The dance. Its now the dance, I thought to myself as Nigar Kalfa had me stay in a room on my own as she led the other four girls on the path to the Sultan's room for the early portion of the dance, and then I join in later.

I thoughtfully rewinded the dance routine in my mind as I looked back into the mirror. I smiled, because I liked how good I looked in the outfit. I put on my gold mask to see again how it looked. Good, but my necklace was honestly too flashy so I took it off. I instead opted for a pair of earrings that sparkled under my hair.

I'm glad I don't have any sort of moles or marks on my skin for my flesh looked clean like fresh milk, and would probably glow under the dim candlelights of the Topkapi harem. I only had a few minutes left before I would be walked off to the place that very well may decide my fate: the Sultan's private rooms. This was it. Francesca Fortuna could be so much more.

The doors suddenly opened, and in came my 'dear friend' Nigar Kalfa. She had her brows up to the roof as usual and a smug face as she approached me.

"Francesca Hatun. Now is your time to shine." Nigar Kalfa said, a little smile playing on her mouth. I grinned a bit as Nigar's hand raised my chin a bit.

"Remember. You have one chance to become great and powerful. Don't spoil it." I followed Nigar out of the room as she guided me along the path known as the Golden Road, where hopefully I would one day walk on all the time. 

Hürrem did most of the time, except now. Tonight. She may very well become my enemy, but I don't care. I won't let her walk over me. It's time that the middle east learn of my name, since clearly Europe hadn't.

~

The lights were dim as I treaded carefully. Nigar paused as we approached the well guarded doors of the Sultan's rooms. 

"I can't go further through this way. However, I will see you on the other side. Good luck, Hatun." Nigar nodded at me. I returned the gesture as I adjusted my mask, and then smoothed our my dress. 

Nigar silently walked away from me, and I knew that my next step would be inside, and in front of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, my family's sworn enemy. If I mess up, I could be killed.

Querido Dios, por favor no dejes que me equivoque. Por favor déjame ganar por una vez en mi vida, para ser mejor que Isabella. 

Dear God, please don't let me mess up. Please let me win for once in my life, to be better than Isabella.

I shut my eyes to think of good thoughts, and then finally remembered that I must be alluring, seductive, and go to any length to get what I want. I could hear the fun and exciting music inside, but I knew Nigar Kalfa was going to have them switch it into a more seductive trance as soon as I come in.

I motioned to the guards to slowly open the doors as I tried not to make eye contact with anyone. Not that I could in a mask anyways. Here I was, and here was my chance to change everything.

Sultan Suleyman's pov

I was munching on delicious Italian grapes as four women danced for me. It was but my first dance besides the one where I saw my Hürrem and threw out my purple handkerchief, and even that one was months ago.

It was getting a bit boring with these girls- Nigar Kalfa honestly did not choose well. Sure, they could dance, but none of them radiated a special feeling like the one I got with Hürrem, and so they were certainly not worthy of my purple handkerchief.

It was also lying in my lap, and I didn't know what to do with it yet. If I had to keep watching the same thing, I might as well call it a night. But then the music slowed down and the girls began splitting off like waves in both directions, and my doors began opening.

It was silent as a stunning creature cascaded into my room like a waterfall. She was wearing a velvety red dress, that was off the shoulders, which drove me crazy. She had fair and milk like skin, and deep dark black hair that looked so smooth. 

However, what drove me the most crazy was that she was wearing a gold mask. I was itching to see her performance. Everyone else was watching intensely, even my friend Pargali Ibrahim. But I paid them no mind.

The music started out low and soft as she made long strides from the doors, abruptly stopping and posing when she reached the edge of the platform, by my feet.

Her arms began making waves in the opposite directions as she wiggled her fingers towards me. I chuckled. She twirled and then made a wavy scoop motion from her feet up to her shoulders, and then the opposite the way down as she crouched and moved her left arm down one leg seductively, and her right arm down another as the music intensified a bit and moved faster.

She spun upwards quickly using one leg and then backed up a bit with teensy steps on her toes as she made soft waves with her fingers. She slide left and began making large waved to her left, and then slid to her right repeating it, and then moved forward, her hips moving left and right as she made the wave motions forward, and then upwards.

She moved a foot forward and did a scooping motion and then wrist circle waves upwards and tilted her body about 90 degrees as she made what looked like a final pose, her chin up, foot outward, and arms frozen in a wavy motion as though she was a statue for this part of the dance.

The music slowed again as she made some small twirls, each time stopping to make a beautiful and seductive pose.

She strided forward again, towards the edge of the stage, where she repeated her very first dance moves, and making wave like motions, though more and more faster as the music escalated before it arubtly stopped in a final collapse and she dropped to her knees in front of with her chin down and her arms in the air, in a wavy cross motion.

I knew she was the one. I threw out my purple handkerchief to her, not seeing her expression as I got up and everyone else bowed to me. I liked her, and wanted to see more behind the mask.

end of suleyman pov

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a/n: tysm for reading! Chapter 20 already yayyy. I hope you liked that it's FINALLY the dance and it's already over. What do you think will happen next? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.