Rose of the High Summer
Age of Chaucery and Feuds
"
Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, La illah Illa Allah, Mohammedan Rasul Allah" chanted the Imam from atop the Andalusian Minaret.His voice echoed in the heavens, beaconing more of the faithful who had anticipated his call.As the people flocked into the Mosque of sheik Zayidon of Ishbillia, a muslim hero whos reputation is now shrouded in idealistic reverance as the reconquesta grew more bloodier with each passing year, a cavalry of Andalusian horsemen bearing the banners of Ghernata rode into the sleepy town of Guadix.
Their mission?to enforce the will of the Nasrid Sultan.The town's prince , Emir Jalal of the Bani Sarraj wasnt sending the quota of taxes set by the Sultanate, a clear act of insurgency or at least which passed as one.The faithful of Guadix were startled as the horsemen jetted into the town's plaza.The Emir emerged from the Mosque followed by his guards and servents.
The captain halted his Arabian mount with a grip on the Lijam.He unveiled himself and smiled
"Emir Jalal, you have signed the Baya, have you not?" the Emir squinted his eyes at the captain's silver crescent medallion
"Yes I have"The captain laughed
"Very well my Emir, the treasury is lacking the taxes from Guadix, and since you signed the Baya, such things can not be overlooked.We cant have the Merdinand incident again can we?" the captain was pointing at the incident which saw the overthrow of the Sultan Mohammed V al-Gani from his throne in 1355 by rebel princes, and one of them was the Emir before him.It was only the threat of a Castillian invasion and the loyalists of the Sultan which oversaw his reinstitution on the throne of the Alhambra.The Emir's cheeks reddened
"I..." he couldnt muster an excuse, the Sultan did grant him forgivness, and he couldnt refuse sending the taxes.He turned to one of his servents
"Grant them what is due on Guadix to the throne" he averted his eyes as he turned back to the captain
"Anything else?".The captain grinned
"Nay my lord, except that you send the taxes at the appointed time to avoid such....unpleasent confrontations" the Andalusian pushed the Lijam of his mount, triggering it's legs to the wind, his men followed suite.
The Emir sighed as the dust of the horsemen settled
"I have never seen such men..." he frowned
"Times change old Jalal, and long live Sultan Mohammed of Bani Ahmer" he mused, the Baya is final.
*********
Yassir Al-Ahmer was a rich merchant who traded in ceramics and Silk carpets, the quality of his goods made him the most celebrated plutocrat in Ghernata.His mansion was situated in the rich district of Al-Kharantha, overlooking the Pedro hill range ordained with beautiful Mallbury and Almond trees.With wealth comes political influence, which he exerted continously , forging alliances, killing off his enemies, and even joining some coups on the throne, his most successful was the 1355 incident.Some say he even orchestrated the death of Yusuf the first, in 1354.
Of course, his failure in that endeavor didnt stop him, he still funded Ishmael the small and Abu Abdullah of Zaragoza in their quest to take the throne.His line of thought was interrupted by the shy knocks of a servent
"My lord, a group of veiled men in black cloaks are asking to see you" Although he signed the Baya in the presence of the aristocracy and the Sultan, he refuted it in his heart.It was simply a move for him to gain more prestige in the court.
"Inform them Im busy" he said gruffly whilst stirring the precious liquid of Almerian wine in his gold emerald studded chalic.The servent left but returned moments later
"They insist, they say they are old colleges..."
"Old colleges?" he had many contacts but he continously exchanged messages with them, they also knew that he loathed unexpected visits.He tucked his silk and linen "outcroppings" into his robes, trying desperatly to hide the fat sticking out in every direction of his overly indulgent body as he passed his enclosed garden torwards the gate, where his supposed colleges awaited.
"Salam Alekum, my servent informs me that you are contacts?".He hadnt taken notice of their complextions, but once he laid his eyes on them, he took note of their black attire and veiled faces.The one with the dangling silver crescent medallion spoke
"Have you heard of the Angel Yezrael?" Yassir was confused
"The Angel of death?" the mysterious man unveiled , revealing his North African face
"Yes, you shall meet him soon" Yassir's eyes widened with terror as the men drew their scimitars.In a few seconds, before he could even produce a scream, the men plunged their scimitars into his body, sipping the life out of him.He took one last look at his murderers before passing into oblivion...
*********
Sarah had lived as a slave for most of her life serving the Al-Jattri clan, a family known for its adrehent support of Saqqah Al-Ahmer,an exiled dynasty prince living in Ceuta.Though she had little knowledge regarding her master's political direction, she could gather though he didnt have "warm"feelings with the Sultan of Ghernata.
Her master, lady Vasa had dispatched her to fetch the household's needs from the market.Being a conservative miss of good uprbinging, she avoided the more "merry"parts of the metropolis as she headed to the bazzar.In the markets, merchants of all colors ,Armeniens,Castillians,Africans,Berbers expounded their goods & wares to the moody Ghernatian populace.She haggled hard and gained a fair bargain for most of the goods her master had assigned her to bring.
She was to return immediatly to the mansion to ready her master's supper, sweet roasted Chicken and Andalusian Salazars.As she reached the gate, which was strangly open, she caught the piece of a black cloak slipping in the corner.She fondeled her robes after locking the gate to find the keys to the mansion.To her shock the door too was open...by force."Lady Vasa?" she called out, but found no reply.She took slow steps into the interior, torwards the main seating room.She stepped on something damp, she looked with fear.
blood...
She followed the stream of death torwards the seating room, furniture overturned, Vases wrecked, and bloody hand prints on the wall.Every strada in her body trembled with fear, she couldnt believe this.She closed her eyes as she approached the curtain covering the seating room.With a hand shaking purposefully she slowly moved the linen aside.Before her, the bodies of her Master and his family were scattered about.She dropped the fruits to the ground, splattering them throughout the bloody floor.She ran as fast as her legs could carry her torwards the Shurtah of the District.
*********
The kingdom of Ghernata carried within its polity,the seeds of its own decay.The Sultan had read of how the Caliphate of Cordova fell because of the ethnic disputes between the Arabs,Berbers and Slavs.The kingdom of Ghernara was likewise sapped by factions led by cheiftans of powerful families and a host of pretenders to the throne.The descendedants of Ismaeel, the brother of al-Ahmer, the Zegris who belonged to the family of the former rulers of Ghernata, and a crowd of brothers, cousins, and nephews - all offspring of bigamous marriges armed in queue for the throne.The African volunteers who supported the Kingdom in times of Jihad also fished in troubled waters.The Bani Saraj and Bani Qayys, influential Arab families , continously clashed in bitter conflicts for power.These powerful families and clans were in fact political parties, and they were prepared to go to any extent to place on the throne of Granada a king of their choice.In the mad scramble for this crown which the Sultan adorned his head with, all ethical considerations were thrown to the winds.A son rebelled against his father, a brother against brother, and a nephew against his uncle.The administration was rotting from within due to mutual jealousies,intrigues,and backbiting.
Although the Andalusian Sultan had made the decision to centralize slowly, he was persuaded to raise the tempo of change and crush the crowds of political enemies scattered throughout the kingdom.Two events had triggered this choice, one being the peaceful gesture the Christian Kingdoms had portrayed for the Andalusians, giving him some time to consolidate his rule without dear of a Christian invasion, and two the Baya of Alhambra where the aristocracy of the kingdom had asserted their loyalty and faith to the Sultan.He knew that most of them were dirty liers, aiming to gain his favour, hypocrits, though the Bani Saraj and Bani Qayys were obviously sincere, he had known their sheiks well, and they wouldnt dare go back on their words, no traditional Andalusian would do such and anyway...he was in much favour with the Bani Sarraj, the more powerful of the two clans.
For him to consolidate his rule over the Kingdom he had to dispose and eredicate the army of pretenders to the throne.He had found his solution in the Order of the Silver Crescent.The Order was formed somewhere in 1150s under the patronage of the Almohad Caliphs.The Almohads were quickly losing lands in al-Andalus in face of the Christian offensives and had utilizied ever resource they could in face of the Castillian-Leonese-Portueguese-Aragonese hordes.The Silver Crescent was an order dedicated in producing fanatical Assasins for the Almohad Empire.They had achieved spectacular victories with their consequative assasinations which even baffled the Almohadi Caliphs.Amongst their victims was the Count Leon of Toledo, Lord Joan of Algarve,Prince Joshua of Majorca and the Regent of Asutris Lord Diego II.They had an impressive record, but not even their efforts could stem the Christians, and with each Muslim defeat they located further south.In 1212 after the battle of Las navas de Tolosa they relocated to Cordoba, and in 1214 after the death of the Caliph Nasir and with the empire plunged into chaos , they moved again, this time however, beyond the straits, to Fez.
The Order had faded from the political scene, rarly appearing anymore, it was as if they had completely disppeared, and would be discarded as a piece of history...or so the Sultan thought.When he was exiled from Ghernata, before his return in 1362, he was approached by the Order's Master, Wali Al-Mutaz billah in the Court of the Merdinand Sultan whom he was under the patronage of at the time.The Master had offered his services to Mohammed, but the Emir declined for his lack of funds.
He had contacted them once again after the recent events and had employed them to eredicate the massive numbers of political enemies to the Sultanate, people who greedly wanted the throne for themselves.He knew that with the Baya, his position was secure for the time being, and he had the chance to consolidate his rule without real opposition.Although it was muslim taboo to kill other muslims, extreme situations demanded extreme solutions.The assasins had already disposed him of his nagging uncles, bothersome nephews, the emirs of Moclin,Malaga, and Juvilees, whilst at the same time seccumbing other princes like the emir of Guadix and Galeria from even considering revolt.The Order had also done quick work with the Merchants and Aristocrats who funded former revolts and coups, eredicating the notorious Yassir Al-Ahmer as their first victim in their killing spree.
The Sultan expects resistance and some trouble to arise, but with his main adversaries and enemies dead resistance would be futile.He had also put to the sword most of his family, especially that old hag Murranda, the infant Ismail, Al-Mutaz, his nephew, and several others.They would have killed him anyway if they had the chance but he was quicker.The culling of the Nasrid dynasty had in the long run, made the kingdom more stable as a more defined line to the throne emerged.His son Yusuf II would ascend the throne without much trouble except a few disturbance that were unavoidable.
"Oh Ghernata forgive me...for I have made your streets ditches of blood, I have made your Merry orchads grave yards to those that oppose my rule, and your proud hills gallows to those that would seek my death....forgive me..."he sighed as he produced a pouch of Gold for the veiled Master, Wali Al-Mutaz billah, who nodded his head in approval as the glitter of the Golden dinars danced in his eyes.
The Assasin Master bowed and as he walked away, he turned to the Sultan and gave him a cold glance
"Al-Andalus shall be reborn my Sultan, the death of some is nothing to the death the Christians bring, hold no guilt, hold no sympathy, hold no mercy " before the Sultan could reply to him, the elusive Master had disppeared from the Alhambra, into the alleyways of Ghernata.