Captured For The Sultan’s Pleasure

The next morning, Roksolana and the princess strolled through the flower garden. As she walked through the garden, she was reminded of the bed of flowers in Jamal’s hall and she smiled. The next time she was there, she would make sure to check out the bed. She would also ask him why he had chosen to have a flower bed in his house. Roksolana frowned as she realized that she was thinking about the Sultan again so early in the morning. She had spent half of the night thinking about him and what they had done together the previous day.

“You like him, don’t you?” The princess asked her, breaking into her thoughts.

“Who?” Roksolana feigned ignorance of not knowing who the princess was talking about.

The princess nudged Roksolana with her elbow in a playful manner. She was about to answer the princess when an arrow flew between them both. Before they could comprehend what was going on, another one flew directly in the direction of Roksolana’s heart. The princess pushed her down before the arrow could hit her. Roksolana saw a masked man run into the woods as the princess began to scream for help at the top of her small lungs. People gathered around them in an instance. Roksolana stood up to go after the assassin, but the princess held her back. Roksolana was sure that the assassin had come for her, and she was sure that the princess knew it too since she had saved her life by pushing her down. For a reason she couldn’t place her hands on, she was sure that she knew who the assassin was. Could it be Asleem who had just tried to kill her? Would he really go to such desperate means just to silence her?

Jamal was at the breakfast table with Aabdeen when a royal guard rushed in to inform them that Lady Miriam and Princess Azeezat had nearly been shot with an arrow. Jamal dropped the spoon he had midair to the table and both men flew up together. Before the guard could explain that none of them had sustained an injury, both men were out of the door and were running as if their lives depended on it. When they got to the site where the women were, they met Roksolana and the princess surrounded by people. Jamal pushed each one of them out of the way and rushed to Roksolana’s side. He didn’t pay any attention to the people’s greetings or the weird look they gave him. After he had inspected her entire body for wounds and he was sure that there was none, except for a bruise she had sustained when she fell, he pulled her into a hug.

“Are you okay?” He asked her. The only response he got from her was the tears that flowed freely from her eyes and the tight hold she had on him.

Aabdeen rushed over to his sister’s side, not caring if anyone was suspicious of them. His sister’s safety was paramount to him than the gossip of anyone. He doesn’t have any other family alive apart from her and he wasn’t ready to lose her just yet. He checked her body for injury and frowned when he saw that an arrow had grazed her arm even though the cut was shallow. He tore the hem of his clothing and tied the site of injury with it. When he was sure that she had no other injuries, he pulled her into his arms despite her resistance.

“What if someone sees us?” His sister whispered into his ears.

“Do I look like I care right now?” He answered in the same tone she had used. He let go of her when she pushed against him softly. Aabdeen turned to look at the Sultan and the lady crying in his arms and nearly smiled. With nothing else to do, he picked up the two arrows on the floor and checked the tip for poison. Luckily, it didn’t have any.

Jamal allowed Roksolana to cry for as long as she wanted. He didn’t say anything to her, he just offered the comfort of his arm. He knew that she must have been frightened out of her wit by the attack. When she calmed down a bit, he held her by the hand and took her to his house. He commanded Aabdeen to bring the princess over also. They all walked over to his house under the protection of the royal guards who flagged them about.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

When they got home, Aabdeen brought out the medical kit he had at the Sultan’s house and rushed over to the princess. Jamal watched in amusement how the princess was trying to push Aabdeen away but he wouldn’t bulge. In the end, the princess allowed him to treat her. It wasn’t until he was done with the princess injury that he moved over to treat Roksolana. Even though Jamal had been worried about Roksolana earlier on, he hadn’t failed to see how worried his friend had been for the princess. And what had transpired right now confirmed the fact that Aabdeen cared for the princess. Was Aabdeen in love with the princess?

“Aabdeen,” Jamal called his friend.

“Yes, Sultan.” The other man answered absentmindedly as he tended to Roksolana’s injury.

“Are you in love with the princess?” Jamal asked directly, knowing that he couldn’t twist his question.

Aabdeen paused in his action and looked at the Sultan like the man was out of his mind. But then, he remembered the weird way he had behaved towards her and realized that if anyone was to interpret the act, they would think that he was in love with the princess. He cleared his throat. He was just about to reply when the maid he hated opened the door and rushed in.

Seyiddah had rushed over to the scene as soon as she heard about what had happened. What she hadn’t expected was to see the Sultan’s errand boy hugging the princess. She had felt a bit sad when she saw them together. To curb her sadness, she had waited for a while until she came here to visit her friends. What she hadn’t expected to hear was the Sultan asking his errand boy if he was in love with the princess. Acting nonchalantly even though she waited for his answer eagerly, she moved over to her friends one after the other to enquire about their injuries. She listened as Roksolana took her time to explain what had happened to her.

Aabdeen heaved a sigh of relief as everyone in the room forgot about him and his sister. He should have listened to his sister when she tried to warn him. He had the maid to thank this time for saving him without knowing. Aabdeen thought about the maid and realized that she truly liked her friends and wasn’t envious of them despite their high positions. She also looked to him like someone who protected the people she truly cared about. She might not be as bad as he thought. But, she really does have a sharp mouth, Aabdeen acknowledged and smiled.

“Are you that happy because I said that the princess could stay over with you for the night?”

Aabdeen heard Jamal ask and nearly cursed. Why had he smiled in the first place? It was all because of that maid. It was her fault. Was she planning to ruin his life?

“Don’t worry. I will talk to her brother concerning you two.” Jamal assured Aabdeen who kept shaking his head to say he wasn’t thinking of such. But, of course, the Sultan wasn’t ready to listen. The worst of it came when the Sultan asked the maid to protect the princess’s dignity from unwanted gossip. Together, all three of them bowed and left.