The Starry Maiden

Sunrise

Hello! This chapter is a tad bit longer than the rest... I just couldn't really find an appropriate place to cut it. So extra long chapter it is.

As always, I am completely open to constructive criticism. Although, please be gentle with this chapter as it is my first real attempt at anything remotely close to romance.

But I hope you enjoy reading it none-the-less.

Thank you so much for reading!

Istanbul

1503

Looking out over the city like this is so peaceful... You'd never think of the turmoil that the city had been through to get to this point.

Not to even mention how much happens on the streets here. It's been about a week since I arrived, and while I don't plan to stay long, I've already acted in favour of some victims of unfortunate circumstance... Like the two kids who had stolen three apples from a cart the other day, so I went and gave the vendor a little extra when I bought some produce for the first few days of my stay. There was also the group of thugs that had cornered a young couple in an alley way. And the homeless man I pretended was my father-in-law to keep him from being arrested by an errant and unnecessarily aggressive Janissary. There were a couple of smaller things too, but I can't keep going like this... I'll end up making too many ripples in the water.

Not to mention that each time I do something like that I make myself avoid the district I did it in to try and let the ripples settle. So now I find myself in Galata district to the east of the tower. I have found a decently secluded rooftop on which I have a great view for drawing. Which seems to be a popular commodity around here and could very well make me some good money. So far the best view of the city overall has been this one...

And the Hagia Sophia... From here the way the sun accentuates the domes is absolutely stunning. I turn back to my sketch pad, sliding the charcoal over the paper to deepen the shadows to make the brightly lit sunny areas seem all the brighter. I wonder what it looks like on the inside right now... It's already been a little over a thousand years since it was first built, I think. I'm fairly sure that it is being used as a mosque by this point...

"That is a lovely drawing..." I look over to the source of the voice, mostly confused because I situated myself on a lonely rooftop out of sight of any Ottoman guards patrolling the area. I see a tall man leaning against the wall. He steps closer and leans in to get a better view of the charcoal sketch. He brings the smell of the spice market with him and his dark hair is hanging in curls around his face some of them being held back by an orange and yellow brocaded headband with a turquoise piece wrapped in and hanging next to his face. He steps back again giving me a good look at the clothes he's wearing, and I understand how he came to be on my secluded rooftop. He's an Assassin. Which is also why I never noticed him arrive... Fully trained Assassins are about the only thing that can still sneak up on me. Even Assassins in training have too heavy of a step to sneak around me. "Do you mind if I join you for a while?" He speaks in Italian, with a bit of an accent. Considering how central Istanbul is to culture and trade between Asia and Europe right now, it makes sense for him to know Italian, at least to a degree.

"No, I don't mind." I try to ignore how breathtaking the smile that grows on his face is, and how striking the glacial lake turquoise of his eyes is... Then it hits me that I've met him once before... In Spain. That would have been about... Eight years ago, in 1594. Although, we hadn't even gotten so far as to introduce ourselves, so I doubt he remembers.

"Thank you." He then joins me in sitting and looking out towards the Hagia Sophia. I continue working on my drawing, filling in the shaded areas. I still miss the availability of rubber erasers... I did snag a chunk of a natural rubber-like substance while I was travelling in the northern regions of Africa, but I try to use it sparingly, as it practically cost me an arm and a leg. That, and Europeans have only just 'discovered' the Americas where the rubber trees grow. I have tried a few of the other drawing methods preferred by the Renaissance artists that are still leaving their mark, like silver point and just pen drawing, but just as I was in art school, so I am now... I love charcoal and how it can capture the depth of darkness in an image.