AN: I wish more people were reviewing, but I do have to say that a bunch of people apparently like this because they have added to their favorites or subscriptions. Anyways, please read and review, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Also thanks to everyone who has reviewed or emailed me. It does help inspire people when they get feedback.
She unwrapped the sword that she had brought with her as a gift to her husband. She did not give it to him last night, the night of their wedding, because she had wanted to know if he could use a blade. She had found out he could, so she wanted to give it to him. Well to be honest she was not sure if she really wanted to give it to him, but she needed to show him that she brought things to this marriage other than herself.
The hilt was made of gold, and the tempered steel of the blade was burned black. The fashion of the sword was a scimitar, it would allow him to be quicker than he was. It would also allow him to duel wield with another weapon. She hoped he would enjoy this gift she was giving him as much as she enjoyed it.
She had watched this sword as it was forged, and it hurt to think of parting with it. She knew though that she had to offer him something so he would be more accepting of her. Already she could feel the devotion to the man start to set in. She was not sure if she actually liked him, for she knew naught about him, or if it was just her Hassansin nature.
She gently took the sword out of the wrappings that she had secured them in for the journey to the palace. She would have kept it for herself, she was selfish about these sorts of things, but it was too heavy for her. So naturally she would give it to her husband. She hoped he would see the quality and be thankful for it. Garsiv did seem to understand what good craftsmanship was. When she had picked up one of his best swords last night during the fight, he had silently pleaded with her not to use it.
She had put back the sword because he had sentimental value to it. She did not quite understand why he would not want to use such a good sword, but it was not any of her business at the moment. She would eventually ask him about it, but until then she would just have to wonder silently.
She sat the blade down so she could remove the viper that curled around her arm as if it were a branch it could laze upon. She sat the snake down and watched as it slithered away from her into a dark corner of the room. She really was glad that they stayed hidden from the servants who flooded her room when she was not there to clean. For if they were found they would be killed as if they were pests instead of pets.
After standing from her sitting position on the floor she picked the sword back up and left her chambers, seeking out her husband's which was a few doors away. As she approached a dozing servant that stood next to her husband's door, he snapped too when she cleared her throat gently. His eyes darted to the sword immediately.
"A gift." she whispered as she motioned for him to open the door.
"My princess, it is yet early, and my prince still slumbers." argued the servant in a gentle whisper.
At first, a rude remark leapt to her tongue, but she stilled it. "Please open the door, I will be quiet." she said as kindly as she could. She had wanted to ask him how dare he question her, but she didn't. Just because she was the princess, did not give her the right to boss her husband's servants around.
"You do not understand princess, he does not like being disturbed in the mornings." pleaded the servant in a desperate whisper.
"All you have to do is open the door for me so I don't drop this. I will take whatever punishment he can come up with for me giving him a present." she said reassuring the servant that everything would be alright. The man stood still a moment before finally nodding and doing as she wished. He opened the door silently, and held it open for her.
She thanked him and entered the room. Garsiv lay in his bed, snoring softly due to the fact he was sleeping on his back. She could see him in the low candle light. She was thankful his candles had not yet burned out because it was still dark outside. She carefully picked her way to his bedside so she could put the sword on the table next to his bed so he would see it when he woke up.
She managed to put the sword down before she realized that she no longer heard him snoring. She cursed herself and all her Hassansin ways for not being quieter as she snuck through his room. She went over it in her head, and she had made no noise entering or walking to where she stood. It occurred to her that the door creaked once while closing, blowing her cover. She looked over and he was looking at her. She guessed she should be thankful that he was a light sleeper.
He looked angry, just like the servant said he would. He sat up in his bed, looking all the more angry as he rose into a sitting position. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice hard, sounding almost like a growl. She sighed and looked hard at him. He rubbed the corner of his eye with a finger as they stared at each other, he was trying to remove the sleep from his eyes with an angry desperation. He only managed to irritate it though.
"I brought you a wedding gift." she said finally. His face lost its hard angered edge, and softened. It did not matter what it was, he had to be nice because she thought enough of him to bestow a present upon him. He got up from the bed, revealing that all he wore was a pair of buckskin trous. She looked at her husband when he was not looking at her. He took care of his body that was for sure. She averted her gaze as he came to stand next to her.
"Well, give me the gift." he said, holding out his hands as if he were a child. He had not seen what she had brought yet. She picked up the sword and turned around. His eyes widened. That was a real weapon, one that was forged correctly, and with expert care. And it was a right proper present as well. He was stunned speechless as he let his eyes wonder over the sword.
He removed it from her hands with ease. He tested its weight and found it to near to perfect for his stature. He backed away from her a few paces and then spun it around, testing how it cut through the air, singing as it did so.
She sat on the edge of his bed, committing his form to memory as he tested the sword more thoroughly. She was blessed that Prince Garsiv was a handsome man. More handsome than the men of her village by far. By the time he had finished amusing himself with her present, he had a fine sheen of sweat that dampened his chest and back that glistened in the candle light. She had not realized how much time had passed until she noticed that the sun had nearly risen all the way once he had finished.
He turned to look at her, a real smile gracing his lips for the first time since she had married him. "I like it. I thank you. I regret that I don't have any trinkets to bestow upon you. I will find you a necklace the first chance I get… One that matches your eyes." he said, actually excited about the prospect for repaying her kindness to him.
He stopped talking when he saw her face fall. He remembered then that she was not materialistic about personal items, things that most women that he knew held value to. She would be happier with a book more likely, than a piece of jewelry. "A necklace sounds most appropriate." she whispered though, so not to be rude.
"What would you rather have?" he asked, trying to please her since she had managed to please him so greatly. He twirled the blade through the air, enjoying how it felt, as he waited for her to answer him.
"A present is not something that I pick out. It is something that you wish to give me. If you wish me to have a necklace that matches my eyes, then it is the most perfect gift you can give." she said, a small smile gracing her lips. She had to understand Persian men were different than the men in her village. These men gave women trinkets. Hassansin men gave woman things they could actually use. He blinked a few times, trying to judge her reaction.
"Either way I will get you something. I am most thankful for the sword. It is great and I will forever cherish it." he said, actually meaning every word that fell forth from his lips. It was a touching moment, revealing things about both of them.
"Cherish it by using it Garsiv. Don't hang it like an ornament to be looked at." she said as she gestured around his room. He liked her statement, but it was something a man would say to him, not his wife. He was going to have to grow used to her being open with him, speaking to him as if she were his equal. He wanted to correct her, but she seemed as if she was a woman who would not be tamed of her ways. He didn't want to tame the woman though who had gave him such a rich gift.
"Thank you again." he said with a smile.
"You are welcome. I will leave you now, as I am sure you have many things you must do today." she said awkwardly. She picked at a stray stand on his robe that she was still wearing. She thought this was going to be a quicker visit and she had not changed yet.
"Shraga, let us dine tonight together, just the two of us." he said, actually trying to make a step to getting to know her more. He might as well start sooner than later. She nodded as she stood from her sitting spot on the bed.
"I will look forward to it." she said.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Did she not think that her future brother-in-laws would want swords like this as well?" asked Tus as he still admired Garsiv's wedding present.
"I would say she didn't see the need to bestow presents on you when she has me to bestow them upon." gloated Garsiv, his chest swelling with pride. Tus nodded and handed the sword over to Dastan, who also admired it appropriately.
"So how was the wedding night? Better than you thought it was going to be?" asked Tus with a laugh. Garsiv laughed and shook his head. "It was a wedding night unlike any other." stated Garsiv.
"Do we even want to know?" asked Dastan, slightly disturbed by talking about Garsiv's sex life.
"I walked in my room, and she attacked me." said Garsiv, knowing that they would think the opposite of what really happened.
"Ah dear baby brother, turning into a man, woman attacking him at his door." snickered Tus with a wide smile.
"No, Tus, I mean she really attacked me. She had a sword and everything. She is actually a very skilled fighter." explained Garsiv.
Both of his brothers stared at him as if he was crazy. They blinked a few times before they looked at each other in surprise. "Who won the fight?" asked Dastan.
"I threw down my sword because she was losing a lot of blood so I suppose she won because I threw down my sword. Or maybe I won because I drew first blood…" said Garsiv as he took back his sword. He put it in the scabbard, and patted the hilt in pride.
"What do you mean that she was losing a lot of blood?" asked Tus. This entire conversation was bizarre and Dastan and Tus were having a hard time comprehending it.
"I cut her on the back of her hand during the fight." said Garsiv as he caught a glimpse of his from the training grounds. She was near the gardens. She was with Tus's mother, who was the closest thing to a mother that Garsiv had after his mother had passed. He wondered what they were speaking about.
"So you guys never got around to consummating the marriage then did you?" asked Dastan as he drew Garsiv out of his deep thoughts.
"No we didn't. To be honest I think I want to get to know her better before we try." said Garsiv honestly.
"I think I respect that decision more for the both of you since you guys were thrown together into this marriage." said Tus, as he followed Garsiv's gaze to Shraga. He too wondered what his mother spoke to Shraga about.
"So are we going to give that sword the right testing or, we going to just admire its make from afar?" asked Dastan as he pulled out his own sword to challenge Garsiv. Garsiv smiled and pulled his sword back out from the scabbard, and before he knew it they were sparring.
He was faster now because of the curvature of the blade. He should have taken up this style of sword long ago. He usually always beat Dastan because he had more training, but today Dastan did not stand a chance against him. It only made him more prideful.
The sparring always ended in first blood, and Garsiv slashed a thin cut into Dastan's left shoulder. Dastan sighed in defeated and wiped the blood off of his shoulder. "I need to get a blade like that, you are much faster than you ever have been." said Dastan with a look of envy to his brother.
"Poor brother, you will never be as fast as me." joked Garsiv with a hefty laugh. Tus patted Dastan on the back and told him that he should not let Garsive get to him. Dastan nodded and knew he was just being picked on because he was the youngest.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
She had been exploring most of her day after she had returned to her chambers to get dressed. It was a tough decision on what to wear, because most of her wardrobe consisted of black desert robes. It was cooler in the city, so there was not need to dress as if she was in the desert.
She desperately needed a change in wardrobe since this was her new home. She settled on a long navy blue robe that covered her under tunic and trous. On the navy blue robe it was lined with silver brocade. It was the most expensive piece she owned. If she was going to be a Persian princess, she knew she was going to dress richer than she was used to.
After she had dressed she left her chambers to explore her new home. She had explored it in secret when she had arrived, but now she wanted explore where others could see her. She started on the floor she was on. They were just rooms. She found that she was next to Dastan's room, and down the hall were Tus and Garsiv's rooms. There were other rooms on this floor but she did not know who they belonged to. She figured the King's chambers where on the floor above this one, as well as his wives chambers.
She started down the marbles steps in search of a formal library. She had already found the king's private study the second day she was there. She had not stayed long enough to learn anything in his private study because to be honest she did not care to know such things. So she wanted to find the more formal library to look at what they offered everyone else to know.
The library was expansive and it would take years to catalog everything. She realized that upon entering the double golden doors leading inside. She felt the urge to learn more than what she had been taught in her village but today was not her day to do so.
She was cut off as a woman entered the library behind her.
"You are a curious one. Marry my son, and then come to the library. Most women would have already have been making enemies in the harem." said the woman, drawing Shraga's gaze to her. That was one place that Shraga had been avoiding. There was a small harem on the floor for the Prince's, she would be the only inhabitant as of yet in that room. She had heard women in there, she figured that it was just women from the king's harem trying to find more privacy.
"I have no need to make enemies. I would rather spend my time with something more worthwhile." stated Shraga with a smile. She looked at this woman; she was almost a splitting image of Tus. She had light brown hair and cool blue eyes. "Did you say Garsiv was your son? I thought his mother had passed." asked Shraga, confused.
The woman smiled sadly and linked her arms with Shraga. "Walk with me and I will explain, my dear. I am Azada, Tus's mother. I call Garsiv my son not only because his mother has passed, but I practically raised the child. His mother was the conniving sort, always trying to gain favor with the king when she should have been caring for her children. She had Garsiv and Dara. Garsiv was the only babe who survived. I still to this day think Dara passed from lack of a proper mother. She took ill as a babe. I wish there were more I could have done for her but I was caring for Tus and my two other children. So when she had Garsiv, I made sure that he survived, when she wouldn't have."
She explained slowly as they walked together out of the library's exit into the gardens. It was a lovely day, and with the spring wind carried the sweet scent of flowers. "I am sure that he would rather call you mother than someone who did not take care of him." said Shraga, as she caught glimpse of her husband from afar. He and Dastan were sparring. It warmed her to the core to see him actually using the sword she had given him. At least it was being used.
"I love him dearly, and I wanted to tell you to be gentle with him. He does not notice, but he has a soft heart, easy to be broken. Do not be the woman to break him. Take care of my son." said Azada with tears in her cool blue eyes. Shraga instantly loved this woman. It was because she understood the magnitude of what it was to be a wife. Men did not understand this concept, nor did some women. Hassansin women were fiercely devoted to their husbands, and she could tell that Azada was fiercely devoted to her husband as well.
"I will do my hardest to not see him hurt." whispered Shraga as she gazed deeply into Azada's eyes.
"I think I am already starting to like you. You do not try, you do. You do not care to make petty friendships and enemies in the harem, you would rather learn. Seems as if my husband did a good job of picking you out. I can also see why he chose you for Garsiv instead of my own flesh and blood Tus. At first I will not lie I was angered that Garsiv would marry before Tus, but now after meeting you, I understand. You would be too much for Tus to handle. I know this is my first time meeting you but I am good at reading people. You are quick witted, and not so easily cooled off if you are angered. I bet you also speak your mind without fear of the repercussions. You have the makes of a great princess, but not a queen" said Azada.
She was truthful about what she said. It did not matter how much control training she had, sometimes she just could not turn her mind off. "You are correct. I do not care as to what trouble my tongue will get me, and I do have a hard time cooling down once I am angry. And I have no need to want to be a queen." Shraga said unashamed.
"Well then let me ask you, why does my son have a nice bruise on his cheek? Am I correct that he did not slip getting out of his bath? It was you who gave it to him?" asked Azada concerned.
"Yes. I apologized, I assure you." said Shraga so she would not have to explain more about what happened. Azada's cool blue eyes softened. She really did like Shraga already.
"It is now time for me to be the nosey mother-in-law. How was your wedding night my dear?" asked Azada.
They walked deeper into the garden, away from the servants and other inhabitants of the garden. "I am sure that it was not the wedding night that others would want to have." said Shraga as she glanced over her shoulder, making sure that she could still see Garsiv. He was still there, laughing now and showing his sword off to more people.
"Whatever do you mean?" Azada asked more than curious as to what Shraga meant. Azada stopped them near a garden bench and urged Shraga to sit down. Shraga sat and knew she was in for a deep talk with her mother-in-law. Azaada perched down next to her like a mother hen. Shraga thought sweet of the woman to care so much for a son that was on hers.
"We have not consummated the marriage as of yet. I think Garsiv could see that I was not ready, and I don't think he is either, so he sent me to my room. That is why I slapped him. I thought that I was not wanted, but on further personal evaluation I realized that he is just as afraid as I am." explained Shraga as she watched her husband swing his sword around adoringly. It was semi truth, to this she knew.
Azada touched Shraga's arm in comfort. "Do not do anything until you are ready my dear. There is nothing wrong with making a man wait. I did the same very thing to Sharaman. I was blessed that he is such a patient man. Garsiv has that same patience of his father but he also has that same hot headedness of his mother. He will wait until you are ready but he might try to push on occasion." said Azada with a graceful smile. Shraga smiled back after she let her eyes linger on the older woman's hand. She was still so youthful for a woman nearly in her fifties. Shraga admired people who took care of themselves, and she could see that Azada was one of those women.
"I will consider your words carefully." replied Shraga with a smile.
"And just what are we considering?" asked Dastan as he came to stand next to the woman he too called mother. She looked up and stroked her adoptive son's arm.
"She is considering giving me a grandchild since you and Tus won't seem to get married." laughed Azada. Dastan spat at her words and made a face. She frowned though when she realized he was bleeding from his left shoulder. "My dear boy, have you allowed your brothers to hurt you again?" asked Azada as she reached up and pressed a finger to his wound. He hissed and swatted her hand away.
She laughed at her son and stood, shaking her head. She could see he needed to be sewed up, even if he didn't. "I will speak to you later my dear, I have to go see to my accident prone son." said Azada as she started to push her son towards the palace. Shraga waved after them both and then turned around to see her husband had disappeared.