Chapter 10
"Get up!"
Erik lifted his head from Mara's bed to see the captain of the guard once more standing before him. He had been kneeling next to her the whole night, changing the dressing on her wounds every hour.
"I said get up! The sultan demands to see you!"
Erik simply shifted into a sitting position and crossed his arms. "Do you plan to force me by yourself or use your guards to help?"
"What?" roared the captain. "Are you saying I am unable to force you by myself?"
"Apparently, you do have some intelligence."
In response, the captain angrily came forward but Yakub stepped in front of him. The captain looked at the old eunuch coolly. "I am only following orders to take him before the sultan." He looked back at Erik. "And I will do so by any means I must use."
"I believe you underestimate this one, captain," said Yakub smoothly. "I would not be so confident if I were you." He turned to look down at Erik. "The sultan is waiting."
"Then he will wait."
The captain smiled while Yakub frowned.
"Do not do this," said the eunuch softly. "Have you not already tested him enough? Do not be a fool! You may not know this, but the sultan likes you."
"I know."
"Do you?" asked the eunuch with surprise.
"Of course," replied Erik, still in a calm voice.
Yakub looked somewhat bewildered by his calm response. "I am not certain what you plan to do, but this sultan is not one upon whom you want to take out your anger."
Erik gave a soft laugh.
The captain was growing impatient. "You will get up or I will drag you into the sultan's court myself!"
"By all means, do try."
Yakub once more stopped the captain as he lunged forward. "If he will not come, then it is not he you will take."
Erik's eyes shifted to the eunuch, and his gaze narrowed. His heart began to race.
Yakub smiled. "Ah yes, you understand me perfectly," said the eunuch. The captain's smile grew wider, with his eyes roaming over Mara's body.
Erik slowly got to his feet. He was in an extremely dangerous state, and he knew he had to remain under control. He walked past the eunuch and the captain. There would be another time, another place…
"She comes with you."
His eyes snapped back to Yakub, who was looking at him with concern.
"She must come with you," the eunuch said again. "It is the same as I told you yesterday, as she is your personal slave."
Anger boiled within him, and he sucked in his breath trying to keep himself steady. He walked back to Mara.
"You may not help her," Yakub said softly.
His hands clenched into fists but he said nothing. Instead, he watched as Mara slowly, painfully rose from the bed. Erik wanted to clothe her but he did not think she could bear the feel of any fabric upon her back.
Yakub was already prepared for this, however, and came forward with a thin, sheer dress. It was like gauze and not really like clothes at all. But it still gave her at least some sense of dignity.
Her head bowed in pain. She stood waiting.
Erik closed his eyes briefly and turned to walk out of the apartment. He went slowly, knowing Mara was struggling to keep up behind him. Upon entering the sultan's court, he saw Alexandria resting on the cushion next to the ruler's chair. She could not even look at him. When Erik stood before the sultan, Mara sunk to the floor. His hands curled into fists but he did nothing.
"Take her," the sultan said softly as he motioned to several slaves who were in the room. "Provide and care for her until she is well enough to return to him." Once they had picked her up and carried her out of the room, the sultan looked at Yakub and his captain. "Leave us."
The captain hesitated. "My lord…"
The sultan glared at him.
"Yes…my lord. I will be just outside," the captain said as he shot Erik a look of warning.
Once the captain was gone, they were completely alone. Only the sultan and Alexandria were now before Erik. Still, she would not look at him. The sultan stood and came down the few steps from his chair. With his hands behind his back, he walked up to Erik, who was about the same height as he was.
"I realize you would like nothing more than to kill me at this moment," said the sultan.
Erik did not respond, although in his head he did calculate that perhaps this would be the perfect opportunity. But he was not about to give in knowing the guards were just outside waiting for him to try exactly that.
The ruler frowned. "You must understand. I could not let what happened yesterday go unpunished. The ruler of Phocaea could not be made aware of my fondness of you beyond anything but your architecture. Once you left yesterday, I had to order my guards in front of him to go to your slave. It could have been much worse."
Erik narrowed his eyes.
The sultan sighed. "The ruler of Phocaea wanted to indulge in other pleasures and wished to rape the girl while he…killed her at the same time."
Erik swallowed his disgust but still said nothing.
"He has the potential to be my largest enemy. He knew it would be insulting if I refused such a request, especially as the girl was to be punished anyway. It was Alexandria who helped me avoid the situation."
Erik glanced at Alexandria. She remained on the cushion, her eyes still looking down.
The sultan smiled. "Quite the intelligent creature she is, I must say. Apparently, she had overheard the night before that he, shall we say, was betrayed by a woman who left him for someone else. He mentioned her hair was like sunshine, and it was his main attraction to her."
Mara's hair.
The sultan nodded. It became very clear to Erik what Alexandria suggested to the ruler in place of Mara's death.
"Humiliation can be a powerful weapon," the sultan said turning back to his second wife. He walked over to her and stroked her hair. "And so he was allowed entrance to your apartment to shave her head with his own knife. It gave him great satisfaction to cause pain to a beautiful woman like the one who betrayed him. He watched as the guards tied her down and whipped her."
"There was a time when I thought of myself as more of a monster than you," said Erik quietly.
The sultan smiled. "Let me guess. A woman made you feel that way."
"Quite an innocent one."
"Ah yes, and now that you have seen my world, you feel you are nothing in comparison to my cruelty. It is a matter of perspective, Erik."
"Yes, my perspective was to kill and torture men that struck against me while yours is to include women that have done nothing to you."
"Do you think I like the position in which I find myself?" demanded the sultan.
Erik laughed softly. "Men of power always do."
"Oh really? I would have thought of you as having more intelligence. But I will indulge you for just a moment. You may not agree with the traditions and laws of these lands. You can even disagree with how women are treated. But can you disagree with the fact that if for one moment I show any amount of mercy my rule will be questioned? Do you disagree that for every one woman or man treated cruelly in your eyes saves thousands more from our enemies?"
"In your eyes, you do what you feel is just," replied Erik.
"Very well, let me put it to you another way then. If I had shown any forgiveness for your insolent behavior with your slave, then I assure you that at this very moment the ruler of Phocaea would be tearing down the palace you are now building!"
"I am surprised you admit your own armies are too weak to stand against such an enemy."
"Exactly! The Ottoman Empire is hanging on by a thread! It is by my demonstration, my show of strength and cruelty that make our enemies step back! Fear is a tool I have heard you used well in your past. Is that not true?"
Erik knew the sultan had a point. He had used the opera ghost tale as a means of fear to obtain what he wanted, when he wanted. How interesting he was far more similar to the sultan than even he wanted to admit.
"Allah, Erik! I do not wish to be your enemy! But when you choose your own stubborn pride such as you did, you leave me little choice! The girl was an exquisite gift to you, and now look at her! Do you really think I wanted that?"
Erik was uncertain if he wanted to kill the sultan or himself at the moment. He loathed admitting the man was right. This was not his world, and he would have to follow certain rules.
Even if it killed him.
The sultan shook his head. "I must go and meet with Iris briefly, as I was informed before you came in her labor has begun. This will be her first child, and I pray she makes it through the birth. I need this child! My demonstration of authority will only go so far, and I must continue to build the strength of my land with new armies. But creating a strong empire takes time, Erik." He sighed once more, suddenly looking very tired. "You will have a few moments alone with Alexandria before she is called to witness the child being born."
"I have no reason to see her at this time," replied Erik.
The sultan frowned. "It is my understanding you have not seen her in more than a few days." He glared at Alexandria. "I do not know what has transpired between the two of you but you will follow my orders. Alexandria, you have a court to complete in its design." He looked back at Erik with narrowed eyes. "And you must prove yourself once more to me. I do not want to lose you but if you continue to not provide what I ask, then it will be best for both of us if you left before something worse happens."
"To me or you?" asked Erik in a low voice.
"I will not deny it could be either of us. I do not underestimate my enemies, Erik, although I hope you do not end up being one of them." The sultan brushed past him and left the court, slamming the door on his way out.
---
Alexandria watched her husband leave. The architect now stood before her with his eyes almost blazing. She closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them to look at him. "Why?"
Erik crossed his arms. "What?"
"Why did you defy him?"
"He is not my lord."
"And these are not your lands!"
Erik gave a cruel smile. "So I should lie on my back as you do for him each night?"
"How dare you!" she spat. "You know I do not deserve that!"
"Do you deny there are times that one must uphold what they believe?"
"No," she said quietly. "But apparently I am not strong enough like you." She got up to leave, and Erik cursed.
"Wait," he said in a rough voice.
"Why should I? You see me as nothing but a weak woman who obeys her husband. We have little in common except for both of us being forced to work with each other for the completion of yet another gilded cage for me."
"It is because you are not weak!" he snapped.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Erik remained standing with his arms crossed. "It is because I have difficulty in watching a strong…" He hesitated with what she sensed was awkwardness at what he wanted to say, but he continued. "It is difficult to watch a strong, intelligent woman obey his every whim. You are better than this."
She looked at him in surprise, and then her expression turned almost to shame. "I live with exactly that every day," she whispered. "Perhaps I should be stronger to face death. Although is it not a sin to do so?"
"I am not one to answer questions on religion," he replied. "But it does pain me to see you wither in this place."
My God! He actually felt something? She was not sure if she should be shocked or flattered. "What would you have me do?" she asked with a tremor in her voice.
"Do you love him?"
"W-what?"
"You heard me."
"He has only treated me with kindness—"
"That is not what I asked."
She bit her lip. "No, I do not."
"And is it not a sin in the Christian sense that a wife does not love her husband?" he asked with a mocking tone.
"Do you wish to make me more ashamed than I already am? He is trying, he truly is with me. He wants me to love him."
He cursed loudly. "Ashamed? For not loving a man who forcefully took you? The longer you stay, the more he penetrates your mind in twisted ways."
"Are you denying what he just said to you? That in these lands he does what he must to protect his people? Even if it is by means with which you do not agree?"
He hesitated for a moment. Then he uncrossed his arms and placed them behind his back in an almost thoughtful manner.
"No, I do not deny such a thing. I am very familiar in using…unconventional means to bring about the end result that is right. And perhaps the more I think on it, he is trapped just as much as we are in our roles." He studied her for a moment. "But you will lose yourself within his world. You say you do not love him yet already you take his side, even when it means cruelty to the innocent."
"To protect so many others!"
"Did he not say cruelty is a matter of perspective, Alexandria? Is it right to torture and kill a few at all?"
"Thoughtful words from a man who apparently does not have such an innocent past himself," she challenged.
"Perhaps. But we all have choices. Even your husband."
"So you would have him be a kind, gentle leader who would quickly be defeated by his enemies?"
He shook his head and, to her shock, he gave her a smile. "Perhaps if we have more of these conversations that alone will keep your intelligent mind sharp."
She was irritated at herself, since she could not help but smile in return. "I told you I needed someone to talk with."
"Yes, I can see now that you have not completely given up your spirit. But I will not be around forever. You may use me to stimulate that mind of yours, but you must also find a way to not lose yourself even after I have gone."
"The sultan wants me to think openly with him in private," she suddenly blurted. Damn it! Why the hell did she just tell him that?
But he only nodded. "Indeed. Another tactic of his that will soften you to him. But he will only feed you conversation on a limited basis, forcing you to think in ways he wants you to."
She had not thought of this and now felt even more caged than before.
"They will be sending for you," he said quietly. "When will there be a time when the sultan is not with you?"
"I would hope once the child is born he will spend more time with Iris."
"But not a guarantee."
"N-no, and he said he would take me on a journey soon."
"Really? Where?"
"I-I do not know. I was excited about the idea but now after having this conversation with you, I am not so sure." Was the sultan only manipulating her even more in her intelligence? She felt suddenly confused and tired.
The architect's eyes actually seemed to soften—either that, or it was her imagination.
"You must trust yourself, Alexandria." She noted he seemed to pause in his thoughts after saying this.
"What was her name?"
His eyes looked sharply at her. "Who?"
"The woman who you said was so innocent, the one that made you…feel like a monster."
She saw him clench his jaw. "No one. That was a long time ago. Go on now. I am sure Iris will want your support. I will find a time to meet with you later so we can finish the plans for your court."
Alexandria nodded slowly and turned to walk out one of the side doors. She glanced back and saw Erik looking at her.
"Thank you."
"What?" she asked.
"For Mara. You saved her life."
Before she could respond, he turned on his heel and silently slipped away.