Chapter 14

"It took a while before I got the lowdown on my friends’ story. It was seriously impactful, unfolding a bunch of situations - each super interesting and wild for someone as clueless as me. "The old man’s name was De Lacey.

He came from a good family in France, where he’d lived for years, living large and respected by everyone. His son, Felix, had served his country, and Agatha was friends with the most high-profile people around.

"Just months before I showed up, they were chilling in a huge, fancy city called Paris, surrounded by friends and having a blast - virtue, smarts, good taste, and a decent amount of money - you name it. "Safie’s dad was the reason things went south for them.

He was a Turkish merchant who’d been living in Paris for ages, when, for reasons I couldn’t quite figure out, he rubbed the government the wrong way. They arrested him and tossed him in jail the very day Safie arrived from Constantinople to see him. They tried him and sentenced him to death.

"The whole thing was totally unfair; everyone in Paris was outraged. Turns out, his religion and his wealth, not whatever crime they said he committed, were the real problem."

Felix had accidentally shown up at the trial. He was seriously horrified and angry when he heard the court’s decision. He made a serious promise right then to free him and started looking for a way to do it.

After a bunch of tries to get into the prison didn't work, he found a strong, barred window in an area that wasn't being watched. It lit up the dungeon where the unlucky Muhammadan was, chained up and waiting for the brutal sentence to be carried out.

Felix went to the grate at night and told the prisoner he was going to help. The Turk was shocked and happy, trying to fire up Felix’s enthusiasm with promises of rewards and riches.

Felix brushed off his offers, but when he saw Safie - who was allowed to visit her dad and whose gestures showed how grateful she was - the young man had to admit the captive had something that would totally make his effort and risk worthwhile.

The Turk quickly realized his daughter had made an impression on Felix and tried to get him even more on his side by promising him her hand in marriage once he was safe. Felix was too decent to accept, but he looked forward to the possibility as the ultimate happiness.

"Over the next few days, while they were getting things ready for the merchant’s escape, Felix got several letters from this amazing girl. She found a way to tell him her thoughts in the language of her lover, with the help of an old man - her dad’s servant who knew French."

She thanked him so much for wanting to help her dad, and she also gently talked about how bad her own situation was.

"I’ve got copies of these letters, you know? I managed to snag some writing stuff while I was living in that shack. Felix or Agatha often had the letters. I’ll give them to you before I go - they’ll prove everything I’ve been saying."

But right now, the sun’s way down, so I’ll just tell you what they say. "Safie told me her mom was a Christian Arab, captured and made a slave by the Turks. She was so beautiful, she won over Safie’s dad, and they got married."

Safie talked about her mom all the time, like, how amazing she was - born free, but now stuck in slavery. Her mom taught her about her religion and pushed her to be smart and independent, stuff that wasn't allowed for women who followed Muhammad.

Sadly, her mom died, but Safie never forgot what she learned. She was totally freaked out about going back to Asia and being stuck in a harem, just doing childish stuff, which was so not her vibe - she was used to big ideas and wanting to be good.

The thought of marrying a Christian and living somewhere where women could have a real place in society? That was a dream. "The day they were supposed to execute the Turk was set, but the night before, he bailed from prison and was miles from Paris by morning."

"Felix had gotten passports for his dad, his sister, and himself. He’d already told his dad about the plan, and his dad played along by pretending to go on a trip and hiding with his daughter somewhere quiet in Paris."

Felix led the escapees through France, all the way to Lyons and then over Mont Cenis to Leghorn. That's where the merchant decided to chill until he could sneak into the Turkish territories. "Safie was gonna stay with her dad until he left," she said.

"Before that happened, the Turk promised she’s gonna end up with his savior. Felix stayed with them, hoping that would happen. He loved hanging out with the Arabian, who was seriously sweet with him. They talked through an interpreter, and sometimes just with looks.

Safie even sang him songs from her homeland - totally divine. "The Turk let them hang out and stoked the young lovers’ hopes," she said. "But secretly, he had other stuff in mind."

He couldn’t stand the thought of his daughter with a Christian, but he was worried Felix would get mad if he seemed uninterested. He knew he was still at Felix’s mercy if he ratted him out to the Italian government.

He thought up a ton of ways to drag out the charade until he could just grab his daughter and bounce. News from Paris made it even easier.

The French government was seriously ticked off about their victim escaping and went all-out to find and punish his helper. Felix’s plan was quickly exposed, and De Lacey and Agatha ended up in jail. The news hit Felix hard and yanked him out of his happy dreams.

His blind, old dad and his sweet sister were stuck in a nasty dungeon while he got to breathe free and hang out with the girl he loved. That thought was brutal. He quickly made a deal with the Turk: if the Turk could escape before Felix got back to Italy, Safie would stay at a convent in Leghorn.

Then, ditching the awesome Arabian, he rushed to Paris and turned himself in to the law, hoping to get De Lacey and Agatha out by doing that. It didnn't work. They stayed locked up for five months before the trial, which cost them everything and banished them forever from their homeland.

They ended up in a tiny place, a cottage in Germany, where I found them. Felix soon learned that the shady Turk, who he and his family suffered so much for, found out his rescuer was broke and ruined.

The Turk turned into a backstabber, ditching Italy with his daughter and sending Felix a small amount of cash, saying it would help him with future plans. Those were the things messing with Felix’s mind and made him the most heartbroken of his family when I first met him.

He could deal with being poor - he even felt good about it, since it was a reward for doing the right thing. But the Turk’s ingratitude and losing Safie were way worse, a total bummer. The Arabian’s arrival gave him a fresh burst of energy.

When the news hit Leghorn that Felix had lost all his money and status, the merchant told his daughter to forget about her boyfriend and get ready to head back home. Safie was seriously ticked off by this; she tried to reason with her dad, but he stormed off, doubling down on his strict order.

A few days later, the Turk rushed into his daughter’s room and told her he’s pretty sure someone spilled the beans about his place and he’s gonna get handed over to the French government ASAP. He’s hired a ship to take him to Constantinople, and they’d be setting sail in just a few hours.

He planned to leave his daughter with a trusted servant, who’d follow later with most of their stuff that hadn’t arrived in Leghorn yet. When she was alone, Safie figured out what she was gonna do. Living in Turkey was a hard no; her religion and her feelings just weren't into it.

She found some of her dad's papers and learned about Felix’s exile and where he was living. She thought about it for a while, then made up her mind. Grabbing some jewelry and cash, she ditched Italy with a helper - a local from Leghorn who also spoke Turkish - and headed for Germany.

She made it to a town, like, twenty leagues from the De Lacey cottage. But then her attendant got seriously sick. Safie took care of her, super devotedly, but the poor girl didn’t make it. Now Safie was all alone, didn't know the language, and had zero clue about how things worked around here.

Luckily, she ended up with some really good people. The Italian had told them where they were headed, so after her friend died, the woman who's house they were staying in made sure Safie got to her lover’s cottage safe and sound.