Elanur, accompanied by Hafsah, her lady in waiting, arrived at the palace and was seated in one of the outer rooms near the harem. It was a beautiful room decorated with mirrored mosaics and silver tiles. The cushions and seats were of white and cream velvet, trimmed with golden brocades. Hafsah stared in amazement, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Elanur too was taken aback by the beauty of this guest room, and wondered what the inner rooms of the palace looked like.
‘Who are you and what do you seek?’ They were asked by the palace servant who came to meet their carriage on arrival.
Hafsah had answered for her. “This is Elanur. Please tell the Sultan her ladyship Elanur is here to meet him.” Hafsah passed a note, handwritten by Ela, to the servant who nodded and bowed towards Elanur. Ela hoped her note would reach Murat swiftly and she could see him soon.
“Please tell your ladyship to come this way,” Hafsah was told by the servant of the palace.
They were then taken inside. Ela and Hafsah had followed, in stunned silence as they winded through a myriad of courtyards, and hallways of exquisite architecture. Elanur had lifted the hood of her cloak slightly and looked at the walls of one hallway, which seemed to rise to the sky, and the ceiling of which was covered in intricate blue and white flowered tiles.
“Take a seat here, I will inform the Sultan of your arrival and will bring you some refreshments in the meantime”.
Elanur was so far pleasantly surprised by the treatment she had received. She had been anxious of how she might be regarded, but it seemed the inhabitants of the palace knew who she was or at least didn’t doubt her connection to the Sultan. The royal emblem on the carriage may have helped too and the knowledge that it arrived from one of the Sultan’s manor houses outside the city.
As Elanur and Atiye waited in the room of white, cream and golden velvet upholstery, the door was opened from the outside by a guard.
“You have a visitor, your ladyship”, announced the guard. Elanur sat up in excitement and straightened her gown, believing it must be Murat. She was wearing a russet coloured silk gown which drew attention to her alabaster skin and highlighted the green of her eyes. Her dark brown hair was swept in an updo. It was not how she normally styled her hair at home. Usually she would leave it wavy and loose, but she wasn’t sure how that would be viewed here amongst the formality of the palace. Elanur soon saw it was not Murat who had arrived, but instead there were two girls that walked in.
The younger girl had a simple appearance, she had thick, straight, black hair that went down to her waist, olive skin and small round brown eyes. She was dressed in a plain blue gown, silk, so she wasn’t a servant Elanur thought. She had light pieces of jewellery on. Her companion was taller. She had very strong features, high cheek bones, prominent almond shaped brown eyes, fuller lips, and her skin tone was lighter. She too had long dark hair, half tied up in an elaborate fashion with jewels, and the other left loose over her shoulders.
“Elanur, we have heard so much about you, we wanted to be the first ones to see you,” said the younger girl coming and sitting next to her. She moved carefully and spoke in a quiet measured tone. The older girl followed and sat on the other side of Ela.
“Yes we heard that you had arrived at the palace and we couldn’t wait to meet with the infamous Elanur”, the taller girl said. She spoke with a deep voice and seemed to be frank and honest looking.
“I’m sorry but l do not know who you are,” Ela told them.
“We cannot believe the stories we are hearing about you”, the younger girl continued looking at her from head to toe and assessing her appearance. “We have heard that you are wildly in love with Murat, have accompanied him in battles and diplomatic journeys, you can read and he has gifted you your own manor house?! Is this true?”
“Yes that is somewhat true, but again please do introduce yourselves as you know much about me and I know nothing about you.” Ela didn’t tell them that she had yet to accompany Murat on a diplomatic trip, let alone on the battlefield, but they didn't need to know that.
“I am Jennet”, said the younger girl. “And I am Farah”, said the older girl. “May I?” Farah asked and took a glass of sherbet from the silver tray next to Ela.
Elanur looked at Hafsah, hoping her lady in waiting would be able to enlighten her about the identity of her admirers, but Hafsah merely shrugged as she too seemed to be unaware of who they were.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Farah and Jennet, but I must ask again, who are you and how do you know who l am?” She had only arrived at the palace a moment ago, so how did they know of her arrival before Murat and how did the girls know what she looked like? Afterall Hafsah was sitting in the room too.
“The whole kingdom is talking about you Elanur.” Farah told her finishing the drink and placing it back on the tray. “The people are saying that you have bewitched the Sultan with your beauty, stories and your learning. He spends all his days with you whenever he is at home. Do tell us, is it true that you know magic, you have travelled far and wide, that you are a storyteller and you have studied with renowned scholars?”
Elanur laughed at Farah's breathless questions, “I am not a magician nor a storyteller, but yes I have studied with scholars and l can read.”
“Some say you are a witch.” Jennet added and gave her a sidelong glance. Ela felt Jennet was assessing her figure. Jennet had an hourglass bodyshape, which could be seen through her fitted gown, and she was clearly proud of her looks. Though Elanur too was curvaceous, she didn’t have as distinctively wide hips like Jennet. Hopefully that would satisfy Jennet and make her feel superior Ela thought, as she could feel the girl's resentful eyes on her. “Even Zeynep is concerned about you being here and doesn't like you," Jennet continued.
“Zeynep doesn't like me?” Elanur asked, confused by all the questions and trickles of information she was being given. Why should Zeynep be bothered Elanur wondered. Did Zeynep also think she was a witch because she didn’t live in the harem? These women had such imaginative minds.
“She is Murat’s mother's favourite. She is the head of the harem, and well Zeynep has been Murat’s favourite for many years," Jennet said, stretching her arm slowly and brushing her hair away from her face. Elanur watched the girl’s movements and observed how every adjustment was steady and calculated, every glance and turn of her hand meant to be seductive and sultry. This must be why she speaks in such a low tone and so quietly she thought. A low tone was supposed to be more sensuous. However, to Elanur Jennet only sounded nasal and whiny.
“Well if she is his favourite why doesn’t Zeynep have a child with Murat?” Elanur asked. “Since Murat met her such a long time ago, and since she is supposed to be his favourite, shouldn't they have a child together by now?”
“She has refused to have a child with the Sultan until he marries her and he doesn’t seem to want to marry yet,” was Jennet’s reply.
That was unusual, thought Ela, surely tradition dictated that once a girl from the harem became pregnant, it was then that she became elevated and married the Sultan? It wasn't the custom for a courtesan to become the sultan's wife before becoming pregnant with a child.
“I’m sorry, you have told me your names, but you have yet to reveal who you are”, Ela asked both girls again. If only Murat would come now and take her away from these two interrogators who seemed to watch her with both curiosity and disdain. She could feel that they both were envious of Ela and clearly disliked the fact that she had the special attention of Murat. They were no doubt mentioning Zeynap to intimidate her, but they didn't realise that Ela was already aware of Zeynap, the chief courtesan of his harem. Murat had said she was no longer romantically interested in him and they shared a platonic relationship. She continued to manage the harem for him because Zeynap was familiar with the ways of the palace.
“I am one of his women”, Farah said stunning Ela with her declaration. “I am a girl from Murat’s harem. I have recently joined the harem and I wanted to see you, the renowned Elanur who Murat spends all of his time with. I wanted to see what kind of a girl had managed to capture all of his attention and time. Murat always talks about you, of your beauty, intelligence, courage and individuality. The harem girls cannot stop gossiping about you. His men have said that you are a petite girl, with soft features. They were right. You are not like the rest of us. Most of Murat’s harem is full of tall, exceptional beauties.”
Elanur was taken aback by Farah, firstly the girl was catty towards her and she clearly felt no inhibition or embarrassment in describing herself as one of Murat’s women! It was true that Farah was one of his women, but she may have used different words. Or perhaps she was proud to be one of the many? Perhaps she was pleased with being as close to him as she currently was. Women swooned at the power and wealth of a Sultan and craved their attention, and here Murat had the added attraction of being handsome.
“Well I have seen enough”, Farah said. “I am bored. I personally can’t understand why the Sultan is smitten by you when he has women like the rest of us in his harem. Maybe what they say about you is true and you are a magician, with all your storytelling and book learning. I don’t understand what he wants from you. I must go now, so goodbye Elanur.”
Ela laughed at Farah’s abruptness and sudden surliness. “Goodbye Farah, thank you for taking the time to come and greet me. Do report back to your companions and inform them that there is beauty in a petite woman too", she told her. Perhaps Farah was annoyed by the fact that Ela did not look like a witch at all, and that Ela was not like ‘the rest of them’ as she put it, yet she was still all that Murat wanted. Farah swung out of the room and slammed the doors behind her in anger, not giving the guards a chance to close them.
Ela sighed, she hoped there wouldn’t be more girls coming here to compare themselves to her and feed their insecurities. Ela felt sorry for them. They wanted Murat but were happy to remain in the harem as just another girl waiting for their turn to receive a morsel of his attention, and they were envious of Ela because she didn’t join them and because she looked and behaved differently. On the other hand if they were brought to the harem against their will, they would have very little freedom of choice. Ela could see more clearly how lucky she was to be the object of Murat's adoration.
When Farah left, Jennet said, “Be careful of Farah, she is most likely a spy for Zeynep. She cannot get Murat’s attention for herself, so she has decided to support Zeynep in her campaign for marriage to Murat. No doubt she will be well rewarded once Zeynep becomes queen.”
“Why would you tell me that?” Ela asked. She didn’t trust Jennet, who seemed the more sly of the two girls. Jennet must have a reason for speaking ill of Farah and revealing Zeynep and Farah's plans.
“Well Zeynep has spies everywhere", Jennet said. "Murat was once closest to me. He had wanted to marry me, and he wanted a child with me, but Zeynep spoiled everything. She befriended me, took advantage of my naivety and turned Murat against me. She told me she would help me marry him but she only drew a wedge between us. Though I did win back his affection, he no longer offers marriage and is happy to keep me as one of his courtesans. However, I know he loves me second to Zeynep, he has told me this himself.
As for Zeynep, she is clever, she oversaw which girls went to him so that she could ensure none of them got close to Murat and she always remained in his favour. She allowed him to be with as many women as he wanted. She didn't show any jealousy and she never complained, because this would annoy him. In fact, before he met, you she would choose each girl personally to send to him every night.
Right now she is frustrated because she has lost control of him where you are concerned. She is losing her mind that he keeps you in a separate mansion. However, mark my words Ela, you may have bewitched him, but he will return to Zeynep and l. He will never marry you, he will only marry either one of us. He will return to us because he has only truly loved the two of us."
Zeynep and I? Ela continued to be surprised by the girls and their willingness to share Murat’s affection. They were more than happy to be ‘one’ of his women. Maybe women who grew up in the lands of a Sultan were accustomed to this idea of sharing the love of a man.
“Are you happy with being one of his beloved ones?” Ela asked her, “why do you stay here, and still entertain him if he has said that he loves you second to Zeynep? Isn’t that disrespectful to you?”
“Well there is always a chance to be with him again, and he will tire of Zeynep soon enough, even if she manages to marry him. He is growing impatient with her because she becomes more jealous and manipulative with the passing of time. She isn't able to hide her envy of you and she isn't able to send him girls without bitterness now", Jennet said with a gleam in her eye. “He will put her to a side and she will be busy bringing up children. Whereas I will become his chief courtesan and I will govern which girls go to him each night. I will become his main confidant. But that's not why l am here. I wanted to see you and know more about you. He leaves you in a little cottage in the country on your own and you have to travel so far to see him.” Her tone became patronising and belittling.
“Well, l wish l hadn’t,” laughed Ela, noting Jennet’s swipe at her, “since all of you girls are telling me that he loves you second and Zeynep first, and I am only a passing fancy. A passing fancy of over a year I must add, who has her own mansion, servants, a carriage and all the gowns and jewellery her heart would desire.” Her eyes glinted with humour as she taunted Jennet.
Jennet bristled, “you have had to come looking for him because he doesn’t give you attention Ela. Look at you sat here outside the harem; you don’t belong in his home. You have been here for more than an hour and he has yet to come and meet you. Doesn’t this bother you? Can’t you see he doesn’t care for you?”
It did make Ela worry that she hadn’t seen Murat yet, and she wondered if it could be true that since he came back from his trip, Zeynep was conspiring to marry him? But he could be busy, and she didn’t want Jennet to make her feel uncertain of his love.
Ela turned the tables on Jennet. “You seem happy enough to share him Jennet but what happens to you if he does marry Zeynep and doesn't tire of her?”
“Well of course I will still stay in his life if he doesn't leave her. Nothing will change. I will always be his.” Declared Jennet making Ela almost drop her Sherbet glass. She placed it on the tray and Hafsah and her exchanged concerned glances. The girls of the harem were no doubt determined and tenacious. “I too can become pregnant and then he can marry me next", She laughed. "He may have more than one wife you know. I will remain close to his heart though Zeynep seeks marriage, and l only want to remain close to Murat as I am his true love. He and l have a unique connection," she added.
"Murat does truly love me Elanur. He brought me to the harem himself. I wasn't chosen by his mother or Zeynap, but he met me on one of his travels, and couldn't leave without me. Zeynep is his first love and he must feel obliged towards her because his mother likes her so. She is from their homeland, and I, am after all a foreigner. However, if he cared enough about her, he would have married her by now. She is ageing, and she will be removed soon and when she is, he will look to me to take her place, as l am younger and youthful.
Whereas you, he doesn’t love you Elanur. Look at how he takes you with him on his battles and trips because he doesn’t care for your comfort. He merely likes your company. He drags you around and does not treat you like a prized posession, the way he does Zeynep and I. He would never allow us to travel alone like you have done. He wouldn't want us to be seen by other men.
Look at you, having travelled here to see him, and he doesn’t arrive. He doesn’t give you a place in the palace. I would never want to be left alone in some house in the forest outside the city. It’s embarrassing to see you seek his attention like this.”
Ela stifled her laugh and smiled, Jennet did not understand the meaning of independence and her envy of Ela’s stature in Murat’s life was obvious in the way she tried to demean Ela. Jennet had no idea that Ela would love to join Murat on his trips and battles and wished he would take her with him.
"Murat hasn’t left me in a little house in the forest Jennet. You know this very well. He has given me my own mansion and he spends all his time there too. l have not come here to seek him. He has told me I can come to him whenever I choose and I chose to visit today because l do not wish to see him only when he can travel to me. He may be a Sultan but l too have autonomy. We are equals, and that is something you won’t understand.”
“You are very courageous Elanur to come here on your own." Jennet continued, "but the palace is all talking about you. They are all talking about how you have come desperately searching for him. People speak of you having no shame as you don't wait for him to visit you, they say you are crazy for him and have broken social rules to come here like this.
If he cares so much for you, why doesn’t he give you the status of his beloved ones like Zeynep and l, and give you your own living quarters in the palace? You don't belong to him, like we do,” Jennet repeated the same things again.
“Because l am not one of his woman. I never will be,” retorted Ela, “l am the only woman for him, and l will not stay in a palace with the other women he slept with, whether he tells me he loves me the foremost or not.
I will not manage his harem. I am not a courtesan like you, like Zeynep or Farah and nor do I dream of being the Chief Courtesan. Zeynep knows no better and manages his women to stay close to him but l can't fathom why you want the same. You claim you love him, but you all simply enjoy his wealth and seek power and of course l belong to him Jennet, but he too belongs to me. This is why l can be here today and meet him directly.”
“Because he sees you so less now, no?” Ela could see Jennet was trying to find out how often Murat met her and how much time he spent with her. She was always seeking information. Jennet must know Murat was always with Ela, however she continued to question her.
Elanur did not want to speak to the girl anymore. She wanted to speak to Murat directly.
She was no stranger to the realities of a Sultan’s romantic or not so romantic private life, and she was very bluntly aware of the existence of Murat’s harem. He had always told her it was a tradition that was a part of his culture and that he didn’t see many of the girls. Since his mother was not so interested in managing the harem, it was Zeynep who took on the role, and so she knew of Zeynep as only a passing reference. However, she didn’t know that Zeynep was such a big part of his life, nor did she know about the number of girls vying for his attention and the extent of all these rivalries and their envy towards her. She hadn’t known how these girls were watching her every move.
By keeping her away from the palace Murat had sheltered Ela from the women of the harem, but it had also blinded her to the reality of the goings on here. She knew any further conversations with Jennet would only lead to grief as Jennet was determined to make Ela feel inferior. She was threatened by Ela because she was fully aware of Ela's importance in Murats life.
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