A witch in the sultan harem

Chapter 11

Ahmed

Eating my dinner, the doors to my chambers suddenly opened and grandmother walked with a sly smile on her face. "What have you done?"

"Wha-what makes you think that I have done something?" I sighed, "you only get that face when you have a surprise for me or you've done something."

"Well I haven't done anything but I do have a surprise for you," holding her hand out to me, i took it, standing up, I followed her own onto the balcony, looking down where she was looking in the gardens. My eyes widened when I saw her, my Lilliana, she's here? She's actually here?

"Grandmother?" She smiled, "I'm sorry it took so long to bring her to you, my lion," pulling grandmother into a tight hug, I gave her a big kiss on the cheek, taking another look down at Liliana, I saw she was...training? Her sword fighting skills were fluent and skilled, she must have learned whilst she was in Rome with how skilfully she moved, she have been trained very well. "Go on, go to her," doing as grandmother said, i took off running.

Running through the palace as fast as I could down to the gardens, I stopped at the entrance to the gardens, watching her as she practiced her sword skills, suddenly stopping, she plunged the sword into the ground, "are you just going to stand there or are you going to come over here and give me a hug?"

Turning her head to look at me, she smiled, smiling back, I ran the rest of the way, picking her up, I spun her around in my arms. "Your here! Your actually here with me! At last after so long! Your here! Thank Allah for bringing you here to me safely!" It sounds silly to be so happy to meet her but who wouldn't be excited to meet the beautiful woman that I've been seeing for months, "there's something I want to ask you, putting her down, she pulled back enough to look at me as she waited for my question. "How did you appear before me so many times?"

"Damn, I was hoping you would have forgotten about that," she mumbled under her breath, it was just loud enough for me to hear it but I don't think she meant for me to hear it, "Liliana? What is it that your not telling me? Are—are you a witch?"

"Sultan, there are somethings in this world that are beyond explanation, the only answer that I know that I have to give is that my destiny is entwined with you and the Ottoman Empire, I know nothing more than that."

"Are you sure about that?" She nodded, "very well, if you say that's all you know then I believe you, I'm just happy to know that you're here at last," pulling her back into my arms, I wrapped my arms around her, resting her head on my chest, with how much taller I am than her, I rested my chin on the top of her head.

"I am too, I waited so long for this moment and now we're finally together," I could feel it, something about this wasn't quite right but I chose to ignore it and just enough the fact that Allah has brought us together after waiting for so long, lifting her head off my chest, she looked up into my eyes for a moment before her eyes moved down to my lips. She suddenly leaned in closer to me, standing up on her toes, she kissed me, feeling a little off guard for a second by her sudden kiss, it didn't take long before I started to kiss her back, moving my arm around her waist with my other hand moving to the back of her head, I became lost in the kiss.

It felt so good to finally have her in my arms, I didn't want to ever let go because—because I have a strange feeling that if I ever did let go, i would never see her again despite her belonging to me now as part of my harem. Suddenly as if someone had called out her name, she broke the kiss, looking over her shoulder to look who called her name but there was no one there but us, "what is it? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing, I just thought I heard someone call my name but I guess I must been hearing things," shyly looking at me, she couldn't raise her eyes to meet mine, "what's this? Has my bold woman gone shy on me?"

"Ha! Me? Gone shy? Pfff! No!" I chuckled at her poor attempts to hide her embarrassment, "I hate to interrupt  but there is an important matter that requires your attention, sultan," looking to see Halil pasha, he stopped in surprise to see Liliana unique hair and eyes. "What is it grand vizier?"

Looking at him, Liliana suddenly became very still, looking at him in a way as if they knew each other but he didn't seem to look at her like that, just confused by her hair and eye colour, "so I was right, you are the grand vizier," moving out of my embrace, she took a step closer to Halil pasha. "I beg your pardon? Have we met before?"

He glanced confusedly at me but I was just as confused by this as him, "oh right, you won't recognise me here, I think this may help you, you gave this to me and a friend of mine a long time ago, taking out the necklace that hung around her neck and showing the matching ring on her finger. Halil pasha suddenly seemed to understand whatever she was saying by showing him her necklace and ring. "I see, I was wondering when you would come along, how far did you travel?"

"About 645, it was a long, long journey to this point, being who you are, you know when it comes to waiting for something, it just seems to go on forever." Halil pasha smiled, "I know, it's ridiculous, where is your partner? Is she here as well?"

Lilliana shook her head, "no, he did come with me but he's a janissary so he's....wherever they live and train."

Clearing my throat, they both looked me, "Halil pasha, you came to see me about something? What is it?"

"Right! I apologise sultan, perhaps it would be better to discuss this in your chambers, sultan," I nodded, "very well," leaving Lilliana with a kiss on her cheek, i walked away with Halil pasha back inside, "what was that all about?"

"Nothing sultan, it's just one of those moments where two strangers share a common interest." I scoffed, "do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Yes, because that's the only explanation I'm going to give you even under the pain of torture so you might as well except that as the truth even if it's a lie."

They both know far more than they are letting on, whatever it is, I need to find out but judging from the way answered me, I'm not going to get any answers from them except what they want me to know.