The Sultanah Ch. 08

"Clearly," Cin said. The Priestess then looked at me, as if willing me to end this farce before it got out of control.

"Nislani," I said calmly and then I sighed, "I will come find you as soon as the meeting is done. I do not have time for this now. But I promise," I said. Nislani shook her head and crossed her arms over her breasts.

"No, I want to do this now," she said. Before I could object, she simply started complaining, "I went to the kitchen today and they say we have no grapes. Just none. I said that we always have grapes and they said that we can't afford them because of rationing. And that is another thing. The rationing. Nothing is like it was when Father was alive. We never had to worry about how much we spent and we didn't have to give food to the people. There was enough food for them to eat themselves. And there weren't so many. The city is so crammed up with people that you can smell their body odor from the walls of the palace. Which, by the way, is in a total state of disrepair. You send all of the male maintenance workers out to join your stupid legion and now the women have to do maintenance. But there is no one left to do the house cleaning. The palace is dirty. My room is disgusting. But I don't even care about that. None of this would matter if you had just done what you were supposed to do and get me another match. I am getting old. I need to be married..."

Nislani's complaints continued but I was no longer really listening. I supposed that I could tell her that rationing was a necessity because of the war and that father had lived beyond his means and that the people did not smell simply to inconvenience her, but I did not. Instead, my head was slowly turning over some other ideas that she had raised. They were no definite thoughts, just a swirl of random ideas and concerns that had been swimming in my mind for weeks.

I look at Nislani, saw her mouth moving but heard nothing. I felt disgusted by her childish bitching and I looked away from her. But I did not want her to know I was ignoring her, so I looked over her shoulder, where my eyes would still seem to be following her monologue. My eyes happened to rest on a tapestry showing Sultan Tarih II and his wife, Sultanah Cinsel. I had rarely noticed that particular tapestry but I was familiar with the subject. They had been amongst the most successful royal couples in the history of the Empire. I thought briefly of the history of that illustrious pair.

Suddenly, all of my swirling thoughts crystalized and my stomach tightened. There was only one path out of the uncertainty and weakness that had surrounded my throne since I first sat upon it. It was the only solution to the problems I had been trying in vain to stop in any other way. There was a cure, but it felt to my heart that it was worse than the disease. Perhaps before that moment, I had not been hardened enough, threatened enough to understand that option. Now I was left with nothing else.

"Gunes no!" I said to myself, but it came out more loudly that I intended. Eyes turned away from Nislani and returned to me. Nislani looked enraged by my sudden words.

"'Gunes no' what? You think I am making this up?" Nislani asked haughtily.

"Quiet yourself, I am about to solve one of your problems," I said angrily. I felt my mouth moving mechanically now. When I had suddenly come to a realization about the course of action that I needed to take, it was like my emotions became completely overwhelmed and then shut down. My rational mind, the mind of the Sultanah, would not allow any internal objections. This was not a choice. This was what had to be done. In a way, it was like Gunes' voice was exiting through my mouth.

"What?" Nislani asked with a snotty tone. I ignored her.

"Cin," I said, turning to my priestess, "Correct me if I am wrong but Sultan Kâfir I, was the first Sultan to convert to the Tanril heresy, was he not?" Cin furrowed her brow but then nodded slowly.

"Yes..." she said slowly.

"What does this have to do with me?" Nislani said and again I ignored her.

"Now, Sultan Kâfir I, his older brother had been Sultan before him. Sultan Tarih II, correct," I said, indicating toward the tapestry. I had always been an excellent history student and I damned myself for remembering these facts.

"Yes. Sultan Tarih II's sons both died in their early twenties without children and so Sultan Kâfir I inherited from his older brother," Cin replied, still looking unsure about the purpose of my questioning. Nislani's fists were white and her lips were pursed tightly.

"And when Sultan Kâfir I aligned himself with the Tanril Heresy, he was devout. He followed all of the precepts of the Tanril faith assiduously. Correct?" I asked Cin.

"Yes, by all accounts his conversion was genuine, if misguided," Cin replied.

"And so he took a wife from Dusman, who was well-versed in the heretical religion and turned his back on Gunes preferred method of royal marriage," I replied. Suddenly, Cin's eyes grew wide. She turned and looked at the tapestry and then at Nislani.

"That is correct," she said, her voice sounding wary.

"Gunes was afraid that her blood would thin over time, was she not?" I asked. Now Cin did not speak, simply nodded, "And so the ancient Sultans protected Gunes legacy and Gunes rewarded them by providing able, capable sons and protecting against any otherwise expected...irregularities."

"Yes, but..." Cin stated, but I kept going, I felt my throat tightening and I was barely holding back tears now. I was going to have to say what I had been thinking and, in so doing, put my thoughts in an actual, rational order for the first time. I had wondered what kind of woman I was becoming to protect my throne. I was about to remove all mystery. One who would do anything, who would show no mercy, and who would have no sympathy. Not even for myself.

"When the Sultans embraced Tanri they forgot about Gunes' blood. And so Sultan Tarih II was the last Sultan to marry his sister, Sultanah Cinsel. And Gunes turned her back on the Empire. We have known only ruin since. But I have returned to the truth path. I have, once again, embraced Gunes. Therefore, I must protect what remains of her blood in my veins," I turned and looked at Nislani now, through glassy eyes, "Nislani, before the end of the month, we will be wed.

End Chapter 8

*****

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