As all exceptional ladies ruled by espionage, Mahidevran prided herself on a well-established staff of spies; she perfectly knew the power of a well tailored soldier; the cultivation of a perfectly fashioned hammer, to wield within her fist. Dilsah had risen above the rest; gaining knowledge by methods appearing facile, without painful exertion or waste of spirit. Better yet, lay the wisdom to adhere to the Valide’s plans, altering little, and requesting none. May fierce warning be granted, to wretched figure who relied on her a fraction beyond the point where it was in her interest to consulted; interest was the master key of Mahidevran’s nature - birthing point of allother motives. “The Şehzade favours his father’s discreet modus operandi indeed, a habit I should seek to stamp out him, before his ascension - have you yet taken an interview, with him? I shall arrange one, if you regretfully inform me, you have not. If he should be receptive, do not hesitate to lend your wisdom to his wanton ear - the men of our Empire, are dependant on the might of its women.” She traced in this gesture, every ounce of favour and delight, she took in Dilsah’s companionship; the rays of good favour, shone partial over her head. “Dark-haired, akin to a raven? He has long refused to disclose his preference, but we have secured an inkling at last - I am most eager, to capitalise on this gain. I bid you to keep further tabs, on the entanglement …. if she pleases him, I shall grant it my blessing. On the front of securing a desirable partner, amidst our allies, I confess a growing lack of confidence. Have you much acquaintance, with the young ladies of the court?”
With tendencies of severity and terrors, Mahidevran excited fear in ordinary minds; yet no cursed word, no vehement aversion, drove her lady, frantic. “Chatter within our courts is consequence of action, no matter the extent of distortion the truth has endured - you are well, to have informed me of the development. He conquers his hesitation to grasp the reigns of succession, whilst allowing himself the indulgence of affection - the sentimentality of my grandchildren, warms my heart in varying degrees. But this sympathetic stock, is a weakness easily exploited. Take care, that you remain as vigilant as ever, as you bestow your favourable regard and softer sentiments. Women of our order, are not fit for the indulgence.” The candour of Murad’s sentiments and his kind humour, result of having been born beneath a smiling star, had derived none of its aspects, from the Valide. Attempts to appeal to her heart, most notably on the account her sex was dominated by its whims, was the surest way to earn her antipathy and to make of her, a foe. “You know me too well – woe the be day, I forfeit your affections. Another dish of tea, and the further detainment of your company; we are to fashion, a scheme for you : on the account, of the Russians.”
dilşah would not admit to mahidevran’s presence being a comforting one––perhaps, only as soothing as the sight of the axe is to an executioner, but familiar nonetheless––yet there was a certain ease, an irrefutable concord to their routine, that she felt in the company of the sultan’s mother and relatively nowhere else in her life. debt and responsibility to the valide deprived dilşah of moments otherwise engaged in self-reflection; her mistress’ preoccupation with her own fortune and a myriad of ambitions demanding that dilşah’s every waking moment be reserved for mahidevran’s benefaction. it was a but a trifling price to pay, dilşah wagered, for the prestige had been bestowed in spades in return; there were few among the sultan’s imperial entourage who did not either extol or deprecate the cariye’s name, proceeded by motifs of immense fealty and unrelenting service to the throne, and such was undoubtedly a result of her unequaled intimacy with the valide herself. still, she was not so audacious in her role as to voice an untoward thought to the valide ( monarchs valued individuality, so long as it did not eclipse their own ) and thus formed a deft habit of echoing mahidevran’s philosophies. when apt, she recommended counter-measures that would gratify her mistress’ motives, remaining heedful until mahidevran engaged her with an inquiry––dangled like a dusk-purpled jewel before her.
❛ i have seen his grace only fleetingly, and to ensure his well-being with my own eyes. i find him a most adroit conversationalist, though perhaps he remains apprehensive to speak his mind in the company of his büyükanne... ❜ discretion seemed to be an upwards trend amongst rulers, yet dilşah could remember a time when the bedfellows the sultan kept provided both table talk and political ammunition; universal in its interest across the length and breadth of the sultanate. even in the thick of dilşah’s admittedly ephemeral girlhood, she too could boast of a faculty to recall the names of each woman, both native and adventitious to edirne, who sported the boons of the sultan’s affections ( which she deemed equally ephemeral. ) ❛ after all, in the şehzade’s eyes, you are unrivaled in virtuous sentiments; not only a high-octane valide, but beloved blood relation. if it should please your grace, i will increase my contact with the prince, and inform you of our discussions. as for his raven-haired guest, ‘tis only a matter of time before pride and vanity lead pigs to squeal and she may soon grovel at your grace’s feet for a more... permanent position. ❜
with a nod, the cariye sets aside her loom and silk and rose to prepare the valide another dish of tea; directing the eunuch who bid patiently at the door to fetch his mistress another fresh lemon to garnish her refreshment. retrieving a kettle from the hearth, her ears prickle to the valide’s thinly-veiled inquisitiveness. the iron is warm, even beneath her mitten. ❛ the young ladies of court? ❜ voice as light and as clear as a summer sky, preparing for the onslaught of a tempest, she feels a grin curl at her lips as the valide pins a gaze to her spine. ❛ so few stand the test of time, valide, there is virtually no reason to trifle ourselves so––with the exception of şehzade kasim’s mother, of course. yet, with the haseki’s triumphant return to court, mayhap her reign will soon come to an end––‘tis a cycle each woman who enters and egresses the sultan’s harem must come to grips with, is it not? ❜ in saying so, dilşah felt great content that her pride of place in constantinople was not won by virtue of the sultan’s carnal affections for her, volatile as the male gaze was; rather, she had grasped her position by way of cunning and skill, and was determined to maintain it in similar fashion. ❛ better that they learn quickly, than fatally. ❜
dilşah returns to the valide with a dish of tea, lemon lapping gently against dark-brewed liquid. in it, she descries her own reflection: azure eyes standing sharply alert, softened––deceptively so––by the sooty lashes that encumber them. ❛ tsar ivan rurik’s entourage, ❜ the cariye reiterates; this time, curiosity lands in her own net. mahidevran and she have begun a game of sleight-of-hand tricks, volleying secrets and ambitions between each other, with the ladies who encircled the valide none the wiser. ❛ a scheme all too easily carried out, i surmise; what the russians possess in grit and mettle, they lack in wit... what will you have me do? ❜
