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‘From here you can see the royal jets.’ Kumu pointed. ‘The palace has its own runway and there is the landing pad where we just came from. Here is where you might see a royal returning from a function or overseas trip.’
‘And I thought they just sat around eating grapes,’ Maggie said, and then worried that her humour might be misconstrued as rude, but Kumu laughed.
‘Oh, there is plenty of that too. Come, I will show you the main entrance where dignitaries are greeted.’
It too was amazing.
The huge display of flowers, on closer inspection, turned out to be jewels. And the hummingbirds that drank the nectar were gold encrusted with rubies and emeralds.
She could gaze upon that display alone for hours, yet there was still so much to see. There were huge marble pillars and the ceiling was so high Maggie had to extend her head back fully to see it; she stood like that for several moments utterly in awe. It was as if Michelangelo had spent half his lifetime right here in Zayrinia, for the artwork on the ceiling was breathtaking.
‘Come and see the portraits,’ Kumu said, and Maggie found herself looking up at a huge portrait of a very forbidding-looking man and his wife.
The queen was younger in the portrait than the woman Maggie had seen briefly, but though very beautiful there was still a coldness to her eyes.
There was another painting of them with their children. Ilyas must have been about eleven or twelve, Maggie guessed, but he had been an old head on young shoulders even then. She looked right into the beautifully captured intense hazel eyes and then smiled at his serious expression.
Of course it was not returned!
The surprise, though, was Hazin, for she had expected a cheeky smile or a glimpse of the wild prince to come but, no, he stood rigid and formal, and as impeccably groomed as his older brother.
And then Maggie’s throat seemed to close a little, for the next portrait was of a very young Hazin and his bride.
‘She was beautiful,’ Maggie said.
‘And kind.’ Kumu sighed. ‘She always had a smile for me and said thank you...’ Maggie glanced sideways and saw that there were actually tears in Kumu’s eyes.
Maggie guessed that smiles and kind words were somewhat missing here.
‘Princess Petra was so happy on her wedding day,’ Kumu said as she gazed at the young bride. ‘She loved Hazin so very much.’
They moved along, even if Maggie would have loved to linger and find out more.
It wasn’t her place to, though.
Oh, how could she bear to leave? Maggie thought, for the palace and its many secrets had won her heart too.
‘And here is our future king.’ Kumu’s voice was proud as she introduced a formal portrait of Ilyas. Maggie felt her throat tighten as she saw a side to Ilyas she had never seen before. On his arm was a falcon and he was dressed like a warrior. ‘Here the crown prince wears the traditional attire of the al-Razims yet the setting is less formal, for he loves the desert and is a skilled falconer.’
No matter what they had shared in the desert, there was so much that she didn’t know about him, Maggie thought.
He was dressed in black, as he had been on the night they had met, but unlike then there was a heavy sword to his side and thekafeyahwas black and tied with a silver cord. Maggie had known he was imposing; there had been no doubt the night they had met. But perhaps now, for the first time, Maggie truly understood just how unattainable he was.
He would be king.
She would have stared at the painting for hours if she could. Soon Maggie was shown the ancient stone benches where the forefathers had first sat as they’d met to discuss the running of this beautiful land.
‘And there is ahammambeneath?’ Maggie asked, carefully avoiding the real question, for she was desperate to hear about the harem!
‘Oh, yes, thehammamis stunning.’ Kumu nodded. ‘You shall go there this afternoon.’
‘Really?’
‘Of course. All our guests love to visit thehammam—it is the highlight of their trip!’ Kumu said as she walked Maggie back to her suite. ‘There you can unwind and be pampered in preparation for your journey home. I shall come and collect you around four if that is suitable for you?’
Oh, yes!
* * *
