Forbearance

by Brianna M. Hoyle

Chapter 3

“Here we are.”

I turned to the man Hakim and saw that he was facing an open courtyard of a house just beyond the children’s fountain. Many people were seated in the shade of a large awning, partaking of a basket of fruit that was being passed around. Most of them were men, though a few women sat amongst them. Their dress was more exquisite than the garments of those who walked the streets. I felt as if these people, sitting on embroidered cushions beneath a light blue awning that made the space feel cooler, were important people in this society. Tassels and jewels lined the dresses and shawls worn by the women and the men’s robes and tunics were expensive by the elaborate pattern that followed across the material. I held tightly to Darioush’s reins, wondering who these people were and why we had stopped before them.

The man who had led me here, whom the children addressed as Hakim, motioned that I remain where I was. He then approached the people who lounged in the shade and bowed before a man who seemed to be the most important, if his tightly wrapped headpiece adorned with jewels spoke for him. He welcomed my benefactor under the shade with him.

“A healthy good afternoon to you, Hakim!” he said, waving his hand and motioning for the man to join him.

Hakim shook his head as he straightened from the bow. “I politely decline, Jalil. I have come to ask of you the use of one of your many rooms as a resting place for a weary traveler.”

Jalil smiled widely and brought a hand to his neatly trimmed beard. “Are you so old now that a trip to the water pool tires out your ancient bones?”

“It is not I in need of a rest, you rascal. But a stranger in our city, lost and with nowhere to go.”

I wondered if I should step forward, perhaps introduce myself as the one Hakim spoke about. But I did not. Being in the presence of these people, seeing how their eyes would rivet upon Jalil when he spoke, and Hakim as he did, I did not want those eyes on me. It did not bode well with me to be in the center of attention, not entirely for the sake of my pride, though doubtless such was certainly a factor in my choice to remain still and silent, but the idea of being watched unnerved me more than I could admit.

“A stranger?” Jalil looked in the direction where we had come. “From the west?”

“Yes, my old friend. A road weary stranger. Left for dead and not expected to survive in the scorching desert.”

Jalil became serious. He sat up straight and looked Hakim in the eyes, no longer with the playful smile he had used before.

“From the west and left for dead? Hakim, surely you do not expect me to offer a home to one who may have been set for execution?”

I looked to my horse, my eyes asking if he had heard that the same as I. This man believed me to having been set for execution? Was that possible? I could remember nothing. Perhaps in my past I had done something to deserve death by burning. How was I to know? And what was to become of me should that be the truth?

Hakim did not falter at Jalil’s tone. “I will not judge a person based on their circumstances. My home is a great distance from here. Were it closer, I would provide a room myself. However, this stranger needs rest as soon as possible. I have come to an old friend to ask a favor.”

Jalil sat back against the pile of cushions that made his seat. Those seated around him held opinions in their expression that they did not voice, some intrigued, others uninterested, a few frightened. I did not know what to make of all this and I considered escaping from this strange situation. But I had nowhere to go, with only a saber and beloved horse to my name, a name I could not remember.

“You trust too easily, Hakim,” Jalil said with a shake of his head. “Show me this stranger.”

With another bow in obedience, Hakim then turned to me, gesturing for me to join him. I stepped toward him, Darioush following behind me. Jalil looked me over from head to toe, taking me in, eyes hovering for a time at my hip where the saber hung before moving on up my torso and to my face.

“What is your name stranger? Do you remember?” he asked me. I knew his language, but again I felt as though it was not my own. I shook my head. Jalil hummed and traced his beard with one finger, watching me with dark eyes. “Hmm… I see no reason why I should not trust my friend. You may rest in my house in the manservant quarters.”

Hakim smiled a peculiar smile. “That would not be appropriate, I fear, Jalil.”

Jalil turned to Hakim, one eyebrow raising. “And what makes this stranger so good he cannot sleep and rest from his travels in the servant’s quarters?”

But to this, I answered. “Forgive me,” I said as I lifted my hand to remove the fabric away from my face. “I meant no deception.”

Jalil’s eyes widened and those around him gasped in surprise. The women covered their mouths with their hands, though one did so to hide a smile, and the men looked at one another before staring open mouthed at me.

Hakim seemed amused. “Now you see why the manservant quarters would not be the most appropriate,” he said calmly.

“Hakim, you rascal!” Jalil snapped, though he did not seem entirely angry. “You made me look foolish on purpose!”

Hakim laughed, throwing back his head as he did so. Then he straightened, giving Jalil a bright grin. “Does this change your mind on the stranger being allowed to stay?”

“She may stay,” Jalil said. “Though everything spent on her, you shall owe me threefold for that trick.”

One of the women, the one who had hid a smile, stood to her feet, giggling daintily as she approached me. “Come, O tall one,” she said, eyes glinting with mischief from beneath a pink headdress. “We shall leave these rascals to their devices. You need your rest.”

I felt dumbstruck, as though I had been an object in a practical joke, but not the target. I did not know what to think about what had just taken place. The man named Jalil seemed more upset about the fact that Hakim played with him than the fact that I was not the gender he had assumed. It was natural that I be mistaken for male. I stood head and shoulders above most females and my loose garments, which lacked embellishments, concealed my figure. I knew, however, that my hair would tell the truth were it not bound and knotted at the nape of my neck. Perhaps to keep anyone else from making the same mistake, I would later let my hair fall free.

For now, I was being encouraged to rest. “Darioush,” I said. “Where may I leave him?”

Hakim moved over to my horse. “Will you trust me to give him a good place to rest? Somewhere cool with plenty of water?”

Hakim had been kind to me up until now. I had no reason to distrust him. With a nod to Hakim, I laid my hand on Darioush’s mane. “Go and rest,” I whispered to my horse. He looked at me with those eyes and nudged my chest.

And the same to you.

I smiled and hugged him, wishing him sweet dreams and an energizing rest. The woman in the pink headdress smiled fondly at the horse and when I let go, allowing his lead rope to slip between my fingers, she led me into the house in front of which they were all gathered. “My name is Aminah. I am the sister of Jalil. The younger sibling, and he shall never let me forget it.” Her hands were delicate but held mine firmly as we stepped through the house. She looked at me as we moved through the house and I saw that her eyes were blue. “I shall give you my room to sleep. And if you stay longer, we may share, if that suits you.”

“Yes, yes…” I said after a moment. I had been distracted by her eyes, for they were the bluest I had ever seen. When she turned to face forward again, her long gentle waves of dark hair moved across her back, raven black and glistening in the sunlight whenever we passed a window. I did not see the grandeur of the house for I was distracted by the beauty of the woman who held my hand. It made me wonder for a moment what I looked like, for I had not seen myself since I had awoken, nor did I remember what I looked like. The only knowledge I had of my appearance was that my hair was thick and required taming. Perhaps later I would be allowed a glance at my reflection.

Aminah’s room was open and spacious, a large rug spread out in the floor, several pillows and cushions tossed around it in varying shades of dark red and purple. Aminah herself told me to get a good amount of sleep and to sleep for as long as I desired. There would be food a plenty when I awoke. She left the room with a kind smile, pulling the curtains of the doorway closed to allow me privacy. I felt safe in the town. The people seemed friendly and I had been cared for. I had no reason to be afraid.

I pushed aside the thought of why I had been left in the desert to die and laid myself down on the rug. Almost as soon as my head touched the soft cushion, I was asleep.