Chapter Two – The Golden Palace
I still remember very clearly the time I first laid my eyes on the beautiful city called Persia. I was so tired from the trip on the boat, and even more so from the tip by cart, that I had fallen asleep a few hours before arriving. When I woke, I saw before me an enormous palace that shone gold in the blazing sun. One could very likely see it from miles away. In fact, it was quite blinding to one who had just awoken.
As the cart passed through the gate of the walls surrounding the palace I was astonished to see how many marketers were trying to get what they could from any potential buyer. All around there was chaos – dogs were chasing chickens, occasionally a cart would fall over and all of its contents would spill out onto the road, there were even young children that cried as they desperately looked for their mother or father, their tiny voices unheard over all the shouting. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.
Everything changed once we passed through the gate to the palace - there were only few people compared to before, and these were obviously of high wealth. There were also spectacular flowers of deep reds, purples, and yellows. How many roses grew there too! Their reds, whites, and pinks illuminated the entrance and gave a wonderful sense of life and warmth to it. It was so different from the world outside those walls. Here, everything seemed so calm. The only noise that one could hear was the light chirping of the native birds. However, my sense of awe was cut short when the cart driver told us to all step out. As soon as we all did, he pushed us to walk down the enormous entrance hall to the largest door that I have probably seen in my entire life. It was large even for a grown man… imagine for such a short girl as I was. Beyond the door there was an even bigger hall where at the end sat a young man in a throne. His face had a very unyielding appearance, and his posture was strong. This man was the Sha.
The cart driver instantly bowed down, his head nearly touching the ground. I learned later that it was of great disrespect not to bow down to the Sha. He was greater than all other men, and those who did not respect that would be punished. "Master, I have retrieved some new slaves. They are of light skin. Are they of your liking?" The Sha carefully looked at each one of us for what seemed to be ages. I supposed he did not ask us to bow, for we were foreign to their way of life. What surprised me as he looked at us was that his eyes kept drifting back to me, and when he finally spoke, his voice seemed to be coming from that of the walls around me. It was such a powerful voice. It could easily make anyone tremble from fear.
"Bring me the girl."
I did not know why he wanted me to step closer to him, mainly because I could not understand the language they spoke, but when I walked up to him he stepped down from his throne and kneeled down so that we were of the same height. He then looked at me carefully in the eyes. The voice that I heard then was as gentle as the wind.
"Sharay…" This was the name that I learned to call my own, and he, the man I learned to know only as father. And for the first time, I bowed down to him.
Fifteen years later, the memory of my few years living with my real father had faded from my memory and all I knew was living in this palace. I had now become the Sha's eldest and most beautiful daughter, as well as the one to inherit the throne. My old name, Christine, could not be used, and I was known only as Princess Sharay. I could rarely see other people - the only time I spent with others was in the Harem, where I would learn many things such as music, dance, weaving, and other women's jobs. I had also learned their language perfectly within a few years of tutoring. But most of all, I had grown to know nothing other than that life… but something was missing from it.
I found myself sitting beside the Sha's throne on a pile of velvety red pillows, dressed in beautiful blue silk clothing. It was two hours past midday and it was the time when all of the Sha's entertainers would come and perform. There were wide ranges of performers: dancers, musicians, and actors. Many people from all parts of Persia came to the palace to watch. Watching them fascinated my eyes. I could not conceive what sorts of performances there may be all around the world. I dreamed of one day sharing with hundreds of spectators the talents that I possessed. Oh, what I could have given for that dream! That day, however, there was a new entertainer. He was the world-known masked magician. A genius. He was unlike anything anyone has ever seen. Nothing I could have seen could have prepared me for such a performance.