Sehzade Cihangir

Cihangir was the youngest son of Hurrem Sultan and Sultan Suleiman, the prince who, in the opinion of many, was the least temperamental. The truth is, Cihangir was always calm and composed, the kind of person who pleased others with his mere presence.

Living in the shadow of his brothers, Cihangir became quite insecure. He believed his lack of character placed him at the bottom of the line of succession. But living in his brothers' shadow didn't just make him insecure; it also made him someone who tried very hard not to make mistakes. While his brothers sometimes slipped up, he believed he couldn't allow himself to do so, since others had a certain image of him.

But all that changed the day he went hunting with his father, the Sultan, and his brother Mehmet. The three of them were walking along the dirt path, covered in dry leaves. Mehmet and the Sultan were deep in conversation, while Cihangir remained silent, as usual. But when he glanced to one side, Cihangir saw a young girl near the lake. She was undoubtedly a peasant, as her clothes clearly indicated, but she was undeniably beautiful nonetheless.

Cihangir, who never considered stepping out of line, suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to abandon his father and brother and go to meet this young woman.

Cihangir looked ahead again. His father and brother had gone on ahead and were still talking amongst themselves. Clearly, they weren't paying attention to him, and Cihangir had never been happier about that.

With measured steps, making sure they didn't see him, he veered off and began to descend the gently sloping path along one side where several trees and bushes grew.

Although he couldn't prevent some leaves from getting tangled in his hair, he finally reached the lake. After emerging from the trees and walking silently toward the girl, he cleared his throat.

As soon as the girl turned to look at him, he felt a new wave of nervousness at her beauty; his heart pounded wildly, and he suddenly forgot how to speak.

"I-I... uh... I mean." He hesitated.

"You're beautiful." The words escaped him before he could stop them, and upon hearing what he'd said, he covered his mouth with both hands, wishing the earth would swallow him whole.