Crushing a Rose

In the High Court, scandals were devoured as ravenously as bread thrown to the starving children outside the palace walls. And a scandal involving the Queen… well that was going to be all anyone talked about for weeks. The news had come from a maid, who had seen it all that very morning as the King was touring the city. The Berber people are talkative by nature, and talk of this sort spread fast.

"…and with a commoner!" a self-important Princess would gasp.

"I would never have thought it of her," would reply her friend, before scurrying off to inform her acquaintances of the news.

One who wasn’t informed might wonder why, in the Imperial Court of Ukès, such gossip about the wife of the Lord of the City, the King of Essaouira, the Emperor of Berberia, was tolerated. Why, one might ask, were the babbling tongues not swiftly cut off, thrown out of the city and left to bleed? And one who was informed would answer, in a slightly amused tone:

"Really, you have no idea, do you? The Emperor, for all his fancy titles, his seven palaces and hordes of servants, has no real power at all! Of course, he had the Queen’s lover executed behind her back and all that, but… he has no authority as such. It is Lady Justice Manyra who holds the reins." Here the speaker would look around nervously and continue in a whisper: "I suppose he shall go crying to her now. You know, they say she is jealous of the Queen. Years back, the new King had the choice to marry whomever he pleased. Apparently the decision was to be between Lady Manyra and Rose of Djerba. Both were rich, and both were reputed to be powerful enchantresses. But Rose was more beautiful, so the King chose to marry her. That doesn’t mean to say Lady Manyra was – is – plain, but Queen Rose was just so bewitching… those crystal clear eyes, at the same time so mysterious, and her long, blond hair…" Now fully immersed in the memory, the speaker might continue, addressing him or herself to the gathering crowd:

"Well, Lady Manyra was furious, and for a week or so rumour had it she was preparing an army to march on Ukès. She came, and everyone cowered in their homes. For with her, she brought not an army, but a powerful storm! That is Lady Manyra’s special gift from the Gods, a complete control over the elements. She flew over the gates and hovered in front of the palace, threatening to burn the city to the ground with her magic. The King pleaded and bowed to the powerful sorceress. The citizens knew not who to turn to, so they desperately bade Queen Rose to show her magic, and send Lady Manyra away. The Queen, in a fine display of witchery, annulled the storm, and subdued the Lady. But Lady Manyra vowed to return unless satisfied, so the King made her Supreme Justice. He might as well have abdicated that day, for since then she has ruled the Empire from the shadows."

Much the wiser, the ignorant questioner would have awaited, as did the whole city, the outcome of the scandalous affair. The normal penalty for female adulterers was death by hanging, but surely the King would not allow this, and anyway, Queen Rose had once defied Manyra, she might do it again if cornered.

Rose entered Lady Justice Manyra’s office, trailed by armed escorts, there to subdue her if the need should arise.