Arabian Nights Ch. 04

As promised, this series is going to be a retelling of the epic set of tales that came to be known as Arabian Nights, just the way they should have been told.

All characters are eighteen plus, all readers must be too.

I strongly recommend you to read the first three chapters before starting with this one.

Enjoy

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If Bilqis' purpose was to redirect the narrative from being a woman-queen to a magnanimous Queen of Sheiba, then she had achieved that mission. The whole of Shalem loved her; the shouts, the cries, and the roars welcoming her was evidence of that.

If there was any disappointment, it was that she had hoped that King Sulaiman would break protocol and receive her at the gates of his palace. But Bilqis was unfazed. She was received by King Sulaiman's top ministers at the gate, who looked at her - amazed at her beauty and her vast entourage.

After an elaborate welcome, the Queen of Sheiba was welcomed inside the palace. Her own palace was grander than this. But she knew that. King Sulaiman was known to be modest, or at least it went well with his portrayal as that of a god-king.

Besides that, Bilqis had done her research about King Sulaiman. She knew he was quite a few years older than her, she knew he was not a warrior king but a dynast. She also knew the dynasty was an exalted, noble one. She knew Sulaiman was a scholar and well-read. She knew he was intelligent and smart. She knew he was known to be fair. More than all this he had a distinct reputation that he was a truly wise man. She intended to test it out.

As the Queen of Sheiba entered the palace, she noticed it had subtle, sophisticated radiance. The courtiers were respectful to her, unlike she expected. Then she approached before the raised throne of Shalem on which sat King Sulaiman.

Bilqis first gauged the king, assessing his personality. They gazed at each other, drawn hopelessly towards each other. His eyes spoke to her as if she was Eve and she, in return, was captivated with his aura and his air.

Bilqis, Queen of Sheiba, was floored upon seeing King Sulaiman. On his part, he had never seen beauty of this magnificence and grace. The spontaneity of their fascination was visible as she forgot to bow and offer her greeting, and he forgot to welcome her. They just stared into each other's eyes.

Ignorant to the telepathic discussion amongst Bilqis and Sulaiman, the courtiers started to murmur. The whispering gathered steam over the next few minutes, and it broke the eye contact between them, got them out of their reverie. Belatedly, Bilqis bowed to offer her greeting to him.

"O great King Sulaiman, accept my greeting." Bilqis offered.

King Sulaiman, uncharacteristically, stood from his throne and welcomed her personally, stepping forward.

As Bilqis was stepping back up after bowing to King Sulaiman, pleased with the first impression, the corner of her eye caught something familiar. She turned her head towards her right to an empty throne. It was her empty throne.

It took her no less than a few seconds to fathom what had happened.

Bilqis had sent a message to King Sulaiman, that she would travel in a month but had reached a day ahead of her scheduled arrival. She had unequivocally asserted that she was no pushover. She was a glorious queen, she had powers well above the ordinary.

On his part, King Sulaiman, got her throne to his palace, in his court, before she could reach there, affirming to her and all else, that he was not only charismatic and superior but also lacked no fewer powers and means of his own. If anything, his powers were a level above hers, after all, he was a god-king and miracles were par-for-course for him.

Instead of getting flustered and upset, Bilqis smiled at herself. Then she looked back up towards King Sulaiman. If he had planned to gloat in this oneupmanship, he forgot to do that. His eyes, on the contrary, conveyed regret, but he could not speak of it in open court.

Bilqis was floored by the entire episode. This was indeed a superior man, a man of higher stature, a supreme king. He was revered for good reason.

The entire day was spent in the commotion of everyone welcoming her, the gala event organized in her favor, each noble of the court and that of Shalem paying their respect to her. It was a stately visit that Shalem had not seen in a long time.

Later that evening, Bilqis, who was given magnificent lodging in the palace, rested and thought about the whole day. She had been charmed, and she felt hypnotized towards King Sulaiman.

The queen had never been married and still under thirty years of age, had never found a suitable match, until now.

King Sulaiman had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Out of generosity to save women from servitude and persecution, he had married women from an entire community for their well-being. It had been a noble gesture, not a lewd one. For this, he was well respected.

Bilqis resolved to not fall for her infatuation instantly, withheld her passion momentarily, and hoped to talk more with King Sulaiman to gauge his personality.

At breakfast the next morning, Sulaiman invited Bilqis to his personal quarters, and they sat at the table together.

As they talked, Bilqis became more and more comfortable with King Sulaiman.

After their light refreshment, they walked together for a bit in the palace and reached a balcony that overlooked splendid, green gardens that had hundreds of lined trees and fountains. A few servants went about their morning chores.

Bilqis remembered to test him and asked, "May I ask you something?"

King Sulaiman smiled, "certainly you may."

"It is said that you know about your kingdom's citizens like no one else.."

"Yes, I do. I know about every human in my kingdom, care about every living being in my kingdom."

They stopped on the balcony's ledge, and both faced out towards the gardens. Just then, a flock of birds flew out of a tree, chirping on their way off.

Bilqis turned towards Sulaiman, less than a foot's distance between them, and asked, "If you care about every living being, tell me how many birds reside in your kingdom?"

Sulaiman turned towards her, smiled and looked her in the eye, and said, "that's easy. One million, four hundred fifty-three thousand and ninety-one." His face was inviting and smiling.

"What if an audit was done and someone found a few short," Bilqis asked. Her voice lowered, as the inches between them shrank.

"I'd say a few may have flown across the boundaries of my kingdom to find food and would eventually return, before sunset."

Bilqis smiled, the inches between them reduced to only a couple.

Her voice lowered further, "what if the audit found a few extra."

Sulaiman, too said in a lower voice, "I'd say, in search for food, some have flown in from neighboring kingdoms. I do hope they stay for long."

Bilqis could not have imagined a better answer, and she smiled. Her lips only a couple of inches from Sulaiman's.

King Sulaiman's subtle reference to her having flown in from the Kingdom of Sheiba wasn't lost on her.

Sulaiman brought his hand behind her neck and pulled her lightly into his face. Their lips met, and the clouds roared behind them.

Sheherazade found Sultan's lips, and they kissed.

Dinarzade carried the story forward.

They kissed until their lips parted, and clouds roared for the entire duration that Sulaiman's tongue was in her mouth and until she played with his tongue in her mouth.

Their lips stayed joined until each felt the need to catch some air in their lungs.

Their first spontaneous act of affection was a glorious kiss, and they both loved it immensely.

Sheherazade lay attached to Sultan on his side. Her face close to his neck, high on his shoulder.

She picked the story back from Dinarzade.

Bilqis spent the rest of the day meeting with nobles from Shalem; she visited a religious site that was considered ceremonial to Shalem.

Later that evening, Bilqis and Sulaiman were back at the dinner table. The official dinner was a gathering of fifty senior bureaucrats and nobles. The guests had been invited from other parts of King Sulaiman's kingdom.

The evening went off without any private conversation between Sulaiman and Bilqis. For this, she was only grateful. Bilqis felt a base urge of passion and was worried she'd end up acting on it if she was too close to Sulaiman at night.

The second morning, Bilqis and Sulaiman were back at the breakfast table for refreshments. They spoke softly and fondly, with cool morning air soothing and lifting the mood up.

They walked like the previous day and reached the balcony, and stopped around the carved stone ledge. About the same spot they did the previous day. Both wishing the same spot would be a good luck charm and could possibly turn favorable for them mutually. They looked far into the gardens together.

Bilqis turned around towards the Sulaiman, "May I ask you something?"

Sulaiman smiled, turning towards her, and said, "certainly, please do."

Bilqis, facing him, stood a foot away from him and asked, looking into his face, "You are truly wise...." she made a sign with her head and continued, "what would you say is the answer to this riddle...Seven of exit and nine of enter, two that pour and one that drinks?"

Sulaiman smiled at her, stepping closer, and first responded to her comment - of her calling him being wise, "For the Lord grants wisdom; knowledge and discernment are by His decree." He moved even closer, next to her lips, and spoke slowly, looking into her eyes.

Sheherazade looked deep into the inquisitive eyes of Sultan and mouthed the words of Sulaiman, "seven are the days of menstruation; nine are the months of pregnancy, two are the breasts that pour, and one is the child that drinks."

Bilqis smiled in acknowledgment.

Without hesitation, King Sulaiman moved forward and took her lips one more time.

Sheherazade moved the last few inches and took Sultans'.

Sultan, eager and excited, kissed Sheherazade with passion, and their tongues dueled.

Their hands groped around each other's heads, and her eyes closed as Sultan pulled her on top of him in the midst of their foreplay.

Dinarzade picked the story while Sheherazade and Sultan remained busy in each other's mouths. Her narration encouraged Sultan to get into King Sulaiman's role.

A long succulent kiss later, King Sulaiman and Bilqis looked into each other's eyes amorously. Their eyes communicated a lot more than they intended.

King Sulaiman all but forgot his governance duties when around Bilqis. They spent hours talking, even more hours silent in each other's company. King Sulaiman taking in her beauty - he has never seen one like this before. One with a sharp brain.

Bilqis kept asking King Sulaiman thought-provoking questions. The purpose of these questions was to test him, but they ended up disarming their guards. Her questions urged him to respect her intelligence and her smarts. His profound and precise responses engraved his persona on her soul. She was falling for him - or was just about there.

One afternoon, after a sumptuous meal, both of them were walking in the palace garden. There were young boys and girls, children of the ministers and courtiers, playing in the garden. Some were picking fruit, others just running about, playing hide and seek.

Almost all children were teenagers, and a question struck Bilqis at that instant.

Bilqis asked King Sulaiman, "Which of these is a male and which a female?"

At that moment, King Sulaiman looked towards the teenagers and realized that it would be difficult to distinguish between a few boys and girls - mainly because their attire was almost similar. None of them had hair longer than their neck or shoulders. Each child was well fed, well-nourished son or daughter of a courtier. Everyone was fair-skinned and good-looking.

After just a moment of hesitation, King Sulaiman smiled and stepped forward.

He picked a couple of fruits from near a tree from where they had fallen off.

He signaled towards a couple of children and waved them to come closer.

King Sulaiman turned back and looked towards Bilqis. They both smiled towards each other.

Sulaiman looked again towards the teenagers. He threw one fruit towards one. The teenager quickly folded his hands together, making a cup, and caught the fruit in both his hands.

Sulaiman repeated this to the next one. The second also caught the fruit with cupped hands.

Sulaiman picked up a couple of more fruits and flung these to the next two. One hastily opened a scarf and caught it in the dress. The other did the same.

King Sulaiman smiled at the children and waved them to carry on. He returned to Bilqis, who hung back a few steps, and said to her, "the ones who caught the fruit with their hands were boys, and the ones who caught the fruit in their scarves were girls."

Immediately, Bilqis was awed by his response and flung her hands around his neck, and they kissed deeply. His impromptu demonstration floored Bilqis.

Their deep-tongued kiss lasted long. The passion between the two, evident.

Later that evening, to impress him, Bilqis brought to his room her magic carpet. Her evening attire was fairly revealing and inviting.

King Sulaiman welcomed her with a deep, passionate kiss. There was no preamble in the form of questions or answers to their kissing anymore. His hands caressed her back, encouraging her towards him. Bilqis responded with equal passion.

Dinarzade continued with the story. Sheherazade and Sultan, in the meanwhile, played frisky games with their hands, their mouths, their tongues, and their bodies.

Eventually, when they broke off, Bilqis relaxed on a deep lounger. King Sulaiman sat beside her and looked into her eyes, holding her hands in his.

King Sulaiman waited for her to ask more questions, more riddles. He knew she had been testing him.

Bilqis had none. For her, King Sulaiman was the embodiment of wisdom, master of inner strength, and in control of his spiritual self. He need not be tested. If anything, it was she who felt meager in front of him, even though he never did anything to let her feel uncomfortable.

King Sulaiman gazed into her eyes and knew that she was not there to test him.

He bent forward and once again took her head in his hands and kissed her slowly, passionately, and lovingly.

After a lot of frisking and jostling, they were about to get out of their clothes when, from the corner of her eye, she saw the carpet roll she had brought along.

Too excited to put it off for later, she jumped up on her feet and picked the carpet roll, and handed it to King Sulaiman. Surprised at the turn of events, Sulaiman took the roll in his hands and looked at Bilqis quizzingly.

Bilqis took back the roll, opened it, and spread it on the floor. Instantly the carpet straightened in front of them. It was the size of a single bed. Sulaiman assumed Bilqis wanted for them to lay on the carpet and proceed for the next part down there.

Surprised but accomodating, he stepped forward silently and reached the center of the rug, holding Bilqis' hand.

Bilqis complied, giggling.

When they both were in the center of the carpet, Sulaiman took her in his arms again and nudged her to follow his lead and sit down.

They sat down on the carpet in each other's arms, and Sulaiman removed his shirt.

Giggling to surprise him, Biqis nudged her hip a little and held a corner of the carpet, and it started to move up.

For a brief moment, Sulaiman did not realize the movement under him. His attention was undivided inside her mouth. His tongue was inspecting her mouth thoroughly.

As the rug rose higher, Bilqis could not hold back her smile, and they broke the kiss. She laughed at first and then a glad King Sulaiman too laughed at her surprise gift.

They forgot to make out and played around on the carpet, as it levitated a couple of feet above the floor of Sulaiman's bedroom.

They took a few minutes to get comfortable, and then Bilqis expertly directed the carpet out of the window and onto the balcony. Still suspended in air, meters above the floor, they hung onto each other and looked deep into the night that subsumed the din where the gardens were until a few hours back.

A few more maneuvers later, they were flying over the palace and then over the city. They could see down below but undoubtedly no one was looking up to see this magical flying carpet.

As they flew by, leaving most of the town behind, Bilqis and Sulaiman remembered where they had left off. One after the other their clothes came off. Bilqis lay spread-eagled below Sulaiman, her hands holding the edges of the flying carpet. Sulaiman kneeled between her open and welcoming pussy. His eyes held hers in his loving gaze.

Sultan entered Sheherazade, who lay beneath him. Her hands spread far towards the corners of the bed that emulated Bilqis' flying carpet. Sultan entered her pussy with ease.

Sultan's pole dove swiftly into Sheherazade's pussy. As he hit the bottom of her hole, she whimpered in deep acceptance, welcoming him as if he had just broken her hymen.

Sultan felt energized as Dinarzade relayed the story of how King Sulaiman took Bilqis, in air, on the magic carpet, flying over the kingdom he governed, flying over the palace he ruled from.

With each thrust, with each push, with each jerk, the carpet picked up momentum. Sulaiman's eyes were loaded with love, with lust. He did not feel the need to look down towards the city, towards his kingdom, or anything else other than the goddess-like woman who he felt unstoppable love for.

Encouraged by Dinarzade's words, Sultan looked towards Sheherazade. Her eyes and her face reflected devotional love for him. Her quivering lips inviting him deeper. He wanted to just stop for a few moments and look at her some more. But his lust took over, and he started banging his cock into her faster, harder, and fuller.

Sheherazade whimpered even more, and her hands flung back behind Sultan's neck. She encouraged him to keep going. It did not take her long to cum, and she exhaled her orgasm with a cry.

"AAAANNNGGHHH..." she wailed.

Sultan too huffed towards his climax and pushed the last few pumps before exulting his own - "oooonnnggghh" - an incomprehensible sigh of relief and passion.

Dinarzade only took a momentary pause from the story she was telling the couple on the bed in front of her.

As Sulaiman made love to Bilqis, both were slowly flying on their magical carpet, above the kingdom in their post-sex bliss, naked, looking up. The sky and the stars indeed looked nearer from the flying carpet.

Day after day, Sulaiman and Bilqis made love at every corner of his palace quarters, on the balcony and in the gardens. Nothing topped the lovemaking they had experienced when they were doing it on the magic carpet flying high above in the air, almost a mile above everyone else.

Many days passed by, Sulaiman's and Bilqis' kingdoms suffered because of their absence. The ministers and courtiers of both kingdoms were very accomodating and managed the best they could, but it only took them so far.

Sulaiman was smitten in love with Bilqis. After giving due consideration to the fate of their kingdoms and recognizing the inevitable, Bilqis took a considered call and left back for Sheiba one day. Pregnant.

Months later, the Queen of Sheiba delivered a healthy boy and named him Menelik. The Kingdom of Sheiba rejoiced the birth of an heir. Menelik expanded his kingdom and added Abyssinia to it. His rule lasted for decades, and his descendants are still considered royal in the region.

Menelik married a princess from a kingdom thousands of miles far into the east. The princess was the daughter of the ruler of Bengal, which is in the far east of Hindoostan.