chapter 2
humming her favorite song with contentment Amorie scrubbed the floor with diligence . the other slaves had left the room and only Amorie was permitted to remain and clean the slave hall .
the hall was huge ...it truly was . but Amorie couldn't disobey it was the first day in her new home. she didn't know if time had flown by ...if the cock had crowed thrice , or the mid day bell had rung ...she was too engrossed in her work to notice . she sang ....sang to her heart content .
back at home father had stopped her from singing ...he said it was disturbing his peaceful household and for love of him Amorie had sacrificed her passion .
Iger used to teach her young daughter how to dance and entertain And Amorie was a loyal student soaking up her mother's instructions like sponges . "noo Amorie ...move your hands up and pretend to communicate with the wind ...let the wind love you wholeheartedly . feel it and give yourself to it without holding back " her mother would tell her . " when you dance ... imagine your beloveth in front of you ...aim to please him " Iger would say.
Amorie had no one to imagine as her beloveth ...so she always imagined her mother instead . " when you sing tell him all the things you wish to say without holding back. "
the nostalgic memories of her mother brought tears to Amorie's face . but she cleaned it off remembering she had never been her mother's best student ... although she soaked her teachings she never implemented it ...she abandoned it for her father's sake.
but today the urge to sing ...to dance Merrily had come , filling her to the brim ... so she sang without holding back .
" my beloveth listen to my heart . do you hear it's rhythm ....my heart sings it favorite song for you.. listen my beloveth ... listen to my heart." she sang ... cleaning vigorously.
" sing again slave" someone said behind her and Amorie jumped up in fright. " royal bride " she said dropping to her knees immediately . " this slave is not worthy of your presence ...you should have called for this slave and she would come running . "
" I was on my way to the gardens when I heard your voice...it's melodious. " the royal bride said , taking her seat gracefully . " sing again " she commanded and at once Amorie rushed to stand beside her Mistress .
" ... it's morning my beloveth...." she began and the royal bride closed her eyes living in the moment. " the sun is here to tear us apart ....the moon that hid us is gone . "
" what shall we do beloveth ...how do we keep our love for the next life . how do we hide our love from the sun ...shall we run away ? but if we run it will follow us ...shall we hide under the leaves ....it will find us there too . what shall we do my beloveth .....
" royal bride !" a guard came in disturbing the song and infuriating the royal bride." how dare you Mustapha ! " She said throwing the things within her reach at him and Mustapha dared not step aside and Amorie praised his bravado . " how dare you ! how dare you come into the slave harem !...i can have your head rolling at my feet . "
" I know that coming into the slave harem is a crime mistress but the information with me must be delivered at once "
" what is so important that you would disobey ..."
" A message from the Zarphar ..."
At the mention of that name ...the hall became deadly quite . the royal bride trembled unconsciously.
" He has sent a letter at last ?" she asked ...the anxiety clear as day in her voice. Amorie could feel it . the excitement of a woman in love . the hope of seeing her husband returned . the happiness that the wait was over .
her Zarphar arrives home at last. after 10 years since he left the palace and her life with the promise of wedding her the first morning he arrives ...she had waited .
by the gods Akan Malaina had waited for her beloveth . despite being a princess Malaina had not cared . she was raised a royal at birth ...trained to be selfish ....to demand respect at all cost ...to handle situations like an expert ... and to wait for no man !. but when it was announced that she was to wed the great Zarphar ...oh she nearly cried a river.
Omar Zarphar was a man she had longed for for many years , she used to obsess about him in the secret of her heart.
yearn for him as deer yearns for the Brook . fantasize about him in the darkness of the night with no one watching . and when he finally brought a proposal for her hand ... Malaina had broken down with joy...but then a week to thier wedding ....he left .
He said he needed to help a country ravished by war .the king of that land was his alliance . a war that could not be saved as they took to captive the king's pregnant wife.... and then he said he needed to console the king . that was the last Malaina had heard of him . no more.
" Mustapha I beg of you ... speak the truth ...my poor heart cannot take anymore betrayal " she said in hysteric holding onto Mustapha .
" I swear upon my honor as a guard . I will never lie to you royal bride...if this not be true then burn my body to ashes." he said in all sincerity.
" quickly then ...read out the letter ...fill my ears with my beloveth's words . tell my anxious heart what he says . fill my soul with his message " she ordered happily .
Mustapha at once brought out a scroll ...a red scroll . stamped with the royal seal and a cloth with a drop of blood on it . seeing the cloth with the drop of blood the royal bride broke down in tears ." he lives ... my beloveth lives " she said ... holding the piece of cloth to her heart .
" A message from Omar Zarphar son of Omar Abeer the great . wishes good tidings upon the ears that receives this message.
May the gods Amaj and Ukan bless you graciously.
Prepare for my return ...sound the horn and tell the tales ...Omar Zarphar returns home.
and at the first moon ...Omar Zarphar Weds his bride Akan Malaina. hear thee, hear thee !"
Mustapha ended handling the scroll over to the royal bride . " get up ! run to the ends of this palace and get Hatarshe for me .tell her her Mistress orders her presence immediately ! " she ordered .. pacing about with the scroll in her hands...all the while repeating 'first moon.'
the first moon wasn't far ...just six days time . six days of intense preparation. immediately Hatarshe barged in ..."mistress !" she called rushing to stand beside her . " Zarphar..he sent a message to me ...he comes home soon and wishes to marry me by full moon ." she said
" heaven be praised for bride you shall be no more but wife now. ! royal bride you shall seize to bear but Queen Malaina shall be your new name " " yes yes...get on with the wedding feast at once " the royal bride said .
" doing that we have to put her initiation on hold first . " Hatarshe said .
" I do not care about that. all I care is that my wedding rites must be commended at once ."
" pardon me royal bride but no uninitiated member must be in the household for too long it's a sacrilege to the sanctity of the palace..."
" are you refusing me Hatarshe ? . remember your place In the circle of the world old hag . I am Queen and you are slave ! " the royal bride said throwing a hateful glance at Hatarshe.
" slave or not mistress ...this hands cared for the man you are about to call husband. " Hatarshe said standing proudly.
" how dare you ! how dare you common slave !" the royal bride countered throwing things within her reach in pure anger.
" your wedding rites shall commence at once , and so shall her initiation rites. both the wedding and the initiation shall be held on the same day . this is my decree.! " Hatarshe said and walked away.
" how dare she do this ! " the royal bride said and turned to look at Amorie with the same hateful glance .
" what are you still doing here . prepare for my wedding rites at once !"
" yes mistress !" she said facing down until royal bride left the hall. only then did Amorie breathe freely.
at last the Omar Zarphar returns home ? the great king of the palace comes home very soon .
Amorie got down and continued cleaning the slaves hall. when she was done food was served to her and the others .
" my name is Zainat " her partner introduced and she made herself a new friend .
" you are a very lucky slave ... that the Zarphar is gracing your initiation . his presence will make you tremendously known ...and if you are lucky enough he may like you to be chosen as his bed slave . "
" I do not want to be chosen as his bed slave
... He marries the royal bride the same day with my initiation ....he needs no bed slave. "
" true ...he needs no bed slave . but fate is a dangerous gamer my friend . "
Amorie smiled . if only the girl besides her knew of her history and all the torments she has had to face then the name fate wouldn't be mentioned .
" but if I were the Zarphars choice of woman ...I would decorate my body with garments made from the healthiest of silk worms...I will paint my lips red with the brightest Vermillion ...I will adorn myself with gold and precious stones ....oh the whole of MERDA shall worship my beauty ." Zainat said dreamily .... making all slaves around to burst out laughing .
" you know that you can never be the Zarphars choice Zainat ...he doesn't like thin women with nothing to show thier adolescence..." someone retorted and everyone laughed . making Zainat angrier.
" oh please .... even though I have no breast and all at least I am the prettiest of the lot " she retorted back a useless attempt at saving her ego .
"lies Zainat ...you lost that title when Amorie came . Amorie is the prettiest of the lot ...and dare I say even more beautiful than the royal bride herself " someone said and they all agreed .
" hair red as blood ...no one has ever seen that . the only person that had that type of hair was the king of XAMAR who was blessed to be born with it ... but his land was destroyed and his wife taken away. no one else apart from him has been seen with hair as red as blood ." Zainat said making Amorie self conscious.
she used to ask her mother the origin of her hair and why neither her father nor her father's children have that type of hair but as usual Iger would dismiss her by saying she was blessed to be different from the others . Iger would tell her young daughter that she was her father's child only differentiated by the color of her hair and that she should not be intimidated because she had a share in the Lord's properties as his offspring.
but they didn't know ...they didn't know that fate would have a different plan one day ... that the property they thought they had ....had been squandered leaving them with nothing .
" don't you like my hair ? " she asked curiously.
" of course I do ...I am sure the Zarphar would like it too "
" wat happens during the iniciation " she asked her fellow slaves ...
" nothing much really . you are taken to the temple covered in white clothes ...cleansed with water and milk . and then swear an oath of complete trust and loyalty to the Zarphar household . should any form of betrayal happen ...you will be worthy of death. and then your white veil is taken away and you put on your slaves garment. and your face is shown to the people .the Zarphar himself first . "
it sounded normal . something she could easily do. after eating the other slaves got to work knowing the Zarphar returns in six days . she remained in the hall staring at the ceiling . when Hartashe walked in . they greeted each other with a bow .
" your initiation is the first one to witness the return of the great king. have you been informed of the rules . ?"
" yes " " good . " she said and made to walk away when she stopped and waited for a while .
" do not look at the Zarphar in the eye . that rule is important . no matter what happens ...do not let your eyes meet his ...take it as an advice "
she said and walked out at once . making Amorie wonder what happens if thier eyes meet . ? is that part of betrayal ? what would be done to her if her eyes should meet with those of the Zarphar's .
disregarding the question in her mind she continued to work . cleaning up the slave harem until evening when she layed down to rest thinking of her mother .
she could still remember the look on her mother's face the day father sold her to Tamir . that day was a shock to Iger who returned from the market to see her young daughter being dragged off like a newly purchased ram.
Iger had cried and wailed and begged the Lord to spare her young daughter who was to suffer at such a young age ...but neither Tamir, the Lord nor the Lord's wives and children cared . the smirk on thier faces were all too visible . but the pain on her mother's face stabbed her through her heart.
when she was saddled on a horse she watched her mother run after the horse until she could no longer run . but she couldn't turn back or run back to her mother ... because returning back would make the Lord angry and he may sell her mother off too.
Lord Abu wasn't a man , he was a beast . he had no conscience and no love to give . when situations became critical then the Lord will always choose himself over his household and so like him every one became selfish too ...that was a means of survival in the Abu mansion were Amorie was born .
there was no love to give for anybody ... like him all his slaves , wives and children all competed ...
but then his selfishness ruined two lives at the same time. his greed separated a mother from her daughter.