"Sultana, you shouldn't come inside," a young nurse Aylin said standing in front of the door of chambers where my brother and husband who were injured were laying.
"How are they?" I asked as everyone was around the infirmary chambers they were in. My mother stood there covered in tears in hug with Hatice. Mahidevran had Mustafa with himself and Hurrem was crying in the corner of the hallway.
"They are fine, I made sure to stop their bleeding. Main doctor is now inside with them," nurse said and everyone sighed from relief that at least the bleeding stopped.
"Hurrem, you should go to your chambers. Don't cry and stress here because Suleiman will be fine," I went to her and tried to stay strong while she was crying for the whole time.
"I can't, I am afraid. What if something happens to him? I won't be able to live," Hurrem said and started crying even more so I hugged her to give her some love which no one of people her wanted to give her or be with her.
"Nothing bad will happen, don't even think about that. Go to your chambers and don't stress because you are carrying a child, you know he feels whatever you feel," I said and removed her tears with silver napkin and nodded to Gulnihal to take her to her chambers back.
I went back to stand next to Valide, Hatice, Mahidevran and Gulfem and I saw for the whole time how they were looking in a bad way how I was with Hurrem.
"You will stay away from that woman. She won't bring you any good," Valide said seriously not even looking at me but looking at the doors where nurse Aylin was standing.
"She is trying to manipulate over you Sultana for whole time to get your attention," Mahidevran started to say as she always had something to say and show her hate towards Hurrem.
"While Suleiman is injured in those chambers you still don't think about him but rather fuss to me about how I am good to Hurrem? Don't you have any empathy to that woman? You all hate her and now instead of you praying here for Suleiman's recover you are telling to me what should I do or not," I said to them and Valide looked at me shocked like she couldn't believe I would act like this to her next to everyone.
"Fahriye, you don't know how Hurrem is. You haven't been here for so long time and now you can't mix into those things," Hatice said to me not even raising her voice but having something strong in her voice like she wishes to command me but she knows she can't.
"That doesn't mean I haven't heard everything, but I am not like you Hatice to think only the way others want me to think," I said and looked at the doors the same way my mother did and all three of them looked at me like they couldn't believe I would dare to say something like this to them.
At that moment doctor came outside and it was perfect timing because I couldn't stand any more time with three of them awaiting for him.
"Doctor, how is my son?" Valide asked worriedly about Suleiman's life. I was also afraid for Namik's life as he was also injured.
"Sultanim, both Sultan and Pasha are fine. They are recovering. We will move Sultan into his chambers, but Namik Pasha will have to stay here because it wouldn't be safe to take him to Marmara Palace while he is injured," doctor said and nodded to me as I was perfectly fine with that as long as he recovers well.
"We will prepare chambers to you Fahriye here," Valide said.
"There is no need, I will go to my Palace to be with my children. I don't want to leave them alone," I said as my children were most important to me and I couldn't sleep peacefully if I am separated from them.
Valide, Mahidevran and Hatice went to their chambers back while I decided to stay here for a bit some time as I wanted to ask the doctor about something, but nurse Aylin came to me quicker.
"Sultana, there is one thing you need to know," she said to me in silence and looked at another way making sure no one of the maids could hear what is she telling me.
"What it is?" I asked her worriedly.
"Sultan didn't want us to tell this in front of Valide Sultan, but both he and Namik Pasha were injured from poisonous arrow. Someone did it on purpose to poison them," she said and I was so afraid at that moment. I knew obviously many people especially traitors would be against Suleiman as he is Sultan, but my husband just has arrived from Bosnia and I didn't know why there was a reason to poison him.
My mind was also full of scenes how did this happen and why did someone did it on purpose. He never had any enemies except what he hated Ibrahim who was also with them in hunt but he is perfectly fine without anything bad happening to him.
"You shouldn't worry Sultana, I will take care of Namik Pasha while you are in your Palace," Aylin said ro me and smiled. I smiled to her back and left the Palace only later realising in what tone she has said to me and how suspicious it sounded like she will take care of him, and not a word of Suleiman, but while everything is fine and he recovers from this I am fine.
I went back to my Palace where again Osman Agha was and it was weird for me why for all the time since my arrival in Istanbul that man has to be somewhere around me.
"Sultanim," he said as he saw me and bowed to me.
"Osman Agha, why are you always somewhere around my Palace?" I asked him as something was so suspicious to me and I had no idea who he was or is he loyal to Sultan. I couldn't feel safe especially when Namik wasn't here and I was alone with children and servants here.
"His Majesty appointed me to be here while you are in Istanbul to make sure everything is fine and to take care of you," he said.
"Fine then," I said and started walking but he stopped me at one moment.
"Sultana, I wish to ask you something. I am sorry for my rudnes, but I have to," he said and I nodded him to say whatever he wants and I didn't know what could he ask me then.
"Did Namik Pasha have any enemy that could do this to him?" Osman asked me the same question I was asking myself.
"That is exactly about what I am thinking this whole day. He didn't, he never talked about any enemy of his," I said.
"But, he wasn't loved in Bosnia by the people?" He asked me and for the first time looked at me directly in my eyes.
"As much as I know no one had something against him in Bosnia, everything was peaceful," I said being confused about his question like he wanted to point on something.
"As much as I remember, the Iskenderoglu family isn't loved in Bosnia," he said and the Iskenderoglu family was Namik's family which was governing Bosnian lands for the last hundred years.
"Osman Agha, why are you questioning me all this?" I asked him.
"Because I am from Bosnia, and in young age I was a slave working for that family," he said.
In Topkapi
Namik Pasha was laying down on his chests as his injury was on his backs. A woman approached him and started massaging his backs.
"Woman, you have God's hands," Namik said as he was woken up by massage and feeling he got while she was doing that to him.
"God has sent me here for you, Pasha," a lady said continuing massaging Namik who was enjoying it for the whole time.
Namik putted all his strength in his hands to get up and sit on the bed to look at that woman.
"I have never seen more beautiful woman in my life," he said as he looked at her deep blue eyes. She blushed at his words and came closer to him. She putted her hand on his bare chest provocatively looking at his eyes.
Namik couldn't stand the passion he felt, he placed his hand on her cheeks and kissed her passionatley.
End of scene
"You have worked for Namik's father as a slave?" I asked Osman shocked as I lived there for many years but I have never known the real truth that is happening. I haven't known how they used young boys as slaves to work on their fields and later would sent them here to get in army and have strong connections in Istanbul.
"Yes, and that was the hardest time of my life. I ran when Ottomans came and joined the janissaries without telling anyone a word, I just promised to my family that one day I will return and revenge them. My brother and father are still in Bosnia, I don't know if they are even alive," Osman said and he tried to hide his emotions while he was speaking about it and I felt so hard while listening to other people's sadness.
I felt so stupid for living there five years and knowing nothing that is happening outside of the Palace as the old Iskenderoglu Ahmed, Namik's father, and Namik were hiding everything from me.
"I swore to myself that one day I will show the world what kind of traitors they are and what they are doing, but I can't do it without any proofs," Osman said.
"If you want I can help you to at least meet with your father and brother in Bosnia," I said and placed my hand on his shoulder and he looked at me deep in the eyes.
I felt awkward for a minute because I was married woman and shouldn't have anything close or even speak with another man but now there was nothing I could do anymore.
"Namik Pasha doesn't recognize me, and only thing I want from you Sultana is that you don't tell him my true identity, because then everything will be destroyed," Osman said looking me in eyes once again which made me feel awkward again.
"You shouldn't worry, I won't. And if you find any proof, I want you to tell that to me before than you tell it to Sultan," I said to him and he looked me kinda weirdly about that.
"I want to know if I lived with traitors for those years and knew nothing about it. If it shows that it was truth what they were doing, I will divorce him, and that will be even worse because he will lost everything he has," I said hoping in myself that Namik wasn't traitor.
I couldn't let myself believe that man who I loved and had two children with was a traitor and was hiding everything from me. A person with who I only felt happy and like real me was hiding so many things from me