Alisha: A Desert Urchin Complete Collection

Table of Contents

Introduction

PART I The Harem

1  Alisha

2  The Gardens of Sakakah

3  The Barbarian

4  Rebirth of a Thief

5  Geisarix

6  Salim Alsyd

7  A Bird in Bondage

8  Zenobia

9  Alone in the Gardens

10  Zenobia’s Mettle

11  Inescapable Destiny

PART II Alharibin

1 The Ambassador

2 Sakakah & the Haboob

3 Five Caged Birds

4 Whore Slaves

5 A Noble Vandal

6 Alisha & Zenobia

7 The Escape

8  Salim

9  Farid

10 An Exchange of Ideas

11 The Vandal Delegation

12 The Safe House

PART III The Vandals

1  The Lonely Fort

2  Alafrid & Brunulf

3  The Rock Quarry

4  A Spy

5  The Rebels & The Vandals

6  The Problem With Sabirah

7  The Problem With Kalam

8  Enemy At The Gates

9  Enter The Vandals

10  The Last Bastion Falls

11 A New Era

12 Alisha, Zenobia & Musad

Epilogue

Other books & services by Frank Keith

Introduction

PART I

Sultan Mejhem ibn El-Hashem has forty-two wives and countless children. He has a large, prosperous realm, a large palace and numerous fortresses too. He has good relations with the Byzantine Empire and also the Persian one. Emissaries come from far and wide to pay homage to this illustrious ruler of Anazzah, master of Sakakah and Ar’ar, of the numerous other towns, villages and oases and of the deserts too stretching to the north, to the south, to the west and to the east.

But, despite the sultan’s many riches, influence and power, and his complete command over life and death, he lacks the control over one single person.

And her name is Alisha.

Alisha is but one of many … one wife out of forty-two. A mere child when she was snatched away from the streets of Sakakah, this former street urchin was discovered by one of the sultan’s wife seekers. She was a beautiful girl, only thirteen years old and just right for the ruler. Alisha was made a wife and she served him well enough until other, younger wives took his interest away from her. But Alisha did not care about this. She never loved nor even liked the sultan. She thought of him as an old, fat and ugly man, aloof and uncaring and wholly inadequate as a husband. And despite her previous life in the city streets, Alisha was never impressed by el-Hashem’s power and wealth.

One day, Alisha fell in love with another wife of the sultan. Her name is Zenobia. And Zenobia loved Alisha too, for she felt the same way about their husband as Alisha. Thus, the two wives of the sultan lived their daily lives in the palace, married to him, but devoted to each other.

Alisha kept up the veneer of being a sultan’s wife until one day she and Zenobia met a prisoner. His name is Geisarix and he was brought to Sakakah by the Byzantines, who had captured him in battle. The barbarian warrior was to be sold as a slave, but the sultan bought him instead, to be made a member of his guards. When Alisha and Zenobia first saw him, they were impressed by his looks, strength and sense of freedom. This chance meeting inadvertently increased Alisha’s desires to be free again, like she once was.

And thus she and Zenobia initiated a plan that would free them from the sultan’s clutches and liberate Geisarix too, whose defiance got him thrown into the dungeon. Although things initially went well, they run into trouble when the sultan catches wind of some of their misdeeds. Eventually, the two girls end up in the dungeons, and even a slave too, who had assisted the two wives.

And thus the four of them sit in murky cells, lost and forlorn.

PART II

The worst sand storm from time immemorial is rushing over the lands of Sultan Mejhem ibn El-Hashem’s territory. Within its murkiness and brutally assaulted by sand and dust trots a large caravan. It comes from the coastal city of Tyre and its mission is to bring the Byzantine ambassador to el-Hashem in Sakakah. The goal is to bring the two allies closer together in their fight against the barbarian tribes from the far north.

Meanwhile, Alisha, Zenobia and the Vandal Geisarix are still locked up in the dungeon. The girls had fallen from grace with the sultan and would from now on serve as sexual objects for his soldiers. But things turn out a little different than everyone thinks. The girls are unexpectedly released from their cells. They are brought back into the palace, where they are cleaned, handed new clothes and prepared to be served as sex slaves for special guests of the sultan.

As it turns out, this is a prime opportunity for Alisha and Zenobia to escape, but not before they are forced to perform an awful deed. They manage to free others from the dungeons too and make their way into the city, barely escaping recapture from roving patrols of soldiers.

Alisha safely guides the other escapees to a certain house in the city, whose owner she knows. They are safe there for the time being, but on the next day already they are once again forced to flee.

They make their way to Farid’s house. There they also find shelter and a hiding place and they even learn that Farid is the true emir of Sakakah. In addition, they get informed about other truths concerning the sultan and other persons.

But their prime concern is getting out of the city. This is made very difficult by the sultan’s significant search efforts to find them.

When they are informed that a delegation of Vandals is coming to town, it raises the hopes of Alisha, Zenobia and Geisarix, for they expect to get help from them to escape the sultan’s clutch. However, this still poses problems since the delegation is not a large force at all, but merely a small group of warriors.

The three fugitives are taken to another house in yet another part of the city. There, Geisarix and the girls enjoy a big surprise; another Vandal sits before them on a chair, bound and gagged. He is freed from the fetters, and then he and Geisarix make plans that will hopefully help them to escape.

But then they get informed that the sultan and the Vandals are no longer enemies and that the sultan and the Byzantines are no allies. What does this mean for the escapees? Is this news even true, or did the diabolical emir concoct a deception? If not, what will happen to the Vandal delegation? The sultan has no Geisarix to present them with, after all, and this was the main reason why the Vandal delegation had been summoned to Sakakah in the first place. Will there be a war now, or will the opposing parties find a consensus?

Indeed, will the men of the caravan make it through the dreadful dust storm? Or will they find death in it? The roving bandits and rebels are a scourge too. Will they put an end to their journey instead? If not, what will become of the relationship between the sultanate and the Eastern Roman Empire?

And what about the relationship between Alisha, Zenobia and Geisarix? Will Alisha remain devoted to Zenobia alone, or will she drift towards Geisarix? Can the three find common ground instead, and form a successful love triangle?

Part III

A Vandal patrol out in the desert intercepts a small group of Arabs. The leader of the patrol learns that these Arabs are an envoy task force from Sakakah. They were sent by the sultan to seek out the barbarians and to inform them that Geisarix is a captive of the sultan. Sultan Mejhem ibn El-Hashem wishes to conduct talks with the barbarians and so Geilamir, the father of Geisarix and the Vandal baron, sends a group of men to accompany the Arabs back to the city to hold talks there.

Meanwhile, things go awry for Sultan el-Hashem; Geisarix and the girls manage to escape from the dungeons. Despite numerous and thorough searches throughout the city by el-Hashem’s soldiers, the three fugitives remain at large. Thus, when the Vandal delegation arrives at the palace, the sultan has no Geisarix to present them with. As a consequence, El-Hashem decides to lock up the Vandal envoy team and plans to use them as hostages instead of Geisarix. Despite this move, el-Hashem still does not give up his search for the three escapees.

Alisha, Zenobia and Geisarix have been given refuge by an underground freedom-fighting organization called Muqatili Aleadalat, whose leaders are the brothers and true emirs of Sakakah, Farid and Salim. A couple of times Alisha and the other two must use escape tunnels to flee from the grasp of the sultan’s troops, who are still combing through the city for them. They eventually learn that a spy from Emir Abd al Alim has managed to get established within the secret organization, and no less inside the leadership cell. But not enough; Alisha realizes that there is yet another spy there too.

Events in the sultanate eventually develop in an unforeseen way. Shortly after the imprisonment of the Vandal delegation in the citadel of Sakakah, a small Arab rebel delegation reaches the Vandals on the lonely hilltop fort. They inform Geisarix’s father Geilamir that his delegation has been imprisoned by the sultan. Geilamir decides to move against the city of Sakakah to free his son and his men. The rebels are willing to help the Vandals in this endeavor, for they too have persons who are captives in the citadel and wish them to be set free.

Retrospectively, the Vandal king had promised Geilamir to sent ships and troops to him after one year had passed to look after him and his men. Geilamir had remained in the Arab lands after Geisarix was captured to seek his son. Now the year was up and the king has kept word; another Vandal force has landed on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. This force unites with Geilamir and together they march against Sakakah.

Alisha, Zenobia and Geisarix attempt to stop the second spy from divulging the secrets of the rebel organization to the emir. Alisha manages to identify who the spy is. In this effort, the three get separated in the night and in the confusion that reigns in the city. The streets are dangerous for them because the sultan’s troops are still out and about looking for them. Alisha eventually gets captured and by none other than the feared and hated Musad.

In the city, members of the rebels get prepared to help the Vandals free their men and the other prisoners too. However, they learn that the Vandal forces are much larger than they had anticipated. Thus, they contemplate doing more than just free captives; now they plan to regain control of all of Sakakah and even to depose the fake sultan, Mejhem ibn El-Hashem, and replace him with the true heir to the sultanate throne, Riyad ibn el-Hashem. The rebels also learn that el-Hashem has sent messengers to the other cities and garrisons of the sultanate to request reinforcements. They now realize that time is of the essence. Speed and planning will determine if their rebellion shall succeed or fail.

The Vandal army is finally near Sakakah, and not far from there they meet up with a small rebel force. Together they reach the city in the dead of the night. Now, everything depends on the rebels inside the city walls, who must help their allies to get inside of Sakakah, and on Alisha and Zenobia too, who must take them into the fortress through the secret tunnel that only the two girls know about. But, the two girls are not to be found and Geisarix is also lost in the dark city streets and alleyways.

What will happen? Will the Vandals and rebels be able to enter the city gates as planned? Will the fake sultan receive his reinforcements on time and will they be able to defeat his enemies? Will the rebellion succeed, or was it a mistake for the rebels to ally themselves with a barbarian people, who are known to sack cities and cause mayhem? What about the girls—Alisha and Zenobia? Will they and Geisarix survive, and will the love between them survive too—after all these trials and tribulations—not to mention to grow stronger?

PART I

THE HAREM

1  Alisha

The women’s pulse beat faster as the announcer appeared in the harem chamber. He called out the sultan’s name. And then Sultan el-Hashem entered the great hall, followed by his entourage of guards and servants. There were four sentinels protecting the ruler of this land, one on each side and two behind.

Mejhem ibn el-Hashem was sultan of the Anazzah territory, whose tribes inhabited the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. We write the year 450 A.D., according to the calendar used by the Eastern Roman Empire, or as this realm is called by most, the Byzantine Empire. The lands of Sultan Mejhem ibn el-Hashem border this mighty domain to its east and south, and he has friendly relations with it. The sultan conducts brisk trade with the Eastern Romans and has a good diplomatic relations with them. The main wares exchanged between the two peoples are slaves and food crops. This part of the Arabian Peninsula was particularly fertile and it was one reason why el-Hashem was so wealthy and powerful.

And this was also why the sultan had one of the largest harems far and wide. The last count showed that he had forty and two wives and one hundred and one children.

This high number of wives was a blessing in disguise for the women. Indeed, as the sultan entered the harem room the pulse rates of the females did not go up due to feelings of love for the man or any other manner of affection, but due to aversion. At least most felt this way. Hardly any of the females enjoyed being picked for a night of frolicking, as the sultan liked to say, but none could openly show their aversion. His compassion for his numerous spouses and even children was quite limited. Any resistance or open display of repugnance towards his person was duly punished.

His forty and two wives sat, lounged, lay or squatted on their cushions as they looked expectantly at the sultan, showing him smiles on their lips. Most of those forty-two smiles were not of truth. With forty and one sisters around, each wife stood a good chance not being picked by him to serve his every whim in bed. However, someone had to be picked and the one chosen was likely not so keen on going with him. What choice did she have? She had none.

The sultan had finally pointed out a wife. When the chosen girl did not move fast enough a guard came forward and grabbed her arm in a rough manner and pulled her away from the others. It was Musad, the captain of the guards. In the palace, he was the biggest of all the sultan’s men and in the citadel and perhaps in the entire city too, and many claim even in all of el-Hashem’s lands.

To add another important aspect about the sultan … he happened to be a vain man and he did whatever he could to have the most, the prettiest, the best, the strongest and the biggest, and his guards were all hand-picked by him personally.

But Musad was not only large but also mean, enjoying doling out pain like a mother doles out love. He was an ugly man and no woman wanted him and this was one reason why he had an aversion towards females. If a wife hesitated carrying out the sultan’s order, Musad was quick to see to it that the girl did as told. And the sultan let him. As said earlier, the ruler had little compassion for any of his wives, let alone true love. There were a few he enjoyed more than others, but this was all.

The sultan surprised everyone by being especially hungry tonight, and so he chose another girl. Although she was also not so enthused to go with, she had no desire to give the swine Musad a reason to be rough with her, and so she moved more willingly than her previously chosen sister had. The two unlucky women were led out of the chamber and into another one called the zunaa ghurfa, which means the fornication room. The sultan and his entourage followed the two girls and Musad, who held each one by their arms, one to his left and the other to his right.

I do hate that fat, smelly man! It was Alisha, who whispered this to her friend. And that bastard Musad too!

This harem had numerous groups of members who were friends with one another. Alas, as there were friends amongst them, there were also enemies. This was why Alisha had to whisper her discontent to her friend Zenobia. She knew that she could trust Zenobia beyond any measure of doubt. Undeniably, infinite trust was a natural thing among these two lovers.

Sister is what the wives of el-Hashem called each other. But this was only officially. Those who could not stand each other have other names to describe their feelings towards one another … names that were considered improper to be uttered by a wife of the sultan. When the sultan was present, the women commonly smiled and acted decently, even those who would rather spit poison at one another. Thus, publicly the women and girls of the harem were all sisters, and some sisters were friends while others were not.

But, despite who liked whom and who hated whom, most of the forty-two wives of el-Hashem had a common enemy and this was el-Hashem himself.

The sultan was a large man who did not enjoy the pleasures of baths very much. He had bad manners too, in particular with women, and he was cruel to his enemies and unfair to his subjects. Being picked by him to perform the sexual act was the most dreadful thing his wives could imagine … except for a very few of them, perhaps one or two or maybe three. That was the biggest reason why they were happy to be so numerous, and the more wives the sultan got the better it was for them.

Thus, the wives of this harem were altogether happy to be left alone by him, and being left alone was a reality in particular for the elder women, whom the sultan hardly picked anymore, preferring the younger wives instead. No, the elders in the harem did not worry so much anymore when the sultan entered their great chamber to choose his mate for the night. However, even age was still no guarantee not having to give up the body for his lust, but only a game of chances, for the sultan had whims that made him choose even the eldest wife on rare occasions.

Then there were times in which the sultan used his wives as presents. When an important visitation arrived to the city, the sultan would offer his wives as a special offering of hospitality. For this purpose he would choose those wives that he no longer had a preference for. It was always an unpleasant service to accomplish, yet one they could not fend off. And often enough it was a mystery with whom an elder woman would be forced to bed with. Sometimes this could be pleasant and at other times not so much and on occasion quite horrible.

The Sultan Mejhem ibn el-Hashem already had the largest harem far and wide, but his insatiable appetite for yet more wives were well-known in his realm and beyond. Whenever his agents went about to look for another candidate, most people kept their prettiest daughters hidden away, as long as they were at least ten and one in years or had not yet reached the age of ten and three. Below or beyond these ages, every girl was safe.

Alisha sighed noticeably. She was relaxing on her large pillow, lying beside her friend Zenobia. Her long legs, partially covered by the loose-fitting skirt, made of very light-weight cloth, were stretched out as she playfully rubbed her smooth thigh and looked dreamingly out of the open window, located but a few steps away. A bird landed on the ledge and seemed to examine the collection of women and children in the large chamber. It tweeted once and then again and then it flew away.

That was a swallow, Zenobia said. She was rubbing her friend’s back. Alisha enjoyed that very much.

I know, said Alisha dreamfully. They are harbingers of good luck, She added, and then let out another sigh, saying; I do wish I had wings which let me fly away high into the skies and to be as free as a bird. That must be the most wonderful feeling.

What is the matter, my dear Alisha? Zenobia asked. You seem absent and in deep thoughts.

I am just dreaming, Zenobia.

Dreams are all we have in this place, said Zenobia with a bitter undertone. That and an occasional nasty penis inside of us when we are so unlucky to be chosen by that overweight swine.

Alisha turned around on her other side and faced her friend. Shhh … not so loud, my dear Zenobia. Rafa or Myesha could hear you.

No they cannot. They are too busy slopping their tongues inside each other’s mouths.

Alisha sighed again.

So tell me, Alisha, what is it that bothers you?

I am homesick, Zenobia.

Why are you saying this now? You have been with us for about five years and I cannot remember you being homesick.

Yes, I know.

I realize that all is not perfectly well here and that I also complain at times, but altogether we are being taken care of, despite the occasional duty to our master.

Alisha contemplated for a few moments, thinking about her plight. Of course Zenobia was right, but she was also wrong. Life in the palace was not at all as it seemed like to most. Looking in here from the outside it seemed like bliss, but viewed from in here, it was a cage.

Have I ever told you yet about how I was caught?

Yes.

And how I refused to cooperate with everyone in here back then?

Zenobia nodded.

They did everything to subdue me, but nothing had helped. I remained wild and uncultivated. Only another wife helped me to calm down and to eventually tame me. The sultan used provocations and threats on me, but she used compassion and love. Eventually I was even almost proud of being a wife of the sultan.

I know about all this. Cantara was your mentor. It is too bad that she died. She was the best woman in this place.

Yes, and this is one reason why this place is becoming so unbearable to me and now I begin to hate it here. The only thing we do all day long is lying around waiting to be … well, you know. And only occasionally we are allowed outside. This is a golden cage and nothing more. Do you not feel this way too, Zenobia?

Zenobia felt the same way, but only to an extent. She had learned to overlook the negative facets of this jewel called wife of the sultan, which she knew was really plain glass. She agreed with her friend that the palace was merely a golden cage, but what use was it musing over this? What could a few women do against the sultan and his guards? It was clear that they were trapped until the end of their lives, just like Cantara. For Zenobia it seemed better to simply relent to their inevitable fate. For sure, there were worse things waiting outside of these stout walls.

Zenobia told Alisha her thoughts and of course Alisha was well aware of these sad truths too, yet she still allowed herself to fall into dreams, hopes and wishes, like any other girl her age did. Only the older sisters have relinquished their hopes and perhaps forgotten about their dreams too.

Alisha and Zenobia went silent for a spell and looked into each other’s eyes. They caressed each other gently as their minds wandered elsewhere. Alisha’s were outside of these walls, briefly living a life in complete freedom like she used to, and Zenobia wished she could help her lover to feel more at ease with her plight.

Then Zenobia thought back a few years, when she still lived in her village, where family and friends lived, where her childhood memories dwelled and where her heart still existed. Yes, she missed that place and her people, yet it was futile to long for them. Zenobia was like that. Other than Alisha, she relented to her fate much more readily.

Yes, Alisha was different. She grew up in the streets of the city. She never had anyone telling her what to do and what not to do. She was as close to a free flying bird as could be imagined. Of course she knew that they had everything in here that they needed. They were fed and clothed and were protected and nothing was missing that was necessary for life … except for life itself. And they had a husband, yet it was a marriage where no love existed and where no gentleness came forth and no emotions whatsoever. It was a relationship of purpose, nothing more. There was only sex sporadically and this was all. And this sex was without any trace of emotions too, fulfilling merely bodily desires, which left the hearts of the women as empty as the desert far beyond these walls and the wide skies above. Its other sole purpose was to produce adequate sons for the sultan. Alas, for Alisha, she and her sisters were mere chickens in a golden chicken coop who were to lay the appropriate eggs  for the cock, and she hated this life the longer she was kept locked in it.

Zenobia exited her dream world and moved herself closer to Alisha, who was still in thoughts. She looked deeply into Alisha’s eyes and then she tenderly kissed her lips. Alisha kissed her back and then they gently embraced and caressed each other’s soft bodies.

The affection for one another was wholly different than when they had to lay with the sultan. It was a different kind of kiss amongst the two friends and a different kind of embrace … a kiss and cuddle that were far removed from that of the sultan’s, who would gruffly place his fat lips upon theirs and slobber like a hog. Their mouths were as delicate as the pedals of roses and his was merely a greasy opening, eager for lots of food and drink. Their slender fingers touched their soft and smooth skin as gently as when being brushed by a veil of silk, and not like el-Hashem’s, who groped their bodies with insensible paws. And their fragrances were sweet and pleasant and not like the sultan’s smell of a laborer having sweated under the desert sun for eight hours.

And so it was that the sisters sought one another to fulfill their need and desires for true affection and gentleness and sweetness, and not only Alisha and Zenobia, but nearly every one of the sultan’s forty and two wives did so too. And the sultan, although he knew of the goings on in his harem, could not care less. The only thing that concerned him was keeping other men from touching one of his women. What they did with one another was entirely unimportant to him.

2 The Gardens of Sakakah

It was another new day and the small attack of depression that Alisha had suffered the previous day was gone. Today was the day of the week when the wives were allowed to leave the palace to wander the wide-ranging gardens right outside of its walls. And it was this pending outing that helped Alisha to have a more positive emotion.

Indeed, the gardens were one of the sultan’s pride and joy. They were called the Gardens of Sakakah, and it was said that el-Hashem’s oasis of trees and bushes and flowers and fountains were second only to the ancient famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon from long times past. They surrounded the entire palace complex and were divided in different levels sitting on large terraces. There were exotic plants from across the Occident and various animals lived there too, like a few goats that kept the weeds at bay, and birds, kept in large cages and cats roamed around keeping the rodents away and free birds lived there too and of course bees and butterflies and there were even small ponds with fish and frogs. It was a grand time for the women to go outside into this Garden of Eden, and it enlightened their spirits more than hardly anything else.

And thus Alisha and Zenobia walked hand in hand from one section of garden to the next, as did other sets of sisters too, and some were assembled in small groups and others in larger ones, and all were scattered throughout the area, enjoying this wondrous place. Up they went, to a terrace located on a higher level, and then back down again to another one a level lower. They went off the beaten paths and walked through the loosely grown vegetation of palm trees, Lebanon Cedar trees and bushes and grasses and a multitude of flowers. Giddily they giggled and snickered as they played hide and seek and chased each other around, just like the girls they were.

If they had a choice, neither one of them would have gone back inside the palace, never ever again. Instead, they would have preferred staying outside and even sleep there in the warm nights and under the twinkling points of lights of the stars and the watchful face of the moon.

The two best friends stopped their running around right beneath a date palm tree called Khalas. Standing in its shade they looked deeply into each other’s eyes, and then they gently kissed each other’s sweet lips, and hugged and whispered lovable words into their ears, and the entire world seemed wonderful.

Then they sat down beneath the tree’s canopy of fronds, leaning against its trunk. For a while neither girl said anything. They simply sat there, enjoying the beauty of the place and the feeling of freedom, as small and brief as this freedom was, or rather as imaginary.

I love this place so much. This is the only good thing about living here, Alisha told her friend with dreamy words.

Zenobia had her eyes closed as she listened to Alisha. Yes, I agree, she answered with a sigh.

I wish we could remain longer out here than just the few hours.

Me too, Alisha. I feel like a dog being taken out for a walk.

Alisha chuckled at her friend’s analogy. Hey, I have an idea, Zenobia.

We did not bring a blanket with us for that, do you not remember?

No, I do not mean doing that, I meant something else.

What is it then?

Today is market day. Let us go and see if we can sneak away from the palace grounds and go into town.

I doubt it that we will be successful with this attempt. You know that the gates are always guarded.

Yes, I do, but maybe we could still get outside, through our newly discovered secret way.

Alisha, you know that there is work being done in that area. We will be seen.

Yes, but perhaps the work is done.

Zenobia sighed. Alisha always has ideas on how to get outside, but they never worked, except for a single time. This was during a dust storm, which made it easy to sneak past the gate guards. But that outing had turned into a small disaster. It was the only time when they were happy to reenter the palace. They had to take long-lasting baths to rid all the cracks and crevices and hair of their bodies from sand and dust. And they were punished. The sultan’s favorite method of punishment was letting one of his guards, in particular Musad, bed with the girl to be disciplined. This was a most horrible thing for all the wives and assured their good behavior.

Do you wish to get Musad’s dirty hands all over you again, and worse, his slimy parts inside of you?

No!

Then forget your desire going into town, my dear, because I do not want this either.

I will go and check our secret escape hole. Will you come with me?

Zenobia sighed. She agreed, even though she knew it was futile, but they had nothing better to do anyway. She got up, took Alisha’s outstretched hand and then they both went through the gardens to reach another part of the citadel. Their destination was in an obscure part of the fortress, where they had recently discovered a hole in the ground. It was at the foot of the outer curtain wall and was hidden by a jumble of loose rocks, weeds and a few scraggly bushes. It had been Alisha that talked Zenobia into exploring every crag and corner of the sultan’s defensive system. That was months ago already. Alisha was a curious and restless spirit and going only to the gardens on garden day was sometimes too boring for her. She loved exploring things. This was in her nature and this is what she used to do in the city, before she was captured and brought to this place. In the meantime, Alisha knew every corner of this place. There was only one problem; workers were down in the outer ward, not far away from where they found the hole. If they were still working there, the two wives could not risk using the hole to get out, since they wanted to keep it a secret.

They reached the inner curtain wall and looked down into the outer ward. The workers were still there.

Alisha was disappointed. Then let us go to the other side and at least look at the market from there.

What is there to see?

Oh, Zenobia … you know that the market is right before the gates. We will see people! Lots of them, and animals and wares, colors, sounds too and the smell of food.

Alisha’s enthusiasm had infected Zenobia this time too. Besides that, she still could not think of anything else to do at the moment. All right, Alisha, let us go then.

The two wives of el-Hashem took each other’s hands again and walked to the other side of the bastion fortification, on the city side and where and the main gates were. They had a grand view of the marketplace form there. They found a nice place to stand and then they looked in silence for a while, watching the happenings in the marketplace and the comings and goings from the gates.

The place was bustling with people and activities. There was a large crowd present down below, coming from their city Sakakah and from other places too, like other settlements, oases, villages and towns. The wide and open place was filled with sales stands, wagons and wares of all kinds, and awnings and sun sails kept the sun at bay. The colors that the girls saw in the market rivaled the most beautiful parts of the sultan’s gardens, and were in stark contrast to the bland whites, beiges and browns of the city, the palace and the citadel. And the sounds too were very distinct from what the wives usually heard, and so were the myriad of exotic smells that rose upward the many feet of wall, finding their way into their nostrils. There were meats being grilled and there were dried fish being offered and spices and fruits and vegetables and many other wares.

Alisha and Zenobia hardly said anything as they kept watching the interesting scenery down below them. Alisha and even Zenobia wished so very much to be mingling with the people here and there and to taste the different foods and try on the clothing and fake jewelry and sandals that were being offered for sale.

And then they saw a group of Byzantines emerging from the throng and entering the still empty foreground of the marketplace. It was a small area immediately in front of and around the main gates of the citadel. This spot was always reserved for the slave merchants, and today it seemed that the Byzantines were bringing in a new batch of them.

The wagon, pulled by a team of four oxen and accompanied by a troop of guards on horseback, came to a stop right beneath the curious eyes of the two friends. The riders got off and then the prisoners were let out of the wagon. They were lined up near a wooden platform and were told to sit down.

This time there are only six slaves, Alisha commented.

Yes, and there are a great variety of them for such a small number.

You are right, Alisha agreed, and then she pointed out; There is one from Nubia. He looks as black as the darkest night. And next to him must be a Greek, with his bronze skin and then we have what looks like a Turk and … where is he from?

A seventh prisoner was taken out of the covered wagon and placed with the others, already sitting by the platform. Both girls were snickering and making comments about him because he was wholly different looking than all the other prisoners.

Have you ever seen such hair before, Zenobia?

I do not believe that I have, Alisha. I wonder if it is real or just dyed.

The captive that the two friends talked about was looking around and seemed to be angry. He stood tall and his red hair was indeed a striking disparity to the black colored hair of all the other people present. It did not take long for a small throng of people to gather by the prisoners. They were all gawking mostly at the stranger with the copper-toned mane and beard.

A horn suddenly blew, blending out all other sounds for a short moment. It was the horn of the sultan, announcing his coming. And then the sultan came through the gates, accompanied by his entourage of guards and advisors and servants. This was a normal ritual whenever he received a visit from the Byzantines. He would first go outside of the palace gates and examine the prisoners and future slaves there. But they were often more than just slaves, for the sultan liked to pick out the cream of the crop and make them a part of his guards whenever possible. It was true that half of his men were slaves.

Alisha and Zenobia watched as the Byzantine envoy greeted their husband with a low bow, and then how the sultan examined the prisoners, one by one. He spent a particularly long time scrutinizing the one that his two wives above had marveled over. The sultan seemed both amused and impressed by this man. Indeed, the red haired man stood a full head taller than Sultan el-Hashem, who was himself a man of average height, and he was well-built. It did not surprise the two women at all, standing and watching from above the walls, that the sultan chose to buy this crimson haired man. The others were average men and women and the ruler left them to be sold to other customers.

When the process of bargaining had ended, the sultan and his entourage went back into the palace grounds, this time accompanied by the new slave and the leader of the Byzantine troop.

Come quickly! Alisha said excitingly to her friend.

Before Zenobia could ask where she wanted to go to and why, Alisha had already taken her hand and led her to another section of the wall, only a few dozen steps away. This was a part of the defensive walls that overlooked the entryway coming in from the main gates. From there they watched the procession of people coming in from the marketplace. They saw the prisoner walking amongst several guards. His hands were tied together in front of him and his eyes glanced around, like a captured animal trying to find a way out.

Zenobia started to snicker and so did Alisha. The stranger with the red hair heard their giggles and so he glanced up and saw the two wives of the sultan looking at him. He spat out, which made the girls to stop their giggling. But not for long.

My, is not he an angry one! Zenobia said loudly.

Yes, and he looks handsome too, despite the fiery hair.

They giggled again and watched the sultan and all the others disappear into the innermost parts of the citadel complex.

Since there was nothing more to watch that interested them, Alisha and Zenobia continued enjoying the gardens. They explored every corner of the place and even went to parts of the huge palace and citadel complex that were off limits to everyone except the soldiers and guards. Indeed, the two girls knew the place better than just about anyone else, and it was great fun for them to fool the armed men whenever and however they could. This was simply another aspect helping them to muddle through an otherwise mundane life.

3 The Barbarian

Time had wandered onward, going relentlessly and guided by the movements of the sun, the moon and the stars. The lives of the forty and two wives of the Sultan el-Hashem were a reflection of the Arabian seasons in that there were hardly any notable changes at all. As rhythmic as the days supplanting the nights and the sun exchanging its place with the moon, so was the rhythm of life of eating and sleeping and being the chosen one for serving the sultan’s pleasures, or not.

Once again, it was one of those days which the wives of el-Hashem looked forward to the most and this with nary an exception amongst them. After the morning meal was finished, and the wives and children had returned, the guards entered the great harem chamber, pulled open the great double-winged doors and announced to the females that it was garden day.

Like a brood of chickens let out of a chicken coop, the ladies and children exited the palace and swarmed out across the gardens. Their excited voices reflected their happiness over being set free again for a few short and precious hours.

Alisha and Zenobia did not waste any time to go around to the other side of the palace complex and over to the citadel. The courtyard could be found there. This is where the training for the soldiers and guards took place. During the past few days the two friends had been hearing rumors concerning the newly arrived prisoner, the one with the red hair. He was all the talk within the palace and without. It was said that he was to become a part of the sultan’s guards. Of course there were many rumors circulating the palace, rumors about every imaginable thing, and surely this could be but one of them too, being without a basis of truth. Thus Zenobia and Alisha went to see for themselves, for if the gossip was true then they would now see it with their very own eyes.

But even before they saw anything, both women believed what was being said about the new man. This was simply so because they knew the sultan and about his numerous quirks and desires, and one of those quirks was his love for the exotic. He had guards and wives from every possible corners of the world, from the south of Arabia to the northern tip of it, and from the Red Sea to the west, to the great gulf to the east, and even beyond these places, like the valley of the Nile River and down south into Nubia and in distant Espanola and over to the great Persian Empire and not to be forgotten the Byzantines.

The two wives of the sultan had seen many prisoners delivered by the latter mentioned people, yet none had ever looked like the one who was brought a few weeks ago. The peoples inhabiting their city of Sakakah and the