Edward is presented before Zuleika. She asks him to present himself. Edward starts talking in perfect Turkish, the court language of Turan, which surprises Zuleika and the other ministers. Edward explains how he's from England and he was here to forge an alliance with the Khan of Turan. Zuleika says he is standing right in front of her. Edward says that he thought the Khan would be a man, before kneeling. He has read that Turan has to pay a tributary to the Ottoman Empire, and the Ottomans are allied with the French. So if Turan and England ally, they can team up against common enemies if needed. The proposal impresses Zuleika. She agrees to form an alliance under a few conditions- 1. He will have to teach her everything he knows. If Edward is really a traveler he must know a lot, and she has a penchant for learning 2. She will have a mosque commissioned to be built in his country. Edward says that England would agree if she allows England to set up factories in Turan. Zuleika agrees. She orders her men to give him his own quarters and the finest Turkish clothes available for him to fit. Mirza questions Zuleika that she's risking Christian influence in Turan, to which Zuleika says that they already have Christians in their kingdom. Zuleika says she has grand plans to transform Turan. Edward is given a bath and made to wear new Turkish clothes. Edward initially feels uncomfortable as he has never worn non-European clothes, but he allows himself to adjust. He opens his diary to write about his journey. At night, Mirza reaches the house of Bakhtiar, the former Pasha (Prime Minister) of Turan, and asks to assemble a council of bureaucrats to save Turan from European influence.
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Reignfall
Historical FictionA mock TV show I wrote. It's about a fictional Islamic Khanate in Eastern Europe/Central Asia from the 17th century. After the ruler of the Khanate died, his sole daughter became the new Khan of the kingdom. This causes upheaval in the kingdom. At t...
