Sabır (Patience) - Kurulus Osman

Chapter 3

Stay. There. She drew her bowstring back and was about to shoot when the bird flew away.

"No!" Ceyda shouted.

"What are you doing?" Konur asked as he arrived on his horse.

"Shh," she sighed. "Thank you. You made my prey fly away."

Konur got off his horse and tied the reins to a tree, "Are you okay?"

A bird flew in the sky when Ceyda's arrow pierced its heart. "I'm fine," she replied, distracted.

Konur watched the bird fall to the ground. "You always do this when you're upset, Ceyda."

Ceyda lowered her bow and went to get the bird she killed. Its eyes were open and lifeless. Before she could regret what she did, she picked it up and walked to the river nearby to clean off the blood.

Ceyda knew the forest like the back of her hand. When she was a kid, she would go out in the forest all the time with her father, finding a new animal every day. She had a special connection with animals, so she would never kill them for sport. Whenever she hunted, she tried not to aim for their hearts, so she could heal them later.

"Look, kizim," her father had said. "We have to be very quiet or else our prey will run away. Stand straight, draw your bow, aim at the animal's heart so it does not suffer before it dies, and then shoo-"

Ceyda pushed her father's bow right when he was about to shoot. The arrow missed the bird they were hunting and hit the tree next to it instead, making their prey fly away.

"Kizim, why did you do that? We had it," her father sighed, smiling slightly as his eyes glinted in the sunlight.

"What do you mean? It was probably the wind," she lied.

Sungur Tekin chuckled. "Are you afraid?"

"Asla. I just felt bad for it. Why do we kill it? It did nothing to us."

"Ceyda, we only hunt when we need to. We never hunt for sport. But if you really want, I won't kill that bird."

"Thank you! Thank you!" she jumped with excitement while her father laughed.

"Come on, let's go back. Your aunt will be worried sick."

Tears welled up in Ceyda's eyes as she remembered her father. She remembered the sparkle in his eyes when he taught her how to hunt, how to fight and when he would talk about his past.

Now he was gone.

Konur sat beside her and watched her roughly rub off the bird's blood in the river. Knowing what she was thinking, he patted her hand, "I'm sorry for your father and uncle."

"H-he promised. He promised me," she choked out. He rubbed her arm as she cried. "Four years. They died four years ago. Ah Baba'im ah. Yigit Baba'im. You died and your daughter didn't even know. She didn't even mourn you."

"It is not your fault. Mongols will get what they deserve."

"They will. I will make sure of it."

"We will. Together."

Ceyda looked into Konur's eyes and saw the same thing she was feeling. Anger, regret, loss, and guilt. "What did the Mongols do to you?"

He was about to respond when they heard someone coming. They put their hands on their weapons when they realized who had come.

Dundar Bey.

"Kizim? Ceyda?" he arrived with a letter in his hand.

Ceyda and Konur stood up. "What do you want?"

He got off his horse and walked towards his niece, handing over the letter he held.

Ceyda eyed the letter, "Bu ne?"

"Read it. Please."

She took it hesitantly, opened the seal and read.

The war with the Mongols was a bloodbath. We have many martyrs and captives. We are sorry to inform you that Gundogdu Bey, Iltekin Bey, and Sungurtekin Bey were among the martyrs. Their bodies were burnt. We give you our condolences.

Tears dropped onto the letter Ceyda held with shaky hands.

"Kizim, I am very sorry. I was going to tell you, but you were too young. I'm sorry you had to learn it like this."

She shut her eyes tight, then let out a shaky breath, "Thank you... for everything, but I will not live in your tent anymore. I cannot."

"Etme kizim. Come back to the tribe. Help clean up what you did to the rug hous-"

"I AM NOT GOING TO CLEAN UP WHAT YOU AND YOUR WIFE CAUSED!"

Dundar squeezed his eyes shut, "Don't be stubborn, Ceyda. You hurt us mentally and physically. That was enough, but you destroyed not only Zohre Hatun's but all of the women's hard work. You didn't help make it, but you could at least help fix it."

She took a deep breath, "Let me mourn my father and my uncle. Please."

"Okay," he mounted his horse and headed back to the tribe.

"He's right you know," Konur said.

"What? You too?"

"Look, it was wrong of you to destroy the rug house."

"I was angry, and what about what she said? Wasn't that wrong too?"

"Dogs will bark. Snakes will spread their poison. It is up to us to stick around and be bitten or walk away and let them do what they do best."

Ceyda looked away in frustration. She knew he was right, but she was still mad about what Zohre Hatun, the woman who raised her from childhood, had said to her.

Would you like me to leave?" Konur asked.

"I want to be alone for a bit."

"I will see you at the tribe?"

"InshaAllah," she muttered, forcing a smile.

"Come back when you're ready. Excuse me."

He mounted his horse and was about to leave when Ceyda called his name. "Konur? Do you think I am a burden to the alps as well?"

"Well, you are a burden to me."

"Be serious."

"Ceyda, if the alps have won battles so far, it is because of you... and if you are a burden, then you are one I would gladly carry."

They gazed into each other's eyes until Ceyda smiled and looked away. "Sen de, Konur," she chuckled. "Thank you though... for coming,"

"No one is allowed to hurt you but me," he smiled, remembering their childhood. She smiled at those memories as well.

"Yah!"

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In the next chapter, I'll add the story of how they met. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment if u liked it!