It was already night time now and we had to go sleep , luckily we found some food stored in the ship to cook for everyone who was on board . We were approximately six people so it was easy to prepare for everyone , it was not something extravagant but at least we were not going to sleep hungry .

Mustafa was already sleeping and i knew i had to sleep too but something in my head told me to go check on him before i sleep .

I went upstairs and walked close to where he was sleeping , the light was only coming from the moon outside so i didn't have a clear view of him . I approached him slowly and could spot some drops of sweat on his forehead .

I grew more panicked and put my hand on his forehead noticing a boiling hot temperature , i put my hand on his neck and it was much warmer.

« Mustafa ? » i whispered trying to wake him up and get him to respond , i shook him a little bit to see if he's conscious .

He opened his eyes slightly but not enough for me to make sure that he was fully aware of his surroundings . I started to grow more concerned .

« I don't - feel well » he managed to utter , it was rare for him to say that which meant something was very wrong with him .

« You're burning hot , you have a high fever you can't stay like this » without asking further , i pushed the blanket away  and got up .

I searched for a bowl and poured some water we had left , i put it on the table right next to him . Was this because of the wound ?

I reached for his shoulders and took off his vest to reduce his body's temperature, as i set it aside i reached for a piece of cloth and put it inside the bowl .

« I hope this is going to work » i said to myself as i watched him struggle to keep his breath steady , i thought maybe i had to change his bandage .

So many things were going through my head , i was confused and didn't know what to do first .

Without wasting time i put the cloth over his forehead making sure to spray water on his neck .

« Can you stay awake with me ? i want to make sure you're doing good » I said while looking at his state .

He nodded and proceeded to look up , he didn't look fine especially when his face looked in pain .

« Does your wound hurt ? » i asked switching the cloth to the other side , he nodded not able to speak .

I had to change his bandage , maybe it was the source of all of this .

« I will change it for you okay ? i will make sure it doesn't hurt » He didn't answer , he just nodded eyes half opened .

I grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, i struggled to put him on his side but i finished by succeeding .

His wound was bleeding , it was about to start leaking out . I grabbed the bag the woman gave us and pulled out all what was there .

I removed the bandage carefully and cleaned it trying my best to not hurt him , after i finished i put a clean bandage and finally put him on his back . He was still looking at the ceiling trying to stay awake

« I used to love falling sick when i was young » i suddenly remembered when i was a kid and i would be excited to have my father care about me more than my brother « sometimes you're too desperate for someone's attention you're ready to do anything for them » i continued now flipping the cloth to the other side .

« Did you fall sick often ? » i try to make him engage in the discussion a little bit and get him out of boredom.

« I did , i used to fall sick often and it was always my mom who stayed awake for me » he worded out trying to keep his voice steady .

« well now i think i am the second one » i said letting out a small laugh , but he kept looking at me with a smile on but his eyes had a very deep expression full of admiration .

«  I - i admire you a lot » my cheeks flushed and my heart was beating at a dangerous rate , i didn't know what to say to that .

« I admire you too , you're very strong and - i wish we could have been talking in different circumstances not stuck in the middle of the ocean and running away » He laughed with the little energy he had left then put his hand up on his forehead .

« You haven't slept well yesterday and now you're doing the same thing , i can handle myself you can go sleep » i objected when he made his remark, there was no way i would let him in this state .

« No , absolutely not . If i let you take care of yourself you'd sleep right away and i can't let that happen until we cool down your temperature » he didn't fight back , he just closed his eyes in response .

I stayed by his side for a long time until his temperature dropped , it took a lot but at least i was efficient . I tried to not bother him and call his name so i stood up and sat on the chair across from him making sure to stay alert .

We have finally arrived , the long awaited destination was finally reached and i knew that when yahya announced it in the early morning .

« We should wake up Mustafa , it's time » i said to yahya who nodded after me and went to wake up mustafa .

I didn't know what was awaiting us but we were obviously the talk of the capital , there was no way this would go unnoticed and mostly i was scared that this would get mustafa in trouble .

I looked from the window and saw the janissaries , this was the first bad sign but i didn't tell them anything until we step out .

« How do you feel ? » i asked mustafa as he was being held up by yahya , he nodded silently and proceeded to put on his vest .

« I don't have to look wounded , this is something all of you have to hide . you too Stella don't talk about anything that had happened » he warned both of us and i just nodded , i guessed he didn't want to get himself in trouble more .

« I'll tell the guards this your highness , but for us we'll stay silent » Yahya waited for my response and i responded with a yes .

Mustafa looked better than yesterday and this was bound to help him in his lie , we were now finally ready to leave . I was honestly scared and stressed

« Stella stay behind me » Mustafa told me as i saw his guards taking place on his side , i nodded and proceeded to stand behind him .

The door has opened and a lot of janissaries were waiting in the port as if they were waiting for us .

« Your highness , welcome back we were waiting for you » the head of janissaries shouted as we stepped out , he looked like a loyal person to mustafa because he didn't t seemed bothered by it .

« Thank you , but there was no need . I will be heading to the imperial palace » Mustafa announced while speaking to all of them , he didn't waste no time and walked towards the horses that were already ready for us .

« Stella , for your own comfort you're going in the carriage . We will meet later fine ? » he asked almost not waiting for my answer so i just did as he said and nodded .

I walked towards the carriage and got in , i knew it wasn't going to be a long ride because while i was thinking about what was going to happen to us we were already there .

I stepped out of my carriage and saw mustafa from afar along with yahya and the guards that came with us . i walked towards them and suddenly his majesy's personal guard which i never knew his name came in

« Your highness , His majesty is asking for you immediately » we all looked at each other knowing that this was the moment we all feared .

« You and her highness princess Stella » he added while looking at me , my heart dropped as i heard his words but we had no choice so the both of us followed him accompanied by Yahya .