As promised, this series is going to be a retelling of the epic set of tales that came to be known as Arabian Nights, just the way they should have been told.
All characters are eighteen plus, all readers must be too.
I strongly recommend you to read the first two chapters before starting with this one.
Enjoy
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Sheherazade was glad that her plan was working. She rested all morning and woke up only late afternoon. Dinarzade spelt next to her. The sisters were calm, and even in the face of the danger looming over their heads, they were at peace. They had a plan, and it seemed to be working, bit by bit.
Shaharyar, the Sultan, could decide to end her life any day of his choosing.
Dinarzade clung to her elder sister, unwilling to leave her side with the looming threat. She slept next to Sheherazade.
In the afternoon, when they woke up, Sheherazade and Dinarzade were greeted by her seven maids. Sheherazade was celebrated as if a godsend. She was bathed in milk and water. She was fed the best of fruits and food from the lands. Dinarzade was given a similar royal treatment as Sheherazade.
Later in the evening, the sisters met the Vizier.
"O, father," Sheherazade hugged Vizier and was glad to see him.
Dinarzade followed and hugged the pair.
"O, my benevolent Allah. I thank you a million times for bestowing your mercy on my daughter." Vizier prayed for her daughter.
He kissed Sheherazade's forehead with love and tenderness. Then he kissed Dinarzade's forehead with the same love. He thanked Dinarzade, "I love you even more for sticking with your sister in these difficult times. May God bless you long life."
They sat and chatted for a couple of hours before it was time for Sheherazade to get ready for the Sultan.
After an hour-long massage in scented oils, Sheherazade was cleaned in a mixture of milk, hung curd, honey and water. Sheherazade wore a beautiful mesh veil. Her neck was adorned with pure pearls strung in a thread. Her breasts remained half-covered behind her jewels. A string of gold chain held on her waist a small silk loincloth that covered her pussy mound and little else. Her thighs were shone with sparkling gold dust. Her anklets announced her moves. She was dressed to allure and entice.
Dinarzade was dressed in little more than Sheherazade. She took it all in with delight. She was pampered just like Sheherazade, and she loved it.
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When the anxious Sultan came to meet his wife, Sheherazade, he was pleased to find her waiting in his chambers. As expected, she looked beautiful. Sheherazade looked radiant in her ensemble, and her smile when she saw the Sultan was more than welcoming.
The Sultan could not imagine how Sheherazade, a woman of such young age, knowing that she could soon face death, seem so fearless. The fact that she was welcoming Sultan instead of being scared of him was even more mystifying to him. Sheherazade was enigmatic in her attitude.
Upon seeing the Sultan, Sheherazade got up and bowed a little and welcomed him, "o great Sultan. My greetings."
Sultan smiled towards her and took off his cummerbund and his overshirt.
As the Sultan sat on the bed, on one hip, resting his elbow on the pillow, Sheherazade walked to the tray kept for him. She poured his wine for him and got a bowl of fruits along with it.
Sultan looked at Sheherazade's back, admiring her unblemished skin and glow. Her back was bare from her shoulders to her ankles, encumbered only with intermittent threads of her jewelry and her loincloth. Her figure drew Sultan's excitement.
To a man who had barely slept over the last couple of nights and had attended his royal duties all day, he seemed refreshed. Sultan had trained himself to work with limited sleep because of his long campaigns. Sheherazade came next to him and sat a level lower than him on a stool. She took off his wristband and his anklets. Then she started massaging him slowly on his calves.
Sultan picked up a piece of fruit and sipped some wine.
Sheherazade waited for Sultan to say something first, as was customary.
Sultan asked, "Sheherazade, are you being treated well?"
Sheherazade replied smiling, "O, great Sultan, most graciously. Everyone is kind and respectful to me and treats me like they would a Sultana."
Sheherazade made a blunder referring to herself as Sultana. The Sultan remembered his beloved Morsal, the original Sultana, and immediately, his expression changed to disdain and anger.
Sheherazade instantly realized as the Sultan tensed up. She tried hard to compensate.
It took the Sultan long to calm down.
To change the direction of the conversation, Sheherazade offered on her own, "O great Sultan, If you want, I can continue the story that got left half untold."
Sultan was surprised at the confidence of Sheherazade and nodded. She did not seem to care that the end of the story also meant the end of her life at daybreak.
When Alibaba, Afsa, and Liba regrouped later that night, she told them everything and what she had done.
Afsa and Alibaba both protested and told her, "Liba, you should not have done that. Putting your own life in danger was not a smart thing to do. No amount of money, gold, or wealth is precious to us than your life."
Liba tried to explain, but it was all in the past now. She had exhibited extreme courage and presence of mind at that moment.
All three of them resolved that they would face danger together. Alibaba said, "Under no circumstances, any one of us would be left alone now. No matter what. We stay together at all times."
Alibaba was trying to be brave, he had never been in such a situation before. Violence was not a natural trait of his.
On the one hand, they stayed indoors, not venturing out. On the other hand, they ensured there were always many people coming and going to their home, so as to deter the thugs from making a move. Slowly they added some arms to fight back, added a couple of servants who were strong and well built.
