I was Hadassah before I was Esther. Before the crown, before the throne, before the weight of a nation rested on my shoulders—I was just a girl. A girl who...

Before I became Esther, I was Hadassah. Yes, Hadassah—a small, fragrant myrtle tree, a symbol of righteousness and peace, resilient and steady, but hardly the kind that grows to touch...

The city buzzed with rumors. For days, the streets of Susa had been filled with the murmurs of merchants, the hurried whispers of neighbors, and the occasional exclamations of those...

The journey to the palace felt like a slow march into exile. We were herded into ornate carriages, our lives no longer our own, and though the air was heavy...

Twelve months. That’s how long it took for a simple girl like me to be transformed into what the king might deem worthy. Twelve months of daily rituals, countless oils...

The palace was a world of its own, a labyrinth of glittering halls and towering pillars where every corner echoed with murmurs of power and ambition. In the days following...

Esther 2: 21–23 The palace was alive and hummed with the rhythm of power — the echo of sandals against marble, the soft shuffle of scrolls, the laughter of courtiers...

The air in the palace shifted the day the royal decree was issued. It was not uncommon for officials to rise and fall in the favor of the king, but...

The palace brimmed with its usual opulence, but beneath the surface, tension simmered like an approaching storm. Each day seemed to carry a heavier weight, and the air grew thick...

The news of Haman’s decree had spread like wildfire. The streets of Susa, once filled with the usual bustle of merchants and traders, now carried an undercurrent of fear. I...

The banquet hall glowed with the light of countless lamps, their golden flames dancing against the polished stone walls. Servants moved like shadows, pouring rich wines into goblets and laying...

The great halls of the palace were silent, wrapped in the hush of midnight. Even the ever-burning torches lining the corridors flickered lazily, casting long, sluggish shadows upon the marble...

The tension in the air was nearly suffocating. As I stood in my chambers, the weight of the moment pressing against my chest, I knew there was no turning back....

The sun rose over Susa, casting golden light over a city that had seen the fall of one ruler and the rise of another. Just a day ago, the gallows...

The messengers rode hard, their horses kicking up dust as they carried the king’s decree to every province of Persia. The new law, bearing the royal seal, traveled faster than...

The celebrations had quieted, but their echoes still lingered in the streets of Susa. The scent of feasting still clung to the air, and the laughter of children could still...