Sayonee

Chp - 20

Warning: Mention of rape. Read at your own risk.

"Do you know who gets wounded the most in wars ?" Najma walked towards the window looking outside.

"If any empire is destroyed in war, emperor is kept in dungeon, ministers and administers are totured to reveal the secrets of the empire, soldiers are killed mercilessly, women and children the innocent of all....

...are either offered as a winning price to kings or their ministers or sold to brothels, sometimes the lucky ones are left on the streets to die a slow and painful death"

Harriet knew whatever najma said is a bitter reality, weak and vulnerable ones are exploited in the name of punishment and most of the people are vultures behind royal faces.

"I was a wife of Army general in Samar kingdom, our enemies attacked us overnight but we weren't ready to it so, our king send a messager to king of Pakistan to come for our help but he was too late"

"They slaughtered our king, beheaded my....
Najma took a breathe holding her tears and continued,

.... husband and hung their bodies on spikes to celebrate their victory"

Harriet was horrified by listening such act, how is najma bearing when she is the one who witnessed it.

"They held captive all of us. We waited for death but it never came"

"I was four months pregnant when they raped me, I was tied to bed, begged for mercy but it didn't stopped" Najma let all her tears out.

"I didn't know how many of them, they took turns and it continued for two days. I lost everything my husband, my virtue and I already made my mind that my child will not survive, I was bleeding on the bed waiting for my death"

Harriet shut her eyes with tears rolling down on her cheeks. How much this
Women has suffered ?

"That's when king of Pakistan arrived with his army, he defeated them and saved rest of the people of our palace. I was almost dead but he took me to Pakistan with him and asked the best healers of the world to treat me and save my unborn child"

"Not only me, everyone women in his harem has same kind of story. All of us were saved by King Zayn"

"Few were slaves, some victim of prostitution and others abandoned by their families. He visits us every month to check upon us"

"When he bought me into the palace, everyone was disgusted by me for losing my virtue. They asked me to abort my child and go to brothels for living....

.....but he refused it, everyone was against him for helping us but it didn't stop him. Whenever we went out of the palace every man has a price for us in their eyes. So, he built different chambers to the opposite side of the palace so that we can live peacefully here. He lied to the world that we are his mistress to save us from those vultures. He stained his image in front of everyone just to save us"

"Do you see that girl ?" Najma pointed outside the window, there stood a teenage girl who was limping with each step.

"Her name is tabasum, her mother was a maid in some palace, when their Emperor died all the young girls were sold as a mistress to many kingdoms. She was thirteen year old when she was raped but she decided to fight them and you know what they did ? They broke her legs"

"What was her fault ? What was our fault to be treated this way ? Is it because we are born as woman ? Was it really our fault that all these happened to us ? Is it really my fault that I was raped ? Don't we the have the right to live if we lost our......