Duvarları içinde - within the walls

Chapter 16

Warning: slight mention of blood.

''Osman?''

Mihrimah's heart raced at the sight of her uncle.

It had been days since they had last seen each other.

Since Mihrimah had agreed to allegedly marry Vizier Alemshah — a decision she had made out of necessity, but one that might be the breaking point of her relationship with her uncle.

As they rode closer to each other, Mihrimah could see the tension on Osman's face. She always knew what to do in different situations, but when it involved family — that wasn't the case.

But she knew that she couldn't afford to let her personal feelings cloud her judgment — not with the Seljuk soldiers standing in confusion behind her.

''Mihrimah Sultan.'' Osman greeted her with a brief nod. ''It has been a while.''

It hurt that he didn't only call her by her name, like he usually did. Mihrimah returned Osman's greeting with a polite nod of her own. She could see it in his eyes that he knew about what she had done.

And he wasn't happy about it.

She looked at the Alps by his side, looking at them, not knowing how to express themselves.

She figured that they all knew of her revelation of the location, but it wasn't that. The true problem lied with Osman's prejudice about her being prone to recklessness and taking matters into her own hands.

A prejudice mixed with worry and the wish to protect her from harm. Something they always had countless disagreements about.

She longed to confide in her uncle, but she knew that she could not risk it with the Seljuk soldiers around.

''Osman Bey.'' Mihrimah replied. ''It's good to see you again.''

There was a moment of tense silence between them, the air was thick. Mihrimah could sense the weight of Osman's gaze upon her as his eyes searched her face for any sign of the rumors being wrong.

''I heard about your... engagement.'' Osman said accusingly, barely suppressing his anger. ''Is it true?''

They both dismounted their horses and met in the middle, in front of each other, both holding hands on their swords.

''It is.'' Mihrimah replied, and she turned her head to see how close the Seljuk soldiers were. ''But there is more to it than meets the eye.'' she said in a low voice.

Osman looked at Mihrimah with a skeptical and concerned look. He truly wanted to trust his niece, to believe that she had her own safety at heart, but what she had agreed to wasn't a reasonable approach.

''I want to believe you, Mihrimah.'' Osman said. ''But I cannot ignore the rumors that have been circulating—rumors of your alliance with Alemshah, of your betrayal.''

Mihrimah's heart ached at the accusation in her uncle's words. Though she knew that her actions had been necessary, she could not deny the pain she had caused her uncle. ''I haven't betrayed anyone. Didn't we agree that I was the one who should approach Alemshah and gain his trust? Don't be hypocritical now. If it wasn't for me, your Alps might as well be dead by now. Some of us make difficult choices to save our people. Not that you would understand.''

She knew that she added more fuel to the fire, but her uncle was the one who made it personal to start with. ''If you want me to show you my strength, then so be it.'' she said and unsheated her sword. Osman's eyes widened in surprise, but he knew that there wasn't any other choice.