1 Prologue
It was quiet. The only sound was the melodious murmur of a fountain in the center of a small garden. The air was a bit humid, and the light breeze was drifting around carrying almost unnoticeable sweet flower aroma.
The sun had already sat down, but the sky was yet to turn dark. The flowers in the small garden were starting to close the first evening dew forming on their leaves.
It was peaceful as it only can be in the late summer evening when everyone was lazing around after the hot of the day had finally drifted away.
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The sound of a child's laughter came suddenly, shredding this pastoral atmosphere. Still, there wasn't anything unbecoming in this laughter, as if this garden existed solely for the purpose of making the little child laugh and be happy.
A lady walked in into the garden holding a little laughing girl by the hand.
The lady's looks suggested that she was a bit over twenty. She wore a mesmerizing tender-sky-blue-colored chiffon dress, which tightly hugged her waist and fell in waves down to feet outlining her perfect figure. Her long unruly hair was fiery red. It made her seem a domesticated spirit of fire as she was smiling mildly to the child next to her.
The girl looked about four or five years old. She also had a head full of fiery red hair and also was dressed in a tender-sky-blue dress which made her look like a little doll. All in all, she looked like a lovely little copy of the lady and anyone could say at one glance that the lady and the girl were related.
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"Granny, granny, I want a bedtime story! You promised!" chirped the girl.
"Alright, what story do you want?" the lady walked the girl through the garden to the small veranda at the side. There was a room adjusted to the veranda, and the sliding door as big as the whole wall was opened to the side.
Inside the room, there was a bedding on the floor right next to the exit, such as if one lay there he or she would be able to enjoy the view of the garden and melodious sounds of the little fountain.
The little girl took off her dress and got under a blanket ready to listen to the granny's story.
"I want the story of you and grandfather!"
"But you've heard this one countless times."
"I still want to hear it! When I grow up, I will marry someone as great as grandfather too."
"Ha, ha." The lady laughed. "That will be hard to achieve, I've lived for sooo long and only met one of your grandfather."
"Alright," the girl felt dejected "guess, then I'll have to go for the second best."
"Just don't tell that to your father," the lady chuckled.
"Granny, you are a bully." The little girl pouted.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you." Granny laughed and caressed the little girl's head. "You'll definitely marry a boy just as great as your father and grandfather."
The lady fixed the blanket and sat down next to the girl.
"Well," she said, "let me start then."
