6: Freedom
6-1. A secret plan.
Since Sultan Suleiman has already ordered Fatma and Efsun to return to the Old Palace, he clearly expects me to accept his invitation to remain with him this morning. Not that I wish to refuse, but saying 'yes' will place me in an awkward situation. Hürrem will be furious if she ever finds out that I have voluntarily spent time with Sultan Suleiman. The only thing preventing her from ending our friendship is the knowledge that we are both slaves and are forced to obey the sultan's wishes.
"You hesitate to answer, Gülnihal," observes Sultan Suleiman. "Is my company not to your liking?"
"On the contrary, Majesty," I reply. "You honour me. I would love to spend the morning with you. However, I am thinking about the effect this will have on Hürrem. In her current condition, she …"
"You are a loyal friend, Gülnihal. Do not concern yourself about Hürrem. I shall visit her later and remind her that her duty is to care for her unborn child and not concern herself about my activities. You have far more important matters to consider this morning. I have a proposal I wish you to consider. What I shall ask of you is not without danger and I will not hold it against you if you refuse. However, I have studied you carefully and I believe you may be both willing and capable of carrying out what I shall ask of you."
I look at the sultan in surprise. Is this why he has selected me from all the girls in the harem? Have my nocturnal visits to his bed been arranged to serve some ulterior motive? I wait nervously for him to tell me his proposal.
"Again you honour me, Majesty," I say cautiously. "I shall do my best to serve your wishes."
"If you agree to my proposal then you will be honouring me, Gülnihal," says Sultan Suleiman solemnly. "But first we shall have some breakfast."
Despite my eagerness to learn the details of the sultan's proposal, I manage to calmly eat breakfast as though nothing momentous is about to happen. After we finish eating, the sultan calls for Ibrahim to join us and the three of us sit and discuss the sultan's proposal. I'm allowed to ask questions, which gradually change from 'what' to 'how' the proposed plan is to work. I mentally agree to the sultan's proposal long before I tell him. It means I must place more reliance on Ibrahim than I have previously been prepared to do, but I can't see any way of putting the sultan's plan into effect without an intermediary. Sultan Suleiman trusts Ibrahim to be our intermediary and I can't provide an alternative candidate.
Fortunately I have remembered most of my lessons about the history and customs of the Ottoman dynasty. A dynasty ruling a rapidly expanding empire which is in danger of being torn apart by the constraints of tradition. The reason for Sultan Suleiman's request makes much more sense when it is taken in the context of these traditions.
It is common knowledge that a sultan's children are given every opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills. Sons are taught to balance fighting prowess with a solid education and an empathy for those whom they may one day rule. Daughters are educated and encouraged in the social graces and thereby help their father maintain his grip on power.
But when a sultan dies, everything changes. Only one son can become the next ruler. By tradition, all other sons are murdered to prevent a dynastic civil war. As for the daughters of the late sultan, they are married off to any man who can offer the new sultan sufficient influence or wealth to bolster the new sultan's rule. Sultan Suleiman's brothers are all dead, and his sisters … apart from the widowed Hatice … are all married to influential beys. Even Hatice will soon be married off again to provide a political alliance.
Sultan Suleiman's proposal is a daring attempt to circumvent this tradition. He wishes to father a child who will be brought up in secret, far away from the influence of the traditionalists within the dynasty. My part in this plan is to be the mother of the sultan's secret child. I will be expected to raise our child in some distant corner of the empire while keeping our child ignorant of his or her royal bloodline. Should the link to Sultan Suleiman ever be discovered, then we will be in great danger. At best our child would be dragged back to Constantinople to live the very life Sultan Suleiman wishes his child to avoid. At worst … death.
But that is all in the future. For now, I shall spend more nights with the sultan until a pregnancy is confirmed by a trusted midwife sworn to secrecy. Even the Valide is not to be told, since she will certainly prevent me from leaving the palace once it's known that I'm expecting a child. At the appropriate time Ibrahim is to arrange for me to be escorted to a safe place well away from Constantinople. I will no longer be a slave and I may live and travel anywhere within the empire … but not beyond its borders. I am even to be allowed to marry if I wish. In exchange, I must keep the sultan informed of my whereabouts and provide him … through Ibrahim … with regular news of our child's health and development.
While it means I must leave the Imperial Harem, Sultan Suleiman's proposal is not completely at odds with my own ambitions. Perhaps that is why I agree to his proposal so readily. Sultan Suleiman clearly anticipated my agreement since some of the preparations are already in hand. All that I need to do now is to become pregnant.
Fortunately Hürrem unwittingly helps in the subterfuge by demanding that the Sultan Suleiman stops calling me into his bed. Even though Hürrem has no power to make the sultan comply, it doesn't stop her from trying. Over the next few weeks Hürrem's demands become more insistent. They soon start to place a strain on both our friendship and her relationship with Sultan Suleiman. Fortunately she never guesses that I'm a willing partner to the sultan's secret plan. Ibrahim puts the next stage of the sultan's plan into effect as soon as the midwife confirms my pregnancy. The Valide and the rest of the harem are told that I'm not pregnant. They believe the sultan has finally given in to Hürrem's demands by ordering that I be transferred to one of the smaller palaces owned by the dynasty. To her credit, Hürrem apologises to me, and tells me she never intended for me to be sent away. I feel a bit guilty for letting her believe that my imminent departure is entirely her fault. At least she and I will part on friendly terms, even if the close bond of friendship we once shared has been lost.
The Valide supports the decision to transfer me. She believes I have out-stayed my usefulness as a hatun. In her eyes I have had my chance at conceiving a royal baby, and failed. Daye Hatun arranges a small party in the harem in my honour. It gives me a chance to say farewell to my friends even though I must hide the truth from them all. Esme will officially take over my role as Hürrem's support person during her pregnancy, although in reality Esme has been doing this for some time.
I set off on my journey early the next morning. To maintain the subterfuge, I am travelling as a slave even though I carry Sultan Suleiman's letter granting me my freedom. Şeker Aga, one of the palace agas, is escorting me to the palace at Salonica. He will hand me over to Mercan Aga, the head aga in Salonica, and then return to Constantinople. Şeker Aga is unaware that the palace will only be a temporary home for me. In addition to my letter of release, I carry a letter from Sultan Suleiman to Mercan Aga, advising him that I am no longer a slave and instructing him to provide whatever assistance I might require. However, I'll not be entirely free of the influence of the dynasty. For the time being I must rely on a generous stipend from the sultan, which will continue for as long as I carry out my part of our agreement.
We stop for the night at a wayside inn on the outskirts of a small town where I'm provided with a good meal and a comfortable room. I realise that these comforts might not be so easy to come by once I take up my life as a free woman. For a moment I worry that I've made the wrong decision. But not for long … I mentally rebuke myself for thinking this way. It is far better to be free and live without luxuries, than as a pampered slave. My year in the Imperial Harem has made me soft … I need to toughen up if I'm to survive.
We travel at a leisurely speed and our journey takes several days. Finally we reach our destination. I step out of the coach and take in my surroundings. I have already been warned that the Ottoman palace in Salonica is small … smaller than Hatice Sultan's house in Constantinople. If Mercan Aga is surprised by our arrival he does a good job at pretending otherwise. Şeker Aga told me that the palace has few visitors, and is rarely used as more than an overnight stop for members of the sultan's family when they are travelling this way. The permanent staff of the palace consist of six men and three women, whose primary duty is to maintain the buildings and grounds. Mercan Aga treats me with contempt and quickly orders one of the younger girls to show me to the tiny room that serves as sleeping quarters for the female staff. While Şeker Aga is still with us I must maintain my disguise as a transferred harem slave who has fallen out of favour with the sultan.
Unfortunately for me, Şeker Aga is in no hurry to return to Constantinople. He is apparently good friends with Mercan Aga and he seems to be preparing for a stay of several days. As much as I would like to make use of my new freedom, I must continue in my role as a slave if I'm to maintain my secret. I'm promptly assigned to general household duties. This palace has no need for a hatun. Armin and Aybige, the two youngest women sharing my sleeping quarters, normally provide any entertainment services a guest may require. As the newest arrival I am allocated the dirtiest chores which I undertake with the best grace that I can manage. Apart from Mercan Aga … who simply ignores me … the other men and women of the palace gradually accept me into their community.
On the third day after my arrival, the palace has another unexpected visitor. Ibrahim. My hopes begin to rise that Ibrahim will intervene and send the tardy Şeker Aga back to Constantinople at once. Again I am to be disappointed. Ibrahim makes no attempt to halt the agas reunion, and he only once looks in my direction during his overnight stay. Ibrahim departs the next morning before I have a chance to talk to him. I've no idea why he came here, but I can't believe his visit is merely a coincidence. I set about my day's chores with a sigh, and tell myself to be patient.
As evening approaches, Mercan Aga summons me to the room that serves as his office. Şeker Aga is with him. To my alarm Mercan Aga is holding the two scrolls from Sultan Suleiman … one granting my freedom, the other providing instructions to Mercan Aga. Someone has gone through my belongings. I look forlornly at the two agas.
"These scrolls are sealed by Sultan Suleiman Khan's personal seal," growls Mercan Aga. "One is addressed to me. Explain why this message wasn't given to me when you arrived."
What do I do now?