4. Breakfast for two
Aybige is tempted to feign illness in response to the summons she receives to have breakfast with Prince Mustafa. She is angry with herself after yesterday afternoon's debacle. She should have stayed and defended Safie against the prince's wrath. Instead she fled like a scared rabbit and now she feels ashamed. Safie didn't return to their room yesterday and none of the agas will tell Aybige what has become of her. Only the prince can give her that information. It's the only reason Aybige summons up enough courage to go willingly to the prince's room.
Fortunately the prince has allowed her sufficient time to prepare herself properly. Not like yesterday afternoon, when she and Safie were in a no-win situation. She even has time for a visit to the baths. She would have liked to linger there, since it's the only place where she's allowed to meet and talk with the other girls of the harem. Aybige is careful not to say anything to the other girls that might get her into trouble, and she ensures that she isn't late for her meeting. An aga escorts Aybige to the prince's room and she is promptly admitted into Mustafa's presence.
"Good morning, Aybige," says the prince in a pleasant tone. "Did you sleep well?"
"Not particularly, my prince," replies Aybige, deciding she wouldn't take the coward's route and lie.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. What was the cause of your insomnia? I hope it wasn't my over-zealous interpretation of harem rules yesterday afternoon. I promise I will be more tolerant of your failings in future."
Aybige feels like screaming. The arrogant pig is trying to make it sound as though it was Aybige's fault that he hit her. But she steels her nerves and remains passive. While she's determined to show more backbone than she did yesterday, she doesn't have Safie's nerve to openly defy the prince.
"No, my prince," replies Aybige. "I am worried about Safie. She didn't return to our room last night and when I reported her absence to the agas, they didn't seem interested."
"Why should you be worried about Safie?" asks Mustafa. "She was with me when I dismissed you yesterday. Didn't it occur to you that she might have spent the night with me?"
"But she didn't," says Aybige. "The agas would have told me had that been the case. They like making us jealous by telling us when a girl is spending the night with the sultan ... or yourself. Besides, she isn't here, and your breakfast tray is only set for two people."
"Don't concern yourself about Safie," replies the prince. "She's enjoying her breakfast as we speak. She should be back in your room by the time we have finished this little meeting."
Safie is indeed having her breakfast, although her surroundings leave a lot to be desired. A night in the harem dungeon is something every slave girl tries to avoid at all costs, and rightly so. The small cell confining Safie is dark and cold, but at least she had been given a mattress to sleep on. It's the uncertainty around what further punishment the prince might decree which is playing on Safie's mind. For now, all she can do is eat what passes for breakfast in this dungeon, and try to keep her strength and spirits up. Only two girls have received harem punishment in the four years since Safie arrived. On both occasions the girl was caned on the soles of her feet. Afterwards, neither girl could walk for over a week. Of course, the prince may simply decide to have Safie executed. She hopes that the prince realises that disposing of a second concubine so soon after Sadika's demise would be difficult to explain to the Valide. Safie doesn't doubt that Mahidevran and Prince Mustafa are relying on the Valide's continued good favour and complicity.
Aybige is also faced with uncertainty. In her case it's about the prince's motives. She has never seen him in this mood before, nor has she previously been invited to have breakfast with him. Fortunately, her training as a concubine guides her actions. After all, this is the sort of encounter which she has been taught to handle and she applies every skill she can.
"Safie says that if I treat you more gently, then you will please me beyond my wildest imagination," says the prince while they are eating. Aybige nearly chokes on her food.
"I am your concubine, my prince," replies Aybige. "It is my duty to please you."
"I know all about duty, Aybige," sighs the prince. "My life is driven by duty to the dynasty. My question to you is, are you willing to go further than mere duty to please me beyond my wildest imagination? I warn you that I have a very wild imagination."
"I shall endeavour to do all that is necessary to give you the pleasure you desire, my prince," replies Aybige with as much sincerity as she can fake. In truth, she'd doesn't like the arrogant pig, and isn't looking forward to another mauling at his hands. She makes every effort to hide her loathing of the boy.
"I can see that you remain doubtful of my good intentions," says Mustafa with an unusual sense of Aybige's mood. "I admit that I am inexperienced in the art of love. My treatment of you so far has perhaps been too harsh. With your help, I wish to correct the few faults that I possess."
In Aybige's opinion, the prince has far more than a few faults in need of correction. But Aybige is his concubine, and she has no wish to suffer Sadika's fate. The prince has given her an order and she must obey.
"What of Safie, my prince?" asks Aybige. "Is she to help as well?"
"Yes, but in a different way. Safie has made me realise that the two of you have different skills to teach me. When it comes to what occurs in the bedroom, you are a beautiful flower who can teach me the art of tender love, while Safie is the warrior's pleasure slave to be used as a red-blooded warrior desires."
Aybige is both relieved and alarmed at the prince's statement. Relieved that it could mean an end to his rough treatment of her, but alarmed that Safie will bear the brunt of his violent passion. The prince hasn't promised to mend his ways ... he's simply offering to direct his violent tendencies in a more specific direction. Aybige finishes eating her breakfast. She then realises that the prince intends for her to start her instruction at once. She doesn't hesitate to direct their conversation towards sex, fearing his anger might return if she's less than perfect at her task.
By the time Aybige returns to her room she is feeling slightly better. She still doesn't like the prince, but he did treat her with some respect. The sex was much more to Aybige's liking, although the prince still has plenty of room for improvement. To her great relief she sees Safie has returned looking no worse for wear. If only the same could be said of the torn dress she was wearing yesterday. Safie is sat on her bed wearing her night shift, frantically trying to repair her dress.
"Safie!" cries Aybige in genuine relief. "I was so worried about you. Are you alright? What happened to your dress?"
"I'm fine," replies Safie. "A night in a dungeon cell wasn't pleasant, but I'll survive. As for my dress, that fell foul of our prince's lust. I just hope he doesn't call for me this afternoon. My only other dress is still wet from our garden walk in the rain. It'll be another week or two before I can afford to buy any more clothes."
"You still have your white and grey outfit," replies Aybige.
Every girl is given a white cotton dress with a long grey waistcoat when she first enters the harem. Apart from a white nightshirt, it's the only set of clothes a girl is given. If the Valide is feeling generous, she occasionally treats the girls to a replacement outfit. If a girl wants other clothes, then she must purchase them from the woman trader who visits the harem twice a week. Safie never contemplated saving for a silk dress while she was working in the laundry. It would take over a month to save enough money from her stipend, and laundry work would soon ruin anything so fine. As a concubine, her stipend has been increased, but so have the expectations placed on her wardrobe.
"Get the prince to buy you some dresses," says Aybige. "If he likes shredding your gowns, then make him pay for them."
"How?" asks Safie. "He doesn't seem to be interested in our welfare."
"He's inexperienced. Between us we must teach him to care about our well being."
"Alright. I'll do what I can. You seem to be in a better mood this morning. How did your breakfast with our prince go?"
"Breakfast was fine. It seems I must thank you for whatever you said to the prince yesterday. He's been much more gentle with me today. I just hope you don't regret what you've done. I fear he still intends to be rough with you."
"Well, I've never been taught the finer graces of being a concubine. Hopefully some of what you can teach him will rub off on his treatment of me. But how am I going to get the prince to buy me some more clothes?"
"Ask him when you are next with him," replies Aybige, as though it is the easiest thing in the world.
Safie remains dubious of Aybige's advice, and she continues with the repair work on her dress. The two girls spend the rest of the morning talking and gradually learn more about each other. Safie feels confident enough in her friendship with Aybige to tell her of Safie's true parentage, and of General Hertschell's trickery. She's taking a huge risk, but Safie knows her false story will be difficult to maintain with someone like Aybige living so close to her. And it seems Aybige and Safie are destined to spend much of their time together. Their conversation is interrupted when Mahidevran makes an unexpected visit to their room.
"I have just come from Prince Mustafa's room," announces Mahidevran. "It seems you have both served him well since yesterday morning, so you have earned these small tokens as a reward. I am very pleased with your work."
Mahidevran hands each girl some pieces of jewellery. Safie is surprised. It's unclear whether the reward is being given by the prince or by Mahidevran, and neither girl feels daring enough to ask. Safie begins to wonder about what the prince has said to his mother. Safie spending the night in a dungeon cell is hardly something that justifies her reward.
"My son tells me that you are no longer a virgin," says Mahidevran to Safie. "That is good. But remember you mustn't become pregnant. My son's position and wealth is not sufficiently secure to protect and provide for any children."
Safie looks at Aybige in complete surprise. Aybige is also taken aback. Neither girl has been told of this requirement before. In fact, both girls had assumed the opposite, and that babies ... particularly sons ... were desired in abundance.
"Forgive us, my Sultana," says Aybige. "But we haven't been told this before. We will see the harem physician today for some herbs to prevent conception. But it may be too late if we are already pregnant."
"No. You are not to mention this to anybody. The Valide mustn't find out that you are avoiding a pregnancy. This is to be our secret. If you are careless enough to become pregnant, then tell me and I'll deal with the matter."
Mahidevran doesn't linger and the two girls are left alone once more. Both look at each other for advice on what to do.
"How are we going to avoid becoming pregnant if we aren't allowed to take any herbs?" asks Aybige. "We can't ask the prince not to spend his seed inside us. He'll suspect something is going on. And I've no intention of telling only Mahidevran if I become pregnant. I don't want to end up like Sadika."
Safie can only agree with Aybige's concerns. Unfortunately she has no immediate solution to their problem.