Chapter X: The Night of Commitment

-Greetings, Mr. Abdul Haqq. It is an honor for us to have you here today. Thank God you are safe.

-Thank you, kind lady

-This is my son, Hassan, he will be your escort here, you can count on him with everything you need.

Mr. Abd al-Haqq arrived two months after the envoy did. His journey was especially long because it began in Istanbul and ended in the province of Mersin in southern Turkey. From there, he boarded a ship to go across the Mediterranean to Alexandria in northern Egypt, and then on to Assiut.

He is being pursued, what he is carrying is extremely important, and he cannot take risks, thus the journey is interspersed with several security-related stops.

-“Ma’am, I have something to hide they are under the boxes of goods, important papers.”

-Sure, are the boxes in stock?

-Yes.

-They will be placed in a secure location at the palace tomorrow.

By the evening, everyone was eating dinner at the dinner table, being served by Zainab, when there was a sound of commotion outside the palace, men calling out incomprehensible words. Dozens of men, led by the wise man and Zainab’s father, Hajj Saleh, were carrying torches at the palace’s outer gate, where the guards were stationed inside its gates and walls brandishing their rifles.

The chief of the guard entered the dining hall. Bad news. Madam Karima. The people of the village are threatening to storm the palace if we do not hand them over who they say is the daughter of one of their men.

He looked at Zainab: they meant her.

The jug of water fell from her hands, her body trembled with fear.

Hassan jumped from his seat, in a stern tone, defying what he heard, he said: This will never happen.

That’s what will happen, the mother growled.

Forgive me, little girl; we can do nothing; we won’t engage in combat with them, she said, turning to Zainab.

Can someone explain what’s wrong to me? Abdul Haqq interrupted them.

The mother hastily explained to him.

-Well, why don’t you ask her father to come in here so we can negotiate with him?

In the reception hall, the father is certain that his daughter is here. Her brother, Haridi, saw her from outside the fence this morning, while she was walking among the trees. After two months of imprisonment inside the palace, she had to go out. They allowed her from time to time. While the father and brother were on the lookout for any signs that she was inside.

There is no room for denial or debate, especially with the presence of Abdul Haqq. It is not the right time to go through this emergency circumstance.

Father: We want Zainab, and we will leave. She must have deceived you. She told you that she is from Luxor. It is not your fault. Hand her over to us.

Mrs. Karima: Is there any other option other than killing this poor girl as you did them to her sister?

Father: Of course, we will not kill our daughter.

He added in a malicious tone: we did not kill Fatima, what you were told is pure lies and slander. She traveled to Cairo, with her aunt, and she is in the best condition.

The atmosphere heated up, a way out of this situation must be found, Hassan thought quickly, there is no escape from temptation, they have lived on this land for a long time, and he knows the mentality of its people, they will not give up, Zainab now has disgraced her family by fleeing this, in addition to the curse, she is facing certain death, and to save her, there is only one way.

Chivalry and nobility are the weaknesses of every strong man, especially if he finds at stake the life of a poor girl, and pledges to protect and care for her.

Hassan: Sir, we have heard nothing but good things about your family. You are a noble family, and we are honored to have ties with you that go beyond friendly neighborliness. If you would agree to our request for intermarriage with you, it would be a great honor for us.

What he said hit his mother like a thunderbolt, her face flushed with anger, she was sweating, she wanted to scream at him, you crazy man, what are you doing, what a mess you are getting yourself and us into.

Quickly stepping in, she pretended to chuckle and said, “Forgive my son, Hajj Saleh, for he is soft-hearted and delicate in his feelings.” He is still troubled by the rumors and lies about her sister’s fate, and he does not want the same scenario to happen to her.

She said, turning to Hassan, “My son, she is ten years old, too young to marry.”

Father: 11 years old, madam, she completed it a few days ago, and in this country, we sometimes encourage our girls to be married at this young age.

Would you accept, sir? Hassan said, disregarding his mother.

The father looks at him, then at his mother, then at Abdul Haqq.

Hassan: We will give you the dowry you request; we won’t undervalue your right to it. This will be the first time since my great-grandfather Ismail arrived here that our family has given such a gesture; no one from our family has previously wed a member of the local population, so perhaps it will be beneficial to both of us.

He hears his mother say, “Son, hold on…”

Intruding, Abdul Haqq said: Would you mind giving me a moment to talk to Mrs. Karima alone, please?

The two excused, and went into the next room.

Abdul Haqq: What makes you angry about this marriage?

-Everything, she is from the people of the villages, the common people, and we are the descendants of princes. This has not happened before, and it will not happen now.

-But, madam, if Hassan wants this marriage, it may be in our interest, and in the interest of what we are heading towards. Such a marriage will make a strong relationship between us and them, and they will be of help to us, not against us, and will increase our influence in the whole region.

She hesitated for a moment: But, Mr. Abdel-Haq, this has never happened before….

He interrupted her: And now it is happening. It seems that Hassan is interested in the girl. He will save her life, and we will win all the people of the village on our side. Then she is young, and there is nothing wrong with her, very polite. Consider it a political marriage, for the sake of a higher interest.

She suppressed her anger, although Abd al-Haq’s words were logical, and she seemed convinced of him, but she had realized before entering this room that the matter had been decided, and Hassan’s retraction of this marriage proposal would be considered a grave insult to the man, and such an insult could have many consequences. Money may not be enough to solve it.

The two went back to the hall, the man looking at her coldly; it is not difficult to realize that he accepted Hassan’s offer and even approved it, except that he is holding back from responding right away because of some sense of pride about what his mother would say.

Mother: Sorry Hajj, my reaction a while ago was because I see that my son is too young to marry, but it seems I was wrong, as he is old enough now, as you know, the mother remains a mother, and the son remains a child in her eyes no matter how old he is.

Hajj: It’s okay, kind lady. Do I consider your words an official marriage proposal?

-Yes, Hajj.

Zainab is listening in on conversations in the adjacent room, shocked by what she overhears: Are these events actually happening? Hassan will be my husband.

Hatshepsut: Yes, mistress of the palace, you will marry him, didn’t I tell you?

Zainab: Will my father accept?

-Accept?! Look at him, since he entered the palace in a daze, he will not resist the temptation to be part of this noble family, and he will not resist the temptation of money, this will be the first marriage incident between the descendants of princes, and among the simple common people, he will inevitably accept.

She added: Exactly as it happened to me, but your end will not be like mine, madam.

Zainab: Is what happened because of you? Are they the talismans?

-Of course, my dear, but let’s agree, these talismans are very painful, and we will not use them from now on, except when absolutely necessary.

-But why do I feel like you don’t exist, just an illusion of my imagination?

She was silent for a while, then added: What if what happened was just a coincidence, a stroke of luck, and it happened that you only promised it would happen?

Hatshepsut: It is not a stroke of luck, Zeinab. Time will prove to you that I am your loyal friend who will never desert you.

She said after a brief pause: I will always make sure that you are well.

Outside, the crowd dispersed, and the people of the village left when the father broke the news to them, Zainab is here, in the custody of Mrs. Karima, and she loves her, and wants her to be part of the family, so her son Hassan will marry her, and this will be the first marriage of its kind in all of Egypt, making our kinship flourish and the benefits of this union spread to all.

On the way back, the sage is angry.

-Hajj Saleh, I have done so much to protect your family, and this is how you reward me. The Council of Elders will not accept what is going on, it will do everything possible to stop it and break this curse.

The father turned to him: But the curse did not dwell Zainab in the first place! You said this yourself, your marriage to her was nothing more than a precautionary measure, nothing was proven against her, right?

The wise man stuttered, not knowing what to say. He said: Yes, but what if it invaded her?!

-Don’t rush things, my daughter is in the best condition, there is no curse in her, or do you see otherwise?

The wise man remained silent, indeed, as he had not been certain before that there was any curse in Zainab, just doubts and fears. He gave himself to the inevitable and to his fate, hoping that if he survived long enough, another young girl in the community would become the victim of a curse so he could begin the rituals of treatment with her.

The need to barter is not implied by this, though.

The wise man: Well, Salih, you have the prince’s family, you will naturally earn a lot from them, and you have the money I gave you before, I will not ask you for any return, yet we have the crypt, you and your family will leave the house for a month, we will do our work, then you will return to it again.

The father accepted this bargain.

In light of the fact that the Council of Elders now own the majority of the burial after Mustafa’s wall collapsed, it goes without saying that they have little chance of recovering it.

Nor is its existence proven, perhaps the tomb is empty, or it was stolen long ago, or just a crypt that leads to nothing, a fish in water, while the prince’s family, the palace, is a reality he sees before his eyes.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.