XI

                                    

                                          
"Your Highness..." Nihal hesitated when they were alone.
"Yes, Nihal." Noor looked up from the document in her hand.
"This Chief..." He began, only to pause again.
"What about this Chief?" Noor smiled.
"He's...interesting." Nihal didn't want to use the word suspicious right off the bat.
Noor was amused. "That's what he says about you. But why do you say so?"
"Well...for one, his cousins had some sort of a bet regarding you and him." Nihal decided it was best to tell the Queen what he heard straight up.
Lifting an eyebrow, Noor put the document down to give him all of her attention. "What type of bet?"
"I'm not sure." Nihal shook his head. "They just said it was to see how long it would take before you and the Chief were sitting together and laughing."
Noor's smile widened. What Nihal was describing was not out of character for Veer and Kabir.
"I just think..." Nihal knew he had to choose his words very carefully, "that you should be above petty bets...you know."
"Nihal..." Noor spoke gently, "I've known these guys my entire life. And I know we were enemies for a large part of it but that's no longer the case. We're good friends now and they have zero ill intent towards me." Noor explained rising to her feet and talking a couple steps towards him to look into his eyes.
"Still, didn't they get a little too casual a little too quick?" Nihal couldn't help but ask. 
"No, they didn't." Noor stated politely as she thought of how to explain her dynamic with the Kurralis to Nihal in a way he would understand. "You know how you've only ever known me as a Queen..? Well, these guys have known me long before I got that title. All of us grew up bowing before Prince Udam because we knew he would be King one day." Noor sighed. "I...just happen to be on the throne of Doab right now but it was never meant for me. Growing up, I was nothing but a kid of a ruling family of Doab just like the rest of them. We grew up as equals, so while they respect me as the Queen, they can't help but think I'm just one of them at the end of the day. Which..." Noor smiled, "comes as a breath of fresh air to me." Nihal could see the relief in her eyes. "I don't ever get treated normal. No one cracks jokes with me or makes fun of me. And why would they? I'm the Queen, why would anyone risk offending me? Instead, all anyone ever does around me is be polite until the reason they are visiting me is fulfilled and I sign off on whatever they want." 
Nihal stared at the woman he respected more than anyone else in the world. She was right, he had only ever seen her as the Queen. Her title, her power, and her aura had completely blind sighted him of the fact that, she was after all, a 31 year old woman. A woman with desires of her own, a woman with the ability get lonely, with needs for connection and support just as any other person. A woman, who at the end of the day, also wished for friends, and to some level, a normal life. She had none of that. It was the first time in his three years that he had even seen her smiling to the fullest. This was her making an attempt to feel like a normal woman of her age.
"These guys want nothing from me, Nihal." Noor continued. "And they treat me like a friend. I can't tell you how much that means to me. I know you're very protective about me but...I do have a request: go easy on them. Please. Treat them like an extension of my own family, so whatever would pass if my immediate family members did it, let it slide for them too. This state, this family is very very dear me. It's no less than a miracle that my father and I are even present here right now. Five years ago, this was something undreamed of. So, give them the benefit of the doubt, consider them my own, and be a little lenient on them. Okay?"
Nihal bowed, a little lower than usual today. "As you wish, Your Highness. They will face no problems from my end." He smiled. If these people were making the Queen happy, he would never get in the way. She was simply trying experience friendship after many years of solitude and he was overthinking everything. Plus, the Chief was married. What was the most he could even do? 
Nihal smiled at the Queen and headed out of her chambers.
Prem had gone out that afternoon and returned only after dinner so Noor did not get to see him until the next morning. He took her on a tour of the palace after breakfast, showing her everything from the chambers where their family heirlooms laid to the cages where he kept his Pitbulls. Their final stop was the stables to show Noor his horses. Nihal and Sevak were already here tending to Noor's horses. They both greeted the Queen with a bow.
"Hello, my boy!" Prem walked up to Noor's main horse, Toofan, and gave him a loving pat. "You have no idea how happy I am to see him here!" Prem exclaimed looking at Sevak and Noor.
"How's my baby doing?" Noor cuddled her face with her horse. "You happy to be around your brother again?" She asked in a sweet voice. "Where's Badshaah?" Noor looked up at Prem, referring to his main horse. "He should be next to Toofan!"
"He was until yesterday. I don't know who moved him." Prem looked around. Badshaah was nowhere to be found. He gestured at the guard standing in the doorway of the stables to come over when Hakam entered with Badshaah behind him. "There he is!" Prem's eyes lit up.
Hakam bowed before the Queen and led Badshaah into the stall next to Toofan. "Here's my other boy!" Noor exclaimed, grabbing Badshaah's head and planting a kiss above his eyes before backing away to see both their stallions standing next to one another. "They look so happy together!"
Nihal stared at the majestic horses. They were several inches taller, and visibly stronger than most of the horses of Doab. It was clear they were not local. Despite most of the horses in the Chief's stable being special imports of superior breeds, these two horses still stood out. They were world class, the highest quality of horses but they belonged to two people who were historically enemies, so he struggled to understand what the connection was between them.
Noor noticed and decided to explain. "Nihal, these two are siblings! They were gifted to the Prince when they were just born by a King, three Kingdoms west of us. And the Prince gave each of us one on our birthday."
"That makes a lot of sense, Your Highness." Nihal stated in a smile. "Very good to know!"
Prem stood next to Toofan patting his mane. "How you doing, my boy?" He asked the horse. "He seems out of practice. Too busy sitting on the throne these days to ride a horse, Your Highness?" Prem teased Noor.
"Please, my horse will never be out of practice." Noor held up a hand before him. "And if you have doubts about my horse-riding skills, I can clear them all on the racecourse tomorrow."
"Oooh, a straight challenge of all things?! It is on!" Prem declared, peering into her eyes. "I will see you on the field tomorrow!"
"Except you won't because I will be so far ahead of you." Noor proclaimed, winking at him before sassily throwing her silk dupatta over her shoulder, and walking off.
Prem laughed watching her back and Nihal stood watching Prem. Something about the way he looked at the Queen was just...different. And the Queen...she was a whole different person around him.
Prem and Noor went off to their respective days and met again just before dinner. Of course, a large part of their conversation revolved the upcoming horserace between them on the following day.