Tree of Pearls, Queen of Egypt Read online

  Princes of Egypt! As you have consented to place Musa Bin Salah al-Din on the

  throne, let him be brought forth and crowned immediately. Th

  e Commander of

  the Faithful has seen fi t to provide me with the royal emblems for the occasion of this coronation.” Upon signaling to a member of his retinue standing by, he was

  ceremoniously presented with a large emblazoned chest. Th

  e messenger ordered

  that it be opened and its contents laid out upon a rich carpet placed on the ground before it, while the company craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the royal

  objects. Th

  e page fi rst withdrew a black cloak richly embroidered with the Abba-

  sid crest. Th

  is was followed by a black turban and a collar and anklet of solid gold.

  “Th

  ese are the royal insignia,” declared the messenger. “Now bring me the Sultan

  Musa Bin Salah al-Din so that we may place them upon him, for the Commander

  of the Faithful has charged me not to quit Egypt without having fi rst raised an Ayyubid king to its throne.”

  t h e c a l i ph’s de cr e e | 

  ‘Izz al-Din duly caused the boy to be sent for. Th

  ey were not kept waiting

  long. Th

  e new King of Egypt was a mere child of eight years. Th

  ey dressed him

  in the royal insignia as much as this was possible, given his age and size, and

  declared him Sultan, and ‘Izz al-Din Aybak his Regent and First Minister.

  Th

  roughout these proceedings, Tree of Pearls remained immobile as a statue,

  watching and listening in stony silence. Once the coronation had drawn to its

  conclusion, and the screen was lowered again, she took a deep breath of relief

  and burst out into bitter tears upon Shwaykar’s shoulder. “Come, my Lady,” the

  girl whispered tenderly into the weeping Queen’s ear, “Let us withdraw at once

  to your apartments.”

  Tree of Pearls willingly submitted to her handmaiden’s care. Now, in the

  privacy of her chambers, Shwaykar did her best to comfort her grieving mistress

  and to stem her sighs. Finally, Tree of Pearls spoke. “I know not the reason for this sudden change of aff airs, but I am content to have abdicated of my own free will.

  Do not suppose, Shwaykar, that I lament the loss of the throne. It is a heavy burden indeed, and you have oft en heard my complaints on this count. I am content

  to be the fi rst woman to have been crowned Queen in the history of our Empire.

  Now you are the only consolation left me,” she broke off wretchedly.

  Th

  ese last words made Shwaykar somewhat uneasy, but she held her peace,

  for if she was to be someone’s consolation she preferred to fulfi ll that role for Rukn al-Din and for him alone. Tree of Pearls resumed, as though reading her

  thoughts, “I am only sorry that having lost the throne I am now no longer in a

  position to raise Rukn al-Din to the rank he so well deserves. But he shall win it through his own high merit, no doubt. If he had been here today, he should have

  certainly secured some honor or other from the Caliph’s emissary—who knows,

  perhaps the Regency itself.”

  Shwaykar’s spirits fell at this thought, and she regretted the lost opportunity, but she resolutely directed her attention once again to her mistress. “I care only for your present happiness, my Lady.”

  “You are my delight, dear Shwaykar, as you well know. I thank God that I

  have rid myself of the burdensome cares of state. Having once tasted them, never again shall I aspire to such responsibility.”

  “Well said, my Lady, for you have had nothing but care and anxiety as your

  constant companions these last months. When shall Rukn al-Din return, I

  wonder?”

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  “Soon, my dear,” Tree of Pearls replied. “He shall surely come to us the min-

  ute he hears of this turn of events. And when he comes, I shall fulfi ll my promise to you both.” And lowering her tearstained eyes, she fell silent.

  An Unexpected Demand

  as we have seen in the course of this narration, by nightfall of that momen-

  tous day Tree of Pearls had been precipitously toppled from the throne of Egypt, Musa Bin Salah al-Din invested in her place with the title of Al-Ashraf, the Most Honorable King, and ‘Izz al-Din Aybak installed as his Regent. ‘Izz al-Din, whom this turn of events had not a little taken by surprise, was now more than ever

  convinced that he owed his present position to none other than Sallafa. His fi rst act aft er the coronation was consequently to betake himself immediately to the

  palace in which he had installed her. He found her there, proud as a victorious

  queen and chuckling to herself at the success of her plans. “What think you of

  this day’s events, my Prince?” she slyly inquired in reply to his greeting. “Is not your Sallafa well versed in the secrets of statecraft ?”

  “Indeed, my Lady, for you have accomplished miracles. Will you not

  enlighten me as to your divinatory methods?”

  “Now that I have convinced you of the sincerity of my aff ection, I see no

  reason to hide from you that it was I—through my connections to the Custodian

  of the Caliph Al-Musta‘sim Billah’s Harem—who eff ected the great changes that

  took place today. It was I who sent her the letter which produced the desired

  results. In return, she has demanded a small service which I have had no choice

  but to promise her. I did not think to inform you of it before now, as I was sure that you would not refuse.”

  “And what is this service?”

  “Do you then promise that you shall undertake it?”

  ‘Izz al-Din was silent for a moment as he wondered to himself what this

  request might be, for he feared that some lurking harm to his interests might

  therein lie. He felt, however, that he had no choice but to comply. “I shall do as you ask,” he replied.

  

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  “Th

  e Custodian of the Caliph’s Palaces informs me in her letter that the

  Commander of the Faithful has heard tell of a girl of wondrous voice in Tree of

  Pearls’s possession. He requests that this slave be immediately sent to him, for the Commander of the Faithful is passionately enamored of music and song, as you

  well know. I have promised to present her as a gift to the Caliph, and she must presently leave for Baghdad with the royal messenger.”

  “Do you mean the singing-girl, Shwaykar?”

  “Indeed, it is her I mean. What say you?”

  “A simple request. It shall even please the girl no doubt to leave the service of a deposed Queen and enter into that of a great Caliph.”

  Th

  e words “a deposed Queen” rang pleasantly in Sallafa’s ears. She smiled

  and replied, “You know full well that you are now bound to satisfy the Caliph’s

  whims. You shall have need of his support when your plans to seize the throne for yourself come to full fruition. I think you understand me.”

  He nodded in reply and quickly rose to take his leave. “I shall take care of the matter at once.”

  “Go in God’s keeping. Shwaykar shall depart with the messenger on the

  morrow . . . shall she not?”

  “She shall,” he replied, and he turned his steps back to the Citadel, his cloak

  wrapped well around him so as to proceed unrecognized through the streets of

  Cairo. Sallafa and the great debt he now owed to her prodigious ene
rgy and cun-

  ning occupied his thoughts on the way home. Th

  ough his heart misgave him his

  betrayal of Tree of Pearls, he excused himself on the grounds of her suspicious liaison with Rukn al-Din. He knew that in all decency, he should postpone this visit to her so that she should have an opportunity to calm her grief, but he was obliged to undertake the evil errand in haste at Sallafa’s insistence.

  ‘Izz al-Din entered the Citadel and directed his steps to Tree of Pearls’s palace.

  He found her secluded in her chambers with Shwaykar, who had taken up her oud

  and now sang to soothe her mistress. Th

  e strains of her melancholy voice waft ed

  forth from behind the closed door. He stopped for a moment to listen pensively,

  then signaled to the Chamberlain to announce his presence.

  ‘Izz al-Din did not wait for the Chamberlain’s return. He entered the room as

  had been his habit of old, and found Tree of Pearls in her dressing-gown. She had tied a plain cloth around her head to prevent the full onslaught of the headache that had affl

  icted her since the trials of that morning, and she now rose heavily to greet

  him. Th

  e headache was but a trifl e compared to the pain she felt at the clear change

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  in ‘Izz al-Din’s aff ections. His relations with Sallafa, and in particular, the frequency of their meetings in the days leading up to her overthrow, had hardly escaped her.

  She was now certain of the breach between herself and the Prince, for she had been informed by her spies that ‘Izz al-Din had gone to Sallafa immediately aft er the assembly had broken up, rather than coming to her in her great affl

  iction. She pre-

  saged ill from this belated visit, but she stifl ed the bitter resentment that caused her heart to beat violently at the sight of him and rose with diffi

  culty from her couch.

  ‘Izz al-Din hastened towards her. “I beg you to remain seated, my Lady. We

  have no need of formalities. I see you are in poor health. What ails you, pray tell?”

  Tree of Pearls sank back and pulled her shawl tight around her. She shivered

  as though an icy wind had suddenly swept through her veins.

  ‘Izz al-Din took note of her continued silence. He drew a chair near to her

  couch. “It is the headache that affl

  icts you from time to time, is it not?”

  “Th

  e worst I have ever experienced. May God preserve you from such pain,

  ‘Izz al-Din, and shield you from the devastation it brings in its wake.”

  Her words made him uneasy, for he guessed at the hidden meaning behind

  them. “We are all prey to such bouts, my Lady. It is but a small malady that will soon pass.”

  “I am unused to its sudden violence . . . and any change in habit goes hard on

  a body, do you not agree?” she replied with a trace of melancholy and reproach

  in her voice.

  ‘Izz al-Din ignored this remark. “If I had known that you were unwell, I

  would have come to you sooner.”

  “Th

  ere is no need to trouble yourself over a deposed Queen, particularly now

  that you are occupied with even greater responsibilities than heretofore.”

  “Is it possible that my duties should make me forget Tree of Pearls? I have

  come to congratulate you on your escape from these very burdens of government

  and to tell you how I admired the great fortitude and self-possession that you

  displayed this morning. You were wise to act so. Let not the Caliph’s command

  distress you.” He fi dgeted in his seat and coughed uncomfortably. “If truth be told, it is we princes—or rather, myself in particular—who bear the most responsibility in this matter, since it is we who pressed you to accept the throne. We did not suspect that our choice would contradict the will of the Commander of the Faithful.”

  Tree of Pearls keenly felt the patronizing formality of his excuses. “You erred

  in your judgment, as I erred in mine. But the loss of the throne has not distressed me as much as . . .” She fell silent and her lustrous eyes met his.

   | t r e e of pe a r l s , qu e e n of e g y p t

  “I fear that you have come to doubt my friendship, but you may rest assured,

  Madam, that—”

  Tree of Pearls quickly interrupted him. “I harbor no resentment,” she proudly

  declared. “But I have learned that one must not always trust to appearances. And now let us leave reproof aside and amuse ourselves with a song from Shwaykar’s

  lips.” She turned to the girl, who took up her oud once again at a sign from her mistress. “My dear child, you are the last solace left to me now. You at least will not change. Give us a sad song,” she murmured, and her eyes shone with tears.

  ‘Izz al-Din’s sympathies were struck by the mournful tenderness in Tree of

  Pearls’s voice. He lowered his eyes and attempted to lose himself in the music, but was too troubled by the mission on which he had come, and which he had not the

  luxury of postponing. He now racked his mind for a way to broach the subject.

  As soon as the girl had come to the end of her song, he smiled approvingly and

  turned to Tree of Pearls. “It appears that you abandon all society but Shwaykar’s.

  Is there not some other songstress of equal merit in all your palace?”

  “It is not only her musical talent that endears her to me,” she replied. “She is my boon companion and I know that she loves me well and that her heart shall

  never change.”

  ‘Izz al-Din once again ignored this remark, for he was determined to pursue

  his object. “But it is unwise for you to place all your aff ections in one slave. I shall provide you with a much better singing-girl, if you like.”

  “I thank you, but I want none other,” she replied simply.

  “It would go better with you to request another.”

  Tree of Pearls looked up. She divined some hidden purpose behind this omi-

  nous counsel. Th

  en its meaning slowly dawned upon her. “Surely, you do not

  mean to deprive me of even this small joy?” she demanded in a choking voice.

  ‘Izz al-Din frowned imperceptibly. “I did not know that you valued her so

  highly. Were it not for this, I would not have agreed to take her from you.”

  “Take her?” she cried. “Who would dare such a thing? Never! She is my slave,

  and moreover, I love her as I would my own child. I will not permit such a thing!”

  ‘Izz al-Din rubbed his nose anxiously as he considered how to reply to this

  outburst. “You are within your rights to say so of course. And yet we cannot

  always have our way in such matters—especially if the request comes from one

  whom it is impossible to refuse.”

  She rose abruptly and regarded him with astonishment. “Who makes this

  demand? Speak, ‘Izz al-Din!”

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  “Do not be angry, my Lady. Th

  e demand comes from the greatest man among

  Muslims.”

  Tree of Pearls fell back confounded onto her couch. “Al-Musta‘sim Billah . . .

  Commander of the Faithful,” she murmured. Anger now came into her voice. “Is

  it not enough that he has deprived me of the throne? Now he would deprive me

  of my slave and companion?”

  “Truly, I am sorry, Tree of Pearls, but I see no way to refuse his request. We

  are his subjects all, and he is the successor of our Prophet, peace and blessings upon him.”

  “How comes he to make this request, then? And who shal
l take her to him?”

  ‘Izz al-Din studiously ignored the fi rst part of this question. “Th

  e Caliph’s

  emissary shall take her to him. He informed me of his master’s will yesterday.”

  Tree of Pearls was thunderstruck by this unwelcome news, and she wept

  openly in spite of herself. She turned to Shwaykar and found her silently bent over her instrument, tears streaming down her cheeks. Th

  is sight aff ected her greatly,

  and fanned her rising anger. “Am I then to understand that you acquiesce in this grave injustice, ‘Izz al-Din?” she demanded.

  “Can I do otherwise? His will must be obeyed in matters of much greater

  importance.”

  She rose again and dried her eyes with her handkerchief as she struggled to

  calm her mounting fury. Th

  en she raised her head and met his eyes. “But the girl

  is betrothed,” she said.

  “It matters but little. I am bound to honor the request of the Commander of

  the Faithful. Th

  e concerned party may petition the Caliph himself if he so wills.”

  He rose, and his face was set with somber determination. “She must be ready to

  depart tomorrow morning. You may rest assured that she will travel safely and

  will be given every possible comfort on her journey. Fear not for her, for she has been summoned by the Commander of the Faithful.” And with that, he swift ly

  took his leave.

  As the doors closed behind him, the sound of Tree of Pearls’s renewed sobs

  echoed in his ears but he resolutely ignored them, and before quitting the palace, he instructed the guards to keep close watch over Shwaykar in case she attempted to escape in the night.

  Rukn al-Din and Tree of Pearls

  ‘izz al-din was justifi ed in taking this precaution, for Tree of Pearls had determined to encourage Shwaykar to fl y and to aid her in the undertaking. Quickly

  realizing that all avenues of escape had been barred, however, she waxed furious at ‘Izz al-Din’s foresight. She now resigned herself to the inevitable and set about doing her best to comfort the wretched girl. She summoned her resolve and tried, with a variety of arguments, to convince her favorite that there was nothing to be done; that go to Baghdad she must, but that she, Tree of Pearls, would nonetheless move heaven and earth to have her returned as soon as possible. At the same time, she did her utmost to assure her that there was nothing to fear from the Caliph.