Elanur sat despondent in her room looking out at the view in front of her. She was on the window seat of a manor house set in the idyllic countryside, a forest surrounded her home and she could hear the chirping of the birds on this bright serene morning. The vivid green of the forest leaves were sparkling in the cheerful sun which beamed down and flickered amongst the trees, playfully dancing between the branches. The roses growing below her window were heavy with flowers in shades of pink, white and buttery yellow, and they filled the air with their sweet musk. Yet Elanur could not find it in herself to be cheerful or positive despite her charming surroundings.
She didn’t have the one she wanted next to her. Sultan Murat was back from his diplomatic duties and she was due to meet him but he had not arranged to visit her. Ela sighed and put down her embroidery. She hadn’t seen him in eight weeks and was missing him terribly. He had told her to wait in this place, their 'love nest', and he would come to her but she wasn’t one to sit quietly and wait for her loved one to find time to see her.
A servant girl walked in and seeing Elanur sat staring out the window, her book unread, her tea untouched, and her embroidery set aside, Atiye the servant asked, “what’s the matter my lady? Why are you looking so low and sad?”
“There’s nothing wrong Atiye”. Elanur didn’t want to cause any trouble or have the servants begin talking. They would no doubt take the conversation and her complaints back to Murat. She didn't want him to hear anything that didn't come directly from herself. Though Ela didn't live in the harem at the palace, she was aware that Murat and her relationship was under whispered scrutiny by many courtiers and the women of the harem.
Elanur had made it clear to Murat that she would never simply be another woman in his harem. When she met him she had not known that he was a Sultan and that he had a harem of women that he could choose from every night, but when she had found this out she was damned if she would allow him to place her there amongst all his girls and give his attention to her when and if he chose. If she had known he was a Sultan, she would have avoided him altogether and avoided falling in love with him. Although now she wasn’t so sure about the latter.
Murat had taken her from her homeland and placed her in one of his country mansions, as he had persuaded her that this would allow her to keep her independence because she wouldn’t be living in the harem and she would be close enough for him to visit regularly. He had assured her that she wasn’t just another harem girl for him, but now she was having doubts. Did it mean anything for a Sultan whether he kept you in his palace or a separate mansion? After all you would still be his prisoner and must obey his whims and rules? She was beginning to realise that she couldn’t enjoy the autonomy she was used to. He would go travelling all over the world and she had to wait here patiently for him.
He had gifted her this gilded mansion and he had told her that he had never done this for any other woman in his life. Zeynap, the chief courtesan, was in his life the longest but even she didn’t have her own manor house. Zeynap might have the biggest quarters in the palace and she dressed in all the diamonds and silk gowns that her heart desired, but he only saw her occasionally. Zeynap like all the other girls of the harem had to wait her turn to receive his affections, which was rare these days. Elanur’s lady in waiting Hafsah filled her in on all the latest palace gossip.
The longer Elanur stayed here, the more she was beginning to feel like Zeynap. A caged butterfly, but in her case, she had the illusion of having freedom. Elanur soon saw her own house wasn’t enough, she couldn’t sit quietly and patiently and wait for Murat’s visits.
Before Murat had gone away on his most recent trip, he had spent the weekend with her as usual. When he was preparing to leave on the morning, Elanur helped him dress. She told him not to call his servants.
“I want to get you ready,” she said. He smiled and picked her up so that she could stand on the bed and button his shirt. She did the buttons up as well as she could in between his distracting kisses. “Happy?” He had asked. “Your jacket”, she said. He turned around as she held the jacket for him to place his arms into.
When she had finished, she placed her hands on his chest and kissed him again. “Mmm, I am a lucky man”, he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.
“Murat”, she began hesitantly. He tightened his hold. “Yes, my love?”
“I don’t need permission to see you my lord.”
“What do you mean?” he said still smiling and tried to kiss her again.
She wasn’t going to let his kisses befuddle her. Ela was determined to make her point. “I’m telling you that I am no longer going to wait here for you to come to me. If I want to see you, I will come directly to the palace, and when you have a moment then you can visit me for longer stays, that’s fine too. I am saying that I won’t be seeking your permission to come and see you at the Haydar Palace.”
He watched her with interest and said, “you will come to the palace when I haven’t allowed you to do so? You won’t write and seek permission?”
“Yes”
“What if I am not there? Or I am busy with government business. What will you do then?”
“I will find out beforehand if you are free and then come to you when I know you are. The palace is only an hour’s carriage ride away”.
He held her left hand with one of his, while his other hand stayed around her waist. “Ela I have given you this house, it’s a small palace and you know that when I am not travelling I spend all my time with you. So why are you unhappy?”
“I am happy with this house and the time we spend together, but I hate that I have to wait for you to come to me all the time. Why can’t I see you at the palace if I wish to do so?"
“Because you didn’t want to live in the harem. You made it clear to me you would never accept me if you had to live there, so I have given you everything you wanted. A place of your own and all my time,” he told her.
“I don’t like living here and waiting for your attention. I am used to having my independence and being able to do what I want whenever I want and see who I want whenever I want. So, if I desire to see you, I won’t ask. I will come to you whether you are at the palace, in another city or in another country.”
“Aha”, he smiled, “you will do that for me? You will travel to another city to see me, another country?”
“Yes,” she said. “I won’t be writing to request permission to see you either. I am simply letting you know.”
He paused, then kissed her on her forehead.
“Okay, that’s absolutely fine. If you want to travel to see me, you can do that. Come to the palace, come to Fatih when I go there next month, come with me to Greece. You will see that I am very busy, and I can’t guarantee that I will be able to give you the time and attention you deserve. However, if you are determined to seek me out, I will respect your wishes. I have given you a stable, and a carriage is at your disposal, so you can see me whenever you need. I will tell the stable hands you have my permission to travel at any time.” There was that word again. Permission. Ela knew Murat thought she was bluffing and that she wouldn’t travel by herself and go to see him.
She too had thought that she would never actually behave in this way, nor had she needed to because she saw him regularly enough to content her pining heart.
However today, sitting here looking out the window, knowing Murat was back in the palace and that she would need to wait another week to see him, she decided she would go to him.
Ela asked Atiye to arrange a carriage for her because she was going to visit the Sultan.
She didn’t have the one she wanted next to her. Sultan Murat was back from his diplomatic duties and she was due to meet him but he had not arranged to visit her. Ela sighed and put down her embroidery. She hadn’t seen him in eight weeks and was missing him terribly. He had told her to wait in this place, their 'love nest', and he would come to her but she wasn’t one to sit quietly and wait for her loved one to find time to see her.
A servant girl walked in and seeing Elanur sat staring out the window, her book unread, her tea untouched, and her embroidery set aside, Atiye the servant asked, “what’s the matter my lady? Why are you looking so low and sad?”
“There’s nothing wrong Atiye”. Elanur didn’t want to cause any trouble or have the servants begin talking. They would no doubt take the conversation and her complaints back to Murat. She didn't want him to hear anything that didn't come directly from herself. Though Ela didn't live in the harem at the palace, she was aware that Murat and her relationship was under whispered scrutiny by many courtiers and the women of the harem.
Elanur had made it clear to Murat that she would never simply be another woman in his harem. When she met him she had not known that he was a Sultan and that he had a harem of women that he could choose from every night, but when she had found this out she was damned if she would allow him to place her there amongst all his girls and give his attention to her when and if he chose. If she had known he was a Sultan, she would have avoided him altogether and avoided falling in love with him. Although now she wasn’t so sure about the latter.
Murat had taken her from her homeland and placed her in one of his country mansions, as he had persuaded her that this would allow her to keep her independence because she wouldn’t be living in the harem and she would be close enough for him to visit regularly. He had assured her that she wasn’t just another harem girl for him, but now she was having doubts. Did it mean anything for a Sultan whether he kept you in his palace or a separate mansion? After all you would still be his prisoner and must obey his whims and rules? She was beginning to realise that she couldn’t enjoy the autonomy she was used to. He would go travelling all over the world and she had to wait here patiently for him.
He had gifted her this gilded mansion and he had told her that he had never done this for any other woman in his life. Zeynap, the chief courtesan, was in his life the longest but even she didn’t have her own manor house. Zeynap might have the biggest quarters in the palace and she dressed in all the diamonds and silk gowns that her heart desired, but he only saw her occasionally. Zeynap like all the other girls of the harem had to wait her turn to receive his affections, which was rare these days. Elanur’s lady in waiting Hafsah filled her in on all the latest palace gossip.
The longer Elanur stayed here, the more she was beginning to feel like Zeynap. A caged butterfly, but in her case, she had the illusion of having freedom. Elanur soon saw her own house wasn’t enough, she couldn’t sit quietly and patiently and wait for Murat’s visits.
Before Murat had gone away on his most recent trip, he had spent the weekend with her as usual. When he was preparing to leave on the morning, Elanur helped him dress. She told him not to call his servants.
“I want to get you ready,” she said. He smiled and picked her up so that she could stand on the bed and button his shirt. She did the buttons up as well as she could in between his distracting kisses. “Happy?” He had asked. “Your jacket”, she said. He turned around as she held the jacket for him to place his arms into.
When she had finished, she placed her hands on his chest and kissed him again. “Mmm, I am a lucky man”, he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.
“Murat”, she began hesitantly. He tightened his hold. “Yes, my love?”
“I don’t need permission to see you my lord.”
“What do you mean?” he said still smiling and tried to kiss her again.
She wasn’t going to let his kisses befuddle her. Ela was determined to make her point. “I’m telling you that I am no longer going to wait here for you to come to me. If I want to see you, I will come directly to the palace, and when you have a moment then you can visit me for longer stays, that’s fine too. I am saying that I won’t be seeking your permission to come and see you at the Haydar Palace.”
He watched her with interest and said, “you will come to the palace when I haven’t allowed you to do so? You won’t write and seek permission?”
“Yes”
“What if I am not there? Or I am busy with government business. What will you do then?”
“I will find out beforehand if you are free and then come to you when I know you are. The palace is only an hour’s carriage ride away”.
He held her left hand with one of his, while his other hand stayed around her waist. “Ela I have given you this house, it’s a small palace and you know that when I am not travelling I spend all my time with you. So why are you unhappy?”
“I am happy with this house and the time we spend together, but I hate that I have to wait for you to come to me all the time. Why can’t I see you at the palace if I wish to do so?"
“Because you didn’t want to live in the harem. You made it clear to me you would never accept me if you had to live there, so I have given you everything you wanted. A place of your own and all my time,” he told her.
“I don’t like living here and waiting for your attention. I am used to having my independence and being able to do what I want whenever I want and see who I want whenever I want. So, if I desire to see you, I won’t ask. I will come to you whether you are at the palace, in another city or in another country.”
“Aha”, he smiled, “you will do that for me? You will travel to another city to see me, another country?”
“Yes,” she said. “I won’t be writing to request permission to see you either. I am simply letting you know.”
He paused, then kissed her on her forehead.
“Okay, that’s absolutely fine. If you want to travel to see me, you can do that. Come to the palace, come to Fatih when I go there next month, come with me to Greece. You will see that I am very busy, and I can’t guarantee that I will be able to give you the time and attention you deserve. However, if you are determined to seek me out, I will respect your wishes. I have given you a stable, and a carriage is at your disposal, so you can see me whenever you need. I will tell the stable hands you have my permission to travel at any time.” There was that word again. Permission. Ela knew Murat thought she was bluffing and that she wouldn’t travel by herself and go to see him.
She too had thought that she would never actually behave in this way, nor had she needed to because she saw him regularly enough to content her pining heart.
However today, sitting here looking out the window, knowing Murat was back in the palace and that she would need to wait another week to see him, she decided she would go to him.
Ela asked Atiye to arrange a carriage for her because she was going to visit the Sultan.
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