Fortune Favors the Cursed
the-reticent-seer
diverselit
diverselit
1.3K5
An orphan girl with questionable morals. A scarred prince with two lives. One relic to change their world.
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Badriya As-Sahra is sick of piling up camel dung and ...Chapter 37
Generosity was the prime attribute that defined a man born from Zecaj. They were a nation built on wealth, and they used to sit under so much riches—quite literally—that people from the rest of Salym flocked to their country to get a portion of it for themselves. Being the generous folk that they were, the good old people of Zecaj gave their wealth without question. They soon learned about the concept of trade and commerce, but even by then it was too late to undo the damage they had caused to their livelihood. Only a select few now had access to the mines that still contained mineral wealth, and everyone else who was scraping to get by had to resort to other, more immoral means to sustain themselves.
That's what some of the things Ayaz had to learn about the supposed historic downfall of his country. He also learned that a Zecajian funeral reminded the people of their roots, of their supposed spirit of giving. It was a fact that surprised him since almost everyone he stumbled upon was greedy one way or the other. While most had no choice but to act as such, the ones he knew who let themselves be controlled by their greed were the ones he loathed.
A Zecajian funeral was meant to be an intimate affair, one that should be attended by the deceased's closest kin. A pyre fueled by the most valuable possessions of the deceased was to be ignited where the body would be burned into ashes. The fire was meant to symbolize the heat of the sun and the ashes of the dead the sands of the desert. The burned items symbolized that even in death, wealth was something that one couldn't bring when he or she lost their life. The rest of the possessions that weren't burned would be given to the community for charity.
They weren't supposed to turn her funeral into a procession.
The royal court managed to order the city to prepare for a day of mourning. The color white washed every dusty corner and street of Zarab in a short time. Ayaz never witnessed such a thing in his entire life. It never even happened when his mother, the last Sultana of Zecaj, died. Of course, the Sultan declared her death a shame and a punishment for her misdeeds to him and the country. But only the former was true.
The pyre would be ignited outside the city gates by a few of Shahrayar's men. The procession, which would be led by the Sultan and the Sultana themselves, would pass through the busiest parts of the city before reaching the endpoint where Badriya would be laid to rest in the fire. And she would be truly gone.
Shahrazad had her handmaidens clean Badriya up. They dressed her in a white dress free from all jewelry and color, except for a touch of kohl that lined her closed eyes, the dark hue a contrast to the milky spots on her cheek. Then they laid her on an open casket that was erected by the entrance of the palace, where a few palace guards stood by.
Badriya looked so simple yet she still was. . . beautiful. It was as if she was only asleep just like the night Ayaz first saw her.
"How come you still look so alive?" Ayaz whispered, clasping Badriya's hand with his own. Her fingertips were already cold to the touch. He intertwined his fingers around them even more.
A throat clearing nearby snapped Ayaz from his thoughts, and he slipped his hands away to his sides. One of Shahrazad's handmaidens bowed at Ayaz. She looked a bit older than most of the girls whom Ayaz saw follow Shahrazad around, though she seemed to be around the Sultana's age. But still, he figured she must be new.
"Sayyidi," the maid said. "The procession is about to start, and the Sultan wants you to be at the end of the march."
"What?" He must've heard it wrong. "B-But that's far away from the crowd. From Badriya."
The woman grimaced. "I'm sorry, sayyidi, but I have orders from the Sultan to inform you of such. The Sultana also approves of this. She has told me to tell you I am to accompany you as well."