Haseki Mihrişah Sultan| Not To Be Continued

New Şehzade

The next morning, after a long sleepless night, the doctor and nurses came to my room. I wasn't feeling well at all. I had a terrible headache as if my head was going to explode and the child in me was kicking hard. They laid me down and examined me carefully. Olga and Eudokia weren't that well, too. After what they saw last night, all that troubling event, their faces had become pale.

- What is it? - I asked the doctor after she finished the examination.

- Mihrişah Hatun, the baby is well, these pains are normal, - she said and stirred up in a small cup some medicine and handed it to me, - this will help you for the headache, - she said.

I took the cup and drank it quickly because of the disgusting smell it had. I threw my look at the girls, and they were just sitting on the couch with their eyes focused on the floor, as if their minds were in another world.

- Is there anything we can do about them? - I asked the doctor, referring to the girls.

- A good sleep would do, - she answered and I got up and took a bag of coins from one of the shelves and gave it to her, - This is for doing your duty so well.

As the doctor and the nurses packed their tools and left I went and sat between Olga and Eudokia. They raised their heads and looked at me. There was sadness in their eyes. They were still in a state of shock.

- It's alright, - I finally said, breaking the silence.

They both waited a bit to find the right words, but in vain.

- Is it? - Olga then asked, - Cause we are here with a memory in our minds that seemed like a nightmare.

Her voice was different. She was really hurt. I'm not surprised. If someone came and told me that my dearest friend is an enemy of mine, I would burst out laughing. It wasn't easy for me, too. We had shared food together, but all of sudden, she was now threatening to take my life.

- Alright, - I said, letting out a sigh, - it is bad. The whole situation was so unexpected so unbelievable that we had a hard time believing it. I mean, yes, - I said and put my right hand on Eudokia's shoulder while the other on Olga's, - who would've thought of such thing?

They still stayed there as if my words didn't make any difference to their emotional state at all. Even I was running out of hope. They were my friends. What if they blame me for what happened to Ardita? What if they decide to walk away from me? They've helped me so much that now this chamber and the Harem seem meaningless without them.

- I am sorry, - I let out calmly while holding my tears, - if I have done something wrong, anything.

Now, they had focused their stares at me. Their look was so deep, so touching, and it felt like it unlocked what I was holding inside of me.

- It's alright, - Eudokia said quickly and placed her hand upon mine, - don't blame yourself. None of us noticed what she did.

- Exactly, - Olga added on the other side, - it is also our fault, - then she lifted my head and looked straight in my eyes, - if any of us was in your place, we would do the same thing.

And they would!

    ................................................................................

Two days later, it was finally the time for me to visit Ardita, not as my friend, not as my companion, but as my enemy. As the person who hid secrets from me, who plotted against me and tried to kill me and my child. My heart couldn't bear it seeing her like that, with evil in her eyes, bruises in her face, and a strong desire for revenge. I wish she wouldn't deserve those bruises nor those chains in her hands. I wish she wouldn't deserve to live with the rats and to be punished that way.