SIX
Yraqia,
2019
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ESTHER 2:8-9
Esther was also taken to the king's palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the Harem. She pleased him and won his favour... He assigned to her female attendants selected from the king's palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.
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Twelve months had passed since the prospective candidates had been brought to the Royal Palace of Kediakin in accordance to the decree issued by Her Royal Highness Queen Nura II al-Hashim.
A banquet was set to take place in a week's time, where each prospective candidate would be dressed in fine garbs of velvet in the presence of The Queen. They were invited to dine, drink and dance to their heart's content and only Hegai's hand-picked candidates would have an opportunity to personally meet Queen Nura.
Hegai had selected five women out of a harem of one thousand and out of all of them, Esther Abbey was his most favoured candidate.
He had known that there was something special about the girl, though her potential had been hidden deep within the confines of her malnourished frame and sunken eyes. There was a tragic beauty to Esther that had made him - or anyone - uncomfortable whenever they dared to stare into her eyes too long.
The doctor that had done the medical examination on the candidates when they'd first arrived had strongly recommended that Esther be sent home. She was far too thin, far too underweight, far too prone to disorders. Hegai had been inclined to agree when he saw the numbers the doctor recorded, but he had felt something stir so deeply inside of him when he'd laid his eyes on her for the first time.
It was as if the hand of Allah had touched him personally and he knew then that he had to keep her in the harem. He was compelled to invest into her the most, to ensure that she would morph into the well-rounded young woman she was destined to be.
Esther Abbey was as sharp as a needle, with a mind that worked at the speed of lightning and with an astounding depth of perception to politics, philosophy and poetry. The girl had an amazing taste in literature, a kind that would delight Queen Nura, with thought-provoking opinions. Her ability to latch on to a language and to understand its mechanics was nothing short of amazing.
Now that she had enough food and exercise, shapely curves had filled in the hollow spaces of her frame and the cosmetic treatments brought out the beauty that had always bubbled under the surface.
The only thing that had worried Hegai, was Esther's mental and emotional stagnation. He had hoped that as time progressed, the darkness in her eyes would disappear. His hope began to waver when after six month spent at the palace, Esther had not showed any improvement.
The Wife of the Queen would need to have a soft, pliable heart that would enable her to offer emotional support to the Queen. Esther was not at a place where she could do that, yet.
She lacked also in social skills and had failed every social test he had set up for all of the candidates. She had never attended any of the parties Hegai had set up, she never made the effort to make a friend in the physical training classes and had closed herself off to her penthouse mates.
She only ever talked to her tutors about her academics. She kept herself locked up in her room or up in the library for every moment that she could. It was deeply frustrating.
Many times, Hegai had considered to focus on someone else. There were girls who were friendlier, who were emotionally mature, spiritually wiser, kinder, softer and had no trauma swimming in their eyes - but Allah wouldn't allow Hegai to give up on her.
Then one day, everything changed.
It was as though Esther had a rebirth and had emerged as someone new, someone better.
Hegai had been in the library with one of the tutors, discussing the academic progress of some of his students when Esther walked in one morning. She was a common sight to the library since she spent her free time there.
What was uncommon though, was the bright garment she wore that stood in place of the sombre red-and-gold one she usually wore. This one was a pale gold with little the faint outline of roses stitched into the hem with silky thread - and with the sunlight streaming into the room right in that moment - Esther looked like a goddess that inhabited the sky.
Esther walked past him and she smiled. A genuine, light-giving smile that reached her eyes and he noticed then that Esther's eyes were no longer dark with the ghostly sorrow that had branded them since he had first seen her.
Esther's growth came in leaps and bounds after that day and over the next six months she became the most remarkable woman that he had ever known. She could speak - her rhetoric had improved in a speed that could only be classified as miraculous and she won debates against candidates that used to run circles around her.
She made friends and attended the last few gatherings Hegai organised and picked up on social behaviour.
She excelled.
Hegai had been brought up to believe in Allah and had served him his whole life. But he was not a man that believed signs of wonder. His faith was a thing of rituals until he came across Esther and she made him feel Allah for the first time inside of his soul. Esther had made him pray in ways he never had, Esther had made him care in ways he never fathomed were possible.
The most remarkable thing though, was that he now believed in miracles, because the way that young, Susa girl had risen from the daunting shadows of her torment into a beam of light was nothing short of the biggest miracle of the century.
Esther had only lived in the new penthouse for three weeks when it was time for the banquet. Hegai had moved her there, along with five personal handmaidens who were more her best friends than her servants.
The penthouse itself was the most marvellous thing Esther had ever encountered, with enough opulence to make her head spin every time she thought about it too long. In all her years of life, she had never imagined that she would've been hand picked by Hegai as one of his best five candidates for the queen.
The thing that surprised her the most was that she had won his favour. Hegai saw something in her that he believed made her the best candidate for Queen Nura. It was crazy, but she was no longer scared.
Life had gotten a new meaning since Yahweh had revealed Himself to her. She could feel his presence within her and around her every second of the day. It was so strong that she was compelled to talk to him throughout every hour of every day.
She spent hours on her knees praying to Him for no particular reason than to feel close to him. Sometimes, she felt so close to Yahweh's spirit that it was as though she was touching him. Yahweh had entered her soul and had cleansed it in a way she had never thought possible and now she overflowed with joy.
She knew that, on all accounts, she was not a law-abiding Jew. She could not attend the synagogue, she could not perform Shabbat. She had no real guidance on what to do. Judaism was a religion of rituals and she knew none. But what she knew was that Yahweh was real and that he could hear her when she spoke to him. She knew that she was a daughter of Israel and that Yahweh understood her circumstances.
She felt as though she had a direct line of contact with Him. The best thing she could do for now was to pour over the first five books of the Old Testament in the Christian Bible.
Mordecai had once told her that it was slightly different to the Torah, but it served its purpose for her, because she recognised the story of Moses and the plague of Egypt. She remembered The Commandments and the tales of Abraham; Jacob and Esau. She had memories of her parents telling her these stories and it filled her with awe for her G-d.
Even if she never stepped foot into a synagogue, she knew that Yahweh would welcome her with open arms into his Dwelling Place.
Those were the thoughts running through her head as Anahita, one of her attendants, rubbed oil of myrrh into her naked body in her bathroom. The banquet was occurring that night and as one of the star candidates, she had to put extra effort into her appearance - well according to her handmaidens.
She was fond of all of them for their hard work and dedication to Queen Nura and secondly to her. They served with pure hearts and Esther had read it time and time again in the Old Testament that The Lord delighted for those who served with pure hearts. All five of them: Ahahita, Bahar, Shadi, Parvaneh and Elaheh were Persians and ranged from thirty years old to twenty one, with Ahahita as the oldest and head handmaiden and Elaheh as the youngest.
They served Allah only but they showed a deep respect for Esther's religion and it startled her at first, because in every other crook and crevice of the Kingdom of Kediakin, non-Islamic people were looked down upon.
Islam was the only religion recognised in the country and although other religious minorities were allowed to exist, it never happened without fierce struggling.
For years, Mordecai had visited the synagogue a town away from Susa in a remote and private piece of land owned by a Jewish businessman, all to avoid harassment from their Muslim neighbours.
She used to resent Mordecai for putting his life in so much danger. For every time he set out to visit that synagogue, he encountered the risk of death. It would've been easy for anyone to stop him one night and to end his life right there and then, either on his way to the synagogue or back. And after everything that had happened to their parents, she hated him for putting his life on the same line. But now she was beginning to understand.
Esther didn't think she'd have the same courage to face death in the wake of her faith like Mordecai, which was why she never spoke up about the god that she served to anyone, not even her harmless attendants.
"I'm done, My Lady," Ahahita said, her voice was the softest of the bunch - a soothing lyrical sound that always hugged the tendons of Esther's body.
She prompted Esther to sit up and wrapped her body with a silk robe. Esther had only gotten used to servants doing everything for her, including bathing her body and seeing her naked. She'd been awkward about it at first, but now that she trusted her handmaidens with her life, it no longer irked her that they saw her naked.
Esther walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom where Bahar was already waiting for her at the vanity to do her make up for her. She used a combination of ancient Persian and modern international beauty methods. Shadi and Parvaneh helped her into the garments she was set to wear that night: a deep red ball gown that was personally designed for her, made of organza accompanied with a heavy velvet gown atop it, with shoes made of gold, imported straight from Milan.
Of her handmaidens, she was closest to Elaheh. She was the one who showed the most affection out of the bunch and treated Esther with the right balance of respect and companionship that made it easy for Esther to trust her. She was also the shyest and youngest of the bunch and Esther found a kindred spirit within her.
Elaheh was the one who would lie beside her at night with her and talk to her until she fell asleep, she was also the one Esther sought comfort from when she was having a bad day. Elaheh was more of her friend than a servant now and whenever she had fantasies of becoming the Queen's Wife, she always imagined Elaheh would serve by her side for the rest of her days.
Elaheh had woken up especially early to wash out Esther's hair with Sedr powder and water and to braid it into loosely down her back. Now, she threaded her tiny, soft hands through the curly strands and lathered her hair with a mixture of henna, oil and honey until it shone and stood to its full height, stretching to the heavens like a bonfire at night. She placed little clips of silver and red sapphire into her hair and fashioned it into a neat flower pattern around the perimeter of her head.
Esther's handmaidens had insisted that she was only supposed to see herself once they were done with the final product. Elaheh placed the last clip of sapphire on her head, "are you ready to see yourself, My Lady?"
"I'm kind of nervous," Esther replied.
"I promise you, you look phenomenal, My Lady."
"It's now or never I guess," Esther replied and Elaheh rotated her chair to face the mirror.
"I - wow - holy... wow," Esther stuttered once she saw her reflection.
"You look beautiful, My Lady," Elaheh said with a proud smile.
For a while Esther just stared at the girl in the mirror. Her eyes took in everything that they could: her clear, smooth skin, her painted lips, her large dark eyes that shone with the light from within and looked much larger with the thick kohl that lined them.
"Can I ask you a question?" Esther asked.
"Yes, My Lady?"
"Do you think I'm pretty enough for Queen Nura?"
"Can I be honest with you, My Lady?"
Esther gulped and nodded.
"I don't know Queen Nura personally," Elaheh started, "I've only met her a couple of times over the years but she... she is the most wonderful ruler that has ever ruled this kingdom. She cares for her people and it's been a long time since the people have had a ruler who truly cared for them. Queen Nura is a good person, hand-picked by Allah himself, she has my unending loyalty. I would die for her if I had to, even if she doesn't know me by name. I would risk my life to protect her."
Elaheh's petite chest swelled with pride and she placed a hand over her beating heart.
"I think Queen Nura deserves someone who will truly love her and who will stand by her side and Esther, My Lady, there is no one who is far more suited for the role than you. I may be biased but I've seen you, I've seen what's inside of you and it fills my heart with hope. You are... perfect for my Queen and I swear it on Allah, He will give Queen Nura that conviction. I don't speak empty words out of the desire to please you - I speak from my heart. And you are probably the most beautiful woman in the harem and it's not just me who sees how suited you are for our Queen. Ahahita, Bahar, Shadi, Parvaneh... they see it too. Hegai sees it also because he named you his star candidate and even Memukan; you told me he chose you out of an entire hall of women in Susa, we all see it Esther."
"I, uh... I've never thought of it like that," Esther said. She licked her lips, "all five of you are really rooting for me?"
As much as Esther's servants were dedicated to her, she didn't have the personal relationship with them that she had with Elaheh, she'd never even had a personal conversation with them because they preferred to keep to themselves.
"They have very rigid and archaic views on how to serve, they don't believe in personal relationships but you mustn't take that to heart. They are very much fond of you."
"I didn't know..."
"How could you? They won't tell you," Elaheh said with a light chuckle.
"Why are all of you Persians?" Esther asked. It was something that she had been curious about for the longest time, almost every servant of the palace from the highest to lowest rank was Persian. Outside of the palace, Persians were few and far in between and weren't held in the same high regard that the servants here were.
"Many Persians come from a line of serving the palace, so for a modern Persian, it is the highest honour to work here, even as a cleaner."
"How did that come about?"
"The Kingdom of Persia, or what is now modern day Iran had found an ally in the al-Hashims and before they established this kingdom they were a rogue group of men from Arabia who assisted Persia in tribal wars. When they settled on this land and endured attacks from neighbouring nations, the king of Persia sent thousands of soldiers to assist and when they were victorious, many of the soldiers chose to stay here. The al-Hashims gave them positions in their court and the king of Persia even gifted the king of Kediakin with a plethora of women who made offspring with the soldiers. It was a law that only Persians were to serve in the palace. In recent times, the kings of Kediakin had begun to neglect this law but when Queen Nura came into power, she honoured it. She replaced most of the Arab servants in lower ranks with Persians, like her forefather King Abd al Alim al-Hashim had ordained it to be. Queen Nura is a good woman," Elaheh said with stars in her eyes.
"Did you serve in this palace before she came into power?"
"No, but Ahahita did. I only started working her three years ago."
"What does she say it was like?"
"Ahahita does not like to speak ill of the dead, but from what I gather it was... not good."
"How does she feel about Queen Nura?"
"Ahahita is very pleased with her... we all are."
The door to Esther's larger-than-life room opened and Shadi came into the room. She bowed deeply then rose, "My Lady, the car is here to escort you to the banquet."
Esther rose from her seat and Shadi and Elaheh walked in front of her and led her out of the room. Her eyes widened a little when she saw the pathway that was laid out for her was covered completely in pink rose petals.
"I - what is this?"
"We were given orders from Hegai, My Lady. Now please, ensure your feet do not touch any piece of ground that is not covered in flowers and refrain from speaking to us unless if it is to give us a direct order" Elaheh said and bowed deeply.
Esther would be lying is she said she didn't feel a little awkward about how her handmaidens were treating her. She knew it was protocol, but she was so used to seeing them less rigid around her.
Shadi and Bahar were at the door of the penthouse and they began to throw more petals down the stairs and the little carpet that led to the black Jaguar that awaited her. Esther tried to keep her cool because the importance of this night dawned on her.
She knew that she was a star candidate and that she would be meeting Queen Nura personally but it only truly bloomed in her mind at that precise moment, especially with all of the special treatment that she was receiving.
Elaheh helped her into the car and ensured that her dress and gown hadn't wrinkled in the process of entering the car. Unfortunately, she couldn't take any of her servants with her. She would've felt less anxious if she was around a familiar face, but she had spent hours praying that morning to Yahweh and she would draw her strength from Him.
The car was heavily guarded, with body guards that sat on either side of Esther. The windows were tinted and the entire thing was bullet proof. The ride to the main banquet hall took twenty-five minutes and when the car arrived at the main area of the palace, Esther was ushered out of the car by a plethora of guards and servants alike and was delivered into the banquet hall.
The event had long since started; many of the other candidates milled about with non-alcoholic drinks while they conversed amidst the soft music. Hegai told her that she would only meet The Queen long after they had eaten, a few hours from then. Queen Nura would only arrive to the banquet hall in the last hour.
Hey eyes scanned the dimmed hall for any familiar faces. She was nearly knocked off of her axis when she heard a high-pitched squeal, followed by, "Esther! Assalamu alaikum!"
Sabah's tiny arms flailed about her and Esther's heart rate returned to normal when she recognised her old penthouse mate.
"Wa alaikum salaam, Sabah."
"It's so good to see you, you look amazing!"
"Likewise, Sabah," Esther replied with a genuine smile.
"Let me take you to the others!"
Sabah led her to a nook that was further in the room and there she found the other girls she'd once shared a penthouse with: Afshan, Zara and Qamar. She stayed with them for the rest of the night. They conversed in mellow tones while they danced occasionally and plucked dark chocolate treats from the trays the servants carried. Esther didn't have the stomach to eat much, so she stayed away from the cocoa treats.
Queen Nura arrived with a barricade of body guards two hours later, dressed in purple and gold. Esther had felt her heart stop when the woman had entered the room. Everything came to a halt as the entire banquet hall of candidates and servants had watched her sweep into the room and ascend the stairs that led to her throne. The body guards acted as a physical barricade between the stairs and the rest of the hall.
Esther couldn't keep her eyes off of her for the rest of the night, even though The Queen hadn't looked in her direction at all. The banquet finally came to an end and everyone moved to the dining hall. Esther and the other four star candidates were given seats of honour, where the Queen usually sat with her family.
Ten minutes passed after Esther had been seated and the door to the dining hall opened and Queen Nura stepped into the room.
This time, her heart actually stopped for a moment because up close, Queen Nura was the most beautiful creature that she had ever laid eyes on.
Jet black hair spilled from the large gold crown that adorned her head. Light brown skin mapped a tall, thin frame, accompanied by a sharp jaw, Cupids-bow lips, sharp cheekbones and dark eyes. She carried a golden sceptre in her right hand, adorned with rings made of sapphire and gold.
When she spoke, everything in Esther came alive. Her voice was smooth and deep, yet simultaneously soft and for all the times she'd imagined what it would be like to hear her voice, her expectations had been exceeded. Queen Nura welcomed everyone and asked them all to indulge in as much food as they could. She then sat down at her table and conversed with Memukan, who sat right beside her.
After dinner the other candidates were escorted back to their penthouses while the four candidates stayed behind.
They were led to a small parlour where they were prompted to wait for The Queen. She came half an hour later, with less guards by her side.
She spoke to Hegai first and they conversed in hushed tones for over half an hour while Esther and the others tried to act like they weren't trying to evesdrop.
Queen Nura would smile once in a while at whatever Hegai was saying. At long last, she and Hegai finished conversing and one by one, Hegai introduced each of the candidates to her.
Esther was the last person that she met that night. Hegai and placed a hand on her shoulder and with a proud smile said, "and this is
Esther Abbey of Susa, my top star candidate."
Esther felt warm from the pride in his voice and she gladly bowed her head deeply in front of The Queen. She felt the cold tip of the sceptre on her head and she rose slowly and lifted her head and came into direct contact with Queen Nura's earthy eyes. A silver of something ran right through her spine at the proximity of The Queen. Her potent scent seeped into Esther's clothes and she knew that she'd hug her dress to her chest every night until she died.
"It is such an honour to meet you, My Queen," Esther said and she bowed once more.
"No, it's quite the honour to meet you. Hegai speaks most highly of you."
"I-" Esther squeaked, "thank you, Your Highness."
"Esther is a beautiful name."
"th-thank you," Esther said.
"Hegai tells me you love to read?"
"Yes Your Highness."
"She also has strong points of view Your Highness, she could take you up in a debate and easily win," Hegai said.
Queen Nura raised an eyebrow at her and Esther felt heat rush to her cheeks.
"You know I love a good debate," she said to Hegai, "lift up your eyes, Esther, I won't bite."
"I'm so sorry," Esther replied and lifted her eyes from the floor to look right into Queen Nura's eyes. She was almost a head taller than Esther so the younger girl had to look straight up.
"I'd like to hear some of the opinions you have on some literary works sometime, but for now, it was lovely to meet you, Esther. I look forward to meeting you again."
"Thank you My Queen," Esther gushed, "it was a pleasure to meeting you."
"Likewise," Queen Nura said then she and Hegai went back to Maryam, one of the other girls. Queen Nura asked Maryam to join her for a walk in the gardens. Hegai had mentioned in the weeks leading up to the banquet that it was possible for Queen Nura to request to spend individual extra time with one or more candidates that night.
Esther's stomach twisted a little and she tried not to let her worries get to the best of her. Just because Queen Nura had asked to see Maryam alone, it did not mean that she would chose her as a wife.
Esther and the the other three candidates were escorted back to their penthouses and while in the car, she remembered what Elaheh had said to her earlier and she wondered if Queen Nura, now that she had met her, thought the same.