Sultana Read Online Free PDF Page A

again.
    Aisha said, “Come, child. Someone here can help us. Perhaps if you listen to her, you may believe in me.”
     
     
    Prince Faraj
     
    Faraj accompanied the Sultan and his son through the doors of the Sultan’s bedchamber. Torches glistened among the shadows outside. Mute guards lined the walls like stone sentinels. A garden of oleander thrived in the courtyard.
    The Sultan said, “We must move quickly against the Ashqilula now.”
    The Crown Prince halted beside him. “What of the delegation to the Marinid Sultan in al-Maghrib el-Aska?”
    The Sultan paused and smiled at Faraj, who stared back at him, wondering what lay behind that gesture. “They shall leave soon, but other matters concern us.”
    “Father, if the Marinids intervene, our family shall have a strong ally.”
    The Sultan raised his hand and stilled further argument from his son. “There is the danger of interference from Castilla-Leon and Aragon. Our last treaty with King Alfonso of Castilla-Leon has ended. We cannot allow our old enemies to ally with the new ones.”
    Faraj frowned at this. “Then, why talk of the Marinids at all? The allies you seek are across the sea and over the mountains. Can they aid us against the Christians who are at our borders?”
    The Sultan smiled. “You’re quick to give your opinion, for one who shows no obvious interest in daily court life. I had thought you weren’t paying attention at all.”
    Faraj ducked his head. “My father taught me foremost to observe.”
    His uncle nodded. “He was right. Consider what we know of the Christians and their ambitions. Gharnatah weakened by a civil war is an easy target for them. The Ashqilula family shall become even more dangerous with Christian help.”
    The Crown Prince sighed. “You know what you must do?”
    The Sultan patted his shoulder. “They are only words my son.”
    Faraj wondered when empty promises and broken vows had become acceptable. Surrounded by such people, was there anyone he could trust?
    The Crown Prince continued, “You risk a great deal for your throne, Father.”
    “Is it not worth it? The Ashqilula would undo everything I have done. We shall strike on both frontiers. First, we shall make an attractive proposition to the Marinids that includes two strategic ports and the offer of your newly widowed sister, the Sultana Maryam.”
    “She shall rebel against being bartered away so soon, Father. She loved her Ashqilula chieftain.”
    The Sultan rolled his eyes heavenward. “Still your favorite sister, humph? How pleased she shall be to have your support. If only you might undertake her financial support, as well. She should be grateful for this union. She is not in the flower of her youth, but like her mother, Maryam’s beauty is timeless. As with his ancestors, the Marinid Sultan would love nothing more than to meddle in the politics of al-Andalus. I know the danger of foreign warriors with a foothold on my land, but the Ashqilula pose too great a threat.”
    “Wisdom suggests Ibrahim shall move swiftly once he learns of your overtures to the Marinids.”
    The Sultan chuckled, a hollow sound. “Wisdom has no influence here. Had I been wiser, I might have never allied with Ibrahim’s father. Another, rather than Ibrahim’s aunt, might have been my first wife. My brothers and my own beloved firstborn daughter would have wed others. You would not be enduring a sham marriage….”
    When the Crown Prince ground his teeth together and cast a dark look at his father, the Sultan paused. “Well, that is best left unsaid. I have sacrificed my family’s futures in favor of the Ashqilula’s ambitions, but no longer.”
    Faraj shook his head. “No man can know the future, not even the Sultan.”
    The Sultan suddenly rounded on him. “Only a fool perceives a trap and walks blindly into it!”
    Faraj bristled, for he had often wondered whether he was a fool for perceiving the danger posed by this union with the Sultan’s granddaughter. Yet