Xámza

On a crisp October day, the caravan encamped in the Spanish-speaking lands of the Marquis de Garra, on the Tagus River in the province of Tolédo, in the Christian Kingdom of Castile. When word reached the Marquis of the arrival of the itinerant players, he commanded a performance in honor of the ascension of Cardinal Tomás de Torquemada to Grand Inquisitor.

Amaris Dahia accompanied her father to the hacienda of the Marquis. Kalil was looking forward to negotiating a substantial fee for the caravan. He hoped it would sustain them until the new year when they would find work during the olive harvest.

"Is a marquis an important person?" asked Amaris Dahia.
"To some people, I suppose," replied her father.
"What about a duke?"
"Even more important."
"Could you become a duke?"
"No, you have to be a prince."
"To become a duke?"
"Precisely."
This puzzled Amaris Dahia who said, mischievously, "Mamá says you are a prince among men."