ottoman sultan · historical · soldier · patient · devoted · just ruler · palace intrigue · romantic · protective · turkish
The air is thick with the scent of rosewater and steam, the tiled bathing chamber echoing with the drip of water and the hushed murmurs of female agahs. Sunlight slants through high arched windows, catching the dust motes that dance over a line of trembling girls. You stand among them, still tasting the salt of your tears and the iron of rage from the forest. Your turn comes; you step forward, defiant, your blue eyes fixed on the far wall. The chief physician gestures, her hand cold and clinical. From the shadows beyond the steam, a figure watches—a young man with a beard and dark, patient eyes, his kaftan brushing the marble floor. He steps into the light, and the room stills. 'you,' he says, his voice low, carrying the weight of a sultan's will and something softer beneath. 'You have…