"Are they are closed?"
"They are closed tight."
Amma hesitantly swims towards the man and shakes her hand in front of his face. King Xerxes feels her presence as wet droplets splash onto his naked chest. Swiftly, he seizes her wrist and holds it.
Sh...
Jan 2019 I have another book entitled Dusa! A twist in the story of Medusa! Add it to your reading lists!
April 2019 Check out my 5th book entitled: Robyn: Princess of Thieves!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
——-
"More wine for everyone!" the king stood and proclaimed.
"LONG LIVE KING XERXES!!" the ballroom erupted with noises of praise and laughter as the party of chiefs and nobles cheered. King Xerxes lifted his golden chalice to drink the cool dark liquid.
Cheers and banging erupted again through the elegant banquet hall as the king sat in his throne and surveyed his praise. He ruled the empire of Persia from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa.
After 180 days, the king threw another banquet that lasted for 7 days for all the men of Susa; from the stable boys to important governors of the land.
Drinks were served in golden goblets of many designs, and an abundance of royal wine was served by order of Xerxes. No limits were placed on the drinking, for the king had instructed all his palace officials to serve each man as much as he wanted.
"King, please take my daughter. She is noble and just and will follow you daily!" one governor boasted.
"No take my wife! She will show you a splendid time" another begged.
Now, King Xeres was a fair and just ruler but being just 23, he made sure to instill fear into all he met.
Because he seized the land in the province of Uz, he had taken the princess of the land, a woman named Vashti. She was the most beautiful woman in the land and wanted all men to see her incomparable beauty.
"Your irrelevant daughters and wives mean nothing to me. I have married a Queen whose beauty over shadows even the sun and moon."
"Servants" he snapped, "tell my wife to come from her party so I may show her beauty for all to see" he yelled drunkenly.
The men cheered louder as they were excited for her to grace them with her presence.
"Yes my lord" the servant said and he hurried through the palace to find the queen.
~~~~
At the same time, Queen Vashti held a banquet for the women of the land in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
"Ladies, we are strong and noble and deserve what is ours. Let us toast to good life, fortune, and independence" Queen Vashti said confidently to the women in the banquet hall.
The same servant arrived and whispered the demand of the King to a female server and she relayed the message to the queen.
"My husband is a fool and a drunk. I will not come down to succumb and be some plaything. Tell the king I will remain here and enjoy my banquet"
The ladies laughed and cheered the Queen. "Long live the queen!" the ladies yelled.
——— "My lord, the queen has... rejected...your command." the servant stuttered and knelt on the ground for mercy.
"What!" the king yelled as he spit out his drink of mead.
The men in the banquet hall looked to the king. Hell hath no fury like the King. All knew that no one dare defy the king.
He snapped his fingers and his three royal advisers and wisemen, Kin, Darius, and Shep came forward. They bowed with respect.
"Yes my lord!" the youngest named Kin said.
"My wife has refused to come down. It is my command! She has brought me shame. What am I to do?"
The three men looked to the king and whispered to themselves. Now the king made decisions but not without the help of his three advisors and confidants.
Kin spoke with caution yet authority, "Your majesty, Queen Vashti has disrespected not only you, but the noblemen here and every citizen throughout your empire. Because of her defiance, women will look to this as an example and defy their husbands. This will continue to no end."
"Go on" the king demanded, growing tired of the speech.
"So if it pleases the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law per say, for the land of Susa that exiles Queen Vashti from the presence of King Xerxes, and banishes her from this kingdom. The king should choose another queen more worthy than she, who will abide by his commands," he said.
"This decree will save future embarrassment to every husband in the king's vast empire, and will only encourage respect from their wives!" Shep chimed in.
The king looked to his advisors skeptically but succumbed and ordered for the decree to be made. Soon after, hot wax, a stamp and a candle were brought to seal the thin papyrus paper.
The decree, among many others, were sent to all parts of his empire from the northern region of Ud, to the southern in Lipa.
And Queen Vashti
was banished.
Hey readers! What do you think? Any of you familiar with this story? This is nothing like the original and, well, it picks up rather quickly! So stayed tuned!
