NERVES THAT HAD NOT BEEN SEEN SINCE she had been a young edition to the harem rushed through her veins, causing a well rested nehir to feel as though she had been pacing all night with a prayer upon her lips that the sun would soon rise and an audience would be permitted. a cryptic note was passed to a servant to be delivered to the sultan before he turned in for the night; wishing him gentle dreams from his already resting consort and a request that she might see him the next morning. nehir’s sickness during the journey and the formalities which awaited iskender upon arrival had thus far kept them apart but there was only so long she could wait. her heart called to him, it was true, but this was not to be a meeting out of greed or lust. it was a meeting of the future. of GOOD news.
the news that the sultan was awake came shortly after breakfast had been delivered to nehir’s chambers - which she had not touched a single scrap of - and she barely waited for the rate of her heart to increase before she ventured through the small distance between her rooms and that of iskender. a female attendant scuttled behind, following nehir’s steps of DETERMINATION as the guards gazes turned away and allowed her the privacy to arrive at the sultan’s door where she would be announced.
“ hünkarım. ” she paused by the doors which closed behind her, bowing her head as her knees bent in unison out of respect; she was his most loyal subject at the beginning and end of it all. “ aşkım ” - my love, words later whispered as her gaze raised once more to look upon the glory of the sultan a moment before stepping towards him with hands extended as she sought any amount of embrace she could achieve. “ have you slept well? i imagine the festivities were long and eventful. ”
She spun on her ankle as her mother entered, a smile blossoming from pink lips as a wave of ladies and servants spun around them like the sea. Oh, how glad she was to be on dry-land; she had spent the duration of the journey in moans of discomfort — begging for the ship to stop the ocean that rocked beneath. Allah himself seemed to have turned a blind eye to her wishes, but such annoyances were soon overturned in favour of presents and rest, as brown eyes widened at the sight of a spectacular veil. “Mumya, it’s beautiful! Did you hide this from me for the entirety of the journey?” She asked, her smile turned in jest as she took the veil without a look to her servant, already holding it at arm’s length to inspect the detail of the garment, before wafting it before her face. “Does it suit me? Do I look beautiful like you?”
“ SO MUCH MORE BEAUTIFUL, ” nehir’s heart was fit to burst as her gaze watched her daughter with pure adoration in her eyes, a hand reaching forward after a moment to tuck a dark strand of hair behind mihrimah’s ear. “ i wished for you to have something of home to comfort you in this strange land but something new that you might feel PRIDE in. our valide sultan chose the colour as i was quite torn; she knows you well. ” basking in the sight of such a joyous look upon her daughter’s face, the older woman retreated to sit beside the window before requesting that mihrimah join her by patting the space at her side. “ have you found comfort here thus far? i hope that you are able to find some excitement and intrigue during our time here, it is so rare that a young woman of your age and position is afforded such opportunity… tell me, what excites you most? ”
“ sevgilim kız, i hope you are pleased with the rooms your have been given? ” nehir announced her presence as she was welcomed into mihrimah’s rooms by the servants whom all halted in their tasks of readying for the arrival celebrations. with her feet now on dry land and a ‘diagnosis’ confirmed, the haseki sultan was quick to brush aside any fears that she was seriously unwell but there were none she wished to reassure more than her children; especially in the hours before the grand spectacle was to begin. “ oh, my mihrimah, how beautiful you are! ” with such overwhelm in her heart at the sight of her daughter as a woman grown, nehir extended her arms to her for a welcoming embrace as a servant of her own caught up; holding in her arms a veil of luxurious silk. “ i thought you might like a new veil for the festivities, after all, your comfort here is paramount. ”
HANDE DOGANDEMIR, 42, HASEKI SULTAN NEHIR. ❝ ⤚⟶ EUROPE, 1458. thanks is given by the HASEKI SULTAN OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, NEHIR SULTAN, from CONSTANTINOPLE. they are at best CAPTIVATING, and at their worst ABRASIVE. whilst abroad, their ambition is to SUPPORT THE SULTAN IN HIS GOALS AND TO SOLIDIFY THEIR SON’S POSITION. SHE seems to remind everyone of HANDE DOGANDEMIR & A MARBLE STATUE STANDING FIRM AGAINST A STORM, THE COMPLETION OF A GRAND MOSQUE, THE COMFORT OF A MOTHER’S ARMS. ❞ penned by BEE; GMT, SHE/HER, 24.
introduction
Choose two of four prompts to answer. Each response must be a minimum of 150 words and reflect understanding of both the character and surrounding plots.
What current conflicts does your character face?
after they had departed florence and made the journey back edirne, the haseki sultan returned to the sehzade’s residence away from the palace with more determination to protect her son thanks to how the events in florence had shaken her. nehir had not been in florence during the initial outbreak of the riots, yet the aftermath and the hurt caused to the sultan’s court and allies was more than enough to raise her fears for the world in which her son would one day play a great part in. knowing that they will soon step upon the world’s stage once again heightens her fears once again but she knows that she must bury them, she must overcome the constant fear that the world will hurt her son for smothering him will do no good. consort branimira and her son seem to breathe down the neck of the haseki sultan but she refuses to flinch, nehir would never wish ill of her or the child but if they were to present a threat to her son then she would never hesitate to protect him. even upon foreign soil.
What are some potential plotlines you are interested in pursuing?
a small amount of anxiety tightens her chest once more upon hearing of the invitation to join the world once more upon western soil but she has chosen to see the benefits of the journey. with new land comes new opportunities, new physicians and practices which might aid the sehzade in his future endeavours, as well as more time beside her beloved sultan to simply bask in his presence or to discuss political matters regarding their son. it is her life’s mission to ensure that her son will be well and able once her time upon this earth is done, even if that is to mean extending a hand for help from foreign doctors and their kings to become allies. this, of course, does not come without difficulties as she finds upon portuguese soil that she is, in fact, pregnant. as a very well preserved and formal woman she knows she must not let impending motherhood cloud her judgement or how others perceive her, she must still make her presence known and felt.
three bullet-points.
nehir, the only daughter of an imam, was born within the city of constantinople during the spring of 1415. at the time, the city was considered a capital of christian culture and prized by the byzantine empire, of which it was part of, which certainly made life difficult for a family of the muslim faith such as that which nehir had been born into. her father would lead prayers at the city’s only mosque, which felt to stand only for when visiting dignitaries may require it as opposed to welcoming lower born muslims within their walls, and it was such public displays of faith which often meant they were exposed to an awful amount of prejudice for their beliefs. with the looming threat of the ottoman empire caused the hatred towards the imam and his family to worsen, his sons were of an age to support and defend themselves but his daughter was still but a girl of merely seven at the time of the siege 1422 and fear for her safety grew with each and every day. after the unsuccessful siege the city’s defences were greatly damaged and the number of soldiers to protect its people dwindled, leaving tensions to continue to rise over the years and the fate of followers of islam whom called constantinople their home was yet to be decided.
in 1430, tensions towards the imam and his family had gotten heated to a level much beyond his comfort and a decision was made which would tear them apart but - he hoped - it would be for the best. a ship bearing an ottoman flag docked on the waters surrounding the city’s walls and it was upon that vessel which he paid for his daughter’s passage when she was just fifteen years of age. the imam had begged and pleaded with the men on board out of nehir’s range of hearing and before she knew it she was being taken from the side of her mother in spite of her kicking and screaming out of fear of the unknown. later her only memory of the passage would be of how rocky the waters were and that she struggled to sleep on the uncomfortable cot she was given, it was a pleasant crossing in comparison to the fear which struck her as she realised she was being taken to the palace of the sultan. for days she did not speak to a soul within the harem, they even wondered if she knew how to, but slowly nehir unfolded her arms along with her attitude and welcomed the education and comfort being offered to her alongside the other young women of a similar age.
for many years she has lived happily within the walls of sultan iskender’s harem, more so than she thought possible! there she received an education unlike any she would get had she remained in constantinople, she found friendships in the sultan’s sister amongst others, yet not a day went by without her thinking of her family. without her feeling guilty for living a comfortable life whilst she knew nothing of what they were facing or if all was well. as she grew older she became quite a strong personality within the harem, gaining confidence by watching the valide sultan and how she conducted herself, and also became quite skilled at making what little she had fashionable. during her first year in the harem she had been chosen by the valide sultan to visit the chambers of the sultan himself. it had not been so long since the death of the sultan and hiranur’s child, a loss which was heavily mourned by the harem and by nehir herself for she had grown to care for hiranur very much, but it was the valide sultan’s thought that a fresh face may be able to awaken their sultan from his mourning but nehir’s approach was more of a comfort than a distraction. many years later, nehir has given the sultan three wonderful children and also her heart.
she has long reigned as the haseki sultan and still to this day holds a great deal of love and adoration for her sultan in spite of the difficulties life has thrown their way. their son was born with difficulties which have caused his upbringing to be one of fear and frustration, but none more so than for the prince himself. given the affection between iskender and nehir it is assumed that their son shall be his father’s successor one day but his condition understandably raises doubts about his ability to rule; it is a fact which his mother stands defiant against as she continues to help him overcome the obstacles in his path and will defend him until her final breath. as her son became of age, both he and nehir were given a position fitting his station outside of the palace but not nearly as far away as others would be. it is with this that nehir is still able to find herself in the presence of the sultan and his family from time to time, a place she seems to become more permanent as time goes on.
@wolf-of-york asked:
☼ If they had the choice to be immortal with one other person, who would they choose?
that would be an easy choice to make, though not the decision some might expect. with her life devoted to the care and protection of her children, it would be easy to assume that nehir would wish for such a gift for her son so that he might overcome all obstacles in his path but you would be wrong. to be immortal with her she would choose sultan iskender. perhaps in a SELFISH act, immortality would allow an eternity for the pair to enjoy and adore one another but it would also lend to several other things;
iskender could hold the position of sultan for eternity and thus never risking fratricide to replace him.
their son would be free to be as he wished without the looming pressure of the empire upon his shoulders.
together, they could risk it all for the safety of their children and the people of the empire without fear for themselves or each other.
@thirdconsort asked:
♚ Do they consider themselves to be evil?
nehir considers herself to be a mother, that is the be-all and end-all of it. she would not claim to be an innocent for she has had no choice but to keep her survival instincts turned on from a very young age, but all that she does is for her children and therefore it is NECESSARY. her daughters deserve only the most honourable of husbands and her son is more than deserving of the same opportunities any in his position would have placed at their feet, she knows this wholeheartedly and will never cease fighting for them for as long as breath remains in her lungs. so, if some of her actions warrent that she be called evil? so be it, she wont regret a single one of them.
@thirdconsort asked:
☾ What is their favorite and least favorite thing about the night?
the darkness and silence which descends upon the ottoman palace threatens to bring a sinister uncertainty with it. nehir is all too aware that conspiritors and enemies band together in order to remove this person or another from their seat of power and holding the position of haseki sultan will no doubt leave her in the hiring line. her days are often spent in service of the sultan or their beloved son, so much so that she turns a blind eye to those whom lurk in the shadows, but once the moon rises in the sky it is only the shadows that can be seen and those whom would dare threaten her suddenly feel all too close.
this is, of course, an IRRATIONAL fear. the harem remains heavily guarded against outsiders and being something of a companion to the valide sultan lends a level of protection that many could only dream of. even when there comes a night where such fear creep up on her and beneith her skin, they are most often silenced instantly by the warmth of the sultan’s arms as they draw each other closer and banish their fears and worries into the night with little more than a content sigh from kiss-swollen lips. THAT is nehir’s favourite thing about the night; that it is often rare she spends them without the arms of her beloved sultan.
over a year ago, i made this meme & since then, it’s blown up. so, over a year later — i thought i would make a new one. so here it is, after several requests & a pile of brains, THE PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP MEME 0.2
send me a ✿ and i’ll fill out the template below. bold for things i could definitely see or want, italics for things i could see or am unsure of and striked out for things i don’t want or cannot see.
FRIENDSHIP. childhood friends / work buddies or coworkers / family friends / friends with benefits / smoking buddies / adventure buddies / fake friends / recently friends / party buddies / friendship of need / dying friendship / circumstantial friendship / partners in crime / old friendship / [ your muse ] is the good influence / [ your muse ] is the bad influence / [ my muse ] is the good influence / [ my muse ] is the bad influence / opposites attract / ride or die / frenemies / roommates or flatmates / penpals / exes to friends / enemies to friends / other .
ROMANCE. childhood sweethearts / [ your muse is mines ] childhood crush / [ my muse is yours ] childhood crush / exes / exes to lovers / forbidden lovers / highschool sweethearts / secret relationship / opposites attract / long distance / unrequited [ from your muses side ] / unrequited [ from my muses side ] / unrequited [ from both sides ] / skinny love / friends to lovers / enemies to lovers / spurious relationship / power couple / newly entered / soulmates [ metaphorical ] / soulmates [ literal ] / awkward / turning toxic / toxic love / cheating [ on your muse ] / cheating [ with your muse ] / other .
FAMILIAL. siblings [ half ] / siblings [ step ] / [ my muse ] is an older sibling figure to your younger sibling figure / [ my muse ] is a younger sibling figure to your older sibling figure muse / [ my muse ] is a parental figure to yours / [ my muse ] is a child figure to your muse / guardian figure / legal guardian / adoptive child / foster child / [ your muse ] is taken under mines wing / [ my muse ] is taken under yours wing / other .
ANTAGONISTIC. dangerous to each other / dangerous to others / unpredictable / rivals / petty / developing into sexual or romantic tension / based off family matters / based of off circumstance / based of professional matters / based off misunderstanding or lies / conflict of ideology / betrayal / hero - villain dynamic / enemies / fight club / friends turned enemies / lovers turned enemies / exes turned enemies / other .
Send a symbol for a headcanon about my muse. All horror/angst/scifi related.
✘ Have they ever committed a murder?
▼ What is their greatest fear?
✿ Would they ever trust dark or wicked magic?
△ Name one thing from their past that they regret.
✂ If they had to choose one weapon to carry forever, what would it be?
☣ Would they kill someone close to them if they had to?
☢ Would they survive an apocalyptic situation?
❣ If someone had the power to bring them back after death, would they want them to?
☠ Do they fear death?
♱ What do they think awaits them after death?
¿ Are they easily frightened?
╳ How would they react to seeing a loved one become possessed?
☹ Name one person they would kill for.
☼ If they had the choice to be immortal with one other person, who would they choose?
☎ How would they react to being contacted by a deceased love one?
★ Do they have a favorite scary story?
♣ Do they believe the world is made up of good and evil?
♥ Have they ever acting out of heartlessness?
☾ What is their favorite and least favorite thing about the night?
ψ Do they think they deserve punishment for their wrongdoings?
ϟ Have they ever gotten pleasure from causing others pain?
♚ Do they consider themselves to be evil?
♒ If they could choose how to die, how would they want to go?
™ Are they possessive?
✔ Are they holding a grudge against anyone?
◯ Do they believe in ghosts?
✦ Who is their favorite villain?
웃 Do they believe in aliens?
pre-opening games // DAY ONE.
𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍𝐄 / journey self para / 50 points.
the journey was quite familiar in comparrison to the last time they took to the sea to visit western lands, though the duration seemed longer this tme. much longer. whilst tension hung in the air at the possibility of further conflict with the west, there was more of a sense of intrigue which lifted nehir than she had felt when they travelled to florence. this time, she was almost excited. the recent marriage of their beloved sultana, melek, made the empire feel united in joy and the pride and power of their sultan unmatchable, any who set eyes upon the imperial entourage could do nothing but admire in awe.
whilst in florence nehir had enjoyed some time away from the confined of the smaller than usual harem to admire some of the lands surrounding the city upon the arm of the sultan, fortunately they had missed the riots by doing so, and the possibility of having such an opportunity again filled her with a childish excitement that now - in the later years of her life - was reserved for the presence of the great iskender of house osman. she knew no harm could come to her in his arms. though that was not the only reason she was excited for she knew that the majority of his time was to be used for political matters and international affairs. no, she was excited at the possibilities of discovering medicines and therapies used by the people of portugal, hoping that she might find something or someone to benefit her son further as he continued to make great progress.
any unease of the stomach or fluttering within the chest was simply put down to nerves regarding the journey and the destination which awaited them. in the abensence of the valide sultan, nehir’s time was largely dedicated to assiting hurrem sultan in soothing the other women of the harem and ensuring that entertainment was enough to keep tempers from flaring in their confined space. though by the second day at sea nehir spent many a waking hour taking to her own bed. the rocking of the waves and the thought of eating any of the food offered to her was as unsettling as if even the suggestion of it offended her, even the voices of others seemed to turn her stomach and they were quickly sent away. as the days went on she began to get back onto her feet by prioritising her rest, no longer rushing up each morning to display a facade of strength before the others, but the sickness and tiredness did not subside so easely.
as the port of lisbon appeard on the horrizon, nehir sought the assistance of the court physician to help put her mind to rest regarding her sickness. after many questions and an eamination, much to nehir’s surprise, it was revieled to her that she was in fact with child. given her age it came as quite a shock, she had entirely written it off as a diagnosis when the thought previously came to mind, but it made much sense. the sickness and tiredness reflected exactly how she had felt when carrying her son many years ago. the word has not yet spread amongst the harem, nor does their sultan know, for now it shall remain nehir’s little secret until the time comes to share her most exciting news.
Her spirits rose at the mere sight of her mother, whom was dearest of all to her. With a tender smile to the passing woman of her mother’s company she didn’t hesitate to enter her mothers arms in fond embrace. “Anne, there isn’t any one place or person who could beget me to forget you!” She replied with a soft laugh as she shook her head at her mothers usual exaggerations. She held her hand in hers as she lead them to sit alongside the open windows, for the refuge of the cool breeze.
“My day has been…long. I find myself missing our home more and more so as of late. Perhaps it’s the lull of melancholy that has fallen upon Florence, reminding me of the peace and comfort it seems we are so far from.” She admitted steadily. Her initial excitement of their new surroundings was slowly fading as tensions grew within their host castle. What troubled her the most was the discomfort and trauma experienced by her own family. Aware of the current state of Branimira Sultan, Melek, and her Hala. And the anger in which her father was likely roiling.
THERE WAS NO SIGHT SO BRIGHT in the eyes of nehir as that of her daughter’s appearance in her doorway. for many years she had seen much of herself in the young sultana and borrowed the strength of her daughter when her own dared to wane on matters closes to her heart so now, in this lion’s den they called FIRENZE, she was the most comforting of people whom could have graced her doorway. “ i must always ensure that to be the case for one day it may change, i seek to enjoy it whilst it continues. ” smiling at the mere sound of her daughter’s laughter, nehir basked in welcoming her into her warm embrace momentarily as a content sigh escaped her curved lips.
“ we will return in good time, my darling girl, DO NOT allow these hostilities to dampen your heart. ” as she sat at her daughter’s side, nehir held her hand between both of her own and cradled it in her lap as though it were a jewel of immeasurable worth and must be protected at all cost. they had not always seen eye-to-eye in regards to zuleyha’s interest in things of a catholic origin but it was undeniable that seeing such joy and intrigue in the eyes of her beloved girl brought so much joy to the heart of her mother. for that, they always found a compromise. “ your baba and eniste are wise men, they will guide us through this conflict and send us all home to our peace and safety when it is safe and proper to do so. besides, they both have your hala to guide them and in that we must trust. tell me, you must have had some excitement recently, no? you have ran out of burning questions already? ”
mira did not stand once she heard who was knocking at her door. she was graceful the language was not turkish, she could not deal with more humiliation and not at the hands of nehir.
she looked away when the light from the hallway came into her room. she hadn’t seen the candle light in days or even the sun. she looked away once more, new tears coming to her eyes. “i am not hungry, nehir,” she whispered, closing her eyes as her voice gave her away.
NEHIR; such familiarity upon greeting, when she herself had the respect to note branimira’s newly acquired title upon entrance, was irritating to say the least but the shadows within the room hid the perk of nehir’s brow as she allowed it to slide due to the younger woman’s current state. but JUST THIS ONCE. “ i did not ask if you were. our sehzade needs his mother to set a strong example for him in days such as these, won't you at least leave this ... CAVE for the sake of your son? ”
turnnoffyourmind
tangentwithtanner
areudirty
pixelskylines
romaincrisis
dailybridgerton
amandla
