INDEPENDENT

I

you may have heard story's of different sultanas how they took themselves from a concubine to a queen
But this sultana was different... the sultana everyone respected even before she was a sultana

A windy day, it was in the capital.. as well as the bazaar which wasn't really crowded like it is on other days, It was a nice one for turhan as she roamed around to look for some fabrics, books and different groceries..

"Finally here" she thought as she reached the bookstore and excitedly got it

"Ahh Turhan, welcome, I was missing my favourite customer" ayrin hatun said with a grin on her face

" Ayrin hatun I missed you more, my mum sent regards" she said as she collected different books mainly including romance in them

" Romance again eh, I await the day you get married, how much of an hopeless romantic you are reading books, tea ( ik coffee was discovered much later in turkey) walks around gardens, drawing and dancing in rain, believe me it's hard to find one like you"

Turhan laughed lightly

" sure is, I mean you can't get one like me I'm the original piece honey"

Suddenly she heard a man shout

" how do you have the audacity to talk about his majesty and shehzade mustafa like that?" The man said

Turhan leaned on the door, holding her coat tightly as it was windy

" I am sorry bey, but it's the truth"

Mehmets perspective

I scolded the man, how could he talk about my father and brother like that

Me, my father the worlds padishah and my brother who was the ruler of Manisa

But as soon as I scolded that man I saw how my father warned me softly that we could be recognised

I nodded at my father and looked away, but I couldn't look away from the bookstore door as I saw the first woman I was actually attracted too, she was like an enchantress, dark black hair, brown eyes, long lashes, rosy cheeks and a perfect yet chubby figure, she was staring at us in a confused way as she sighed and got in the bookstore again

" what happend mehmet?"

"Nothing really, where is our father?"

" he went there to talk to the shop owner of that fabrics shop"

" I see"

We walked over to our father as I kept looking around for that woman

" Come-one Mehmet , let's go for a walk, only you and me" my father said obviously referring to Mustafa

" I saw who you looked at, I should agree that's how I was when I looked at your mother hurrem sultan, you're mother took my breath away by her beauty and I was in awe because of her intelligence"

I smiled at my father as I knew he valued love/عشق

" but you should know my lion, that woman is a free and independent woman, I know her well, she is from a noble family not just random concubine to please you" sultan suleiman said

" I know my sultan, but how do you know she is from a noble family and even if she is, didn't mustafa married an engaged woman"

Suleiman laughed

" I know her because she is the granddaughter of Ahmet paśa, one of main paśa, her father is a traveller, he owns almost 2000 ships, we often need help from her father Murat when going on campaigns, while her mother is a flower shop owner"