Even her Abu had recounted a story where he had invaded a land once and killed every living breathing thing on the sultanate. Yet, the Sultan had spared them all and brought them to his land to get another chance. And from what Roksolana had seen about the women from her sultanate the few times she saw them, she could tell that they were all doing okay. So in a way, she should be thankful to the Sultan for being merciful to them.

It was also rare to see a sultan ask a woman to be his ...