Kelebek Sultan | {SULEIMAN} Magnificent Century

iv ~ the arrival

If you fancy leaving me a comment and saying what you think, I'd appreciate it :)

Also, if you haven't noticed, I've messed with the sequence of events in ep1 a bit to fit with my plans. It shouldn't be too noticeable, all the same things happen but I've just spaced them out a bit more (eg rather than being told they will entertain the Sultan the night before, they are told five days prior and etc).

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Istanbul, Turkey

They were both picked to dance for the Sultan.

The seven girls - Ivona, Liljana, Alexandra, Agelaeia, Maria, Suncana and Joan - were chosen and rigorously trained by Meltem Kalfa throughout the five days leading up to when they would face the Sultan.

Alexandra appeared to be a natural dancer, with Liljana also taking to the dances speedily.

Ivona struggled more than them, but she worked hard to rectify it. Immediately after each lesson, the blonde would spend over two hours in that little, abandoned room they had found, perfecting her technique.

"That was perfect Alexandra," Meltem Kalfa declared, "Ivona, be more fluid in the way you sway your hips. No, not as dramatic. Perfect Ivona! Continue like that... Definitely do not do that in front of the Sultan, Suncana! Are you trying to seduce him by swaying like that or convince him that you're a giant worm?"

Ivona watched as Suncana, who must be the youngest of all of the girls, fought back tears.

The young brunette appeared to always be getting everything wrong. Ivona knew how frustrating that was, and would be even more so for Suncana as there were no places for her to practise but in the main harem corridor. To practise there was to welcome mockery and criticism.

"A little less to the left, Liljana... More hand movement Maria! Have a look at Ivona's hands."

The blonde smiled, feeling like her hard work had truly paid off as a couple of the girls turned to watch the way she flicked her wrists and attempted to mimic it.

The woman paraded around the room for a little bit longer, her and an agha correcting the girls' movements physically.

At last, the woman called their lesson to a close. Many of the girls rushed out, Ivona herself heading quickly towards the door. However, she paused when she heard someone slump to the ground.

At her stop, Liljana looked back to her quizzically.

"You go ahead," Ivona told her, "I'll meet you in time for dinner."

Liljana nodded and left, no doubt intending to spend any remaining time before dinner brushing up on her Turkish. Ivona, on the other hand, turned to the girl behind her.

Suncana, who it would be hard to convince Ivona that she was fourteen, was sitting with her head in her hands, slender shoulders shaking.

"Get up," Ivona told her, pushing away the sympathy that always raised within her when she looked at those weaker than herself.

The younger girl looked up at her with wide eyes that reminder her painfully of Leon, but did not move.

"You're not helping yourself by just sitting on the floor," the blonde said, "get up, I've got somewhere to show you."