Aram came to stand before the royal brothers, in front of Amjad, who wasn’t making any effort to appear solemn, meeting his eyes with his signature irreverence.
Giving back as good as he got, he repeated the citizenship oath. But as he kneeled to have Amjad touch his head with the king’s sword while reciting the subject proclamation, Amjad gave him what appeared to be an accidental whack on the head—intentionally, he was certain.
Aram rose, murmuring to Amjad that it was about time they did something about their long-standing annoyance with each other. Amjad whimsically told him he wished he could oblige him. But he’d promised Kanza he’d share his lunch with him in the playground from now on.
Pondering that Kanza had smoothed his path even with Amjad, he accepted the citizenship breastpin.
Yawning theatrically, Amjad went through the ritual of proclaiming him the minister of economy, pretending to nod off with the boredom of its length. Then it was the minister’s breastpin’s turn to join the other on Aram’s chest. This time, Amjad made sure he pricked him.
Everyone in the hall rose to their feet, letting loose a storm of applause and cheers. He turned to salute them, caught Kanza’s smile and tearful eyes across the distance. Then he turned back to the king.
In utmost tranquility, holding Amjad’s goading gaze, he unfastened the breastpins one by one, then, holding them out in the two feet between them, he let them drop to the ground.
The applause that had faltered as he’d taken the breastpins off came to an abrupt halt. The moment the pins clanged on the ground, the silence fractured on a storm of collective gasps.
Aram watched as Amjad shrewdly transferred his gaze from Kanza’s shocked face back to his.
Then that wolf of a man drawled, “So did my baby brother not explain the ritual to you? Or are you taking off your sharp objects to tackle me to the ground here and now?”
“I’ll tackle you in the boardroom, Amjad. And I know exactly what casting the symbols of citizenship and status to the ground means. That I renounce both, irrevocably.”
Amjad suddenly slapped him on the shoulder, grinning widely. “What do you know? You’re not a stick-in-the-mud like your best friend. If you’re as interesting as this act of madness suggests you are, I might swipe you from him.”
“Since you did this for me to please Kanza, you’re not unsalvageable yourself, after all, Amjad. Maybe I’ll squeeze you in, when I’m not busy belonging to Kanza.”
“Since I’m also busy belonging to Maram, we’ll probably work a reasonable schedule. Say, an hour a year?”
Suddenly liking the guy, he grinned at him. “You’re on.”
As he turned around, Shaheen was all over him, and Harres, Haidar and Jalal immediately followed suit, scolding, disbelieving, furious.
He just smiled, squeezed Shaheen’s shoulder then walked back among the stunned spectators and came to kneel at Kanza’s feet. Looking as if she’d turned to stone, she gaped down at him, eyes turbid and uncomprehending.
He took her hands, pulled her to his embrace. “The only privileges I’d ever seek are your love and trust and certainty. Would you bestow them on me again, whole, pure and absolute? I can’t and won’t live without them, ya kanzi.”
And she exploded into action, grabbing him and dragging him behind her among the now-milling crowd.
“Undo this!”
Amjad turned at her imperative order, smiling sardonically. “No can do. Seems this Aram of yours is too much like me, poor girl. He’s as crazy as I am.”
She stamped her foot in frustration. “You can undo this. You’re the king.”
Amjad tsked. “And undo his grand gesture? Don’t think so.”
“So you can undo it!” she exclaimed.
Amjad shook his head. “Sorry, little cousin. Too many pesky witnesses and tribal laws. Your man knew exactly what he was doing and that it cannot be undone. But let me tell you, it makes him worthy of you. That took guts, and also shows he knows exactly what works for him, what’s worthy. You. So just enjoy your pretty, pretty full-of-himself guy’s efforts to worship you.”
She looked between him and Amjad in complete and utter shock. “But…what will Shaheen do when Johara gives birth? What about Zohayd…”
“The only world that would collapse without your Aram is yours. And I guess that’s why he’s doing this. To make it—” Amjad winked at her “—impregnable.”
As she continued to argue and plead, Aram swept her up in his arms and strode out of the palace, taking her back home.
*
Her protests kept coming even after he’d taken her home and made love to her twice.