Ishqnama

In a land where duty weighs heavier than hearts, and oaths are etched in blood, love was never meant to bloom. Prince Kaivan Jalal-ud-din, scarred by his northern mountains, and Princess Zerlish Zameer Ali Shah, a poet from the fading south, are bound by a treaty of convenience, a desperate attempt to avert war. Their union, born of old grudges, ignites a fire that rewrites history. Can love survive in courts where it's the first sacrifice? This is not just a love story; it's a war song, a prayer whispered among ruins—the Ishqnama, a record of love too stubborn to die.

The air in the grand council chamber hung heavy, thick with the scent of aged parchment and unspoken dread. Nawab Zameer Ali Shah, his shoulders slumped beneath the weight of a kingdom, finally broke the silence.

"The Jalalis have rejected our last offer of peace," he announced, his voice a gravelly whisper. "Their armies gather at the borders. Our only recourse... is this."

He gestured to the scroll, its seal still unbroken, lying accusingly on the polished table. Zerlish, standing rigidly by the ornate window, didn't need to see its contents. The whispers had already reached her. A marriage. A sacrifice.

Her father cleared his throat. "Princess Zerlish, you are to be wed to Prince Kaivan Jalal-ud-din. For the sake of our people, for the very survival of Shehr-e-Sabz, you will accept."

Zerlish turned, her eyes, usually soft with poetic dreams, now burning with a fierce, unyielding fire. She was a princess raised on hope, but today, hope felt like a cruel joke.

Ishqnama

Political Intrigue Strong Heroine historical romance Arranged Marriage Enemies to Lovers