Nigar Kalfa found time to get back to me after all the drama that happened. My tears finally dried out and my heart was beating normally again, but it wasn't enough for Nigar Kalfa to raise her brows and with the usual careless air she possessed to ask,

"What got you into such a mess today?"

I crossed my arms. "The harem is sickening me. I feel like I can't deal with this anymore. My friend was beaten like an animal, and I'm supposed to stand by and watch as nobody cares? You all only acted because Hürrem was there. Otherwise you would have enjoyed seeing it."

Nigar winced at what I was saying, which sort of lead me to the conclusion that she must sort of understand that what is going on is truly terrible, but even if she did agree there wasn't anything to talk about.

She tugged my arm to sit beside her on the bed. 

"Look Francesca, I don't do this often but this once, I will tell you: it'll be alright. Alsu is recovering thank Allah almighty, and Hürrem is learning her lesson as we speak. But when you say things like the 'harem is sickening' do you really believe that? Do you think your own behavior is sickening?"

I opened my mouth to say indeed to the first part, but instead came out a sort of splutter. Instead I tried to change the topic again back to my friend.

"Oh thank goodness Alsu is alright." 

"Francesca, you must understand it is your own choice how to proceed in life. You are on the high horse compared to all the girls in the harem." Nigar drew a line across the air with her finger as if to demonstrate how many there were, and my advantage.

"At the end of the day, only you can decide if you keep wanting to push the boundaries, or simply give up. You won't be magically transported back to your old life no matter how hard you try. Things will never be the same."

Things will never be the same. I will never be the same. Only God will be the witness to my true self, no matter where I am, or what is to become of me.

I nodded and bit my lip in a sense not of the frustration that had been boiling inside me for the past hour, but another feeling- the emptiness, and the need to fill that up. I needed to do things in the spirit of my conscious, and that was to gain power and establish a new life for myself here. It was a difficult thing to think of, but I had to commit.

Sensing my line of thought, Nigar Kalfa took my hand in hers. She rubbed her left hand over my palm and inhaled deeply.

"It will be hard for you, but there is something you must do. You need to forget them. Forget your family, forget your home, forget the old Francesca."

Tears began welling in my eyes as I looked deeply into the dark brown voids of Nigar's. There was a slight twinkle I saw as we met in our gaze, and at that moment I realized we went through one and the same. Nigar also had to make this difficult decision. In fact, it wasn't a decision decided by us mortals, but rather our fate. 

I nodded slowly, my chin bobbing up and down as teardrops rained upon my lap and Nigar rubbed my back softly, muttering something that sounded like 'I'm sorry it has to be this way'. It wasn't her fault. But now I had something else to do.

I took my handkerchief from my pocket, a golden shade of yellow velvet, and wiped away my sadness from my cheeks. 

"Nigar, I want to go to the Sultan's again tonight. It is my perfect opportunity, now that Hürrem Hatun is out of the way, at least for the time being. Could you arrange it?"

The ends of her lips perked up into what appeared as a smile. It was Nigar, so of course sometimes it was a little hard to tell if it was happy or sad, but this time I was quite sure of the emotions she was feeling.

"I will do my best."

I flew off my bed happily and thanked her heartily and then grabbed my hairbrush to begin brushing my mess of hair, and the Kalfa slipped away without my noticing as I began to process what I must do.

The Sultan is well aware of me, so for now I must try my hardest to be funny, entertaining, but also someone capable of good conversation, enough to replace someone like Hürrem or the already forgotten Mahidevran.

Don't say replace, another voice in my conscious said. In order to succeed, like at the level Hürrem did, you must forge your own path. Be unique. The Sultan will love you as your genuine personality, and if you don't do that you will lose.

I actually agreed with this other voice. So what if I don't crack jokes at every other thing like Hürrem might be able to do? There are my own Spanish princess charms, something that a farm girl like her, from Ruthenia, would never be able to battle against. I must remember my sly ways that caught his attention in the first place, and keep being in it. He was interested, and I was willing to continue it in my favor.

~

Nigar Kalfa came back with another woman, a servant girl probably to help with things, right on her heels.

"Okay Francesca, here is Kristina." Nigar nodded at the girl. "I will be right back with shoe options, and she has the dresses for you.

I looked the girl into the eyes and realized it was Kristina with whom I did the dance with.

"Why are you the one helping me?" I asked. "Weren't you upgraded to a higher status due to the dance?"

Kristina shook her head. "No, because it was a secret dance. And besides, I don't really mind. I am able to be pretty engaged in this manner as I have no love lost for some random Sultan. Kalfa Nigar also said it would be best to have someone who knew who is the new concubine to help out, just in case the news leaked."

"Thank you for helping me," I said, nodding. She didn't say anything, but simply began laying dresses upon my bed and I inspected them carefully to choose one.

I ended up selecting a soft shade of pink, and Nigar Kalfa dropped off a pair of gold flat shoes for me, and then I decided to put off too much jewelry since the embroidery on the dress was flashy enough, and instead opted to have my hair styled with waves at the ends.

I looked myself in the mirror like I normally did, and then went off to see the Sultan.

~

Sultan Süleyman was seated in a large oak chair leaning over his desk when I came in. I bowed quickly and flashed my cutest smile, and when he took notice he motioned me over with his hand. 

I saw as I came closer he was looking over a map, one of the entirety of Europe and the Middle East! It looked as though he was planning something, with figurines of people lying between the boundary lines of the countries, and little statues of towers and such too.

"What is it?" I asked softly, astounded by the map. The Sultan put down his pen and looked up at me.

"I am planning our next conquest, Francesca. My father left much work to be done."

Sultan Süleyman gently tugged at my hand to sit down, and he pulled me into his lap, which I found was actually quite a comfortable position.

His index finger traced over the center, which I wasn't quite able to read until I saw Belgrade, a city of Serbia, and then also Budapeste, written near it. 

"You are invading Belgrade?"

"Well, we are currently preparing for a military campaign in that direction. We will depart in May in two years time, and hopefully we will be successful. 3rd times the charm, right?"

I laughed, but then my face got serious again. "Hünkarim, you will write to me then right? I would very much like to know how well you are doing in the expedition."

The Sultan smiled brightly at my idea. "Yes, very good. And in turn you can write alongside my mother the affairs of the harem?"

I nodded excitedly. The Sultan himself wanted me to correspond about the matters in the palace! 

I got up from his lap and the Sultan also stood up. 

"One more thing Francesca, what happened to Hürrem Hatun earlier? I heard there was some drama..."

My smile dimmed as I looked up at the Sultan in preparance for telling my side of the story.

"Oh well nothing really, I suppose it's just..."

"Francesca Hatun." Sultan Süleyman boomed. "What happened?"

"Hürrem Hatun b-b-b-beat up, my f-f-f-friend Alsu for no reason." I broke out into tears. "She went on top of her and almost killed her. N-n-nobody tried to stop them until Nigar came. And t-t-then the Valide ordered Hürrem to be sent to the dungeons."

The Sultan nodded along furiously. "I can't believe my Hürrem would ever do such a thing. Do you know if the girl said something before?"

I almost choked as I began to explain my line of thinking regarding the event. "I think, she suspected Alsu as your new favorite, and she got very mad..."

His eyes widened as he looked me up and down, realizing the secret person Hürrem was after was me. And he was mad. 

"Aghas!" Sultan Süleyman yelled. The two men in funky braids that guard his door immediately came in.

"Yes my Sultan?" They said at the same time.

"Bring me Hürrem from the dungeons."

They sprinted out of his room to obey his command as I stood there, pulling my fingernails out of stress. What was his majesties going to do? Was I going to be in trouble?

My face paled as I realized that I was standing here in the Sultan's room, and Hürrem would immediately know it is me. I am her enemy. 

I fell to my knees in front of the angry Sultan.

"Hünkarim, please may I have your permission to leave? If Hürrem sees me here, she will kill me and I..." I trailed off. My eyes tried to plead with him, but instead he pulled me up to my feet and his face contorted to any even angrier expression.

"Did Hürrem drill that much fear into the women of the harem? How dare she!?"

The large wooden doors were opened again, and I gasped as I saw Hürrem Hatun, who was in the most wrecked state I'd ever seen her.

"You!" She growled at me. Her eyes darkened as I assume she realized the situation, but she put on a fake smile when she saw Sultan Süleyman.

"Süleyman!" She said sweetly, in a way that made me want to slap her in her pretty little face. "Thank Allah you brought me here, they unjustly put me in the dungeon and-"

"Enough." The Sultan put his hand up in the air to signal her to shut up, which she promptly did, surprised at him.

"Francesca Hatun told me you literally beat up a girl because you suspected her to be my new favorite, is that right?"

Hürrem giggled nervously. "Oh, w-w-well she's exaggerating, it wasn't really like that-"

"Then elaborate to me, how was it!?" The Sultan boomed at her. Hürrem twirled a strand of her hair around her finger nervously.

"I didn't really do anything, it just all happened so quickly, and she was the one who started it!"

I shook my head and took this as my moment to intervene. "My Sultan, what she is saying is not true. She is trying to manipulate you!"

Süleyman's brows furrowed. "Is what she is saying true?"

Hürrem bit her lip. 

"Answer me, yes or no!" The Sultan barked as Hürrem flinched. 

"Yes."

Süleyman buried his face in his hands then looked up at the ceiling as though he is praying to God. "I don't even want to see you, Hürrem. Go back to the dungeons."

The aghas dragged her away as Hürrem screamed like crazy and tried to fight back, but to no avail. The Sultan stepped out onto his balcony to take a deep breath, and I was left here unsure of what to do, but at least glad Hürrem is facing justice for her wicked actions.