Forbearance

by Brianna M. Hoyle

Chapter 7

“How did I come to be here, Darioush?”

I looked up at the house before me, seeing its grandeur in comparison to that of Jalil’s. We had only just arrived, yet I knew by the guards who stood on either side of the gate to the home that the Emir of this province was an important man. The guards wore armor and blue robes, their faces almost entirely hidden. They held long spears and stood at attention, watching as Hakim and I approached them.

“Do not worry, Sabriyya,” Hakim told me. “You will do well. Simply keep your wits about you and pay attention.”

That was easy enough for him to say, but I feared I would soon collapse from fright at the prospect of being in the home of one so important. Hakim had accustomed me to the name Sabriyya so that I would answer to it when I was called. My tribe which he said I was from was to remain a mystery as a way to keep my lack of an identity hidden. If asked, I had traveled to this city, the city of Idris as I had learned, to visit my cousin, Hakim, who I had only heard of but never met.

“Follow me,” Hakim said. He lead his small pony toward the gate and nodded a greeting to the guards. “Hakim and Sabriyya here at the request of Amirzade Nadir.”

The two guards acknowledged us and opened the gates, allowing us through. The courtyard before the house was large and we dismounted our horses, walking them along the blue tiled pathway and up to the house. Halfway there we were greeted by a young stable boy who offered to take our horses. I removed the bag Aminah had given me from the saddle and whispered a soft farewell to Darioush, who gave me a good luck kiss before being led away. It was proper, Aminah had said, for a woman to arrive early and prepare herself for the dinner in the home of the host, for the journey often was not kind to one who dressed up before leaving. I currently wore the outfit I had woken in a day ago in the desert, but Aminah had provided me with attire to adorn myself in once I arrived.

Hakim and I were let into the house and led off in different directions by servants to prepare for the evening meal with the Emir. I could not see enough of this house. It was much more grand than Jalil’s, with colorfully dyed materials draping the walls and floor, separating different rooms. Large plants were everywhere, as were pieces of artwork that hung on the walls. The colors and patterns seemed random, but they all worked together in a way I could not describe. The house seemed cluttered, yet the servant girl I followed knew where she was going. She was clothed in a blue dress, a grey square of fabric wrapped around her head and hair and covering her shoulders. A wide necklace adorned her neck, as did a matching beaded belt around her waist.

“In here, please,” she said, moving aside a curtain and motioning into the room. “I will help you, if I may.”

I accepted her help gratefully and looked her over. She was shorter than Aminah, with brown eyes and lighter hair. I put down my bag and removed my keffiyeh as she closed the curtain behind us. I went to work unbraiding my hair from its confines so that I may set it as Aminah showed me. Aminah was quite surprised at the thickness and volume of it after it was wet and in its full form. She claimed to having never seen hair like mine, and when I had been dressed as she said I should for the supper, even Hakim and Jalil were surprised and amazed at the transformation. I hoped I would do it right. The braids began to prove difficult, so I chose to save them for last and went to work on dressing myself.

The servant girl was chattering about the colors and fabric of each item I pulled out. She never ran out of things to say and she spoke so quickly I had a time translating her language into the language I knew in my head. Firstly we removed my sash, tunic, and wide-leg pants, putting them aside. From the bag I had been given by Aminah, I produced a long white tunic and pulled it over my head. It had wide flowing sleeves that were cinched to my arms just below the elbow by beaded bracelets. I pulled on a pair of fitted trousers which were kept in place by a thin sash. A long vest went over the tunic. It had a high collar and was closed in the front with braided rope clasps. Its material was dark red and it fit neatly from my neck to waist, flaring out from my hips to billow around my ankles. Golden trim along the collar followed down along every hem, the border having smaller design picked out in thread along it, giving it an embellished and sophisticated appearance. My shoes remained the same, their dark red and gold embroidery matching well. A simple beaded necklace went over the high collar of the vest, the necklace matching the bracelets on my arms.

With that complete I once again went to work undoing my hair from its confinement. When the braids were undone, I shook my head to free the curls, each coil loosening from those beside it as it took its place spiraling where it desired to spiral. I stood straight and began to arrange the curls as Aminah had showed me, pinning the sides back and out of my face. The pins were black with golden flowers along the edges that shone against my dark hair.

The servant girl’s chatter, which I had been actively putting out of my mind this entire time, suddenly ceased, and I looked at her. She had a hand up to her mouth, staring with wide eyes at my hair. I did not know what to say to her. Instead I looked away and continued setting my hair. When it was complete I moved nervously over to the looking glass that stood in the corner of the room. I took a deep breath and lifted my eyes to behold my reflection.

I was surprised by what I saw. Before this I could not recall what I looked like, but now that I saw myself, the memory of looking at myself in the reflection of a pool of water came to me. My entire face shape was rounded and came to a gentle point at my chin. My eyes were large almond shapes, amber in color and staring at myself with disbelief. My skin was a shade darker than Aminah’s and I reached out my hand to touch my reflection. My hair was thick and curly, piled up on top of my head and falling down into my face. It was much more voluminous than the hair of any woman I had seen since waking up. I had not been expecting to look as beautiful as I appeared. I turned to the servant girl, who was smiling.

“I like your hair…” she said, suddenly a shy version of her former self.

I smiled back at her. “Thank you.” Turning away from the mirror, I scooped up a golden sash and tied it around my waist, tucking my saber into it.

“You are wearing your weapon to dinner?” the girl asked me.

I looked to her as I moved toward the door that would lead me out. “I go nowhere without it.”

I felt as though I had told someone that before, as of recently, yet I knew those words had not come out of my mouth since being in this city. The girl nodded, then stepped in front of me. “This way,” she said, taking the lead. “I’ll show you the way to the dining room.”

Hakim met me in the hall that would in turn lead to the dining room. He had as well dressed for the dinner this evening in blues and white, looking younger than he did in the everyday robes I had seen him in before. His fabrics of choice were simple, yet somehow with the combination of his pants, tunic, sash and boots, as well as a different headpiece, adorned in braided rope and without extra fabric that trailed down his back, he looked noble enough to belong in the house of the Emir.

“You have become twenty years younger, Hakim,” I told him with a smile.

He stepped up to me and tilted his chin upwards, shaking his head at the height difference between us. “I shall take that as a compliment, you towering beautiful monster.”

I laughed and found myself placing an arm around his shoulder. “You must be rubbing off on me. I have become a rascal.”

The two of us followed the servants, behaving as though we had known each other for ages. I do not know why, for we had never met before in this life. But I did not care as to why we got along so well. I enjoyed the company of Hakim. He made me feel as a person who meant something to be living in the world. He treated me well and I made it a purpose to be sure I told him so at the soonest appointed time.

“This house is grander than Jalil’s,” I mused as we moved down a wide hallway. Everything was embellished with some form of decor, even the ceiling. I saw the fabrics and thick materials pinned to the expanse above us, in purples, reds, blues, oranges, and every other color imaginable. I still had my arm around Hakim and I reached out my other hand to gently brush the leaves of a plant that stood near a doorway. They were smooth, well-watered and cared for. I desired to know what a room full of greenery would appear as.

“Do not say so to Jalil, he shall be terribly forlorn,” Hakim said.

I looked at the man I walked with and saw how his eyes twinkled. “I feel you would do so simply to set him off into a frantic wailing once more.”

“It is amusing to watch,” admitted Hakim.

We reached a pair of closed wooden doors that were covered in carvings and scrolling designs. The handles appeared as vines that almost reached out of the carvings and curled around to make a place to pull the door open from. The servant girl waved to me and ducked away, her job now complete. I released Hakim and waved back to her. Then I faced forward as the manservant took both handles and pulled the door open, walking into the room and stepping aside to allow us entrance. He took a deep breath and announced us to those in the room.