33 THIRTY THREE: The Seven Princes pt 1

"There are two possibilities."

Baara whispered urgently as she knelt in front of her master.

"Either that man is somebody working under His Majesty's orders, or that man is somebody working against the King in secret."

"Working against the King?" Esther echoed thoughtfully.

It had never crossed her mind that, in the great Shushan Palace, enemies of the King of Persia could be hiding.

"My Lady, I beg you to untangle yourself now before it is too late," Baara pleaded.

"Yes, I.." Esther trailed off.

Did that mean she should refrain from visiting the hall of records again? Should she put aside all her interests and curiosity and live as a ghost in the House of Women?

"I know you are a bright, curious creature," her handmaiden went on, "but, please, you must put all of this out of your head and forget about it."

Esther nodded.

Her handmaiden was right. She'd already drawn enough attention to herself with Lord Hegai's favor and Prince Teresh's interest. Plus, she'd run into the gray-eyed man twice already. If he was as dangerous as Baara believed him to be, Esther had already given him enough to track her down with.

The best way to protect herself was to retreat quietly, just as Mordecai had desired of her from the beginning.

"You are right," she conceded, much to her handmaiden's relief. "It is for the best that I forget all of this."

In the very moment she vowed to live quietly and cause no further stirs, however, Esther's Uncle sat at the crude wooden dining table of his house, scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment.

The orange flicker of a single candle illuminated the dark circles underneath his eyes, and small tremors shook his hand as he wrote.

Finally, when he had finished, he grasped the paper, contemplating whether he should feed it to the hungry candle flame.

By the following morning, however, the same parchment, still crinkled from where it had been strangled, was placed in Esther's hands.

'Esther

I have agonized for many nights over my decision to send this letter, but I have come to the conclusion that it is worth the risk.

As I was guarding the South gate of the Palace, I overheard something frightening. A man among the King's Court is coveting the throne and planning to commit the worst deed.

I cannot give more details, but you are a smart child, and I'm sure you know what such a thing would mean for the Palace, especially the women of the palace.

The only clue I can leave you with is that the conspirator is one of the seven Princes of Persia.

You are faring well in the House of Women. Though I hate to do so, I must implore you to use your position to solve this before it's too late. In my position, I am completely helpless in this matter.

For your own sake, and the sake of our Empire, you must act.'

"Baara."

Esther called out to her handmaiden, her voice cracking despite her attempt to sound calm.

The woman, who had delivered the letter, knew immediately what to do, and rapidly shooed the other maids out of the chamber.

"Queen Candidate.." Baara approached her once all the maids had gone.

"When was this letter delivered?" Esther asked, her hands trembling as she folded the parchment once more.

"I discreetly met with a servant from another area of the Palace at dawn," Baara explained. "The letter's sender had entrusted it to them and requested to remain anonymous."

"I see."

Both Baara and Esther already knew who had penned the ominous note. The true reason for his anonymity was to prevent the prying eyes of the House of Women from discovering Esther's connection with the Despised Clan.

"It is common for Queen Candidates to receive ambiguous mails of this sort, either from their families or undisclosed patrons outside the Palace walls," Baara detailed, hoping to ease Esther's worry.

The handmaiden was entirely oblivious to the fact, however, that her master's anxiety came entirely from the contents of the letter rather than the circumstances surrounding how it came into her possession.

".. I see."

Esther could only repeat herself as she sat on the edge of her bed, her mind racing.

"Are you finished, Queen Candidate?" Baara ventured, extending her hand.

"Huh? Oh, yes. I am," Esther reluctantly placed the parchment in the outstretched hand.

Immediately, Baara held the letter over the flame of the lamp next to the bed, tossing it into the fireplace when orange flames erupted.

"Ah," Esther gulped, reaching out in vain as the fire eagerly engulfed the parchment.

Was the Uncle who beseeched her to lay low really the same who had written that letter?

She had no idea where to begin.

A Prince of Persia planning to 'commit the worst deed' and take the throne for himself.

Even writing those words on paper could be cause enough for execution should they be discovered. Uncle Mordecai had risked a very great deal in sending that letter, more than just the possible exposure of their relationship.

For the first time since being thrust into the House of Women, Esther felt tears begin to well in her eyes.

Without knowing quite the reason why, she hugged her knees into her chest and began to sob.

Baara, with eyes full of pity, sat knelt next to her master and patted her back.

When Esther's tears finally began to dry out, she turned to the woman.

"I'm afraid I cannot keep my word to you," she asserted. "I must go back to the hall of records."

The handmaiden nodded in approval, unaware of what burden plagued her master, but determined to do all in her power to help bear it.

Esther still wasn't sure where to start with Mordecai's charge, but she knew she must act quickly. She would start with records from the Golden Hall in order to become acquainted with the seven Princes of Persia.

If she ran into the gray-eyed man again, and the man was truly the dangerous person her handmaiden assumed him to be, her work narrowing down a suspect would become even easier.