Due rose nel deserto

On the large stone terrace that opened onto the entrance of the royal palace, Kael, king of the Salieks, sat on the magnificent throne with two dignitaries at his side. A little further away, four well-armed guards, two on each side. Below, at the end of the grand staircase, was the square where his subjects listened to his proclamations, new laws, and sentences. At the base of the staircase, kneeling in the dust, were a poorly dressed man and a young girl on the verge of adolescence, still retaining a child-like appearance. Beside them, two guards held the rope with which the accused's wrists were bound. The man, humbly prostrate, face to the ground, rummaged through his mind and, drawing from his modest vocabulary, tried to prepare the most appropriate words to say to the king. His daughter clutched her father's arm and wept. At his nod, one of the two justice counselors approached Kael's ear to explain the terms of the supplicant's plea. The man, a poor farmer, had been discovered by tax collectors to be insolvent of the percentage of produce from his plot due to the kingdom, as stipulated by law. The girl beside him was one of his daughters, nearing the age to be given away. "So, what do you ask and what do you want to say in your defense?" Kael addressed him. "Oh, my king, my harvest was poor! I did not mean to withhold what was due; I have many children to support, and I would have paid as soon as possible, but you cannot take this daughter from me. It won't be long, and soon I could have sold her to some rich man and gained economic security for my family for a good while. Indeed, once compensated, I would have immediately settled my debt with you!" Kael had been well-informed by his emissaries and replied: "The body of the crime, exactly what was not handed over to the tax guards, was found hidden in your warehouse; it is a serious offense that could cost you much more. Rejoice that justice is content with your daughter. She, through sale in the slave market, will repay the damage suffered by the kingdom and the monetary penalty. For this time, we will be content; the next offense will cost you your head. And now go, before I regret it and decide to take your life as well as your daughter. The sentence has been pronounced!" The man was freed from the rope and driven away with the points of spears, and his daughter tried to follow him, screaming, "Father, don't leave me!" The guards pulled her roughly and tied her wrists with the same rope that had bound her father, who walked away without looking back. The young girl knew that her destiny would be to end up as a slave and concubine in the house of some wealthy person, to be a commodity for alleviating her family's poverty, but she had hoped that day would never come. Now, held in prison, she would await the day of the auction with the sole hope of being bought by a good master.