Aygül Sultan

6.

   A week had passed by following the same routine, I was sent to Cihangir every night and every morning I was asked about the nights events by Hurrem Sultana.

   Today was no other, I was walking to her chambers with Fahriye Kalfa who hadn't changed the way she treated me since the moment I stepped into the harem.

   "Come", her voice was heard allowing us to walk in.

   "Come Katerina", she smiled sipping her tea. I made my way towards her and bowed.

   "How's my lion?", she asked.

   "He's doing great Sultana", I answered hoping I satisfied her.

   "And you? How are you?", she asked again.

   "I'm fine too Sultana thanks for asking", I replied bowing.

   "It's been a week that you're visiting my son, yet there's no good news. How long do we have to wait hatun?", she asked reminding me the reason I was sent to the prince.

   I had totally disregarded out the main reason of my visits to Cihangir. All the time we spent together was spent talking. We had become very good friends and I couldn't even imagine being intimate with him.

   "My Sultana", I started not daring to look anywhere but the ground, "I'm sorry, there is nothing between us as you are thinking. We are both good friends and he feels comfortable talking to me. And anyway he told me nothing will happen between us unless I want", I told her.

   After a little while of silence, Hurrem sultanas voice was heard.

   "Do we ask you to be friends with our prince?" she asked but raised her hand stopping me before I could answer. "Do we sit here waiting for when our prince will make friends with the hatun sent for him?" , she asked again. "And don't you want you to be with the prince?", she asked her final question.

   "Sultana i absolutely want to be with prince", I answered truthfully.

   "Then give us a heir. You should know that in harem you need a child to be different from other girls and to become a sultana.", she told me and ordered me to leave making me bow and leave for harem.

Meanwhile...

   "Fahriye, This girl is not someone who is easily persuaded by our dictates. She's stubborn and we don't have time for stubborn girls. Present the prince a beautiful girl from the harem. Go.", Hurrem ordered.

At night

   "Hatun come here", I heard Fahriyes voice but her eyes fixed on another girl proved she wasn't calling me. I ignored her and the girl and went back to making the ring.

   I couldn't ignore the voices of the girls and looked again to see the girl now seated on her place. She whispered something to the girl next to her upon noticing my stare.