Mehmed ll

## Mehmed II

Bright We Burn

**Mehmed II** is the son of Murad, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and later Sultan himself.

## Relationships

### Radu Dracul

Radu and Mehmed grew up together in the palace at Edirne along with Lada. Sometime in his teen years, Radu developed a crush on Mehmed, and although his feelings are never returned, he pours his heart and soul into assisting the young Sultan in any way. When Radu meets Cyprian, his feelings are slowly swayed from Mehmed, and he eventually loses his unhealthy infatuation.

### Lada Dracul

In 1451, 3-4 years after Lada and Radu caused Mehmed to lose his throne temporarily, Mehmed returns to Amasya after the 6 month long war against Hunyadi. He surprises Lada in the small hidden pool that she is swimming in her underclothes on. They had found the pool with Radu, a few years back. Mehmed jumped in and half landed on her, surprising her, and she screamed.  He asked her if she missed him while he was gone and she says that she did. He says he missed her too and then they have their first kiss. During this, they heard Radu’s voice and quickly pushed away from each other. Radu asks Lada why she is trembling, since the pool isn’t that cold, and she looks away from Mehmed and says “No reason.”

Later on, Radu and Lada are in the garden and see Mehmed heading somewhere. He had told them both that he was busy that day, but told them different things that he was “busy” with. They follow him and discover he was a harem in Amasya that they did not know of. They then see one of the women holding a baby, which Mehmed walks up to and places a kiss on his forehead. They realize that it is his son. That night, they waited for Mehmed in his bed chambers, for a late meal together. They plan to ask him about it but when he enters he looks like he is in a rage. He throws a piece of parchment on the floor in front of them Lada picks it up and reads it. She thinks he is mocking her, since it was an invitation to Mehmed to his own wedding.

During the second day into the month long celebration, Mehmed was smiling and laughing with his wife, Sitti Hatun. Lada is angry at him and is not enjoying the party.  A few nights later, again at the party, Radu and Lada are discussing what animals people are. They say Mehmeds mother, Huma, is a cat with weak hips. Then Lada proceeds to ask what kind of animal Sitti Hatun is, and Mehmed interrupts them saying “Yes, what is my bride?”, surprising Lada and Radu. Radu offers his congratulations on his wedding as a response, to which Mehmed tells him to stop, and that he hopes this nightmare has not stolen his two friends too. Lada ignores this, and Radu smiles and says that perhaps Sitti Hatun is a songbird. Mehmed disagrees, saying, “Clearly you have not heard her voice if you think that. No, my precious bride is like a cornered mouse, trembling and squeaking and utterly worthless.” Radu replies that, “She is lovely though.” To which Mehmed says that she is a waste of air, and that he wants to dance. Radu says he does not think Sitti Hatun would like to dance and Mehmed snaps, “Not with her.” He holds out his hand to Lada. Lada is quite angry at this and says, “Now? Now you want to dance? Now you want to speak with me?” She then turns on her heel and runs from the room. Mehmed is confused as too why, and Radu tells him they saw him at his harem with his son. They then discuss this and Mehmed goes to find Lada. Unbeknownst to him, Radu followed him, wondering where he was headed. Mehmed starts pounding on Lada’s door and yells at her to open it. She tells him to take himself to the devil. He tells her they need to talk and she says she needs nothing from him. Mehmed put his head against the door and took a deep breath before saying, “I did not know about the baby until I returned, after I met you at the pool. And then I did not know how to tell you. I still do not, I have no idea how to feel about it. It is . . . A duty. It is the same as sitting through endless councils, hearing complaints of pashas and the petty disputes of Janissaries and Spahis.” He pauses and continues on saying that, “She is detestable. And the harem, I— It is not real, Lada. I visit, and they flit around like phantoms, like paintings. None of them are real to me. You are the only real thing in my life.”Lada then opens the door and Mehmed reaches in and pulls Lada out to him and they kiss and stumble back into her room and close the door.

The next night, Mehmed watched Lada while he sat with Sitti Hatun. She steps back into the shadows of the garden, and Mehmed follows her. He calls her name and searches for her in the darkness. He finds her and she is disappointed and thrilled. She asks how he knew where she was in the darkness and he laughs and says, “This is the best area of the garden tactically. Your back is protected, but you have an open view of everything going on, while remaining hidden. Of course you are here.” He then kisses her and pushes her back against a tree. She grabs his shoulders and spins him around so he is against the tree. Mehmed then feels her leather knife braces on her wrists and asks what they are. There is a noise and she slaps her hand over his mouth. Lada sees a shadowy figure and a flash of light off the metal in the figures hands. She throws her knife and kills him. One of the tortoises with a candle on its back happens to wonder by at that moment and everyone sees the body and Lada and Mehmed.

Mehmeds father, Murad, brings Lada and Mehmed to one of the rooms in the castle to hold trial. Mehmed is asked by his father to tell him what happened. He says he doesn’t know and is then asked why he was in the garden over there. He says he needed to breathe because Sitti Hatuns perfume turns his stomach. Then Murad asks why Lada was over there and she does not answer. Murad walks right up to her and asks her again. She says she was following Mehmed. Murad asks why she would do that and she says to protect him. Murad says, “At his own wedding party? What harm did you think could befall him?” She raises an eyebrow in disgust and says, “A knife in the dark. The exact harm I protected him from.” Murad says there was no knife on the man she killed, to which she says that several people got to the body before the janissary guards did and that anyone could have removed the weapon. Murad asks Mehmed if the man attacked him, and Mehmed says that he was looking for him. Murad says, “And no one could have been looking for you at your own party with anything other than murderous intentions?” Mehmed tells him that he is not that popular. This goes on for a few more minutes, and then Murad asks Lada who she is. She responds with cold fury, saying, “You do not remember?” Halil Pasha then interrupts and tells Murad, “She is Ladislav Dragwyla, daughter of Vlad, the treacherous Vaivode of Wallachian. The treaty breaker. Was it not part of the terms of his princedom that he maintains loyalties to you? In exchange for the lives of his children?” Mehmed interrupts and says that that is not of issue here, and that they are talking about the attempt on his life. Radu was watching this and realizes that Lada is going to die. Murad says, “How could I have forgotten about you?” Finally Radu enters the conversation and sweet talks him, telling him how thankful he is for saving them and educating them, bringing them out of the dark and for being them, to most importantly, God. He also says that he has adopted the Janissary tradition of calling the sultan “Father” and that he and Lada both converted to the Islam religion years ago. Lada’s face turns red with anger since she didn’t but he did. In the end, Radu convinces him to not kill Lada. She calls his name, but Mehmed looks to him waiting for him to join him and some others to discuss what happened.

Sitti Hatun

When Mehmed was about 15, his father arranged a marriage to Sitti Hatun for him. Mehmed, Radu, and Lada travelled to Edirne for the month long wedding and celebration.