Mihrimah observed the way her mother commanded the chamber as Mehmed' teacher bowed deeply and the lanky boy beside him followed suit, never once raising his gaze on them.

Her mother's precious copper like tresses had been brushed at length in the morning and were now pinned back from her face and she wore her veil around her chin, her emerald eyes alight with mirth and joy. It was an endless surprise to Mihrimah, the way her mother could use a pretty smile to cover the wounds in her heart; how she never let the sadness stain her beauty.

The boy was lanky — he was even taller than her brother, she didn't think she liked that — and he kept his gaze downward, his hair were a deep chestnut and his eyes must be too, not that Mihrimah cared overall.

"My son's teacher speaks wonders about you," her mother said, "he says you have a rough diamond and that we just need to hoone you to see a perfectly shaped and long lasting jewel"

The boy flushed to his cheeks "The teacher is too generous, Sultanim" he said, his head properly bowed "I am but a young orphan of a peddler"

Mihrimah frowned, if that was true how come he had had the occasion to meet Mehmed and the teacher?, she wondered. Her mother cocked the head to the side and Mihrimah mimicked her, looking she too expectantly to the teacher.

"It is true, Sultanim ," he said "Sehzade Mehmed approached him at his father's old moving stand," he added.

Her mother returned to look at her brother "And why did you?"

Mehmed shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I couldn't tell you, Validem ," he admitted "for a moment a sunray blinded me and I stopped walking to the mosque," he added "when I did a noise caught my attention—"

He shrugged "He was experimenting on how and why every object no matter how small or light would fall without exception to the ground if not held back by something"

Mihrimah frowned. Everyone knew that. What was there to experiment about?, her mother had looked back at the teacher so Mihrimah shifted her attention again.

"I inquired about the boys' skills myself," the teacher said, "despite not being able to write and read, he can resolve very complex counts in his mind," he added.

"What more," the teacher added, "when a scuffle broke in the street, without being aware of the identity of the Sehzade, he ensured Sehzade Mehmed was protected from eventual involvement in the scuffle by getting him to safety"

Her mother arched a perfectly trimmed red brow "Indeed? And you say you were unaware of my Sehzade' identity?"

"I was, Sultanim ," he replied and for some reason Mihrimah had the distinct impression that the boy wasn't lying, yet it looked like he might be hiding something, yet the look Mehmed and the boy exchanged at that told her that whatever it was, her brother was privy to it.

" Validem ," Mehmed said "The Padisha has Ibrahim Pasha," he pointed out; Mihrimah observed her brother studiously, did he really trust this boy that much that he would consider him as his chosen companion.

That seemed to make their mother flinch, she and Ibrahim Pasha were not on the best terms, never have been as long as Mihrimah remembered and she had told them, schooled them, that Ibrahim Pasha would always favor Mustafa over them, and to be cautious around the man. Their father, the Padisha, loved Ibrahim Pasha as a brother, called him even such when they spoke.

"Indeed," she commented, though her demeanor was cold all of sudden, she stood up and reached the boy and Mihrimah mimicked standing up too, instead she approached her brother's side. She watched as her mother tucked one hand under the boy's chin and made him look up.

"Allah must have brought you to us," she said "or Mehmed would not have noticed you," she commented, "we will see about your education,"

She caressed his cheek "do you have a mother or any family left?"

"No, Sultanim ," he replied "my mother died when I was born and my father passed a couple of weeks past"

Her mother nodded, then looked to the teacher "You will house him in your family," she said "I know you have wished for a son, after your wife died leaving you with only daughters. You will oversee the Sehzade and his education," she added.

"It will be my honor, Sultanim "

Her mother turned around and looked at the boy one last time, "What is your name?"

"Berk, Sultanim "

"Listen to me, Berk and listen well," she said "Allah has been good to you, as He brought me here to be the Padisha' beloved sultanh , He has brought you to to this palace, to the Sehzade' side" Mihrimah observed how beautiful her mother looked as she gestured toward Mehmed at her side and Berk followed with his glance her gesture "never betray his will,"

"I will not, Sultanim " he promised, and there was something earnest in him, Mihrimah considered, that made her almost smile at the boy.

Her mother smiled softly "I am sure you won't," she said, before holding her hand out to her "Mihrimah, come,"

Mihrimah elbowed Mehmed — for his happy face — one time and then skipped to her mother, in doing so she walked around Berk, and smiled at him. He was a bit scrawny she decided, upon seeing him closer, but she didn't focus too much on him, taking instead her mother's hand and letting her lead her out, as the teacher, Mehmed and now Berk too settled for the lesson.

It was her, Validem — Mehmed' horrified look — I swear, I've seen her break it!

Mihrimah didn't think about the matter of the broken crown anymore, she had just wanted to play, after all, she had wanted to feel beautiful; and so?, she hadn't broken it on purpose.

[she thought about it constantly, but she would never admit.]

Validem is going to kill you, Mehmed had told her and Mihrimah had no intention of giving her mother any kind of reason to punish her.

And so what?, she hadn't liked that hatun anyway, how bad could it be that she took the fall for her mistake?, Mihrimah wasn't good at scrubbing floors, she had no intention of learning either.

Father too would have sided with mother about the whole thing, Mihrimah had broken it, she should learn to be more careful, but Mihrimah didn't need to be punished, she had already learned.

She had wanted to feel beautiful, for once, as beautiful as mother had been when she had donned that crown on, like if she was an angel descended from the heavens. And she had felt beautiful, it was worth it, even if the hatun had to pay the price of it.

[wasn't it?]

"Mihrimah!"

Mehmed never raised his voice to her, so to hear her brother so angry with her, made her jump. Berk, as always these last few days, was behind Mehmed, his ever constant shadow but for when Mehmed spent time with the Padisha.

In the weeks since he had been entrusted in the care of the teacher he had grown a bit taller, but a bit broader too, it looked like he had been starving before.

Mihrimah avoided his dark eyes in favor of looking at Mehmed.

"What?" she demanded, looking at him challengingly, he looked righteous as if the archangels themselves had descended to burden him with purpose.

"Mihrimah, you must tell the truth to Valide ," he commanded, "immediately, she must be reinstated,"

"Why?" she demanded, feeling her brow furrow, as she stared in defiance to her brother "this way Validem won't have a reason to punish me!"

"But she is punishing that hatun , without reason too!" Mehmed protested, and Mihrimah pouted, crossing her arms over herself.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?" she demanded.

"Because it's wrong Mihrimah," Mehmed said, "dishonest," he added and Berk behind him nodded earnestly and Mihrimah almost wanted to slap him for that too, "Mihrimah you should tell Validem the truth"

Mihrimah turned her face to the side, she didn't want to tell mother, mother didn't need to know, and Mihrimah didn't need to be punished. She would be punished even worse , if mother found out that she had broken the crown and had lied about it too.

"Berk thinks too that Validem will not punish you too harshly if you tell the truth" Mehmed said.

Mihrimah growled "Then maybe Berk can take the blame for it," she suggested "as he thinks he knows Validem better than I do" she said, glaring at the boy.

"I don't mean to offend you," he said sheepishly and Mihrimah snarled.

"I don't mean to offend you, Sultanim " she corrected him, and the boy flushed to the tip of his ears looking away from her and looking down properly chastised.

Mehmed stood between them then, "If you want to pull rank on someone," he said "why don't you try with me?" he demanded.

Mihrimah stopped glaring at Berk then, taken aback by Mehmed's tone, "Brother..." she whined.

"No, Mihrimah," Mehmed interjected "tell Valide the truth," he ordered, for a moment it looked like he might want to ask her to apologize to Berk too, but he didn't, knowing that however ill Mihrimah had taken it, Berk wasn't supposed to speak to her without the proper honorific.

Mihrimah looked down, searching for some other protest, when suddenly the door opened and Validem walked inside.

"My children," she greeted with a sweet smile, bending to kiss Mehmed on the head and caressing her cheek, "hello, Berk" she greeted.

" Validem, "

" Sultanim ," Berk greeted back.

"What are you doing cooped up today? It's a beautiful day, outside" she commented.

Mehmed sent her scathing glare, tell her , it seemed to demand, before turning to their mother, "We had come only to retrieve a book, Validem and stopped to talk to my sister"

Valide nodded with a smile, "You're such a dutiful child," she said caressing his head, "I'm very proud of you,"

Mehmed smiled, "Thank you, Validem ", her mother then turned to Berk.

"I've heard great things about you, Berk. It seems you are some kind of prodigy, learning so fast and keeping up with the Sehzade," she said "keep up the good work, and soon you'll be a vizier"

"Thank you, Sultanim ," he said "I am most grateful to the Sehzade and to you for helping me get an education, it was my baba's last wish,"

Her mother smiled, then Mehmed took the book he was supposed to retrieve and they departed, leaving her alone, with one last, eloquent look.

"But it wasn't her fault, Validem!" — her Valide dark look was enough to have her shiver — "it was... it was Mehmed! "

Her Valide sat and blinked at her, so Mihrimah went on, "He was so scared when he broke it," she lied "and I blamed the hatun , to help him"

For a moment she was truly afraid, would Valide see through her lie a second time?, would Mehmed be on her case again?

...

[would she be punished even worse?]

Then her Valide took her hand in hers, "Well done, Mihrimah," she stated, and there was the same pride that had animated her eyes before as she looked at Mehmed " always protect your brothers ," she instructed her "with whatever mean necessary"

Mihrimah smiled and covered her Valide' hand with her own, "I am very proud of you, Mihrimah"

Mihrimah felt elated about it, and the hatun was forgiven and reinstated in her role, Mehmed never commented on it, save for an embrace he graced her with.

Thankfully Valide never broached the subject with Mehmed either and soon the matter of the broken crown was forgotten.

[or was it? Mihrimah couldn't quite admit it but somehow that crown became a nightmare for her. As broken as her pride, but it didn't matter because no one was really punished for it and Mihrimah had learned her lesson]

For some reason, though, every time she looked at Berk, she had the uncanny feeling that he was aware of her lie .

Though he never said anything about it, if he had known he would've said something, nah ?, he was always so full of opinion, that one.

[she never learned if Berk knew the truth or not, and in time the matter was forgotten, and Mihrimah could enjoy the fact that she had escaped one punishment she didn't really need]

Almost half a year from that day in the Validem' chambers, Mihrimah happened upon Berk, sitting alone with a book on his lap in the gardens.

"Where is Mehmed?"

They had not spoken since that day, save for the polite and cold greetings they exchanged if they crossed paths. She didn't even know why she approached him.

" Sultanim ," he greeted her standing up to bow, Sümbul behind them, "the Sehzade is busy with the Padisha,"

Mihrimah observed him for a long while, she didn't know why she had been so afraid of such a little, dutiful child, so she skipped to him and brought her hands behind her back, leaning forward to see what he was reading, to find it was a blank book on which he had been drawing.

"Oh," she said, "you are really good," she commented.

"Thank you, Sultanim " he said, though he did flush some in the cheeks.

[yes, Mihrimah had been wrong to be fearful of him. He was just a kid]

"Eid is coming soon," she said "isn't it right, Sümbul?"

"Yes, Sultanim ,"

Mihrimah turned with a smile to Berk "Would you draw something for me? I want to gift it to Valide" she asked.

Berk looked away for a moment "I am not that good, Sultanim " he tried, humbly looking down, so Mihrimah grabbed the book from his hand and tried to snatch it from his grasp.

It ended up in a tug-war, and in the book being torn in half and Mihrimah falling to the ground. Berk even apologized for having made her fall, but Mihrimah was too angry to listen to him and walked away with her half of the book in hand and stomping her way back to her chambers.

She felt sorry though when she saw that he had drawn many buildings — the gardens were particularly lovely in his book — one portrait of Mehmed and one of the teacher as well of the teacher's house, as well as portraits of Selim too.

He had looked passionate about the book and the drawing and Mihrimah did feel bad, even without Mehmed saying anything. Or perhaps it was the fact that Mehmed seemed unaware which caught her off-guard and made her feel even worse.

So she asked Sümbul to purchase a new book, and gave him a little of her money for it too, so during Eid she approached Berk — left alone for the moment by Mehmed who was playing with Selim — to hand him the book.

"I am sorry," she told him, tucking the ribbon in her hair away from her face, "about tearing your book," she specified, "I hope you can forgive me," she added, handing him the book.

Berk took it gingerly cautiously looking at her, so Mihrimah felt the need to fill the silence "I asked Sümbul to buy it, used some of my coin too," she told him "I am sorry your book got torn," she added, "if you open the new book I have asked that they put the torn pages there,"

Berk did and looked up at her astounded.

"Happy Eid, Berk," she said when he didn't say anything.

"Thank you, Sultanim " he murmured just as Mihrimah was about to leave, Mihrimah twisted around and found him fishing a parchment from his tunic, he then offered it to her.

It was a drawing of her Valide, all smiling and happy, with her veil around her chin and a beautiful crown on her head.

"Happy Eid, Sultanim "

Mihrimah smiled brightly at him, "Thank you, Berk!" she exclaimed giggling and then skipping away to give her mother the gift.

[Berk wasn't so scary anymore after that. He was almost a friend.]