GonBor- A Gonca hatun and Boran alp story

Chapter 58- Mongols

Boran alp P.O.V

My hand immediately goes to where my sword would have been as people around me descend into chaos. But, instead of feeling the handle of my sword, I feel nothing because I don't have my sword. 'Thanks for that, Osman.'

I run right into Turhan as he looked around, "What do we do?" "Get people inside and safe, I need to go find Goktug, whatever you do, don't get caught," I say quickly, and Turhan nods. I go the opposite direction, trying to figure out where Goktug is because one thing I've learned is Mongols don't like traitors.

I find Goktug just as 5 Mongols soldiers approach him, "The Mongol's feared assassin, Kongar." Goktug flips out the dagger he had, and I get to his side, "There goes our cover." "Where's Turhan?" Goktug asks as more soldiers surround us, "He's getting people to safety, shall we?" I say with a smirk and Goktug nods, "Let's do this."

We go in separate directions, taking on multiple soldiers at once. Without thinking, my dagger flies out of my hand and into one of the soldier's chests. I reach to where my bow would have been as the realization sets in, "Crap."

"Why did you throw your dagger, you idiot?!" Goktug yells as he picks up one of the soldier's swords, "I don't know, I forgot I didn't have my bow." Goktug groans and tosses me the sword he picked up, "That bow is going to be the death of you, Boran! Come on, we need to get out of here!"

"May Erlik Khan curse your soul, Kongar!" One of the commanders curses out loud and Goktug smirks, "Thanks, you too!!"

We get back to where Turhan was and he yanks us into this old-looking building. Inside were multiple other merchants and their children, Christian and Muslim alike. "You men aren't merchants, we saw you fighting." One man speaks and Goktug, Turhan and I look at each other, wondering what to say.

"Our cover is already blown, Boran," Goktug whispers, and I nod,  "You're right, we're not merchants." Goktug rolls his eyes, "For god's sake, just say it already, We're not merchants, we're Osman Bey's alps." 

The people go silent, but then a little kid speaks up, "I told you, Baba, that's Goktug alp and Boran alp!"

I look at Goktug, "Wait, you know who we are?" The kids nod like it's the most obvious thing in the world, "People write songs and stories about you." I raise an eyebrow, 'Well, that's new,' "How did you recognize us? We're not even wearing our alp clothes," Goktug asks, puzzled.

"Your eyes, hair, the Mongols called you Kongar, I just guessed the rest," The kid says with a shrug. "The stories talk about our eyes?" I ask incredulously, and the kid just nods. "Alright then... In that case, we're going to need your help."

Within an hour, we had figured out how to get out of the bazaar. It was a very risky plan, but it was the only way to get out. There was a tunnel that went underground, taking one out of the market without being spotted.

We sneak towards the building that the tunnel was built under, spotting three soldiers standing there. Quickly and quietly, we walk over to them, slitting their throats before they could even say a word. "Come on, we need to hurry."

We enter the building and lock the door, looking around to find a latch that could lead to the tunnel. "I found it!" Goktug says, opening a hatch in the floor, I look in to see eerie darkness with only a few lights. I gulp, "Alright then," I take a slight step back and push Turhan forward, "You go first."

He turns and looks at me, "Seriously?" "Yes, Now go," I say quickly, and Turhan slowly goes down the ladder. Goktug turns to me, gesturing to go down, "Go, Boran, you'll be fine. I'll protect you from all the scary monsters," He says with a smirk.

I roll my eyes, "Very funny, Goktug," I sigh and slowly go down the ladder, my eyes adjusting to the dimness. "So where do we go?" "Straight," Goktug replies, "And then we have to take the last turn right." I nod, it was simple enough.

We finally get to a ladder with a door leading upwards, "Finally, that took forever." I peek the hatch open and take a look around, making sure no one was there. I climb out and reach my hand down, helping Goktug and Turhan up.

Eventually, we find our way to where the merchants told us we could find horses. The sun would be setting soon and even on horses we wouldn't get back in time. "So, what do we do?" Goktug thinks for a moment, "We could ride until the sun goes down, we might be able to make it to Hanli Bazaar."

Turhan nods, "We'll be on Seljuk lands then," "It doesn't really matter if we're on Seljuk lands anymore, technically this is also Seljuk lands." I point out and Goktug shrugs, "I guess we should head to Hanli Bazaar then."

We don't end up making it in time, by the time the sun has gone down, we still have a long way to go. "Now, What? There's a high chance we're being tracked at this point." I ask and Goktug sighs, "What choice do we have? Let's just stop in the forest, finding a cave at this time would be useless."

Soon, we're sitting around a small fire in a dark forest. Very, very creepy. "Did you guys actually learn anything about Kotyan?" I ask, and Goktug nods, "He doesn't show his face, even when he himself is leading an attack, he hides his face. But, he does show people his face right before he kills them." 

I scoff, "Well, he sounds like a great guy. What about you, Turhan?" "He has spies everywhere, apparently. He gets news faster than light and makes a move even faster." I nod, thinking, "At least, we have some information."

"We'll see what the morning brings."