The Sultan`s Concubine 8

Tabea knew she only had one chance – and she had to act now or never. Not only because Jelena would not be able to stand for much longer, she couldn`t either. Though Hakan was a ruthless bastard, he definitely knew how to push the right buttons. If he would finger her a little longer, she would be wax in his hands and cry for relief, no matter her friend was dying nearby.

»Stay focused!«, she told herself and bit down on her gag. She looked at Jelena again, saw the fear in her eyes. Then, when Hakan pushed his fingers deep inside her, Tabea arched backwards, raising her upper body. At the same time, she relaxed her thigh muscles. Following gravity, she slid downwards, but there was an upholstery between her pussy and the stick: Hakan`s hand.

The man let out a cry of pain and surprise when the top of the stake pierced through the back of his hand. Then, he made an effort to pull it free. Tabea squirmed and shook her upper body and so, when Hakan managed to pull away his damaged hand, she was thrown from the dreadful stake. She landed on the floor heavily, unable to block her fall with her hands tightly tied. But the girl had something else to concentrate on than just a few bruises.

The rope tying her knees to the stake had fallen loose, but her ankles were still tied to her thighs and so, she could only squirm over to Jelena. There, she managed to get close to the stake, taking it between her legs, before she tried to push against Jelena`s knees with her own. It was hard, but finally, she managed to position herself in a way that prevented Jelena from sliding further down her stake.

The Gypsy let out a cry of relief and a moment later, Tabea felt her entire weight push on her knees when she relaxed her aching muscles. She groaned from that, but she persisted. Panting, she looked around for Hakan. However, the injured man had left.

»Mph!«

Tabea now forced herself to push Jelena upwards: just one or two inches, so she could try to get off the stake, too. Though Jelena seemed to have understood and was shaking her body, it seemed that they were going nowhere.

Then, when she was about to give up, suddenly she heard a muffled scream and then, Jelena landed upon her. The impact forced the air out of Tabea`s lungs, but for the moment, they were save. When Jelena rolled from her, she let out a deep breath.

However, their situation hadn`t improved that much. They were still tied hand and foot, still thoroughly gagged and locked inside a cellar. And soon, Hakan would come back. He would perhaps not be able to punish them himself, but he had more than enough henchmen to do that favor for him.

Tabea could see that Hakan had left the dungeon`s door open, but she also knew that it opened to the stairs leading up to the court. Trussed up as they were, it would hardly be possible to get up the stairs – and even if they reached the outside, they would be no match for their captors.

When some steps approached, Jelena gasped and exchanged a worried look with Tabea, but the soldier who entered just looked at them with a mixture of disbelief and a little admiration. He obviously could not understand how two naked, tied and gagged women had managed to hurt his commanding officer.

However, his admiration did not lead him to releasing them; instead, he just closed the door ad locked it from the outside. Since the window was unreachable, they were trapped.

»T-H-A-N-K-S«, Jelena Morse coded with her eyes. Tabea grunted and tried to put something like »Don`t thank me yet, maybe, I just prolonged our suffering« into her look. However, when she looked at the two stakes, she shivered and was definitely glad she had at least tried something.

Unable to do anything but waiting, the two girls looked at the small piece of heaven they could see, telling them it was now early morning.

»Maybe, Mira made her escape!«

Tabea closed her eyes to the fact that even if Mira luckily made it out of town and reached Roxelana and even if the Sultan`s concubine would immediately persuade the Sultan to set them both free, it would be too late. Even with a fast horse, it would take Mira a few days to reach Constantinople and any messenger would need the same time for the way back. They both now depended on Hakan`s mercy.

As on keyword, the dungeon`s door now opened and Hakan entered, followed by two of his soldiers and an elderly man that looked like a surgeon. He still wore his bathrobe, now covered with some blood, and his right hand was bandaged. When he looked at the girls, he forced a smile on his face, but Tabea could see he was suffering from pain.

»So, you didn`t like my touch, little Tabea? Well, you might be pleased to hear that I will most likely recover, though for the next few months, I will not be able to give you payback!«

A mixture of fear and hope flooded through Tabea`s mind: if Hakan insisted on punishing her by himself, this meant that she would be left alive for the time the man`s hand took to heal. More than enough time for Mira to get to Constantinople or for another escape attempt. However, what would he do with Jelena? He could order to have her tortured and killed in front of Tabea`s eyes, just to make her suffer. Besides, keeping her alive did not include keeping her well and alive.

Hakan seemed to have read her thoughts as he said:

»I would have loved to have time for you two, but unfortunately, my men still haven`t caught that blonde bitch! So, in an hour, I will have to get to Belgrade to tell the Grand Vizier what has happened. Maybe, he will decide that I shall lose my right hand forever or maybe, even my head will roll. But I have sworn loyalty and so, I will have to tell him that by my mistake, Mira could escape. And so, my fate will be connected with yours!«

He made a gesture with his left hand and the two soldiers each hoisted one of the girls over their shoulders and carried Tabea and Jelena upstairs, to the court. Despite her fears, Tabea tried to figure out what was going on and in the center, she could see the men waiting for them had erected a gallows. She gulped when she saw the two nooses dangling from the tip of the horizontal bar.

Indeed, the nooses were put around the girls` necks and pulled snug with one soldier holding each of the dangling ends of the ropes. Then, two other men removed their leg bindings and by pulling their neck ropes tight, they were forced to stand up. With their arms still trapped inside the armbinders, they had little choice than to stand upright and close to each other. Suddenly, a soldier grabbed Tabea`s left ankle.

»Mmhrrmm!«

Her first reaction was to pull her leg free and kick his face, but before she could even twitch, the other man pulled the noose tight, forcing her to stretch her body and to retch.

»Hold still!«

Her leg was forced higher and higher whilst another man forced Jelena to raise her leg, too. Only when her foot was at the height of Jelena`s head, the soldier tied her ankle off to a rope.

When Tabea instinctively lowered her leg, she heard a croak and saw Jelena squirm slightly in her bonds. With horror, Tabea realized that her ankle was now connected with the noose around her friend`s neck. A moment later, a pull on her own noose told her that they had tied Jelena`s foot to her neck rope, too.

»If the Grand Vizier doesn`t want my head off, I should be back in some four or five hours. Until then, you will stay like this. But don`t worry, my men will allow you to change the leg you are standing on whenever you please.«

It was Hakan who had stepped close to them. Now, he let his unhurt hand ran over the inner thighs of Tabea`s obscenely spread legs, causing her to shiver and stare daggers at him. Biting down on her panty gag, she oppressed the urge to slam her forehead against his nose. But she feared for what he would do to her and Jelena and so, she endured his fingers exploring her middle and roughly massaging her pussy.

»Or, perhaps, I should say: they will let you change position whenever you please them!«

He grabbed her pussy once more and then, he left for the gate. Tabea moaned through her gag, but the two men who remained close to the gallows, both letting their eyes wander over their nude forms, just laughed. One of them playfully slapped Jelena`s buttocks and she staggered, desperately fighting to keep balance.

Their guards now sat down and kept looking at them, but obviously, they had been ordered not to touch them – yet. Tabea shuddered: Hakan not only wanted them to suffer, but also to feel humiliated: The men would wait until they could no longer stand on one leg and then, they would be forced to beg for being raped, just to stay alive!

Jelena looked up to Tabea, her eyes full with tears. Tabea hopped a little closer, so their breasts touched. It was a gesture of compassion and Jelena leaned towards her. Their position already was uncomfortable, but soon, their leg muscles would be aflame and they both knew that their will to survive was still strong. Even stronger than their will not to be touched by the two soldiers.

The minutes passed and Jelena, who was less trained than Tabea, already began to shift in her bonds and to ache with strain. However, when one of the soldiers stepped close to her and whispered something into her ear whilst groping her breast, she shook her head and managed to straighten herself. The man shrugged, knowing that time was working for him and his colleague.

His comrade, however, seemed to be distracted by something at the gate where another man was leaning against the wall. He was talking to a fourth soldier who had just dismounted a horse and whose clothes looked dusty.

»So, you finally got the blonde bitch?«

When neither of the two answered, the soldier walked over to them. Tabea looked at the gate, trying to see whether there was a sign of Mira. If she had been caught, all their suffering would have been for nothing!

However, not only was there no Mira, the three men also seemed to be quite upset about something. The distance was too great to hear anything, but obviously, the rider had some bad news.

»Maybe, the Grand Vizier has come for this town and Hakan`s dead already!«, she thought. Tabea had no idea whether this would mean that they would be killed at once.

»Fuck you, what`s the matter?«

The remaining soldier now seemed curious, too. He had to repeat his question before the others took notice of him. Then, his comrade waved to him to get over. With a last look on his captives, he went to the little group.

»Mhhmm?«

Jelena now tried to look at the gate, too. The soldiers still were debating and since one of them had a loud voice, they could understand one word:

»Padishah!«

That was the title the Sultan was addressed by, but it did not give them much of a hint. These were Ottoman soldiers and so, the Sultan was their ruler. However, Sultan Süleyman was far away from here, in Constantinople.

Now, another sound could be heard, like a distant thunder. The soldiers now seemed even more concerned and soon, the rider withdrew whilst the guard at the gate took his spear and took position. The two men who had guarded the girls looked at their captives before disappearing inside the garrison building.

The sound had grown and now, Tabea could hear it was no thunder. Instead, it was the sound of hooves on the ground. Many hooves and they were coming closer to the garrison. A large group of riders was approaching!

»Uuhhmmph?«

»Mph!«

Tabea stared at the gate and now, she saw a group of horsemen gallop towards the court`s entrance. The guard saluted, but they only slowed down a bit so they could pass the gate without running him over before their leader, a man with a large turban, raised his arm and pointed at Tabea and Jelena!

»Mhhmmph! Uuuhhmmm!«

Tabea wanted to tell Jelena they were save, but then, a pull on her neck told her that her friend had passed out. She stretched her body, trying to get some air into her lungs. She could hear voices and steps and just when her view began to get a little dizzy, she felt a strong grip on her arm and could see a shadow bending over Jelena.

Obviously, she had fainted, too, for as Tabea opened her eyes, she was no longer standing with the noose around her neck, but lying on the ground. She blinked and tried to figure out what had happened. When she moved her arms, she found out her arms were still tied and a moment later, she knew she also was still thoroughly gagged.

»Mhhmm!«

She turned her head, looking for Jelena. Close to her, she could see a nude body, but before she could look closer to see if Jelena was well and alive, she heard a voice:

»Tabea!«

A moment later, she felt hugged and a wet kiss was planted on her cheeks. It was Mira, now dressed in a dusty dress and looking exhausted, but happy.

»Oh Tabea, are you all right?«

»Mhhmmph!«

Now, there was more noise coming from the gate and now, all soldiers were kneeling and bowing their heads. A magnificent white horse now entered, carrying a rider in a silk robe interwoven with gold with a turban the size of a big pumpkin.

From around her, the word »Padishah« was whispered, but Tabea could have told from the man`s attitude and appearance that this was no other than Sultan Süleyman, whom history would later call »the Magnificent«.

She could see that Mira now was kneeling and keeping her head down, too, and she realized what a view she offered to the man. She was stark naked, her big boobs thrust out by the tight armbinder, and the way she lay there allowed the Sultan to look directly between her legs. With a last effort, Tabea closed her thighs and then forced herself to get first into a sitting and then into a kneeling position.

She did not dare to look up. Instead, she glimpsed to where she had seen Jelena. The man who had taken care of her had just placed her on the ground, but at least, she could see her friend no longer had the rope around her neck and that she was breathing.

There was a step in the silence as the Sultan surprisingly agile jumped from his saddle. Then, he slowly approached Mira and Tabea.

»Are these the women you told my beloved wife about?«

»Yes, Sublime Padishah!«, Mira answered without raising her head. Tabea didn`t know details about etiquette on the Ottoman court, but sure, it was quite unusual that the Sultan himself talked to a maid, even if she was one of the spies of his favorite wife.

For a few seconds, Süleyman fell silent. Tabea tried to get a glimpse of him without moving her head, but could only see his gold-decorated riding boots. Boots that now came closer to her until the man stood right in front of her. Tabea raised her head and looked at the Sultan.

Süleyman was of medium height and despite the wide clothes, she could see he had an athletic stature. The huge turban made him look older, but now, she could see the face of a rather young man, dominated by a roman nose over a mustache. He had stern, intelligent eyes that were now looking directly at Tabea`s face – or rather at her boobs, as she could not fail to notice. Suddenly, a smile appeared on Süleyman`s lips:

»Well, this is an informal visit, but perhaps, we should continue talking when you are dressed bit less – informal!«

***

»Now, what do you think? Will all this ordeals finally be over?«

Jelena was lying on an upholstered bench, next to Tabea who was also on her belly, allowing a strong slave to massage her shoulders. They were in one of the soldiers` sleeping rooms, but a group of male and female servants had replaced the bunk beds by some more convenient furniture and other things before taking care of the two former captives. Obviously, even when he was on informal visits, the Sultan still had some dozen servants with him and some of these now were there for their well-being.

After they had been untied and ungagged, a doctor – not the one who had cured Hakan`s hand –  had looked at them and made them drink something that had tasted strange, but that had had a strengthening effect. Then, the female slaves had taken over, bathing and washing both Tabea and Jelena, combing their hair and even massaging some perfumed oil into their skin.

»Later, we will be brought to the Sultan`s bedchamber!«, Jelena had joked. Tabea had doubted that, but she had been glad that her friend had recovered a bit. Then, she had just enjoyed the treatment by the slaves who seemed to wash away not only all the sweat and dirt, but also some of the bad memories.

After the massage, all but four servants disappeared and these helped them in choosing and putting on some clothes. Their dresses were plain, but made of silk, and the jewelry was pure silver. But even if it had been canvas sacks, it just felt marvelous to be decently dressed again after all these days they had been either half naked or stark naked.

Now, other servants brought plates with fruits, bread and pastries whilst others served water, juices and some strong coffee. These slaves were accompanied by Mira who tactfully did not ask them about their ordeal after her escape. Instead, she told them that she had luckily made it to the city gate where she had managed to steal a donkey. After some hour, she had ran into the advance troops of Süleyman`s entourage and that more or less was the story.

»Hürrem is with him, too! Of course, she was as interested in the conspiracy of Ibrahim Pasha as the Padishah was! After all, he wants to make her his official wife!«

Now, Tabea remembered that Süleyman had talked about his wife rather than his concubine when he had mentioned Hürrem – or Roxelane, as she was called in the West. Bad news for the Sultan`s actual first wife Mahidevran – and for anyone who had conspired in her favor.

»So, everything has turned out well, more or less!«

Mira smiled, but all three girls knew what this »more or less« included: they had all been stripped naked and been humiliated. Jelena and Mira had been more than intimate with each other, though under the influence of that potion. And both had been forced to have their way with Tabea as well. Mira perhaps had not found it too bad to kiss and lick Tabea`s body, but for Jelena, it must have been embarrassing.

For a few moments, all three sat there, avoiding to look at each other and both Jelena and Mira blushing. Tabea also felt her cheeks burn and she cleared her throat before she asked about Hakan`s whereabouts.

»I don`t know yet. Since we are back here, I only took care that you were treated well. But maybe, you may see his head on a stake very soon!«

Tabea, however, wasn`t sure whether this would help her to overcome what this man had done to her. Cruel things, but also some she had responded to quite willingly.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Then, it was opened by a man who obviously was a guard, but sported different clothing than the soldiers around. Mira dropped a deep curtsey when another figure entered the room. It was a small woman, followed by a huge man with a sword who positioned himself in the open door whilst the woman approached Tabea and Jelena. She was dressed in expensive clothes that covered everything except for her face and hands. Tabea could see a single red curl hanging over her left eye. The woman looked young and she seemed rather charismatic than actually pretty. She showed a warm smile and brushed over Mira`s hair, telling her to raise up.

»So, you helped my little spy to warn me about the latest plans of our – Grand Vizier?«

She remained friendly, but the way she spat out Ibrahim Pasha`s title told what she was thinking of him. So, this was the famous Hürrem – or Roxelane –, Sultan Süleyman`s concubine and later wife, mother of five of his children, including his successor. Or, since Süleyman searched for her advice, maybe the most powerful woman of her time.

Hürrem now sat down on one of the benches and took one of the pastries Mira quickly reached her. Without haste, she enjoyed it before she spoke again. Tabea noticed a slight accent in her Turkish, since Hürrem had been born and raised in what in Tabea`s time would be Ukraine.

»I heard a rumor that you«, she pointed at Tabea, »broke the fingers of that rat Hakan?«

Tabea felt a bit uneasy from the memory of that situation, when said fingers had been playing with her most intimate parts, but she forced herself to nod and answered:

»Yes – Sublime!«, not knowing how to address Hürrem properly. The Sultan`s concubine burst out laughing.

»My dear, call me Hürrem! The woman who broke the right hand of the Grand Vizier`s right hand sure can be called my friend!«

Her laughter was friendly and now, Tabea understood how this rather plain woman had conquered the heart of the Sultan who had a harem full of pretty girls. However, Hürrem soon became serious again:

»Too bad you didn`t kill him. As far as we know, Hakan`s on the run and he`s no one to forget an insult. Of course, the Padishah will put his hand over your heads, but I am afraid that he will forgive the Grand Vizier – again! Unfortunately, they have been raised together and my beloved Padishah is blind to the fact that this man is no longer the boy he played and hunted together with.«

Tabea remembered how this would end within a few years: Hürrem would finally persuade the Sultan to have Ibrahim Pasha killed. However, if they had not altered the past too much already, this would not before another ten years or so.

»Currently, the Padisha`s travelled on to Belgrade, to talk with the Grand Vizier about what this was all about. And sooner or later, this snake will make him believe his version of the story. Anyway, this means that you are still in danger!«

Now, Jelena looked at the huge guard, but Hürrem told her that this man was loyal only to her. Then, she bent forward and continued:

»It will be the best if you two have disappeared when my beloved Padishah comes back. I will tell him you left in the midst of the night, which is more or less the truth. However, you will of course be given an escort and also a little sign of my gratefulness!«

The latter turned out to be two small sacks filled with gold coins. Both Jelena and Tabea only had a vague idea about their value, but sure it was a small fortune. Hürrem rose from the bench and left, telling them to wait for a man she would send in the night. She ordered Mira to follow her, but the blonde maid begged that she would be allowed to stay a little longer.

»So, we will perhaps not see each other again!«, Mira said as soon as the door had closed behind the concubine and the guards. Mira had slung her arms around Tabea`s waist and stood so close their breasts were touching. Tabea could see tears in her eyes. She cleared her throat, but before she could say something, Mira kissed her. Without hesitating, Tabea kissed her back. She felt Mira`s breasts press against her own and felt a warm tingle, but then, the blonde withdrew. Sobbing, she said:

»I can`t leave Hürrem! But if you would come to the Topkapi palace, too, it would be too dangerous! After all, Mahidevran lives there, too – and she still has some influence!«

Tabea nodded and forced herself to let Mira go. She was fighting her own tears as Mira now said Goodbye to Jelena, too. The two looked at each other a bit uneasily and then hugged quickly. Then, Mira stormed out of the room.

»So, you and-«, Jelena began, but Tabea gave her an angry glance.

»Don`t dare to even start that, Nelly, or I will break your hand, too!«

»Easy, Tabby, I just wanted to make some conversation! Besides – I wouldn`t be so foolish to put my fingers between your killer legs!«

For a while, the two stared at each other; then, both burst out laughing and they hugged, though at the same time, they both cried. However, this took some of the tension from them and after some time, they began to prepare for their secret getaway.

They took some of the gold coins and hid them in their clothes before they began to pack some provision, since they had no idea how long it would be until they would be able to eat again. Then, they tried to relax. The only interruption was around late afternoon, when the slave girls brought them another meal. The servants, however either didn`t recognize their nervousness or they were too polite to mention it.

When the evening came, more and more soldiers walked around, trying to find a place to sleep in the now overcrowded garrison. Some even slept in the court and Tabea feared that this would be the end of their escape, but suddenly, there was a scratching at their door. Jelena carefully opened it a bit and they could see a man wearing a black cloak.

»Follow me! But before, put on these!«

He handed them two similar cloaks and a minute later, they followed the man over the court to a small side door. After a narrow black corridor, there was another door and now, they were outside the garrison.

The man led them through the streets until he stopped beside a thorn bush. He pointed to the ground where Tabea could see a black hole.

»After some yards, this passage ends outside the walls! Just get through it and then, you will meet Ali and his men!«

Neither Tabea nor Jelena had an idea who Ali was, but the man had already vanished in the dark. Jelena looked up to Tabea:

»Do you trust him?«

»The last man I trusted sold us into slavery! But what other choice do we have?«

Of course, they could hide somewhere, wait for the dawn and then leave through the gate, but an escape on their own would be even harder, given the fact that everyone would be able to recognize Tabea. So, she gathered her skirt and carefully went into the hole on her hands and knees.

At least, the ground was relatively clean and after a few yards, she could indeed see the exit, dark grey in all the black. She moved forward, listening for anyone who could be there. But she could make out nothing but a few trees and so, she helped Jelena out of the cave.

Suddenly, she heard a whisper from one of the trees.

»Tabea? Jelena?«

At least, it was someone who knew their names. For a moment, she feared it could be Hakan, but now, a small man with a belly came from behind the tree. This definitely wasn`t Hakan and when he approached, he showed them a broad, friendly grin.

»The more, the better!«

Tabea frowned at these strange words.

»Are you Ali?«

»We are his substitutes«, another man now said, stepping from behind another tree.

»I am afraid Ali is busy!«

Tabea felt a shiver run down her spine. She knew this man! She had heard his voice before – only once, when she had been at Ibrahim Pasha`s palace!

»The Italian!«

The memory came one second too late. Tabea heard a sound from behind. Before she could react, something hit the back of her head and everything went black.

Before Tabea had slumped to the ground, the attacker had knocked out Jelena, too. The Italian nodded approvingly whilst the attacker and the small man checked if the girls were really unconscious. Then, they quickly began to tie them up.

Lodovico Gritti looked down at the two girls he had seen in his friend`s palace from which they had escaped. The Black had recognized him as an Italian, despite his mask. It was hardly surprising, since he was Italian. Lodovico was the son of Andrea Gritti, the Doge of Venice. In addition, he was more or less the ambassador of the Republic of Venice in the Ottoman Empire and maybe the best informed man in the whole land.

He also was a close friend of Ibrahim Pasha who had told him of his plan to install some female agents inside the Topkapi palace. Lodovico had not approved this idea, but he was a loyal friend. And so, once one of his many informants had told him about the failed plot, he had decided to act. His informant had also heard about the plan of Hürrem to get the two girls out of town.

So, all he and his men had to do was to act first. Lodovico smiled at the faces Hürrem`s men would make when they were coming to help the girls escape, only to find out they had disappeared already.

He saw that his men had already bound and gagged the two still unconscious girls and were now wrapping them into blankets.

»Just remember, they have to be kept alive, but well away from here. Maybe, I will once need something to persuade my dear friend Ibrahim to act more in a way the Republic of Venice wants him to do. Except from that, I am not telling you how to do your business. I am sure what to do with two pretty girls at your mercy!«

The other man grinned and tightened the rope around Tabea`s ankles.

The End – so far