Chapter 11: Acknowledgement

It was at a public audience the following day that the Emir made her position crystal clear to his subjects. He asked her to attend in a trouser suit and had her seated next to his throne on the dais. After the Major Domo signalled for all to rise from their obeisance he opened the audience with a statement.

"The Princess Elaheh is to be accorded all the rights and privileges of a male Prince of my blood. She is a full Kobekistani citizen and shall be treated as any other Kobekistani citizen would be treated. Any harm done to her is harm done to me. She will be addressed as Mistress."

Some of the older members of the audience remembered that similar treatment had been accorded to Princess Zubeydeh, mother to the Emir, now Countess of Bargoed, who had walked the halls of the Golden Palace dressed in a western trouser suit, and who had even performed a public defloration using the feared garrarkabir during the celebrations of the tenth anniversary of the Emir's accession, some ten years earlier.

"The Emerald Palace now belongs to you, Princess Elaheh. Within its walls you have complete control, and there you are a man."

A hum of shocked surprise ran around the halls of the Throne Room.

"A woman!" Elaheh heard whispered.

The courtiers could not believe what they had heard. A western woman to be treated as a man was one thing, but owning property and Master of the Emerald Palace ... it was unheard of in Kobekistan for a woman to own property of any kind, let alone to have power over men anywhere. The Emir glared at the gathering and silence fell.

"The Emir has spoken," he intoned.

As the court looked on he handed a small jewellery box to the Princess. On opening it Elaheh found a golden dress ring that had an intricate carving on it; it looked similar to the one that her father wore but she did notice some minor differences as she examined it.

"What's this for?" she asked

"It is your personal seal; it proves to those too deaf to hear my words that should anyone harm you or defy you, they are harming or defying me."

While looking at it Elaheh began to realise just how much power he had given her. She bowed to her father and put the ring on her finger, smiling as the Throne Room seemed to explode in applause.

Cries of, "May he live for ever," echoed around the cavernous room.

"Come with me," said the Emir, smiling at her, "and see your new hovel."

They walked through a corridor until they reached a door guarded by two eunuchs who made deep obeisance as their Master passed. Inside they were in a long narrow room with doors at both ends and no windows. It was lit by a glass roof which was frosted to prevent the sun from being too strong. There was a small dais with a sort of mini-throne to one side and several other chairs round the walls. In the centre of the floor was another dais which was about three feet square which had no chair on it. The walls were decorated with mildly pornographic bedroom scenes graphically illustrating couples in various forms of sexual congress, some more believable than others.