Game of Queens (48 page)

“I am grateful for the king's kindness. What does my lord king desire of me? You know I will do anything I can to aid you.”

Ahasuerus smiled. “Will you tell my mother I have chosen Esther of Shushan as my queen and my wife? And ask her to begin preparations for the wedding at once?”

*   *   *

I took unworthy delight in begging an audience with Queen Mother Amestris, and I drove my handmaidens half-mad as I decided on and then discarded garments. At last Hegai took charge, and so I went before Amestris clad in a gown of gold-woven cloth and a vest of Cathay silk dyed with true Tyrian purple—the color permitted only to those of royal blood and rank.

I might no longer be queen, but I remained a daughter of the royal house of Babylon.
And I am Ishvari's granddaughter.

“My lady princess might consider a less gleeful smile before she goes to the Queen Mother,” Hegai suggested, “for at the moment my lady princess looks like a marmoset stuck in a honey-pot.”

I laughed and stretched upward to kiss his cheek. “The Keeper of the King's Women is most wondrous wise! Oh, and send for Tandis and Barsine—I wish them to attend me when I visit the Queen Mother.”

Hegai sighed, but I saw him struggle against his own laughter. “You wish them dressed alike, I suppose?”

“Yes—now you may help me decide what they should wear. I must impress the Queen Mother properly, you know.”

“Yes, my princess.” Hegai abandoned his effort and smiled back at me; light seemed to dance in his dark amber eyes. “I know.”

*   *   *

So, dressed like a queen and attended by two princesses gowned in gold and silver, I presented myself at the gate to the Queen Mother's garden. I wished Hegai had also escorted me, but he had deemed it wiser to remain out of Amestris's sight. “I am known for cleverness, and you are not,” Hegai had said.

I agreed; Amestris had raised me to be a frivolous, foolish girl, a pawn easily manipulated. But I now struggled to become more.
It's my turn to play, not be played.

Of course Amestris knew already that Ahasuerus had made his choice. I had never doubted that; she had doubtless known before Ahasuerus left his bedchamber that morning. And the knowledge infuriated her.

“Vashti, how fortunate that you chose this time to visit me. Come and sit by me now and tell me what Ahasuerus said to you this morning.” Amestris waved me closer. “Well, make haste. I must know how bad the matter is.”

Tell you what my dear brother Ahasuerus confided to me? No.
I drew my brows together, as if puzzling out her order. “Bad? But it's wonderful! Again the king has a queen. After forty nights—I thought he never would choose!”

Amestris stared at me; thin lines radiated from the corners of her mouth. “Vashti, you always were a fool. Do you not realize—no, of course you don't. There's nothing in your head but clouds and air.”

Once her harsh words would have whipped tears to my eyes. Now I wanted to laugh—but I did not. I think I managed to look quite as foolishly baffled as she thought me. “But my lady queen, the maidens came to the palace so that my lord brother the king might judge them. What is wrong? Do you not like Queen Esther?”

For one delightful heartbeat, it seemed Amestris might melt from fury. “
Queen Esther?
Queen of one night! Who
is
this conniving girl? Who are her people? Where does she come from?”

I answered as if Amestris truly wished to gain this knowledge from me. “Her name is Esther, and she comes from here, from Shushan itself. She is—”

Amestris turned on me, her eyes fiery as a basilisk's. “I know her name is Esther, you silly girl. From Shushan itself. And I know she is the ward of Mordecai the Scribe, and anything else there is to know about her I will know before nightfall. As for her becoming queen—” Amestris shook her head. “A nameless thing with nothing but beauty? For all your faults, you at least are Belshazzar's granddaughter!”

“Ishvari's,” I said.

“What?” For once, Amestris seemed taken aback.

“I am Queen Ishvari's granddaughter, too.”

“Queen Ishvari? What does she matter? She's been dead these forty years! You are too foolish, girl.” Amestris looked past me, at Tandis and Barsine standing quiet by the gate. I saw the corner of Tandis's mouth quiver, and shook my head very slightly; Tandis bit her lower lip and gazed modestly at the ground. Amestris raised her hands as if supplicating the gods. “Oh,
why
could that silly boy not choose one of Prince Shethar's daughters? Now, what am I to do about this appalling wedding?”

For even Amestris could do nothing, now that the king's choice had been proclaimed, save follow the rules laid down for royal rites. The king had decreed a wedding; a wedding there would be.

I stared at my feet; counted the poppies embroidered upon my golden slippers. When I thought I could keep my face smooth and my voice meek, I said, “I could help, perhaps.” A timid offering, as if I expected a rebuff. “You know I planned the search for the new queen.” Now I made my voice earnest, while searching my mind for the words that would ensure Amestris gave me the task of planning Ahasuerus and Esther's wedding. I found them. “And—and I would do just as well at this task!”

Amestris stared at me, clearly appalled. Then, slowly, she smiled. “Why, yes, Vashti. Perhaps you would.”

Now I produced a delighted smile, as if Amestris had just granted me the world to rule as I saw fit. “Oh, I will, I will! And I vow to consult you on everything needful.”

Amestris waved this aside. “I am quite certain that your decisions will prove everything I could desire, my dear. Do just as you think best.”

And that is how it came to pass that I, Vashti, the set-aside and disgraced queen, managed the wedding of Ahasuerus, Lord of Media and Persia, King of Kings, to Esther, a Jewish maiden of the ancient city of Shushan.

ESTHER

After my night with the king, the next seven days seemed to rush past like a stream in spring flood. I did not see Ahasuerus again until our wedding day, but he never vanished from my thoughts and dreams.

To my surprise, it was Vashti who managed to have me standing with my hands in Ahasuerus's, vowing I would honor and obey him always as my husband, within a week's time. When she put her mind to it, Vashti could ignore obstacles with the single-mindedness of a monkey set upon obtaining the moon from the bottom of a well. And although the monkey might fall and drown while reaching for that illusory image, Vashti succeeded in her determination that Ahasuerus and I have a lavish royal wedding—

“One to make the entire empire forget his and mine,” she said. “You need do nothing, Esther, save look beautiful and say a few words before the Sacred Flame. Here, I wrote them down for you.” She shoved a scrap of papyrus into my hand and then ran off again.

Not a monkey,
I remember thinking on that occasion,
a mongoose.…

I was glad for someone else to take on the work of organizing my wedding, for I had enough and more to do. The moment my name was announced as the new Queen of Persia, the rooms, the garments, the gems that had been riches beyond my imagining became unworthy of me. No longer did I live in the best apartments in the Women's Palace; I was led back from my night with the king to the Queen's Palace.

For the Queen's Palace now was mine.

And a dozen dozen new servants were now mine, although I demanded, and got, my own servants to serve me closest. “I know I will have many others,” I said, “but those who have cared for me lovingly and loyally this past year shall always hold the highest rank in my affections.”

Then I demanded, and received, a promise that Vashti would not be forced to leave the Queen's Palace. That she would continue to live in the apartments that had been her home since she was ten years old.

“There is room enough for a dozen queens in this palace,” I told Hegai, “and I will not evict Vashti from her own rooms. Tell everyone I turned my nose up at them and called them second-rate and second-hand, and that I demanded apartments of my own decorated to please myself.”

“Extravagantly?” Hegai suggested, and I raised my eyebrows and replied,

“Of course. Beyond dreams.”

I meant it for a jest, but the jest became truth. I was Queen of Queens; anything I could even dream to wish for was mine for the asking. The trouble was that I could think of little I wished for, save to hold Ahasuerus in my arms. When I confessed this to my eunuch Hatach, he shook his head, appalled at my folly.

“Well for the sake of peace, don't tell him
that,
O queen!” Hatach fussed over my hair himself, proud of the fact that he was now chief chamberlain to the Queen of Queens, ruler of the Queen's Palace. This elevation pleased Hatach immensely, and made him thrice as fretful.

“But it's true, Hatach. Yes, pearls will do very well.”

“It may be true—” Hatach snapped his fingers and a maidservant knelt, held out a tray on which ropes of ruddy pearls lay coiled; their rosy fire would glow like sunset against my hair. “—but it is completely unnecessary to tell the
entire
truth
every single moment
.”

“What should I say, then?”

“Say you wish whatever he wishes to bestow upon you. Or better yet,” Hatach finished, “say nothing whatsoever. Just smile, and let the man think what he will.”

*   *   *

So I, Hadassah bas Abihail, wed Ahasuerus, King of Kings, Lord of Half the World, before Ahura Mazda's Sacred Flame, by rites laid down so long ago no man living knew when or how. No woman, either.

I scarcely noticed the ceremony, or the flame, or that I spoke pagan vows. All I saw was Ahasuerus, and the love in his eyes. Then we were married, and walked together through the gate into the Queen's Palace to begin our new life together.

It was not so simple as that, of course. But for a month of sun-bright days and honey-sweet nights, I could pretend that it was.

*   *   *

All unwitting, Ahasuerus made it easy for me to lie to myself, for he proved a most loving and generous husband. Too generous, I told him—

“—truly, it is not necessary to bestow a gift upon me every hour of the day.” The outpouring of gold and gems, slaves and silks, made me uneasy.

“Not necessary, but delightful,” Ahasuerus said. “It gives me pleasure to bestow gifts upon you, beloved. Surely they give you joy?”

“It pleases me to give you pleasure, my lord and husband.”

Ahasuerus smiled. “Then you will be very pleased indeed with this.” He motioned Hatach forward; Hatach came forward, and bowed, and, with a smug look at me, placed an ivory casket in Ahasuerus's hands. Ahasuerus dismissed Hatach, then turned and set the ivory casket in my hands.

The precious box was old, the ivory deepened to the color of wild honey. Dragons coiled over the panels; whoever had carved them had been a master of the craft.

“It's beautiful,” I said. “Thank you, my—Ahasuerus.” Hot blood rushed to my cheeks; I had not yet become accustomed to such intimacy.

He leaned closer and kissed my cheek, his lips cool against my skin. “You are too easily pleased, Esther. That is not your gift. Open it.”

Even more flushed, I obeyed, and found myself staring at a coiled necklace of rubies red as heart's blood. I looked up into Ahasuerus's eyes. “These are mine?”

He knew what I meant. “Yes, these are yours. Hegai presented them to me as a suitable morning gift for you. Apparently I am the only one in all Shushan who did not know you would be my queen.”

There was a rueful amusement in his voice; better far than anger, but I did not want him ever to think what he had said half in jest was truth. I closed the casket's lid over the jewels that had bought my place in his palace, in his bed.

“No,” I said, “there was one other who did not know it. I wept myself to sleep for forty nights fearing you would find your bride among those who came before me. And then I feared you would look upon me and—”

“Not see your beauty?”

“Not see your wife,” I said.

“I will always see you, my wife,” Ahasuerus said, and kissed my forehead. “Never forget that. Always.”

Yes, even a king is entitled to his marriage month, when he and his bride seek only each other's company. But while a common man may enjoy as much longer as he wishes, a king must answer to duty. We claimed our days and nights full moon to full moon as husband and wife. And then Ahasuerus became King of Kings once more, and I—merely his queen.

*   *   *

It was hard, after the honey-sweetness of that month, to return to the strict routines of the women's world. Being queen did not bring me more freedom than most women possessed, but less. Oh, I will not pretend I did not enjoy many aspects of my royal and pampered life. Or that I did not stare into Hegai's famous silver mirror amazed at how I looked with the queen's diadem shining against my hair.

But I missed my husband. Being king, he had much he
must
do. I reminded myself of this daily, schooling myself to greet him only with fond words and open arms. That he was king was hardly his fault—nor could I claim I had no notion before I wed him what that would entail. Ahasuerus did all he could to make life weigh light upon me—and he remembered every word I had spoken to him during our halcyon time together.

I learned much more about my husband once we no longer dwelt on love alone. He liked to give gifts, and he liked to surprise me. I suspected he had at least one dedicated spy reporting to him, and that her name was Vashti. That was how he knew I liked singing birds, and why he sent me a nightingale in a golden cage. It would not sing in the cage, so I released the unhappy creature into my garden. The bird's wing-feathers had been clipped, so it could not fly free—and by the time its feathers had grown long again and it could fly away if it chose, it had become accustomed to the food I provided and to the safety of the garden's trees, and so it remained. I listened to the nightingale sing every night until the sweet melody ceased, or I fell asleep.