❝My love will drown you to the depths of the sea.❞
Furat bin Kiyan, the fleet admiral of Al Andalus, is a spy and a rebel on a mission to kill the caliph of Cordoba and claim the throne for himself. But finds himself in trouble at the hands of Rahaf...
The woman is found only once in the man's life, the same for the man in the woman's life, and the things apart from that are merely attempts of replacement.
— Ghassan Kanafani
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EYES ARE DANGEROUS. One should never gaze into them too long. One might be drawn to them. And if one doesn't have the right to gaze at another, this is where sin begins. This is where destruction begins. This is where he ruined himself before.
But these aren't the eyes he should be scared of. These are the eyes of the woman he's marrying. They're warm and they look at him with love. They're beautiful. They're distracting him. They scare him.
Furat fists his right hand and lowers his gaze. What is he thinking? Is he tired of the day already? Or perhaps it's the way Rahaf looked at him. Perhaps everything is a bit overwhelming. Whatever may be the reason, he doesn't dare look up at her again.
The room they're sitting in is spacious but it feels stuffy to him, even though there are only a few people inside. Outside there's a hustle. The room divider separates him from Rahaf and he's grateful for it. Her eyes bother him. She's wearing kohl in them and wearing a face veil that hides her face. He doesn't like it.
Rouzbeh sits to his right. He places a hand over his fist. Furat unclenches it without looking at him and relaxes, rubbing his palms against his thighs. He isn't anxious in anticipation of what is to happen nor is he excited about it. He's glad to be achieving what he was striving for, yet marrying the daughter of his enemy feels rather strange to him. Furat blames it on the hope he sees in her eyes that he's to shatter. It reminds it of something. Someone. He closes his eyes. He doesn't want to think about it.
"What is the matter?" Rouzbeh quietly asks him, leaning in.
He exhales slowly and shakes his head.
"Are you nervous?" his friend bugs.
"Shush it."
"Do you think she looks beautiful?"
Furat glares at him. "Don't," he warns.
"What? Are you feeling possessive already?"
"I'll cut your tongue," he hisses at Rouzbeh who presses his lips together and swallows back a laugh.
"You look pitiful, akhi, like a man who's nervous and happy to marry his bride but also lost as if he isn't sure if he should be marrying her."
Furat doesn't answer him. Rouzbeh has defined his state quite accurately.
Aswad bin Motassem enters the room with the Imam. Rouzbeh pats his hands, this time with assurance, before everyone stands up in respect of the caliph. Aswad gestures for everyone to take their seats.
"Whatever is the matter, know that all will be well," Rouzbeh whispers to him.
When the witnesses and the officiant are all present, the nikkah ceremony is started.
