Ek Tha Sultan, Ek Thi Malika👑

34. Ek Tha Sultan, Ek Thi Malika👑

Mehrimah opened her eyes only to be surrounded by darkness. 

She sat upright and gathered her surroundings. She was in a cave. No, it was a tunnel. Mehrimah stood up. Why was she here? She didn't remember anything.

From one side of the tunnel, thunderous noise of flowing water could be heard and Mehrimah could see water running over the entrance of the tunnel, as if it was a curtain covering the entrance. It meant she was below a waterfall.

Mehrimah looked at the other side of the tunnel and saw light flooding inn through an opening. She started walking towards the opening. 

After few moments Mehrimah stepped out of the tunnel. In front of her was a huge grassland and at the end of that grassland was another mountain which had another tunnel.

The sun was shining bright in the sky and the air was as fresh as that of spring season. To her left, just few feet away was a cliff. She couldn't see down the cliff because she was far. But she could see wide sea.

Mehrimah didn't notice that just like she has come out of the tunnel, many otherpeople were also coming out of the tunnel. She didn't see any of them inside but now she could see them. People were coming out of this tunnel and moving inside the other.

Mehrimah looked down at her clothes and she frowned. She was wearing some weird clothes which she didn't recognize. Where was her Mughal libaaz (Outfit)?

As Mehrimah looked ahead, she saw her mother, Azma standing on the entrance of the other tunnel along with her step-father and brother. Three of them gestured her to come fast.

Mehrimah smiled. She nodded and began walking towards the tunnel like other people. 

She was half the way towards the tunnel, when she heard her name beside her. 'Mehrimah.' 

Mehrimah turned to her left and saw a man walking along with her. Mehrimah stopped walking and kept looking at the man as the man smiled down at her. He was old but still tall and well built. A thick layer of grey beard covered his wrinkled but handsome face. And those eyes.........those brown eyes...........Mehrimah frowned as she couldn't remember where she has seen them. He was all dressed up in black.

'Ben Osman Gazi.......bütün osmanlı türklerinin babasıyım. (I am Osman Ghazi............father of all Ottoman Turks) he said and Mehrimah frowned and looked at the ground. She didn't know this language but it sounded so.........so...........homely. And the word Osman.............it made her heart feel heavy.

The man waited for her to say something but then he spoke himself 'Aapko yahan nahi hona chahiye tha Mehrimah.' This time Mehrimah understood what he was saying but Mehrimah couldn't understand why he was saying so. 

Mehrimah looked at her family waiting for her and then back at the man, the man smiled, held her wrist and began taking her towards the cliff. For some reason. Mehrimah didn't say anything and allowed him to take her to the cliff.

As they neared the cliff, a city came in Mehrimah's view, near the port of the sea. Looking down at the big city, Mehrimah felt the same feeling which she had felt after hearing that man's language.

Before she could ask the man about the city, the man jumped down the cliff taking her along with him. Mehrimah closed her eyes due to fear but the next moment she opened it, she was in middle of a street with the man beside her.

Mehrimah stared at him and he gestured her to walk ahead. Mehrimah started walking, looking here and there.

Suffering, corruption and cruelty was all she saw. Some men whom she assumed to be soldiers were harassing common people. Dead bodies of men were being hung on the streets. Someone's house was set on fire and on a corner, few superior looking men were molesting young girls.