An Excerpt from a Diary of a Girl in the Court of King Ahasuerus

Day 1

So there I was, minding my own business in my uncle’s courtyard. He’s very wealthy, you see. One of the richest landowners in King Ahasuerus’ kingdom. I was in his courtyard with my sisters, admiring the garden, when some riders came by yelling a declaration about how Queen Vashti was being removed from power, and there would be a sort-of competition between the young women of the kingdom to see who would be the next queen. My uncle never much liked Queen Vashti—said she was too uppity and thought she knew too much. My sisters and I were raised to well to behave like that. Women should be first and foremost beautiful, and then obedient. So when my father and uncle came to me and told me that my sister Adrina and I would be going to the citadel of Susa to see if one of us could win the king’s favor, I immediately did as they said.

Day 9

We arrived today. We were taken under the custody of Hagai, the King’s eunuch. He will be supervising the beauty treatments of all of us during our preparations to meet the king, which will apparently take a year. No one told me I would have to be here for a whole year before I got to meet the king! But it’s okay, because we get the most incredible beauty treatments here, perfumes, cosmetics, oil of myrrh. It’s like living in a dream.

Day 35

Something odd happened today. A new girl arrived. Usually when a new girl arrives, she just joins our ranks and starts on the beauty regime like the rest of us. But not this one. She arrived with Hagai, and she had clearly charmed him because he gave her seven personal maids straight from the palace! In terms of competition, I think she’s the one to beat. It’s odd I’ve never seen her before. I thought I knew all the wealthy up and coming ladies in King Ahasuerus’ kingdom.

Day 39

I learned the girl’s name: Esther.

Day  137

Ok, here’s the deal with Esther. She’s crazy secretive about her past. But, my sister Adrina befriended one of her maids and found out that she’s actually super poor. Apparently her parents both died when she was super young, and so she had to be raised by her cousin! And he is no one of name either. It makes no sense. She should be treated with disdain by everyone in here, and instead she’s celebrated and fawned upon, like some kind of goddess. But she’s a nobody.

Day 352

It’s been months and Esther is still as popular as ever. She has what some of the other girls call a “natural goodness.” I don’t understand how they can say that. She certainly is beautiful though, and that makes her a threat to me or my sister. Adrina was just told that she would be the first girl to spend the night with the king. If he likes her, she will be crowned queen. If he doesn’t, she will just be another concubine, and he will move on to the next girl. I like my sister, but I really don’t think she stands a chance. So far, she’s been more interested in the oils and perfumes than she has about trying to gain favor with the king. We are allowed to bring anything we want with us when we go to see him. Hegai is going to give us advice on what is or isn’t a good idea. I’m not sure if I should listen to him though. He is still a man after all. What does he know about trying to entertain the king?

Day 366

Adrina saw the king last night. She hasn’t been crowned queen, so I can only assume she got sent to the harem in the custody of Shaashgaz, another of the King’s eunuchs. Esther will see the king tonight. I have no idea what will happen, but she and Hegai have been whispering intently all day. I know he favors her, but it really isn’t fair that he’s giving her an advantage. Why would she make a better queen than I? She was raised in a pigsty by some lowly farmer; I was raised in a wealthy, respectable family. I know what it means to have wealth and influence. What could she possibly know? I used to think that all you needed to be a respectable woman was beauty and obedience, but from spending time in court, I’m beginning to understand that women’s roles are more complicated here. The women in court use their beauty to get things from men. It’s a challenge, and I don’t think Esther is up to it.

Day 367

Well, that’s it for the rest of us. Esther saw the king last night, and what she did to entrap him, who knows. All I know is a proclamation was sent out that “The King loved Esther more than all the other women,” which I think is wildly unfair. So it’s off to the harem for me. That’s alright. I’m sure the king will soon tire of Esther. Surely she can’t be that memorable.