The Book of Esther

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Behold, there were

earthquakes upon the earth,

and in time,

two great dragons came forth,

ready to fight

against one another.

And at their cry,

all nations were stirred up

to fight against

the Nation of the Just,

and the Nation of the Just

was prepared for death.

But the Nation of the Just

cried out to the Lord,

and as they were crying,

the little spring

grew into a great river,

and abounded

into many waters.

The sun rose up

and the humble were exalted,

and they defeated

the haughty.

And that was the

end of the dream.

How can a little spring

turn into a great river?

Have faith, my love.

The Lord, in his infinite mercy,

will reveal its meaning.

Until then, you must promise

never to reveal to anyone

that you are a Jew

from the Tribe of Benjamin.

Never, Uncle?

As God lives, there will

be a time for you to remain silent

and a time for you to speak.

You shall no longer

be called Hadassah;

you shall be called Esther,

a proper Persian name

for a proper Persian girl.

But Uncle...

And you must never

again call me Uncle.

From now on,

you shall call me Teacher,

for that is what I am.

Do you understand,

Esther?

Yes, Teacher.

You must be careful,

for God has given me

this dream for a reason.

Come to me, my love.

Sing to me, my sweet,

sing to me.

All hail, King Xerxes!

Hail, King Xerxes!

Esther, Esther, come quickly!

Esther!

As royal

as the king himself.

I fear it fits me

not at all.

I am only a modest man.

Well, you're going

to the royal banquet,

and you must honor

the king and his queen.

Howl envy her.

You wish to be queen?

No, I wish to be married.

Esther, my love,

you will marry when

I find a suitable match.

Have I no say

in the matter?

The Lord God

requires of us obedience.

It is he that made us,

not we who have made him.

The Lord will reveal

his will soon enough,

I promise.

A splendid Royal Banquet,

thoroughly cheapened by the

presence of that Jew, Mordecai.

A bit harsh,

don't you think, Lord Haman?

It's not in my nature

to mince words.

Lord Haman.

Mordecai.

I was not expecting

to see you here.

Likewise.

I was lead to believe

that only the king's closest

advisors would be invited.

As was I,

but apparently the Majesty

decided to invite you as well.

The king is a most

benevolent man.

Yes, most benevolent,

I fear.

If I had it in my power,

I'd crush you under my heel,

you and your

insidious people.

As my God lives,

that day will never come.

All hail, King Xerxes!

Hail, King Xerxes!

Nobles, advisors,

and all royal servants,

I extend to you

my warmest welcome.

I'm indeed pleased

to celebrate with you

the anniversary of my

ascension to the throne.

Queen Vashti, too,

extends her warmest welcome.

And where is

our Queen Vashti?

Does she not find our

celebration rich enough?

Perhaps she is unwell.

Please avail

yourselves of the food and wine,

eat and drink without limit,

for it gives me

great pleasure

to share this

celebration with you.

Let the feasting begin!

All hail, King Xerxes!

Hail, King Xerxes!

Keep open your ears,

I wish to know exactly what my

nobles and advisors are saying.

By your word, Majesty.

Mordecai's not

slept well lately.

He speaks of rumors

and threats against the king.

These palace intrigues

are not our concern.

You should think

of pleasant things.

Like marriage?

Don't you agree that a woman

my age should be married by now?.

You ask a difficult question.

A woman should marry as soon as

a suitable match can be found.

Suitable match? Suppose

there is no suitable match?

Well, none of them are

suitable matches, I should know.

But you married Jacob.

Aye, that I did.

Were the two of you

not in love?

If it was love

Jacob was after,

he would have married his donkey

and probably been happier.

And what about you?

If given the choice, I would

have married Jacob's donkey.

Judith!

In truth,

Jacob was a good match.

He's a hard worker

when he works

and a good provider

when he provides.

Do you love him?

Between children,

and grandchildren,

and all the things a woman

has to take care of these days,

who has time

to think about love?

Queen Vashti is a mystery.

Ever since the royal wedding,

she is seen so rarely.

Pity, she's more

beautiful than any flower.

Yes, Azada,

but flowers fade.

She likewise is more

beautiful than any sunset.

But the sunset eventually

turns to darkness, does it not?

Then again,

His Majesty believes her to be

more beautiful

than any jewel.

But jewels can be

lost or stolen.

Mordecai?

All that you say is true,

yet does not Vashti

remain our queen?

Then she should appear

before us and receive our honor.

As it is written, like a

gold ring in a pig's snout,

is a beautiful woman

without discretion?

Yes, come.

What think you

of our Queen Vashti?

The king has called her

the most beautiful

woman in the world.

Then why does

she not appear?

Is our queen suddenly

found unsuitable?

If the king chose her,

then she is suitable.

Even kings have been known

to make mistakes.

Toast to the king!

What news?

Your Majesty's

nobles and advisors

are anxious

to see the queen.

My good people,

as much as I have

endeavored to provide you

with the finest

in food and wine,

I regret that

I have withheld from you

the greatest of all blessings,

Queen Vashti.

I shall therefore

deny you no longer.

And not a moment

too soon.

Sardar, I command

that the Queen Vashti join us here

in the royal hall

and dance for us.

It will please me greatly to

have her join me by my side.

By your word, Majesty.

Permission to enter?

Permission

to enter, Royal One.

Granted.

My queen,

the women wish to know

whether you prefer diamonds

or pearls on your headdress.

Cannot my husband, the king,

afford both diamonds and pearls?

Yes, that is so,

Royal One.

Then I shall have both.

Yes, Royal One.

It's the least that

foolish man can do for me.

Royal One, I caution you to

choose your words carefully.

And I caution you not

to be so presumptuous.

Yes, Royal One.

The king is a fool,

but he is also in love,

which means I shall

have the upper hand.

Did I not vow to be a queen

unlike any Persia has ever seen?

Yes, my queen, and you have

kept that vow most faithfully.

Who's there?

Sardar, the commander

of His Majesty's royal army.

I honor you, Queen Vashti.

What is the meaning

of this intrusion?

The king has commanded

your presence at once.

You are to wear

your finest garments

and place a jeweled tiara

upon your head.

In such fashion shall you

dance for His Majesty

and for his guests.

Is that what the king asks?

No, Royal One,

it is what the king commands.

Tell him I'm busy.

Royal One, I'm

afraid you misunderstand.

The king has commanded you

to come before him and dance.

Suppose I'm not

in the mood for dancing?

The king is also a warrior.

When he commands his soldiers,

they must obey.

Very well,

have him command his army

to dance for him.

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