You have never spoken my name quite like that before.

You are the best husband in the entire land.
Even though I am a Mamluk?
Even though you are a Mamluk.

He fixed his gaze upon her eyes and said, "Zaynab, tell me the truth: what do the common people say about the Mamluks? And do not lie to me."

She replied submissively, "They protect the land and sacrifice themselves and their lives." He smiled wryly, then asked, "And do the people of Egypt understand this?"

"Do they realize the dangers?"

She lowered her head and said, "Perhaps they perceive only the dangers of plague and poverty, my lord; for true understanding has its appointed time, just as birth and death do... Ignorance blinds the insight and breeds resentment. Perhaps if the people of Egypt knew the Mamluks better, their fear would vanish..."