Virago | 2018 Wattys Shortlist

six: part one

SIX

Yraqia,
2019

★ ★ ★

ESTHER 2:8-9

Esther was also taken to the king's palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the Harem. She pleased him and won his favour... He assigned to her female attendants selected from the king's palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

★ ★ ★

Twelve months had passed since the prospective candidates had been brought to the Royal Palace of Kediakin in accordance to the decree issued by Her Royal Highness Queen Nura II al-Hashim.

A banquet was set to take place in a week's time, where each prospective candidate would be dressed in fine garbs of velvet in the presence of The Queen. They were invited to dine, drink and dance to their heart's content and only Hegai's hand-picked candidates would have an opportunity to personally meet Queen Nura.

Hegai had selected five women out of a harem of one thousand and out of all of them, Esther Abbey was his most favoured candidate.

He had known that there was something special about the girl, though her potential had been hidden deep within the confines of her malnourished frame and sunken eyes. There was a tragic beauty to Esther that had made him - or anyone - uncomfortable whenever they dared to stare into her eyes too long.

The doctor that had done the medical examination on the candidates when they'd first arrived had strongly recommended that Esther be sent home. She was far too thin, far too underweight, far too prone to disorders. Hegai had been inclined to agree when he saw the numbers the doctor recorded, but he had felt something stir so deeply inside of him when he'd laid his eyes on her for the first time.

It was as if the hand of Allah had touched him personally and he knew then that he had to keep her in the harem. He was compelled to invest into her the most, to ensure that she would morph into the well-rounded young woman she was destined to be.

Esther Abbey was as sharp as a needle, with a mind that worked at the speed of lightning and with an astounding depth of perception to politics, philosophy and poetry. The girl had an amazing taste in literature, a kind that would delight Queen Nura, with thought-provoking opinions. Her ability to latch on to a language and to understand its mechanics was nothing short of amazing.

Now that she had enough food and exercise, shapely curves had filled in the hollow spaces of her frame and the cosmetic treatments brought out the beauty that had always bubbled under the surface.

The only thing that had worried Hegai, was Esther's mental and emotional stagnation. He had hoped that as time progressed, the darkness in her eyes would disappear. His hope began to waver when after six month spent at the palace, Esther had not showed any improvement.

The Wife of the Queen would need to have a soft, pliable heart that would enable her to offer emotional support to the Queen. Esther was not at a place where she could do that, yet.

She lacked also in social skills and had failed every social test he had set up for all of the candidates. She had never attended any of the parties Hegai had set up, she never made the effort to make a friend in the physical training classes and had closed herself off to her penthouse mates.