Chapter 8 A slap and a hiss

Roksolana watched at the fading figure of the man's body and sighed. Understanding that from the little time she had been with the man, he would make true his threat if she wasn't out by his allocated time or if she injured the maids. It's not like she would do that anyway. She wasn't about to let out her anger on innocent women who might be victims of their circumstances just as she was. She undressed and got into the bathing pot. She was surprised to find the water warm and relaxing.

She didn't fail to notice that the maids were afraid of coming near her, judging by the distance they were from her. She decided to relieve their fear.

"I won't hurt you. I just said that out of anger."

The two women moved to her immediately and began to help her. They shared companionship in silence for a few minutes, until one of the women broke the silence.

"You are lucky to get the attention of the Sultan." She told Roksolana.

"What Sultan?" Roksolana asked.

"She meant general. A general is like the Sultan of the army." The second woman corrected.

"Yes, I meant general." The first woman added.

"Why do you hate him so much?" The second woman asked.

"Because he killed my family," Roksolana answered.

"I'm sure there are misunderstandings among you two. The man is nice." The first woman told Roksolana.

By the time they were done with bathing and dressing, Roksolana already knew a lot about her adversary. The two women had deemed it fit to tell her little details about the man. They had also each told stories about how he had saved them from slavery respectively. She had learned that out of gratitude, the women whose names were Ayeshat and Rukayat had decided to stay and serve the Sultan of the sultanate.

Roksolana looked at the expensive gown she was wearing and grunted. The material was too free and heavy on her. Even though the hijabs were lightweight, she felt a headache coming on because her head wasn't getting the fresh air it was used to. When she asked Rukayat if she could remove the hijab, the other woman frowned and told her only the general could give that order. By the time they had made her wear a shoe that wasn't a boot, she was ready to go and fight it out with the man whose name she now knows as Jamal, thanks to the two women.

As Ayeshat led Roksolana out to where the general was waiting for her, she glanced about the ship. She was amazed at the expensive taste of the ship, which means they were rich tribes. Roksolana wondered why such a sultanate would attack their small tribe. She realized that it could only mean one thing, someone had set the two sultanates against each other. Who It was and why they would do such a thing began to bother Roksolana. She hadn't even realized they were already at their destination until she heard Ayeshat's small voice instructing her to get in.

"Right on time," Jamal said.

Roksolana felt like going back and being back at a much later time. It didn't help matters that Jamal kept staring at her as if she had suddenly grown two pairs of heads. She also didn't fail to see that he was wearing something that flattered his body and looked quite expensive. It brought back the thought that someone had deliberately misled the tribe to attack them.

"Pardon my manners. Please sit," Jamal told her, gesturing to a wooden seat which she took unconsciously.

As soon as she sat, trays of hot food began to come in. By the time they were done setting the table, it looked like the feast of a king.

"Let's eat, Dawn," Jamal told her.

"Why do you keep calling me Dawn? That's not my name," Roksolana asked.

"Are you ready to tell me your name now? Because I refused to call you 'your death'." He replied, smiling a little. "Let's eat." He told her when she didn't reply to him.

"I'm not hungry," Roksolana told him.

"I didn't ask for your opinion. Eat. That's a command," Jamal told her.

"Too bad since I don't listen to commands." She retaliated.

Jamal looked at her for a moment, without saying anything. Then he spoke softly, that Roksolana almost didn't hear him.

"I had hoped it wouldn't get to this."

Roksolana was about to ask what he meant when he spoke again.

"Bring them in."

Roksolana watched as five women from her tribe were brought in. They were bonded and a piece of cloth each covered their mouths. Roksolana was happy they were alive, even though they must have been spared to make them maids. Jamal's next word halted her happiness.

"Eat, or they will be thrown overboard." He threatened.

"Anybody ever told you that you are a devil incarnate?"

"For every bite you refuse to take, one of them goes into the water." He told her, instead of answering her question.

Roksolana picked up her spoon and began to eat. She heard the man sitting across her chuckle.

Jamal picked up his spoon and began to eat too. He had wished he wouldn't have to resolve to blackmail, but he was glad he had prepared ahead. Roksolana was a stubborn woman and all his experiences with her made him realize that she wouldn't bend to anyone unless she got threatened by what she loved.

He prayed that he wouldn't regret the words he was about to utter. He prayed that the threat was enough to make her stay calm. Just as he was about to speak, Roksolana spoke up.

"Who betrayed our sultanate? What did he say to your Sultan to get him to attack us?" She asked.

Jamal looked at the woman sitting in front of him. She was a smart woman. She had managed to figure out things that would take others a while to understand in just a short time. Jamal contemplated if he should tell her the truth or not. The decision was taken away from him when she spoke again.

"Never mind. I've forgotten that you can't betray your Sultan. Anyway, I am done."

Jamal looked at her plate and saw that she had indeed finished her meals while he was lost in thoughts. Jamal watched as she stood up.

"I'm going to trust that you will keep your words and keep my people safe." She said attempting to leave.

"Wait," Jamal told her. He hadn't even gotten a chance to tell her what was on his mind yet.

"If I wait, you're going to have to allow me to take off the hijab," Roksolana bargained.

Smart. Jamal thought to himself. Truth was, he had missed the way her hair was always moving about. When he saw her come in earlier, he had almost rushed to take off the hijab himself. He decided to bargain with her.

"You can take it off since we are on the ship, but you have to put it back on as soon as we get to the sultanate tomorrow." He told her.

"Fair enough." She said and sat down again.

"Take them away," Jamal commanded the man with him.

He stood up and got closer to Roksolana.

"Be careful. I still want to kill you." She warned him.

"I know. Why haven't you attacked me yet?" He asked.

"Because you are my ticket." She said simply. At Jamal's cocked brows, she explained. "I realized that you are the one protecting me from death. So killing you means that I have to die too and I can't die right now. I still need to kill your greedy Sultan and whoever betrayed my people. Once I'm done, I can come back to kill you."

Jamal laughed. She really was a smart girl. Deciding not to delay anymore, he spoke.

"I want you to be my concubine when we get home, Dawn."

The only response he got was a slap to his cheek, a hijab thrown to his face, and a hissing Roksolana walking away from the room and him.