Sabır (Patience) - Kurulus Osman

Chapter 54

Boran blinked at her. "But you didn't..."

"Since you were...watching...everything...what's up with Konur?"

Boran swallowed then shook his head in means of waving it away. "He's probably just...super happy," he lied. Ceyda nodded slowly, and Boran asked, "I thought you said you'd think about Siddik?"

"I did. And I decided to practice before I told him."

"Practice...on Konur?"

"And since Konur said yes, that means Siddik will too." She started to leave when Boran stepped in front of her.

"What makes you think that? They're not the same, they have...different feelings." Boran didn't believe Ceyda just walked up to the first person she found to practice her speech. "Why did you ask Konur?"

"Did you want me to ask you?"

Boran nodded quickly. "Yes, sure, at least I know that you wouldn't really mean it and that you probably have some other big, stupid plan playing in your head."

Ceyda scoffed lightly. "Konur was just the first one I saw, and-"

"Stop lying."

She paused. "I needed to know...if he...it doesn't matter. I'm going to find Siddik Alp before he leaves." She walked away, and this time Boran didn't try to stop her.

---

Konur grabbed an arrow from the weapon stand in the training field along with a bow. Aiming at a sack that hung from the lookout stands, he let the arrow charge into it, a focused, sharp look on his chiselled face. He tried blocking out his recent encounter with Ceyda by shooting targets, but one question kept surfacing: Why? Why did she come to him? Why did she tell him her love for him, and then say it was for someone else right after he confessed something he'd hidden for years? Why would she tell someone else when she already accepted Goktug's proposal? Why was she playing games?

Thinking of how Ceyda's mind worked gave him a headache; he recentered and shot arrows upon arrows, some missing the target due to the anger that slowly rose.

"I had a feeling you'd be here."

Boran stared at the sack Konur was shooting, then watched as he threw down the bow and pulled out his knives, stabbing the wooden stand behind him.

"Did you need something?" Konur asked, a hint of anger in his usual calm voice.

"Yes, I need to know if my brother is alright."

Konur did not look at Boran; he didn't want to see the sympathetic, pitiful look in his bright brown eyes. "He's fine," Konur answered gruffly, staring hard at the knives that Ceyda once gifted him.

"She loves you," Boran couldn't help but say. He knew it was true, and there were times Ceyda nearly gave it away, such as when he asked her why she went to Konur earlier.

Konur only winced. "Don't you play that game too."

"I'm serious, kardes."

"You're also wrong. She loves someone else..." Konur tried pushing away his anger and jealousy; these were the feelings he never wanted to feel. He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. "It's alright. I'm happy for her." He forced a chuckle, "She finally accepts love."

Boran watched his shattered friend sadly. If only he and Ceyda weren't such cowards when it came to soft feelings, to love. He looked around to see Ceyda crossing the training field, grabbing a pile of arrows and a bow, heading toward the stables. She jumped onto her horse and galloped away.