Devlet Ve Aile

"Ana'm, if I am ever forced to choose between the state and our family, how will I decide?" Halime asked, her azure eyes searching her mother's face for answers.
Bala Hatun observed her daughter with a knowing gaze. She reached out, her fingers gently sweeping through Halime's hair, smoothing the wild curls of her untamed girl. "Halime'm, asi kızım benim," she began, a faint, bittersweet smile. "The love you hold for your family these roots dig deep into the heart; that love is a part of your blood; it will never diminish. But one day, yavrum, you will fall in love with a man. You will weave your own story, just as I did with your Baba'm.
Bala's smile faded slightly. "But my child, that love will burn you. It will test your patience and weigh like mountains on your heart. Yet, no matter the anguish, never give up on love. It is Allah's greatest blessing, yet ultimate test. If it is written in your kismet and Allah's will, your paths will align. But you must never place your love for any man, or any bloodline, above the state. Do you understand?"
Halime drew back, confusion clouding her eyes. Fatma stepped closer, voicing the question her sister was too stunned to ask. "But Ana'm...if love is a blessing from Allah, why must it bow to anything else?"
Bala reached out, pulling Fatma close and caressing her head. "Fatma'm, melek kızım. Love may be the blessing that sustains your soul, but the duty of the state is bigger than anything else. Your allegiance to the state is your commitment to Allah. To build an empire that shelters the numerous, you must be willing to shatter your own heart a thousand times over, but never let the state bleed. The state is the people's trust; it is the sacred weight placed on Osman Beyim and his family. If the choice comes, you sacrifice yourself, your happiness, even your own blood; nothing stands above the state, kızlarım. Always remember that." Halime and Fatma wordlessly bury their faces in Bala's lap. Devlet ya Sevda? Devlet.