In the B-plot, Cerkutay—now on a path of redemption—leads a small party to the burned Byzantine village. Among the ruins, he finds a lone survivor: a Greek girl named Eleni, barely twelve years old, who hides under a cart. She witnessed Nikola’s men massacre her family because her father refused to convert to Islam or Christianity (he was a secret Bogomil). Cerkutay, haunted by his own past as a Mongol executioner, vows to protect her.
Osman enters the divan (council) with a limp, a ruse to project weakness. Bala Hatun notices the deception in his eyes but says nothing. Geyhati’s emissary, a scarred Mongol named Bayju, sneers as Osman agrees to the tribute. “The Kayı bow to the eternal sky,” Osman says, head lowered. But as Bayju departs, Osman whispers to Gündüz Bey: “Prepare the archers. They will leave with our gold, but not our honor.” kurulus osman season 3 episode 4
Cut to: a riderless horse galloping into Söğüt, its saddle soaked in blood. Tied to the saddle horn is the head of a Kayı scout—and pinned to the head, a note: “You killed ten of mine. I will take ten thousand of your tomorrows.” In the B-plot, Cerkutay—now on a path of