Captured For The Sultan’s Pleasure

Roksolana watched as Lady Miriam walked out decked in expensive clothes and jewelry and bowed before the Sultan. She also saw princess Azeezat roll her eyes slightly at Lady Miriam and nearly laugh. It looks like Roksolana was not the only one who couldn’t tolerate the lady’s drama. She listened as Jamal asked Lady Miriam about her stomach pain and her answer that she was better now and angry with the Sultan for not checking up on her sooner. By the time the Sultan began to apologize, Roksolana tuned them out and stared at her new house.

They were standing in a place Roksolana considered to be the women’s hall. Expensive chairs and tables decorated the room. There were about three sewing machines, five hoops, and some knitting needles and materials scattered across the room. There was a doorway on a side which Roksolana guessed led to the rooms of each concubine, except for Lady Miriam who had her home just beside the harem. So far, Roksolana knew that Lady Miriam was the only one with a private house among the concubines. She heard Aabdeen reading the royal decree somewhere in her mind.

“From today on, Lady Roksolana and Princess Azeezat are going to be living among you in the kafes,” Jamal said when Aabdeen finished his reading.

“But why would you choose a lowly maid as a concubine, Sultan?” Lady Miriam asked, eyeing Roksolana. “And then, you brought a princess from another sultanate to live here?” She asked the Sultan again, eyeing Azeezat this time.

“No one questions my actions. Anyone who does that will be killed. Is that clear?” Jamal said.

The Sultan stayed until Roksolana and Azeezat were settled in their new rooms which fell beside each other. He ordered Aabdeen to make sure that his new concubines get new outfits and ornaments that were befitting to a Sultan’s concubine. When he was sure that all his orders would be met, he left with his entourage to attend to other businesses and get some rest.

Lady Miriam felt her anger rising again as she watched two of the concubines try to teach Roksolana sewing. How dare the Sultan bring a mere maid into their midst? As if the insult wasn’t enough, he had decided to bring another foreign lady who was arrogant. And the Sultan had refused to visit her personally after that day. Sure he had come for visits, but he had been so engrossed with his little maid that he hadn’t even turned to look at her once. And it was because he made her lose her pregnancy that her man hadn’t turned to look at her just once after the incident had happened. The Sultan himself was ignoring her and it was all because of the maid.

She heard Roksolana laugh over something one of the concubines said and looked in her direction. How dare the maid be happy when she was ruining Miriam’s life? Lady Miriam promised within herself that she would make Roksolana pay for every pain she was passing through. If she couldn’t hurt the Sultan, she could at least hurt the woman he had lost his mind over. All she had to do was think of a perfect plan to hurt the maid since she couldn’t just attack her now that she was a Lady. Before anyone would notice her presence, Lady Miriam turned and walked away.

Roksolana woke up feeling a little tired. She had stayed up late last night with some of the ladies who had tried to teach her how to do embroidery stitches, which she failed awfully at. For two weeks, Roksolana had treaded among the other concubines as carefully as she could. The princess that came with her had refused to come out of her room unless the Sultan had come for a visit, which was only twice ever since they arrived. While Roksolana had planned to do the same thing from the onset, she found that some of the women were nice and truly wanted to be friends. A few times, she had tried to reach out to the princess, but she had shut Roksolana out. It was almost like the princess was here to hide behind the safety of the walls of the house.

A knock sounded on Roksolana’s door and she asked the person to come in. She smiled as she saw Ayesha walk in. The woman smiled back at her, holding up some clothes and a jewelry box. Roksolana watched as the woman began to arrange the clothes neatly into the almost empty chest. When she was done, she helped Roksolana dress up for the day before going out again. Roksolana crossed over to the ornaments chest, opened them, and began to inspect them. There were bracelets, jewelry, rings, and head ornaments all in the chest. She would have to ask Ayesha to return them later or give them out to the other ladies in the harem. Roksolana knew that she wouldn’t use any of them, since she wasn’t accustomed to them.

Roksolana was with the two women who were trying to teach her embroidery when princess Azeezat appeared in the women’s hall. Roksolana paused in her work and waved at the princess to come to join them. The princess walked towards them, but rather than joining them, she picked up a hoop and some yarn, then promptly turned away from them. Roksolana watched as she sat at a corner in the room and began to work. She wondered why the princess preferred to be alone and not talk to anyone. Roksolana was still thinking when Lady Miriam walked into the hall, looking furious. All the ladies except Roksolana and Azeezat stood up to greet her, but she didn’t respond to any of the greetings.

“Which one of you stole it?” Lady Miriam yelled.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.