Tree of Pearls, Queen of Egypt

Revenge

 Revenge rukn al-din stood nailed to the spot, lost in thought. Then he became once again conscious of Tree of Pearls, who had finished reading the letter, her face flushed with mounting fury. She met his look fiercely. “Such are the actions of caliphs who disdain to place a woman on the throne! Here is your Musta‘sim, Commander of the Faithful. Upon my word, if a bold woman were to take up his scepter, she would wield it a thousand times more effectively than he! He busies himself with wine and slaves, he seizes our womenfolk, and we meekly submit.” Rukn al-Din would not be so easily provoked. “Al-Musta‘sim is surely innocent of Shwaykar’s current distress,” he retorted. “Who, then, is responsible for it?” she demanded. “Was it not he who sent that band of villains to seize her? And even if they acted without his knowledge, does this not yet prove the man’s weakness and the little respect in which he is so generally held that thieves and bandits would dare to abduct a singing-girl coming to him in a great retinue from the court of the Egyptian Sultan?” She wrung her hands in despair,and suddenly added,“But it is my fault after all,for letting her go!” For once, Rukn al-Din’s self-possession failed him. “If it is anyone’s fault, it is ‘Izz al-Din’s,” he interrupted brusquely. “If he had wished it, he would have found a ruse by which to retain Shwaykar.” Tree of Pearls eagerly seized on this unexpected declaration. “You speak too truly, my friend! I know not what has wrought this change in our great Prince,” she said derisively. “It seems that ambition disfigures its lovers. In aspiring to the Sultanate, ‘Izz al-Din discarded his conscience and those who were once dear to his heart.” The words stuck in her throat, and she fell silent. Rukn al-Din was struck by the force of Tree of Pearls’s resentment against her arrogant paramour. He realized that he had made a mistake in so openly speaking his mind, and he resolved to temper his accusations and to carefully revenge |  draw out her true intentions towards the Regent. “I do not believe that his actions were guided by ambition, for his position has not greatly changed since you sat upon the throne. On the contrary, he wielded even greater power during your brief reign, my Lady,” he added meaningfully. “Perhaps after all he had no choice but to obey the Caliph’s command regarding Shwaykar.” She gave a forced laugh and her face grew pale with indignation. “Perhaps he obeyed the command of someone other than the Caliph.” She swallowed her bile and set to wiping the perspiration from her mouth and forehead with her handkerchief. Rukn al-Din understood that she referred to Sallafa. “Do you blame him then for seeking his own interest? There is no one in the world who—” “Nay! I blame him not for this,” she interrupted him forcefully.“I blame those who fail to seek it! This Prince has sacrificed us all—Shwaykar, Rukn al-Din, and Tree of Pearls—to his ambition. He shows us nothing but contempt, while we continue to honor him and seek his favor.” She shifted in her seat and fell silent. Rukn al-Din took note of her evident discomfort. Wishing to provoke her further, he continued. “I feel the insult to myself keenly, as you well know, but I see no reason why he should deserve this fury from you. He was not the author of the fate that has befallen you; neither has he substantially gained from it.” She waved her hand impatiently. “You constrain me to speak, Rukn al-Din. Allow me therefore to reveal my mind to you. You perhaps suspect that I have grown to hate ‘Izz al-Din because of his attachment to that Kurdish slave. She is the one who has aided him in his treachery. She is but a poor fool, however, for he has betrayed her, as he betrayed me, and shall surely abandon her entirely once he has achieved his ends.” “And what may these ends be?” he inquired. “‘Izz al-Din has resolved to seize the throne!” she exclaimed. He laughed at the folly of this claim. “Does he not already possess it? AlAshraf is after all nothing but a pretty picture with no substance...