Fidan Sultan

CHAPTER 24

Mihrişah's POV

Argh. It wasn't a good day for me, again. I'm starting to see why there was only a few successful Sultanas in the past- it wasn't a job for everyone. But I'm trying, at least. This harem absolutely hates me, and likewise I hate the harem.

C'est absolument nul. This absolutely sucks. 

My life sucks right now. Sultan Ahmed practically forgot about me since the dungeon incident, but he was an ugly guy to be honest anyways. I'm young and fresh, and I should be lavished like a princess, and that's why I agreed to this job when Berat Pasha offered it. Though I was supposedly "trained", the Pasha's wife didn't give two pieces of bread about me.

Just to give you a better understanding of my dire situation, we need to get the real backstory.

I was born as a "peasant" girl in France (don't tell anyone, I have a reputation), and I had to work alongside my siblings for long hours on our farm. I was the least liked in our family of 8, and my parents were desperate to get rid of me. And lo,

Pauvre de moi! Woe is me!

One day some man came to our village asking to obtain a girl to train for some lord or nobleman of the Ottoman Empire, and AGAINST MY WILL they SOLD ME, those desperate crooks of parents! 

And from there, the Pasha story, and then me being sent to this stupid place, where the Sultan already has an old wife and daughters my age, and a handsome son. Oh I should have bargained to join his harem. But alas, things aren't always as we want them to be, and now I am being forced to content with this poor treatment the other girls give me, taunting and tormenting me. 

Argh. Like, what did I ever do to the likes of them?

The person I hate the most however, is Fidan Sultan. She slapped me, threw me in the dungeons, and did so much terrible stuff to me, I'm worried she'll do something soon.

I tried to keep my distance from Fidan Sultan, but it was impossible. She was always lurking around, her dark eyes watching my every move, as if waiting for the perfect moment to strike. I couldn't understand why she hated me so much. Was it jealousy? Or something else entirely? I am a stunning girl, after all. It would make sense.

Today, I felt particularly uneasy. Something was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. As I walked through the harem, I noticed the other girls whispering and glancing at me with smirks on their faces. It was as if they knew something I didn't. I tried to ignore them, focusing instead on being lazy and sitting around, as usual. The other girls were the slaves, and I would eventually climb the hierarchy steps.

When it was time for the evening meal, I sat at the low table with the other concubines. The aroma of roasted lamb, spiced rice, and fresh bread filled the room, but I had no appetite. 

I couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Still, I forced myself to eat, hoping that the food would calm my nerves. My French 7th sense.

As I took a bite of the lamb, a sharp pain shot through my stomach. I gasped, dropping my fork as the pain intensified. My vision blurred, and I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead. The room started to spin, and I clutched the edge of the table to steady myself.

"Mihrişah, are you alright?" one of the concubines asked, obviously pretending to be concerned. I could see the malicious glee in her eyes, though.

"I... I don't feel well," I managed to whisper. The pain was becoming unbearable, spreading through my entire body. My breath came in short, ragged gasps, and I felt my heart pounding in my chest. Nobody came to help me, as if the reaction was rehearsed against me.

Fidan Sultan appeared out of nowhere, her face a mask of false concern. The other concubines rose and bowed. "Oh dear, Mihrişah, you don't look well at all. Perhaps you should lie down."

I tried to stand, but my legs gave out from under me, and I collapsed to the floor. The pain was excruciating now, every breath a struggle. I could hear the other concubines laughing and whispering, their voices a cruel chorus in my ears.

"It's too late for that," Fidan Sultan said coldly. "You see, Mihrişah, you're not welcome here. You never were. You cannot ruin my family's life and take over. No, you will go back to where you belong."

If I wasn't dieing, I'd say those lines of hers were poetic. But no!

I looked up at her, my vision darkening at the edges. I wanted to scream, to fight back, but my body wouldn't respond. I was helpless, a puppet whose strings had been cut, as my crook of a mother used to tell me.

The last thing I saw was Fidan's triumphant smile as the darkness closed in around me. I knew then that I had been poisoned, and that there was no escape from my fate. My life, filled with hardship and struggle, was ending in a cold, unforgiving place far from home. The harem was my end.

Pauvre de moi! Woe is me!

End of Mihrişah's POV