Upon this morning's tray was a steaming stack of fluffy flatbreads sprinkled with sesame seeds, a bowl of blushing apricots, and several of the ground pistachio pastries with cardamom cream that I was beginning to like.
The scent of minty green tea rose from the copper kettle and I breathed it in. Last night had been a success. He'd reluctantly agreed to let me go, but only with a guard and my handmaidens, which I thought of as a win.
Dodging any kind of supervision was my childhood hobby. Smiling to myself, I tore a small piece of bread and put it in my mouth. Whatever my feelings about this marriage, the palace chef fell into the pros category.
Ayesha and Haleema moved around the room, arranging my outfit, and getting ready to leave. They'd been scared out of their wits yesterday but had calmed down when Ali had strode past them, ignoring their guilty expressions.
"Mind if I join you?" My eyes swept up and I stumbled back in shock.
What was he doing here? "Of course," I muttered, gesturing for another tray to be brought in.
"No need, Hamza has my breakfast," Ali answered, not taking his eyes off me. My throat constricted. Why was he here?
Ayesha went out of the room grabbing his breakfast. Haleema arranged for another table to be placed and once they'd completed their tasks, they exited, leaving us alone.
"It's... unexpected to see you here husband," Husband? Prince? Sayidi? What was I supposed to call him?
His mouth twitched and he poured out his tea. A military man through and through. "As I was told yesterday, I haven't spent much time with my lovely wife," my cheeks warmed up.
"And I thank you for your presence here, but..."
"I am aware that you'll be leaving for the Bazaar soon. As any good husband would do, I've decided to accompany you," my bread fell on the tray with a muted plop. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes lighting up with curiosity.
I gaped at him like one of the fishes caught by the fishermen in the Nile. My first instinct was to extricate myself from the situation.
"That's really not necessary."
"Oh, I think it is. It's a good way to get to know one another," get to know one another? What had I done?
"That's true but the Bazaar is hardly a place to get to know one's partner don't you think? Perhaps over dinner?"
"We can do that too," what was going on? "Besides, it'll be a short trip," now he was shortening the time?
My face fell and I nodded, defeated. I could have bypassed the guard and my handmaidens, but not him. I was not foolish enough to believe I could dodge him. At this point, I might as well send a message to Sanaa and tell her that I couldn't come.
"You don't seem too happy about it..." my heart fluttered and I swallowed.
"I was planning a visit to my Father and since the trip would be short, I'm sad that I wouldn't get to see him"
"We can visit him on the way back." At my astonished look, he paused his eating. "Is there a problem?" I forced the smile on my face.
"No, not at all"
No problem at all.
We stood in a small alley next to the entrance of the Bazaar. The sky above was burning up from the summer heat, and the mixture of spices, sweat, and livestock filled the hot air with the heady perfume of life, in all its abundance.
I exited the carriage, trying to balance the weight of my dress on the sand and was shocked to find his hand extended towards me. I reached out, curling my fingers in his, worried about the sudden change in behavior.
He let me find my balance and then let go.
"Where would you like to go?"
I had already thought of the most boring endeavor. "I was thinking about visiting clothing shops."
"The clothing shops," he repeated.
"Yes, would you like to accompany us?"
He blinked slowly. "I have to take care of a few things," that explained his presence here today. Seeing the smug expression on my face, he cleared his throat. "That doesn't mean I don't want us to spend time together," I refrained from rolling my eyes.
"Of course"
"We'll meet back here when the sun is at its highest," I nodded, getting ready to leave.
This was almost too easy. Ali turned around to leave but paused and circled back, pulling out a pouch.
"What is this?"
"Money. You'll need it to buy clothes," I shifted, the emerald jeweled comb I had stolen away in my inner pocket feeling like it would catch flame at a thought. "Take it," he thrust the pouch towards me. I stepped back, almost flinching at the gesture. "What's wrong?"
I stared at my feet. "It's too much" I looked up as he laughed. He turned to face me, half-amused and half-surprised by my expression.
"This is nothing. You deserve this and more." I relented, not knowing how to answer that.
With that we left the safety of the shadows and darted out in different directions, into the bustling crowds of Cairo's most active outdoor market.
My troupe and I passed under the archway and into the sweltering maze of people and goods.To our right were vendors plying food wares—sugared dates and other dried fruits, an assortment of nuts in water-stained wood barrels, mountains of spices piled high in vivid hues—and to our left were vendors of spun cloth, dyed fabric, and skeins of yarn idling in a faint breeze, their colors like a banner cut from a rainbow.
Ayesha and Haleema moved around, marvelling at the clothing and the colours, their eyes wide in appreciation. I bought both of them a fabric of their choosing, my way of apologizing for the stunt I had pulled yesterday.
Hamza stared ahead, his mouth curved into a permanent small smile. I watched him watch my handmaidens, his eyes sharp and alert. Since Ali had trusted him with my safety, I was determined to get to know him.
Amusingly, he kept staring at Ayesha, just small shy glances, nothing too obvious. His eyes tracked her movements, his body tilting towards her, eyes lighting up when she laughed.
Forging forward, I tucked that particular piece of information into my mind. As my handmaidens said, everything was worth something.
We kept on moving at a steady pace with many salesmen pouncing on us, trying to coax us to taste a pistachio or sample a delicious dried apricot.
We idled around the narrow alleyway as I ran a passing glance at the shops, craning my neck to see the Mosque in the far right.
Time to sneak away.
"Ayesha, Haleema, there's a special shop right up ahead," they nodded, their eyes wide. "Hamza, you'll have to stay outside," he nodded, placing his fist over his heart.
They followed me towards the secluded corner, entering the shop with a loud tinkling of the bell. Throwing my veil back, I let the girls ooh and aah over the interior, the silk lingerie, the luxurious fabrics, the sinful clothing.
"Did the other ones not work?" Haleema asked, looking at a fiery red number, her eyes filled with mischief.
Before I could answer, a plump woman emerged from behind the tall swaths of clothing, her rouge lips and kohl-lined eyes causing quite an effect.
"Welcome ladies, welcome! How can I help you today?" They turned to look at me and I cleared my throat, fighting the blush creeping up my cheeks.
"I want something... to drive a man insane," my handmaidens giggled and the shop woman gave me an approving look.
"Excellent start. Would you care to try this on?" She pulled a delicate lace set in black, placing it over the counter. I coughed and shook my head.
"Something a bit conservative"
She nodded. "I understand," she walked to the back of the room and came back with a few packages. "How about this?" The wrapping fell away in a rustle to reveal a simple knee-length black shift. The V-neck was a bit daring, but it did not have the wow factor.
I raised an eyebrow at how simple it was. She glanced my way, flipped it over and my eyes popped.
The shift had a very low back that fell to the waist. Oh my God.
"Wow," Ayesha muttered.
"Enough to drive him crazy?" I imagined the amount of skin that would be on display. My whole back would be open to his gaze. Ali's face flashed in front of me and I smiled. This would definitely drive him insane.
I'd have to do something about my hair, maybe have it tied up?
"I'm going to try it," she nodded and I grabbed the material, moving towards the changing room. "Pack the red one as well," I added, throwing a parting look at Ayesha. She nodded.
I swept the curtain aside, making sure to tell everyone to let me try this on my own.
"What took you so long?" Sanaa hissed from the back. I gave her an incredulous look and an impulsive hug. God, I'd missed her.
Her arms circled back and I moved away. "I have three people with me."
"We don't have much time," her nervousness had lit a fire inside of me.
"Distract them. Have you got the ointments?"
"Baba has them and he's waiting for you"
"Good, oh how I've missed him"
"How will you ditch your handmaidens?"
"Here wear my abaya, and stay silent"
"Where will we switch?" She whispered, handing me her abaya. I shrugged it on.
"In the back alley, meet me there in 10 minutes"
"Yes, this will do nicely! Ayesha, Haleema, we'll get this packed. It's going to take me some time to get out of it. Here's the payment," I yelled out, handing the money to Sanaa. She trembled from fear.
"What if we get caught?"
I flashed her a wicked smile. "Have we ever?"
We separated, me exiting through the back door, a dusty veil over my face and Sanaa, staying back, adorned with the fancy jewelry of a princess.
I slipped out, merging into the crowd, finding my way to Uncle Yaqoob's shop. He stood outside, his face filled with worry.
"The two of you are insane! Do you know what you're husband will do? He'll skin us alive!"
I gave him a fond smile, feeling my lungs expand, breathing easier after a week. "Well, we better not waste any time."
I was determined not to take these small moments for granted. I had managed to snatch a precious few moments of freedom and I was using it to help my mother's people.
We grabbed the baskets, running towards the alleyway. A line of women sat on the street, their faces covered, their eyes filled with desperation. I did my rounds, checking the women, learning about their ailments, and collecting City gossip.
According to several of the women, new refugees were arriving in the city and the people weren't too happy about the latest development. Already the high percentage of taxes was causing strain amongst the masses. Economic woes were at the top of everyone's list, with unrest against the Caliph stirring in the streets. Children ran towards me, eager for sweets but I ended up giving their mother's small amounts of coins. My heart broke at their broken expressions but they needed to have a little extra money. Just in case.
I chewed on my lips, worried. What if they expelled these people? Where would they go? They had no jobs, no homes!
"You've done all you could child," Uncle Yaqoob muttered as we headed back to meet up with Sanaa.
"I can do more."
"What you can do, is keep yourself safe. Your husband is not an easy man. You should do well to know that you're first duty is towards him."
Your husband is not an easy man. Another day, another warning. Who was I married to?
"And what about me? Am I not someone? Should I not care?"
Uncle Yaqoob snorted. "You don't just care about a cause Laila Jaan, you live and breathe a cause." I huffed, not understanding how that was a bad thing. "Remember this. Your husband comes first. The family you've married into comes first."
I frowned but did not argue. Uncle Yaqoob had no idea. He did not know what it felt like to be trapped. Of having no choice. Of being a woman.
I fished the jeweled hair clip out and gave it to him. "Break this into pieces and sell them separately. We'll need the money soon."
When I wouldn't be able to sneak out and help. Before I could find a permanent solution. Before I got locked in, permanently.
Uncle Yaqoob's eyes widened but he understood my intent and shoved it into his pocket.
We lingered near the garbage disposal, waiting for Sanaa to appear. My heart squeezed painfully. What if she'd been caught? What if Ali had found out?
It was nearly time to meet him. What if his reputation was true? He wouldn't be merciful.
I was ready to go after her, consequences be damned, when Sanaa ran towards us, her eyes filled with fear.
"Quick," she muttered, out of breath, taking off the abaya and thrusting it to me. I complied, moving to change, Uncle Yaqoob helping me with my scarf.
She didn't say anything else, checked my appearance, nodded, grabbed her father's hand, and disappeared into the alleyway.
I stood there, puzzled by her actions until I saw the reason for her panic.
Prince Alizayd stood under the Egyptian sun, hand on his sword, his eyes blazing a hot amber, his body tense, looking like he was about to raise hell.
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