Kelebek Sultan | {SULEIMAN} Magnificent Century

viii ~ golden at last

{author's note: if anyone is wondering why the Valide Sultan has not yet summoned Ivona, it is because she's been a bit busy in the episodes with Mahidevran :)}

Istanbul, Turkey

Before the night was over, Hürrem was out of the dungeons and the entirety of the harem whispered of the Sultan's wrathful shouts that could be heard from Mahidevran and the Valide's chambers.

When she returned, Ivona made sure to bring two glasses of water with her in case she ran into the same guards as earlier. However, with the havoc in the harem, they had barely batted an eyelid when letting her back into the hall.

Her absence, however, had not gone entirely unnoticed.

"Where have you been?" Kata demanded, lifting herself up from her bed, "do you think that now you have a favour you can do what you like?"

Ivona merely shot her an unamused look, and wiggled one of the glasses of water, before moving over to where Suncana sat on her bed. No Liljana was next to her.

"They carried her to the physicians room," Suncana told her, "I said that you'd gone to grab us water alone as Liljana said she wasn't feeling well and that that's why you weren't there when she collapsed."

Ivona offered the younger girl a wide smile, passing her a glass. Then, she clinked them together.

"Our rise will be soon," she told her young friend, who offered her a jubilant grin at the idea of being a part of Ivona's bright future.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"His Majesty was fussing over Hürrem all morning," Ayse, who shared a room with the said Hatun, informed the table behind Ivona over breakfast, "he even gave her this beautiful emerald ring! She'd wanted to go to his chambers and rest with him, but His Majesty was insistent that she remain in our room and rest. I wonder where she got the nerve to ask such a thing."

"I'm more curious as to how His Majesty found out," another favourite added and Ivona could hear the suspicion in her tone.

A different, sweet voice added in, "perhaps it was an Agha trying to curry favour."

"Or a Hatun."

Well, that one was a little bit too close for Ivona's tastes. The table then went on to debate whether or not a Hatun could actually leave the harem unseen and get into His Majesty's chambers, of which Ivona was thankful that they seemed to come to a negative conclusion.

Liljana and Suncana also appeared to be listening to the conversation, for they shared secret smiles, prompting Ivona to give them both a light whack on the arm.

"You might as well just declare it to everyone," Ivona hissed lowly, though could not deny the small twitching of her lips.

As she looked at them, she caught sight of a familiar woman not far behind them. One of the women she'd had Suncana ask about.

Gülfem. His Majesty's first woman, and the mother of his first son.

Ivona rose to her feet, thankful that the woman was sat alone for now, and told her inquisitive friends, "I'll be right back," before moving over to the woman.