DILRUBA : A tale of sweet revenge

ｏｎｅ

                        ꧁ ☪ *ೃ༄꧂

Never in my life did I ever thought I would go through all these. 

I was taken away from everything I knew, everyone I love and was taken to a place I barely knew. 

They said that they brought me here because their Sultan wanted me. They took me away from my family just because their Sultan fell in love with my portrait. And that was the day I swore to kill him so that no other girl would have to go through everything I went through.

1515

In the Topkapı Palace

"ATTENTION. HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY SULTAN MURAD HAN." The door man announced as a man in his early 20s walked in through the door of the Harem. 

The girls stood in line with their heads bowed as he walked past them without even sparing them a glance. He walked straight to the biggest chamber in the Harem, the Valide Sultan's chamber.

"Valide." He walked towards his mother with his arms wide open while his mother sighs in relief before taking him into her warm embrace.

"My lion, my son." She placed a light kiss on his forehead before taking both his hands and kissing it like she was seeing him after a long time. 

"How are you, my Murad." She asked as she stroked his cheeks lovingly like she used to do when he was a kid. 

"Nothing can happen to me as long as your blessings and prayers are with me." Murad replied, earning a soft smile from his mother. It's been a long time since he saw her smile, he thought.

"Now no one can separate us, my son. Gone are the days I spent crying to have a glance at your face, the nights I spent thinking whether you are still alive or not." The mother expressed as tears rolled down her pale cheeks that were once rosy a long time ago. The years she spent worrying about him, took away all her beauty from her yet she was the most beautiful person in his eyes.

"Valide," he whispered as he wiped her tears away with his thumbs before taking her hands and placing a kiss on her palms. 

"Hünkarım! Hünkarım! Hünkarım!" One of the aghas burst inside making Murad glare at him.

"The rebellion. . . . they have entered the palace." The man panted as he struggled to breathe.

"Take your Valide Sultan to the safe place. Guard her with your life." Murad said before turning towards his mother. "Valide, go with him. I'll be back soon." He kissed her hand before placing another kiss before embracing her into a tight hug like he was saying his last goodbye. Little did he know, this was his last moment with his mother.

"Oh the almighty creator of heaven and earth, I entrust my son under your care and protection. Guide him and protect him from all the evil eyes." His mother chanted a prayer as he pulled away from his mother before nodding at the guards before running out with his sword.

He met Ibrahim in the hallway who was also running to him. 

"Hünkarım, please don't go out now. The public has become crazy. Your brother, Şehzade Mahmud has manipulated all the people and has turned them against you." Ibrahim explained as he tried to stop the Sultan from walking into the bloodbath but the Sultan was stubborn. He decided to end it for once and for all.

"No, Ibrahim. It has to end today. It's either him or me." Murad declared, stubbornly. Ibrahim knew there was no way the Sultan was going to change his mind, so he had no option but to follow him.

"Şehzade is in the divan." Ibrahim informed and they both marched towards the divan. 

"MAHMUD!" Sultan yelled as he kicked open the council chamber revealing a bunch of traitors who immediately stood up and bowed their heads as Murad walked in.

He ignored the rest and fixed his eyes on the men who were trying to hide behind the Pashas.

"H-Hünkarım?" Mahmud stuttered

"You traitor. You betrayed me." Murad said as he walked towards his so-called brother while pushing the Pashas away from his way. "I made a mistake by keeping you alive by breaking the 200 years old tradition. I should have killed you on the day I ascended to the throne."

He pulled his brother by the arm before throwing him to the ground. "I trusted you and you broke my trust." He spat viciously.

Mahmud grabbed onto his brother's leg as tears rolled down his eyes. Regret and guilt. That's what he felt but he couldn't undo what was already done. The greed for the throne will now cost him his head.

"Abi, please forgive me." Mahmud cried out but Murad pushed him away.

"I'm not your brother. A traitor can never be my brother. Ibrahim, take him to dungeons and behead all these Pashas and aghas that took part in this rebellion. Also, put Gülbahar Sultan and Aykiz Hatun in the dungeons for helping him. No one will be forgiven. No mercy shall be shown to the traitors." Murad ordered before walking out of the room, ignoring the cries of his brother. 

He went straight towards the secret garden, where the route to the safe room is located. 

He moved some bricks and the wall parted into two, revealing a secret passage that led to the secret garden. Only his mother and some of the aghas know about this passage aside from him. He made this passage for situations like this.

He took one of the torches, hanging on the wall before entering the dark passage. After a short walk, his feet bumped into something making him almost trip. He looks down to see one of the guards he sent to escort his mother out, laying death on the floor with blood oozing out of his mouth.

Dark thoughts started to take over his mind making him panic. His heart started to beat fast as he thought of all the things that might have happened to her. He just met his mother. He can't lose her, he thought. 

Without another thought he ran towards the secret garden. When he lifted the leaves that covered the way to the secret garden, his mind went blank. 

Those things that he was afraid of, happened. 

His mother lay in the pool of her own blood while Gülbahar Sultan, mother of his brother Şehzade Mahmud, stood beside her body with a bloodied dagger in her hand. 

As soon as Gülbahar saw him, her eyes widened in shock. She thought Murad was dead, killed by the angry rebels that was led by her son, Şehzade Mahmud. But Murad was still alive, which means only one thing. Her son was no more.

Gülbahar pressed the dagger to her throat and slit her own throat thinking her son was no more. She chose to commit the biggest sin rather than to be punished by the Sultan.

Murad couldn't think straight, his mind was full yet empty. Everything was like a dream to him. A nightmare. That you cannot wake up from.

He kneeled down beside his mother's body. "Valide," he whispered while stroking her cold and pale cheeks. "Anne, you said you won't leave me now. Why did you leave me all alone again?" Tears rolled down his eyes as he kept on stroking her cheeks with his shaky hands.

"VALIDE." He cried out as he sniffed his mothers sleeves taking in her scent. The scent that he was now scared that he might forget. 

Fate was cruel to him. It was as if they never wanted him to be happy, even for once. Everyone he loved, betrayed him, left him and broke his heart into a million pieces. 

He learnt his lesson. A lesson to never love anyone again or to trust them and he learnt it in a hard way.

                       ꧁ ☪ *ೃ༄꧂