A dense gust of snow plunged the roofs of the palaces of the imperial harem into large white cloaks. Winter had come for the first time since the coronation of the current emperor about three years ago. All the wives watched from their palaces the entrance of the king to the inner complex. Little had the man entered the harem and this attitude was taken as the lost interest of the ruler for the women who composed it, the empress; his chief wife, consort Akil; Representative of one of the influential families of the empire and second-rate wife. And finally Mrs. Cadi; Woman of great intellect and first wife of the third category. The king advanced down the long corridor until he reached the palace that stood imposing above the rest, it was the abode of Empress Khatri.
The other wives saw the king enter the palace of his mortal enemy. No one helped together, each working individually to curry favor with the king. But it was almost impossible to win his approval by competing with a personality like the empress; Deceptive, conspiratorial and jealous. Although he knew very well to hide his shortcomings from the king.
"It is the first time in two weeks that his majesty has entered the palaces and met with the empress," Consort Akil said indignantly.
"Your Highness, you don't need to worry. Her majesty, she surely remembers, her maid tried to comfort her.
The woman, burning with fury both at the king's favoritism with the empress and at the stupid words of her maid, beat her.
"Sorry, your highness. I was careless with my words," she said fearfully.
It had been two months since the emperor had visited her and that was something that scared and bothered her at the same time. Without the king's favor, wives were nothing. She was not the king's favorite and had not borne him children, if a woman entered the palace and finally won the king's favor and also bore him children, that would mean her destruction. The consort would not sit idly by and invent something to get the king's attention.
⟦··· ⟧
The king walked down the long corridor of the empress's palace until he reached her rooms. When she saw him, she got up to receive him.
"I receive your majesty," the woman greeted him with a bow.
"How have you been?" The king asked as he offered his arm.
"Very well now that your majesty is in front of me.
"I've been busy and...
"You don't have to give me explanations, majesty. You are the head of state and those matters are more important than my whims—he stopped you in his speech.
Empress Khatri with actions as simple as those managed to win little by little the heart of the king.
She used her arsenal of charms very well in order to win the favor of man.
"How are the girls?"
"They were playing with the babysitter while I embroidered a little.
The man nodded and walked restlessly around the room.
"Is something wrong with you, majesty?"
"The queen dowager has heard the rumors about the supposed disinterest in my women and is organizing a selection of concubines.
The woman maintained a neutral expression before the words, although inside the blood burned her. The mere fact of knowing about the selection made the empress full of jealousy. In three years that would be the third time that a selection of concubines would be held, the first two gave scarce results being chosen only one woman in each.
The empress had demonstrated her many skills as the leader of the king's harem and one of those was her ability to keep the other two wives suppressed; one more ambitious than the other.
"Your majesty is still young, he has just turned 30. The wives who make up the harem can still give him heirs.
"There will be no way to persuade my imperial mother. You must help her, do not forget your obligation.
The woman nodded with no choice as a feigned smile appeared on her face.
"Your majesties, the room is ready." A maid entered the place.
The couple entered the room as the servants closed the doors behind them. The night augured to be short for those who slept, but long for those who guarded the chambers of the monarchs.
⟦… ⟧
Many hours had passed since the king had withdrawn from the empress's palace. When the presence of Mrs. Cadi damaged the morning of the young queen. Her character was well known among the other wives. But Mrs. Cadi didn't seem to care about the rudeness and rudeness that the queen frequently committed to her.
"Greetings to your majesty, the Empress," greeted the spiky lady politely.
"You know we are like sisters, you must not have such formality with me," Khatri said.
"You are the leader of the harem and you are above me. I owe her respect," she replied mellowly.
"What brings you to my palace?"
"News has reached my pavilion that the king will choose new concubines.
"Yes, the king needs an heir and we have only given him princesses.
"Your Highness, the princesses have already turned 7 years old. Would I allow Naya to be taken to my palace?
The third wife made the request with fear.
The king had married very young. And only when he was a prince he already had two wives, then when he turned 23, he acquired another, this was Mrs. Cadi. It was that same woman who bore him a first child, although to his misfortune, she could not give the king a son.
"Sure, Mrs. Cadi. You know how our deal is. If he fulfills what I ask, he will be able to take his daughter, Princess Naya".
"Your Highness, please, I beg you," she pleaded desperately as she fell to the ground with tears in her eyes.
The empress settled on her throne, while holding in her hands a beautiful white Persian cat, the woman stroked the animal while selflessly listening to Mrs. Cadi. In his ears the woman's words were a cheap and meaningless theatre, for it was absurd to let her go so easily after all the things she had done. I wasn't going to take unnecessary risks.
"I allowed you to have a son of the king and that's why you are an official wife. I allowed you to rise, but you will never rise above me".
"Your Highness, I cannot do what you ask. Please could I do anything but stain my hands with blood".
Mrs. Cadi crawled across the beautiful carpet of the palace until she reached the queen's throne of sorts.
With the help of the empress, Mrs. Cadi had managed to become an official wife thus richly accommodating her clan. For the Empress this woman was her lackey of evil deeds, who committed all the conspiracies against the Consort.
Putting her aside with her foot, the empress stood up and advanced to the exit of the small chamber. Mrs. Cadi from the ground could hear the tinkling of the empress's tiger's eye earrings, a sound she had come to hate with all her might.
"You must be thankful that I am not rushing you, you can spend as much time as you want, only in the end I want the same result," the woman said.
Mrs. Cadi got up from the ground with the help of her maid and wiped away her tears. No matter how many tears she shed or how much she begged, the empress would never leave her alone.
The doors of the great imperial complex were opened giving way to the great crowd of young, beautiful women from good families who would participate in the selection.The tension was felt in the air, as were the envious looks between them.Ezra Azzar, daughter of the sayid of the Himyar tribe, was walking through the imperial garden with her friend Badar Alid. Both had been chosen to appear in the selection of concubines, following the tradition of many generations of their tribe.Ezra looked disinterestedly at the flowers of the immense garden with only one hope: not to be selected. If he became part of the king's imperial harem he would lose his freedom and all contact with his family.Some time later all the young women were ordered according to family rank and merit.Ezra watched as the girls with joy and pride occupied the front places, she with a hidden smile is among the last in line. His family was not very influential.The room melted into an eerie silence and eager to know w
About one hundred concubines were selected for the king. Very few even came to cross words with the man and that was why these women; The beauties of the king would do everything possible to be noticed by the monarch and thus win his favor. But anyone who managed to capture the king's attention was unconsciously digging his own grave. Well, the empress would be responsible for throwing them mercilessly over the precipice, being forgotten by all, even by their families who, seeing them fall into disgrace, would deny the existence of the name of said concubine in their genealogical record.There were many beauties of the king, beautiful flowers at dawn but withered at nightfall. That was the nature of flowers; Be beautiful, express charm and freshness. But not forever, the flowers withered, their beauty was not eternal. In that other sense the beauties of the king were also flowers. For time would pass over them, their years of youth would be ephemeral, and finally they would be lost am
The practice of palace etiquette had ended and now concubines could leave their palaces to see the inner complex; Huge place where the beauties of the king used to live. A place where the only man who could enter was the emperor. There were women in the place and each one held a different rank, a status that Ezra had to respect. The ranks among concubines ranged from the royal assistants, the lowest echelon of the hierarchy, to the top of the pyramid occupied by the empress. Among these ranks were also the imperial concubines, higher up the secondary wives of the third and second category. Ezra was only a low-level concubine, and no enmities with the other wives and concubines could be allowed. The hatred of a concubine could trigger the most terrible acts. And she did not want to be a victim of them. The girl toured the small palace that had been assigned to her and although at first, she thought it was simply not habitable, when she saw the other cameras in perfect condition, sh
The irregular winter had passed. The snow on the roofs of Ezra's palace had begun to melt, and the rattle of drops on the ground was the only thing that could be heard in all the palaces; That melody was the musical orchestra that all the beauties of the king appreciated, from the wife of the lowest category to the empress could delight or go crazy with the sound.For Ezra that was an unusual sound, because the area where he came from was not common winter snowfall. That sound was relaxing in that endless solitude. Ezra did not want his life to be lost in the rough walls of the royal palace. Although, I very well knew that was what would happen."Madame, the eunuch Chief is here. I will pass it on.Madame Azzar settled into the armchair while busily checking her hairstyle and the condition of her dress."Greetings to Madame Azzar," greeted the old eunuch politely."Chief eunuch, what brings you here?""Madame Azzar, congratulations. The Caliph has summoned her.Ezra slowly erased the
The irregular winter had passed. The snow on the roofs of Ezra's palace had begun to melt, and the rattle of drops on the ground was the only thing that could be heard in all the palaces; That melody was the musical orchestra that all the beauties of the king appreciated, from the wife of the lowest category to the empress could delight or go crazy with the sound.For Ezra that was an unusual sound, because the area where he came from was not common winter snowfall. That sound was relaxing in that endless solitude. Ezra did not want his life to be lost in the rough walls of the royal palace. Although, I very well knew that was what would happen."Madame, the eunuch Chief is here. I will pass it on.Madame Azzar settled into the armchair while busily checking her hairstyle and the condition of her dress."Greetings to Madame Azzar," greeted the old eunuch politely."Chief eunuch, what brings you here?""Madame Azzar, congratulations. The Caliph has summoned her.Ezra slowly erased the
The practice of palace etiquette had ended and now concubines could leave their palaces to see the inner complex; Huge place where the beauties of the king used to live. A place where the only man who could enter was the emperor. There were women in the place and each one held a different rank, a status that Ezra had to respect. The ranks among concubines ranged from the royal assistants, the lowest echelon of the hierarchy, to the top of the pyramid occupied by the empress. Among these ranks were also the imperial concubines, higher up the secondary wives of the third and second category. Ezra was only a low-level concubine, and no enmities with the other wives and concubines could be allowed. The hatred of a concubine could trigger the most terrible acts. And she did not want to be a victim of them. The girl toured the small palace that had been assigned to her and although at first, she thought it was simply not habitable, when she saw the other cameras in perfect condition, sh
About one hundred concubines were selected for the king. Very few even came to cross words with the man and that was why these women; The beauties of the king would do everything possible to be noticed by the monarch and thus win his favor. But anyone who managed to capture the king's attention was unconsciously digging his own grave. Well, the empress would be responsible for throwing them mercilessly over the precipice, being forgotten by all, even by their families who, seeing them fall into disgrace, would deny the existence of the name of said concubine in their genealogical record.There were many beauties of the king, beautiful flowers at dawn but withered at nightfall. That was the nature of flowers; Be beautiful, express charm and freshness. But not forever, the flowers withered, their beauty was not eternal. In that other sense the beauties of the king were also flowers. For time would pass over them, their years of youth would be ephemeral, and finally they would be lost am
The doors of the great imperial complex were opened giving way to the great crowd of young, beautiful women from good families who would participate in the selection.The tension was felt in the air, as were the envious looks between them.Ezra Azzar, daughter of the sayid of the Himyar tribe, was walking through the imperial garden with her friend Badar Alid. Both had been chosen to appear in the selection of concubines, following the tradition of many generations of their tribe.Ezra looked disinterestedly at the flowers of the immense garden with only one hope: not to be selected. If he became part of the king's imperial harem he would lose his freedom and all contact with his family.Some time later all the young women were ordered according to family rank and merit.Ezra watched as the girls with joy and pride occupied the front places, she with a hidden smile is among the last in line. His family was not very influential.The room melted into an eerie silence and eager to know w
A dense gust of snow plunged the roofs of the palaces of the imperial harem into large white cloaks. Winter had come for the first time since the coronation of the current emperor about three years ago. All the wives watched from their palaces the entrance of the king to the inner complex. Little had the man entered the harem and this attitude was taken as the lost interest of the ruler for the women who composed it, the empress; his chief wife, consort Akil; Representative of one of the influential families of the empire and second-rate wife. And finally Mrs. Cadi; Woman of great intellect and first wife of the third category. The king advanced down the long corridor until he reached the palace that stood imposing above the rest, it was the abode of Empress Khatri.The other wives saw the king enter the palace of his mortal enemy. No one helped together, each working individually to curry favor with the king. But it was almost impossible to win his approval by competing with a person