Chapter 18: Semi-finals - Afternoon

Lama started, as she should, by making deep and steady obeisance to the Emir as he sat on his throne beside the whipping bench. The Emir waited for her sponsor to come forward, but it was evident he was not going to present the girl at this stage of her performance. When given the signal to rise, she moved a yard or so backwards and to one side. Turning so that she was in profile to the audience and three-quarters facing the Emir she waited perfectly still until some music started in the background. Then to the utter surprise of all present, including the Emir, she launched into a slightly amended version of Gilda's aria Caro Nome expressing her love for the young man before her, who was in fact her Emir. As the beautiful soprano voice filled the throne room with the magic of Verdi's music, all of the audience were moved, and tears came into the Princess Zubeydeh's eyes.

As the music faded away there was a spontaneous round of applause, and Lama moved gracefully over to the whipping bench where she draped herself elegantly on her belly and maintained a perfect pose with both orifices clearly available to her beloved. Again the Emir waited, and again Mahmoud ibn Sultan did not move to offer her to him.

Using the only part of the ritual still available to him in the absence of a sponsor, the Emir asked, "Well, girl, what should I call you?"

The response startled him as the woman burst into song again with just a snatch of an aria from La Bohème and sang, "Si. Mi chiamano Lama."

The Emir rose slowly, slipped off his clothes and just as slowly but firmly entered her vagina, thrusting in and out several times. Withdrawing he took the embroidered cloth from the Chief Eunuch and wiped his magnificent tool, displaying the bloodstains to the audience. Still holding the cloth, he then repeated this performance in her narrower entrance, at which she winced slightly. The Emir thrust again several times, and then withdrew. Slowly she rose, and knelt before him, making another quick obeisance before lovingly cleaning his penis with her mouth.

She then dropped again into an obeisance and waited until the Emir dropped the cloth beside her head and returned to his throne. Taking the cloth, and holding it pressed over her heart, she rose and returned to the contestants' compound.

The Emir thought for some moments and then made a note on his board. The song was certainly different, and moving, the candidate had moved with grace, and had taken the actual defloration well, but he deducted three marks because her sponsor had taken no part in the defloration. He should have presented her to his Emir at some point before the actual penetration, and preferably at the start. Such a wide variation from the traditions of Kobekistan could not be allowed without marks being lost.