Blackfyre Daughter of Dragons

A scaly creature was carrying a body with dangling silver locks. The scaly creature felt anguish and confusion so he just flew anywhere as if his mind was dripped into a pit of never-ending chaos.

Amidst all of this, it was exceedingly difficult to realize where his emotions ended and where I was. It was as if I was not sure whether I was myself or this large entity dwelling in so much grief, it truly didn't know where it was going.

"Shiera, it is past 12. You always sleep longer than usual. All your brothers and sisters are out having breakfast with your father."

Shiera wakes up and looks into the mirror. She brushes her long silver locks and thinks to herself whether that was her, dead and being carried by the scaly creature. Nobody she ever knew had silver hair or eyes that were this shade of violet. She was thirteen and they said her beauty outshined everyone in the last three generations in the harem.

But she was on her own. A girl lusted after by Mehmed; her half brother and ignored by everyone else including her father. But all princesses are ignored by their fathers especially ones that never had a mother.

'Do I have to go? Isn't it too late?"

"Your father would still like to have you there."

Shiera walks without enthusiasm after grooming herself. She exits the castles with her maid and is presented to Sultan Ahmed.

She bows. Sultan Ahmed 1 takes her hand and kisses it.

"You wake up late. This is not how a lady should act."

"Forgive me, father, for I had a nightmare."

"Sit next to me, Zahra"

Amazed at this interest, Shiera sits beside her father and Kosem and the maid passed her a plate of rice and eggplant.

"What was your dream Zahra"

"A scaly creature was carrying a girl that looked like me and was flying. I felt all these emotions and I think it was the creature's emotions."

"Mustafa" The Sultan utters on finding his brother.

Mustafa glanced at Shiera and this wasn't the first time a family member showed any sort of interest.

"Please sit down Mustafa."

Green fields surrounded the castle contrasting the wide-eyed faces of the Sultan's family. His family surrounded the slender frame of a fourteen-year-old with eyes and hair brighter than anyone else's in the family.

Ahmad often questioned her paternity. Her mother was beautiful but less so than she was. But she had silver hair. He had bedded her for ten nights in a row and that was a wound that never quite healed for Kosem. She was a stunner but also the most intelligent woman he's ever bedded. But childbirth was not among her many talents.

Ahmad often wondered where these women's colouring came from. His Zahra had purple eyes.

Drogon scurried in. He devoured the smell of another kin; last of their kind.

Ahmad's soldiers prepared for battle. Ahmad stood up with an expression unable to decipher what this creature that stood before him was. There he was as his little girl said he would be with a silver-haired woman whom he left on the array of green fields.

Shiera stood up unable to grasp what was taking place in front of her. Drocon glanced over with his big vacuous eyes. Then with one stroke of his wings, he flew away leaving this silver-haired woman.

Instinctively, Shiera got up and ran to the woman. For some strange reason, she was reminded of her mother and a tear ran down her cheeks. She touched this woman's lids as to see the same purple eyes shining back at her.

Who was she? Everyone used to say she was a freak. Everyone made fun of her for her purple eyes but there is another being that looked so close to her it hurts. And that scaly creature from her dreams.

All of a sudden, she wanted to see him again. Shiera stood up. "Come back! Come back!"

Kosem grasped Shiera and held her. "It's okay my love."

"Bury this woman" Ahmad ordered.

Everyone cleaned up and went back to their chambers.

Shiera was taken to her chambers. She sat for hours just thinking about her dream and that beautiful scaly creature. He was grey with scales as large as icicles and big. And he looked straight at her. He was a magnificent creature.

She heard a knock on her door.

She opened it to see her older brother.

"Osman, come in. Sit down older brother."

"You looked utterly frightened. Are you okay."

"I'm okay Osman. That creature was so magnificent. It was from my dream. Osman, you don't know."

Osman caressed her cheek.

"That woman looked like you."

"She did. I have no idea why. That creature and that woman. You don't find things of that nature in this world."

"Just like you don't find girls like you in this world."

His gaze was so piercing, Shiera's heart skipped a beat. He was tall dark and handsome, and she was his antithesis.

"Could you sleep in my chambers tonight?"

"I'll do anything that you ask of me, sweet sister."

They talked for hours. Then she fell asleep in his arms.

The sun's rays were shining against Shiera's translucent skin. He put a blanket over her warm body and tucked a lock of hair behind her ears.

Osman thought to himself. "She's motherless like I am. And even worse, she's a girl with a beauty that scares everyone away. I must always protect and care for her."

Osman ran into Kosem. Kosem glanced at her stepson.

"You were in her chambers."

"Yes, she was frightened by yesterday's events and she needed her older brother."

Kosem admired their sibling bond. But fifteen-year-old boys should not sleep in fourteen-year-old girls' beds.

Kosem entered Shiera's chambers. She woke her up this time.

"Osman," she exclaimed.

Shiera realized it was her stepmother and immediately sat up and straightened her gown.

"Ma, I hadn't realized it was you."

"My daughter, I hope you had a good night's' sleep."

Kosem hated her mother but ever since she was born, Shiera would always comfort her when Ahmed slept with his concubines. A beautiful child who would kiss her cheek and promise to read her bedtime stories. She was more lovable than all of the children combined. But she was never loved more than the sons.

Ayesha who was only a month older than her often left her out of her games. And she always read in her chambers.

"I have, I had no dreams tonight."

"I wanted to speak to you about yesterday's event. You said you dreamt of the creature."

"Yes, I have but that's it, I don't know anything more about it."

"The creature ate a herd of cattle and flew away. The owners were mortified. The creature can also breathe fire, some of the men came and told your father today."

"That's terrible."

"Yes, it has been, sweet love. How are you feeling? I saw that you were crying when you saw that dead woman."

"I was."

Kosem knew she would not open up. She also knew who the silver-haired woman reminded her of.

"I brought you lemon cakes, I know it is your favourite."

Kosem left the lemon cakes on the side of the table.

"Zahra, I have to go now. Your father has called me to an important meeting. But I will be at the harem this evening. And I would love to have your company or else I will see you at tomorrow's sewing class."

"Thank you, Ma. I will see you soon."

Kosem groomed herself and entered the harem. All of the ladies glanced at her. She rushed to the window and glanced at her brother; Osman. He was shooting arrows with her father.

Ahmad caught the way his heir exchanged a perfect shot for a look at her sister. It brought him utter unease. He had gone to a fortune teller once who had told him.

"You are a Sultan unique and greater than all that's before you. But your sins of murder and lust will arise a being that conquers through blood and fire. One that will carry your lineage but not your name. To replace you, will be two names never heard of. Centuries onwards people will sing a song of ice and fire."

"But for any fire to burn, there must be wood that rubs together and lights that spark and that is all I can tell you."

Shiera admired the ease at which Osman shot the bow. Mehmed glanced at her but she did not even pay attention. That was the brother she despised.

Beside her on a bed was Yasemin. She drew the beautiful girl staring out the window. This would be a masterpiece and a fine addition added to her sketchbook.

"You were sketching me."

"Can I see?"

Yasemin handed the princess her sketchbook. How she could outline her figure in such a short amount of time baffled her.

"Can you teach me, I'll continue standing here if you like."

"Of course princess."

The girl was a fine woman with long brown curls that cascaded her back with almond grey eyes. She was the new woman everyone envied including Kosem. But she kept to herself, held her head high, and used her limited freedom as she pleased outside the confinement of petty gossip.

Everyone wanted the Sultan. All these women competed for him. And one day, they would compete for Osman. The thought was an uncomfortable one for Shiera. Her brother would lose his innocence and his depth all of which made him who he was. He would become self-centered and murder his brothers and play each and every woman like a puppet.

Shiera had heard of what had happened to her Kosem. She was brought in as a gift, longed to go back home, only to fall in love with the Sultan and have Safiya Sultana kill her father. She then proceeded to dedicate her mind, soul, and heart to a man who for the next decade or two continued to replace her with one woman after the other on the basis of some unique trait that she envitebly resented. His frequent decisions to imprison Mustafa had also led to his current mental state. And he murdered his aunt. Yet her father speaks of honor, kindness, and integrity.

Shiera never hated her father. Shiera barely received her father's attention. She was a girl and that too she was not the daughter of Kosem. He berated his sons around. He introduced them first and dotted on them and acted as if the daughters were only there to compliment their brothers and nothing more.