Captive of the Agha: Berdel

Feeling the wind on my skin amidst the beauty of Mesopotamia, I closed my eyes. I spread my arms wide. I loved this feeling. One day, I too wanted to go wherever I wished freely like the wind and fulfill my dreams, but I thinki it won’t happen anymore. I am Berfu Şamoğlu... I am the daughter of Hasan, the leader of the Şamoğlu tribe, one of the largest tribes in Mardin... While everyone knew me this way, I was not actually that person. I was a young girl of twenty-two whose dreams were left unfinished. My only dream was to become a doctor and be of help to people, but my father had shattered those dreams. He was the destroyer of my dreams. He had only allowed me to study up to high school. The only thing I could do in response to this decision was: To cry silently at night, submitting to my fate... Why did women always have to submit to fate? If one day it were in our hands to change this rule, I would change it. My grandmother would affectionately call me 'My beautiful-faced but ill-fated child.' As my grandmother said, with my jet-black straight hair, dark skin, and kohl-lined light brown eyes, I was a girl whose beauty was legendary yet my fate was bad. My parents never loved me. Their affection was reserved entirely for my brother, showering him with the care and pride I never received. Perhaps because I was a girl. It was only my grandmother who loved me. If it weren't for her, I would have died from being beaten by now. She always saved me from my father's hands. She was my only savior in this life. As my straight hair waved in the wind, I was startled by a voice calling, "Berfu." When I opened my eyes and turned around, Ayaz Şahinoğlu stood before me, his presence as imposing as ever. As the heir of the Şahinoğlu tribe, one of the largest and most powerful in Mardin. He was used to getting whatever he desired. Yet, despite my father’s eagerness to see me married, he had firmly rejected Ayaz's proposal. For once, someone dared to deny Ayaz Ağa what he wanted, leaving him simmering with frustration and determination "What are you doing here?" I asked, fearfully. "I caught your scent, my beauty. When I saw you came here, I wanted to come to you." When he tried to approach me, I stopped him with my hand. "Don't come closer. Don't even think about touching me! Don't! I'll scream!" I warned. He laughed. "At this hour of the morning, no one can hear you except the crows. There's no one here but you and me! We're alone. Just as I wanted, Berfu. You came to me on your own." "Stay away from me! I don’t want you! My brother doesn’t consent, and neither does my father! Just go away!" As he stepped closer, I instinctively raised my hand to block him, but he was very strong. He could do whatever he wanted to me. My body began to tremble uncontrollably as fear tightened its grip on me. Do you understand? Whether you agree or not, you will be my wife. I will speak to your father and brother, and this time, they’ll have no choice but to hand you over—or they’ll face death. I always get what I want, and right now, I want you. Until I’m satisfied, you will be my only wife!” I shook my head despite the fear choking me. As I backed away, he continued to approach me. I felt the acid rising from my stomach. I felt like I was going to vomit. I was always disgusted by him. "Never! Don't come near me! Get away from me!" "I didn’t ask for your opinion, Berfu! We will get married, whether you like it or not. If they see us together, there will be no choice but to marry," he said, closing the distance between us with each word. I picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at him, managing to escape. He was here to trap me because he was right. If they saw us together, we would have to get married. As I ran with all my might, he was right behind me. "Don't run, Berfu! Eventually, I will catch you! You can never escape me! I won't let you run away!" he shouted. I kept looking back. For every step I took, he took two. I turned to the right up ahead. Just then, I collided with a solid body. As I fell, a pair of arms caught me and pulled me close. Our faces were so close, I could feel the warmth of his breath mingling with mine. I was gasping for air, my heart racing as his breath brushed against my skin. With each breath, my pulse quickened, and a fluttering sensation stirred in my stomach… something I couldn’t quite understand. These feelings were foreign to me, unexpected and overwhelming. As he looked at me with furrowed brows, I recognized him. He was Fırat Bozoğlu, the leader of the Bozoğlu tribe, the largest tribe in Mardin. He was known as the most handsome man in Mardin. I was seeing him this close for the first time. We were enemies with the Bozoğlu tribe, our history marked by past conflicts that ran deep. Because of this, we steered clear of any place they might be, always keeping our distance to avoid more bloodshed. Fırat Bozoğlu was right in front of me and still very close. My heart was beating very fast. I had never witnessed it beating this fast before. "Who are you? Why are you out of breath?" he asked. He didn't know me, and if he did, he might not help me. "Please, help me. Someone's after me," I said, out of breath, unable to speak. "Who are you running from?" he asked in a flat voice. Hearing his voice made my already racing heart speed up even more. Seeing him up close had thrown off all my balance, and his voice had turned me upside down. What was happening to me? What had Fırat Bozoğlu done to me? Fırat Bozoğlu’s expression hardened, his jaw tightening with anger when he heard the voice shouting my name, "Berfu." "Is he the one chasing you?" I nodded fearfully. Through clenched teeth, he said, "Go now! He can't harm you." So I looked at him with gratitude. Tears welled up in my eyes as I whispered, "Thank you so much." He gently pushed me away, urging me to go. "Go, hurry!" he said, and I met Ayaz's gaze. Just as Fırat had said, I needed to leave immediately. "Fırat Bozoğlu." "Ayaz Şahinoğlu." As they glared at each other angrily, I struggled to catch my breath. I felt very tired from running. Ayaz asked, "What are you doing here, Fırat?" “And since when do you start harassing women? I’ll kill you!” he shouted, his voice seething with fury. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment, and I’m not going to let it slip away!” I started running away from them and didn't stop until I reached home. If Fırat Bozoğlu hadn't appeared, who knows what Ayaz would have done to me? The thought alone sent chills down my spine as I entered through the back door I had used to leave the house. Thankfully, no one had woken up. Otherwise, I would have been beaten. I went into my room and closed the door. I leaned my back against the door and pressed my hand to my heart. For the first time, someone had made my heart race so much, and that someone was Fırat Bozoğlu. *** Weeks Later… I was entangled in the grip of an impossible love. I had fallen for someone I could never have. You can't choose who you fall in love with. I couldn't choose either. If I could, I would never choose to fall in love with him. Sometimes I wondered if I felt this way because he saved me, but from what I'd read in books, I concluded that it was a kind of love. Love at first sight... And for the leader of our enemy clan... There wasn't a single day that went by without thinking of him, but this love was more than impossible. I had to live with this love inside me. Besides, I wanted to study and pursue my dreams before getting married. One afternoon, while I was sitting in the courtyard with my mother and grandmother, my brother walked in holding a girl's hand, prompting my mother and grandmother to stand up. While I was trying to figure out who the girl was. My mother asked, "Adar, who's this girl?" "Mother, she’s my wife, Dilan." I put my hand over my mouth in disbelief. Had my brother married without telling us? My mother then asked, "What are you saying? What do you mean, your wife? Did you get married without our consent? Son, do you hear what you're saying?" The girl who I learned was named Dilan looked very familiar. I looked carefully. She was also holding my brother's hand tightly. My grandmother shook her head in disapproval. "What on earth have you done, my son? How can you bring the daughter of the Bozoğlu family into this house as your wife? Do you want to die?" Had my brother kidnapped the daughter of the Bozoğlu family? My heart pounded as if it would leap out of my chest, and I began to feel scared. Was my brother asking for trouble? My mother screamed, "Hasan, hurry!" When my father came down the stairs and saw my brother and Dilan, he only frowned. "Adar?" "Father, this is my wife, Dilan and from now on, she will stay with us in this house. She is my wife by religious marriage!" I expected a big reaction from my father, but he didn't give one. On the contrary, it seemed as if he already knew. When my mother gasped, "Hasan Ağa, did you know about this? How could you allow such a thing?" and seemed on the verge of fainting, I rushed to her side. Gently, I took her arm and helped her sit down, my heart racing. As she struggled to steady herself, I grabbed a cloth soaked in cologne and began rubbing it over her wrists, trying to calm her. The tension in the room was suffocating, and I could feel my own anxiety mounting with every passing second. My father’s voice cut through the tension like a knife. “Everyone, calm down. I will handle this,” he said firmly. His eyes were cold, resolute. “If my son loves someone, he will get what he wants.” Turning to my brother, he added, “Adar, take your wife and go to your room.” My mother, still in shock, continued to faint and revive. "You're knowingly throwing our son into the lion's den!" My father frowned at my mother. "Be quiet now! No one can kill my son! Calm down and wait! No harm will come to anyone." My father was very calm. My grandmother, however, continued to complain to him. "Hasan, are you thinking? Dilan is the daughter of the Bozoğlu family, and nothing good will come of this!" My father put his hand on his head and stroked it but didn't say a word to anyone. When my mother said, "Oh God, protect my son. He is my only treasure," something inside me broke. Why did my mother never love me? I struggled not to say, "I'm here too, mom," but I just lowered my shoulders. My father had asked the maids for coffee. He was checking his watch as he calmly drank the coffee served to him. It seemed there was another reason for my father's calmness. My grandmother looked at him, shaking her head in disapproval, and then turned to me. "My girl, take me to my room. I think my blood pressure is up." When we went up to her room, I measured my grandmother's blood pressure. It had indeed risen. I gave her a sublingual pill and sat beside her. "Your brother, Adar, has done something very wrong," she said. "Grandmother, what will happen now?" I asked. "The Bozoğlu family is very powerful," my grandmother continued, her voice laced with worry. "They have eyes and ears everywhere. They will definitely find out and come to the house. They have a deep grudge against us. This will end badly for us…” I asked curiously, “Why do they hate us? Grandma, what did we do to them?" My grandmother started to unravel the mystery that had intrigued me for years. "Before your grandfather, his uncle's son, Ekrem, was the leader of our clan. While he was the leader, everyone lived in harmony. He had a beautiful daughter, Rojda... Rojda was as beautiful as a flowing stream. You actually resemble her. She fell in love with Mehmet from the Bozoğlu clan. Mehmet and Rojda got married, but five years later, a major incident occurred. Rojda was accused of infidelity and they took her life. Ekrem abandoned everything and left and the leadership was passed to your grandfather. That's how the enmity between the Bozoğlu and Şamoğlu clans began, but Rojda was not someone who would cheat on her husband. She was very pure and innocent. They slandered her. Oh, my Rojda. Her fate was sealed as well." I never expected such a story. I was surprised and deeply saddened. As I massaged my grandmother's forehead, a voice was heard from downstairs. That voice belonged to Fırat Bozoğlu. My heart was pounding, both because he was coming here and because I was worried about my brother. My grandmother whispered, "They've come. From now on, the verdict is clear. We need to be prepared for everything. This event will change the fate of many people." I rose and peered out the window towards the door. Firat was accompanied by several men in suits, and it was clear from here that he was angry. He started banging on the mansion's door. "Adar Şamoğlu, open the door! Your time has come! Wherever you're hiding, it's time to come out!" he shouted. As my grandmother and I descended into the courtyard, we saw that my father had already opened the door. Fırat Bozoğlu stood inside, his presence commanding attention. He was a middle-aged man, his features sharp and hardened by years of conflict. Beside him stood an older man, his graying hair and stoic expression betraying a life steeped in the weight of power and years.The other men were waiting at the door. Our men and theirs had drawn guns on each other. The tension in the room was thick. My father shouted, "How dare you storm into my home like this? If you don't want to die, get out immediately!" The middle-aged man asked angrily, "Where are Dilan and Adar?" My father looked at him impassively. "I don't know," he said. Though my father was well aware of the tension, he feigned ignorance, his composure unwavering. Fırat Bozoğlu, however, wasn’t pretending. With an angry growl, he stormed toward my father, his gun drawn and aimed directly at him. The sound of the click echoed through the courtyard. I clamped my hand over my mouth, trying to stifle the panic rising in my chest. Behind me, my mother’s terrified scream pierced the air, and my body trembled uncontrollably. "Your shameless son has abducted my sister! Where are they? Tell me, or I'll kill you too!" he shouted. My father also drew his gun and pointed it at him. My father's gaze was primarily on the oldest man among them. Everyone, except for that man, had drawn their weapons. There was anger in his eyes. Just then, my brother and Dilan started descending the stairs. My brother had the look of someone with a death wish. “We're here, Fırat Bozoğlu! Right in front of you.” Fırat pointed his gun at them. “You scoundrel! How dare you do this? Do you have a death wish?” he shouted. My brother looked at him defiantly. “I love Dilan and she loves me too. No one can stop us, Fırat Ağa!” It was the first time I saw my brother show such bravery because he was usually a coward. The middle-aged man asked, “Dilan, my daughter, what have you done? How could you do this to us?” He was both sad and angry. "Father, I love Adar. I wanted to marry him, and you left us with no other choice. We’re already married. Adar is my legal husband now, and my place is with him!" Fırat said harshly, “Then you knew what the consequences would be!” My brother's gaze was also on Fırat. “Go ahead! Shoot! Kill me and your sister.” While my brother was challenging him, my mother was crying out. I was watching them from the sidelines. My grandmother was beside me, holding my hand tightly. I noticed Fırat's hand trembling. No matter what, she is still his sister, but only I noticed this. “The decision is final. You will die,” he said in a determined tone. I silently shed tears because I know that blood was about to be spilled here soon. My mother cried out, “Hasan, do something! They will kill our son right before our eyes!” My father's gaze was on the old man. “With Civan Ağa present, I have no say!” he said, and all eyes turned to that old man, Civan Ağa. With just one word from him, Dilan and my brother could die. "Fırat, lower your weapon!" Fırat turned to his grandfather without lowering his weapon. "What do you mean, grandfather? This bastard kidnapped Dilan! The sentence is clear. They must die." Civan Ağa shook his head. "There will be a bride exchange, Firat!" His voice echoed in my ears. He continued, looking at my father. "In exchange for Adar and Dilan's lives, my grandson Fırat and your daughter Berfu will marry each other." I was stunned when he said that. Marry Fırat? My heart was in my mouth as Firat’s eyes turned to me. His eyes were filled with intense anger. Fırat was both my savior and the man I loved, yet he hated me...