The Queen of Persia

Chapter Three

I ponder everything in my heart and in my mind, trying to make sense of this situation. Every penetrating, provoking thought causes the inside of my throat to constrict and threatens to squeeze my stomach. Vashti is no longer queen?! And now there is a chance, however slim, that I could take her place! 

Though, I'm not too concerned with this. There is no way that the king could ever choose someone insignificant like me to be his wife. How could a Jew steal his heart? Hatred greets us everywhere. When we leave our homes, noses are turned up at us. Haggai addressed us as daughters of Persia, but I am not a daughter of Persia. Not really. Jerusalem is a part of my lineage, my history, and my true home.

When I finally find the harem quarters, two girls with stoic expressions immediately bow in front of me before requesting to lead me to where they say I will be living for an entire year. I follow them, but my eyes do not settle in their direction. 

I take in the lavish beds in the open rooms where some of the candidates are already beginning to test their sturdiness by jumping on top or by pressing their hands firmly onto the luscious surface. I look past the white columns and into the flowers that are blooming on the edges of the window sills. Hundreds of girls are here, but there is only one that I want to find. Where is Mary? Did she somehow escape capture?

I release a startled gasp when I slam into the back of one of my attendants. She had stopped suddenly in front of a round entrance. Both overlook my clumsiness and turn to stare at me, not uttering a word. I consider their blank eyes, and they immediately dip their heads as I pass by them and enter underneath the looming archway. I peer behind me hesitantly, hoping for guidance from these two women who have yet to utter more than a few phrases.

"Is this to be my room?"

They nod their heads simultaneously, and one of them, the shorter and pudgier of the two lifts her hand to motion me inside. It's awe-striking. I soak in a violet coated canopy that drapes from the flowers carved within the tiled ceiling over my bed. The room is spacious and circular, and there are no corners or distinctness of the walls in sight. 

It is one never ending curve encasing all the vibrant furnishings. My feet tread slowly on the frigid, inflexible floor as I make my way to the breezy opening framed by the wall. Below it is a cushioned pallet large enough for me to recline in. I pick up the hem of my tattered and dust-covered dress as I kneel onto the cushion. A gentle wind drifts through the room and stings my eyes.

Through the open-air window, I have a clear view of the flowers and trees sprouting in the garden. I can even see beyond the gate that skirts completely about the border of the palace. With my eyes, I spot the busy market streets and houses that appear tiny from far away. A smile brightens across my face. This place is truly beautiful. The two women come and stand behind me, and I turn around to face them.

"Are you sure this is for me?"

The attendants both nod and one of them speaks up excitedly.

"Haggai told us to prepare this room especially for you. Usually it is reserved for the King's most favored of concubines... Now it is yours." I am shocked by the forcefulness of her voice when all I have experienced from them both is a reverent detachment.

I stare at them, sure that they must be mocking me. I wait for them to tell me of their spite, but they only look on me with patience. I search my hands, trying to avoid the burn of their staring eyes. I'm not used to being looked at so severely. Everything I am witnessing are things I could never have enough imagination in my mind to invent.

At home, where I lived with Mordeccai, I was the one who did the waiting on. When he came home from the palace I took care of him by providing whatever he needed. I've always believed it was the right thing to do, especially when I know if it weren't for him I'd be living in the streets. After my parents passed he became my only surviving relative.

"My lady," the rotund attendant begins to say quietly, "we are here to serve you. If there is anything you need, please let us know."

They both bow their heads and begin to walk away, edging towards the opening of this expansive room.

"Wait!"

They halt simultaneously and turn to look at me. I can see the curiosity in their eyes.

"I don't know your names," I say.

After a moment's pause the lanky girl with brown freckles dotting her cheeks speaks up.

"I'm Dallyn."

I smile, deciding that the name suits her well.

"I'm Gaftily," says the older woman. Dimples deepen her smile

I nod my head, acknowledging her.

"Those are beautiful names. I wish I had a name as beautiful and Persian as yours."

I almost choke on the saliva evaporating from my mouth. A moment of carelessness, and I fear that I have forsaken my promise to Mordeccai. Gaftily eyes me curiously, and Dallyn joins her as they form assumptions that I can only guess at.

"What is your name, my lady? Is it not also Persian?" Gaftily asks.

"My name...is Esther."

Relief floods my entire body as I see the satisfaction in their faces. My attendants quickly leave when I say nothing else, and I fling myself onto my new bed, wanting to crawl so deep into the silky fabric that I may never be seen again.

When I hear the echoing of a heavy footstep in my room, I lift my face from the mass of fabric. There staring at me with narrowed eyes and firmly pressed lips is the eunuch. His black eyes reflecting the light spilling through my window. I push myself upright and attempt to straighten myself. As I shuffle to stand he holds up the palm of his pale yet sturdy hand.

"I see you have taken a liking to your room," he says, though his face is as stoic as it was when I first encountered him.

"It is quite lovely," I say truthfully, and though I fight it as best as I can, I smile.

"Earlier when I addressed you I did not conduct myself as I should have in the presence of my future queen. I beg your forgiveness."

My eyes grow wide, and I clutch my hand over my chest to tame the rampant beat of my heart.

"Future — ? Is that why you gave me this room?"

I spread my arms, motioning at the columns, and luxurious furniture surrounding me. His eyes flitter, the sunlight shifting in his gaze, as he takes a step towards me.

"Of all the contestants I have encountered this day there is only one who questioned the whereabouts of Vashti. No other maiden seemed to care that their late queen was no longer in power. I must admit that hearing her name was distressing, but it only took me a few moments to recover. Then, it was clear to me that you were the only one who could replace Vashti."

I can hardly speak. He thinks that I am fit to be queen. Me out of all these women?!

"You don't know me, Haggai! I'm not what you think I am. I've never led anything, and I haven't a sigloi to my name. I am the last one that deserves to be here."

He shakes his head, causing the black tendrils layering his scalp to glow.

"But you have something no other girl here has."

I stare up at him, as his determined eyes pierce mine.

"What's that?" I ask.

"Me."