They called me beloved of the empire.A vision. A jewel. A queen. They draped me in silk, painted my lips with crushed berries, lined my eyes with kohl to make them wider — so I could better gaze upon my king. But no one ever asked what I saw. Let me tell you what I […]
Chapter 1: The Crown and the Cage Read Post »
HEGAI I saw her first.Before the perfume, before the crown, before anyone else noticed. She was the girl who asked for less.And somehow, became more. She never tried to conquer the palace.She simply stood inside it with such grace, it bent around her. And when she left my care…I knew I would never see another
I once believed in duty.I wore the uniform. I stood still. Spoke only when summoned. I believed that loyalty protected a man — even one like me, a shadow in silk. I was wrong. In this palace, loyalty is currency.And when you run out of favor, it buys you nothing. They Called Us Watchmen Watchmen.
Chapter 5: Teresh – The Final Whisper Read Post »
They call us “keepers of the king’s threshold.”Guards. Watchmen.Whatever the title, it means the same thing:We stand while others live. I am Bigthan.I have stood outside the king’s private chambers for fifteen years. I watched his robes change. Watched queens come and go. Watched the wine flow and the empire forget. And I’ve grown tired
Chapter 4: Bigthan – Before the Plot Broke Read Post »
I was born to serve behind veils. To walk where men do not.To speak softly, observe everything, and leave no trace. To be there, yet never truly seen. I am Hathak, royal eunuch.Assigned to the queen. Trusted with silence. But even silence trembles when the fate of a people hangs on a whisper. She Called
Chapter 3: Hathak – The Messenger Between Worlds Read Post »
They call my part of the palace the quiet wing. It is not.It is full of silk and bitterness. I am Shaashgaz, eunuch of the second house of women — the ones who’ve had their moment and returned without favor.The concubines.The beautiful, forgotten. I oversee a place built not on hope, but on the fading
Chapter 2: Shaashgaz – The Ones Left Behind Read Post »
They came by the hundreds. Girls from every province — frightened, painted, perfumed, chosen. I had seen it before. Each time the king hungered for something new, the search widened, and the palace filled with the scent of uncertainty and rosewater. Some came weeping. Others came smiling with practiced charm. But most… came empty-eyed, willing
Chapter 1: Hegai — The Girl Who Asked for Less Read Post »
I once knew a man who walked taller than his name. He thought himself above kings, above whispers, above the laws of cause and consequence. He was clever, charming, cunning — and mine. I was proud of him once. I helped him rise. I watched him drink power like wine, and I refilled the cup.
Zeresh – The Silence After Read Post »
The March of Shame I had always imagined death would be distant. A possibility, yes — but not a certainty. Certainly not like this. Dragged through the streets I once ruled. Faces turned toward me not with fear, but with relief. The man they once bowed to… now reduced to a cautionary tale. Children stopped
Chapter 7: The Weight of the Wood Read Post »
The Weight in the Air I tried to hold my head high.I tried to wash off the scent of humiliation. But as I entered the queen’s chambers for the second banquet, I could feel it —The shift. The same hall, the same servants, the same golden goblets.But something in the air had thickened. Esther’s smile
Chapter 6: The Accusation Read Post »
A Monument to My Revenge It rose through the night like a tower of justice. Fifty cubits of sharpened timber — a throne for the man who dared defy me. The gallows were no secret.I made no effort to hide them. I wanted everyone in Susa to see it.To know what happened to men who
Chapter 5: The Gallows Read Post »
An Invitation Like No Other When the summons came from Queen Esther, I thought it was a mistake. “A private banquet,” they said.“Only the king and you, Haman.” I laughed aloud. Only me?In all the empire — advisers, generals, princes — she had chosen me to sit beside the king at her table? This was
Chapter 4: A Feast with the Queen Read Post »
The Sound of Stones and Satisfaction They tell me the gods guide fate through stars and omens. But I prefer something simpler:The roll of stone against stone. When we cast the pur — the lots — it felt sacred to the scribes. They bowed their heads, whispered prayers, watched the dice as if waiting for
Chapter 3: Casting the Pur Read Post »
The Stain in the Crowd There is nothing more blinding than uniform reverence — except its absence. When I walked through the gate, I expected nothing but what I had earned: bowed heads, lowered eyes, mouths silent in my presence. And yet, there he stood. Not kneeling.Not nodding.Not even blinking. He didn’t curse. He didn’t
Chapter 2: The Man Who Would Not Bow Read Post »
They whisper my name now. Haman.Son of Hammedatha.The Agagite. They say it with fear, with admiration, with resentment. That last one — I don’t mind. Resentment is a quieter kind of respect. It means they know I’ve risen higher than they dared to reach. Let them whisper.Let them bow. It is what we were owed,
Chapter 1: The Agagite’s Blood Read Post »
The streets are filled with music again. Every year when Adar arrives, it’s as if the city forgets the weight of winter and remembers joy. Children run with masks and crowns, laughter spilling into alleyways like water into dry ground. The poor receive gifts, the widows share feasts, and strangers become family around shared bread.
Mordecai: At the Edge of the Celebration Read Post »
The Queen Who Saved a People There are days I walk past the palace, long after the noise has faded and the memory of war has softened into stories. Children play in the street wearing paper crowns.Vendors shout, “Purim pastries!”And the sound of laughter echoes through a city that once stood on the edge of
Chapter 10: Esther’s Legacy Read Post »
The Day We Were Meant to Die The thirteenth day of the twelfth month — Adar — had been a shadow on our calendar.A date we had whispered with dread.A day that was meant to be our end. I remember waking before the sun that morning. The city of Susa was silent, as if the
Chapter 9: The Legacy of Purim Read Post »
The Royal Ring I never imagined I would be summoned to the inner court. One moment, I was standing at the king’s gate in sackcloth, still mourning the edict that threatened us all. The next, a royal messenger approached — no fear in his voice this time, only honor. “The king has called for you.”
Chapter 8: Mordecai’s Honor, My Hope Read Post »
An Invitation to Justice It was quiet that morning. Too quiet.I stood at the king’s gate as I always did, though today the air held tension — like something sacred was about to break open. The second banquet had been arranged.Esther had delayed her request once before, but this time, I sensed… it would happen.
Chapter 7: The Second Banquet Read Post »
