There was much gaiety in the maiden’s chamber. Servant girls twirled and tittered around one small figure. The bedding was strewn with vibrant colors. Red, blue, yellow and rose robes and veils were chosen one by one to adorn the trembling young woman.

Olive oil was combed through her raven hair. “It is most nourishing my mistress,” one of the servants chattered. Pearls and feathers were woven into braids becoming a natural crown.

“You will see. The Sultan will summon you tonight, mistress. You are the most favored maiden in his entire harem. His servants have been watching you. It is they who have ordered the goat’s milk baths which soften your skin; the vials of the purest fragrances to sweeten your aroma. He is waiting for you; you have achieved his favor.”

The girl trembled again, whether from fear or from anticipation we cannot say. Yet the slightest smile turned up her lips as she gazed into the mirror placed in front of her. The maids touched her lips with red and smudged kohl around her eyes. Costly gems were dotted upon her bronze skin in appealing patterns.

The final touch was the rose veil placed over her face. More titters went up as all the servants nodded approval of their mistress.

“It is time, mistress.”

She looked up to see the chief eunuch standing at the entrance. Shakily she stood and waited to see what his eyes would tell her. He simply nodded and turned away. The servants pushed her toward him and bowed as she passed.

The path to Sultan’s tent was lighted by torch and strewn with tightly woven rugs. The slightest breeze ruffled her veils and caused goose bumps to rise on her arms beneath the gauzy sleeves.

The eunuch lifted the tent flap and stepped back as the maiden stepped over the threshold.

“Come to me child,” a deep voice rumbled. She glanced back once to the eunuch, straightened her shoulders and went to meet her Sultan.
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Written for the first Trifecta Writing Challenge. Each week a one word challenge will be posted – the third definition of that word is the meaning of the challenge word. This week the word is SUMMON and the challenge is to write between 33 and 333 words using that word in that definition.

Fun, right? Your turn.
🙂

3 responses

  1. Lance says:

    Please tell me she “walked like an eqyptian”

    just kidding

    I like the details and the movement. Realy well crafted.

  2. Tara R. says:

    I’m glad to see you’re doing this challenge too. I liked this very much. Wonderful imagery.

  3. Trifecta says:

    Thanks so much for submitting to Trifecta in our first week. I really enjoyed this piece. You painted a very vivid picture – the smells, the colors and the sounds were all beautifully described. It was like being a fly on the wall!

    I’ve also just read ‘About the Moose’. I think having the Moose in Trifecta every week is going to be a whole lot of fun…

    Looking forward to next week.

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