Maram nodded slowly. Yes, Ali was a good adviser to her father. He had an astute mind and while she did not always agree with him on international relations, she still respected his experience in matters of local politics. "He has had several wives, and many children by them. A new, young wife would be a burden to him, I am sure."
"Indeed, and so he has told me. In fact, when I asked him what reward he would want from me in return for his loyal service, his thoughts were for his children."
Maram waited, her dread building. She had no intention of training some poor girl to be a courtesan. She might have chosen this path for herself, but she would not recommend it for anyone, and she would fight her father if he tried to force one of the Vizier's daughters to become her replacement.
"His oldest son, Hasan, who he hopes will succeed him as Vizier one day, has never married. Ali says it is because he wishes to have only one wife, the most perfect of all. It seems he has been madly in love with you since your first diplomatic mission together." Father smiled indulgently.
"Hasan can go fuck a camel, for I'll never let him touch me," Maram wanted to say, but those were not the right words to say to the Sultan. They weren't entirely true, either. She'd prefer the camel to do the fucking, forcing itself on Hasan as the man had tried to do to her.
"Hasan is not the husband I would have chosen," Maram said instead. It would be a good match for him, and also a politically astute one for her, as she and her children would never have a strong claim on the throne, so Hasan could not usurp the place of her father or, upon his death, one of her brothers.
"I had not thought to ask you to choose a husband yet, but Anahita tells me it is time," Father continued.
Maram's blood boiled. Why, that little sneak. Avenging herself on Maram for suggesting Anahita marry again. If Anahita hadn't already left the palace to seek her new husband, Maram would slap her silly. She still would, when she saw Anahita again, for the girl never stayed married for long.
Maram forced herself to swallow down her ire. She was a politician, she knew how to negotiate better than anyone. "Perhaps it is time for me to marry, before I am too old for motherhood. But I would not want to marry a man who is unworthy, or who could not provide for me and my children. I am comfortable here in the palace, Father, and I would not wish to live anywhere less comfortable. Before I consent to marry this man, I would like to see him build me a palace fit for a princess." With a bathhouse, she thought but did not say. Because when he failed to include a bathhouse that pleased her, she could delay further by insisting that it be built.
Father nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, you are right. He must have a house deserving of his bride. So we will announce your engagement tomorrow, as I had planned, but the wedding must wait until Hasan has provided a suitable place for you to live."
Maram allowed herself to breathe again. Construction was slow, so she would have time to locate Aladdin in that time. Perhaps even persuade him to change his mind about becoming her lover.
In the meantime, she had to find a way to stop this marriage to horrible Hasan. She should have shoved a knife in his guts when she'd had the chance, all those years ago, instead of holding it to his manhood and threatening to amputate his crown jewels if he did not leave her alone. Now...if all else failed, she would find an assassin to do the job for her.
SIXTEEN
"And so, that is where I have been. Exploring an underground city, getting left behind, and having to trek through the desert to get home," Aladdin finished. He'd managed to tell his mother the truth without mentioning djinn once.
"A truly alarming tale, my son. But what does this have to do with the princess?" Maman asked gravely.
Aladdin choked on his water, briefly becoming a fountain before his coughing fit eased. "What princess?"
"Her Highness Princess Maram, who summoned me to the palace to give you a message," Maman said.
"What message?" he asked faintly.
Maman scrutinised his face. "You do not seem surprised that one of the Sultan's daughters would summon me, or leave a message for you."
Now he'd done it. "I met her once in the marketplace. She was very gracious."
"What was a princess doing in the bazaar?"
He could answer this without incriminating himself too much. "She had just returned from a long journey abroad, and she was on her way to the bathhouse."
"Princesses do not..." Maman's eyes widened. "Most princesses do not. Only one does. The Traitor Queen's daughter, the witch the Sultan sends abroad to enchant foreign princes." Maman shook her head. "No wonder she is so beautiful and yet unmarried. What man would want a wife who has known more men than she can count – and foreigners, at that? Unwashed, uncouth, unmannered, with no idea of proper behaviour...and they eat the strangest things!"
No stranger than Gwandoya, though he was a foreigner, too, from southern lands instead of those in the north from whence the crusaders came. But Aladdin didn't want to think about the madman. His thoughts were of Maram, and his mother's slight to the lovely woman.
"What man would deserve her," he corrected. "Beautiful, enchanting, gracious, and the Sultan's daughter. Every man desires her, whether she wills it or no. But it is her father who will not allow her to marry. She is too valuable as an envoy to ever be free."
"Careful, my son. It sounds like you are under her spell, too. If she is forbidden to marry as you say, then you risk heartbreak even thinking about her. Forget her."
Aladdin shook his head. "I cannot. And if she gave you a message for me, then she has not forgotten me, either. Maman, please tell me...what did Princess Maram say?"
She sighed. "She wanted me to tell you to present yourself at the palace, saying she commanded you to do so. But I fear that if you do, it will only result in your doom. If you are lucky, the palace guards will turn you away. If you are not lucky...it is only a matter of time before the princess tires of you, and she will have you killed or imprisoned without hesitation. Please, I beg you, do not do as she asks."
Aladdin nodded slowly. "You are wiser than you know, Maman. The palace guards will never admit a street rat into the Sultan's palace. But you have been allowed in. You have dined with the princess herself. You must go to the palace, and present a gift to the Sultan for me. If he likes my gift, then you will ask the Sultan to summon me, so that I might beg for the hand of his daughter."
"No, I cannot. The Sultan will not see me...and what gift can you possibly offer that he will accept?"