"Are they are closed?"
"They are closed tight."
Amma hesitantly swims towards the man and shakes her hand in front of his face. King Xerxes feels her presence as wet droplets splash onto his naked chest. Swiftly, he seizes her wrist and holds it.
Sh...
"Goodbye Uncle," Amma says as she hugs her relative.
"Be wise and bring honor to your name."
"I will uncle."
"Remember what I said of your heritage"
Amma nods and puts a soft finger to her lips to signal her vow of silence. They both smile and hug once more. She leads her horse to the fountain square where all the young women are and as it drinks, observes the sea of girls, mentally noting their ages; some look 16 while others looked 25.
She saw one girl who looked younger than her, crying to herself.
"What is your name?" Amma bends down to the pretty girl.
"Adeleh" she whispers as she looks up to Amma's gentle eyes. Curiosity fills her mind as she inspects her dark smooth skin and kinky curls.
"I am Amma. Do you know what my name means?"
She shakes her head no and continues to stare at the exotic girl; she had never seen someone quite as beautiful as she.
"It means happiness. But it seems as if you are not happy...if you are not happy then I am not happy and my name is now a sham." Amma teases the girl with false despair.
Adeleh shakes her head violently assuring Amma that she was, in fact happy as she did not want to tarnish her new companion's name. The young girl forces a smile onto her face.
"Now that is better." Amma grins.
"Move!" a rude voice cries out. Amma turns to observe the girl who walked in between the two of them. She had an air of overconfidence and pretentiousness. Amma made a mental note to steer clear. _____
"Ladies!" A booming voice snaps the girls to attention, "my name is Nagini and the man next to me is Hagasi. Welcome to the King's 12-month beautification contest. This will be your journey to become the next queen. You will go through a series of tests and challenges while you learn the rules of the land. These trials and tests will determine, who will continue on with hopes of becoming Persia's next top Queen." the woman says.
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(Lol little joke)
"Any questions? No? Good! Let our journey begin!" The man named Hagasi yells.
Amma and Adeleh mount their horses as they look to each other. The rest of the ladies follow suit and continue on the journey to the king's harem. (palace) _____
On the way there, the women chat and sing the songs of their land.
"This journey is dreadful and hot! Well, this is only temporary as I will travel in the finest luxuries when I am queen." the pretentious girl from earlier complains while her mindless lackeys smile to her adoringly. "I do not know why any of these girls bother when they know I will win!" the overconfident girl speaks loudly and throws disparaging looks towards Amma.
"They let anyone in these competitions...even slaves! No one would worship a queen with skin as dark as yours!" She spits.
Amma wants to react in anger, but as her uncle would say, be slow to speak and quick to hear.
"And what is your name," Amma asks the girl curiously.
"It is Yadi! It means rising star"
"Well, whoever named you was confused because the actual translation means woman of easy virtue"
Snickers erupt as the girls hear Amma's witty remark. Before Yadi could refute, Amma gallops forward leaving space between them.
Dusk showers over them as they arrive at the King's palace. Amma hops down her horse and looks to the vast structure.
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Lights adorn each window and arches intricately lay into the grooves of the walls. Her mouth curls into a grin as the sun dances across the golden stones of the dome.
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She was impatient to explore... curious to discover and see.
"Okay ladies, this palace has 620 rooms. There are 250 of you, so please find the room that suits you best. The King's quarter is OFF LIMITS. You must report Nagini at the bathhouse tomorrow morning as this will signal the start of your beautification process. Do not be late!" Hagasi urges.
Loud screams shadow his voice as the women run excitedly through the grand gates.
________
In this crowd of many was one woman who would soon be Queen.
Next chapter Amma and the king meet...rather situationally....it gets steamy 🔥
