Captured For The Sultan’s Pleasure

Roksolana watched as the black man knocked the other guard out too, before carrying him back to the fire ground. As the black man bent over to drop the man on his shoulder, Roksolana gasped. It couldn’t be. Her mind was playing a cruel game on her. Because a dead man couldn’t be alive. She watched as the man turned to her and walked towards her dark side, stopping when he got to her. She couldn’t see his face in the dark anymore, but she was no longer afraid of who it was. Perhaps, the pain had made her numbed. She felt a hand gently touching her cheek and shivered at the sudden warmth of it.

“Sorry I’m late, my lady.” The man spoke and Roksolana gasped again.

“Asleem.” She said, her voice barely a whisper just before she fainted.

Asleem looked at the woman in front of him and nearly cried. The beautiful woman now looked so haggard and unkempt. Her collar bones were visible and her eyes were sunken into her sockets. Wounds of different sizes and shapes decorated her skin spoke volumes about how much torture she had gotten since their invasion three months ago. He had looked for her and the rest of the tribe every chance he got.

While he had found most of the women of the tribe and some men, he hadn’t found any member of the Selim family. Asleem had given up on finding them, thinking that the sultan might have killed them after they had left their sultanate. Luck had shined on him when he overheard some of the guards talking about the woman who had beaten up some of their men. He knew instantly that Roksolana was alive. He would have rescued her yesterday, but he hadn’t found her when he came to save her. He had injured the guards on duty in anger without thinking of the consequences it would have on Roksolana. Better late than never, he thought as he began to untie Roksolana. He paused in the action when he heard footsteps approaching. He waited to see if they were just passing, but the footsteps only sounded closer.

Asleem rushed to the nearest hiding spots he could find. He watched as the Sultan walked into the clear, bending down to check out the unconscious guards. Asleem thought he could kill the man responsible for all of their misery today. The man was alone, after all. He quickly decided against the idea when he saw about twenty guards moved into the clearing, surrounding their Sultan.

Jamal saw a fire burning close to where Roksolana was and ran all the way to the place without waiting for his guards. He got to the clearing and saw the two guards he had left Roksolana in charge of lying unconscious on the ground. He bent down to check on their pulse and saw that they were okay. His first thought was that Roksolana had somehow managed to set herself free and injured his men again, but then he remembered that she was injured. There was no way she could have overpowered two men in her injured state, which means someone had attacked them.

Roksolana. He thought, suddenly feeling afraid.

He saw his guards move to the clearing and surrounded him. He got up from his crouching position and ran to Roksolana. He heaved a sigh of relief as he saw her still tied.

“Search the entire area,” Jamal shouted at his guards.

Looks like I won’t be able to save her again today. But at least I know she is alive. Asleem thought before he moved away from the scene.

Jamal tapped Roksolana’s cheek to wake her up, but she didn’t respond. He cut the ropes binding her loose with trembling hands. What if she was dead? As soon as she was free, Jamal took her in his arms and ran back to his house.

“Get the royal physician to my house in ten minutes.” He barked the order to his men, not caring which one of them obeyed it.

“Open the door.” He barked at the guards standing by the door when he got to his house. The guards obeyed the order immediately.

Jamal rushed up the stairs and took her to the room that once belonged to his mother. He laid her down on the bed and covered her with the quilt. Not knowing what else to do, he sat down beside her and held her hand. It was too cold for his warm ones. When he checked her temperature, she was as hot as an oven. Hot and cold at the same time. He became afraid and rushed to the stairs.

“Where is that doctor for Allah’s sake?” He shouted at the door.

He saw the door open and the royal physician rushed in. Jamal took him to where Roksolana was and ordered the man to cure her or lose his job. He paced up and down as the man checked on Roksolana.

“Sultan.” The physician called when he was done. Jamal rushed to the man. “Her wounds are infected, hence the reason for her unusual temperature. Staying in the cold weather for hours also gave her a sinus infection.” The man concluded.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Just tell me what the solution is,” Jamal shouted.

“She needs adequate rest. I have also prescribed herbal tea for her that she needs to take. Everything should be fine if she follows the instructions.” The physician told him.

“You are in charge of her health from this moment. Until she is completely okay, you are not allowed to treat any other person. Is that clear?” Jamal told the man.

“Yes, Sultan. I’ll go and get the medicine now.” The physician told him before disappearing.

Jamal heard Roksolana cough and rushed to her side. He sat down on the chair beside the bed and held her hand thinking he had had enough with her. Once she was better, he was making her his concubine whether she agreed or not. But for now, taking care of her was the most important thing.