Sehzade Mustafa

He could feel the executioners tightening the rope around his neck... he could feel the air escaping him and the blood rising in his throat.

But he didn't die... heaven willed it so. He remained unconscious, though badly wounded. It was his own father who ordered his execution... and it was his own father who ordered him thrown into the river, for suddenly, the sight before him was unbearable.

The cold water covered his body and soaked his clothes, as the current carried him away.

The currents carried him among rocks and branches, to a shallow part of the river, where his soaked tunic caught on a sharp branch that held him there despite the continuing current.

Near that bank, there was a house where a humble peasant woman lived. The woman was nearby, tending to the sheep and chickens she kept in a pen, when she glanced toward the river and saw him.

She didn't hesitate for a second and dropped what she was doing to run to the riverbank. Looking at him closely, she realized who it was... although she couldn't understand why someone like him would be lying unconscious in the river.

Even so, she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the water. Then, she placed two fingers on the side of his neck, checking that he still had a pulse... her fingers traced the strangulation mark on his neck, and she soon understood what had happened... or at least half of it.

With considerable effort, she dragged him to her house... she couldn't carry him up the stairs, as she might hit his head, so she tried to lift him onto her back and carry him to the small living room, where she laid him down on the sofa.

She took care of closing the front door and stoking the fire in the fireplace, as it was rather chilly outside.

Seeing that he was still soaked, she went upstairs and grabbed a towel, which she used to try and dry the cold dampness from his clothes. Then, she went back upstairs to get a blanket, which she used to keep him warm.

Now all that was left was to wait... she sat on the floor next to the sofa and waited.

Hours later, when night had fallen and the house was dark, though with a faint glow from the fireplace and the few nearby candles, Mustafa began to regain consciousness.

At first, there were a few hoarse groans, as he had lost his voice, but when he opened his eyes and looked at the woman a few feet away, he managed to utter a few words.

"W-where... where am I?"