Salim was born an only child in the Malikah’s second litter. He was she for only three moons of her life before she expressed to her mother that she could never feel like she, and barely a moon later, the Malikah blessed her child to be reborn as Salim, the only tom and only child to her second litter. Salim barely remembers his first name and thinks himself better off for it. 

His mother adored Salim. Her duty to the throne complete with her first litter and firstborn son, she bore her second litter to her consort to indulge only herself. She wanted a child whom she could love and raise without needing to deal with teaching them about their heir duties. Her low fertility, especially after her first litter, meant she couldn’t expect much.
Instead, she was blessed with the apple of her eye: Salim.

The Malikah immediately knew that Salim was destined for greatness. And why wouldn’t he? Salim would not be tainted by the throne. The Malikah finally had a child she could love without the blight of being pressured to do so because of her duty. Her first litter may not have belonged to her, but Salim certainly did. 

Salim wanted for little under his mother’s care. It was a wonder he didn’t become more spoiled, but the Malikah’s insistence on giving Salim as much autonomy as possible shielded him from the pressures of the throne. And that autonomy led him to the Sidi.

Salim practically took the Sidi test and trials right under his mother’s nose. And though her heart ached at the thought of losing her child to adulthood, the Malikah couldn’t be more proud. Though time will tell where Salim would find himself, the Malikah knows her legacy will live on in the apple of her eye. 

Salim finds that the Malikah still indulges in frequent visits to the Sidi quarters, just to see him.