Sabır (Patience) - Kurulus Osman

Chapter 38

Alisar took Dundar and Ceyda and headed back to his mansion with his men. He let the healers take care of Dundar in a room while he tied Ceyda up in a separate room.

"Call the midwives. Let them take care of Ceyda's wounds, and don't tie her up. We need her to trust us," Alisar ordered, and Zorba, one of his men, did as he was told.

Ceyda laid her head against the wall of the room she was dragged into. She had no strength or will to fight Alisar. She had no more tears left to spill after what she witnessed, nor did she fuel anger.

She felt nothing.

Her face was blank as her emotions and her body numb. The midwife entered the room and rushed over to the wounded girl, but Ceyda paid her no attention and continued staring into space, her thoughts as empty as her emotions.

"Kizim, bite this. It will hurt," the midwife offered, bringing a wooden stick near Ceyda's mouth. Ceyda turned away from it, and the midwife sighed. She unravelled the cloth on Ceyda's right hand and gasped at the gory sight. The cuts from Ceyda's sword were now widened and deeper due to Alisar's man's torture.

The midwife gulped her horror away and brought the dagger she prepared in the coal near Ceyda's hand. She watched Ceyda for a nod or resistance, but there was none. She sighed and cauterized her palm, the name of Allah on her tongue.

Ceyda did not flinch, wince, or groan from the burning, surprising the midwife. After the cauterizing was finished, the healer gently rubbed the medicine she prepared over the cuts, then took out a clean cloth and wrapped it tightly around Ceyda's hand.

"You really felt nothing, kizim? " the midwife asked, furrowing her brow in both concerned for her mental state but relieved. There was no reply, so she pulled out some clothes from her bag. "At least change into these, kizim. It seems like you've been wearing that for ages."

Ceyda listened to this and finally spoke, "Do you not like it?"

The woman nearly jumped from the sudden change of atmosphere but pulled herself together and smiled. "No, it's beautiful. MashaAllah, it's great on you, but these are Mongol clothes. It's really a wonder they have such clean clothes. Wear this for a change. It will be good for you. I promise you'll feel much better."

Ceyda said nothing, and the midwife patted her arm. "It will pass... it will pass. Don't be sad. I should be going now. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me. You can call me Aynur Ana. I will always be around the kiosk. Hadi, selâmetle." Aynur Hatun got up, pushed the clothes closer to Ceyda, gathered her things and left the room, not before giving the strong, mysterious girl one last fleeting look.

Ceyda's ears perked up at the word, "Ana," but before she could think about it, someone else entered the room.

"Come outside."

Ceyda continued her silence. She recognized the voice. It belonged to an arrogant, two-faced, cruel man.

It belonged to Alisar.

"Come outside," Alisar repeated, sterner.

Ceyda adjusted herself and sighed in annoyance. "At least let me change, Mongol's dog."

"You call me a Mongol's dog when you are the one wearing Mongol clothing," Alisar scoffed. "I wonder who you seduced to earn such clean clo-"

"KES! " Ceyda bawled out, boiling with anger from his disgusting words. "Get out."

Alisar gritted his teeth and exited, slamming the door behind him. He paced around the balcony until the doors of the mansion opened and Zohre and Aygul Hatun entered in a cart with a dead body, covered with the blue and white Kayi flag.