The Wolf and the Snake (English version)

Chapter 23

The heavy doors of the main harem have been closed on me for several days. This horrible place looks like a grave. No doubt I won't come out of it alive.

I walk sadly through the gardens when the sultan frees me from his terrible presence.

The sound of fountains and the subtle perfume of flowers warm my tormented soul. The transparent water of the pools reflects a strangely beautiful creature, with long clear hair mixed with golden thread.

Evil sovereign gave me occidental gowns sewn by a brave woman, also enslaved. She shuddered when she saw the many marks of scratches, bites, and blows all over my poor body.

Alas, this demon isn't content to snore beside me. He hits me cruelly and tries to rape me. His bad nature, his madness make that he can't get anywhere.

Slaves' blood continues to stain the harem almost every night, and I know my turn will come. It doesn't grieve me, for I fear I'm expecting a child. Is it a final malevolence of destiny?

I refuse to accept this tragedy when it was once my dearest desire.

Despite the success against our army, the sultan nourishes insane jealousy, even hatred towards his Mameluke emirs. Under futile pretexts, he tried to recover lands, palaces, and herds offered by his father to those he considered as sons.

Plus, he beats me savagely to obtain confessions about the authors of my capture, but I remain silent. I'm afraid that Baibars and his brother will avenge on me if I cause them any harm. They could inform Touran Shah that my husband is languishing in his jails. No doubt the sultan would have him tortured as my kidnappers. Fortunately, Touran Shah's love for gold is all-consuming, so the king and his knights might be freed against a heavy ransom. Reyn and Aurel could get out of this hellhole alive.

One fine morning, Touran Shah demands that I attend the parade of his favorites brought from Anatolia. His master of ceremonies, chamberlain, secretary, and butler are prancing around the dangerous clown, staring at me with lustful eyes. No veil hides my face or my hair, and the wine flows freely despite the Koranic prohibitions. The young sultan doesn't care about shocking religious nor about displeasing his people. He has been much more concerned with torment gnawing at him since childhood.

Without knowing it, he opens little by little the box of the beautiful Pandora, the one that Zeus offered to men to inflict passions and pains. The legend says that all the plagues of the world are trapped in the box.

Are jealousy, perfidy, great misery, and hope part of it?

Touran Shah's sadism, his secret dream of smashing the most powerful Mameluke emirs, pushes him to invite them to the palace.

"Qutuz, Qalawun, and Baibars, of course!" he exclaims joyfully at their approach. "What happiness to greet the fabulous architects of my victory! I intend to honor you during a great festival at the edge of the Nile."

For the occasion, I wear a perfect gown made with a splendid fabric from Mosul. According to the light, my body is revealed under the play with the transparency of the clothing. My eyes are circled with a long black line in Egyptian fashion.

Obeying the master's orders, I stroll among the guests and graciously offer the emirs several fruits, like bananas. Whole bunches are picked while still green, wrapped in the plant's leaves, and buried in the earth until they have a golden color. Once their thick skin is removed, these fruits are soft and tasty.

I slowly pour some red wine into beautiful cups capturing the sun as much as the precious nectar. I'm a little shaky, and my gestures are clumsy. The day before, my torturer threw me violently to the ground. My lip is swollen, and a large cut crosses my hand from top to bottom. The Turkish soldiers follow my movements, seemingly unable to take their eyes off me.

The sultan enjoys this moment.

"What do you think of my lovely Frankish princess? You, Qutuz! You're the nephew of the last Khwarezmian king! Have you seen such a diamond among the women of your people? It's said that they're of rare beauty!" he asks, grabbing me by the waist.

Qutuz doesn't hurry to answer.

"The Mongols wiped out my dynasty!" the emir finally blurts out. "I forgot much about my people! But this pretty creature far surpasses all the marvels I have seen in the slave markets of Egypt or Syria."

Touran Shah claps his hands as a kid delighted with his new toy.

"And you, Qalawun!" he questions. "You look so perfect that all the women are in love with you! However, you were bought at a high price, weren't you! Please give me your opinion about this slave! How much would you offer to own her?"

"Not less than a thousand dinars, Your Highness! That's how much I was sold for," the mameluke replies calmly.

Disappointed to terrorize no one but me, Touran Shah turns resolutely to Baibars.

"The hero of my army, so strong, so vigorous!" he claims with a sneaky smile.

The icy eyes don't express anything specific. Then, suddenly, the sultan violently pushes me to the giant's feet. I immediately lose my balance and collapses on the carpets.

"What a clumsy girl! She doesn't stop falling, besides having a bird-brain. It's impossible to know how she got to my harem!"

The madman's fingers brutally squeeze my wounded hand. The pain is unbearable, and I tremble in all my limbs.

"Don't think that your beauty protects you from my wrath! I will have you quartered by four horses if you dare to lie!" Touran Shah threatens.

"I don't know anything, Your Highness," I mutter, terrified.

Fortunately, he lets out a loud laugh.

"I'm tempted to believe you!" he mocks, stopping tormenting me. "It would be a shame to end your life! You would miss me if you weren't here."

I'm still on the ground, so he carries me carefully between his skinny arms. Imperturbable, the three mamelukes quickly slip away without showing any emotion. However, I'm sure that Pandora's box is now wide open, that the worst of plagues is hanging over all heads.

Death!

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