His Substitute Wife

Bride of the Arslans

The one day extra time they had on their hands gave the Arslan madam the opportunity to prepare a wedding that was suitable for the Arslan family. She made a sacrifice and then sent it around to the neighbourhood and then she had people come over to prepare meals that would be enough to feed the entire city. 

Aleena on the other hand sat on the bed in the room she was to stay in until she wedded Zayd. She could hear the excited chatter of the maids as they cooked and cleaned in preparation for the wedding. She could also hear the harsh orders of Rezan sultan as she watched over everyone like a hawk. The more she heard them the more she felt as if she was going to go crazy. 

She had spent the entire night tossing and turning and now that it was the morning of her wedding, she felt as if she was about to have a heart attack from extreme anxiety. 

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" Nihal gasped as she stepped into Aleena's room. She walked over to the wedding dress and examined it, a clear look of envy in her eyes. No matter how much she wanted to pretend she was fine with everything, she still felt her heart break. 

"I can't wear that," Aleena said softly. 

Truth be told, Aleena always dreamed of the day she would wear a wedding dress and have her dad walk her down the aisle. Ever since she was a kid, she dreamed of the most perfect wedding with a prince-like groom who loved only her and professed his love for her in front of all of their friends and family. 

Yet here she was, having a wedding that was straight out of her nightmares.

"Why not?" Nihal sighed. The entire day she had been trying her hardest to keep her cool but Aleena was really testing her patience. If she didn't know her friend well enough, she would think that Aleena was purposely trying to frustrate her. 

"My father's biggest dream is to see me walk down the aisle in a white wedding dress. I feel like I'm adding salt to the wound by wearing that," she said with a frown. "He would be most disappointed that he didn't get to see me in one." 

"You're marrying an Arslan," Nihal suddenly reminded her. "By not wearing the wedding dress, you're only bringing shame to their name."

Aleena sighed and tears finally pricked the corner of her eyes. 

"Nihal please understand," she begged her friend. "I can't wear it!" 

Nihal opened her mouth to say something but she then suddenly closed it and looked as if she thought of another idea. 

"Would you wear a wedding dress if it isn't white?" she asked Aleena. 

Aleena thought about it and then nodded her head. Was it really even considered a true wedding dress if it wasn't white? She couldn't think of any reason to reject the idea. 

Nihal then smiled and left the room. A few minutes later she returned with a velvet red dress. 

"This is a traditional wedding dress. It was supposed to be my wedding dress but I chose to wear a modern white gown instead. Try it on." 

Although she hadn't tried it on yet, Aleena was already in love with it. It was a velvety kaftan styled dress and it was floor length modest  dress with all parts of the body being covered. The dress itself was red however it was covered in gold embroidery from top to bottom. Although it most definitely wouldn't ever be the type of wedding dress Aleena would choose for her wedding, she had to admit it was beautiful. 

She put it on with Nihal's help and she couldn't help but admire the dress on her. Everything about it was stunning from the shape to the embroidery. 

"It's beautiful," she breathed out. 

"I'm so glad you like it," Nihal grinned before she placed a tulle red cape around her. Aleena wasn't sure what the purpose of the cape was but somehow it only added to the elegance of the dress. "My mother had picked this dress out. She said it's the type of dress that only the Arslan bride could carry."

Hearing that, Aleena suddenly felt a strange pang in her heart. She really couldn't imagine how much Nihal was hurting. She was after all, marrying off the love of her life. Although she put on a happy face, her mind and heart must be in chaos. 

"How are you feeling?" Aleena suddenly asked her friend as she turned to face her with a slight frown. 

Nihal froze before she looked up at Aleena with a forced smile. When they both could see that it was failing, Nihal sighed and sat on the side of the bed. 

"It's hard, but I'm trying to be okay," she truthfully honestly told Aleena. "I'm reminding myself that this is temporary and I will eventually take back my position as Zayd's wife and the Arslan bride."

"I'm sorry that this is happening to you," Aleena sighed. 

Nihal was truly one of the nicest and most purest people Aleena had ever met. She only had goodness in her heart and she genuinely only wanted the best for everyone. The fact that something this terrible was happening to her really felt unfair. 

"It's alright," Nihal cleared her throat and forced another smile on her face. "Everything happens for a reason. We had been getting into a lot of silly fights so this is a lesson for us. Hopefully it'll teach us to learn to be patient and respectful of each other."

Aleena really admired her friend's optimistic view. She wished she had been half as positive as Nihal. However, she knew that if she were ever in Nihal's position, she simply would not be able to stay strong and she most definitely would not be able to marry the love of her life to another woman, no matter how much she trusted that woman. It just seemed like an absurd idea to her.

"That's enough chatter," Nihal let out a small laugh. "The ceremony will begin soon. Finish getting dressed and come out." 

As if on cue, the sound of ladies shouting echoed towards the room. 

"What's happening?" Aleena asked. 

"That's the signalling of the wedding," Nihal explained. "Quickly finish dressing because you need to go down now." 

Although the anxiety was eating her up, Aleena quickly put on her shoes and crown and followed Nihal out. 

Nihal was acting as Aleena's guardian and witness so she walked in front of Aleena and greeted the elders before she sat her on the table which was set in the middle of the courtyard. The front doors of the house were open so excited people kept walking past and looking inside in an excited manner. 

The sound of the chair beside Aleena pulling out suddenly sounded, causing her head to snap in the direction. Her eyes widened as they made contact with her handsome future husband. For a second she felt guilty for finding him so attractive but then she reminded herself that she was simply admiring his impeccable beauty, not professing her love to him. 

She quickly forced her eyes away from his midnight black orbs and turned to the Imam who had welcomed Zayd. Once everyone was seated, the ceremony began. 

The Imam first started off by asking Aleena if she was getting married out of her own free choice or if she was being forced into it. She internally scoffed at the irony of the question before she told him it was out of her own free will. 

Once they had that out of the way, the Imam started giving a mini lecture on the beauty of marriage and then started speaking about a harmonious marriage. Truth be told, Aleena really enjoyed the speech. Had she actually been marrying someone she loved, she would have learnt his words by heart. However, in her situation all she could do was listen and move on. There was no point in learning. 

Finally he finished talking and started with the actual vows. He first turned to Aleena and asked the question she had been dreading the entire day. 

"Aleena Yilmaz, daughter of Murat Yilmaz, do you take Zayd Arslan as your husband?" 

Aleena's eyes travelled to the man sitting beside her who was staring straight ahead emotionlessly. She wanted to shout "no" but then her eyes met a devastated looking Nihal and remembered the significance that this marriage had on her. 

So with as much power as she could muster, she turned to the Imam and responded, "Yes, I do."

Out of customs, he asked the question a further two more times and each time Aleena gave the same answer. 

He then turned to Zayd and asked the same question. 

"Zayd Arslan, son of Yavuz Arslan, do you take Aleena Yilmaz as your wife?"

Without a single hesitation he responded, "I do." 

Aleena's heart beat so hard in her chest that she almost felt as if it would jump right out of her ribcage. Her breathing also began to quicken and she really felt as if she was at a point where she would faint at any second.

The Imam asked Zayd the question two more times and each time, he emotionlessly repeated his answer. 

The Imam then handed them a document in which they needed to sign and once they both did, he handed it to the witnesses. Aleena watched as Nihal wordlessly signed the document, all traces of emotion disappeared from her face. 

"In that case, I pronounce you husband and wife," the Imam smiled once he had taken all signatures. 

And just like that, Aleena became the bride of the Arslans.