Neslihan Hümasah Sultan daughter of Selim i, sister of Suleiman I and the beloved aunt of Selim ii. She was no ordinary sultana she was loved dearly by her family for her kind heart and strong demeanor. The people loved her for her charity and kindn...
"Sultanim, his majesty is asking for you in his private courters" Mary informed me making me look up from the crochet I was working on to relax.
"Didn't he say what he wanted?" I asked putting down the cloth and needle. What could he want so early in the morning?
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"No Sultanim" She shook her head and looked down. I got up placing my headscarf on my head and walked out of my room and down the harem. As I walked down the golden road I could see a silhouette standing in front of my brother's door and when I reached it I saw that it was Ibrahim so I immediately bought my scarf from behind me to cover my chest.
"Sultanim" He bowed to me. I nodded as my response and looked at the guards at the door telling them silently to tell my brother that I was here so he would let me in.
"The sultan spoke with me earlier, sultanim" he said earning my attention, I turned around to face him and nodded for him to continue.
"I am honored to marry you, sultanim. That is if you do not mind me as a husband" He said seeming a little sad that he didn't get to chose who he would spend the rest of his life with.
"It's not the groom that annoys me, pasha, but the idea of forced marriage is the culprit," I said as a guard walked out and bowed to me as a way to tell me to walk in. I walked into my brother's room with my head held high to not show him or Ibrahim any weaknesses.
"You asked for me, your majesty" I bowed to my brother. He got up from his desk and walked over to where I stood.
"I wanted to talk to you about the wedding," He said holding his hands behind his back. I nodded for him to continue.
"I was thinking we could do the engagement next week and you two could get married as soon as we come back from our campaign," He said smiling brightly. I knew my brother loved Ibrahim dearly and only wanted to show his appreciation towards him and that was by marrying him his sister, and my mother was worried about me staying alone my entire life and my brother chose that opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
"Whatever you see fitting your majesty" I mumbled lowly. He sighed and took a step closer to me and placed his hands on my shoulders.
"I know you don't want to marry yet but this is for your own good," He said pulling my face up so we were looking into each other's eyes.
"If something happens to me or mother you will have someone to be there for you" He pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"I decide what's good for me and what's bad but you are the sultan and can order whoever you want around and that's an advantage I could only dream of. Just because you see it is fitting doesn't mean it is but I won't argue with you because before you were a sultan or of royalty you are my brother and I respect you"
He seemed shocked by my speech but didn't comment on it as I bowed and left the room feeling my throat tighten and tears fill my eyes, I took a deep breath to compose myself before I continued walking keeping my head held high.
When I reached the main golden road I saw Hurrem walking over with a huge smile on her face, she bowed to me as she reached me. I could see in her eyes her loyalty to my brother and that's what I was looking for, she truly loved Suleiman and didn't care much for the power which is something we all yearn for of course but she was something else.
"Sultanim, how are you today?" She asked nicely. I know she was trying to get closer to me so she would have one less enemy and one more ally.
"Very well for now, how about you and my nephew?" I asked smiling slightly at her. I didn't have any problems with Hurrem and I haven't been here for long and still hasn't seen how she acts and treats people, hopefully not like Mahidevran who treats the maids and concubines like the dirt under her shoes, they weren't our equals but they're still humans.
"Very good thank Allah," She said before the guard came back with a confirmation that she could go into my brother's room.
"Don't keep the sultan waiting" I said and continued walking down the golden road until I was stopped by a guard just before I turned the corner.
"Sultanim, Ibrahim pasha would like to speak with you," He said bowing to me. I looked behind his shoulder at the door where Ibrahim was waiting behind. Should I go? He's gonna be my husband in a couple of months and it won't hurt to hear what he has to say about the matter.
I straightened my back and walked over to the door and knocked, two guards opened the door for me from the inside. The second I stepped in they walked outside and closed the door from outside.
"Sultanim" He bowed when I stopped in front of him, he may be the grand vizier but I was still of higher status than him, and only when we marry will we become of almost the same status, I am the only one that would be able to divorce he had no power over me.
"Is there something wrong, Ibrahim?" I asked looking over at the cracking fire behind him.
"Are you okay with what is happening, sultanim?" He asked without beating around the bush and going straight forward to what he wanted from the very beginning.
"What does it matter? We must do what our padishah wants and neither of us can say no to him" I answered without giving him a direct answer to his question.
"Of course sultanim but, if you are against it tell me so I can tell his majesty and try to end this before either of us suffers," He said taking a step closer to me seeming encouraged when I didn't blow up in his face.
"Are you okay with this?" I asked turning the question around on him. His eyes widened slightly at the question, I know he was having a mental crisis right now 'say the truth and get beheaded or lie and get beheaded later on?'.
"You can tell me the truth and I swear nothing will happen to you" I promised stepping closer waiting for an answer from the man in front of me.
