El Ghaliya

Enter Loubana.

That night, El Ghaliya couldn’t believe her senses, so she pinched herself several times. She walked, stopped, listened, and wondered if all what happened was part of her wild imagination. On her way to her room, she kept looking behind her, doubting her own brain and feeling that Jameelah’s ghost would haunt her in the empty corridors, but the swelling on her cheek, the pain on the back of her head, and the still-lingering sensations she got from hugging Yazad all reminded her that her misery was real. When dawn finally came, she was sleeping soundly on her pillow. It was true that she looked paler than usual, her eyelids were redder and her pillow was soaked with tears and drool, yet she slept profoundly, surrendered to her exhaustion, that she didn’t hear the giggles of the servants outside nor the excitement that awakened the whole palace.

There was an electric energy running through the palace that dawn, which El Ghaliya failed to witness. The servants, the slaves, the concubines, and the wives were all getting ready for an important event. Slave girls giggled and played while they went to fetch enough water for the ceremony. Personal maids, on the other hand, prepared their mistresses’ outfits while admiring and praising each singular detail. The silence remained only on El Ghaliya’s quarters, for she was ignored by most of the servants and wasn’t treated at all as an important figure in the festivity to be held in the palace. It was, in fact, Sultan Rashad’s fault for not mentioning such an important detail. He forgot or pretended to forget that El Ghaliya’s suitor was arriving as an honor guest that day. Who, in his right mind, would dare to reproach the King for a slip of memory? In fact, most of the concubines would have thanked him dearly for such a mistake because no one believed that El Ghaliya, the plain princess, was the chosen one. For the few days he had spent among them, every single girl and even the married ones admired, talked and dreamed about the foreigner behind the wooden arabesque of their rooms. Such golden hair and blue eyes were a rarity in their society. They were so bored with the charms of dark-featured men that they were in desperate need of such an object of entertainment among them. It was out of the question that El Ghaliya would be able to snatch such a delicacy and pleasure from their community. Ironically, their shared jealousy succeeded to create between them an unspoken agreement. No one would tend to El Ghaliya that day and no one would prepare her to the event.

It was unfortunate for this new formed alliance that El Ghaliya had a most faithful friend among the servants. Yazad couldn’t help but notice the whispers around him; the hurtful comments said about his lover and couldn’t believe that such a beautiful soul could be treated so unfairly and in such a manner. He reproached himself severely for not being able to help her. There was always an internal voice inside him tormenting him for giving too little and receiving too much from the woman his heart desired to the point that he asked God fervently and made him offerings to reincarnate him as a noble, a prince or a scholar, to make him into a worthy partner of El Ghaliya. He prayed, from the bottom of his heart, for a magical remedy that can change the color of his skin. He prayed, day and night, for another world where black is but a skin color and where all loving hearts can enjoy each other’s company. El Ghaliya had transformed him, indeed, into the kind and educated man he became, but it was his helplessness that turned him into a pious and religious one.

Still and although he was fully aware that he would be looking soon at his rival, he couldn’t let El Ghaliya be the laughingstock of the castle and give these shallow women a chance to bully her. So, he bribed a slave girl named Loubana to bring her some food and to prepare her to the event. The bribe was on the form of silver earrings and the girl thought it was his way of approaching her that she couldn’t resist the idea of such a reasonable match. When she carried the plate of breakfast to the princess quarters, she was already planning her wedding and she had already named all their kids and begged the Queen Mother to give them proper education. Little did she know that she will never marry him nor she will remain a slave under the reign of El Ghaliya. She, then, woke up from her daydreaming when she arrived at the door of the chamber and knocked various times without receiving an answer. Thus, she opened the door carefully ignoring the warnings in the back of her head. No one respected the second daughter of Sultan Rashad. She was plain and stupid. Why would she show her any regard or fear her?

Loubana didn’t expect that her life would change by this sudden meeting. When she entered the room, El Ghaliya was as pale as a corpse. She even thought about running away with her breakfast plate, but something in the princess’s face drew her in. Suddenly, El Ghaliya’s eyes opened. She moaned, stretched her body, and scratched her scalp without taking any notice of the pair of eyes watching her in dismay. Loubana said:

“Good morning, your highness. (She started rather hesitatingly, and then she proceeded in confidence.) I was charged with bringing you your breakfast. I have some hot mint tea, honey, olive oil, black olives, some fresh Malwi made this morning and goat cheese. If you crave anything else, please…OH! GOD! What happened to your face? Were you stung by a bee?”

El Ghaliya wasn’t aware that her face was puffy, her cheek was swollen and her dark circles were never darker. She laughed heartily at this young maid’s reaction and she answered:

“I didn’t get much sleep yesterday (with this, her heart squeezed), but my face is always like this. People will not notice the difference.”

She laughed at her own misfortune. Unlike her, Loubana was beautiful and was known to be so among all the servants. Her almond black eyes were magnificent and her white teeth peeped behind her plump lips. Perhaps, Yazad would have preferred someone like her. Loubana noticed the absent-mindedness of the princess and pitied her for she knew that beauty was a desirable asset for all hearts and an enviable quality for all the plain-looking people. She tried to chase away such thoughts:

“No! That wouldn’t do, your highness! Today is very important. You need to look your best. Yazad insisted that I tend to you (Upon hearing her lover’s name, El Ghaliya’s face changed and her eyes softened). I’m going to fetch you some rose water and Argan oil. I know for sure that rose water would help with the puffiness, but I hope the oil would help your hair.”

 “You mentioned, Yazad….”

“Yes, he is one of your father’s slaves. He noticed your absence and asked everyone to tend to you, princess, but everyone refused but me. It is so busy and so hectic outside, you cannot..”

El Ghaliya interrupted her with an air of skepticism:

“Why is it busy and why should I be prepared?”

 “The foreigner! The foreigner is coming today! And you are supposed to receive him for no one speaks the language but you!”

Loubana was puzzled at El Ghaliya’s ignorance. The other was shook terribly. How could life play her this way? She still didn’t talk to Jameelah nor did she inform Yazad about her mischief. She sighed and said:

“Go fetch what you want and tell Yazad: Princess El Ghaliya thanks you dearly for your attention and I thank you for sparing time for me!”

Upon hearing these words, Loubana’s bare feet moved unconsciously towards the door. A Princess thanking a slave! What an unheard of position! It would be a funny tale to tell her friends later, but she couldn’t but feel the pleasure of being thanked bursting inside her. When she closed the door behind her, she thought she glimpsed El Ghaliya putting her head on her hands and sitting in an air of gloom. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her for a charming handsome foreigner was every girl’s dream.