𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 | 𝔐𝔞𝔤𝔫𝔦𝔣𝔦𝔠𝔢𝔫𝔱 ℭ𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔶

02

We arrived at a large market in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, along with the rest of the slave girls and men who had bought us from our countries. They took us all out of the carriages and led us into the market, where the alleys were filled with crowds and disturbing sounds. The air was filled with different smells, from the smell of spices and perfumes to the smell of sweat and dirt. The sounds danced in my ears, between the screams of sellers and buyers and the screams of slaves sometimes trying to rebel against their bitter fates.

I was trying with all my might to remain calm, but the horrific sight and harsh reality were shocking me. I tried not to get carried away by my emotions, because I was here for something important, that required courage and cruelty, and most importantly, I had to focus well at this moment.

"Stand here, come on!" One of the men shouted and we all stood against a wall and he started displaying us like merchandise and my heartbeat started racing as my fate and the fate of my loved ones depended on this moment.

"How much?" said an old man who looked rich through his clothes, he stood in front of one of the girls, a blonde with green eyes, examining her with his eyes without respect.

"A small bag of gold" replied one of the men who were guarding us.

"That's a lot!" The rich man raised his eyebrow and his facial features changed as he looked annoyed.

"She's from Armenia, she's only 15 years old and still a virgin" he said trying to convince the man to buy her and he succeeded.

"Well she looks good" replied the rich man then he motioned for his servant to pay for her.

I felt disgusted by this scene, but I tried to ignore their conversation and looks as I focused on the men moving in front of us, if I delayed I would find myself in the hands of a disgusting old man.

'A tall man with black hair and thick eyebrows will be waiting for me at the slave market. He will be wearing a large ring with a black stone and all his clothes will be black except for his shoes which will be brown.' That's what they told me before I came here. He is the man who is supposed to recognize me through my specifications and the letter they gave me. He will buy me and a few other girls so that no one will suspect anything and will take us to the palace of the Sultan, the ruler of the Ottoman Empire.

Minutes began to pass and the girls were being sold. I was trying not to attract attention so as not to ruin my plan. Finally, a man started moving in front of me. He seemed to have all the conditions. He also exchanged glances with me without anyone noticing. It seemed that he recognized me. I put my hand in my dress and took out the letter quietly. After a few moments, a fight began between two passersby, which attracted everyone's attention. Therefore, the man approached me and quickly took the letter from my hand.

He disappeared for a short time, it seemed that he was checking the content of the letter and the stamp it carried to make sure that I was the girl they told him about, and that is what happened, he came back with two men behind him and stood in front of us while he was checking all the girls.

"Choose what you want" said the guard who was standing next to me.

"This is what I'm doing" he spoke in a calm voice and after a few seconds of thinking he pointed to a girl with dark skin, then me, then another white girl with long black hair, and finally a girl who looked young, she must be nine or ten years old "I will buy them"

After negotiating and finishing the buying and selling process, we walked behind the man and his men guarding us from behind, we reached a carriage and the four of us got in, then they closed the door and the carriage started to move.