The knock came at dawn. Not a gentle tap, but a hard, deliberate pounding that echoed through the stone walls of the room like a summons from God.
Aneesa jerked upright, blinking into the hazy gold of early light. She was still in her library robe, half-asleep, dreaming of the softness of The Emir's lips against her ear.
Before she could speak, the door swung open.
Two attendants entered, veiled and silent. One carried a folded garment; the other began preparing kohl and oil without asking permission.
"What is this?" Aneesa muttered.
"You've been summoned," one said. "A breakfast audience with The Sultan and Malika."
Aneesa sat up straighter. "Now?"
"At once."
They dressed her quickly, not in red or violet, but in an indigo colored silk with silver embroidery that traced the shape of her breast and no veil. Her hair was left long and loose, perfumed with orange blossom oil.
The Jewelry was gold yet minimal.
Aneesa stared at herself in the mirror and saw something unfamiliar: she was bait. This was all deliberate, but for what she could not yet figure out.
The breakfast hall was vast and sun-drenched, with tall arched windows and a single long table carved from white stone. The Sultan sat at its head, flanked by his favored wife and three advisors who watched her with all the warmth of a chessboard.
Aneesa bowed low as she was summoned to stand before the Sultan. She has read about his short temper and large harem. That he had conquered a country to win the hand of The Malika, and that she alone was his trusted advisor.
The Sultan looked up from his bowl of dates and honey, his mouth filled with food. "So this is the girl."
The Malika nodded slightly, "Yes, my love. The one from the merchant's house. The one who reads Latin."
"She reads Latin?" the Sultan repeated, chewing obnoxiously. "And what else? Do you dance?"
"No, your majesty," Aneesa said calmly. "But I can recite the works of Lucretius in three languages."
The Sultan snorted.
The Malika leaned forward slightly. "Yes, your reputation has reached us, Aneesa. My son is not an easy creature to impress."
"He's certainly not trying to impress anyone," the Sultan cut in, waving his spoon. "That's the problem. He'd rather court ink than blood. So maybe…maybe a clever girl is what he needs."
Aneesa's stomach twisted.
"I'm not here to court anyone," she said.
"But you're here," the Sultan replied, "and he's excited about it."
The Malika's gaze locked in on Aneesa, who felt as if she had just been scolded without words. "What would you say to the idea of… assisting him?" she said calculated.
"In what capacity?" Aneesa replied.
"As a presence," the Malika said. "An influence. Something real."
The Sultan wiped his hands on a linen cloth. "He needs grounding. Flesh and fire. Not just scrolls and illiuminated manuscripts."
Aneesa held her breath. This wasn't about romance.
It was about strategy.
She was being tested again. Measured not by what she was, but by what she could be made into.
Before she could speak, a voice entered the room, low and unmistakable.
"You're speaking as if I'm not here."
She turned.
Tariq stood near the door, arms crossed, hair still damp from a recent wash. He wore deep Indigo again, this time a gold-laced tunic that cut deep down his chiseled chest, which glistened slightly in the morning sun. His eyes delighted in the fact that Aneesa was now the one trying to read him like a book.
"How long have you been listening?" the Malika asked lightly.
"Long enough," he said, "but not long enough to agree." He kissed his mother's forehead and took his place at the table across from his mother.
The Sultan chuckled. "We're discussing your future."
"Without me?" Tariq asked in a half-serious tone, as he stared directly into Aneesa's large brown eyes.
"Some things require guidance," the Malika replied.
"And some things require silence," Tariq said. "To grow on their own."
Aneesa lowered her gaze to her hands. Yet she could feel his attention brushing over her like warm smoke.
She didn't know whether she'd passed the test.
But she was certain of one thing: The Emir had heard every word.