Fox and wolf (II)

That night after dinner, Darius is allow to stay with his mother and grandmother in the same room. The Sultan had a good time talking about the past with his sister. Both with snow white hair sit in the dinning hall talking about how they are discipline when they are young. 

"I think young Darius have inherited my sister's beauty. You used to be the flower that many man wants to see when the Ottoman girls go out into the city."

"Your majesty. I don't deny that and i won't deny i have a handsome grandson to look at. Also he have the intelligence that i used to have. I am glad to live to see this today. "

"Arya is the grandson of our sister, Jasmine."

"Jasmine, that poor sister. She did not live long to see the glory of our nation. I am glad that you have lead us so well so far."

"I have more things to do, my sister and i have little time now. I am getting old."

"We are getting old. I maybe the youngest in our family but i am oldest in my family. That's why i am here to see you my brother."

"We are the few living one in the family. Out of twenty two only five remains and you are the closest to me in terms of where you live. The rest are living in Egypt. I cannot locate them."

"They choose to live away and far from the Empire's reach. We should leave them alone... but why is your daughter back here? Isn't she married that foreign prince?"

"She did but she return upon my request. She have a sense of duty. If she is born as a boy, i think, she will give me a lot of problems. I will think that she is a secret rebellious son that is planning to over throw me anytime on the throne. She have a lot of things in her mind that she does not tell me."

"She is alike that maid..."

She look at her brother after she said it. She lower her head. 

"Yes alike. Beauty with brains. It is scary..."

"You must gift her a man to control her."

"Why should i?"

"Of course. A person like her is highly desire by other man. How old is she and still look like a fresh flower in the garden! That is ... impossible." 

"Give her another few more years, she will look like you."

"Is that a grantee? I think not. She is not like us. Maybe because she lived in a foreign land for a long time, she look nothing like a Persian."

"She is married still in Tang."

"Now she is in Persia, she have to obey the rules we have here. She have to marry according to custom and laws. If not other woman will follow her and start wanting to live in some foreign land and return to change what we stand for. My brother, all along the heir and the ruler on the throne does not require a co-ruler. Even the Sultana does not interfere with what is going on in court. Why are you appointing a woman like her to sit and meddle with the affairs with the new Sultan?"

"I do not need to explain to you what i am doing. I have my own plans."

That night Banou sit alone in her room to arrange her things. She have excuse all the maids and she sit alone in her bedroom. She is not used to such a big bedroom. Yet that old small bedroom is too small to put up with all her things. She have request to have the Chinese lanterns with the Chinese wording 'Tang' that hangs on the carriage, to be remove and place in her bedroom. Most of her clothes are place into the wardrobe. Her shoes and sandals are place neatly in a corner. Her books squeeze in the book shelves together with her other books. Her vanity table only have things that Li Cheng gifts. She sit on the floor and look at the moon through the french window. She thinks of her husband and her children plus Li Han, her grandson. She look at the toys that her twins had given to her. They have craft their name on each side of the horse. She bring the wooden horse to bed with her. She hold the horse and close her eyes. 

Days pass and she gets used to the routine. She ask to make breakfast for her father. It is granted and she make simple Chinese breakfast for him. Persian tea is a must for the Sultan at breakfast. Sometimes they dine in his royal gardens. This makes him happy and looking less grumpy. Also attending court, it makes him less aggressive to his officers. However his coughing persist and Halil is seen running in and out the court getting medication for the Sultan. While Arya and Darius is taking lessons in various subjects as well as military combat. The boys seems to enjoy the time they are having. The boys seldom argue and usually Darius is the one who gives in as he knows that he is in the wrong. Arya is firm and he knows what he done and know is correct at that point. Thus he never give in unless he realise that he is the one who make the mistake. 

A particular night after putting her father in bed, she walk along the corridor with Halil. He offer to walk her back to her boudoir. They talk a lot of things and she realise that he live in the palace too. He bid good nite to her and leave with the lamp in his hands. She enter the room and she see her maids are waiting in the room for her orders. She did not like them to waste their time when they can go and rest or do something they want to do. She ask for water for her night bath and dismiss them. She prefer to soak in the bathtub and watch the night alone. Once she is done, she put on her night wear and lay in the bed hoping to dream of Tang and Li Cheng.