Lost
Jamal watched as one of his entourage led Roksolana away. When she came to him earlier, he almost didn’t believe her. He thought she might be looking for revenge, given how Miriam had treated her. But, looking back at her previous actions, he realized that she would rather kill the person herself and face the punishment than go through foul means. The woman had even slapped him that morning knowing he was the sultan and she could lose her life over her action. She had also disregarded his title and called him by his name when everyone could hear.
After she had left, he had sat down and thought back about Miriam’s action towards him ever since he came back from the journey. While she had always responded to his touch, she hadn’t always been enthusiastic about having sex with him. Sometimes, she would just lie down like a log of wood while he had his way with her. But, since he came back two weeks ago, she had always been the first to initiate sex. Even trying to force him, like she was doing with him right now.
Jamal looked at her and how she was trying to get him aroused. Her hands were in his shirt, caressing his nipples. He hated being touched by anyone, especially women, so he slapped her hands away. When she saw that that wasn’t working, she switched tactics. She moved her body against him while kissing him, urging his body to wake up. Jamal nearly laughed at how much effort she was putting into this. He also thought about how Roksolana didn’t have to seduce him like Miriam was doing, yet he was always hard for her. Jamal watched as his penis stood at attention at just the mere thought of her. He saw a triumphant smile lift Miriam’s face as she felt his arousal.
“I knew I could get you in the mood, my Sultan,” Miriam said, kissing his cheek.
Jamal thought of ways to get away from her, but couldn’t think of one. He watched in desperation as Miriam began to undress. When she was done, she moved towards him and began to toil with his clothing in an attempt to get him naked. Her touch was beginning to irritate him. Luck shined on Jamal as the cry for prayer began. He would have to use the praying hour as an excuse to get rid of her.
“Miriam, it’s time to pray.” He told her.
“I know. But it’s not the first time we’ve skipped prayers.” She answered.
“Well, I’m going to pray. Then get back to work.” He told her, taking her hands off him.
“But…,” Miriam said, looking confused.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
“I’ll spend all day with you tomorrow,” Jamal said, kissing her lips.
“You promised?” Miriam asked him.
“I promise, my dear mistress.” He told her.
Before she could say anything else, Jamal walked away. The trap was set up and put in place already. Jamal just hoped that Roksolana hadn’t played him for a fool. He wondered where the guard had taken her to. In all his haste, he had forgotten to instruct the guard not to take her to the prison, but one of the house imprisonment. If it turns out she was right about Miriam, her life could be in danger.
He had to come up with a plan on how to get Miriam and her lover in the plan. And that plan includes making sure there was no way for either of them to escape from the room if they were caught. He took a detour back to the general’s house, located just a few blocks away from the army’s Barack. He cleared his throat and pushed the door open. Jamal saw Sodeeq sitting on the chair, holding a glass of water and a smile decorated his face. What was making the man so happy that he didn’t hear the sultan come in? Jamal cleared his throat to get his attention. When that failed, Jamal tapped the man lightly. The touch made Sodeeq jump up, looking frightened. Jamal frowned at that. Sodeeq had never been afraid before.
“Are you okay, general?” Jamal asked him.
“Yes, Sultan,” Sodeeq answered, looking around.
Jamal sat down on the chair opposite to where Sodeeq sat a moment ago. He motioned for Sodeeq to sit, which the man did. Jamal sat forward, folded his arms together, and braced them on his thigh. As best as he could, Jamal explained what he heard from Roksolana to the man sitting opposite him. He also explained why he thought Roksolana was right, through the way Miriam had been acting ever since they had gotten back from their voyage. After he was done talking, he heard Sodeeq sigh.
“Where did you get that information from?” Sodeeq asked.
For reasons Jamal didn’t want to think about, he refrained from mentioning Roksolana’s name as the informant. He rationed the thought to his intentions of having sex with her and not because he wanted to protect her. Jamal didn’t think Sodeeq would harm her anyway, but still, he didn’t want to give her name away.
“Just from someone, but that’s not important. What’s important is finding out if the information is true,” Jamal answered.
“It’s probably a petty lie, just to create a misunderstanding between you and Lady Miriam,” Sodeeq said, shrugging.
“I know that. But still, I want us to be prepared just in case it wasn’t a false alarm,” Jamal said shrugging too.
“Okay,” Sodeeq answered.
Together, they made a plan on how to apprehend Miriam and her lover. Jamal told Sodeeq about the points he wanted guards to be at. They discussed how to move in undiscovered. Jamal went on to let his friend know what punishment he would dish out to Lady Miriam and her mysterious lover if it turned out to be true she was cheating on him. When they were done with making plans, they discussed everyday life and the well-being of the sultanate at large. It was already dark when Jamal stood up to leave.
“What if it was a false alarm? I mean Lady Miriam and her lover,” Sodeeq asked Jamal.
“Well, let’s wait and see,” Jamal said, moving out of the room.
Jamal walked back to his house, his guards flagging him about. He got to the front of the house and inquired about Roksolana. He rushed into the house when the guard told him she was in the room, praying she hadn’t done anything to his house. He heaved a deep breath of relief when he saw her sitting calmly on the floor. He cleared his throat loudly to get her attention, which made her jump up.
Why is everyone feeling lost today? Jamal thought.