✔️The Sultan's harem (Completed)

Chapter 2: The "Free" Women

Serena's POV

"Hehe he ha ha ha ha" I laughed as my brother Zee tried to catch me. Unlike the other girls of my age, I wasn't burdened with household work. My parents wanted me to enjoy my life and studies. Which meant that the women of my age playing outside were scarce. Thankfully I had a younger brother and his friends to play with. While my neighbours looked at me with disgust, I didn't care. I was taught to live my life to the fullest.

Suddenly, unknown to me, I found some people dressed in red robes advancing towards my direction. They were the Sultan's army.

"Run!" shouted Zee. He held my hand and we started running towards the direction of my home. Perhaps our fear was true. Recently the Sultan had started capturing the girls to treat them as his concubines. And as per the locals, the life of concubines was pathetic. They were not allowed to meet their family or get out of the palace premises. There is no contact with the outer world and all you are required to do was to "serve" the Sultan.

Many locals said that the young sultan was the mirror image of his late father. Ruthless, selfish and aristocratic whereas the traders claimed that he was otherwise.

There was a rumour that since the Sultan had succeeded the throne very recently, he was the puppet of his ministers.

Suddenly we were surrounded by army men from all sides.

"Serena! I ask you to surround yourself with the Sultan's army"

Shouted the minister. Wait a minute, how did they know my name? I was a mere village girl.

"Has your Sultan sent for me?" my fear was coming true.

"Our Queen mother wants you to be the part of his harem," he shouted back.

My brother stood in front of me and shouted.
"Anyone who wants to harm my sister has to first pass through me!"

The rifles were pointed out towards him by the twenty-something soldiers and they did not look hesitant to shoot him.

"Wait!"  I shouted.

I went towards the man who told me the purpose of the army visit. I stood close to him and suddenly slapped his face.

"You do not know who I am! " he threatened.

Despite being frightened to my core, I decided to behave otherwise.

" I know who you are! A Coward pawn of a ruthless monster" I shouted referring to the Sultan.

"Beware my lady! Hold your tongue. Else you will regret your words!" he shouted back.

I took a step back and again gave him a fierce eye-contact.

"Your king is a coward because he requires a group of soldiers to arrest an innocent physically weak women! If he has any guts, he can come here, face me and fetch me himself." I shouted back and then instantly regretted it. What if they lashed out their anger towards my brother?

The minister started laughing hysterically.

"Young lady, I will not take you to our Sultan. Instead, I will tell everything to the Sultan and ensure that you are beheaded" he shouted back.

Soon the crowd had started gathering around me. Everyone looked at me with pity in their eyes but no one dared to speak up.

"Go and tell your Sultan that this woman is not scared of barbarians. He can have other women at his disposal but I am not a pawn to be played. " I shouted back only to be left with laughing soldiers climbing on their horseback.

As soon as they left, I saw my father running towards my direction. Perhaps someone from my crowd informed him about the heated exchange of words.

It turned out that the person with whom I had a war of words was no one but the main Vazir of the Sultan.

While my mother scolded me (she cried later because she loved me and feared of my life) for being so foolish, my father was inconsolable. My brother decided to fight till his last breath to save me while everyone in my neighbourhood had already started praying for my better afterlife because they all knew that I would be either beheaded or flogged to the death.

I didn't care. I did not want to be a "tortured women" of the harem. I wanted to be a free women. Or die an death of a fighter.

Deep down I was scared. I couldn't sleep at night while my home was filled with the tears of my family. If I was destined to die young, I didn't mind. If I was destined to live, then my Lord would save me. I prayed as I closed my eyes in exhaustion while falling into sleep.