And I Darken (The Conquerors Saga #1) - Kiersten White Page 0,149

princess of Moldova

Mircea: Oldest son of Vlad Dracul and his first, deceased wife

Lada: Daughter and second legitimate child of Vlad Dracul

Radu: Son and third legitimate child of Vlad Dracul

Vlad: Illegitimate son of Vlad Dracul with a mistress

Alexandru: Brother of Vlad Dracul, vaivode of Wallachia

Wallachian Court and Countryside Figures

Nurse: Mother of Bogdan, caretaker of Lada and Radu

Bogdan: Son of the nurse, friend of Lada

Andrei: Boyar child from rival Danesti family

Aron: Boyar child from rival Danesti family

Costin: A boy without shoes at the frozen river

Danesti family: Rival family for the Wallachian throne

Lazar: A Janissary soldier serving in Wallachia, friend of Radu

Edirne Court Figures

Murad: Ottoman sultan, father of Mehmed

Halima: One of Murad’s wives, mother of the infant Ahmet

Ahmet: Mehmed’s infant half brother

Mara Brankovic: One of Murad’s wives, the daughter of the Serbian king

Huma: One of of Murad’s concubines, the mother of Mehmed

Mehmed: The third and least favorite son of the sultan

Sitti Hatun: Daughter of an important emir, Mehmed’s first wife

Gulsa: Mehmed’s concubine, the mother of his second son

Beyazit: Mehmed’s firstborn son

Molla Gurani: Mehmed’s tutor

Halil Pasha: An important advisor in the Ottoman court

Salih: The second son of Halil Pasha, friend of Radu

Kumal: Devout vali of a small area outside of Edirne

Nazira: Kumal’s youngest sister

Fatima: Nazira’s maid

Amal: A young servant in the palace

Military Figures in the Ottoman Empire

Ilyas: A Janissary commander

Kazanci Dogan: Military leader of the Janissaries

Ivan: A Janissary with a nasty disposition

Matei: An experienced Wallachian Janissary

Nicolae: A Wallachian Janissary and Lada’s closest friend

Petru: A young Wallachian Janissary

Stefan: A mysterious Wallachian Janissary

Tohin: A gunpowder expert

Political Figures in Opposition to the Sultan

Constantine: The emperor of Constantinople

Orhan: A false heir to the Ottoman throne, used by Constantinople as leverage

Skanderberg: Iskander Bey, also known as Skanderberg, a former Janissary and favorite of Murad, now holding the Albanian city of Kruje against the Ottomans

bey: A governor

beylerbey: Governors of the largest and most important provinces

boyars: Wallachian nobility

concubine: A woman who belongs to the sultan and is not a legal wife but could produce legal heirs

dervish: Religious ascetics (mostly from the Sufi branch of Islam) who take vows of poverty

dracul: Dragon, also devil, as the terms were interchangeable

emir: A leader of the Turkmen tribes, Ottoman allies to the east

eunuch: A man who has been castrated, highly valued as a servant and a prestigious slave

hajj: Religious pilgrimage taken to Mecca as one of the Five Pillars of Islam

harem: A group of women, consisting of wives, concubines, and servants, that belongs to the sultan

Janissary: A member of an elite force of military professionals, taken as boys from other countries, converted to Islam, educated, and trained to be loyal to the sultan

Order of the Dragon: Order of Crusaders anointed by the pope

pasha: A noble in the Ottoman Empire, appointed by the sultan

pashazada: A son of a pasha

spahi: Military commander in charge of local Ottoman soldiers called up during wars

vaivode: Warlord prince of Wallachia

vali: A local governor, appointed by the sultan

valide sultan: The mother of the sultan

vassal state: Country allowed to retain rulership but subject to the Ottoman Empire, with taxes of both money and slaves for the army

vilayet: Small area of land governed by a vali

vizier: A high ranking noble, usually adviser to the sultan

Wallachia: Vassal state of the Ottoman Empire, bordered by Transylvania, Hungary, and Moldavia

While the book is based on actual historical figures, I have taken massive liberties, filling in gaps, creating characters and events, shifting time lines, and most particularly, changing Vlad the Impaler to Lada the Impaler.

Any book based in history is a vast and ultimately impossible undertaking. Because history is written by the victors—and those who are quite unhappy with those victors—major figures tend to be canonized or demonized in the records that make it through to our day.

Vlad the Impaler was a national hero, a freedom fighter, a brilliant military mind. Or he was a deeply disturbed psychopath, a vicious despot who murdered tens of thousands and literally sustained himself on their flesh.

Similarly divided accounts exist of Mehmed the Conqueror. History loves him and hates him. He was an incredibly devout, thoughtful ruler, even bordering on a religious figure, or he was a cruel predator who loved debauchery and destruction.

My goal in this book was to carve out a middle ground. In my research I set aside accounts that skewed too far in either direction and tried to focus on the truth: They were men who were born into great power, and they both did what they thought necessary to maintain and expand that power. The central aspect I wanted to explore was the path a person takes to get to the point where they can justify doing terrible things in the name of good. What motivations sway them? What stones laid in childhood become the foundation legacies are built on?

In the end, this is a work of fiction. I chose to make Vlad the Impaler a girl because it was a more interesting lens for me as a storyteller. Radu the Handsome is merely a footnote in Vlad’s stories, but I did my best to breathe life into his legacy. Mehmed the Conqueror is a revered Turkish national hero, with Istanbul still a testament to his greatness and his ability to think far into the future. I have done my best to honor that, while still acknowledging that he was a real person.

Just how much interaction the three would have had growing up in the Ottoman Courts together is unknown. I’ve crafted a fictional history in which the formative relationships of their young lives were with each other. If you would like to read more extensively on Vlad, Radu, and Mehmed and their time, as well as the incredible legacy of the Ottomans, I recommend using your local library and librarians. Some books I found helpful were:

The Ottoman Centuries, by Lord Kinross

1453, by Roger Crowley

A Short History of Byzantium, by John Julius Norwich

The Grand Turk, by John Freely

Dracula, Prince of Many Faces, by Radu R. Florescu and Raymond T. McNally

Islam: A Thousand Years of Faith and Power, by Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair

Though the characters in the book each interact with religion, and more specifically Islam, in various ways, I have nothing but respect for the rich history and beautiful legacy of that gospel of peace. Individual characters’ opinions on the complexities of faith, both Islam and Christianity, do not reflect my own.

Spelling varies between languages and over time, as do place names. Any errors or inconsistencies are my own. Though the main characters speak a variety of languages, I made an editorial decision to present all common terms in English.

This book would not exist without my incredible husband. Noah’s love of Romania and its history, as well as Arabic, Islam, and the Middle East, fed and formed this idea until it was ready to become a story. He was an invaluable resource. Also, he is very handsome and I’m quite lucky to be his wife.

Special thanks go to my agent, Michelle Wolfson, for never pausing when I tell her what I want to do next. She has been Lada’s biggest cheerleader—and mine, as well.

My brilliant editor, Wendy Loggia, cannot be thanked enough. She saw the pitch for this book and instantly understood what it was and what it needed to be. Her guiding hand is on every page, and I’m so grateful to work with her. The entire team at Delacorte Press is a dream for a writer. Special thanks go to Alison Impey for the stunning cover design, Heather Kelly for the gorgeous interior design, and Colleen Fellingham and Heather Lockwood Hughes for catching all my many errors in copyedits.

None of my books would exist without my best friends and critique partners, Natalie Whipple and Stephanie Perkins. Natalie saw me through a brutal first draft, and Stephanie saved me during an overwhelming edit. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you both.

Finally, endless gratitude goes to my family, for always supporting and encouraging me. And last in thanks but first in my heart, to my three beautiful children: I would cut through a mountain for you.