Being the sultan's daughter made everything easy to Nafize. But when she came of age marriage was a must and her parents chose the most unexpected person for her.
Malkoçoglu Bali Bey, was a military commander who was one of the most loyal men of th...
The gardens of Manisa have never looked this beautiful before, the flowers have bloomed and the sun was shining brightening this amazing day even more. The winter cold and the freezing wind were long forgotten as the warm summer breeze rippled through my hair.
I watched as my younger children, Rukiye, Ibrahim, and Ismihan, who was still learning to run, running around the gardens with other children giggling innocently. The sound of their laughter filled my heart to the brim and it almost explode with happiness.
I turned to look at Hümaşah sitting beside me in her bridal gown grinning brightly. Mihrimah was sitting with her son, Osman, on the other side also grinning happily. I took a deep breath of the fresh air trying to hide my pain as much as possible. I looked down at my bulging stomach praying for more time so I won't ruin the day for my son.
"Excuse me, darling, I don't feel very well," I said to my niece as I stood up making everyone else do the same except Mihrimah. They all bowed to me as I walked back into the palace with my maids behind me. The second I was out of sight I leaned against the wall and let out a loud groan.
"You call a midwife and meet us in my room" I ordered one of the maids. She bowed and ran to the harem panicked.
"You go call Yahya Taslicali and don't tell anyone else" I ordered the second maid. She bowed and ran back out to do as I ordered. I took a deep breath before I continued making my way back to my room where the midwife was already waiting for me with her helpers.
"Lay down sultanim, let me see" the midwife helped me into the bed. One of her helpers place a blanket over my legs as the main midwife looked for the signs of labor.
"Sultanim, you're ready for birth. How long have you been in pain?" The midwife asked shocked. I let out a groan as a contraction hit me.
"Since this morning" I answered. She went back under the blanket as I let out another groan. After so many children I was used to not screaming anymore.
"Deep breaths, Sultanim" one of the helpers patted a cloth over my forehead as sweat started forming there. I closed my eyes and prayed for strength for this child to be born.
"Look how beautiful," my mother said showing my brother my newborn daughter. Mustafa smiled and kissed my daughter's small hand.
"Yes, like her mother" my brother looked up at me with a smile. It's been so long since I've been on the receiving end of his smiles that it almost looked foreign to me. I smiled back before turning to Yahya Taslicali who was holding our new son.
"This day is a blessed day, a marriage and a birth of twins," Mihrimah said happily. Yahya gave me our son softly looking like he was shaking from the mere fact that he held a newborn. This man was a gentleman and I am glad that I didn't end up marrying someone like Rustom or the husbands of my aunts.
"Hanzade and Mehmed, our new additions" Suleiman helped Ibrahim on the bed to look over his new siblings.
"They look very small" Rukiye mumbled touching her brother's hand who let out a small squeak in between my arms.
"You all looked like this too once" she looked shocked at me then back at the babies.
"Even Suleiman?" She asked pointing at her older brother behind her. Suleiman chuckled at his sister and nodded his head.
"Yes, even Suleiman" I nodded. Her mouth fell open in shock. The twelve years old was still very young and didn't understand many things but now she discovered that everyone was born small.
"Why didn't you tell me, mother? I would have come over immediately" Mustafa held Mehmed in his arms and looked at his brother.
"Exactly why I didn't tell you. On your wedding day you should be with your bride, not your mother" I chuckled. Hümaşah blushed beside Mustafa and moved her attention from our conversation to Hanzade in her arms.
"I pray to Allah to see your children in your arms and not only your siblings," I said making the pair turn red and squirm.
"Here, mother" Mustafa handed Mehmed back to me. I placed the sleeping child beside me on the bed. Hüma placed Hanzade in her bed before moving back to sit beside Mustafa on the couch.
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"Shouldn't you still be in bed, mother?" Mustafa asked worriedly. I chuckled and shook my head. I was sitting on the edge of my bed facing the pair.
"They're my seventh and eighth children, I'm used to this now" I answered. Mustafa nodded and turned to look at his brother beside me. I knew he didn't like the fact that they didn't share the same father and I could only pray that he didn't act differently towards him.
"Are you two comfortable in the hunting lodge?" I asked changing the subject.
"Yes, we are very comfortable there but at the same time, we can't wait for his majesty to assign Mustafa a province so we can move and live there" Hüma answered for the both of them. I hated that my sons will eventually all live in different cities but those were the rules of the dynasty I'm so proudly a Sultana of. They have no chance of a throne but they get a province instead.
"I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure his majesty will send you to a province soon" I said to my son who was nervous that his grandfather would never send him to a province. Mustafa, Suleiman, Gevherhan, Rukiye, Ibrahim, and Ismihan still didn't know why their father was executed which was, of course, a fraud he did to himself to save my brother and I intend for it to stay this way. I don't want them to know the dark sides of being related to the royal family, I don't want them to know what I've done for their uncle and cousins.
