand, which was resting on the intricately careved handle of the door to the right. The door to the right. Everyone in the audience would think that Gelareh was screaming with greif, which would probably just make their day, but Noushzad kenw better. The instant her hand had flashed in this direction, he had guessed wrong. The door to the left held the fate his beloved had chosen for him. And he'd gone to the wrong door.
He winced and shut his eyes tight. There was no turning back now. If he changed doors after that, then everyone would know that the princess had tried to aid him, and they would both be lost. His only choice was this door. So he did the only thing he could possibly do. He opened it.
Noushzad's eyes opened wide in astonishment at the sight he saw. This was the most awful thing that had ever happened to him, no question. Because those were not cheers of battle, those were cheers for a new groom.
And he was looking at his bride.
As the woman came over to him and kissed him on the cheek, as he was draped in beautiful clothes, and as the king made the announcement of his innocence, he stared at Gelareh, and the look of dumfounded guilt and sorrow on her face. And he was numb. He was void of all feeling, including pain.
Because all he could think was that Gelareh, his Gelareh, had sent him to the tiger. She had sent him to die.
Gelareh, how could you?
~~~~~~~
A/N: ooh.....so sad. lol. anyway, this is just the beginning. It is the event that causes a chain reaction of things to come so review! review whether you liked it or not and the story will continue!
A/N: hey everyone. i just wanted to thank all that reviewed. you've got me writing the next chapter, at least! anyway.....the actual story begins....
~~~~~
The Decision
It was loud.
That was all that Noushzad could think of as he stood behind the door to the arena. This was quite ironic, actually, because what stood behind some other door less than a hundred yards away would kill him. Either way he would be dead. He would be eaten alive by a tiger, or he would be eaten away from the inside out by a woman he didn't love.
What kinds of choices were those? Painful death by a brute, or the ironic fate of the even more painful death by a gentle hand. Love was not supposed to be this way. Love was supposed to come magically, from a woman of your own class who could love you without complication. Love was supposed to be the one thing no one could take. And they were.
These things, Noushzad had pondered them every day since he had been caught. He had agonized over how painful his death might be, or how unequal his new wife would be compared to Gelareh. He had thought of these things since then, but right now, the only thought in his mind was that the noise in this small enclosed space was agonizing. Thousands would be sitting in the arena now, waiting for another exciting trial. How cruel it was, to have a man die before a multitude. He would have to suffer their taunting laughs and their uncaring eyes. And he would have to face Gelareh. He would have to look upon her pained face, knowing that he was about to break her heart, whatever the outcome. She would be the one tender heart among the hundreds of flippant remarks and smirking faces. And he was about to ruin her. That is what disgusted him the most, really.
Actually, that was a lie, what disgusted him the most, was the thought of her seeing him marry another. It made him quite literally sick to know that she would be picturing him with someone else while she was the only one that he could ever love. He began to think of all the things he loved about her and stopped himself, knowing full-well that he needed all the courage he could possibly get to do this thing.
Noushzad tried to remain calm. He turned from the guards, because they were not calming sights at all, and took a few very deep breaths. He took in his surroundings, probably the last he'd see that were not shot through with irony and sadness. Even with the chaotic noises of the crowd, these sights were comforting. All he could see was a simple dirt floor, which his toes sank into, high beams of wood, and a bale of hay. The smells and the light falling in sheets through the slats in the wood helped to ease his nerves as well. What a similar place he had spent hundreds of days in his father's gardening shed. He could almost imagine himself there now, if he tried hard enough. Or lied to himself enough.
Trumpets sounded.
Noushzad turned around, and stared at the last door that he would ever see without the promise of death behind it, and he remembered the last words that he had ever heard from his beloved. Trust me. Ah, yes, as he'd been carried off to the dungeons she had mouthed these loathsome words. And he'd known instantly what she meant. She would find out exactly which door the tiger would lay behind. And somehow she would let him know. How awful. His only love would point him to the door of his wife, and it wouldn't be her. Noushzad almost wished that she wouldn't tell him, and spare him the guilt of her sadness. But he knew what would happen. He would see her in the stands, next to her father. She would point in the direction of one of the doors. And lastly, he would open it to the end of both of them.
Roughly, each of the guards grabbed one of his arms with their huge hands, and opened the door wide, letting him through.
The light blinded him for a fraction of an instant, a time in which he whished he could stay forever, that fleeting moment. But soon his eyes adjusted and there was the scene. It was a scene he'd seen numerous times before, but never from this perspective. He'd never been the victim of this insane judgement, he'd always been one of the sneering faces. Always a spectator.
Before him was a mighty arena. The seats were packed full. This was scandalous, a gardeners son sneaking around with the princess. They all wanted to see what the outcome would be. Why, only a few short months ago this would have seen like perfect entertainment. A few months ago he would have loved seeing the look on a princess' face when she saw her illegitimate lover open a door.
A few months ago.
He began to walk slowly up to the kings box, after being shoved roughly by the guards. He tried to focus on the king's face. He tried with every fiber of his being to study the disapproving lines of his eyes and his strong jaw, but it was no use. He caught his last glimpse of Gelareh. Actually, he did more than catch a glimpse of her, he drank the sight of her in. He cherished every second that he could stare even as he wished he could tear his eyes away.
She was just as beautiful as she had always been. The angles of her jaw were soft but yet strong, and her cheekbones were high without making her face look hollow. Her lips were shaped gorgeously and her complexion was creamy and perfect, though the rosy color in her cheeks was absent. Her hair was long, past her waist and the most beautiful shade of black you have ever seen, with a hint of copper when the sun hit it right. And then there were her eyes. Those wonderful eyes. They were the most huge things you have ever seen, with a light brown, amber color to them. They looked like bottomless pools, with long, feathered lashes surrounding them. Those eyes seemed as if they could almost hold the beautiful person that was inside. And they had to be pretty amazing eyes to contain the richness of her soul.
Noushzad bowed to the king, as was customary, though they both knew that he was not paying the slightest bit of attention to the king. They both knew that the sounds had fallen away from him, and all that was left was her.
Suddenly, he saw her hand flash. Confused he tore his gaze from her face and looked in the direction that he thought she'd pointed. The doors were so similar but he was almot positive he saw which one she had indicated. He smiled a little at Gelareh, his last effort to comfort her, and nodded, so that she would know that he would go where she told him to. The right door. The one on the right.
Distantly, he was aware that the king was ordering him to choose one of the doors, more for the crowd's benefit than Noushzad's. He turned from Gelareh, promising himself that he wouldn't look back.
He began to walk toward the doors. He felt conscious of every step that he took, knowing that each one could be his last, or at the very least his last being faithful to Gelareh. It seemed to take hours, that walk to the door on the right, and yet it went far too quickly.
He hoped she had said the door on the right.
Quietly, he approached his destination, and reached for the handle. He reached for the handle on the right door.
But before he could turn it, a scream ripped through the air in the arena.
Noushzad froze. It was Gelareh. His mind started racing, as he stared at his hand, which was resting on the intricately careved handle of the door to the right. The door to the right. Everyone in the audience would think that Gelareh was screaming with greif, which would probably just make their day, but Noushzad kenw better. The instant her hand had flashed in this direction, he had guessed wrong. The door to the left held the fate his beloved had chosen for him. And he'd gone to the wrong door.
He winced and shut his eyes tight. There was no turning back now. If he changed doors after that, then everyone would know that the princess had tried to aid him, and they would both be lost. His only choice was this door. So he did the only thing he could possibly do. He opened it.
Noushzad's eyes opened wide in astonishment at the sight he saw. This was the most awful thing that had ever happened to him, no question. Because those were not cheers of battle, those were cheers for a new groom.
And he was looking at his bride.
As the woman came over to him and kissed him on the cheek, as he was draped in beautiful clothes, and as the king made the announcement of his innocence, he stared at Gelareh, and the look of dumfounded guilt and sorrow on her face. And he was numb. He was void of all feeling, including pain.
Because all he could think was that Gelareh, his Gelareh, had sent him to the tiger. She had sent him to die.
Gelareh, how could you?
~~~~~~~
A/N: ooh.....so sad. lol. anyway, this is just the beginning. It is the event that causes a chain reaction of things to come so review! review whether you liked it or not and the story will continue!
