Author's note: First of all, I would like to thank my dear reviewers, who I hope will support me once again, and I would also like to present my sincere apologise for the extremely long delay. I have no intention to abandon this story, because it is my most favourite and I truly wish my devoted reviewers could once again aid me with their commentaries and suggestions.
The cause of this delay was due to the fact that this was the year when I entered college and moved from home to a new city. I was very busy accommodating to the new way of living and to college life, which, unfortunately, turned out to be more stressful than I have ever imagined.
Nevertheless, I promise to find the time and continue working on this story.
Episode XII : "A queen to be"Marriage has always been a greatly awaited and sumptuously prepared event among families of royal ancestry, especially when it involved the King's successor and the princess who will one day be the queen of a nation. The Persians made no exception from this tradition, and so, the palace of Babylon rang out once more with joyful sounds of music and laughter as a great feast was prepared to celebrate the arrival of Princess Yasmeen-bint-Hamid of Arabia, who was to marry Prince Sogdian, King Sharaman's eldest son and heir to the throne.
The grandeur of the feast was nevertheless shadowed by the absence of a most important figure, the eldest prince himself. The king explained his son's delay by claiming the military services he had to perform in distant lands to maintain a political and administrative stability within the empire, but was not entirely capable of hiding his embarrassment in front of the princess' father, whose cold and emotionless stare betrayed his lack of confidence in the excuse he had been given. Moreover, he would have immediately cancelled the wedding, considering the prince to have a disrespectful attitude and no diplomatic skills, had it not been for the advantages that would follow the alliance of his kingdom with the Persian Empire, as a result of the marriage.
A couple of hours later …King Sharaman stood awake in his chamber long into the night, after the feast ended, looking time and time again over the scroll of parchment Sogdian had sent him, motivating his incapability to attend the banquet. A knock, in the middle of the night, at the large wooden doors of his chambers, echoing strangely through the room and inside his head, startled the brave king. Without waiting for the king's permission, the doors were pushed open and the eldest prince stepped inside casually, knowing he would find his father awake and waiting for him.
Sogdian was a tall, well-built man in his late thirties, although he could easily be mistaken for someone much younger. He had an olive complexion, hazel eyes and long, wavy hair that fell past his shoulders. His Roman nose and firm chin emphasised his noble heritage, yet he had not the appearance of a stern and vigilant lord, but bore a calm and peaceful expression, denoting his honest and generous self. The armour he was wearing, together with a heavy sword that hung to his side and a long cape, showed that he had just arrived and had hurried to see his father, before anything else.
"I would so much like to believe, Sogdian, that your delay was not caused by any more of your aberrant ideas", the king stated without any introductions, waving the piece of parchment Sogdian had sent him, before his son's eyes.
"I told you no lies, father. It seems fate assent to my aberrant ideas," the prince answered boldly, with a smile.
"Fate? What about the fate of Babylon, of Persia? Who will rule the empire when I'm gone?" the king took rapid steps towards his son, sounding highly alarmed.
"You will rule for many years to come," Sogdian added quickly, finding it difficult to imagine a time when his father would no longer be a part of his life.
"The more I rule, the older you get. What if, when your time will come to step on the throne, you will be an old man with no heirs? Will you allow our dynasty to perish in shame while strangers, or perhaps our very enemies will fight for the throne?" the king frowned his brows and heightened his voice as he shook the prince's shoulders with both hands, as if attempting to make him acknowledge the reality of things.
"Father, you are exaggerating. I never pronounced myself against marrying, it is just that I see marriage as a union that should be based not only on interest but also on love, and marrying a woman I have not even met …… ," Sogdian was abruptly interrupted by his father.
"You will have an entire lifetime to find love with whoever you wish and take as many wives as you please, but you must take Princess Yasmeen as your first wife. Arabia has quickly risen to be a powerful nation, having become a possible threat even to our great empire. An alliance with their king is our only alternative to war."
"I do not mean to be disrespectful, but we cannot be entirely certain that …… "
The king raised his right hand to silence his son, and directed his paces towards the balcony, speaking while doing so.
"The arrangements have already been made. Tomorrow we will appoint the date of the ceremony, and as your king and father, I command you to obey me," the king faced his son, addressing him almost menacingly.
Sogdian remained silent, with a slightly disappointed look on his face, and the king turned his eyes in the opposite direction, when he felt his authoritarian gaze slowly turning into a compassionate one. A brief moment of silence followed, then the king addressed his son once more, making a forced attempt to ease the atmosphere.
"Go and wonder the corridors of the palace if you please, and if you should find a princess you can love, you have my consent to marry her instead."
"Good night, father," the prince broke through his sadness with a smile, which lingered on his lips as he left his father's quarters.
Earlier that evening …Before Prince Sogdian and his men had arrived, while the guests and courtiers were still enjoying themselves at the king's feast, Maniya wasted no time in putting her plan into action and sneaked inside the Tower of Babel. She climbed the walls and exterior columns of the most abrupt part of the structure, and therefore the less accessible and less guarded part, making her way from the base of the tower to the balconies of the royal palace, which together with the marvellous hanging-gardens crowned the top.
She knew precisely what she had to do and for no reason would she allow herself to be distracted from her mission, but as she crept along rooftops and supporting beams, searching for a more secluded entrance, something happened that she did not intend. The corner of her left eye caught sight of something familiar and as Maniya spun around to see what it was, she froze on the spot, her eyes almost filling with tears and her mind abruptly invaded with memories from her past.
Looking straight at a certain balcony in the distance, the one that had drawn her attention, she completely forgot about everyone and everything concerning the present, while various images flashed before her eyes.
Six years before …
"You stole it. Admit it!" a tall, skinny woman, with a wrinkled face, dressed in elegant robes and wearing excessive jewellery and a turban on her head, also adorned with gold and precious jewels, barked at Maniya, who was dressed very poorly and looked nothing like her present self.
"No! I swear, mistress. It is mine. A gift," the scared girl tried to defend herself, clutching in her hand the pendant, representing the profile of a sited cat, which a mysterious woman by the name of Nadira had given her and which she now wore at her neck, on a string made of thin rope.
"You cannot possibly expect me to believe the lies of a pathetic servant. Guards! Guards!" she yelled with all her strength and two guards rushed into the room. "This servant has been caught stealing from the king's treasury. Take her to the dungeons and give her the proper punishment, then lock her up."
Hearing this, Maniya entered a state of utter shock, that preventing her from reacting in any way, or even thinking. She knew very well knew that anyone caught stealing had their right hand caught off, but if she was accused of stealing form the king himself, then it was very likely she could be hanged afterwards. As she saw the guars approaching, their eyes glistening with fury, Maniya did the only thing that her instincts told her to do, she ran. Bursting through a smaller door, hidden by red curtains, at the other side of the room, Maniya reached a corridor along which she ran desperately, as fast as she could, striving to outrun the two stronger men.
Turning left and right, looking back at the guards rather then where she was going, fate made it so that she reached a balcony, from which it was impossible to escape. Desperate as she was, seeing the guards approaching rapidly and shouting at her, Maniya made an attempt to straddle the banister, not knowing herself how she could escape if the ground was barely visible from the impressive height where she stood. The banister, however, proved to be very difficult to straddle for someone who wore a long dress, not vaporous like silk but rough and tight like a sack.
But just as she sat there on the banister, one leg almost over it and the other hanging in the air, she heard a familiar sound, a mewing. Looking above the archway door of the balcony, she saw sitting above it, on a girder, the cat she had once tried to rescue and which afterwards disappeared without a trace. The cat was looking straight at her and mewing insistently, which distracted Maniya's attention and she did not hear one guard shouting Stop right there, thief or see the other aiming his bow at her and releasing an arrow that did not hit her, but swished past her ear, which, ironically, proved to be fatal for her.
She instinctively threw her head backwards to avoid being hit, but unconsciously she also removed her hand from the banister, thus loosing her balance. Her heart was pounding furiously, her entire being was filled with a terrifying fear and her eyes swum in tears when she felt her body slipping backwards and her hands could no longer reach the banister and grab hold of it. Still gazing at the cat that was now starring back in silence, she whispered desperately with trembling lips "Help me!" and then she fell.
The guards rushed to the banister and looked down, watching the girl's body smashing against a sharp rock, then bouncing off it and falling down on another one, and so on until it felt into the river that passed near the palace, in that more remote area of the city, near the defensive walls.
Warm, golden rays of the sun invaded the small chamber, filling it with soft, morning light. Maniya frowned when the rays tickled her eyes, disturbing her from her slumber. Without opening them, she stretched her arms and afterwards proceeded to turn on her right side, only that, when she did so, she found herself slipping down from what she thought to be her bed, and collapsing to the ground from a height of six feet. She woke up on the spot and jumped to her feet, looking perplexed.
The place from which she had fallen was a supporting wooden grind, where apparently she had been sleeping. Casting a glance at the floor just bellow the window she noticed her usual outfit lying there, soaking wet and full of mud. She, on the other hand, was shinning clean, her skin and hair carrying a sent of sweet perfumes. But what astonished her the most were her clothes, all colourful and silky and rather revealing. The silver pendant now hang at her neck on a exquisitely designed silver chain and she also wore earrings, bracelets and rings made gold or silver, and adorned with precious gems.
The sound of footsteps outside her door made her turn and as she was starring at the door concentrated, wondering who was approaching and would probably enter her room, for a brief moment, something odd happened. She thought she had seen, through the door, the shinning white form, like an aura, of the person approaching. Before she could ponder on it further, the door burst open and Delasa entered, looking very concerned.
"Maniya, what has …… ?" she began but was struck dumb upon seeing the girl's new appearance. "Dear me, what is this? Where did you get all of these? Gods be merciful, you didn't …… steal them, did you?"
"Aaaa ……," Maniya was also speechless, realising she had absolutely no memory of how she came to possess such expensive belongings. "I …… don't know."
"Where were you yesterday? I was so worried. I had to make preparations for the celebration and ……," Delasa began but was interrupted by Maniya, who all of a sudden remembered she also had important chores to do for the summer solstice celebration that took place at the palace.
"The celebration! I almost forgot," Maniya shouted and ran to the door, but was stopped by Delasa.
"Where are you going?"
"There is still much to be done and so little time before the celebration begins."
"My dear, the celebration was yesterday," Delasa explained to her, puzzled by her attitude.
Maniya starred at her, looking very confused, when suddenly, she once again heard the familiar mew. Running to the window and looking down in the street below she saw the same cat she had once attempted to rescue, looking back at her. Possibly out of the desperate need to find some answers, Maniya left the room in a hurry, pushing past Delasa without saying a word, and ran into the street, searching for the cat, which had once again vanished from sight. The mewing rang again in her ears and she immediately knew where to look to find the cat. She saw it at the end of the alley, sitting on a basket. The dizziness and anxiety that possessed her body prevented her from wondering how she had been able to hear so clearly the mewing of the cat, when there was a great distance between the two of them, and the alley packed with stalls and counters was crowded with people buying and selling, walking about and making great tumult.
Following the cat further on, Maniya did not realise when she had reached the more sumptuous neighbourhoods of the city, situated in the vicinity of the Great Tower. She ran after it through narrow, winding streets, then came to a stop after making a left turn and finding herself before the beautifully decorated entrance doors of one of the mansions in the area, the cat once again being out of sight. She pondered for a while, hopping to hear the cat again, but nothing happened this time, except for the doors opening just as she was about to head back. Curiosity made her approach and she saw that there was no one there who could have opened them. Stepping over the threshold she entered a small interior court decorated in a mixture of Arabian and Egyptian styles, with arabesques, coloured tiles and mosaics. In the middle there was a fountain, and on the sides many flowerpots adorned the court, some of them accommodating trailing plants, which stretched on the pillars that were supporting the balcony above.
"I've been expecting you," Maniya heard a woman's voice speaking to her left, as she was gazing upwards at the exceptionally carved screen windows, and the coloured, transparent curtains.
"Nadira?" said Maniya, recognising the woman who nodded in response.
"I knew you would come, when you were ready."
"What do you mean?" the girl frowned in confusion.
"Follow me."
The girl did as told and they both entered a even more beautifully adorned room, with chairs, sofas, a low table and bookcases, on the ground as well as on a high wooden platform, for the room was as tall as two. The stone walls were of a simple cream colour, but the multicoloured drapes, curtains and flowers, as well as some simple green plants, compensated for the lack of tiles. However, what really surprised Maniya was the great number of cats, about fifteen, that moved across the room or simply laid somewhere on a comfortable cushion. Even more bizarre, when she entered the room, all the cats rushed to her, mewing and fawning on her. Only one cat stood still, looking straight at her, the one she had been following.
"Her name is Nasmat. She is a Mau, a rare Egyptian breed," Nadira explained as she walked towards the staircase that led to the platform. Maniya walked behind her and stopped when she stopped, in front of a shelf upon which there was a statuette of a woman with the head of a cat.
"The Egyptian goddess Bast," Nadira began to tell her. "The Maus are sacred to Bast, they are her messengers. Bast is a rarity, goddess of the moon, and of the sun. She represents the duality in all women: docile, yet aggressive, nurturing, yet ferocious."
"But, why are you telling me all this? What has it got to do with me, I mean ……?" Maniya was both impressed and confused.
"What happened the other night?" Nadira interrupted her, surprising her at the same time with her question.
"I …… don't remember."
"Do you want me to tell you?"
"Yes," Maniya said promptly, very eager to see what the response would be, to find out answers, both concerning her situation, and concerning the woman who seemed to know more about her than she herself knew.
"You died," Nadira gave her a simple answer, but one that shook her entire being.
"What? …… I didn't die, I mean look at me, I'm right here," Maniya could not prevent herself from laughing at the absurdity of the words the woman had uttered.
"You died ……, but you were reborn."
"Oh, you're crazy! You are crazy cat lady," Maniya spoke frightened this time, seeing how Nadira stuck firmly to her explanation and starred at her very oddly, with wide opened eyes.
"Bast knew your fate. That's why she tested you, to see if you were worthy of a gift she could give you, a gift that could change your life ……," as she spoke, Nadira approached Maniya with slow paces, while the girl backed away in fear, until she reached the edge of the platform, for there was no banister, only six cylindrical pillars that connected the ceiling with the floor bellow. " …… and give you a new one," the woman concluded just as Maniya turned to face her again, and stretched her right arm towards Maniya's chest, pushing her gently, but enough to make the girl loose her balance and fall.
What followed was something that amazed Maniya beyond words. While she was falling, without even realising it, she turned in mid air and landed safely on all fours, imitating perfectly the graceful moves of a feline. Forgetting even to stand up, she looked back at Nadira, and even though she found herself incapable to compose a single phrase, her pleading eyes desperately demanded an explanation.
"You're not alone child. There have been others before you," Nadira told her, hoping to calm her down and make her accept things as they were.
"What has happened to me?"
"The goddess Bast has chosen you to be her emissary on earth, to do what she commands and in so doing assuring the triumph of light over darkness, of justice over lawfulness, bringing order where there is chaos and maintaining the natural balance of things, without which our world would fall apart," Nadira spoke while descending the staircase and coming to stand in front of Maniya, who had also stood up from the floor.
"You speak of the impossible. This is not a task to be appointed to a common mortal."
"But you are no longer a common mortal. You died as a common mortal, but you were reborn as a child of the Goddess of Light, who has passed on to you some of her most precious gifts. You are no more tied to this world."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that you are not contained by the rules of society. You follow your own desires. This is both a blessing and a curse. You will often be alone and misunderstood, but you will experience a freedom other women will never know. You are a daughter of Bast and therefore possess some of her most powerful attributes: every sight, every smell, every sound, incredibly heightened, fierce and independent, total confidence, inhuman reflexes."
"So, I'm not Maniya anymore?" she asked on a trembling voice.
"You are Maniya …… ," she began and then she walked to a nearby table from which she took something covered in a black cloth, which she held with both hands in front of Maniya as she continued " …… and you are a daughter of Bast."
Removing the cloth with one hand she revealed a beautiful and rather delicate looking sword, with a thin, curved blade and a golden hilt, shaped in form of the goddess Bast, a woman in a tight, long dress, with the head of a cat and her arms crossed over her chest.
"This is the sword that only the emissary of Bast may carry. Now it is yours. It is your destiny." Nadira looked into Maniya's eyes for a brief moment and saw that she was still frightened. "Accept it child. You spent a lifetime caged. By accepting who you are, all of who you are, you can be free …… and freedom is power."
"I have never held a sword before," Maniya reached forth reluctantly to touch the weapon.
"Bast is your mother and your protector. A part of her is within you, guiding your every move, and you will often find yourself doing things you had, so far, not even thought possible."
Maniya took the sword in her hands and as she examined it she also tried to put everything together, to better understand what had happened to her and most importantly, what was to become of her. Then she realised something and looked up to Nadira full of sorrow.
"Where am I to go? I cannot go back, resume my old life."
"I too am a servant of Bast, and therefore, a servant of her daughter. Whatever is mine, from now on is also yours. The daughter of Bast is welcome to call my house her own, for as long as she wishes."
Note: "bint" means "daughter of …" in Arabian (Yasmeen-bint-Hamid)