*bursts into tears* why Bozdag why
The door squeaked as it cautiously tore away from the rest of the cage, hesitant to let out the unpredictable commander. Aygul Hatun gripped the ropes, staring hard at the light-eyed commander who stepped out.
Before she exited the tent, she was reminded of the foul insults of the tribespeople on her way in. She groaned inwardly, "The...tribe isn't there readying their crops, are they?"
Osman Bey raised a brow. "So, you're afraid of our tribe?"
Sienna clenched her jaw. "Not fear...anger. Absolute despise."
Osman pretended like he understood, then stared at her cut near her slightly bruised eye. "I'll get used to that, right?" he remarked snarkily, and Sienna, reminded of her earlier comment, shot him an irate look as he glanced at his cousin. "If you want to leave without drawing attention, you'll have to dress like one of us."
Sienna nearly snorted. "Oh, like that never brings trouble."
"I meant in the tribe."
"I'm not going anywhere dressed like a Turk," she affirmed, staring hard at Osman to make sure her words sunk in.
---
Sienna fidgeted with the unusual Turk outfit, smoothing out the entirely straight dress and brushing off non-existent dust. Thick cotton rubbed uncomfortably against her skin, and the minimal jewels dangling from her lightweight, deep red headdress continuously bounced against the sides of her forehead. She stared resentfully at her charred maroon dress, remembering the shabby one they offered her earlier when she reluctantly agreed to wear Turk clothing. As much as she wanted something duller, she thought this alternative better than the rags. It was accompanied by a negligibly lighter shaded layer from the waist down, a single copper ornament sitting in the middle of the belt holding her sword. She carefully hid her sharp dagger in the cuffs, sighing hard when she remembered her other dagger was still lost. Not lost...stolen, she thought begrudgingly, her thoughts landing on Goktug.
"Are you done, Prenses?" Aygul called bitterly from outside the tent, knocking harshly on the door. Osman Bey, Goktug Alp, and Boran Alp waited uneasily near her, wondering how Sogut was doing.
Agitated, Sienna quickly hid the rest of her knives before adjusting her headdress. She pushed the doors open, wincing at the brightness of the sky.
"Still think the other dress would attract less attention," Goktug shrugged, avoiding the oddly appealing sight before him.
Sienna glowered at him as Osman ordered, "Haydi if you stay out of trouble, nothing will be thrown at you."
Instead of dragging the conversation, Sienna followed silently as Osman and the Alps made their way to the horse stables.
Her stomach growled at her, and Sienna remembered that she hadn't eaten since the night she was captured. Neither had they, she realized. "Wait." They paused and turned to her. "We're going now?"
The Alps blinked in confusion. "No, Komutan, first we'll wait for Sogut to fall, and while that happens, why don't we give you a tour of our tribe?" Osman offered with a fake smile, sarcasm evident in his tone.
"But I can't fight on an empty stomach!" she argued. "And it's not like you've eaten...why don't we eat something first, and then go. We'll be more alert then anyway and..."
As she continued throwing out facts about why it was better to eat first, Goktug mentally facepalmed, Boran silently agreed, and Aygul shook her head.
"If..." Osman cut her off, "Sogut burns before we arrive...mark my words you will-"
"-never see the light of day? Stay my captive forever?" she interrupted tiredly. "You know I'll escape." Osman sighed silently; he could not argue with that. She was resourceful and traitors lurked in their tribe. "Besides, your messenger told you the soldiers were on their way, it'll take them hours to set everything up. Especially since I'm not there-"
"Fine," Osman gave in. "You better not stir up more trouble when we go in."
---
"This is where you keep your food...?" she stared around at the piled bags of flour and rice, the baskets of greens, and the rows of pots, pans, and bowls sitting on the tables.
"Hence the name, 'Kitchen Tent,'" Goktug announced smugly, and Sienna widened her eyes in intrigue as she nodded along. "Very creative."
"Are you just going to ogle everything or do you plan to-"
"What's that?" she cut off Aygul Hatun, kneeling in front of a bowl filled with a golden-brown, clay-like substance that smelled indescribably sweet. Goktug pulled out a spoon from the pocket-like space between his clothing and armour. Sienna stared, fighting against the Devil to hold back her snort.
He watched her expression and shrugged, "You never know."
Sienna's mocking turned into sincerity and agreement, and she nodded wholeheartedly, "You never do..."
He plopped a few spoonfuls into one of the bowls and gave it to Sienna. "Try it."
"What is it?" she asked again, controlling her desire of devouring the remarkably-fragranced sweet.
"We call it Halva."
Tasting it, she nearly smacked Goktug's arm for understating its sweetness. Goktug almost chuckled at her widened eyes.
"And you eat food like this every day?" she asked, slightly jealous as the last time she had a good meal at the castle was after she escaped the menacing cage.
She turned, filled with excitement, to another sensational aura, finding soup boiling in a pot. Aygul Hatun, amused, let her try some, the other Turks both surprised yet entertained by her mixed-feeling reactions.
When they had their fill and made for the exit, Osman Bey asked if Sienna would like to take some of the sweets for their journey ahead, noticing her longing gaze at the bowl of Halva.
"Oh, I couldn't. The Hatuns who made this masterpiece should indulge in it. I'm only a foreigner." She winced before reluctantly turning away from the food.
Boran Alp raised an eyebrow, an expression shared by the other Turks in the tent. "Vai...Komutan Sienna has manners now, eh?" Osman taunted, and Sienna flashed the ghost of a smile.
"Just because we're the enemy doesn't mean we're inhumane, Osman Bey...doesn't mean we're monsters."
There was a moment of silence before Goktug Alp offered, "Well then, take this," he handed her a small bowl of the sweet, "as a treat to your...non-monstrosity..."
Sienna eyed it, then decided that leaving it was worse now that he took out a bowl for her and left the tent, meeting again with the overly bright daylight.
The others quickly moved in front of her, and as they progressed to the stables, Sienna gulped down the sweet as politely as she could.
"OSMAN!"
They stopped in their tracks to see none other than Savci Bey striding toward them. Sienna slowly dropped the spoon into the bowl as she glared, then glanced away, focusing on a sparrow hopping back and forth instead, wishing it was her. She could fly away then. Live a simple life. Away from the tribe, from the Turks, and her past.
"Where are you going without telling me again?" the haughty brother snapped, annoyance evident in his flaming eyes. Then he noticed the captive among them. "What is she doing untied? Have you forgotten she's our enemy?" he scolded before his flaming dark eyes glimpsed her untied hands along with the bowl they cradled. "Just because she's a woman doesn't mean you treat her like a guest. Where is your caution, Osman? This snake can do anything."
At this, Sienna jerked her head to the over-confident Bey. "I'm the snake? I'm the snake?!" she questioned, dangerously stepping closer, her nose flaring as flashbacks of him stealing her sister hit her.
Savci shook his head, chuckling lowly as he disagreed. "You're even worse, Sienna...calling you a snake is an insult to the species."
Sienna gripped the bowl in her hand, her breathing quickening as her fury returned.
"Abi..." Osman warned, slightly raising his hand in front of Sienna to keep her from doing anything.
"You've dressed her up as one of us," he continued, ignoring his younger brother, "she's roaming freely in the tribe...are you hosting a guest or detaining a captive, Osman?" He stared hard at the bowl of Halva in her hands, shaking his head. "And what is this? Have you started spoiling her with sweets now?"
Sienna couldn't process what happened next quickly enough, but her hands suddenly felt colder. She heard a low thud and blinked in surprise, staring as the sweet she so enjoyed crashed against the ground, spilling its precious containment onto the muddy grass.
Her palms lay confused in front of her, her eyes harsh and twitching, her jaw clenched, lumps throbbing against her throat. She heard Savci Bey's name and once she realized he was walking away, she snapped.
"What did I ever do to you?!" she yelled between grunts as she grabbed his armour, raising her fist to punch him. "Why...do you have to steal everything from me? THIEF! Why are you ruining my-"
"SIENNA!"
It was an ear-splitting and heart-wrenching shriek, and Sienna panted heavily in anger as she eyed her sister's desperate yet exasperated attempts to contain the dispute. Lena Hatun ran toward them, pulling back her husband, avoiding Sienna's soul-piercing glare.
"Sienna..." Osman warned, eying the scene with caution and slight confusion as to why she was taking this so personally, a feeling shared by the other Alps.
Sienna pulled away, the fire of rage eating her up. She continuously balled and opened her fist, an act to prevent it from flying into someone's face. The tribespeople had stopped to watch the tense situation, gasping once they realized who the victim and culprit were. Bamsi Bey accompanied by numerous Alps also made their way toward them, concern painted on everyone's faces.
"Abi, don't make it worse," Osman advised as Goktug Alp eyed Sienna's gloomy expression. "We're on our way to stop a calamity. We have a deal. Don't get in the way."
"A deal? You made a deal with the Devil, ha Osman? Are you setting yourself for betrayal? You will endanger your Alps and the tribe with you if you take even a step further with this snake! As the Head Alp, I order you to take her back to the Prisoner Tent!"
"Osman'im! Savci Bey! What's going on here?" Bamsi Bey intervened, soon noticing the enemy amongst them. He pressed his lips in confusion as his eyes flashed between the Roman-Byzantine commander and decided to question Osman later.
Osman stared his brother down, but Savci was not one to easily step aside. After what seemed like endless torture for Sienna, Lena rubbed her husband's arm, a silent gesture that plead with Savci to leave.
He shot one last disapproving glance to his brother before glaring at his wife's younger sister. "I won't let this go easily, Osman...know that," he grumbled before letting Lena take him to their tent.
There was a moment of tense silence before Sienna strode toward the stables, eager to escape the rising insults from the tribespeople, silencing her complaining half-empty stomach.
---
"Here."
Sienna stopped stroking the spare umber mare and turned to the soft voice behind her.
It was Goktug.
She stared at the wrapped-up cloth in his large hand, then up to him.
SIlence. Then, "It wasn't fair...what happened earlier," he said quietly as Sienna's icy, unbreaking eyes twitched in surprise. She stared, unmoving, as he slowly yet fearlessly brought forward her wrist, letting the balled-up cloth rest in her cold, shaky hand.
Osman Bey and Boran Alp readied their horses, glancing at each other and the odd compassion their fellow Alp showed to their captive.
After recently explaining their plan to Bamsi Bey, they gathered a number of Alps to follow them on the mission to rescue Sogut, leaving Aygul Hatun to watch the tribe in their absence.
The corners of Goktug's mouth twitched upward politely before he turned to mend his stormy grey stallion. The others gave him a brief look of acknowledgement, then climbed their own.
Sienna couldn't move. Her eyes adhered to the offering. Her hand still held out. Goktug's words running through her head: It wasn't fair.
But how could it be? She was always the culprit. Always the one at fault, always the villain. This offering was more than a kind gesture, it was proof she was treated unfairly. Proof she wasn't wholly to blame. Proof she was human.
How could her enemy see her as the victim? How could someone she hurt see her as something other than a monster? For the first time in what seemed like a million years, she was treated like a fellow being. Like a person in need, rather than a person with nothing but evil pumping through their veins. With compassion. With courage. With lo-
"Are we waiting until Sogut explodes, or are you ready to keep your half of the deal?" Osman Bey questioned, interrupting her thoughts.
She sniffed shortly to cage whatever emotion was unfolding and sealed the cloth, gently tucking it into the belt pocket of her attire and swiftly climbing her horse.
"Yah!"
---
"I told you Sogut would be fine by the time we arrive," Sienna commented, scanning the market. Nikola didn't tell her much about the mission other than "Sogut will burn," so she thought of the different places they might arrange the gunpowder.
"What are we looking for?" Osman Bey asked, following her gaze to the Sogut Inn, as the others listened closely.
"Gunpowder...it would be positioned all around Sogut, and if I know my soldiers, they'd still be setting up. We need to split up and retrieve the powder." She thought- though it only lasted a few milliseconds. "Containers, look for containers of some sort. Pottery jugs, jars, whatever. We need to uncover them before the fire is lit."
The Alps shared wary looks before turning to their Bey, who seemed to be thinking. "We're not splitting up."
Sienna nearly scoffed. "You don't trust I'll keep the deal?"
If she were in their position, she wouldn't trust herself. Their offerings, as she'd come to realize over the way, were just a trick to gain her trust, to bribe her into joining their side. She would not forget her original mission because of a few gifts and pretty words. She needed to find Cerkutay, who would most likely be at the Inn, the heart of the explosion, and she needed to return to the castle to Nikola. And she had to be out of their sight for that.
"We'll be faster if we split up. Don't you want to save Sogut?"
Osman looked back at his Alps and Bamsi Bey where Boran was shaking his head while Goktug looked lost. Bamsi Bey winced slightly but couldn't think of a better option. Osman sighed lightly before turning back to Sienna who smiled, knowing he gave in. "Fine, we'll split up." Before Sienna could head off, Osman finished with, "But in pairs."
She groaned inwardly before realizing she'd have a chance to escape if she were with one of the Alps.
"Goktug, Boran, scan the Sogut square and the stalls on that side for gunpowder." He gestured to the right of the Sogut square. "Bamsi Bey, check around this area. Sienna and I will go the other way."
Sienna squeezed her eyes shut and balled her fist in frustration. It was like Osman could see straight through her, and she despised it with every ounce of her being; the Inn was opposite to where they were headed. Plastering a fake smile, she started walking to the food stalls as Osman followed closely.
"Won't Bala Hatun question who you're strolling around with, Osman Bey?" she teased after several moments of tense silence. Hearing about the tribe's reaction to Targun Hatun, especially the Bey's wife's, gave the impression that Bala Hatun was extremely protective of her husband.
Osman snorted softly. "Strolling is not the right word, Derya Hatun. I am technically still your captor."
After hearing no retort, Osman furrowed his brow slightly and glanced beside him to see no one. His mocking melted into rising anger as he furiously glanced around, suddenly stopping to see Sienna a few feet behind him, frozen.
He sighed, then walked back toward her. "Did you find something?"
Sienna blinked in confusion and shock. "Derya?" It was barely a whisper. Now, her thoughts traced toward the little girl she took in only to abandon half the time.
Surprised, he raised his brow and teased, "What? Did no one call you Derya in your childhood?"
"Why would they..." Sienna's breathing quickened for an unknown reason.
Osman shrugged it off after nearly snorting. "Nevermind, but we do need to call you something other than Sienna if you want to keep your cover."
Sienna's brow furrowed, unable to let the nickname go. After letting her rage and vengeance consume her all those years in the dungeon, she nearly forgot her childhood memories, including what her family used to call her. Osman Bey's nickname triggered something she couldn't recall, a faint, distant memory of her father calling her-
"Sienna?"
She quickly snapped out of her thoughts and stared blandly at Osman's annoyed expression. "You're stalling, aren't you?"
She quickly shook her head before catching a glimpse of a jug under one of the merchant's stalls. She gestured to the stall, trying to signal she found something, but Osman only watched her in confusion. A hint of frustration evident in his stern expression, he followed her gaze to the apple stall and sighed in exasperation.
"You're hungry again? Didn't we let you eat before you left?"
She nearly rolled her eyes and bit her tongue to stop herself from arguing, and instead, marched over to the stall, giving him no other option but to follow.
Luckily, there was a pottery stall near the apple one, so she first purchased a random jug—meaning she took it from the stall, compelling the Bey to pay it off—then casually walked by the second stall, gently dropping the jug, pretending it was heavy. Osman glanced around impatiently, doubting her intentions and regretting his compromise.
"Hey!"
He squeezed his eyes shut, muttering about how much of a handful Sienna was before noticing an apple she bit into in one hand and the jug in another. "What happened, merchant?"
"She took my apple without paying!" he complained, and Sienna jerked her head toward him.
"Your apple?" she quibbled, her eyes narrowing at the middle-aged man's flabbergasted face.
"Yes!"
"Tüccar, I bit into the apple that God handed me," she answered calmly, vaguely gesturing to the sky.
"No, you bit into the apple I collected from a tree God grew," he retorted equally wittily. "If you want it, pay for it!"
Osman raised his hands to calm the merchant, offering a gold coin before Sienna interrupted.
"No!" she shoved off the generous Bey's wrist, earning a sharp glare. "Here is your apple that you collected with such hard work." She slapped her bitten apple into his hand and strode away as he continued yelling.
"Here," Osman scrambled a few gold coins directly into the seller's gold pouch, holding his disappointment. "Sorry for the trouble."
"Well, what am I supposed to do with this?" He raised the juicy, eaten apple, the gold coin insufficient in silencing his objection. "I can't sell it anymore!"
Osman took the bitten fruit hesitantly, then respectfully nodded at the merchant before striding after Sienna as the trader shook his head bitterly.
"What is your problem?" the Kayi Bey rebuked.
Sienna stared at him, then at the apple he held out and grimaced. "I'm not eating that."
His chocolate eyes darkened. "So, why'd you bite into it," he scolded through gritted teeth.
"I would have taken it if that merchant hadn't made a scene."
"You made a scene!" he whisper-yelled, remembering they were in disguise. "You were stalling because you don't want us to find the gunpowder and ruin your plans!" He panted in fury before it dispersed into a long sigh. "Savci Abi was right...I should have never trusted a snake." He rubbed his forehead in frustration as Sienna thrust the jug into his chest.
"What, you don't want this either now?"
Silently, she walked away to the central inn, knowing Cerkutay would be there. Understanding that the Turks would never trust her no matter what she tried to prove, she plotted ways to escape with her soldiers, burying any joy and gratitude she felt toward them.
Osman shook his head, watching her leave, and when he started after her, he realized that the jug they bought was heavy. He furrowed his brow, then looked inside to see it filled with a tarty black substance- "Gunpowder."
After a moment of silent disappointment at himself, he strode after Sienna, praying to Lord his words hadn't changed her mind about the deal.
---
Guys...I think I put us in another love rhombus. I swear I don't plan these things t-t Okay, Idk I feel like Osman and Sienna are just cute at this point- like they would make good friends. Getting over each other's nerves and all heh.
That was an odd nickname for Sienna, wasn't it Osman? Wonder where that came from...I also wonder why Goktug was so kind uwu
Ennyway, thanks for reading and all your support (apologies for any typos/grammar mistakes- eugh English has gotten the best of me)!!