Sabır (Patience) - Kurulus Osman

Chapter 34

Kongar clenched his jaw as he stared ahead, thinking. So, you lied to us... you lied to me. Ah Ceyda... 

"Ya Shafi," Konur prayed as he bandaged his wound.

After talking to and reassuring his brother, Konur remembered his wound. "We forgot your wound because of our longing. Wait... let me get some ointment for you. If Ceyda was still here, I would ask her but..." Konur chuckled half-heartedly.

"I heard your fight," Kongar murmured, trying not to sound betrayed.

"Yes, well you will hear us fighting a lot more. This is how we are, don't stress over it too much though, kardesim."

"You and Ceyda... are you lover-" 

"No, no. It is nothing like that. We have known each other since childhood. After losing you, my heart burned. But, Ceyda, like water, put it out. She eased the pain in my heart and promised to help me find you. And look, we found you. I owe Ceyda a lot... Sometimes, I don't think I could ever repay her..."

Don't worry... after what I do, you won't need to repay her, Kongar thought furiously, clenching his fists at Konur's longing expression.

"Anyways, we will heal your wound... Oh, my brother," Konur held Kongar's face in his hands and caressed it, smiling at his long-lost brother before gathering wood to start a fire.

---

"Konur... Ah Konur ah," Ceyda raged, pacing around the forest. "Why don't you understand? Why can't you stop questioning me? You know I won't stop. You know I can't stop. Start thinking about people other than yourself! Start believing in others! Star-" She began but stopped after hearing a strained groan from where Konur and Kongar were. She immediately recognized it as Kongar's and let out an angry grunt. "I shouldn't have left before healing his wound... Who knows if Konur's even holding the iron the right way..." she trailed off, hesitantly heading off to where she came from and picking useful plants and herbs on the way.

After cauterizing his brother's wound, a panting Ceyda rushed over beside him. Konur glanced at her, then shifted slightly after accidentally meeting her piercing glare. He cleared his throat and questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't come back for you, don't get excited."

Konur opened his mouth to argue but decided not to fuel the fire and walked off to find something to bandage Goktug's wound. Ceyda laid out the herbs she collected and started smushing them in a bowl with a stick as Kongar watched her. "You came back for me didn't you," he whispered, his boyish smirk plastered across his face.

Ceyda rolled her eyes and shook her head as the force she put into smashing the herbs became gentler, "Tovbe..."

Kongar put on another smirk. "So, you were pretending this whole time?" he questioned, faking an impressed expression.

"Not the whole time..."

Kongar's hopes rose slightly, "Then when?"

"After you struck me at the tribe... you should have tried harder with the potion."

Kongar squeezed his eyes at his carelessness. For a moment, he had completely forgotten who he was dealing with that day. He did not reply and unconsciously gazed at her as she spread the ointment over his wound. After finishing, she watched Kongar blankly as he continued staring at her, "Are you done?"

Kongar couldn't help but smile. Even though he was mad at her for lying to him, part of him didn't want Ceyda to go away from his life.

Ceyda remembered the dagger he had given her and broke contact with his steady ocean-eyed gaze to take it out from her belt, "I almost forgot... this is yours." She handed it over to him, but he didn't take it. Ceyda shook the dagger in front of him. "Take it."