It was the first day of spring. The Casanova family decided to organize a celebration on the occasion of the first day of spring.

It had been sunny since morning. The sun hovered over the Venetian lagoon and illuminated all the small alleys. It was maybe even too hot for the first day of spring.

My name is Rachela Casanova. I am a young girl who had just turned seventeen. I was the only child of my father who had always been disappointed with my gender. I has always tried to please her father and try to get his love. Ever since my mother died, I has become very close with her father.

As my father loved archery, I decided to deal with it with him. He taught me for years and I became excellent in archery. It was strange for a girl my age to be interested in such sports, but I ignored the comments.

The celebration of the first day of spring was also attended by the young Venetian Leonardo Farussi. Farussi's father was one of the very important people for the Venetian community as he was the Doge of Venice, and my father wanted to marry me and Leonardo.

I've always been against it, but my father wasn't really interested in my opinion on it. He knew that if I married an influential man I would save my life, but I didn't want that. I was not interested in interest of marriage.

The doge was discussing with my father all the time about the Venetian relationship with the Ottoman Empire. Ever since I know for myself, Venice has had problems with the Ottoman Empire. Both countries wanted to be the main ones in the Mediterranean, and as enemies they could not become that.

Ever since I was little, my father taught me to speak Turkish. He always told me how he knew that one day the barbarians would step on our Venetian soil, and how I had to know the language to defend myself from the enemy. I didn't even know then how much I would be grateful to him in the future for teaching me Turkish.

The doge recounted how he refused to pay the Ottoman sultan the tax he had promised him. He said that he did not want to cooperate with them and that was why the Ottoman Sultan was moving towards our state.

It scared me a little, because I heard all kinds of stories about the Ottomans. They sowed fear over southern Europe. At that moment, we all heard the sounds of trumpets and drums. There was silence and stillness when we heard that sound.

- Father, what do you hear? I asked my father anxiously, but he didn't answer me at all. He just got up from the table in shock and headed for the large window from which the whole of Venice could be seen.

The Venetian Doge approached him, and then Leonardo and I. I saw a big ship, the biggest I had ever seen in my life. A large triangular flag fluttered on the ship. On the deck of the ship were over a hundred men dressed all in red with red turbans.

- Janissaries! said my father in shock. At that moment my father and Doge looked at each other and did not know what to do.

- We must be ready to defend Venice! said the Doge, and drew his sword. We armed the security guards at the door who guarded the doge's palace.

As I was not skilled with rifles or swords, I opted for the bow and arrow I managed best.

- Rachel, take care. - my father told me and went out into the courtyard of the doge's palace. I was left alone in the backyard of the palace. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if my father would come back alive.

They have always frightened us with stories of the Ottomans, who took girls from their homes and sent them to the Harem to serve the Sultan and his family.

The very thought of it made me even angrier. I have to defend my homeland. The place where I was born. Venice will not surrender just like that.

I looked out the window and saw the guards, my father, the doge, and his son fighting the Janissaries. But the fight was unsuccessful. Fifteen Venetians against a hundred Ottoman Janissaries.

I felt a terrible fear inside me, and at that moment the door opened in front of me. I stood motionless.

- This is the Doge's Palace, my lord. Now that you have conquered Venice, this is becoming one of your estates. - I heard an old man talking to a young man. The old man had a long gray beard and mustache. He wore a large white cap that indicated he was highly positioned in the Ottoman state.

- Excellent, Ahmed Pasha. I finally conquered what my ancestors had to by force. I became the first Ottoman ruler of Venice! said the younger man. He had brown hair and a brown beard that made him extremely handsome. From a distance I saw that it was beautifully built and I thought to myself, this is the most beautiful person I have ever seen in my life.

- You haven't conquered Venice yet. While I am alive, Venice is not your property. - I raised my head and said loudly to the two men. They just looked at me in shock that someone wanted their conversation.

- Slave! Who are you to talk like that in front of Sultan Murad Khan? !! the older man shouted at me. Sultan Murad Han? Only those words went through my head for these few seconds. This man is the Sultan?

But I thought the Sultan was some old frowning man in his late fifties, not a young handsome man in his twenties. But I wanted to remain indifferent and forced myself to think that he was my enemy and the enemy of my state.

I came closer to him and started looking him in the eye.
- You will never rule Venice. Never! I told him, looking at him angrily, but he just laughed at that.
- An ordinary woman will forbid me to do that? - he said in a sarcastic voice, making fun of me and letting me know that he does not support women's power.

- You can call me whatever you want, but you can't call me an ordinary woman. I am no ordinary woman to you nor will I ever be. I told him in a furious tone about her attempt to lower me.

At that point I just took the bow and arrow I had in my hand and drew them. I directed them towards Sultan Murad. The Sultan looked at me frantically at that moment, and to his good fortune and to my great misfortune, someone took a bow and arrow from my back.

Suddenly they knocked me to his knees. I turned around to look and saw two janissaries throwing me on the floor.

- My lord, this woman deserves to be given the worst possible punishment. You need to do it now! - An older man named Ahmed Pasha told him and looked at me angrily.

I saw that the Sultan was signaling with his hands to everyone to move out of the room, including Ahmed Pasha. I remained on my knees kneeling as he came in front of me.

- Why did you want to kill me? - he asked, trying to hide his anger and not show it to others.
- Because your army was responsible for my father's death when you came. And not just my father, and the doge and his son and all the security guards. - I told him angrily, looking him in the eye.

- It is not my fault that they opposed us, I came to solve it through diplomacy. he said in a calm tone. He was walking around me and at that moment he ordered me to get up. I did it not because he ordered me to, but because I wanted to. I wouldn't allow myself to do it just because some Sultan did it to me.

- You will receive the punishment you deserve. he told me, looking me deep in the eye. He had irresistible eyes, but I didn't want to look at them so as not to reveal my weaknesses.

- Kill me now if that's your goal. I told him with a smile, knowing he wouldn't kill me. I could read people like a book.

- You go to my harem as a slave withIt is your punishment, but also your reward. he told me in a mocking voice, measuring me from head to toe.

- I prefer the idea of ​​punishing and killing me. I will not be anyone's slave. - I shouted loudly at him. I couldn't allow myself to be someone's slave, though I would give this man everything as he won me over at first sight.

"Ahmed Pasha, put her on the ship." She's going to my harem now. - Murad said to his pasha and we boarded the ship leading to Istanbul. I had no strength to argue with him. I really liked his temperament. I saw a resemblance in us. I saw the fire in his eyes. I immediately noticed him measuring me.

I boarded the ship and took one last breath of Venetian air. The last time I looked at the beautiful canals of my hometown. The last time I heard gondoliers sing serenades while riding gondolas. The last time I see our Venetian palaces. And I wonder, will I ever come back?