CHAPTER
Forty

The king’s actions against Haman sent a ripple of shock through the entire palace of Susa. Amestris took Darius and Artaxerxes to Atossa’s former chambers. She knew Zeresh had been worried, which had caused Amestris to sense trouble brewing, but this! Haman’s screams still rang in her ears, and she sought her mother-in-law’s apartments, farther from the outer walls, for quiet. Please let there be quiet.

“What’s going on, Maman?” Darius asked. “Why is everyone running and crying and whispering?”

She looked at her twelve-year-old son and wrapped one arm about his shoulders. She pulled his brother close with her other hand. “When we get to your grandmother’s rooms, I will tell you.”

Her guards hurried her along, and Amestris’s pulse raced. She had considered Haman a possible ally to help her make Darius co-regent. True, he was young, but kings could never be sure of the future, and though Amestris did not doubt that Darius would rule one day, she wanted control now. She wanted a say in the things Xerxes did. Esther held far too much sway over him, especially if she had the power to have the most influential man in the kingdom executed.

A shiver worked through her. She reached her mother-in-law’s empty chambers and entered. The rooms were still strange without the imposing presence of Atossa, but Amestris felt a connection to the woman here even now.

She closed the door behind them, walked the boys to the center of the room, and sat them beside her on the couch Atossa had once favored. She looked at Darius, then at Artaxerxes. “To answer your questions,” she said, looking again at her firstborn, “your father’s advisor Haman has been executed.” She had imagined a better way to say it, but they would be men soon enough, and they needed to know the truth.

Darius scrunched his brow, a habit Xerxes did when things troubled him. “But why? I thought Pedar liked Haman.”

“He did. But Haman did something that put Queen Esther in danger, and your pedar could not abide such behavior.” Would he have protected Amestris and her sons the same way?

“I like Queen Esther,” Artaxerxes said quietly. “I’m glad Pedar protected her.” The boy, about a year his brother’s junior, was still so innocent. And much too loyal to Esther. Esther had made it a point to get to know all of Xerxes’ children, and Artaxerxes had taken to her quickly and easily.

“Yes, well, Esther is a fine person, and as your father’s wife, she should be protected. Just as you and I should be protected. This is why we have guards who follow us everywhere.” She patted each boy’s hand. “And there are things we must do to ensure that in the future things like this don’t happen again, to any of us.”

“Like what, Maman?” Darius lifted a brow.

“Like finding a wife for you. We must make an alliance with your uncle and wed you to his daughter.” The thought had come to Amestris some time ago, but she loathed Xerxes’ brother Masistes and had held off, considering Darius’s young age. But now she must do something to make Darius’s coming rule secure in case Esther conceived. Esther was clearly Xerxes’ favorite, but Amestris was the mother of his heirs. She must make Xerxes see the importance of this.

“I thought marriage came when I’m older. Like twenty.” Darius twisted to face her. “I don’t want to marry, Maman.”

Amestris smoothed his brow with one hand. “I know, my son. It will only be for legal reasons. You will not be expected to be man and wife until you are of age. But we must have an agreement. And by marrying your cousin, you keep the line of kings in the family as it should be.”

Darius looked unconvinced, but at last he nodded. “My cousin Artaynte, right?”

“That’s right.” The girl was about Darius’s age, the oldest of Masistes’ daughters. “We will send word to Bactria and confer with your uncle. Then I will approach your pedar. For now, let’s allow this mess with Haman to quiet down. Your father will be in no mood to discuss these things until there is peace again. This will be our secret—the three of us.” She pulled each boy close and breathed in their scent, relishing this moment. It was a difficult business raising sons and ensuring their future. But it was one she cherished, and she was not about to let Esther or anyone else stop her from seeing her son sitting one day on his father’s throne.

Mordecai dressed in his best robe and sandals and even added a golden armband. The king’s guards waited in his courtyard, and he wished not for the first time that Levia were there to help him make the best choice of clothing. He had no time to summon one of his daughters-in-law to advise him.

He looked in the bronze mirror, turned side to side, and decided nothing could be done with his hair despite his attempt to trim it. The king could not be kept waiting.

The guards moved at a brisk pace through the streets of Susa, entered the palace gate, and led him to the king’s private chambers. He had been in this room only once, when he had told the king of the plot to kill him. He bowed low before the king, then Esther, hiding his surprise at seeing her seated beside Xerxes on a cushioned couch.

“Mordecai, please sit.” The king pointed to a chair opposite them.

Mordecai did as he was told and folded his hands in his lap.

“Esther has told me of your relationship to her in detail, and as you know, just this morning I was made aware again of how you had saved my life so many years ago. But a ride through Susa’s streets led by your enemy is hardly a just way to honor you.” The king pulled his signet ring from his finger and looked at it. “I can think of no better honor than to put you in charge of all that Haman did for me. You will be the highest official in the kingdom, second to me.”

Xerxes handed his signet ring to Mordecai. Mordecai looked at it, dumbstruck, but held out his hand to accept it lest he seem ungrateful for the offer. He felt the weight of it in his palm, then quickly placed it on his index finger.

“I am honored, my king. I will do whatever you ask.” He bowed his head, feeling as though he should kneel, but Esther spoke before he could do so.

“I am giving you charge of Haman’s property, which the king has kindly given into my possession. You can manage it for me, can you not?” Esther’s smile dissolved any sense of discomfort he felt.

“Of course.” He returned her smile and shifted slightly in his seat. He thought to ask what was to become of Haman’s wife and sons, but the bigger issue remained. The decree that Haman had written in the king’s name still existed. If they could not undo that, the Jews were still in danger of annihilation. But he sensed the king’s mood had shifted, as though he believed the problem had been solved with Haman’s demise.

He looked at the ring again and decided his concerns could wait a few days. He now had the authority to speak directly to the king, and right now, though they had summoned him, he recognized the king’s desire to be alone with Esther.

“I will give you instructions tomorrow,” Esther said, looking from Mordecai to the king.

“Or the next day,” the king said, his gaze fixed on Esther’s.

“If there is nothing else then . . .” Mordecai hesitated, for he did not want to leave them without a dismissal.

“There is nothing else. Welcome to the palace, Mordecai.”

He rose, and an attendant walked him to the door of the king’s chambers.

Outside in the hall, the attendant spoke. “The king will have rooms made for you in the palace. You will use Haman’s official quarters for your business, but sleeping and living quarters will be set up per the queen’s instructions.”

Mordecai nodded. “I will wait to hear from the queen on this matter.” Tonight he would sleep in his own home, which he much preferred.

The ring weighed heavily on his hand as guards escorted him to his residence. They would stand watch until he occupied his new rooms in the palace, where they would guard him. Common sense told him that he had to make the move for the king’s and queen’s convenience. He needed to be accessible to them, and he had no desire to live in Haman’s house. Esther would know that.

He glanced at the stars before passing over the threshold. Thank You for intervening and using my Esther to help her people. I will trust You to complete the work soon.

Whether or not they talked about Him in Susa, God had become very real to Mordecai, and he knew that without Adonai’s intervention, there would have been no night like this one. And without Adonai’s future help, there would be no rescue in days to come.

Esther walked beneath the marble columns of the palace, the light of a new dawn filtering through the latticed windows that marked the eastern wall. Her seven maids walked behind her, quietly talking among themselves. Esther ignored the chatter. Weeks had passed since Haman’s death and Mordecai’s new promotion to ruling high official. Weeks that had seen a change in her status with Xerxes, the nobles, and the women of the harem, but had seen no change in the edict against her people. And Mordecai reminded her often that something more must be done.

The prospect of going again before the king to beg for one more favor did not sit well within her. And then her monthly time had prevented her from coming into his presence, so she had lain awake many a night praying, but no answer came. She needed a distraction.

“Are you sure you want to visit the children?” Parisa said, drawing up beside her. Extra guards walked with them, as Xerxes had doubled the number since Haman’s plot was uncovered. If she could, she would call for her family and visit her nieces and nephews again. But for now, the children of Xerxes would have to fill the emptiness she often felt with no child of her own. At least she could enjoy watching the children and feel somewhat normal again.

She glanced at her maid, her closest friend in this place. “Yes, I’m sure. They bring joy, and right now I need to stop thinking about what to do next.” All she did these days was think, give orders, confer with Mordecai, and pray about how to approach her husband one more time. Things were going so well between them. How could she risk ruining that?

“I am sure they will be happy to see you.” Parisa showed Esther a bag filled with playthings for the youngest of Xerxes’ children. “Shirin has the gifts for the older ones, if they are there.”

Esther nodded and smiled, her step lighter as they drew closer to the king’s harem and the area where the children lived with their mothers or were tutored by the king’s eunuchs. She followed her guards into the common area and listened as Hathach announced her presence. Doors opened and Xerxes’ children hurried to greet her. Another more ornate door, set apart from the others and not as readily connected to the harem, opened moments later. Amestris entered the courtyard, dressed in regal attire.

“She still resents you,” Parisa whispered in her ear.

Esther glanced at the woman who should have been queen, if she’d had her way. “I know. She is, after all, the mother of Xerxes’ heir.” Xerxes had told her that Vashti’s son had visited him on a rare trip to Persepolis, but the boy would never be king, even if Xerxes wanted him to be. Atossa had made sure of that by bringing Amestris into Xerxes’ life.

As Esther met Amestris’s gaze, she sensed not only animosity but also fear in the woman’s expression. Did she think Esther would bear a son to take Darius’s place?

She turned again to the children and distributed the gifts she had brought. Some of the mothers thanked her while most remained silent. Of course, they did not speak because she was their queen and must speak to them first.

She looked at Parisa. “I don’t know what to say to them.” For the first time since Xerxes had chosen her as queen, she felt as though she had fallen from a sense of favor to one of fear. She held power she had never known before. The king had listened to her over Haman, and no woman had ever held such sway over the king in all of the years these women had known him. Even Vashti could not have persuaded him against Xerxes’ nobles. But Esther, by God’s grace, had prevailed against Haman.

“Perhaps just smile and greet them,” Parisa whispered.

Esther nodded, then turned to each woman, smiled, and asked how they fared and if they needed anything. She spent the morning getting to know these women who had shared her husband’s bed—some more than once—and had borne him children but did not hold his heart. Not even his rightful wife, Amestris.

When she turned to Amestris, she was surprised the woman had waited. Her sons were nowhere to be seen. Esther masked her disappointment, for she had come to favor Artaxerxes.

“Amestris,” Esther said, offering her a genuine smile. “Thank you for waiting.”

“You are the queen. I would not want my husband to discover that I dishonored his wife.” Her tone matched the narrowed look in her dark eyes.

“He would not have discovered such a thing from me.” Esther clasped her ringed hands together. “I am surprised Darius and Artaxerxes are not with you.”

Amestris’s eyes narrowed further. “They left early with their tutors.” She clamped her lips shut, obviously unwilling to say more.

“Well, thank you for the visit. I wish your boys well as they prepare to help their father.” Esther took a step back.

“And one day rule in his place,” Amestris said, as though the news was something Esther needed to be reminded of.

“Of course. Xerxes fully expects Darius to follow in his steps.” He did, didn’t he? She had spoken for the king without truly knowing what he thought. If she were to bear a son, might his thinking change? Would the people accept a half-Persian, half-Jewish king?

“A fact I have ensured he will not forget.” Amestris’s eyes held a calculating look.

Esther debated whether to say more, whether to show her ignorance of what had gone on in the king’s chambers during her seclusion two weeks before. “I wish you well then.” She turned before she could appear curious and left the court, her robes and her maids trailing behind her.

When they were far down the hall, nearing her chambers, she turned to Parisa. “What do you think she meant? What did I miss these past few weeks?”

Parisa glanced about, then spoke quietly. “Amestris spent time with the king while you were secluded. Rumor has it that they have sent to Bactria to secure a bride for Darius—a cousin, daughter of the king’s brother. The marriage will make the kingdom stronger and Darius’s right to rule greater. No doubt Amestris has planned it all along.”

“But Darius is still a child of twelve.” Such things were done, of course, but Esther still found what went on in royal circles unsettling. Would Amestris wish Xerxes dead just so her son could reign and Amestris could help him rule? If something happened to Xerxes, what would happen to Esther, to Mordecai? To her people if this edict was not revoked?

“It is an alliance in name only for now. But it is not unusual,” Parisa said, interrupting her thoughts.

“No doubt Amestris is quite pleased with herself.” Esther reached her rooms and entered after the guards opened and inspected the area. She sank onto her couch as servants brought her food and cool water.

“She has been scheming to be queen since she married the king. For whatever reason, the king will not give her what she desires, so no doubt she pines for the day when her son will rule.” Parisa offered her a tray of cheese and figs.

“Well, there is nothing to be done about it, and what happens in the future with the next king is not my immediate concern. It is time I meet with my father again to go over some plans that cannot wait.” She glanced at Hathach.

“I shall summon him right away.” He turned to leave, but Esther stayed him with a hand.

“Wait a bit.” She fingered a slice of goat cheese, staring at it as though it held the answers to her silent prayers. “I need some time alone first.”

Hathach nodded and returned to his place along the wall near her gardens. He would watch her as she strode about the grounds. And prayed. Time alone meant she needed Adonai, and she needed guidance as only He could give. If only He would give it.