Leonarda looked around. Really, this was a most handsome place, with marble floors, big rooms. And probably hundreds of slave to keep it in its present elegance. They gave her new clothes, of a type she had never worn before, but it seemed that they did not like her dress, and got rid of it. Not only that, but they had insisted on helping her bathe. Corpo di Dio!
"Wait, that's mine!"she exclaimed.
The girl simply looked at her and took it away. Leonarda groaned. That was the last thing I had that belonged to me!she thought. She sat on a divan and looked around. She wondered where she was, and just how she would do to get out of there. She had to figure out a way to get to Venice. She had to go back to the convent. She just couldn't possibly sit here.
"You're Shula?"said one of the girls.
Leonarda looked up.
"Oh? Oh, no. Of course not. I am Signorina Leonarda Natele Gambetto Ruan. I'm, um, not very familiar with anyone here, yet. I just got here. However, hopefully, someone shall be sent for me quite soon, and I shall leave. I won't stay here long, I hope."
The other girl sat down next to her.
"Yes, you are Shula. The new odalisque."she said. "I am Safiya."
"You mean Sofia? And I am not Shula, as I told you. My name is Leonarda."
The girl shrugged.
"Not any more."she said. "They say your name is Shula. Shula because you have hair the color of flame."
Leonarda looked at her braided hair.
"My hair isn't like fire. It is just red."
"An unusual shade of red."
Leonarda shrugged.
"Besides, I was already named. Named by my parents, and I was baptized with that name."
"That makes no difference. Almost all of us receive another name when we come here. Where are you from?"
"Venice. And I must go back."
"You will never go back. Once the doors close behind you, you will never go out. Not even the princess is allowed outside. She's allowed outside the haremlik, into the other parts of the Palace, but not out of the Palace itself."
Leonarda thought about it. It sounded a little like the convent.
"You mean like the convent. None of use were allowed outside. We only received visitors. Oh, we might get permission, especially the novicias to visit our families and such, but that was only if it was truly necessary or something. The rest never went out, except…well I don't think ever. Perhaps in an emergency, but then, it would have to be something important, such as…I don't know…maybe, una peregrinacion, or something. And you stayed in another convent, if that were to happen."she said.
Safiye had no idea what Leonarda was talking about. Leonarda, on the other hand, relaxed. If this was rather like the convent, then perhaps she could stay. She would only wear a different habito, and perhaps, worship a different saint, or something around those lines.
"And what exactly do we do here?"she asked Safiye.
"We're here to serve the Sultan."
"And who is that? I've never heard of him."said Leonarda. "What are we supposed to do? Must I learn any unique prayer? I already know Latin, so there is no problem if it is in Latin."
"None of us have seen the new Sultan yet. He only married the princess a couple of days ago. I've never seen her father, either, though."
"Aren't there any images of him? A picture? A sculpture? A statue?"
"I don't know. I've never seen any. I suppose, however, he must be the same age as Princess Jasmine."
Leonarda was shocked. This girl talking about a saint as though he were…an ordinary person!
"Isn't that disrespectful!"
Safiye looked confused.
"No. I wouldn't be say anything disrespectful about him in front of Princess Jasmine. I mean, he is her husband, and she is a little uppity at times."
"I thought you were talking about a saint."
"I don't know what a saint is."
"I thought this was a convent!"
"No, this is the Royal Harem. I was brought here by slave traders. My father sold me. He thought it would be better, see, he was a poor farmer, and if I wasn't here, I would be perhaps, picking cotton."
"So, then if he's not a saint, then, who exactly would be this Sultan?"asked Leonarda.
"He rules he kingdom. All of Agrabah."said Safiye.
"And what do we do here?"
"Whatever the Kislar Aghasi assigns us to do. And if you're lucky, you get chosen by the Sultan. That's never happened since I've been here."
After talking to the Kislar Aghasi, Aladdin immediately sent for Jafar.
"You asked for me, Your Highness."
"You're dismissed, Jafar."
"What in the-awk!"exclaimed Iago, the red parrot on Jafar's shoulder.
"Impossible, You Majesty. I have served Sultan Hamed for years."
"Well, you're serving no more."
Aladdin gestured for the bostanji, waiting behind Jafar. He gestured for him to take Jafar.
"Well, Jafar's been taken care of."he told Jasmine.
"Good."she said. "I'm glad. He was a…"she clenched her fists.
"Don't think about that anymore, Jasmine."he told her.
"You see, he only meant to please you."Sirhane said to Jasmine. "He did as you asked him to. You didn't want Jafar to be in the Palace anymore, and now he is banished. And now, you must tell me."she said.
"There's nothing to tell."said Jasmine.
Sirhane sighed.
"I will probably spend the remainder of my life in here. In ignorance, perhaps. If there is any mystery, you know it. Why will you not share it with me? You know I will not tell anyone else, if you don't want me to."
"Of course you won't."snapped Jasmine. "He's my husband. He's married to me!"
"But he's also Sultan."
Jasmine ignored her.
"Aren't you going to tell me, then?"asked Sirhane.
"Nothing. Just like you would expect. I did what he wanted me to do."she said.
Sirhane looked disappointed.
"That's it."
"That's not it, and you're not telling me."she said.
Jasmine looked away. She was not going to tell Sirhane anything else, anyway, no mater how much she insisted.
Corpo di Dio this is in Italian, also, I guess it must mean something like My God!
Signorina an Italian title for a girl who is not yet married
Peregrinacion pilgrimage