In the following scene, the Moorish princess Fatima has gone to see a gypsy fortune-teller...The gypsy stared into the cup and after a brief interval, she pronounced, “The future of Gharnatah lies within you.”
Fatima smiled at her companions. "You see? An answer, if I can call it such, without any meaning. Just as I expected.” She stood and looked down her nose at the gypsy.
“Can your leaves tell you anything about me?”
The woman stated, “Nothing you would believe, princess of Gharnatah.”
Nur al-Sabah pecked at her arm and whispered something, but Fatima stilled her and leaned toward the gypsy. “Why do you call me a princess?”
“It is what you are. As I have said, the future of Gharnatah lies within you. Already, you carry one of its heirs in your womb, your son, who shall become the Sultan of Gharnatah.”
Shams ed-Duna pressed her hand against Fatima’s shoulder, but Fatima shrugged her stepmother off. “If you knew anything of me, you would know that no child of mine could ever be Sultan. It is treason to suggest it, when the Sultan already has an heir. Besides, I would know if I am with child.”
“I speak only of what I see, noble one. You are a princess of Gharnatah. You carry a son. One day, he shall become the Sultan. Such is the fate that awaits you, whether you would wish it or not.”
No comments:
Post a Comment