Cesaret- Courage~ A Buyuk Seljuk Story

Chapter Eight

Mehmet's heart thundered against his ribcage, and this time, he did close his eyes. It wasn't death that he was afraid of, but being dropped off a cliff and splitting his head open on rocks wasn't exactly the way he wanted to go. 

But, right when he thought they were going to let go, he was pulled back up. "So you don't fear death," The blind man said, looking directly at Mehmet as the gag was removed. Mehmet tried to slow down his breathing as adrenaline zipped through his body, 'You're not afraid, you're not afraid.'

"Congratulations, you have passed our test, you, young man,  will serve on the path of The Great Sayyiduna."

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A day later, Mehmet went to meet with Hace, and the distressed look on his old mentor's face didn't exactly raise his spirits. "Hace, where's Sencer?" Mehmet looked around, half expecting Sencer to appear out of nowhere like he always did.

When Hace didn't answer, Mehmet asked again, "Hace?" 

"Sencer has gone missing." 

Mehmet went quiet, "Seriously? Like this isn't a joke?" Hace shook his head, "Sencer went after the Holy Entrustments the Batini took, but we don't know what happened afterward. Melik Tapar is leading a search-" "Can I go?" Mehmet interrupted, more concerned about Sencer than anything else. Sencer was probably the closest thing to family he had, and he wasn't ready to lose him.

"Go to Isfahan, Mehmet, go find him," Hace ordered and Mehmet nodded running off, not before turning around and yelling, "Thanks Hace!" 

Mehmet arrived in Isfahan at noon, once again marveled by the vast palace. "Melik Hazretleri," He met Melik Tapar in the courtyard, just as he was getting ready to leave. "Mehmet, what are you doing here?" "Sencer. I need to find him. Let me come with you," Mehmet tried to clear his voice of desperation. 'Strong,' He repeated to himself, 'You're strong, not weak.' 

Melik Tapar nodded, patting Mehmet's shoulder, "We'll find him, I promise." 

As Mehmet walked back to his horse, he spotted Mahmelek behind her mother, Terken Hatun. He took note of the bored expression on her face and he smiled in her direction. She caught his eye and smiled back, rolling her eyes slightly behind her mother's back making Mehmet chuckle to himself.

He got onto his horse and followed Melik Tapar and his soldiers out of Isfahan. Mehmet's mind wandered back to the first time Sencer went missing on duty. They'd both been younger then, Mehmet was only 14. When Sencer was finally found, Mehmet had yelled at him. He had been so angry that he didn't even talk to Sencer for a couple of days. At first, Sencer didn't understand. He didn't understand that Mehmet was afraid. Afraid to lose more than what he had already lost. 

They searched for hours, following any and every trail they could find. Mehmet looked up as he felt a raindrop on his face. The clouds looked as bleak as Mehmet felt. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out an exasperated sigh. It was going to be dark soon and all they had been doing was following a single trail for hours.

Mehmet was about to say something when Melik Tapar held up a hand. "It's a trap," He whispered, slowly drawing his sword. 'Oh wonderful, just when I thought it couldn't get worse, it's a damn trap!'

His hand went to his face, making sure his face was still hidden. He'd already almost died too many times to count in the past couple of days, he wasn't risking it. Mehmet threw himself into the battle without a second thought, laying waste to the Batini soldiers that charged him. One of the Batini got onto his horse, pulling out a shining steel sword and dropping it to the ground. 

Before Mehmet could possibly go after him, he raced off, leaving the sword in the dirt. Mehmet slowly bent down and picked the sword up. It felt familiar in his hands, making a chill run through his body. "Mehmet?" "This... this is Sencer's sword. Sencer never leaves his sword behind."

Sencer would never leave his weapon. Ever. Mehmet used to forget to put on his weapons, Sencer never did. He'd always said, "You never know, Mehmet. Unexpected things happen." 

"We need to keep going," Tapar urged, stepping over the man he interrogated, "We can't stop until we find him, alive... or dead." 

He's not dead. Mehmet wanted to shout, but he kept it down. Sencer was not dead, he couldn't be.

They were close now, all the tracks led to one point. A cliff.

"You don't think they..." Bokus started, but the words died in his mouth. A piece of torn blue cloth caught Mehmet's eye and he kneeled next to it. His eyes followed the tracks on the floor. He ignored everything around him, silently walking the edge of the cliff and peering over the side. 

Mehmet heard someone sniffle, and wipe away a tear, but it was all distant. His eyes remained dry as he stared at the rocks defiantly standing out against the river. 'I'm not weak.' He told himself, 'I'm not weak.' 

Mehmet stood once more, nothing but determination in his eyes. He didn't have time to waste with tears. "Melik Hazretleri, We need to follow the river." 

Melik Tapar was taken aback, by the clearness in his voice. By the lack of pain, he showed. Yet, he still nodded, calling the soldiers together once more. "Haydi! We're following the river!" 

By the time it got dark they coincidentally ran into Sultan Melikshah. Mehmet pressed his hand to his chest in respect. "Tapar, did you find anything?" The Sultan asked, "They... they thew him off a cliff, Sultan'm." 

"Bastards," Sultan Melikshah cursed under his breath. "The tracks led there, Sultan'm," Mehmet pointed to a cave, and Melikshah nodded in confirmation. 

In the cave, they found a sight that gave Mehmet a mix of relief but also worry. Sencer was alive, but barely. Wounds and scratches from his fall littered his body. Mehmet slowly backed away and bolted back outside. He leaned on his arms against the cave's rugged walls. Mehmet squeezed his eyes shut.

'Every man has a breaking point.'

'Not me. I am not weak.'

A/N: Why hello there, Laraib here. What do you guys think is going on with Mehmet? This chapter kinda shows a side of Mehmet no one else sees. Something he hides away...

I also had my orchestra concert today which was a lot of fun. We played pretty well and got a lot of applause. Even some high schoolers came up to us and told us we were doing great. 

Anyway, Salaam and Have a great day!

-Laraib