The Sultan and I

Prologue

The Sultan and I
Prologue

It was a harsh winter on the borders of the Bulgarian empire and the Ottoman empire. The white snow is falling endlessly from the skies down to the road path of the Ottoman prince, Zahir.

The strong winds of winter seem to order the trees to bow down to the mighty prince of the strongest empire. Even the birds take refuge from the freezing cold aura of the prince. His dark brown eyes, which have seen horrific wars since he was young and was able to hold a sword, have lost their shine from the past years.

He was on his horse, gallantly riding, with nothing but his black furcoat protecting him from the harsh conditions of the weather. Behind him are the hundred thousand soldiers under his command, marching back home after successfully conquering Bulgaria's doomed empire.

He is nineteen years old, and his older brother, Sultan Kael, has finally decided to take the land from Europe on his lead at such a young age.While mercilessly expanding their empire, which no other Sultans from the past had ever dared to wish for, his resolve to take every land that his brother wished to was engraved on his mind. The ambition of his beloved brother is his sword in this conquest. And now, the empire of Bulgaria has come to its end. He made the once strong empire bend down on its knees. For no other empire has ever stopped his royal highness, the second prince, Zahir's strongest soldiers. Even the Sultan himself is threatened.

"This is a trap, your highness." His uncle, Jalil Pasha, spoke on his horse for a hundred times behind him. "You know that this whole conquest to expand lands for your brother is only a trap orchestrated by the Sultan himself and his ministers. He wouldn't be happy to hear about all of your victories. Instead, he would be more delighted to see your head served to him on his golden platter. "

A smirk formed on the cold prince's lips.

"You and my mother are really siblings, uncle." He replied in an amusing tone. "You two think so much alike that it's scaring me."

His uncle laughed at his words.

"We both know that nothing can scare you, my Sehzade (prince). " Jalil replied. "If there is someone who is scared now, it would be the Sultan."

Without a warning, Zahir took the big sword from his sheath and put it under the throat of his uncle.

"Y-your highness..." Jalil trembled.

The unforgiving and emotionless eyes of the prince looked at the shaken face of his uncle.

"One more word..." Zahir threatened with his cold voice while glaring at the trembling general.  "One more word about my brother, and I won't think twice about slitting your throat, my uncle. You know that I won't tolerate any disrespect against my brother. "

Jalil gulped at the deadly glare of his beloved nephew. Everyone in the empire knew how much the second prince loved and respected his older brother. It is because the Sultan spared the prince's life when the new monarch ascended the throne.

It was a custom in their empire that once a new Sultan sat on the throne, he would need to immediately order the execution of his other brothers to avoid unnecessary conflict in the empire and a division of subjects. For many centuries, this custom was followed by the past Sultans, but the new and kind Sultan Kael spared the lives of his brothers, the second prince Zahir and the third prince Zulkahir, even though they were from different mothers. This act blinded the young prince, Zahir, and he saw it as a brotherly love from his older sibling. But in the eyes of his mother and uncle, this is a threat that was issued by the Sultan himself to build his strong foundation in the empire. The new Sultan knows that Zahir's influence is the strongest in the empire and that's why he needs the support of the second prince on his throne.

Now, the Sultan sent him on this dangerous conquest, and Jalil knows that the monarch has been dying to hear the news of Zahir's death. But Zahir remained oblivious to his mother and uncle's whispers of hate in his ears.

Zahir respected his brother so much that he was willing to die for him.

"May the almighty open your eyes, my beloved Sehzade." Jalil could only wish while his nephew's sword was still in his throat. "I'm always praying to the almighty that he will open your eyes and see what's really in the heart of the Sultan!"

Zahir was enraged and cut deeper into his shaken uncle's throat, blood already dripping down his neck.

"No one can shake my devotion to my brother. No one can break our relationship." The prince gritted his teeth with too much hate. "If that is what everybody wanted, including you and my mother, I would cut off everyone's throat until I could no longer hear of this treason against his majesty!"

Then he put down his sword and angrily marched with his horse. While his uncle only turned to him and spoke.

"You are from our clan, our Sehzade. You're the rightful heir to the Sultan's throne! And we will stop at nothing until you take what is rightfully yours! " Jalil screamed in anger and disappointment at his nephew. "May your sword reach up to the skies! May the almighty open your eyes and see what's been laid for you by the late Sultan! You were his majesty's Vali Ahad (crown prince) until your older brother shamelessly took it from you! Hear us, our Sehzade, and take what is rightfully yours! "

But the prince, Zahir, remained quiet on his horse while silently gritting his teeth with rage.

He made a promise to his father, the late Sultan, to never raise his sword against his brothers. His late father knew that his military influence and victories were the most commendable among them, which made him the Vali Ahad of the late Sultan. But after his father died, the remaining ministers of the late Sultan followed the rules of succession and made his older brother ascend the throne. In response, Sultan Kael spared their lives.

Even though there was a series of poisoning and assassination attempts on him that followed right after his older brother became the new Sultan, he still could not believe that his kind brother could be able to do such terrible things to him, knowing that he had stepped back from claiming the throne. There is evidence that it was all his brother's doing, but he's willing to turn a blind eye just to keep the peace in the empire and among the siblings.

His gaze looked up at the last village in the enemy's land that he had conquered.

And if only he knew that this conquest would be the reason to break that promise with his late father, he would have done everything in his power to prevent himself from going.

But it was too late.

The strings of fate started to entangle the moment his eyes fixated on those beautiful green eyes for the first time in his life.

to be continued...