Hostage Princess

Part 8 - the Boy

In the weeks that followed, Samsu did nothing to lighten Susa's unease. Whenever she sought out her son, she found Samsu his constant shadow. Her boy could do nothing by himself without the prince's interference. She was dismayed beyond measure when she went to visit Ashan one afternoon and discovered his ivory statuette of Inshushinak in smashed into three pieces on the nursery floor. The charm had been a gift to Ashan from his grandfather, King Simash – Inshushinak was the protector god of Elam. His protection was needed now more than ever, and seeing the symbol of it broken tore at her heart.

When she questioned Ashan about the statuette's destruction, his answer was matter-of-fact: 'Samsu smashed it, Mother. Marduk protects Elam now, we have no need of false gods.'

Under Samsu's influence, Ashan was turning his back on his heritage, and his identity.

Susa tried, gently, to remind her son of who he was. Referencing his father as often as possible, she spoke in shining terms of his bravery, his loyalty, and his pride in marrying into the royal family of Elam.

'I hope that you will grow up to be just like him, Ashan,' she said, pushing a tuft of hair out of his eyes.

'I don't,' he said abruptly, taking her by surprise. It was like a stab in the gut.

'Why would you say such a thing?' she asked.

'Well, we're all that's left of Elam's royal family now, and we'll never rule there again. Father might have been brave and loyal, but he couldn't protect you. The one person he loved most in the world.'

'Don't ever say that!' she snapped, a sudden furious fire flaring up inside her. Ashan cowered back in the face of her passion. 'The throne of Elam is your birthright, and you will sit it one day.'

'Samsu – Samsu says not,' Ashan hesitated, less sure of his answers. 'He says that Elam belongs to Babylon now, and it would be best if I forgot I was ever from there. He wants me to be a proud Babylonian, like him.'

'You are an Elamite, and don't you ever forget it! Your father died defending it, and may Jabru drag you to the underworld the day you call yourself a Babylonian. You dishonour your father, Ashan, and you disappoint me.' She turned her face away so that he would not see the tears shining in her eyes.

After a moment, a small hand appeared on her arm; the touch was light, as if he was afraid of being pushed off. 'All I meant, Mother,' said Ashan in a small voice, 'was that I hope I shall always be here to protect you. In that way, I would not want to be like Father.'

She turned back to face him and gathered him into her arms. 'Your Father was the best man that ever lived,' she said. 'If you grew up to be just like him, I would be the proudest mother there ever was.'

'Then I'll try,' Ashan said, determined. 'If it will make you happy.'

'That's all I ask.' She kissed him atop the head and sent him off to find Samsu.

When Ashan had disappeared, she thought on what he had said. Samsu was a manipulative child – she had already known that – but that he was trying to change her son's identity shocked her. The boy showed a cunning beyond his years. She would have her work cut out trying to protect Ashan from the young prince's poisonous words.

She had made every attempt to like Samsu, to take care of him in the aftermath of Eshnunna's death, to give him the benefit of the doubt when his behaviour was suspect... but this, she could not forgive. She could find nothing likeable in the boy, not a single redeeming quality. He must have one – she hoped it might become more evident as he grew.

In the meantime, it was obvious that she would have to try to separate the pair whenever she could and spend more time with her son to keep his heritage uppermost in his mind.

Her contempt of the boy reached its peak just a few days later.

As Susa walked from her apartments to the bathhouse, the usual buzz of a busy palace was split by the most unearthly scream she had ever heard. It pricked her very core, and the piercing agony it contained brought tears to her eyes. She lifted the hem of her dress and ran towards the sound, the screaming becoming more pitched and distressed at every moment. The only thought in her mind was to get to the creature, to alleviate its suffering.

She rounded a corner and stopped dead in her tracks, frozen in horror. Samsu crouched in the centre of the flagstone courtyard, sat back on his haunches, thoughtfully regarding the trembling mass of fur in front of him. A heavy round stone rested idly in his little palm, blood and matted fur stuck to its smooth surface.

Nazaru stood a short distance away, watching with an expressionless face.

The cat had stopped its shrieking and lapsed into a quiet mewling. It reached out with shaking front paws, trying to drag itself away from its tormenter, unable to stand on its shattered back legs.

Samsu raised the rock over his head, ready to bring it down on his victim again.

'No!' screamed Susa. She was beside Samsu in an instant and gave him a hard shove, sending him sprawling backwards, away from the tortured creature. 'What kind of vicious little monster are you, to do this?!'

The boy just blinked at her, still surprised at being so forcibly challenged.

'Nazaru!' Susa snapped her fingers, and the bodyguard sauntered forward.

'My princess?'

She gestured to the cat, 'Slit its throat. I will not leave it to suffer, and I will certainly not leave it in the prince's care. Put it out of its misery.'

Samsu leapt to his feet, 'No, you can't do that! I forbid it. I'm not finished yet!'

'Yes, you are. Nazaru is my man and my kin, and he will obey me.'

Stamping his foot, Samsu shouted, 'No! I forbid it!'

Susa slapped him across the face with all her might, and nodded to Nazaru. He drew his blade, ending the cat's suffering in one swift motion.

She looked back to Samsu. He stared at her, hatred burning in his eyes, trembling with outrage. 'You struck me,' he said, incredulously. 'I am the future king, the heir to Babylon. You cannot do that!'

'I just did,' she said, calm exterior belying her inner rage. 'And next time I catch you torturing innocent creatures, I shall smash your legs with a rock and see how you like it! Now get out of my sight.'

He looked for a moment as though he would argue with her, but in a moment his face was blank again. The prince turned and walked calmly away, as though nothing had happened.

Nazaru bowed to her, then followed his young charge.

Susa was not sure what had unnerved her more: seeing Samsu display such blatant, unbridled cruelty... or the ease with which he had seemed to shrug off his anger like an inconvenient cloak.