Tree of Pearls, Queen of Egypt

Rukn al-Din and Tree of Pearls

 Rukn al-Din and Tree of Pearls ‘izz al-din was justified in taking this precaution, for Tree of Pearls had determined to encourage Shwaykar to fly 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. As for Shwaykar, her greatest worry was how Rukn al-Din would receive this catastrophic news and whether it would fire his jealousy or leave him indifferent. It was impossible to know this while he remained far away on the battlefields of Damietta, however, and time was too short to summon him before the morrow and her imminent departure. She finally realized that she had no choice but to resign herself to her fate and to put her trust in God. Her lot was a common one in those days of absolute royal privilege, for these slave-girls were property like any other, to be disposed of by a prince or a sultan as he pleased. Girls like Shwaykar were regularly transferred from master to master, and indeed, had it not been for Rukn al-Din, Shwaykar may have counted herself lucky in being chosen for the Caliph’s harem, for this was the greatest of honors for such as her. In either case, a concubine was powerless to choose, and must bend to the will of another. The next morning, after a long and mournful farewell between the two women, a company of eunuchs bore Shwaykar to the encampment of the Caliph’s emissary. Tree of Pearls had renewed her promise to come to her aid and to do all in her power to conclude her marriage to Rukn al-Din. Shwaykar departed for Baghdad the same day, but she left her heart behind in Egypt. rukn al-din and tree of pearls |  Tree of Pearls too suffered greatly from the separation. She was convinced that Sallafa was behind all her misfortunes and she bitterly blamed ‘Izz al-Din for his double treachery—first as a lover, and second as an ally. She saw how easily he had replaced her on both counts, and despite the rancor that now burned in her heart, she could do nothing but submit to her lot. She spent the rest of the morning brooding alone in her apartments, now railing against her lover’s betrayal, now grieving over the smoldering ashes of her dreams. Her thoughts then turned to Rukn al-Din, whom she expected shortly in Cairo. How would she receive him when he returned from Damietta, she wondered . And what should she say to him? As luck would have it, he arrived on the very afternoon of Shwaykar’s departure for Baghdad, for when news of the coup that had taken place in Cairo reached him, he had immediately resolved to return to the Citadel and seek an audience with Tree of Pearls. Consequently, no sooner had he passed through the gates and dismounted from his sweating steed than he proceeded directly to the deposed Queen’s quarters, in his dusty cloak and before even having reported to his Commander, ‘Izz al-Din Aybak. Tree of Pearls received him warmly and she informed him of all that had come to pass, most particularly of the wretched fate that had befallen Shwaykar. She averred that she had done everything in her power to deflect ‘Izz al-Din from his purpose, but to no avail, and she exaggerated his arrogance and insolence in order to arouse Rukn al-Din’s anger against him. As he listened to her pour out her grievances, Rukn al-Din, freshly arrived and exhausted by the great haste he had made on his journey, was overcome with conflicting feelings. At first he imagined—thanks to the artful picture she painted—that ‘Izz al-Din had meant to spite him personally by depriving him of Shwaykar, but he was by nature highly self...