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Authors: Tiffany Clare
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Earlier
They walked down long corridors, the next indistinguishable from the last. They turned about so many ways she was lost within a few minutes. Elena wasn’t sure if she’d been to this section of the palace yet or not. Color started to slowly invade the sterile white walls, bronzes and rusts, greens in the tiled floors, then they took another turn and deep red carpet cushioned her bare feet.
She looked up from her curled toes. Doors were spaced out evenly in this hall. At the end she spied an open sitting area and could hear the laughter and chatter of other women. She was ushered into one of the rooms with Laila before she could explore farther on.
“When will I see my son?” she asked.
“Very soon. I’ll just show you your sleeping quarters. All the harem girls’ rooms line this hall and the hall on the other side of the garden.” Laila pointed out the large open window to a courtyard beyond her room. There was a square of similar windows lined with burgundy shutters, surrounding the greenery outside. Songbirds sang loudly and cheerfully, mixing with the talk and activities of the women walking or lounging in the garden.
Pulling her eyes from the outdoors, Elena focused on the room. Lush textiles of silks, velvets, beads, and brocades covered the furniture in an array of bold colors. A zebra-striped animal fur stretched out in front of the divan. It was a handsome room that nearly left her breathless, but her mind couldn’t take in material things.
She turned to Laila. “I thank you for showing me this, but I want to see my son. I’ve missed him so very much. I have done everything you asked of me, please let me see him,” she said in a small voice. She really couldn’t bear being refused again to see Jonathan. Her hands shook in nervousness and anxiety.
“I understand. He is a beauty, and we’ve all enjoyed looking after him. Come then.” Laila took her hand, leading her to the main sitting area she’d wanted to go toward moments ago.
There was a crowd of richly dressed harem girls. At the center of their chattering and cooing came the sounds of a happy gurgling baby.
“Oh, Jonathan!” Elena screeched her excitement and rushed forward. Dropping to her knees, she picked her son up.
She held him fiercely to her bosom and didn’t realize she was squeezing him so tightly until he cried out in complaint. She loosened her grasp enough to rain kisses on his plump face and tasted her own tears as they fell unashamedly. The happiness she felt in seeing him lifted her heart and her hopes.
“Oh, my sweet baby,” she cried out again.
Tears continued to blur her vision as she looked him over. She had to keep swiping the dampness away with the bottom edge of her dress. She’d never cried so much in all her life. But then, she’d never had such a happy moment as this. To have this joyful reunion after the despair that had ridden heavy on her shoulders these past few weeks was more than a blessing.
Jonathan had grown in the short time they’d been separated. His hair had filled in on his head and a cowlick in front stood up on end. She brushed her fingers through the dark, baby softness. She noticed in his smile the beginning of a tooth. Goodness, she’d missed so much while they were separated. She vowed then and there, she’d never be parted from her son again.
He wore white muslin designed like the caftan robes, and she felt extra padding on his bottom under the outfit. His arms were still chubby and his tiny fists clenched through the locks of her loose hair. He cooed back at her, giving her a wide, mostly gummy smile. Thank God he hadn’t forgotten her in their time apart—that would have been too heartbreaking to bear.
Elena sat heavily on the carpeted floor and pulled him into her lap, rocking and hugging him intermittently. She kissed his cheek. “I have missed you, my little boy. Do you know that?”
Content that he was comfortable in her arms, she looked up to the smiling faces
They walked down long corridors, the next indistinguishable from the last. They turned about so many ways she was lost within a few minutes. Elena wasn’t sure if she’d been to this section of the palace yet or not. Color started to slowly invade the sterile white walls, bronzes and rusts, greens in the tiled floors, then they took another turn and deep red carpet cushioned her bare feet.
She looked up from her curled toes. Doors were spaced out evenly in this hall. At the end she spied an open sitting area and could hear the laughter and chatter of other women. She was ushered into one of the rooms with Laila before she could explore farther on.
“When will I see my son?” she asked.
“Very soon. I’ll just show you your sleeping quarters. All the harem girls’ rooms line this hall and the hall on the other side of the garden.” Laila pointed out the large open window to a courtyard beyond her room. There was a square of similar windows lined with burgundy shutters, surrounding the greenery outside. Songbirds sang loudly and cheerfully, mixing with the talk and activities of the women walking or lounging in the garden.
Pulling her eyes from the outdoors, Elena focused on the room. Lush textiles of silks, velvets, beads, and brocades covered the furniture in an array of bold colors. A zebra-striped animal fur stretched out in front of the divan. It was a handsome room that nearly left her breathless, but her mind couldn’t take in material things.
She turned to Laila. “I thank you for showing me this, but I want to see my son. I’ve missed him so very much. I have done everything you asked of me, please let me see him,” she said in a small voice. She really couldn’t bear being refused again to see Jonathan. Her hands shook in nervousness and anxiety.
“I understand. He is a beauty, and we’ve all enjoyed looking after him. Come then.” Laila took her hand, leading her to the main sitting area she’d wanted to go toward moments ago.
There was a crowd of richly dressed harem girls. At the center of their chattering and cooing came the sounds of a happy gurgling baby.
“Oh, Jonathan!” Elena screeched her excitement and rushed forward. Dropping to her knees, she picked her son up.
She held him fiercely to her bosom and didn’t realize she was squeezing him so tightly until he cried out in complaint. She loosened her grasp enough to rain kisses on his plump face and tasted her own tears as they fell unashamedly. The happiness she felt in seeing him lifted her heart and her hopes.
“Oh, my sweet baby,” she cried out again.
Tears continued to blur her vision as she looked him over. She had to keep swiping the dampness away with the bottom edge of her dress. She’d never cried so much in all her life. But then, she’d never had such a happy moment as this. To have this joyful reunion after the despair that had ridden heavy on her shoulders these past few weeks was more than a blessing.
Jonathan had grown in the short time they’d been separated. His hair had filled in on his head and a cowlick in front stood up on end. She brushed her fingers through the dark, baby softness. She noticed in his smile the beginning of a tooth. Goodness, she’d missed so much while they were separated. She vowed then and there, she’d never be parted from her son again.
He wore white muslin designed like the caftan robes, and she felt extra padding on his bottom under the outfit. His arms were still chubby and his tiny fists clenched through the locks of her loose hair. He cooed back at her, giving her a wide, mostly gummy smile. Thank God he hadn’t forgotten her in their time apart—that would have been too heartbreaking to bear.
Elena sat heavily on the carpeted floor and pulled him into her lap, rocking and hugging him intermittently. She kissed his cheek. “I have missed you, my little boy. Do you know that?”
Content that he was comfortable in her arms, she looked up to the smiling faces
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