When morning came, Haseki Zeynep Sultan heard of how the Sultan was enchanted by the red-headed slave Alexandra at the feast for him last night. Giving her the purple handkerchief gave her access to the Golden Road, sought by many women in the harem. Though not threatened by the young woman, she ordered Defne to keep an eye on her, wanting to see if she'd be a threat to her children in the future. The day passed slowly as she heard the news of Cafer Agha's execution for his crimes and of Mahidevran's morose face at the fact she had more competition in Alexandra. Defne reported seeing Gülşah, Mahidevran's servant ordering the young girl away from going to the hammam. Her mistress wanted to vent her frustrations on the girl by reminding her of her rank in the harem. She may become a gözde or an ikbal, but until she births a prince, she'll never be a kadin.

Deciding to let the other woman vent her frustrations, she decided to visit the harem to dispense of gold and silks rewarded to her to the other cariyes and ikbals. This would be the first time Alexandra would meet the high-ranked woman who captured the Sultan's heart. When the dark-haired woman walked onto the balcony with her two servants behind her, her dark emerald dress accentuated her pregnant belly as aghas walked into the room below with four chests.

"Her Highness, Haseki Zeynep Sultan, has decided to reward you for the upcoming birth of her fifth child," Defne Hatun announced as the aghas opened three chests to see rolls of luxurious silks rewarded to her from pashas and aghas from outside the palace and the fourth chest held an abundance of gold to be distributed to the girls.

All the girls scrambled towards the chest but stopped at the sultana's voice, "Alexandra, shall be the first to choose and she may choose two fabrics. Since you are to attend to His Majesty, you must have better dresses made. The rest of you may choose one fabric and the aghas will distribute the gold evenly to everyone."

Alexandra, shocked at the announcement, immediately curtseyed to the older woman as she smiled at the young redhead. Stepping towards the chests, she perused the fabrics before deciding on a turquoise blue silk fabric and a provocative red silk fabric to make into dresses, much to the approval of the older woman. As the young woman went to the chest with gold, the other girls were allowed to choose their fabric before following after her to get their share of the gold. Leaving the balcony, Zeynep went back to her rooms where she found her husband playing with Hakan and Emine as their older siblings studied elsewhere. Standing in the doorway, she watched as he laughed as his youngest daughter jumped on his back, hugging his neck. He stood up, and holding her against his back, spun her around to hear her lovely giggles as she got dizzy from the motion. Hakan grabbed ahold of his father's leg, wrapping around the limb like a monkey.

Laughing at the sight the three of them made, she stepped into the room where a chorus of "Anne!" greeted her. Smiling as her two youngest cubs toddled over to her, she opened her arms to let her two youngest lunge into her arms and kissed the tops of their heads. Looking up, she met the kind eyes of her husband as he came forward for her to greet. Curtseying, she took his hand into hers and kissed it before pressing it to her forehead, showing her devotion to him. Standing back up, he placed his hand behind her head and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. Leaning his head against hers, they both closed their eyes in bliss as they relished in their love for each other. Rubbing her belly lovingly as he was excited for their next child to arrive, he led her over to the sofa to sit as their young children continued to play.

"I assume you heard about last night?" He asked her, amused about her reaction to his new interest in the red-headed slave from last night.

"How can I not, it has spread across the entire palace," she smirked at her young husband, much to his embarrassment as he knew she was teasing him. "But I approve. She is very beautiful and I gifted her two fabrics to make dresses for when she visits you."

He looked at her in admiration, "How am I so lucky to have an understanding wife and partner in my life?"

"Just as I am lucky to have a wonderful husband and father in mine," Zeynep laid her hand against his cheek and he leaned into it, gently rubbing his hand over the swell of her belly as he felt his child kick. "And our child agrees."

He pulled her forward to lay her head against his chest as they both watched their youngest children play. Hakan and Emine were the lights of the palace, their joy was infectious, and were adored by the Aghas and Kalfas. Their older siblings Ahmet and Dilara were the most committed of the children, taking their duties seriously. As the eldest son and daughter of the Sultan, eyes were constantly on them, and try as she might, their mother could only do so much to lessen the burden they felt. So anytime she had them, she let them be children and played with them into the evening at least a couple times a week.

"My Sultan, it must be time to get back to your duties and don't forget to see Mustafa as well before you go. I know he misses you, don't let Mahidevran get in the way of your relationship with your son," Zeynep advised him as she leaned away from him to look into his eyes.

"You're right, I have neglected Mustafa lately. I'll spend some time with him tomorrow and take him and Ahmet to learn archery," Suleiman decided, much to her approval as this gave the two brothers time to bond again without their mothers getting in the way.

"Very good," she looked over to see her two little ones yawn as they rubbed their eyes. "It looks like it's time for me to put these two down for a nap," she stood up with some help from her husband as she walked over to her children. Taking their hands in hers, she gave a curtsey to her husband and excused herself from the room, taking them to the adjoining room where all her children slept. Tucking them into bed after changing them into their nightclothes, she sang a lullaby to lure them into sleep before leaving the room to see her husband was gone, leaving behind a pale pink rose on the sofa. Lifting it to her nose, she inhaled the sweet scent, happy that he still thinks of her as his English Rose.

Hearing the door to her chambers open, Zeynep watched as her eldest children walked inside to greet her with Burcu Hatun right behind them. She thought to herself that she would need more maidservants now to help ease the load that her two maids felt at taking care of her and her children. She'll start looking through the slaves tomorrow and pick a few to help them, she decided as she hugged Ahmet and Dilara. They both looked tired, so she dismissed them and sent them to take a nap with their younger siblings. They protested at first, not wanting to be treated as little kids but she argued that they needed the rest to help them grow.

Burcu stayed with the children as she guarded her charges with her life, her loyalty to her mistress and her children unbreakable as others have tried to bribe her to their sides including Mahidevran and the Valide. Though Defne was the senior maidservant and often handled tasks for their mistress, Burcu was the one that Zeynep could count on to handle her children when she wasn't around. She planned on acquiring a couple of maids each for the both of them to manage, hoping that would be enough for them.

Defne, on the other hand, observed as the girl Alexandra was daydreaming with the purple handkerchief in her hands in the harem room. She heard the joke she said to her friend Maria earlier but worried that the wrong people would misunderstand. She watched as Daye Hatun burst into the room to glare at the girl who had not gone to the hamam yet to get ready for the night, and she had a feeling that the older woman heard what was said.

"Why have you still not gone to the hamam, Alexandra?" Daye asked angrily. "Go on! It's almost night and you're still not ready. Go! Come on, girls, get up!"

The blonde maidservant watched as the younger girl grabbed her clothes after she bathed and left the room, with Daye behind her as the older woman walked to the Valide's rooms. Defne went back to her mistress to report what she saw and found the Haseki reading some finance reports about her orphanage in Manisa that she started while pregnant with Dilara. She wanted to expand it and start one here as well to help the children in the capital.

"Yes, Defne?" Zeynep asked as she put the reports down on her desk.

"Alexandra is on her way to the hamam, but I have a feeling the Valide and Mahidevran Sultan will have a plan. She made an inappropriate joke about the Sultan that I have a feeling Daye Hatun heard," Defne reported seeing a grimace on her mistress' face at the mention of the two women.

"If her walk down the Golden Road is interrupted by Mahidevran, there is nothing she can do. On her way back to the harem, have her come to my rooms. I wish to speak with her," the Haseki ordered as she got dressed in her white silk nightgown with an orange silk robe covering her, before going back to the reports.

Giving a bow, Defne retreated from the room, making Zeynep sigh in frustration at the situation. Stupid girl, any joke about her son the Valide takes seriously. Now you'll have to suffer the consequences of your actions for saying such things. Turning back to the letters from the matron of the orphanage, she furrowed her brow at the fact that brigands are harassing them for protection, she'll need to let Suleiman know about this when she next sees him.

...

Later that evening, a knock was heard at her door and she looked up to see Defne open the door. The look on her face told Zeynep everything she needed to know: the Valide got her revenge on the young slave girl by using Mahidevran. No doubt the young girl was furious at the sultana for the humiliation she felt, and she could use that.

"Yes?" she asked her maid, knowing what the blonde woman was going to say.

"I have brought Alexandra hatun as you requested, my sultana," Defne said with a curtsey and her head lowered.

"Send her in," Zeynep said calmly, stamping the last document with her official seal before putting it to the side.

When Defne stepped aside, she barely dodged the storming redhead as Alexandra came into the room. Tears were glistening in her eyes but did not fall as the older brunette took in the furious look on the younger girl's face. However, the girl didn't forget her manners as she curtseyed to the more powerful female in the room.

"Come sit, Alexandra," the older woman said calmly as she watched the other female move to sit across from her. "Now, what is wrong? Defne wouldn't have brought you to me if it was something trivial."

"It was Mahidevran!" Alexandra burst out, forgetting her manners. "She knew tonight was my night with the Sultan and she dared to go to him anyway. I hate her!"

"No doubt under the Valide's orders," Zeynep told her causing the young girl to look at her confused. "The Valide heard of your little joke you told your friend – Maria was it? – about the Sultan and is now punishing you for the nerve you had to say it."

"It was just a joke, I didn't mean any harm by it. I just wanted to make Maria squirm a little, she worries too much," the redhead explained to the other woman.

"And you worry too little," the brunette said harshly, making the young girl rear back as if she was slapped. "I knew you were joking, even the Valide knew, but she takes the comments about her son very seriously. Especially if she is concerned about the reputation of him and the Royal Family. You must be careful, this isn't like your home anymore. And I know the Sultan likes you because of your fire, but there is a time and a place for it. Spies are everywhere in this place, whether they work for the Valide, Mahidevran, myself, or any outside parties. Always expect them and do not trust so easily in this place, except for your children. I trust my children explicitly, and I trust the Sultan's love for me."

"Even though he's interested in me? How can you trust a man who isn't wholly loyal to you?" Alexandra asked interested in the other woman's response. Why wouldn't she be? She grew up in a monogamous environment and didn't understand the dynamics of a harem.

"We've been together for over a decade now, and during that time we went through our moments of ups and downs in our relationship like any other couple. I was like you in the beginning, not understanding the polygamy of multiple concubines for one man but..." Zeynep sighed as she remembered the agonizing screams from Gülfem when she lost her son. "It wasn't until Gülfem lost her son to sickness did I understood." She looked the redhead in the eyes, "The unfortunate truth is that many children die young, Suleiman lost three brothers to sickness and the other one was banished. They have these harems because it's the only way to have multiple children without putting the strain on a single woman. Even though we are strong enough to be able to carry a child, some women can't handle multiple pregnancies."

"So you're saying that the harems are used as breeding tools, like using a male dog to impregnate multiple female dogs at the same time," Alexandra simplified the explanation.

"Exactly, it doesn't mean he necessarily feels anything for them but is using them to populate the royal family by providing children. Suleiman loves his children more than anything, including Mustafa, but that doesn't mean he loves Mahidevran," the older brunette revealed to the shock of Alexandra. "He had feelings for her in the past, but that's changed now that he is here. She doesn't act like a responsible sultana, always complaining about something or another. Now, do you understand?"

"I do, and I'll topple both of them. I will never bow down to anyone but Suleiman ever again!" Alexandra declared as a new passion lit up her eyes, to the amusement of Zeynep.

"Now, it's time for you to get some rest. Save your strength, Alexandra, you will get your chance. You are dismissed," the brunette waved her hand, calling forth Defne to escort the young redhead back to the harem.

Giving the older woman a curtsey in respect, since she was the only one in the harem to treat her with any decency, Alexandra left the room. A hush fell over the room as the young woman left and the Haseki decided to retire for the night. She knew her days of relative ease were over now that Alexandra had gotten the fire to change her fortune. It was only a matter of time before everything changed.

(All credits to original author)