He paused as the room erupted in a storm of growls and shouts of agreement. Many in the chamber had been alive during the last of the Saudi/Wahabbi occupations little more than forty years previously, and had no wish for a repeat of the bitter experience.
“Nor,” Nasir continued when the tumult had died down, “do I, like yourselves, feel their violent and intolerant way of life is one any Narashi would willingly undertake. It is our family’s duty to safeguard the well-being – even perhaps, the happiness, as far as that is possible – of all in Narash. I do not see that well-being, even less so the happiness, being protected under ibn Saud and his Wahabbi supporters. Their cold, hard and joyless way of life, their violent interpretation of the Koran and the words of the Prophet, blessed be his name, are all alien to us in Narash, and I wish it to remain so. That, I see, as our first, perhaps only, duty.” He paused and then continued. “Indeed, we are a family that is blessed with many talents. Talents we need in these fearsome days we now live in. It is also true that without strong leadership from within the family, Narash will fall, if not this month, this year, then soon. I say from within the family, but in reality I mean by the family. But should we choose one of us over another, the successful man will not have the full support of his defeated rivals, or the family groupings they represent. I say, and say clearly, we can stay united as a family only by uniting behind Talal and what he represents. Only then can each family faction feel it will have an equal chance to be heard, have influence over Narash’s future.” Again he paused for effect.
“My kinsman,” here he gestured to Abdul, “and I have had disagreements on many issues and will, I have no doubt, continue to do so.” He smiled briefly at Abdul and received the faintest of smiles in return, “but I tell you publicly, that I applaud his wisdom, which putting aside any understandable bitterness he may feel, has him seeing clearly the only safe route for us to travel.”
He stopped speaking and raised his hands to signal that he had finished.
Zahirah and Firyal, invisible behind their screens allowed themselves smiles compounded in equal parts of pride and admiration. Firyal, however, glancing across at the younger woman, saw something she’d not expected, a shadow, swiftly disguised, of something else; something else entirely.
Badr indicated he now wished to speak. The gathering let him and heard him out with the courtesy his rank and reputation entitled him to. But it wasn’t enough. Nasir’s words had hit a chord, several chords, and, as he’d intended, a prime one was equality of influence under Talal’s rule; something that each faction in the room knew would not be theirs should a rival grouping triumph. Badr recognised something of this, so was content to speak briefly, setting out a marker should a new ruler become necessary.
Then he ended his short speech with his own master-stroke. He advised the gathering to confirm Talal as their new Emir.
Chapter Nine
A sheikh almost as old as Abdullah, and in ill-health, was heard to mutter loudly that one more shock would finish him off. He had a sympathetic audience. Lovers of the dramatic and theatrical though they were, many men felt they’d had more than enough to last a lifetime. To get them one after another in one meeting was, all were beginning to feel, somewhat excessive.
Caught off guard by Badr’s sudden proposal, Zahirah and Firyal exchanged alarmed, almost frightened, glances. Their rival’s swift reading of the assembly’s intentions, and his even swifter response, ensured that whilst his proposal bowed to the inevitable, the making of it put him in the strongest position for what came next.
And what came next, came quickly.
Even before Talal could be confirmed Omar, a long-time ally of Badr’s, and almost as fast a thinker, spoke quickly. “A truly wise and magnificent gesture, which I’m sure we will all concur with. Talal will doubtless become as great a leader and warrior as his father was, in time,” he added, after the briefest of pauses. “During the time before that day comes, however, he will need the guidance and support of the best amongst us and who would be better or stronger than Badr? I would therefore suggest that our brother becomes the boy’s regent.”
Ay! Zahirah and Firyal had anticipated that the suggestion would arise if, or when, Badr saw that he couldn’t yet have the supreme prize by direct means, but not that it would be proposed so swiftly. They’d also been caught unawares by his masterly strategy of proposing the boy’s elevation himself. He was, they knew, now unstoppable. And Talal’s life would count for nothing. He would, they were chillingly aware, be dead within three months. Badr, already the regent, would then be unassailable and would step easily and unchallenged into the dead boy’s shoes, however bloody his hands were. So stunned were they by the rapid and dangerous turn of events, that they, at first, didn’t hear what the next speaker was saying. When they did hear, they couldn’t believe what their ears were telling them.
“An excellent suggestion, Brother, and one we should all accept and be grateful for. To have the experience and prowess of such an uncle to draw on in the difficult days we know we face can only be a relief to Talal, indeed, to us all.”
They, along with the rest of the gathering, listened in stunned astonishment as Nasir spoke and supported his half-brother’s elevation. All knew the consequences to the young boy seated next to him, the boy he’d sworn only minutes before to loyally support, consequences that he, they were chillingly aware, was also fully aware of.
Nasir paused, again gauging the effect his words were having, then continued. “But the burden is great and, in these warlike times no man’s life is secure. What would happen should something happen to Badr, before Talal becomes of age? We’ve seen how we have nearly torn ourselves apart this time. Next time would only be worse. We must avoid the risk at all costs. I suggest therefore the burden of the regency be shared. And,” he continued, gambling everything on one last desperate throw, “because I love Talal and respect Badr, I would offer myself to share that burden and be co-regent with my brother.”
Zahirah’s black eyes gleamed as she took in Nasir’s audacious move. Badr would not welcome a sharing, a diminution, of his powers as regent. The question now, was would the rest of the family see it as the only way left open to curb the already powerful prince. Or would Badr’s supporters use the assembly’s jealousy of Nasir, his youth and his known closeness to Talal and herself, to fight off his challenge? Such was the importance of the issue that every second seemed to stretch into minutes, but, in truth, she didn’t have long to wait for her answer. Although everyone had been caught unawares by Badr’s move, Talal’s supporters suddenly found themselves joined by other factions who were as keen to avoid a too powerful Badr as they were.
The roar of acclamation that greeted Nasir’s proposal was more than enough to drown out Badr’s friends and Nasir was appointed joint regent with his older half-brother. As he turned to look at Talal, he just hoped that he had the strength and guile to keep the boy alive for the next few years.
Chapter Ten
Winter 1915-16
“So, the moment has arrived,” said Zahirah quietly, as she finished reading the letter Nasir had passed to her and Firyal, as they sat in the quiet luxury of one of the side rooms of Firyal’s large apartments.
“Indeed, child, indeed. But is it a moment of opportunity or of danger?” queried Firyal, breathing with difficulty, her lungs clogged, her voice weak, but her mind as sharp and as clear as ever. “Because the others will follow, you can be sure of that. Each will now be wanting our support. Should we choose wrongly we will pay a heavy price.”
Zahirah nodded as she handed the letter back to Nasir, who at her urging had learned to read. “Only your own eyes can tell you if what your advisors say in the letter is true. Trust your own eyes before another’s words,” she’d said in explanation.
He re-read the letter with incredulity, but beyond emitting another sharp snort of disbelief, said nothing. Again under Zahirah’s tutelage, he was learning to think before speaking, a novel way of behavin
g and one he was not yet sure he liked over-much.
“We must meet with them, of course, and as soon as they arrive. We can’t be seen to be reluctant; not until we have heard what they have to say,” Zahirah responded quietly.
“We must meet with them because they are our long-standing allies,” flashed Badr. “To say or think otherwise is to ignore our history and our obligations to a long time friend!”
“Perhaps. But we should also ensure that our present day needs and interests are still as they were,” Firyal responded quietly.
Badr said nothing. Although he had, reluctantly, accepted Nasir as his co-regent, he found it all but impossible to accept the open exchange of views the others didn’t now give a second thought to. Talal, also, he saw with silent fury, took it as normal for the women to have a say in affairs. Badr didn’t, and was still, after several months, very uneasy. He had, however, swiftly realised that if he didn’t attend the informal gatherings, they would continue without him, so he recognised that he had little option but to participate. Much formal decision-making was taken in the family-wide majlis and would continue to be so until Talal came of age, but little that the inner group didn’t want to happen, did actually happen.
“Events must be going much in their favour for them to be able to travel so far south,” Nasir commented.
“I understand that the embassy will arrive by tomorrow. Their caravan is expected to reach us by early afternoon, so we have little time to prepare our response,” interjected Isaac worriedly.
“Do we need time?” snorted Nasir, at last giving voice to his impatience. “The way they ran at al Hofuf almost three years ago tells me the Ottoman are no longer fighters it’s wise to side with!”
“We must meet them. I agree there’s little time to prepare our response but we need scarcely do that at the first meeting anyway. And to be fair, Nasir, we’ve known this day would come, so our thoughts have been much on the issue before this,” responded Firyal calmly. “Although we all would wish that this hadn’t come so soon after Talal became our emir. Allah knows, we have struggle enough on our hands reinforcing that, without this, this, new burden, but…” she ended, shrugging fatalistically.
“I too would wish it otherwise, but events have ensured we will not have that respite, I fear,” responded Zahirah. She, knowing even more how insecure their grip on the throne still was, was even more alarmed than Firyal. She knew, however, that their freedom of movement scarcely existed in this, the bigger, conflict, threatening to sweep over the entire region. “You are right – we can be very sure the other party to this great war of theirs will also soon come knocking on our door. We are suddenly in great demand, are we not!” she laughed, with little real mirth. “One thing is certain, we have great and dangerous choices soon to be placed before us, and we will have little time in which to make that choice, little time at all,” she added.
Events subsequently proved how right she was.
***
The nail-studded double doors to the great central meeting chamber were thrown open and, with some fanfare and much dignity, the representatives of the Ottoman Empire strode into the room and down the aisle between the seated notables. The Ambassador, and most of his delegation striding in behind him, were in full military uniform, medals glittering in the harsh sunlight that poured in from the great window embrasures. In the middle of the day, only the room’s many fans, ensuring the constant movement of which was the prime duty of a number of slaves, kept its murderous heat at bay, allowing the occupants to breathe with at least some degree of comfort.
Zahirah and Nasir had won the battle to have Talal always present on such formal occasions. As they said, he could learn little of ruling otherwise, and so it was that he sat on the raised dais flanked by his two uncles. As agreed, all would listen to what the embassy said, but only Badr or Nasir would actually speak in public. Nasir, as impassive as the others in the chamber, suddenly had to fight hard to control his features as his eyes came to rest on the tall, slim figure immediately behind the heavily built, middle-aged ambassador. The other person made no such attempt and his broad grin brought an answering one from Nasir.
Kerim!
Remembering protocol, he fought back his instinct to leap off the dais and embrace his friend. Instead he merely smiled warmly and remained seated by his nephew as the embassy reached the foot of the dais. The leader gave a slight bow to Talal, who nodded gravely back and courteously indicated the rich cushioning on the floor for them to be seated.
After some small talk and the obligatory offering and consumption of refreshments, all served on the most opulent of Firyal’s many serving dishes, the Ambassador’s tone changed. “Highness, Lords, it is good to again be with men from a tribe long our allies,” he began. “We had hoped that we would, by now, be joined together with our brothers in battle,” he added pointedly. “We do understand of course, the shocking impact that the tragic death of your valiant father has had upon Narash.” he nodded respectfully to Talal who, as tutored, kept his face blank of all emotion as he gazed calmly back at the much older man. “That those events could do little but delay any riding to join us is entirely understandable.” he paused, then continued. “It is now some months since that dark day, however, and I understand that, grievous as the loss was, Narash is now attempting to move on, recover from the grief and the blow that such an event inevitably caused.” He paused momentarily and then went to the heart of the reason for their presence. “Our Caliph and Sultan wishes me to ask when we may expect the warriors of Narash to be again riding by our side? As your friends, the Rashid, are already doing,” he ended, again, pointedly.
Ya Allah! So quickly to the heart of the matter! Things must indeed be reaching a turning point for such speed, thought Nasir as, his impassivity now firmly back in place, he gazed down at the embassy from the slight prominence of the dais, as Badr responded.
“We thank you for your words, Ambassador. It has indeed been a grievous time and one we are only now moving away from. So, your visit is timely,” smiled Badr, his smile carefully filled with little real warmth. Friend he might be, but he was also a skilled negotiator, and well-knew the value of apparent disinterest, especially in that which one most desired. “You ask when we can be riding again by your side. This gives us some difficulty on a number of fronts. We understand that war has now much changed. Our swords and old rifles, whilst still more than enough for fighting insolent Bedu, even ibn Saud, are no match for what we hear has now arrived in our land. And to purchase such weapons would take time. And much gold,” he added pointedly.
Behind the screens, Zahirah and Firyal exchanged a smile. They had arrived at what was, for them, one of the crucial points of the entire meeting.
“And we would not wish our allies to suffer any disadvantage against our common enemy,” the envoy responded smoothly, his harsh features softened into the smooth folds of diplomacy “We would, of course, supply all that you would need.” He paused before continuing. “And gold to purchase whatever else is needed to ensure your men are equipped as befitting their valour,” he ended, with what he thought a poetic flourish, but what his audience regarded as mere flummery obscuring the main point of their interest.
“We appreciate the offer,” responded Badr politely. “Of course, such new weaponry takes time to properly master, so should we decide to again join our friends, there would be some delay before we could ride by their sides,” he ended, blandly.
The ambassador nodded, well aware he was being played. He also knew that to stay in the game he would have to play by his hosts’ rules. “That is appreciated,” he rejoined smoothly. “And to shorten such a time, I have with me, on our caravan, some few weapons which could be used by your warriors to hone their skills. And, of course, some funds to aid your necessary equipping,” he added, on receiving nothing back from his first announcement.
“We thank our friends,” responded Nasir gravely, hiding his delight on getting access to more of the modern weaponry h
e, and those fighters closest to him, had already had experience with, though with frustratingly few actual rifles between them.
The ambassador nodded briefly. “With your fighters’ well known skill and courage, I doubt it will be long before you are fully confident in riding by our side,” he added, his blandness matching, if not surpassing, Badr’s and Nasir’s.
“Indeed, not. Once we have further consulted within our own ranks and with our allies, we hope to renew our long-standing alliance,” Badr responded.
The ambassador made a great show of looking surprised. “Surely there is little need for such conversations? After all, Turkey and Narash have been allies for tens upon tens upon tens of years!” As well as being a serving soldier, he was also a diplomat and so was easily able to make his surprise look genuine. Being also very able, however, he was entirely au fait with the fact that things were changing in Arabia and beyond, and, in recent years, not to his country’s advantage. That said, he was equally aware that the balance had, at last, been moving back in the Turkish favour, in the latter at least, and events not too far to the north of them were putting immense pressure on the British-Indian forces in the region.
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