I was very nervous especially when the crowd outside our tent was cheering us on and shouting obscene words from their perspective we should have wild sexual romps that they can hear and interpret as a successful start to a disasterest marriage. A new monarchy is born tonight they shout with joy and congratulations for themselves I think.
In all of this cacophony of noises I hear shrill and plaintive squeely noice ,Jason releases me and looks at me and whispers "It is Arnie, he is confused and crying for us." Arnie is like a child to us and he has a surprisingly good sense of smell as he comes rushing through the flaps of the tent Jason catches him up in his arms. He has already grown so much and must be quite heavy.
As he picks up our elephant and we both hold him Jason's eyes glint the same lovely loving look he normally looks at me and I can only hope but it is only there for a second as a loud gong goes off and I hear the grand vizier's voice as he says loudly "You have to show proof of her fidelity in the morning we expect to see that she has been a virgin as is our custom." Gong..gong.. the man swinging the gonger says "Is that enough sir , or shall I do more gongs." The Grand vizier is pleased he placed pressure on us and now we have to do this as we place Arnie on his own bed we made for him Jason turns to me and whispers "I am sorry I will have to hurt you ,they want blood."
I whisper back"It does not have to hurt if you want me as much as I want you." He grips my arm painfully as he sneers his anger he says no he does not want Antineba who does. A whole kingdom hates Antineba why would he want someone like me, he says he hates Antineba.
"You don't hate me, I love you it doesn't have to be like this, you know that !" I whisper hoarsely. I was taken aback when he took a knife and it looked as if you wanted to kill me but he made a cut on my leg as he had me on the bed my blood seeped into the bed he smeared the blood a bit and then he said I should spit on it he then smeared it again. It was an old trick performed to fool virginity claims and it worked as the next morning we were well congratulated as there might be a child but of cause not seeing as there had been no coupling.
We were roughly pushed into a boat, a huge slaver that had a twenty rowing capacity. It was a grueling process as we journied back home. At port we placed Arnie in a cage , he was not happy as he plaintively squealed he wanted to get out. Back on native country , it was the same as when we left. Merchants, beggars and thieves all living and walking this peer embarkment. Jason's family was waiting for him and they graciously included me into their portside business building but they did not include me into their celebrations as I sat one side. I was hoping to be part of his life as he promised me, this is another reason I had not given myself to him I feared his rejection later when he learns who I am. I would have been alone if Arnie my baby elephant was not with me. Arnie just had a chain around his foot that was chained to a metal post. Arnie was calm and sat happily playing with a toy while I enviously sat watching Jason laughing and being happy with his family. After we had lunch the messenger from the Emperors palace came with a message. We were summoned back to my fathers palace our journey to Kalabash has just started.
Jason tried to let his family take Arnie but the raskal would not have any of it he squealed and trumpeted loudly almost as if to say ", No don't leave me here mummy and daddy ." We had no choice but to take him along as Jason's family told him our elephant would die of heartache if we left him now he had already mapped us as his family.
The celebration is short lived we were on our way again to the palace in a carage sent from the palace guard with six beautiful black horses.
Jason's father and mother hugged him with tearful eyes heavy heartedly they parted but to me they turned their backs not saying a word.
I wonder why they hate me so much I don't think I did them any harm. Its strang but a painful reminder the past has just cought up with me.
At the palace the Grand vizier came to the courtyard were we were and told us Kalabash is a weeks drive by horse drawn carriage and we recieved all our things needed to start a kingdom on our own. Yet in a dessert how on earth would we cope with the start of a new anything especially since there is no water in a desert is there.
We had no choice we were rounded up and taken to the edge of the kingdom and as it was a week we were on the road we were exorsted so very, very tired but we had to go on. A thousand give or take a few were with us, were found out they were the undesirables of the kingdom , some were political prisoners, others thieves, and there were people here no one wanted people who nabours wanted gone were all sent to accompany us to our new kingdom of Kalabash. The Grand vizier came to see us off and with a gleeful laugh he told us "Dont eat all the rations, keep the seeds and breed the animals we gave you ,remember in years time we will come to collect our taxes and if any of you escaped from here you will all die as there would be no mercy for any of you...