closed starter: @maxlmllian location: gardens within the kremlin.
the haseki’s silence during the festivities which has transpired thus far could easily be mistaken for submissiveness or her being amenable, as often wrongly assumed of those in the imperial harem, but it was much the opposite. ayşe sought to observe those in attendance at the great spectacle before making her move. she watched on from both near and far, admiring the way the kings and their pawns moved around the black and white board or court, and getting the measure of who was allied where so that when she spoke up she may do so with certainty. the holy roman emperor was one such piece upon the chess board which had intrigued ayşe for she wondered how the marriage of byzantine and russian blood sat upon the tongue of his own empire; perhaps this joining of two greats might cause the joining of two others.
within the harem ayşe held a great deal of power and control and it was she who had eyes and ears in most places, but she was no fool and knew better than to assume that such advantage extended further than those protected walls. to seek the company of someone of such status as emperor maximillian had would not be a well kept secret, certainly not on foreign soil, so she sought the assistance of a ‘happy coincidence’. having uttered to her most trusted kalfa that she sought the company of the emperor, the haseki sultan ventured into the gardens of the russian kremlin where she would discover that the emperor was coincidentally doing the very same.
“ your imperial highness. ” the haseki feigned surprise as she - followed shortly by her female attendants - paused in her tracks and displayed her most polished and respectful curtsy. “ do you take to the gardens for peace also? so many still reside in their beds or are holding court inside that i selfishly was beginning to wonder if i had these gardens to myself. ”