Roxelana & Suleyman

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

I who am the Sultan of Sultans, the Sovereign of Sovereigns, the distributor of crowns to the monarchs of the globe, the Shadow of God upon Earth, the Sultan and Padishah of the White Sea, the Black Sea, Rumelia, Anatolia, Karamania, Run, Dulkadir, Diyarbekir, Kurdistan, Azerbayjan, Persia, Damascus, Aleppo, Cairo, Mekka, Medina, Jerusalem, all Arabia, Yemen and those other countries which my noble ancestors—may God brighten their tombs!—conquered, and my august majesty has likewise conquered with my flaming sword, Sultan Suleyman Khan, son of Sultan Selim, son of Sultan Bayezid.

Mother, dearest Hafsa, Belgrade has fallen under the scarlet mantle of the Ottoman Empire. May you rejoice at your son’s good fortune and relish in the knowledge that you have made it so....

Our Janissaries and your son shall enter the gates of Istanbul with the burgeoning of the new moon. Please convey my love and unfaltering desire for the beautiful tulip Haseki. She has blossomed in my garden and made it a paradise worthy of any soul. My lips yearn for the sweet caress of her petals, my heart for the flower of her loveliness. I have received the news of our son, Mehmet, and rejoice at the prospect of holding him within my arms.

“He truly loves you, my dear,” added Hafsa, placing the letter by her side.

Haseki smiled, knowing that it was true. She rocked Mehmet in her arms, caressing the tiny hand that rested on top of the embroidered blanket.

“He has the nose of our Sultan.”

“Yes, my child, that is so,” the Valide Sultana agreed. Then, reaching for Haseki’s hand, “And that is why I must warn you....”

Haseki turned to Hafsa in concern. She had been rubbing salt into Mehmet’s skin since the day of birth to keep away evil spirits. Khadija had given her a medallion to place around the child’s neck to stop any with an evil eye taking effect.

“But how can a son of the Sultan be within harm’s way when we are secreted behind stone walls and guarded by at least ten thousand of his men?” she asked.

“My dear, the enemy is within. It has always been here....” Hafsa stroked Haseki’s long red hair. “Do you know why Suleyman is Sultan?”

“­­Because he was the only son, and rightful heir to the Sultanate.”

“No, my child—Suleyman had three brothers, all of whom were in line for the throne before him. One by one they were strangled, or died by some unnatural means. There has been great heartache within these walls.... For there can be only one son, there can be only one Sultan.”

Haseki considered Suleyman’s other children. Mehmet was his fourth son and he had six daughters.

“But how could anyone invade the sanctity of the harem to cause such disaster?”

“You have not heard me, my child. The enemy, your enemy, is already within the harem. I do not know who it is, but without a doubt that person does exist. There can be only one heir and it will be up to your ingenuity and cunning on whether, or not, it is your son.”

Haseki hugged Mehmet close to her breast.