There are moments in everyone’s life that they know, deep in their hearts, will be unforgettable the second they happen. Those moments are always full of intense emotions. No matter what that feeling was, you just know that you’ll never forget how it felt, and why exactly you felt this way.
My life with Mazen was filled with such moments. Love, smiles, touches…. life. Nothing in my relationship with him was ever inconsequential. Every memory was seated deep in my heart, forever.
Just like this moment.
I was lying on my back, completely naked under the covers, with Mazen beside me on his side, leaning on his elbow so he could look at me while we talked. His other hand was rubbing my stomach lazily where a small bump was forming. Our baby.
“Karma,” Mazen said.
“Karma? Like – Karma?” I asked in disbelief.
“Yes. Karma. It’s a pretty name for a girl.”
“Well, maybe where you come from, but where I come from, we only say ‘Karma is a bitch.’ – I’m not naming my daughter that!”
Mazen chuckled and bent down to kiss my lips.
“I like it when you say a dirty word.”
“Shut up!” I giggled; he was making me blush.
“Okay, your turn.”
“Margret,” I suggested.
“Um … our daughter is not ninety-eight years old, Marie.”
“It’s an excellent choice. It sounds royal.” I defended.
“She’s already a royal, thank you very much.”
“Ugh! Okay, your turn.”
“Hmmm … how about–”
“Constantine!” I said aloud, interrupting Mazen. The name suddenly appeared in my mind, and I couldn’t wait for him to say his new suggestion.
“What is Constantine?” Mazen looked confused.
“A girl’s name. Duh!” It’s a boy’s name in English, but in Arabic, it could be used for a girl, that’s why I thought it might be a cute choice. Maybe …
There was a horrified look on Mazen’s face as he gazed down at me for a second, utter terror in his eyes. “I’m not even going to comment on that!”
My excitement died down. “Fine!” I pouted.
“Menna,” Mazen said a second later, and something in my chest squeezed.
“Oh.”
“A gift from God,” we both said at the same time – the meaning of the soft name that my husband had just suggested.
We both smiled. “I like it,” I said.
“Really?” Mazen looked excited.
“Yes. It’s perfect.” I smiled widely, and he responded with another kiss on my mouth.
“Wonderful. Our first girl will be named Menna,” Mazen said, and I could only sigh; it was dreamy.
“What if it’s a boy?” I asked.
“You think it will be a boy?”
“A healthy baby is all I want.” It was the truth, and I knew Mazen felt the same, but we still needed an heir, and if the baby inside me were a boy – that would be beyond perfection.
“Amen to that, princess.”
“Mazen … there’s only one name I want to call my son. I hope we both can agree on it,”
“Of course, but you know the conditions. If it’s not offensive to Islam, then I can’t see why not,” he said with a small smile.
“It’s not. I’ve always wanted to name my son after my grandfather. That was something I’ve wished I could do for as long as I can remember.”
“Adam?” he asked, and I only nodded. “Adam,” he said again, as if testing the name on his tongue.
Mazen was silent for a moment, and then he shifted his position slightly so that he could put his mouth near my stomach, before whispering, “Hello there, Menna, … or Adam. Daddy can’t wait to meet you.” He then kissed my little bump as happy tears filled my eyes.
There was no way I could forget this moment. Ever.
As I’d expected, getting the majority of the royal family to agree on the two bills wasn’t terribly hard. But sadly, it wasn’t a walk in the park either. I was lucky that the women outnumbered the men, and I quickly convinced the princesses of two generations to agree. But the men had a very tough time supporting it. They were thinking along the same lines as Mazen. They were afraid the Bedouins would start a civil war.
The mood of the public on the day the new law was released and the other law was changed was unexpectedly calm. But I knew better than to think the Bedouins were indifferent. Of course, they’d take their time thinking.
The next day, the media couldn’t stop talking about the new law, which promised seven to fifteen years of jail time to any person, male or female, who performed any act that causes physical harm to a female under the banner of honor. Banned practices included Common Deflowering and Female Circumcision. Punishments and penalties will consist of family members and any doctor or medical professional who are involved.
At the last minute, Rosanna suggested that I add Female Circumcision to the bill. I absolutely had no idea that something like that existed. I only learned that this barbaric practice is performed on young girls starting at the age of eight.
That information could have quickly sent me into a depression; the only thing that kept me from falling into a panic attack was the fact that I could help. And, I did help.
The other law that changed wasn’t getting as much attention, but I believed it was just as important. It banned a rapist from marrying his victim.
Through my research, I discovered the law that did lighten the punishment for the rapist if he married his victim. I couldn’t fix the unreported crimes of rape, also, not the ones fast pulled by the victim’s family when the ‘Rape and get Married for Free’ deal was made. That might have made the part I’d erased from the law useless, but it was something, at least.
I wouldn’t stop trying though. Never would.
The attention given by everyone to the new and updated laws was much appreciated. We needed people to know all about the new law, and the changes to the existing one before the month ended. That’s when the one-month notification period would expire then. Nobody would be able to claim they hadn’t heard about it.
Two weeks later, I was sitting with Rosanna in my office as we discussed the finishing touches for the hospital. As she’d wanted, the official opening would be on my birthday. It had warmed my heart to know how much Rosanna cared about me and appreciated my efforts to help anyone I could.
When the door opened abruptly, I was startled. Everyone knew better than to barge in without announcing themselves while Rosanna was here since she had her face cover removed, but it was only Manar, and she closed the door behind her a second later.
“My apologies, Your Majesty,” she said, then turned to Rosanna. “My apologies, Your Highness.”
“Is everything okay, Manar?” I asked, seeing the strange look on her face; she looked fearful.
“Sheikh Omran’s son is on his way to the palace. He has made it through the first gates and now is being searched,” she said.
“What?” Rosanna blurted out. “What brought him here?”
“I’m not sure, Your Highness. But he told the royal guards that he came with a very important message.”
A messenger. My mind was working fast on all of the possibilities that this ‘important’ message might contain.
There was no doubt the new law would come up, but I had no idea if that message would be bad, or very, very bad.
“All right. I’ll meet with him.”
“You’ll what?” Rosanna asked in a shocked voice.
“I’ll meet with him. What else should I do? He has a message to deliver,” I got up and fixed my jacket.
“If you’ll excuse me, Your Majesty,” Rosanna said, then left the office just like that.
I didn’t have time to think about her reaction as the office was already filling up with managers and secretaries, one putting a scarf loosely over my hair and another getting me into high heels instead of the comfy shoes I was wearing.
Not two minutes later, I exited my office, for I had to welcome the son of the Bedouin’s leader outside. But I stopped in my tracks when I saw Prince Fahd standing outside my office with my guards, his, and several extras.
“Prince Fahd!” I said. “Good morning.”
“Good morning to you, Your Majesty. I’m here to be with as you meet with the messenger.”
I was slightly offended. “Thank you, Prince Fahd. But I believe I can do it on my own.”
“There’s no doubt about that, Your Majesty. Forgive me,” he said, and then took a step closer to me and spoke in a lower voice, “But if I don’t come with you, I might sleep on the couch tonight.”
I chuckled lightly, understanding that this was Rosanna’s doing. She didn’t want me to take any risks.
“All right, I wouldn’t want you to get such a cruel punishment.” I smiled, knowing very well that Prince Fahd was as protective of me as Mazen was. If Rosanna hadn’t run to tell him, Fahd would’ve come on his own. Even if he were to step back and remain silent during the meeting, he’d make sure to be there.
It didn’t escape my notice that he positioned himself that way so as not to be offensive and also to lighten the palpable tension.
“After you, Your Majesty.” Prince Fahd offered a small smile, and with a nod, I made my way to the foyer and waited for Sheikh Omran’s son to come through the inside gates.
Not a minute later, the man in question stepped out from the driver’s side of the jeep, a frown on his hard features as he took steady steps towards us.
“As-salamo Alikom,” he greeted with the Islamic greeting.
“Peace be upon you, too, Sheikh Qapeel,” I replied in Arabic, using his name which I had learned two minutes ago. I knew better than to offer my hand for him to shake. Most of the men in the kingdom didn’t shake hands with women – for religious reasons – and I respected that. But what put me off was that he didn’t offer his hand to Prince Fahd either.
That didn’t bode well.
“Come inside, please. Honor us with having–”
“I’m not here for food or drinks,” he interrupted, which was very disrespectful in and of itself. Although I didn’t say anything, I was sure Prince Fahd wouldn’t let the slight go by. However, he appeared completely calm. For now. “I’m here to meet King Mazen Alfaidy,” the Sheikh said, neither looking me in the eyes, nor in the respectable way of ‘averting the gaze’ – it seemed like he wasn’t giving a damn about my presence.
“Well,” I said, “the King is not here. He’s out of the country, actually. You would’ve known this if we had been informed of this graceful visit beforehand, or if you’d actually listened to the news at any time during the past two days.”
As I expected, my response earned me his attention. His eyes were angry, but he knew I was right. For a few seconds, there was complete silence around us. With a careful smile, I spoke again.
“You may speak with me. I hear you have a message for us.”
“To a woman?” He spat the words in a way that made it worse than a curse.
“Queen Marie Archer is the second in charge of anything related to the Kingdom of Alfaidya after King Mazen Alfaidy. The first in charge when His Majesty is absent,” Prince Fahd said in a strong tone. “You will show respect to your Queen, or you can keep the message to yourself and deliver our greetings to Sheikh Omran.”
The man looked stunned. “You’re kicking me out of your palace?” he asked in disbelief. It was the ultimate offense for Arabs to kick a guest out or even treat them with disrespect. I was somewhat taken aback with Prince Fahd for making that threat myself.
“I never said that, Sheikh Qapeel. Only reminding you of the manner with which you need to speak to your Queen,” Prince Fahd said calmly.
There was another pause, then the young man spoke again. “Fine. My father – Sheikh Omran, son of Shackir Elbadawy – would like to inform His Majesty King Mazen Alfaidy and yo– Your Majesty Queen Marie Archer that he is pleased neither with the new law numbered 876, nor with the change of law with the number 304. He strongly believes that everything needs to stay the same before the two laws cause damage to our community, and therefore – the whole kingdom. If not, the Bedouins will not be responsible for any consequences that may happen.”
My heart was beating crazily fast as I listened to his message, but I kept a blank expression.
It was a threat. Plain and simple.
“Thank you for delivering the message, Sheikh Qapeel.” I maintained my smile as I spoke. “Inform Sheikh Omran that his concern is greatly appreciated, and we only do what we see as best for our country.”
The young man locked eyes with me for a second. He was searching for any kind of reaction to knowing how I honestly felt, but I kept my expression courteous.
“Of course,” he said.
“Anything else, Sheikh Qapeel?”
“No.” He offered me the paper, and one of the royal guards took it from him. He then turned his back to us, got in his jeep and left without another word. Another disrespectful act. But I had more important things to consider after hearing the message than worrying about that little whiner turning his back to me.
Things could get really ugly in the Kingdom.
It was the fourth day of Mazen’s absence, and my concerns about Sheikh Omran’s message kept me busy, and away from dwelling over how much I longed for my husband.
I had yet to tell him anything about that visit. I wanted to discuss it with him personally, and I had to wait for his arrival tomorrow to do that.
Taking advantage of his absence, I stayed in my main office until late at night, searching for anything that could help me if things got ugly with the Bedouins. I knew exactly what I was going to do. But I wasn’t going to let on until it was time, just for Mazen’s sanity.
After I dismissed everyone from the office, I got up and opened the secret door behind the big painting hanging on one of the walls. I went through a few passages and more secret doors and headed to the small library where an old contract I needed for my research was located.
It was called a library because of how it looked superficially, but the truth was – it held many vital contracts and letters inside its walls. For security, only a handful of people knew that.
Said library was inside the Mother Queen’s quarters, and I thought it would be best to enter through the secret doors. Nobody would even know I was there.
I wasn’t trying to avoid meeting my mother-in-law, I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of an official meeting just to get a piece of paper.
I turned the knob and pushed the shelf that hid the entry from people’s eyes.
I gasped, and my hand flew to my cross when I saw someone going through books which were only there for distraction.
“Jeez!” I calmed down a bit as I saw it was my mother-in-law. “Sorry, I didn’t expect anyone to be here,” Surely, she was as scared as I was, after all – I’d come out of nowhere.
A feeling flooded my chest. It wasn’t just the shock of being startled, but everything about the woman standing in front of me made me feel uneasy. My memory took me back to a couple of months ago when I had this very same feeling as I was going to visit my niece; the sense of someone watching me from behind the doors.
Negative energy. Bad vibes.
Not only that, something was different about her. Something changed, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Her eyes were wide as she looked at the secret entrance from which I came. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was the first time she’d seen it. But, of course, that couldn’t be the case. She knew this place and all its secrets by heart.
“Are you okay?” I had to ask, because she hadn’t uttered a word, smiled or done anything since I entered the library. I was a drama queen and had already snapped out of my shock. Why hadn’t she?
Her expression changed at my words – she looked confused? Maybe. But in the same instant, her gaze went down to my small baby bump, and I could swear I saw her sneer.
Unconsciously, my hand flew to my stomach; the threatening look she gave made me feel like I should run for our lives.
“Your Royal Highness?” I tried one more time, my voice was a bit shaky.
Her eyes snapped back to mine, and a small smile that was what I could only describe as evil drew on her lips. It reminded me straight away of a dark memory that I kept buried. I shrugged it immediately away before it could break my heart all over again.
The Queen Mother only nodded, then left through the main door, closing it behind her with a definitive click.
I stood in place for a few minutes trying to collect my thoughts. What the heck was that? Taking a few deep breaths, I decided to forget about it. I already knew that I couldn’t trust that crazy woman. My guard would stay up around her, no matter what.
It was a challenge to find the exact papers I needed. After all, they were a few centuries old, but I finally found them.
By the time Mazen returned home, I had everything prepared. We sat down and discussed the situation, and decided not to do anything in response to the message we received from the Bedouin leader.
I convinced Mazen that I had a plan, but I didn’t tell him what it was. He trusted me and trusted my judgment, so he didn’t push.
To be honest, I didn’t tell him because I knew he would go absolutely insane if he knew. I was going to meet up with Sheikh Omran himself – in his house.