Captured For The Sultan’s Pleasure

Jamal opened his eyes and squeezed them shut. The light in the room hurt his eyes and his head ache. He let about five minutes go by and slowly opened his eyes, this time taking in the source of the blinding light and saw it was from the window. He looked around the room and saw a kettle boiling on a makeshift cooking stove. A man with his back to Jamal bent low over the fire, fanning the flame to life. He couldn’t take in the light anymore. He tried placing his right hand over his eyes to calm himself and screamed at the pain he felt from the exercise. The man fanning the fire dropped the kettle he was holding back on the stove and rushed to Jamal’s side.

He helped Jamal rest back on the bed, placing the cover over him. Jamal wondered how long he had been out as his entire body felt stiff. He touched his upper chest and winced at the pain he felt. He hadn’t thought the wound Roksolana gave him had been so deep by then. Jamal remembered that he had waited for a few minutes so that Roksolana could get as far away from the house as she could possibly go before he alerted his guards. The last thing he remembered was that waves of dizziness had hit him and he had fainted before he could call for help. He wondered who had found him and felt embarrassed to have been caught in such an awkward situation.

If he had known that Roksolana would stab him so deeply, he would have evaded the attack. She was such a fierce and stubborn woman. The only reason he wasn’t that angry at her was because he had seen remorse on her face after she stabbed him. Right now though, he tapped the bed gently because he was worried about her safety. He hoped that she had gotten away from the house before the guards came in to him and he knew they would have done a perimeter check. Looking at the man who had resumed back to fanning the fire, Jamal wondered if he should ask the man directly or not. Deciding that he couldn’t risk exposing Roksolana or the fact that he knew who the attacker was, he chose an indirect question.

“Was anyone caught?” He asked the man.

“No, Sultan. But, weapons were found.” The royal physician answered, pouring the content of the kettle into a bowl.

Weapons? Had she brought more than one weapon just to kill him? But when did she drop them that he hadn’t seen her? Perhaps, his memory was fuzzy since he had just woken up or perhaps, it was because he was hungry.

The physician moved to his side and helped him up gently before giving him the herbal tea he had been cooking. Jamal collected it, wrinkled his nose, and gulped the content down. He hated herbal medicines from when he was a child and only drank them when he had no choice. He watched as the physician collected the bowl from him with a smile, returning them to the table where he picked them from.

“How was I found?” Jamal asked.

The royal physician told him about how the guards had heard a loud noise from his room and rushed over, only to find him unconscious with a dagger stuck in him. The guards had found his chest full of antique weapons on the floor and the weapons scattered about, hence the reason why they thought the simple weapons might belong to him. The guards had quickly sent for a royal physician and he had hurried over.

“Okay,” Jamal simply said.

The physician raised his brows at the Sultan. Jamal knew that the man was expecting a thank you from him. He looked at him pointedly, daring the other man to say what was on his mind. The royal physician merely smiled at him.

“By the way, Sultan. You need to get to your janissaries as soon as possible. I fear one of them might die if you don’t.” The physician told Jamal.

“Why would they die? They’ve only been there for a night,” Jamal said scoffing.

“It’s been three days, Sultan.” The man said.

Jamal got up from his sitting position and began to dress ignoring the physician’s warning that he needs to take things easy. He might have been a little cruel to his janissaries, but it wasn’t punishing them to the point of death. They were noble people after all, who had never faced any form of suffering their entire lives.

“Tell me everything that has happened,” Jamal told the man as he dressed up.

The royal physician started his tale from when they had first found him. He told Jamal about how he had warned all the guards not to let the words out that the sultan was injured. The physician talked about how he had reached out to only the general, who had brought in more guards and made sure that they paraded the perimeters all the time. The physician also told Jamal how he hadn’t left the room once to avoid being spotted by anyone. He also explained how he had made the guards turn away the messengers that the janissaries had sent and every other person who had come in search of the Sultan each time with the words that the Sultan was busy and couldn’t attend to anyone.

By the time he was done, Jamal had finished dressing up and turned his attention to the man. Jamal had only seen the young man a couple of times in recent times when he followed the leader of the royal physician about. Jamal thought about his bravery in the face of an emergency and the expertise he had used in controlling the situation. Not many people Jamal knew could do that, not that he was ready to tell the young man that. But Jamal admitted within himself that he was impressed with the man.

But if the physician had turned away all the people, then Roksolana had no means to know if he was alright or not. That means she would be worried about him to the bone. And seeing as the security around the room had been tightened, she wouldn’t have been able to come in by foul means. But then, she was his kitchen maid and she must have brought his meals for him. Or had they turned her away from doing so too? He has to confirm if she had been allowed access to come in.

“What about my maid? The one who brings my meal? Did you turn her away too?” Jamal asked the man.

“I don’t know about your maid, but they did bring food for you every time. I ate them on your behalf though.” The man said, smiling unapologetically.

Jamal noticed that the man in front of him wasn’t afraid of him in any way and he wondered why. Perhaps, it was because he was a new physician and had never spent a lot of time with him. Or because the man felt that since they were about the same age, there was no need to fear him. Or perhaps because the physician had seen Jamal in his vulnerable stage and determined that nothing he did anymore would move him. Whatever the reasons were, Jamal was grateful to have someone who didn’t think of him as a monster as the rest of his kingdom did.

“What’s your name?” Jamal asked.

“Aabdeen, Sultan.” The man replied bowing slightly.

“Well, Aabdeen, let’s get to the courtroom before one of the janissaries dies,” Jamal said, patting the young man on his shoulder.

Together, they walked out of the room to the stairs and out the door. As soon as his guards saw him, they gathered around him looking down with remorse. They all shivered in his presence and Jamal nearly smiled knowing what they were thinking of. Jamal looked around for his best friend and saw the general coming from the corner of the house. As soon as the other man saw Jamal, he rushed towards him. When general Sodeeq got to Jamal, he went down on his knees immediately.

“I’m sorry I didn’t protect you, Sultan.” The general said.

Jamal watched as all of his armies with him followed their leader’s footsteps and all went on their knees too.

“We are sorry we didn’t protect you, Sultan.” They chorused.

Jamal looked around at the armies that surrounded him and marveled that he had no desire to punish any of them. If anything, he was grateful that they had protected him from coming to more harm when he couldn’t protect himself. He bent down as much as his health would allow him to and patted his friend by the shoulder.

“It’s all good, my friend.” Jamal said.

The general got up and his armies did the same. Jamal instructed two of the guards to go to the kitchen and ask them to bring meals for him and his janissaries. Not that he cared if the entire janissaries starved to death. But that way, Roksolana could come over and see that he was okay. He walked to the courtroom with Sodeeq and a few guards. Aabdeen walked beside him, staring at him every few seconds probably to be sure he wasn’t going to fall flat on his face. When he got to the courtroom, he saw that all his janissaries were still on their knees. They all looked like life could be snuffed out of them at any moment. Jamal took his time and walked to his royal seat. He let a few seconds pass away before speaking.

“You all may stand up or sit down. Whichever one you want.” He told them.

He watched as each one of them plopped to the floor and shook his head at their gullibility. True, he had told them that they weren’t allowed to stand up from their positions. But, he hadn’t told them that they couldn’t drink water or have their meals while on punishment. He refused to feel guilty over their idiocy. Jamal commanded that water be brought for them and he watched as they drank greedily, requesting for a second pour. The kitchen head came in and asked for permission to come in with the meal. Jamal nodded his head and watched as the maids walked into the room, each of them carrying a tray of food. But he didn’t see Roksolana among them. He was even more surprised when another maid served him his meal. The kitchen head bowed and went out of the courtroom, her maids following her.

Why hadn’t Roksolana come with them? Jamal wondered. Perhaps, she felt so guilty about what had happened that she thought he wouldn’t want to see her. He would just have to visit her at her place later, once he was done with the matter at hand.

“Let’s all eat before we discuss the issue at hand,” Jamal told his janissaries.

None of them picked up the spoon. They all stared at the Sultan and Jamal understood what they were thinking about. He picked up the spoon beside his meal and filled it with soup which he drank. He watched as the janissaries picked up their spoons and began to eat hungrily. Jamal looked at Aabdeen and began to point at each food before him. The physician nodded his head at some and shook his head at the others. Jamal understood that he was to stay clear of those the physician shook his head at and he set them apart, devouring the rest of the meal. Jamal waited for about ten minutes after they were done eating before he spoke.

“What was the solution you all came up with?” He asked his ministers.

The information minister stood up and bowed.

“Sultan, we thought it would be best if we eliminate the princess. That way, the threat to you and the sultanate would be completely erased.” The man said.

“How dare you?” Jamal screamed at them, standing up and banging his hands on the arm of his seat. The janissaries all fell to their knees. Pains took hold of him and he sat down back, holding his upper chest. Aabdeen ran to his side and signaled for him to calm down. Jamal waited until he was out of pain.

And Roksolana thought he was cruel? These people were crueler than he ever could be. No matter how cruel he was, he would never kill women, children, or even innocent people. How had they ended up as his janissaries in the first place? It was because they were born into the role, just as Jamal was born to take over the rulership of the land. But at least, he was trying his best to fulfill that role, unlike the people who called themselves his ministers. Was it too late to erase the law of being born as a janissary rule?

Jamal stood up and walked to their midst, stopping in front of each person before moving to the next. When he was done, he strolled to the center and stayed there.

“Which one of you came up with the idea?” He asked them.

None of them replied. He repeated the question twice and still didn’t get an answer. They were getting on his nerves and he felt anger building up in him.

“General Sodeeq,” Jamal called.

The general rushed to him, bowing slightly.

“I want you to take some soldiers with you and go to each janissary’s home. Get a daughter from each house and kill them all,” Jamal commanded the general.

Gasps and shouts filled the room. Even Aabdeen and general Sodeeq expressed their surprise. His janissaries began to plead for mercy for their daughters’ lives with loud wails and Jamal realized just how greedy they all were. None of them wanted to lose a child, yet, they had opened their mouths to advise that another man’s daughter be killed. He wasn’t going to kill the poor women but the janissaries didn’t need to know about that. This should serve as a lesson to them.

“Are you ready to tell me who came up with such a suggestion?” He asked.

“It was the finance minister, Sultan.” One of them spoke up.

The finance minister? Jamal knew that the man was wicked, but he didn’t know that he was that cruel.

“General, get Lady Miriam here and kill her with immediate effect.”

The finance minister shouted. Everyone began to plead on his behalf. Jamal ignored them and walked back to his seat. The general rushed to him and went on his knee.

“Sultan, Lady Miriam is your favorite concubine. If you kill her, you might regret it later.” He told Jamal.

Jamal scoffed at the man before replying.

“Are you disobeying my order?” He asked.

“No, Sultan. I just thought…” The general tried to explain, but Jamal cut him off.

“I would only spare her life if you all come up with an acceptable solution.”

Murmurs went up the roof. The janissaries put their heads together in groups of two or three and began to talk. The finance minister didn’t do anything except wailing and pleading to the Sultan.

“You can ask the princess to come over here and let her see if she could cope with living in the land,” Aabdeen spoke softly, almost as if he was afraid of being heard.

Jamal looked at the physician in amazement. That was twice in a short period that the man had shown his intelligence. Jamal wondered why the young physician had chosen to be a mere physician instead of contending for a post among the janissaries. If it were up to Jamal, he would make the man a janissary right away. He needed someone like him who wasn’t hungry and greedy for power. Perhaps, it wasn’t too late to change some rules.

“That’s a brilliant idea.” Jamal acknowledged and Aabdeen bowed his head a bit. “Who has an objection?” He asked his janissaries and watched as each of them shook their heads.

“Good. But that only solves the problem of marriage. We still need to think about the possibility of being attacked.” He told them.

“We could wage war against the sultanate first. I heard that the Sultan was a weak old man,” Sodeeq said.

“The old man is dead. His young son is the new Sultan,” Aabdeen spoke again, this time a little louder.

The physician proceeded to tell them about the new Sultan of the Jedi sultanate. How the man cares about his land and tries as much as possible to avoid conflicts and wars with the other sultanates. How the man was trying his best to ensure that everything was fine with his sultanate. The physician also advised Jamal on how he could win over the heart of the new Sultan to ensure peace rather than fighting against them.

When he was done, Jamal sighed. He wanted to avoid war with the neighboring sultanate as much as he could. After his fight with Roksolana, Jamal had promised himself that he wouldn’t take to war anymore unless it was absolutely necessary. He had realized that his problem with Roksolana had stemmed from the war he had waged against her land. In his opinion, the war did more harm than good. And he was glad to see that someone shared his view.

Feeling weak already, Jamal appointed the general and two other janissaries to take his offer to the Sultan of Jedi. He also gave them a stern warning that they shouldn’t bother about coming back if anything happened to the princess. He didn’t want to see even as much as a scratch on her body. He instructed two others to prepare a room for her in his harem. When he was done giving instructions, he walked out of the courtroom with Aabdeen following him closely. He had left the general behind to make plans for the task he had entrusted them with.

Even though Jamal was feeling tired, he walked to the kitchen. He couldn’t wait to see Roksolana and tell her that he was okay and in pain. Perhaps she would pity him and not bring him salty meals anymore. When he walked into the kitchen, the smell of freshly baked bread filled his nostrils. He looked about and saw the maids busy with their work, but he couldn’t spot the woman he was here to see. Perhaps, she was in the other room working. One of the maids looked up, saw him standing, and bowed her head immediately.

“Sultan.” She shouted, announcing his presence.

Jamal watched as everyone in the room left what they were doing and bowed before him. Aabdeen brought a chair over to him and he sat. As he looked around, he still couldn’t spot Roksolana among the many faces. He wondered where she had gone and tapped his hand on his lap impatiently. He saw the kitchen head along with two other women and the little girl he had saved back then walked into the kitchen, still there was no sign of Roksolana. Jamal recognized one of the women as a friend of Roksolana who had helped her wipe her face the other day he was here. As soon as they saw him, they all bowed before him.

“Where is my maid?” Jamal asked the kitchen head.

Jamal watched as the woman shivered over the question and a sense of foreboding took hold of him. He turned to Roksolana’s friend and asked her.

“Where is your friend?”

“She’s been missing since three days ago, Sultan.” The woman replied to him.

“Missing? What do you mean by missing?” Jamal asked, not believing his ears.

“We haven’t seen her since three days ago.” She replied again.

Jamal became afraid. If she had been missing for three days, that means that she had gone missing after that night they had had their fight. Had she been caught in danger? What had happened to her?

“Why didn’t you report this to me?” Jamal asked the kitchen head.

“She’s just a maid, Sultan. And you’ve never concerned yourself about the affairs of the kitchen.” The woman answered.

“She is not just any maid. She is my kitchen maid, responsible for my meals.” Jamal said.

“Sorry about that, Sultan.” The kitchen head replied.

Jamal wondered where she was and how she was faring. He wondered if she was okay right now.

“Somebody had better start explaining what happened right now,” Jamal screamed at them. Then held his chest as he felt the pain.

The other woman with them spoke up, explaining how she and Roksolana had stayed up until late at night talking about a problem she had. She explained how she had woken up in the morning to thank Roksolana but had seen only her dress on her pallet. Thinking that she had gone to take her bath, the other woman had gone about her daily duty. It wasn’t until when they needed her to get the Sultan’s meal that they realized that she was gone. They had looked for her ever since but they couldn’t find her.

Jamal frowned his face when the woman was done. If she had been found missing the morning after she had injured him, that means she hadn’t been back to the kitchen at all after the fight. And Aabdeen had told him that they hadn’t caught anyone. So, where could she be? Three days was a long time to be gone from the house. Or was she afraid that he would punish her for what she had done? He looked at the kitchen head in front of him and thought it was her fault. If she had ensured that the people under her were all okay, she would have noticed that Roksolana was missing.

“Look at me.” He commanded the woman and the woman looked at him. “If she is not back to this kitchen in three days, be prepared to lose your head.” He told her and stood up.

Jamal ignored the cry of the woman and walked away from them. When he got to the corner of the house and was sure that no one was around, he rested his head on the wall and took a deep breath. Jamal felt tired and shook his head to chase away the dizziness he felt. Aabdeen walked over to him and held his arm to support him. Jamal turned to look at the man and saw concern reflecting in his eyes. Together, they walked back to the house, stopping every few minutes to allow Jamal to rest.

When they got home, the physician helped him relax on the bed. He checked the site of the injury and heaved a sigh of relief when he was done. The man applied a new medicine to the wound and bandaged it again. He picked up the kettle and poured the Sultan some medicine, which he took and drank at once. All the while, he wondered what had happened to Roksolana. The woman was stubborn and strong-willed, only doing as she wished. But Jamal knew that running away from him was not one of them.

Unless that had been her plans from the onset. To kill him and escape from the sultanate when everyone would be busy mourning his death. Jamal got up from the bed with speed. He was about to walk away when Aabdeen’s hand rested on his shoulder to stop him. Jamal shrugged the hand away before turning to face the man.

“I need to find her.” He told the physician.

“You can’t go out to look for her yourself. You are the Sultan of this Sultanate. You would only end up putting her in danger,” Aabdeen told him.

Jamal acknowledged that he was right about that and went back to his bed wondering about what he could do. He wasn’t ready to lose her just yet.

“I’ll take two guards with me and look for her secretly.” The other man offered.

Jamal nodded his head, feeling grateful to the man. He wondered what he would have done without him.

“I need you to ask the soldiers if any ship had left the dock recently,” Jamal told the other man.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

He swears by Allah that if she had left the land, he would find her wherever she was and bring her back. But what if that was her plan? What if she was still in the sultanate hoping that he would think that she had left and given a goose chase? Only for her to leave wherever she was hiding and follow a ship out of the land? This was Roksolana and he wouldn’t put anything past her.

“Tell the soldiers that I said no ship should be allowed to leave the sultanate without my permission,” Jamal told Aabdeen.

“Yes, Sultan.” The physician answered.

As the man turned to leave, Jamal stopped him. He brought out a seal and gave it to him.

“Show them that and they will obey the order,” Jamal told the man.

He watched as the man left and sighed. What he didn’t tell the physician was that the seal he had just given to him was the royal seal. Every member of the janissaries each had their own according to the position they each held. He had just handed the seal of special advisor to the Sultan to the physician. And even though he had only given it to the man for temporary use, Jamal was thinking about making it permanent. He had originally wanted to hand it over to the general as soon as he could find somebody else who was capable of handling the general’s present position. But Jamal liked the physician in the little time they had spent together and wouldn’t mind having such a man close to him. He felt the waves of dizziness hit him again, unable to fight it off, he succumbed.