Five years earlier on her 16th birthday, Azad was given a precious set of pink diamond earrings and intoduced to a secret that very few ever knew about. Her mothers favourite, she was destined to become the castodian of the rare pink diamonds of Amazonia. The first person to wear such a pink diamond outside Africa was the Queen of Sheba.

 

Princess Azad is a young women now, and the last two years of grueling military training has toned her body into a firm athletic shape. Many girls in those days and especially those of royal descent, were expected to undergo military training and became officers in the different branches of the Persian war machine. This morning she was relaxing in a nice warm bath and the pink diamonds were the last thing on her mind. Azad's mind kept going back to their archery training in the wooded hills of the Zagros Mountains. The bow and arrow is her favorite weapon and their archery instructor probably the favorite image in her mind lately. He must be a good 10 years older than them, with strong broad shoulders and an easy friendly smile.

 

It is quiet in her bathing chamber now that she has asked her hand maidens to leave her alone for a while. She wants to dream for a little and mostly about archery and the wildness and beauty of the forest. The air seemed so fresh and invigorating, the water sweet and refreshing, the whole forest was bursting with life that summer and she herself felt more alive there, than ever before.

 

A familiar warmness is rising in her body and she can feel the keenness with which she anticipates even the simple memory of him. She pulls the soft cloth lightly up against her inner thigh, over her flat tummy and ends up circling her perky breasts until her nipples are towering above them in anticipation. How she would love to be with him again. They have only been apart for a few weeks now and already it feels like a lifetime. She has never felt this way about any man, not ever, and it will be very hard for any man to take his place in her heart. How she enjoyed his touch, those strong arms and firm steady hands. Hands that can draw an arrow to split a pomegranate at 50 paces, yet with her they were as gentle as a summer breeze. Her hand reaches down under the warm water in an attempt to relieve the pain of her unfulfilled desire, when suddenly she heard someone entering the room.

 

She sits up abruptly to see who could be so brave as to enter without permission. The disappointment mixed with anger makes her look towards her sword and dagger lying on a cabinet against the wall. Her fury immediately subsides when she hears the familiar voice of Hannah, her mothers trusted maid. This woman practically raised her and feels just like a mother to her.

 

“Your highness, your presence and that of your three trusted companions is urgently required at the chambers of the Royal Mother and almighty Queen of all of Persia.”

 

“Why are you here Hannah, why did you not send one of the messengers to call me?”

 

“My gracious lady, this is a matter of great importance to our beautiful Queen Roxanna, something that she entrusted only to me. Please be at her chambers no later than the noon of this day my Shahbanu” (which means lady in this context).

 

“Thank you Hannah. May we offer you some tea?”

 

“No Shahzadi (meaning princess), please forgive me if I decline your generous offer. I have to make haste and find your three companions this very instant.”

 

Next thing the usually talkative Hannah was out of the room and gone again. Azad sinks back into the water and tries to pick up the fantasy with the attractive archery instructor. She pictures the muscles on his arms and chest, she even strokes the scar on his shoulder but her loins refuse to come to the party. Next she thinks about his soft mouth on hers – on her breasts – between her legs! Still the warmness evades her. Next she pulls out all the stops by reaching under his tunic to guide his rock-hard penis deep into her. But it is all in vain, her mind keeps deserting her and jumps to her mother and this important meeting at noon today. She finally gives up and resents the fact that the magic is gone. She shouts at her hand-maidens and they come running into the room.

 

The year is 332 BCE, it was a very warm and busy year in all of Persia. Huge construction projects have come to fruition after decades of hard work and a heavy burden of taxes on all the provinces of the Persian Empire. The Imperial Army was kept busy with many small uprisings and the increasing threat of those arrogant Macedonians on the western border of the Empire. The summer and the goddess Ishtar gave the country a good harvest and the people of Persia will be able to eat well all through the winter. In the beautiful city of Susha, the residence and winter capital of the basileus, his highness King Darius, the Shahanshah of Persia, (meaning King of Kings), the excitement is growing by the day. In the fountains and ponds, in and around the city, the local water lilies are in bloom. Babylon might have its famous “hanging gardens” but nothing comes close to Susha (which means water lily) when she is in full bloom and ready to receive the Shah (or King). Everything in and around the city got cleaned and polished and on days like these people say that Susha is the most beautiful city in the whole world.

 

On the way to the Shahbanu's Palace (Empress's Palace), Azad enjoys the view of her magnificent city with its many canals and palm trees. She enjoys the warm air on her skin and as her gaze floats over Solomon's Hill, her mind just briefly joins the archery instructor in the Zagros Mountains. How she would love to spend her summers in those mountains, where they could swim in the Crystal Pools and play under the veil of the Zhevi Waterfall bursting from the side of the mountain. Her body aches for him and her soul keeps calling out his name.
“Good day Shahdokht.”  Which means good day royal daughter or king's daughter. She is greeted by the eunuchs at the Queens Palace. One of them guides Azad and company, to the inner court where her three comrades are sitting by the side of a lily pond. They jump up and run towards her, all excited about their first meeting with the beautiful Queen Roxanna. The general feeling amongst the girls, is that it must have something to do with the imminent arrival of the King and the Imperial Guard. Looking at them they look like any four girls their age, but these four girls passed top of their class, after two grueling years of military training. They were trained in horsemanship, use of the lance, archery, sword-fighting and close combat techniques. They haven't seen each other for a few days and there is so much that needs to be discussed. What they have been doing, their love interests and of course what they are going to wear for the arrival and welcoming of the Shahanshah.  They were still twittering away like a colony of weavers in the reed beds of the Tigris River, when they were taken across the yard and into the Queens court.
Her throne is empty and with the exception of the usual Shahbanu guard (Empress guard), the hall is deserted. The eunuch quietly disappeared behind the curtains and into the Shahbanu's private quarters. This, even to Princess Azad, is very unusual and they can't help wondering what is going to happen next. Within the hall with its high walls and richly decorated ceiling it is so quiet that you could hear a feather drop. Without making any noise the eunuch re-appears and gestures for them to follow into the private chambers. Not a word is spoken and the girls all draw in a breath when they walk into the sunny sleeping quarters with its majestic marble pillars, softly colored silks and amazing decorations of flowers and fruit all over the place. Two very beautiful women dominate the main bedroom.
Against the side wall is a painted tile image of Pantea Arteshbod the famous commander of the “The Immortals” and the great grandmother of Queen Roxanna. Her superior group of warriors formed the elite core of the Persian army in times of war, and acted in a secondary role as imperial guard in times of peace. They were called the “The Immortals” because they were constantly kept at a strength of exactly 10,000 soldiers, every killed or seriously wounded member was immediately replaced with a fresh one. Her very name Pantea means “strong or immortal”. She is painted in her casual clothes wearing a ceremonial dagger decorated with a great number of precious stones a special gift from the Shah.

 

By the window stands Queen Roxanna in all her glory and every bit as beautiful as her famous great-grandmother. In spite of her feminine dress there is no mistake that there is a strong and athletic body under those silks. She is staring out over the plains towards the Zagros Mountains and in one of her strong warrior hands, she is holding a delicate water lily. Azad can't help wondering if her mother too, have some fond memories or associations with those mountains. Who knows what could have happened during her youth and what kind of instructors they had for combat training. One thing is for sure, if it is fond memories, her father the Shah, is not part of it.  Once the last of the servants left her huge and richly decorated bedroom and the heavy doors were closed behind them, the queen suddenly smiled and gestured to them to sit down on her bed.

 

A light autumn breeze brings the fragrances in from the garden but hardly manages to move the silk drapes hanging above the corners of the bed. The four girls automatically lean forward when the Queen starts to talk in a soft but gentle voice. “You have all desired a pink diamond, of the kind you can see in my great-grandmothers ring.” The other three girls have never seen this ring from close up and stares at it as if hypnotized. “Hi hi, girls!” The Queen snaps her finger to break the spell and the girls now stare at her with red open mouths. “Do you know where we get these pink diamonds from, these diamonds from Amazonia?” She ignores her own daughter and keeps looking at the other three.

 

Two of the faces stare back blank, only Artemis looks like she wants to chance an answer. “Yes Artemisia, what do you think?”

 

The pretty dark-haired girl hesitates a little but her hands are already pointing south. “By sea it would be many weeks south along the coast, beyond Barberia towards the land of Zanj.” The Queen looks at her for a long time and can't help to notice the resemblance with this girl's great-great-grandmother – the famous Persian Admiral of the Seas.

 

“Artemisia, your ancestors will be proud of you. You are indeed like your name suggests, the great speaker of truth.” For just a moment the Queen can't help wondering if King Ahasveros should rather have married the great Artemis in stead of Esther the daughter of a Jew. But then maybe none of them would be here today... The Queen turns her attention to her own daughter. “My baby, do you know where the Amazons mine for these pink diamonds?” Azad is a very fitting name for her because of her big eyes and innocent looking baby face. Those big eyes are now even bigger when she whispers:

 

“Do you mean the secret of Esther, that you said should be protected with my life?” She licks nervously over her red lips and now she is even more beautiful with those big eyes and shiny red lips. She waits for her mother which nods approvingly.

 

“Go ahead tell your friends about the secret of Esther. Tell them what to say if ever they are tortured or threatened with death. The time has come for me to share some of our most precious secrets with you. Now listen carefully to her!” The girls are fascinated by this and are hardly breathing.

 

“Remember on my 16th birthday my mother gave me those earrings with the pink diamonds, the diamonds which are called tears from heaven? You will remember that I told you, that from all the riches in the King's treasury, Esther was allowed to take whatever her heart desired and to keep it, after her interview with the King. Yet that wise old lady new the value of pink diamonds and because it reminded her of her father and the land of her birth, she only chose those earrings and nothing else. That no doubt got the surprised attention of the King and like they say the rest is history.”

 

This is when Chista spoke for the first time. “You never told us about her father or that the stones reminded her of her homeland! I can remember you telling us about her uncle Mordechai, who was a trader and her young friend that worked in the palace as an eunuch.” The name Chista means intelligent and she was the wise daughter of the great preacher Asho. The Queen decides to intervene.

 

“We can get to those stories later. Let us first deal with Esther's secret before someone interrupts us. My lovely Azad, explain to your friends how we describe the source of the pink diamonds.”

 

“The diamond mine is on the side of a mountain, just above the mist belt. When the ancient explorers, which were subjects of the mighty Queen of Sheba, saw this mountain for the first time they called it the Island of the Moon. If ever one of us would fall in the hand of an enemy, we are never ever to reveal the exact location of this mountain. When threatened with unbearable torture or the threat of death we should tell them that the mine is on the Island of the Moon.”

 

The Queen continues the story: “Not far from these lands of Amazonia, in the tropical seas to the east, is a huge island, which the Indian lascars call the Island of the Moon. Once they go and search there it will take them many moons before they realize the deception. That should give you enough time to plan an escape or if your soul had been ravaged too badly to kill yourself.” No one said a word for a very long time and the Queen  walked out onto the balcony to give the message time to sink in. She stares at the peaks of the Zagros mountains with a heavy heart. Soon there will be snow on those peaks and she resents the thought of another winter alone in her bed.