tym gares al leir || magnificent century

chapter one - the resurgence of the raven

tym gares al leir - time causes all to learn

chapter 01 - the resurgence of the raven

firuze gevherhan sultan had come into the world unexpectedly. sure, her mother was fully aware of being pregnant, but no one knew until her birth that she would be a twin. she immerged from her mother's womb eleven minutes before her twin brother, şehzade selim. in her first birth, their mother, handan, had given the ottoman dynasty not only a handsome şehzade, but a stunning sultana. growing up, gevherhan was rarely ever away from her mother's side. especially when her mother gave birth to more and more brothers. but at the age of eight, her father deemed it appropriate for her to have her own rooms, rivaling the valide's in size. it was no suprise to anyone that she had been given those rooms, being her father's favorite. he used to have her sit on his lap and have her read out his papers. even when her little mind couldn't comprehend the words her mouth read. when gevherhan was ten, her grandfather died, causing a fight for the throne. luckily for her, and her siblings, her father was the victor. unluckily for her uncles, it was ottoman tradition to execute the rest of the male heirs, to secure the throne. nineteen of her uncles died. and as custom, the young sultana and her younger brothers had to watch as a parade of nineteen coffins exited the palace. gevherhan covered the eyes of her youngest siblings. that was her first brush with death.  the next came when her own twin brother died. gevherhan remembered the feeling of hopelessness and fear. selim had been her other half since they were concieved. they were truly soulmates, and best friends. sure, they got on each other's nerves, but thats how siblings were. shortly after his death, her father decided to pay her a visit, and found her, holding the hands of an agha. she begged her father not to kill the man, who she had come to love, but he did not listen to her. the man was executed by his hands, and she was yelled at, watching as her lover bled out before her eyes. that was her fourth brush with death. at that point, she was only twelve, and yet, death seemed to follow her, like a raven. a raven was a pictureque bird, and yet many said it was an omen. just like gevherhan. to punish gevherhan, she was sent away to a mosque, where she would live and breathe the quran. she heard about the deaths of several more of her brothers, and due to her punishment, she was unable to attend their funerals.

word came the afternoon of december 22, 1603, when she was eighteen years old. word that would change her life. her beloved father, whom she loved even though he banished her, was dead. this would bring a new era. one she wanted to be apart of. one that she would be apart of, thanks to the new sultan. her beloved brother's first offical act as sultan, was to call her home. so, she and her concubines ran around the mosque, where she had spent her banishment, gatherine all of her belongings. she left a few items out, in order to get ready to leave the following morning. by noon, she was woken up and looked out the window of her carriage, watching as the palace came into focus. the young girl squealed, as her ladies looked out, pointing at the building. 

i am gevherhan. 

gevherhan sultan.

i am desended of the great warriors: 

ertugrul & ghengis khan.

i am desended of brilliance,

of beauty,

of power.

i am gevherhan. 

the young girl who left this palace all those years ago, is gone. 

the firuze used to run around the palace has been alongtime dead and buried.

i am gevherhan.

the power that runs through my veins should secure my place.

desended from the great sultan suleyman khan hazretleri,

and the even greater hurrem sultan. 

i shall be greater than even her.

gevherhan walked past the harem, stopping when she heard loud noises coming from it. a group of girls were picking at a petite blonde girl. "excuse me! what do you think you're doing with that poor girl!" she called out, causing them all to stop and look towards her. the more beautiful of the two turned back to the blonde, laughing to herself. "nothing that concearns you, hatun!" gevherhan's eyes widened, as a look of fury made its way onto her cheeks. "how dare you, hatun?! i am a sultan! gevherhan sultan! favorite sibling of our great sultan!" all of the girls' faces fell as they dropped into a curtsy. "better... what are your names?!" the two girls stayed quiet. "i asked you a question!" her scream rang through the harem, seemingly echoing off the stone walls. "i am anastasia, sultana..." the blonde said softly, her face still not looking up at her. none of the girls were. "and what of you two... devils...?!" both girls swallowed, trying to hide their fear of the slightly older woman. "i am rasha hatun, sultana... and she's şayeste hatun..." gevherhan walked closer to the young girls, whispering to şayeste "are you mute...? or stupid...?" this caused the crowd of girls to laugh at her. "i better not hear you messing with poor anastasia again. or i'll make sure they whip you until your back is covered in blood. am i understood...?!" both girls nodded vigorously. "of course, sultana! never again!" the sultana sighed softly to herself. "good... anastasia, come with me, please." she turned back around and cennet kalfa was stood there, proudly watching the girl. "my, my... gevherhan sultan... it is good to see you back in the harem." gevherhan smiled and hugged cennet. before she had been sent away, cennet's main duty was to look after the young girl. "i have missed you... it has been lonely without you." cennet pulled back and smiled at the young girl. "i didn't think it was possible for you to get anymore beautiful than you already were." the girl laughed softly. "where is my dearest brother...?" cennet smiled before replying, "he is in his rooms." gevherhan nodded softly before walking past the doors, before turning back to the kalfa. "sound the alarms... gevherhan sultan is back... and make sure to notify our valide sultan and halime sultan. i will wish to see my other siblings after i meet the sultan." cennet nodded, curtsying to the sultana. despite being gone for so long, gevherhan oozed power from every pore in her skin, to the powerful boom of her scolding.  gevherhan sultan was back, and here to stay.