LONG LOST (A Sungurtekin Bey Fanfiction)

EPILOGUE

Gundogdu had gotten up before the evening that day. He looked around to find that no one was present in the tent.

'Hayirdir inshallah!" He muttered and tried to get out of the bed and miraculasly was succeeded. But there was a pain in his wound. That afternoon Ertugrul and Artuk bey had come to his tent. He had been sleeping, burning with fever at that time. Artuk bey had treated his wound and now, thanks to him he was feeling very well. Pouring himself some water, he kept thinking about the night that was following. His brother was finally going to be married tonight. He was more than happy for him.

Gundogdu smiled when the curtains were rasied and Sungurtekin entered his tent. He was taken aback when he saw him sitting in the bed.

"Abi, I heard you were not doing good." He asked coming towards him.

"Sungurum, That was a long time ago!" Gundogdu replied placing the bowl of water on the table beside his bed. Sungurtekin smiled and sat down beside him.

"How are you feeling now?" Sungurtekin asked softly.

"Feeling well enough to attend your wedding." Gundogdu smiled.

"That is enough." Sungurtekin nodded. A period of silence stayed between them. Gundogdu examined his expressions. There was something going on in his mind.

"Sungurum, Kardesim. Look at me. What is bothering you?" He asked. Sungurtekin turned to him and sighed.

"I wonder whether it is the right choice I made or not." He said. Gundogdu smiled brightly as he understood what he was implying.

"Do you have her in your heart?" He asked.

"Of course I have." Sungurtekin said matter of factly.

"Then this is the right choice." He said.

"There are some secrets. Which I am not going to tell you as well. But I think this is not fair to her to not know anything." Sungurtekin squeezed his eyes. Gundogdu pittied his younger brother. He had been so far away from the tribe and that had made her forget that the women of the turks were as brave as the men. They can compete with every difficulty of there lives. But only Sungurtekin knew that she was not a turk. He knew at some period of his life, his family will come to know about her true heritage and that was what bothered him. He didn't know how they will cope with the information.

"When Ertugrul told my parents that he wanted to marry Halime Sultan, what was their reaction?" He asked after some time. Gundogdu stared at him with confusion. Where did that come from? He thought.

"Pretty bad actually. We all wanted him to marry Gokce. But he was Ertugrul, he never listened. But now when I see them together and Gokce happy in her marquee, I cannot help myself thinking what if I had supported him at that time. You have no idea how much he needed me! But Halime was a princess, we all had some problems. The state was after them. They were on a run. What would you have done, if you were here?" Gundogdu asked him.

"I am loyal to the state, abi, not to Ertugrul. I would have done the same." Sungurtekin said. "For me it is time, circumstances, loyalties. that makes you act, not the people."

"Ertugrul was not like this." Gundogdu laughed.

"He is different." Sungurtekin smiled. "So you are saying that my parent act agressively over the fact that Halime was a princess."

"Circumstances were different." Gundogdu said. "But why do you keep asking about Halime sultan? What is it?"

"It's something between me and Nuray hatun. I can't tell you."

"May be you should just go and talk to her and if you don't want to give away your secret then don't. Just talk to her. There will come a time when she will know and she will understand." Gundogdu smiled.