Shams was one of the small community of Christian on an island belonging to an Arab country, Aradus. This island was a small island in the White Sea being inhabited by only 3 400 people. The White Sea belonged to the Ottman dynasty so their pirates...
"Sultana" I jumped up and looked at the person that woke me up. It was still dark outside meaning that it hasn't been morning yet.
"What is it Ferial?" I asked with a hoarse voice. I looked at the extra room attached to mine expecting to hear crying from the children but there was none.
"Sultana, one of the aghas found the prince passed out on the floor" I pushed the covers to the side and jumped up from the bed. I walked over to the robe at the end of the bed and put it on.
"What did the doctors say?" I asked worriedly taking walking to one of the huge boxes in the room and pulled out a dress and started to dress.
"They don't know yet sultana" she answered sadly. After changing my clothes I ran out of my room and straight to Mehmed's room.
When I reached the lost corridor I stopped when I saw the heard of doctors all speaking to one another discussing something with hushed tones.
"What are all of these doctors doing here?" I asked Ferial not even looking away from the bodies in front of me.
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One of them saw me and immediately bowed earning the other doctors' attention who immediately stopped talking and bowed to me. I walked over to the closest one to me and stopped in front of him.
"What's wrong with the prince?" I asked worriedly looking at the doctors behind him before turning back to him.
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"We do not know sultana" he answered not looking up at me which gave away the lie.
"What is wrong with the prince?" I asked again more harshly and putting space in between words as if he couldn't understand what language I spoke.
"We have suspicions but we don't have a straight answer," he said ending the conversation before walking back over to the doctors and they all walked back into Mehmed's room.
I insisted on staying in front of Mehmed's room wanting to be there for him. When night fell the doctors walked out and stood back where they did before walking in. I walked over to one of them feeling my heart break as I didn't know what was going on.
"I want to see him" I informed him like I was preparing him for the worse.
"At a safe distance sultana, whatever he has could get to you if you got too close," he said without fighting what I wanted for a second.
I walked into Mehmed's room with Ferial behind me. I stood beside the door and looked at him feeling tears brim my eyes at the sight of him so weak.
"You shouldn't be here darling" Mehmed said sitting up. I could see how his arms quivered under his weight but he was still able to hold himself up long enough to lean his body on the stack of pillows behind him.
"I wanted to see you," I said giving him a smile to not show him how worried I was, he can't get stressed at least that's what the doctors said.
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"I'm fine. Please leave. I don't want you to get sick too" he all but begged. I sighed and looked down at my hands but nodded anyway and bowed to him.
"I love you," I said looking up at him with a weak smile which he returned.
"I love you too," he said, his voice was so weak I breath heard it but I did. I walked out trying hard to hold my tears back.
"Send for the capital" I ordered Ferial who bowed and left to write. I turned to look at Omar agha and walked closer to him.
"Who's our fastest messenger?" I asked. I wiped my eyes trying to get rid of the tears.
"Samer agha" he answered pulling out a handkerchief and handed it to me to wipe my eyes with.
"Thank you. Send him immediately with the letter Ferial is sending" he bowed and left the corridor to do as I said.
I walked back to my room and sat down on a couch placing my hands in my hands as the weight of the situation hit me harder than ever.
"Sultanim" I looked up to see one of the maids holding an awake Abdullah. She handed him to me, I held him close to me feeling like I need to protect him.
"Bring me Mustafa and Hurrem" she bowed and left to bring them over.
"Everything will be okay my darling" I kissed the baby's forehead as he flailed his arms around. Mustafa and Hurrem walked in and sat on each side of me.
"What's going on mommy?" Hurrem asked clinging to my side tightly.
"Nothin darling" I kissed her forehead before getting up and walked over to my bed placing Abdullah on the bed before helping Mustafa and Hurrem jump on the bed. I changed into my sleepwear before joining them. I laid down with Abdullah on my right and Mustafa on my left with Hurrem beside him.
I pulled Mustafa close to me and let my hand wrap around Hurrem as we were all hugging each other.
I pray to god that Mehmed gets better or o don't know what will happen if he didn't. I'm not sure I will be able to live my life normally if he wasn't in it.
I looked down at Mustafa and Abdullah feeling my heart clench with fear. Will they kill them if Mehmed didn't make it? Will they banish them? Will they throw all of us out of the castle and let us survive on the streets?
I can't lose my sons and daughter too, I won't be able to survive the pain of losing so many people. I've already lost my first family I can't afford to lose my other family too.
I kissed Mustafa's forehead who was now sound asleep and pulled him closer to my body wanting to feel his body heat near my body to know that he was alive. I held Hurrem's hand to feel her pulse to know that she was alive. God, please protect us.
